Itchy Boots

The first part of my journey around the world is complete. In 2 months time, I rode 11.000 kilometers. Starting in Delhi, India and crossing Myanmar and Thailand until I reached Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The road was tough, the road was beautiful, the road was dusty, the road was challenging but most of all - It was an adventure of a lifetime. But this is only the beginning! The journey will continue, starting with the Middle East. This is a compilation of 2 months riding and exploring, I hope you'll like it!

In this video we're installing a piggyback ECU on my Royal Enfield Himalayan "Basanti". It's the PowerTRONIC from Race Dynamics . Their customer service is amazing and they even arranged that if you want to buy this product and use the code ITCHYBOOTS, you'll get a 10% discount! Here is the link: https://www.powertronicecu.com (Disclaimer: I am not making money if you purchase this product, the benefit is for you!) Please note that this video is not a STEP-BY-STEP instruction video on how to install it. But it comes with written instructions and you can contact Race Dynamics at any time if you have trouble installing it. It was hard to record the connection points as they are a bit hard to reach within the bike! Also, we almost missed the lambda bypass coupler, which was hidden in the box, so don't forget about that!

I have some big news to share with you!!

I am now in the The Netherlands, preparing for epic Expedition Patagonia - Alaska which is going to start very soon! But as you've seen in the previous video, I now have a brand-new bike, called Dhanno, and I need to set her up with everything I need for such a massive trip. So in the coming episodes, I'll show you the process of getting Dhanno and myself ready!

A short update of what's going on! An important improvement I was looking for was regarding the windshield. To reduce the turbulent wind hitting me in the face, I bought a taller windshield online and installed it. I can't say that I'm entirely wind-free, but it's a big improvement! The website where I found this windshield is www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com

Today I'm riding to Ulicoten to the Discover Overland 2019 event! I was asked to give a presentation there and it sounded like a cool place to meet some like-minded travellers, so I said yes! Rear camera rack made by www.knookvormgeversinmetaal.nl (info@knookmetaal.nl)

In this Live Q&A I'm trying to answer your questions! Please check out www.itchyboots.com/FAQ for the answer to the most frequently asked questions, or my previous Q&A session!

I am riding solo around the world on my Royal Enfield Himalayan 'Dhanno'!

It's been one week since the crazy repatriation from Peru. Let's chat about what's next!

My journey towards Alaska came to an abrupt halt because of the world wide crisis at the moment. Time to sit down and look back at the most memorable events of the past 60.000 kilometers of riding around the world.

I decided it was time to share some of the lesser successful moments of my journey around the world! These are the times that traveling alone on a motorcycle were not so easy...

Because I had to leave my beloved motorcycle "Dhanno" behind in Peru, while I was repatriated to my home country The Netherlands - I decided to record a series of videos in The Netherlands and this is the first one!

While I wait until I can get back to Peru to continue my journey to Alaska, I am exploring The Netherlands by motorcycle! Today I am riding to the lowest point of the country, I visit the windmills of Kinderdijk, have a snack in Dordrecht and ride past National Park The Biesbosch.

In this video I am taking you to Zeeland, one of the provinces in The Netherlands. The year that my father was born, 1953, there was a huge flood here, killing 1800 people, including people from my family. My dad explains what happened and after that, I am showing you how the Dutch have worked to make sure that this will never happen again.

With the Patagonia - Alaska trip on pause - let's chat about what's happening?

In this episode of my tour around The Netherlands I visit three areas in which crucial events took place with regards to the surrender and liberation of The Netherlands in WWII. - Due to the world wide crisis, my journey from Patagonia to Alaska on my Royal Enfield Himalayan "Dhanno" is temporarily paused. Until I can resume the journey, I am exploring my own country: The Netherlands.

I bought a new motorcycle!! Wait what?! Yes! Europe is opening its borders and I am going to tour around Europe for a while until I can go back to Peru. For that, I decided to buy a new (well.. second-hand) motorcycle. Exciting!

I am preparing for Itchy Boots Season 3, in which I am going to make a tour around Europe! I bought a second-hand Honda CB500X to go on this adventure and I am preparing the bike at the moment. A lot of great names were suggested for this motorcycle and I am announcing the winning name!

This is the 2020 Itchy Boots Christmas Special. This year was crazy, bizarre, sad and I don't think it went the way any of us thought. It's time to bring some smiles to people faces, and have a fun day riding a motorcycle .. dressed as Santa!

