I was extremely lucky to find out that Tiffany Coates was going to be in Austin, and giving a presentation on her round-the-world travels. Horsepower Farm was hosting the event, with lunch and drinks provided and a nice raffle. I arrived early and was hanging out looking at all the bikes and drinking a soda when Tiffany walks in the back door and introduces herself to me. It was really cool meeting her since she is one of my motorcycling heroes. Listening to her presentation was fantastic and inspirational. I really like the way she goes about things, which is not really being technical-minded or gear-crazy. She just gets on with things! To hear her tell the story of her first motorcycle trip to India with her best friend after they recently learned how to ride really set the tone for the rest of the presentation. It was pretty much just go for it and sort out things as they happen. I really like that attitude. She talked about her journey to India, Africa, and also a trip from the UK to the ‘Stans, Tibet, and China. It was pretty incredible! It seems like many people (including myself) obsess over the gear, farkles, and specs. But after hearing Tiffany speak, you realize that the most important thing is to have a positive attitude and the drive to get started and keep going.
Everyone also got to check out Thelma, the R80 GS that is Tiffany’s first and only bike. It is a pretty cool machine, very basic without a lot of bells and whistles found on modern adventure bikes, and definitely showing the miles. It has a cracked mirror, a bit of rust, lots of bugs on the headlight, but all that adds up to Thelma being the real deal. What a great machine! I look forward to reading more about Tiffany and Thelma’s travels around the world as they don’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.