Billy Ward Soars with Condors on a Triumph Tiger

I left Liverpool, England, with no real idea of what South America was actually like—but it was certainly on my bucket list. Arriving into Santiago, the taxi journey from the airport to Los Condes was an eye opener. I was surprised at how European the city felt, how modern it was. But the snow capped Andean peaks, tall and imposing over the city, reminded me I was somewhere quite different, quite special.

This was day one of a three-month adventure around South America. The plan was to meet up with “Hugo” my new Mexican amigo at Triumph Motorcycle’s Headquarters in Los Condes, and pick up two brand new Triumph Tiger adventure motorcycles. Each equipped with side panniers for luggage, chunky tires and Garmin GPS’s, the bikes looked classy, rugged and ready for anything.

Triumph Motorcycles is the iconic British brand who’ve consistently managed to associate themselves with all that is “uber cool”. From Marlon Brando and James Dean to Steve McQueen and lately David Beckham, the list of Triumph riders from the world of celebrity chic, is endless. To add my name to this list was a privilege. I pictured Che Guevara penning his Motorcycle Diaries—maybe this was my chance to be cool?