First time to catch up in a live chat since the start of season 5!! If I couldn't answer your question, please check out my website www.itchyboots.com - there are lots of answers to be found here as well - both in the FAQ section as well in the blog! :)

One million subscribers.. I can't believe it. Let's chat!! First time to catch up in a live chat since the start of season 6!! If I couldn't answer your question, please check out my website www.itchyboots.com - there are lots of answers to be found here as well - both in the FAQ section as well in the blog! :)

In this episode, I have left Alaska briefly while I am waiting for motorcycle parts to arrive there. I figured I'd work on my motorcycling skills in the meantime and go and race a cross country rally! For this rally, I am renting a 500 RRS Beta - my first experience with such a beast. I also need to learn how roadbook navigation works, so this is going to be a steep learning curve!

In this episode, I am finishing up my roadbook navigation training in Montana and Wyoming on the Beta 500 RRS. Trying to race, while deciphering the graphic indications of where you need to be, while catching waypoints on the way.. and filming the whole thing too at the same time.. not so easy! But it's an absolute blast and I am ready to hit the road and make my way down to Mexico for the rally!

In this episode I am making my way down south through the USA towards Mexico to race the Baja Rally. On the way, I make a stop in Nevada to practice some sand riding on Sand Mountain. What an absolute epic place to ride a motorcycle!! I am blown away!

In this episode, I am making my way into Southern California, to train with Mason Klein. At 20 years old, he rode his first Dakar and got 9th place! An incredibly talented rider, and patient teacher - he taught me some very valuable motorcycle and navigation lessons. He is not a factory rider (yet), and is still trying to get enough funds to compete in Dakar which starts in a couple of days from now! If you want to help support a young rider and cheer him on to the podium of Dakar - check out his GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Mason-Daka... Follow MASON KLEIN on: YouTube: www.youtube.com/@rallywithmason3597 Instagram: www.instagram.com/mason_klein1

In this episode I am starting on the start line of the 6 day BAJA RALLY in Mexico. And well, anything can happen in rally, but I'm not off to a good start...

In this episode I am racing stage 3 and 4 of the BAJA RALLY and stage 4 was very tough for me. Multiple crashes and a bad injury made this a fight I will never forget.

In this episode I am riding Stage 5 and 6 of the BAJA RALLY and I'm trying to make it across the finish line. After my leg injury in the previous episode, this is going to be a big fight...

This episode is the beginning of making my Honda CRF300L Rally ready for new adventures around the world. In the past 43,000 kilometers , the motorcycle got quite some abuse and I want to make sure it's in tiptop condition before I set off in the the wilderness again!

In this episode, the rebuilt starts. Will the bike start when we put it back together?!

I am taking a break from West Africa to escape the rainy season and I'm using this time to try different motorcycles, ride in different mountain ranges, and after years of solo travel, ride with some friends!

In this video, I return from Andorra back to Barcelona with my friends Charly, Killian and Roel. Its been amazing to try out the Ducati Desert X - could this bike be my future travel companion?

I am using my break from Africa to try out another bike and to work on my riding techniques! To be better on my own, I try to race a rally once a year to work on my riding. This year, I am entering the Dinaric Rally in Croatia! I borrowed a KTM 350 EXC to race on, and well, what an absolute beast!! I think it's the perfect bike for this terrain and I can't wait for the rally to begin!

The DINARIC RALLY kicked off!! 110 riders will race through the Dinaric Alps for 6 days straight. To announce our arrival to the village of Knin, Croatia, we do a little parade through town. The next morning, Stage 1 begins and although I hoped to be faster, I am still pleased with position #48 after stage 1. Stage 2 begins well, and my position is good, but at 320 kilometers into the Special Stage, I have a very unfortunate accident, resulting in a broken hand. This is part of motorcycling, there is always a risk that you have to be willing to take. In this case, it was just an unfortunate mishap as I wasn't even riding at race speed! That means the end of the Dinaric Rally for me, but I am so happy I got to experience this part of the world and I will be back very soon!

Back to where it all started! Five years ago, I rented a Royal Enfield Himalayan in Manali, India and rode it around the Himalayan mountains for a couple of weeks. I loved it so much, that I bought one in Delhi, named it Basanti and rode it half across the world. Now, I am back in the Himalayas, but this time, on the NEW Himalayan, a bike that is not yet launched. I got the incredible opportunity to try this pre-production bike out, and this time, I have my cameras to record these adventures in India. LET'S GO!!

In this episode, I am riding from Turtuk, at the end of Nubra valley, close to the border with Pakistan, all the way across Ladakh, to Pangong Lake, close to the border with China! It's an incredible ride across the high mountains of the Himalayas!

In this episode, I ride alongside Pangong Lake, the worlds highest saltwater lake and 1/3 is in India, and 2/3 in China. That means, I have to cross the 8th highest mountain pass, to avoid getting too close to the border with China...

