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  1. An Evening with Elspeth Beard

    An Evening with Elspeth Beard

    When: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
    Location: Irv Seaver BMW 607 W Katella Ave Orange, California 92867
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    In 1982 at the age of 23 Elspeth set off on a solo trip to ride her 1974 R60/6 BMW motorcycle around the world. The journey took two and a half years covering 55,000 kilometers riding through North America, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Europe. Her trip would still be considered impressive nowadays, but the fact that she was a young woman in her early twenties, setting off alone with no sponsorship or support, in an age before email, cell phones and satnavs makes her journey all the more remarkable. It was not until 2008 that she discovered that she had become the first British woman to ride a motorcycle around the world. Elspeth rode through post-revolutionary Iran during the war with Iraq; survived life-threatening illnesses, and numerous accidents. She witnessed civil uprisings that forced her to fake documents, and she fended off physical threats, sexual attacks, biker gangs, and corrupt police who were convinced that she was trafficking drugs. She fell in and out of love three times. Returning home in 1984, Elspeth finished her architecture degree and in 1988 brought a derelict water tower, which she spent seven years converting into her home. In 1998 she set up her own architectural practice specializing in remodeling and converting unusual buildings, and contemporary new houses. Elspeth lives in the southeast of England and still enjoys riding her collection of motorcycles which includes the trusty BMW R60/6 which carried her around the world but also owns a BMW R80GS.