Overland To Egypt


Go to content

The Rider

The Rider - Gordon G. May


My love of classic motorcycles began in 1985 when I bought a 1963 Royal Enfield Crusader Sport. Since then I've been the owner of a plethora of different Royal Enfield models as well as a couple of Triumphs, an AJS and a 1957 mist green BSA D1 Bantam.

I bought that Bantam, 66 TNU, in 1996. For the following 3 years I used it as my regular transport around the hilly streets of my home in Wellington, New Zealand. It proved to be an ideal machine for whizzing around the city and its surrounding twisty harbour roads. I shipped the bike to the UK when I moved here in 1999, but struggled to use it around Manchester, where the traffic was much faster and far less accommodating than in New Zealand. I regretfully sold it in 2005.

In 2008 I rode my 1953 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet from Manchester to Chennai, India. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and resulted in my first motorcycle travel book, Overland To India. The positive response I've had to the book and my strong desire to ride more classics on long journeys led me to this latest project, Overland To Egypt.

The Bantam I rode to Egypt, AS 2187, AKA Peggy, spent most of its life in Scotland and was bought specifically for the journey. For now, the oil, sand, dents and scratches accumulated on the ride have been preserved and the bike will be shown at a number of UK motorcycle events. In the future, Peggy will be returned to regular road trim and used for local runs.

Books by Gordon G. May

Made In India (2002)
Made In Redditch (2003)
By Miles The Best (2004)

The Legend Rides On (2005)

Overland To India (2008)
Overland To Egypt (2012)


DVDs

The Johnny Brittain Story (2008)


© 2012 Gordon G. May. All Rights reserved. | info@overlandtoegypt.co.uk

Back to content | Back to main menu