In this episode, I am riding to my favorite valley in Ladakh: Zanskar valley. But I'm taking a road that I haven't taken before, because it only opened in the last couple of years. It's an insane ride over high mountain passes, and in between, I also somehow end up in a Ladakhi wedding...

In this episode, I ride further into Zanskar valley. The road I'm following at first, is relatively new and only exists for a few years. Before that, people from villages like Lingshed, where I spend the night at a homestay, had to walk for days. In winter, the only way out of the snowed in valley was walking over the frozen Zanskar river, also for days on end... It's a magical place!

In this episode, I am riding from Kargil, in Ladakh, to beautiful Srinagar, Kashmir. To get there, I have to get over the Zoji Pass, and I end up in the largest military convoy I have ever seen in my life..

In this episode, I am leaving Srinagar, Kashmir, and I am riding to Amritsar, in Punjab. It's an 8 hour motorcycle ride, but it's all worth it once I see the Golden Temple...

In this video, I leave Punjab and enter the state of Rajasthan in India. I am entering the desert! But first, I visit an unique temple, dedicated to the goddess Durga - and even though I knew what the temple was all about.. I have to admit, I was still a little shaken!

In this episode, I am riding the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 to Jaisalmer, in the desert state of India: Rajasthan. On the way, I quickly test the topspeed of the pre-production bike, and it easily hits 140. I might have been able to push it a bit further, but it would be better to do this on a highway where it's legal to ride fast, such as one in Germany!

In this episode, I leave Jaisalmer and ride to Jodhpur. On the way out of Jaisalmer, I stop at the haunted, abandoned village of Kuldhara..

In this episode, I visit the Om Banna temple in India, the only place in the world where a motorcycle is worshipped as a deity. It's a fascinating story and a popular pilgrim place. India keeps on surprising me, wherever I go!

In this episode, I ride to the small town of Bundi, in Rajasthan. I meet Mr. Kuki, an archeologist who discovered many rock paintings in the area and knows many people and places here. Together we explore the area around Bundi and meet up with Kalbelias people, whose traditional occupation was snake handling, and snake venom trading, but whose lives have changed a lot now in modern India..

In this episode, I am riding from Bundi, to Rusirani, a small community inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve. On the way, I pass through Jaipur, the Pink City. I see camels on the road, elephant, water buffalo and stay with an incredibly hospitable Indian family in the country side. I will never forget this day, and seeing so much of my beloved country that is India..

In this episode, I am riding the last kilometers from the little village of Rusirani, back to Delhi. My India series has come to an end, so I share some of my thoughts about the bike. I am not an expert at doing motorcycle review videos, so I just mention the main differences between this bike and the old version, that I rode a lot too, and my opinion on the bike!

I have taken a break from my journey to Japan, because my the English translation of book has been published in the UK and so I am going on a booktour!! It all starts in London...

I have taken a break from my journey to Japan, because my the English translation of book has been published in the UK and so I am going on a booktour!!

In this episode, I am leaving London, but not alone this time.. I am meeting up with Charley Boorman, an absolute legend in the world of adventure motorcycling. Together with Ewan Mc Gregor, they created the 'Long way Around' series and they recently did a tour on old motorcycles too! Together with his friend Ben, Charley runs the podcast 'The Nod'.

Welcome to my booktour around England, Wales and Scotland! In this episode, I am leaving London, but not alone this time.. I am meeting up with Charley Boorman, an absolute legend in the world of adventure motorcycling. Together with Ewan Mc Gregor, they created the 'Long way Around' series and they recently did a tour on old motorcycles too! Together with his friend Ben, Charley runs the podcast 'The Nod'.

In this episode, I am leaving Eastbourne and I first have to ride to Dartford, near London, for a book signing event. The next day, I have to be in Swansea for another event, but instead of taking the highway, I ride via Oxford on a very special mission...

In this episode, I am leaving Eastbourne and I first have to ride to Dartford, near London, for a book signing event. The next day, I have to be in Swansea for another event, but instead of taking the highway, I ride via Oxford on a very special mission...

Ok, not the morning that I expected. I woke up in Swansea, after a book signing event the night before, and looked at an empty parking bay. My motorcycle gone. It was like I was in Iraq again, where the exact same thing happened to my own Yamaha Tenere. But just like then, I also hid an AirTag in this bike and immediately checked what the location of the bike was - and then things unfolded in a completely different way then I thought!!

Ok, not the morning that I expected. I woke up in Swansea, after a book signing event the night before, and looked at an empty parking bay. My motorcycle gone. It was like I was in Iraq again, where the exact same thing happened to my own Yamaha Tenere. But just like then, I also hid an AirTag in this bike and immediately checked what the location of the bike was - and then things unfolded in a completely different way then I thought!!