UAE | General

Stolen bike brings world tour to a stop

An Australian adventurer who was on a motorbike trip across four continents had his journey halted after his bike was allegedly stolen in the UAE.

  • By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:45 February 10, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Allan Roberts' plan was to cross the Gulf to Iran after arriving in the UAE, then head to Russia, Mongolia, South East Asia and Indonesia.
  • Image Credit: Supplied Picture

Dubai: An Australian adventurer who planned to travel four continents on his motorbike might have to cut his trip short after his bike was allegedly stolen in the UAE on Friday.

"After braving malaria twice and being held at gunpoint by drunken policemen in Africa, I never thought my adventure would end this way," said Allan Roberts, after having spanned 37 countries in three continents in 18 months.

Roberts said he had stopped his Honda Africa Twin XRV 750 at a restaurant between Sharjah and Ajman, where he was meeting another biker, only to find that his bike had disappeared after taking him 65,000 kilometres through Europe, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

"I can't exactly buy a new bike and continue. I haven't got the money to buy a new one and would probably require a loan for it. Maybe this is the end of my trip, the end of my dream," he said, adding that it was impossible to get insurance for the bike travelling in so many countries.

"It's 10 years old and it's worth nothing - maybe around $2,000 (Dh7,340), but to me it's my life".

With friends

Roberts considers himself fortunate to have friends to stay with in Dubai, since home was a camp in the bush in most of his stops.

"I've camped in the jungles of Nigeria, the deserts of the Sahara and among the tribes of Ethiopia. I've camped all over."

His bike took him from London, where his trip started, down Europe though France and Spain and on to Morocco in Africa past Gibraltar, and then down the continent to its most southern trip before heading to the horn of Africa.

From Djibouti, he crossed the Red Sea to Yemen and made his way to the UAE through Oman.

Roberts' plan was to cross the Gulf to Iran two weeks after arriving in the UAE to avoid the country's harsh winter, then head to Russia, Mongolia, South East Asia and Indonesia to reach his final destination, Australia.

Having planned the trip two and-a-half years before leaving, Robert had saved approximately 24,000 euros (Dh127,895). "I'd stay home on weekends sometimes just to be able to afford this trip.

"I'm not giving up on the bike. If I find it I'll continue this trip for sure, but if I don't I might have to quit and take the next flight to Australia," said Robert, who travelled in a Sharjah Police vehicle looking for his bike until 4am the morning after it was stolen.

When contacted by Gulf News, Ajman Police said it was too early to comment since an investigation was ongoing.

What is your most unique travel story? How do you protect your valuables while travelling?

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