No other motorcycling couple has contributed more to the growth of the adventure motorcycle community than Grant and Susan Johnson. Their organization, Horizons Unlimited, works to connect traveling motorcyclists all over the world by hosting events, rallies and presentations. With chapters in North America, South America, South Africa, Europe, South East Asia, and Australia, Horizons Unlimited’s influence truly spans the globe, and chances are if you’re reading this, an HU event is likely to pop up not far from you in 2020.

Virginia 2019 - Photo by Chris Smith

At the 2019 HU Virginia meet, ADVMoto had a chance to chat with world traveler and HU’s head honcho, Grant Johnson, to learn a bit more about Horizons Unlimited.

Adventure Motorcycle: Why did you create Horizons Unlimited?

Grant Johnson: We were reading our email on the old CompuServe in December 1997, in Ushuaia, Argentina, it said, “You can have a website!” We said, “What’s a website?” After figuring that out, we posted the first few stories about our RTW trip to date, left for Antarctica, and by the time we got back had email waiting asking us how to cross borders, find accommodations, etc. I kept answering the questions and soon realized that a forum would make it all a LOT easier, and the HUBB was born.

Oliver Solaro in bike games, Virginia 2019 - Photo by Chris SmithAM: So, the incredibly massive and diverse Horizons Unlimited community started from a sharing your own stories with the community. How did it grow from there?

GJ: The website and forum just grew organically. We never expected it to become the global community that it is now, but we have been very happy to find so many kindred spirits who believe that the world is still a friendly place, and that by traveling slowly through other countries, they get a much broader, deeper understanding and tolerance of other cultures than would not be possible any other way.

AM: What have you learned about the adventure motorcycling community through running your organization?

GJ: Over the many years since we started, we’ve learned that the adventure motorcycling and traveling community is chock full of amazing people, whether it’s those at home or on the other side of the world, they’re always wanting to help other travelers and share experiences, knowledge and inspiration.

AM: One of unique and exciting things about the HU community is its diversity. It must be incredible interacting with people from all over the world!

GJ: We’ve never seen an issue with nationality, creed, race, or gender between travelers—it’s truly amazing and gratifying to witness. We’ve even allowed people to “pay later” for stuff and events for various reasons, and they’ve always paid us.

AM: If you had to give one piece of advice to someone looking to jump into the world of adventure motorcycling, what would you tell him or her?

GJ: Don’t spend all your budget on the bike and stuff, most people take too much stuff. Always ask, “How many days of travel would this gadget buy me?” Don’t overthink your choice of bike, just take the one you like. There is no “best bike.”

Be open to experiences and people everywhere and look at problems as an opportunity to learn that you can solve any problem that comes along, one way or another.

You have two choices when you run into a problem, panic or see what happens. It will be interesting, and you will meet people who will help. So, don’t panic when something goes wrong! Take a deep breath, relax and go with the flow. Accept that things will be different than they are at home, sometimes worse, and sometimes better.

Ladies Only Session, Virginia 2019 - Photo by Chris Smith

Horizons Unlimited is an incredible resource, and we urge you to visit their website for more information about their events and how you can support the ADV community.

horizonsunlimited.com