My Motorcycle Journey – From Solo Asphalt to Dust & Brotherhood

From a 6’7” rookie folded onto a sportbike to an adventure rider chasing gravel, dust, and growth—this is a 25-year journey of learning, unlearning, and finding brotherhood on two wheels. What started as solo asphalt rides evolved into offroad exploration, a tight riding community, and a passion that keeps pushing the limits—one trail at a time.

Published Mar 31, 2026

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By Michel aka Sneezle1980

My Motorcycle Journey – From Solo Asphalt to Dust & Brotherhood

Let me first Introduce myself I’m Michel but my Friends tend to call me Sneezle... Yeah don’t Ask 🤣

I’ve been riding motorcycles for about 25 years now. And honestly? I still don’t consider myself a “good” rider. People tell me I’m too humble—but maybe that mindset is exactly what kept me learning, improving… and still hungry for the next ride. This is my story—how I went from riding alone on the road to becoming part of a club, discovering offroad riding, and everything in between.

The Beginning (2001) – The Tall Guy Problem

I got my license in 2001. For most of that first year, I rode my dad’s second bike: a Suzuki GSX600F Katana. Now picture this: A 200 cm (6’7”) guy… on a sportbike.

I was basically folded over the tank like a human backpack. Knees somewhere near my elbows, spine shaped like a question mark🤣.

Riding longer than an hour? Not happening. It didn’t take long to realize: this wasn’t going to work.

First True Love – The Adventure Begins

That’s when I bought my first real love: a Yamaha XTZ 750 Super Ténéré (’96). It had just under 10,000 km on it, and I rode it everywhere. Rain or shine, day in, day out—that bike was my daily life. This is also where curiosity kicked in. Gravel roads… hard-packed dirt… roads without asphalt. I started exploring. But always carefully. Because I rode alone, and I was always afraid:

Afraid to drop the bike
Afraid to get stuck somewhere
Afraid of getting in over my head
Afraid to put myself out there
Afraid to Step out of my comfort zone

So I played it safe. Very safe.

The End of an Era

About four years ago, things changed. My trusty Ténéré finally gave up. The repair costs were higher than what the bike was still worth. So I sold her… with around 3,000 km on the clock. (Yes—she had already passed 99,999 km and reset to zero 😊) Just like that… I was without a bike. And that felt wrong.

The Tissue Box That Changed Everything

Luckily, that didn’t last long. On my 40th birthday, my parents gave me… a tissue box??. It was wrapped like a normal gift. I remember thinking after I took the Wrapping off : “What… is this? a prank .....”

But when I opened it, everything changed.

Inside were:

Keys
Papers
Owner’s manual

for Honda XL700VA Transalp (2008). My dad’s bike. He had bought it new and only put 8,000 km on it in 12 years—because he preferred riding his Goldwing. And then he said something I’ll never forget: "I’d rather see you ride it the way it’s meant to be ridden than let it sit in the garage."

That hit hard.

Photo

Making It Mine

After that, the Transalp became my bike. I started modifying it, shaping it into something that fit me, my riding, and my growing interest in adventure riding. And then… things really started to change.

Meeting “Dutch Minion” and her bike

Around that time, I got in contact with a rider known as Dutch Minion. From the first ride—it just clicked. We went out together, had an absolute blast… and I quickly realized: She can ride. ( and no I'm not prejudise about female riders) And as the name suggests—she’s not exactly tall. Yet she throws around her Honda CRF1000 Africa Twin Or T7 like it’s nothing. That ride opened my eyes.

From Solo Rider to Brotherhood

During that ride, she invited me to join the motorcycle club she was part of. I hesitated. I had always ridden solo—except for the occasional ride with my dad and his friends. But she convinced me to just tag along on a ride. So I did. And honestly? I was welcomed with open arms. No ego. No pressure. Just a group of people who loved riding. That was new for me. And it felt right.

So I joined.

From Rider to Route Builder

After a while, I became part of the route commission—planning and creating routes, both on-road and offroad. From following lines… to drawing them. That was a whole new level of riding.

The “Brother from Another Mother”

Somewhere along the way, I met someone who might as well be my riding twin.

Same height.
Same Same Helmet
Same Jacket and Pants
Same Gloves
Same Boots.

. When we ride together, people genuinely get confused.

Wich is even more confusing if we swap bikes ( He rides an Africa twin)

It’s like copy-paste… but on motorcycles riders😜.

The Reality Check – Learning to Ride Again

When I started riding more offroad with my new found friends, I realized something uncomfortable: I wasn’t as good as I thought. So I took some allroad courses. And wow… that was a wake-up call. I had to unlearn a lot:

My posture? Wrong
My balance? Wrong
My habits? Also wrong

After 25 years of riding, I was basically starting over. And somehow… I had never seriously hurt myself before. That still surprises me.

But Adventure shield helped me out what A great Teacher

I've gone back 3 times now getting rid of the bad and Improving on the New

Where I Am Now

Today, I have a tight group of (riding) friends—people I trust, people who push me, and people who make every ride better. Together we ride,have fun, explore, get lost, find our way again… and keep improving. Not just as riders—but as people.

The Next Chapter

Now I’m stepping into the next phase of my journey. Moving away from traditional navigation systems and into the world of DMD2. Learning new tools.

Meeting new people. Becoming part of an even bigger adventure community.

And most importantly: Continuing to grow.

Final Thought

I didn’t start this journey to become the best rider. I started it because I loved riding. And somewhere along the way… it became so much more than that.

It became adventure.

It became friendship.

It became a way of life.

And the best part?

I’m nowhere near the end of the trail.

Transparency note

Transparency is very important for us. For this reason, for each news article the writer needs to specify if there is any affiliation with the news content. For this article the writer set: Independent

Comments

6 comments

Johny Pear

Mar 31, 2026

OH Man i love this type of content! Thank you so much!

Michel aka Sneezle1980

Mar 31, 2026 (edited)

Your welcome.

Glad you liked the read . Hope more people find it to there liking

Jason @ Rumo

Mar 31, 2026

Great read and I can appreciate your situation! I’m 6’4” and used to ride sport bikes (put 50k miles on a 2004 R6). Made the switch to dual sport and fell in love with the new adventures.

Being tall can definitely be useful in many off-road situations - especially when your feet are flat on the ground when you sit down!

Michel aka Sneezle1980

Apr 1, 2026

Ooh beeing tall definitely has some advantages in situations but also disadvantages . But same can be said for shorter riders ..

Glad you liked the read

Menno_pc4c

Apr 1, 2026

He Brother from ......
Good times ahead as always... having fun in the dirt or on the road pushing one and other to try new things...

Getting ready for the season to come with The Minion and SNeezle and all our mutual friends...
First steps in to the DMD community with the app and how knows the norden7 in time....

so more good story's to come in time ....

Michel aka Sneezle1980

Apr 1, 2026

👌👍 thanks Brother From .........

Author

Michel aka Sneezle1980

Dutch "giant" riding on and off the road and enjoying life. --- Profession: Nurse--- Down to earth passionate rider on a journey to become a better rider and person. Enjoying "infecting" others wih the offroad bug 😁 "Adventure Awaits every day"

Published

Mar 31, 2026

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