No Room for Watermelons: A man, his 1910 motorcycle and an epic journey across the world

by Ron Fellowes

In 2012, while others his age were enjoying quiet retirement, Ron Fellowes set off on the challenge of a lifetime. His dream to ride a 102 year-old FN motorcycle across the world - to the Belgian factory where the bike originated - had all the hallmarks of an epic adventure: one that was never going to be easy. For eight months Ron rode 14,600 kilometres through 15 countries under grueling conditions, into some of the world's most hostile territory. He faced desert sandstorms, mountains too steep for the motorcycle's capability, the threat of rockslides and bombings when he took a detour, and pressure from armed police through conflict zones. He was robbed, and when held at gunpoint, Ron came face-to-face with his own mortality. The motorcycle's limited capacity - no gears, inadequate brakes and pedal assisted - made it a daily struggle. Breakdowns were common, and only Ron's ingenuity and single-mindedness, Lynne's logistical support, and the generosity of others kept him going.

Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout, No Room for Watermelons is co-written by Ron and Lynne. It is an engaging, and entertaining account of one man's stoic determination to fulfill his dream. You will be carried along for the ride, and inspired to achieve your own dreams ...no matter how impossible they seem.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2015

About the author

Retired from work, but definitely not from life! Married to my soulmate for 50 years & now living in the gorgeous Huon Valley, Tasmania.

Guest speaker at the Australian Adventure Travel Film Festival 2015 & 2016, and the inaugural Aust Motoring Festival in 2015.

Rode a 102 year old motorcycle 14,606kms from Nepal to Belgium in 2012.

Trained a dog team for the 1000 mile Yukon Quest in Alaska.

Spent 3 years with my wife motorcycling from the top of the world to the bottom in the 1980s.

Together we built our own mudbrick house - a true labour of love.

I credit the writing of No Room for Watermelons mainly to Lynne. Though my travel diary and blog aided in our collaboration, most of my skills lie with the spanner rather than the pen!

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though the motorcycle repair details were mostly beyond my knowledge. I kept thinking how much Roy would have laughed and enjoyed the book and will pass it on to friends who are motorcycle enthusiasts. I liked that author Ron Fellowes was 69 years old when he did this trek. He rides his old FN motorbike from Nepal through India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany to where the machine was manufactured in Belgium in 1910 – close to 15,000 km. (Throughout the book remember to think in Km and C)

This is not great literature, but more like a diary; somehow the spelling and grammatical errors did not really bother me. A lot of the book is about fixing the motorcycle and the difficulties of going through Customs, finding parts, and locating places to stay, but that is really what he was doing. I was pleased at how open, interested and kind the people in Iran were. I was surprised that after making it to Europe, Ron talked about missing the chaos of India. I liked that he focused, for the most part, on the kindness of strangers.

The book reinforces my belief that one of the main (probably DNA-related) differences between most men and most women is that men like to work on machines and women like machine that work.