Kinga Tanajewska: lone biker around the world
16/06/2023
Lisa Di Blas
Famous motorbike traveller and youtuber Kinga Tanajewska, known as ‘On Her Bike’, tells MissBiker about herself in this beautiful interview.
Originally from Poland, Kinga emigrated to Australia in 2006 and it was there that she fell in love with adventure motorcycling. Her first solo trip was to Australia but that was just the beginning and in 2017 she set off on her world tour which is still ongoing.
When did you first realize you wanted to ride a motorbike and how did you learn to ride?
Well, I actually started riding motorcycles when I was sixteen, but I always had an interest in bikes since I was little. I don’t really know what triggered it, cause for example my father had a Jawa motorcycle during communism, but then he sold it quite quickly, so it’s not like my family was riding. I come from Poland and at that time I was actually living in Poland. And I was a little bit of a troublemaker, so when my mom knew I was interested in motorcycles, one day she said “hey, how about making some friends in the motorcycle club, maybe you want to hang out with them!” and I said “Yes, totally, I do!” and that’s how it all started. So, they taught me how to ride and I’ve been on a bike since I was a teen, it’s part of my identity, I guess. This is who I am and, despite the crashes, many broken bones, the post-traumatic stress from the head-on collision with a car I had in 2015, I just never thought I could stop. It’s just not going to happen, it’s part of my nature.
And tell us a bit about your current bike. Does it have a name? And why did you choose it?
It’s been now six years I’ve been on the road riding solo around the world and since the beginning I have been riding Chillie. So, Chillie is a BMW F800GS from 2015. Why did I choose it? Well, I went through all the phases, you know, when I was sixteen I was into choppers and Harleys. Of course, I couldn’t afford one, but, you know, that’s what I was thinking about, they were my dream bikes. Then I went through naked bikes, sport bikes and then in 2006, I immigrated to Australia and I thought, okay, I want to go around Australia, I need to have a bike that will take me on-road and off-road. That was back in 2012, when the adventure riding community was just starting, it was tiny, it was not “a thing”, now everyone is doing it, it is a fast-growing market, but at that time it was really not that popular. So, I went to a motorcycle rally which was out in the bush with Aussies, with all these guys camping, and some of them had GS’s, while I arrived on my FZ6 Yamaha naked bike with my husband at the back, on gravel roads… so I asked one of the guys “If I had to go around Australia, which bike do you think I should get?” and he said “You’re tall, just take 800cc, it’s light enough, you’ll be fine” and I thought ok! And that’s how I bought my first 800GS, went around Australia. After that I had a crash, a head-on collision with a car and that bike was written-off. So, I bought Chillie in 2015, in 2017 we hit the road and we’re on the road since.
You feel very comfortable with it, don’t you?
Yes, it’s a matter of practice for me but I’ve done a lot of modifications, you know, like upgraded the suspensions, added progressive springs, a new exhaust pipe… I have done so many things it’s just like this bike is made for me! If I had to buy a new bike now it would be hard, because it took me years to craft this bike for me, there’s a lot in it. They don’t sell them anymore, the BMW 800 is a completely different bike now. At that time for the 800 series, there was no competition. They were reliable. They were simple, two cylinders. Yes, not too high performance, but you know what? It gets you everywhere and has low fuel consumption and it’s just so easy to fix, it’s not packed with electronics, like many bikes these days. So, for me that I’m traveling solo overland through continents like Africa – I spent three years in Africa – with modern bikes if something goes wrong and they stop working and for example you have to plug the tire and diagnose it… well, good luck with that in Africa! So, for what I’m doing, this bike is perfect, she’s got 140,000 kilometers on at the moment, but she can go another 100,000 and we have plenty of riding ahead of us.
We’ll be definitely following you on your next trips! Could you tell us more about your “On Her Bike” project?
Well, really “On her bike” became a brand and, honestly, I didn’t mean it at all… things just happened. So, when I decided to go around Australia, in 2012 – I was married at the time – my ex-husband told me I should record videos when no one was on YouTube. You know what I mean? Like, it was not a thing. So, I thought I’m not doing it, I don’t even have YouTube and he said “Buy a camera, put on your helmet and off you go… and you should also write a blog… and how should we call your blog? Let’s call it On Her Bike” and he designed some stickers. Literally my ex-husband created On Her Bike. Previously, I had called my tour “Tour de Oz” and I thought I could create a FB page called “Tour de Oz” but he said “What if you want to do another trip after that? That page would be irrelevant” – he added – “You need to brand yourself!” and that’s how he, well, “we” came up with On Her Bike! And it started as a blog, as a YouTube channel and a Facebook page, and later on I added an Instagram page. Now I’ve added TikTok too, because you just have to be on all of it. But, basically, On Her Bike is my diaries traveling around the world. I started with a trip around Australia, writing about these past six years on the road traveling and so on.
Do you have many sponsors that help you with your project?
