Webmaster of this site, and as of 2012 rider of a Honda ST1300 Pan European.

I am the purveyor of D I Y Earplug Kits, so please contact me if you would like some.

I can also, for a small fee, arrange a Wild Geese Email Address for you.

You can email me here.

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At the Mitre, my local in London around 1973. Not saying which one is me...

Round and round at the Willowbank Track Day January 2006

(read about The Gizmo G S With Wind Deflectors)

The GS in long-distance travel mode

The GS in adventure mode at Moonan Flat, on the way to the Karuah River Rally Feb 2006

Prior to the ST1300, for a considerable few years, my only bike was the KTM 950 Adventure. The KTM replaced a previous pair of bikes, a Yamaha XJR 1300 and BMW R1150GS. The KTM was a more capable off-road bike than my old GS (at least for my level of riding skill), had similar power to the XJR, and would basically take me anywhere I wanted to go. It was particularly well suited to longer distance road/trail rides, which was probably my main reason for buying the bike.

I kept up for some time a K T M 950Info page to keep track of tyre choices, suppliers etc.

Mick poses next to my one-day-old Katoom in Kenilworth.

A week later, the KTM gets baptised - now fitted with crash bars, just in case.

Stage 1 - loaded up for my trip to Expedition National Park

Stage 2 - fitted with a higher screen from AJPlastics

So I thought to myself, the KTM is a big heavy bike, maybe it's time for something a bit nimbler. After a test ride or two on various machines, this is what I came up with:

OK, so I may have gone a bit astray. I ended up with a 286kg behemoth of an old fart's touring machine. But after a short test ride she who must sometimes be obeyed gave it the pillion seal of approval and I was actually quite taken with the beaST myself. Sunstate were reasonably negotiable on the price and the bike seemed to be in great condition for a 2002, 88,000km bike, so the deal was done.

Picked the bike up Tuesday, had the KTM sold and delivered Wednesday. No point in hanging around...

I will keep track of my mods to, and views on, this bike on a separate page - Steves Beast.