She’s created quite the buzz in the adventure rider world, not only by riding solo around Australia but also by her seemingly endless positive attitude and fun-loving personality. Kinga is now sponsored by Outback Motortek and proudly so! Find out more about Kinga and her adventures in the interview below.
Photography by: Kinga Tanajewska, www.OnHerBike.com
Anyone who knows or follows you on social media can sense that riding is more than just a hobby for you. When did you fall in love with motorcycles?
Motorcycles have been my passion since my teens and I don’t really know what triggered it, but I just loved bikes and wanted to learn how to ride them. Back in the 90’s in Poland the Polish motorcycle community was very small but I still got the chance to meet some fantastic people who shared the same passion for bikes, and for going on rallies etc.
According to your website you didn’t start with dual-sport bikes. How did you end up with an ultimate and nimble adventure bike, like the BMW F800GS?
I’ve been through a few phases throughout my motorcycling journey: firstly I loved choppers – my very first bike was Honda Nighthawk 450, then I had passion for naked & sports and finally I’ve developed the taste for adventure and so I’ve taken to a BMW F800GS – I was an instant convert! After a few years of living in Australia, I realised if I really want to explore this beautiful country I’ll need to be able to ride on dirt as well as roads. And thus my GS – I love it and have never looked back. I love the comfort, and it’s got plenty of power on the bitumen to overtake road-trains … plus it’s made for dirt!
Your videos from your solo trip around Australia are stunning. Which place captured your heart the most during your adventure?
Australia is a safe, peaceful, multicultural country with lovely weather and amazing, varied landscapes – there are so many great places to explore here. For example Far North Queensland is unreal… like a movie with its tropical flora and fauna. But then I also love the Snowy Mountains and the Victorian High Country for their spectacular scenery and awesome ‘twisties’. But if I had to pick my absolute favourite place on earth that would be the outback of Western Australia, from the Kimberly to Pilbara, with its vast, remote, red, alien landscapes… sometimes even moonscapes!
Wild camping is most people’s worst nightmare. You have to leave your comfort zone to be able to cope with the challenges involved. Do you enjoy it?
I love it! I must admit that I was a bit frightened at first as I had never camped on my own, but after a few nights I got used to all the bizarre noises coming out of the bush at night and if it’s all getting too loud or weird I simply stick in some ear plugs. Even now I’m back to busy city life and there is no better stress relief and joy than to go riding to the bush on my own!
As you mentioned earlier Australia is so vast and remote. How do you prepare for emergency situations?
Having enough fuel and water is obviously the most critical thing to plan when riding in remote areas … so a spare-fuel bladder/canister and plenty of water is a must.
In at a very close second, especially when riding through vas areas without phone coverage, is my trusty emergency satellite beacon; having it gives me the peace of mind that if something catastrophic occurs I can always press a button and call for help.
Back to your solo trip for one more time. How did you get so lucky to take time off work and fulfill this dream of yours?
Riding around Australia was always on by bucket list and when an opportunity for a work transfer to came along, I though “this is the moment to do this … it’s now or never”! Calling it ‘Tour De Oz’ and raising money for The Shepherd Centre along the way, I took on the eastern and northern parts of this great continent in the first leg of the journey. Riding on the remote roads, through the eclectic, surreal landscapes, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I absolutely fell in love with the outback.
Check out her Solo Ride Around Australia Videos below.
See more at: http://onherbike.com/content/about#sthash.shbRZEUw.dpuf