Yes, at the moment I have eight official brands sponsoring me, but it took years and years of hard work, you know, to get to this point and back in the day, six years ago, when I was leaving for my trip around Australia, BMW were interested so they made me their ambassador. At the time they invited you to the events, to the training and all of that, which is fantastic, they gave me the gear, but there was no financial support at all. So, when I was leaving, I had a lot of sponsors giving me stuff but there was no way in 2017 I could get financial sponsorships. I had enough money for two years, and I thought “I’m just going to go and probably in two years I’ll come back, I’m a civil engineer and I could go back to it”… But then I was working so hard on my YouTube channel, and YouTube really kicked in, started paying and I was seeing a lot of people doing Patreon and stuff like that. I was raising money for a disabled child, so I wanted to do it because he needs money, so I thought “I’ve got brains, I can work it out”. I never set up a Patreon, but at that stage, I was thinking maybe I should ask sponsors to do a little bit. I wasn’t asking for much, but you know if you have someone that gives you a little bit, that will keep you on the road. You don’t need much for Africa for example. So, I asked my sponsors to support me and they said they could give me a monthly little fee and I said “ok, cool”! And this is how it started. I just went and asked them. It is not easy now and I think that I got my foot in quite early. So, I feel like I’m just a veteran on social media, you know, influencer wasn’t even a word, digital nomad wasn’t even in the dictionary. So now these days it’s so hard to get sponsors and I don’t blame the brands, because they got burnt so many times and I’ve seen it, I mean I’ve been in the industry for so long and what keeps me on with these brands is my loyalty: I don’t change them, I just keep them because I love them, I get many offers but there’s no point for me to change them. I love the brands, that’s it, they support me, we’re like family now. I’m consistent, I provide content continuously, so people know me. Besides, I don’t really have contracts with my brands, they just let me do, they know how much I’m posting, they know how much value they get out of me, so they sort of leave me alone. But these days if you want to be a sponsored rider you are locked in a contract, they ask you to do that many posts, reels, stories, pics must be high-res, you have to do so much! And I don’t blame them, because at the start they were giving out so much gear to everyone and sometimes since creating content is not easy, people might just keep the stuff and not do anything at all. So, industry has changed, I’ve seen the transition and if I had to do it now, I mean start the trip and ask for sponsorship, I don’t think anyone would sponsor me!
What is your favorite thing about riding a motorbike?
The sense of freedom and especially travelling solo. You really feel free, you get up every day anywhere you want, anytime you want, you don’t look in the mirrors, you don’t wait for anyone. You stop when you want… travelling with people is so different! But solo travelling for me on the motorcycle is just all about the freedom and the connection with Chillie. Maybe I’m getting a little bit weird because I talk to her a lot, like on my videos when you hear me speaking, it’s always “we” are going off. I’m not going. We are going together. And if I talk to her, she replies to me in my mind, if for example I ask her “Chillie, where should we stop for lunch? Should we stop by this hotel?” ☺ Honestly, that’s how far we are going with our “friendship”. Sometimes you need to talk to someone and it happens you don’t feel so connected, but with my bike it’s different, seriously I treat my bike as my best friend, she’s better than a human, she’s like your dog, like an animal that you are connected to, you look after her, check if she’s ok, and at the end of the day you wish her goodnight!
I feel so attached to my bike. She allows me to go to places, she’s my type of bike, we can go on road, off-road, she allows me to see these places, in the car I would never do it, I would never do an overland trip in a car. Well, never say never of course, but… it’s just not the full experience. You know, on the bike you experience it, you feel the smell, the heat. It’s just so powerful.
And after all your journeys, would you say that motorcycle is a physical, spiritual or emotional experience for you?
It’s everything! ☺ I would like to add that a motorcycle is the best therapy. I struggled with PTSD after my accident, I had broken bones… and, you know, my head went by, it was really a shitty moment but when my bones healed, I went back on my bike making literally baby steps. But motorcycles are just the best therapy… if you’re stressed out. Before that, I had an extremely stressful job, so I would go to the bush with my bike, camp, clear my head. You know, it really helps people with depression, post-traumatic stress, or any type of stress. Motorcycles are just good for you!
Riding a bike on a solo journey is often an opportunity of self-discovery. So, what is the biggest lesson motorcycle has taught you about yourself?
Well, it taught me generally about the world, and that type of travelling made me definitely more understanding, you understand the world better, because when you’re going to places you see how people live and what they’re going through. You have more understanding for all sorts of races or religion or whatever. Travelling can make you feel more compassion, more understanding and you become more relaxed. I’m not stressed anymore, it taught me how to go with the flow, how not to worry, not to plan, not have your life so organized, be in the flow. It made me a better person, for sure.
Could you name a few things you would bring and leave behind in your solo journey?
Bring an open mind, bring Vegemite. Do you know what that is? It’s an Australian thing, it’s like a spread made of yeast extract, similar to Marmite which is sold in America, while Vegemite is the Aussie way. Maybe when you taste it for the first time it’s the most disgusting thing, but I lived in Australia for 12 years so I can’t live without it, so I definitely have to bring it in my travels. Then, purple shampoo, I have to bring it because depending on the country it’s hard to find (it prevents blonde hair color from fading, Ed.). And you know what? We could actually swap Vegemite for a self-standing tent to use on rocky grounds where you’re not able to tension it, because you can’t use pegs, so definitely you have to bring with you a self-standing tent.
Leave behind judgement. Leave behind the thought that you are not ready enough. Let me explain this better, you know that some people have the thought that you have to be 100% ready, but you’ll never be ready. It’s like when you want to have kids, you are never 100% ready. The hardest part is to start, that is the most stressful part, that’s when most people will tell you “you’re stupid, don’t do it!” and you have to go against them, especially Polish parents ☺ . So, you just have to set your mind and leave behind the thought that you have to be 100% ready, because if you think “I need to have the right gear, the right bike, the right whatever you will never leave! Go anyway! People travel in scooters, sidecars, tuk-tuk, postie-bikes! Get whatever you have, bring a tent, if you need anything you’ll get it on the road. If you wait for the perfect moment, the perfect bike, the perfect everything, just forget it, because you will never leave this way!
And then leave behind the fear that you are not capable of travelling solo because you’re not good with mechanical things, because most of the overlanders I know they have no clue on how to do it. I do suggest basic training, like for a simple oil change. And you know what? Most of the times you’re not going to need it, but if you have the idea and the tools and the spare part, even if you’re in trouble, there will be someone around you who knows better, you give them the tools, you give them the spare parts and they’re going to do it for you, right? Maybe they can help you with the tires because you don’t have the strength, but you know the procedure, you’ve got the tools, you’ve got the spare part, you see someone walking by, just ask if they can help you, maybe you can tell them “press here, press there” and they will do as you say and help you. Just leave behind the thought that you are not capable and, you know, if you’re traveling around Europe, you don’t really have to worry, and in the worst-case scenario you just put the bike on a truck and off to the mechanic. However, if we’re talking about Africa or South America, basic training would be handy, because you definitely have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. There might be situations where there’s no one and if you are doing extreme off-road in Africa going through the desert, you could be really on your own. But are you actually going to do it? You’re going to stick to the roads, right? There are roads everywhere. There will be villages. Honestly, if something goes bad, maybe it will cost you money, but ask for help to villagers. So have the tools, have the main spare parts (you can’t have them all: the tube, the tires, a filter for your engine, the oil filter…) be prepared but don’t be scared! Before the trip you can think that you don’t know how to change a fuel pump… but you know what? I learnt it on the road, I had the tools, the spare part and I just changed it! You can do it!
You’re an engineer, does it help if you have a mechanic problem?
Na… I’m a civil structural engineer so it’s very technical. And I must admit that I was riding since I was sixteen and I was so spoiled since the beginning, because all my mates were doing my servicing for free, my bike was looked after, I was just like this princess that never had to touch the bike, except for riding it. And it was like that for many years. And then, before the trip, I remember this overlander from the UK that I hosted in Australia, he told me he was preparing for the trip and one day he asked me “what is your biggest fear?” And I said, you know what? Flat tire! And he couldn’t believe it, he said “You’re planning to go around the world and the only thing you are worried about is changing a tire? Just learn it!”. And that’s what I did, for a whole weekend I was changing a tire, in and out, in and out… and then I thought: I’m ready to go!
And yes, if you are in the middle of nowhere, it’s hard to do a lot of things by yourself, but you know what? If there is no one, even if it takes a day, you will do it because you go into survival mood and you do it. Honestly, in six years, I only had one flat tire. I was with other two riders that just passed by, one had never changed a tire, the other one changed it just once, and I had only been training for a couple of months… so, it took us two hours, we had so much fun, we changed it and we were ready to go! Yeah, it wasn’t a big deal.
Through social media, you’re sharing your experience and encouraging other women to live their passion and you are also promoting female empowerment. How do women react to your stories from your solo trips?
Look, saying the truth, we’re such a minority in this industry and for me, as an engineer I’ve always been in a men dominated industry, no matter what I do. For example, 17% on Instagram are women. I think it’s even a little lower on YouTube, where I think 92% are men. And this is pretty much our industry. We are definitely 20 to 80 if we are lucky, right? I get a lot of messages from the guys and they’re like “my wife and I we really love you” and that’s fair enough. This is the best thing about being on social media. You know, when you receive emails that say that you inspired someone to get a license, or someone that thought he or she couldn’t do it but went solo on a trip, and went camping. You know, this is very rewarding and I feel it’s worth doing it.
What about your future plans, any special place you want to go on your motorbike? We saw on your blog that you already went to Southern Italy…
I went twice actually, I crossed Italy when from Switzerland I was heading to Slovenia and the Balkans, and then I came back on a ferry, went to Bari from Albania and then to Salerno. So, basically my route of six years started in Australia, then I went to Korea, then got a break and then went to Siberia, Mongolia, Central Asia, Middle East, European countries and Africa. Now I’m doing North America. I’m on my way to Alaska at the moment, I’ll do all the way up and then down, and then I have one more continent on the list and that’s South America…
Follow Kinga: Instagram – Facebook
Translation Lisa Di Blas
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