63-year-old Malaysian Tamil biker on solo 106 country world tour

63-year-old retired electrician, Katiravan Subarayan, has embarked on a solo world bike tour, which started from his hometown in Malaysia.

Katiravan, a Malaysian Tamil, will visit a total of 106 countries on his BMW R1200RS, a sport-touring motorcycle which he has named Parameswara – the last king of Singapura (present day Singapore) and the founder of Malacca (a state in Malaysia).

In his bid to create more awareness about “global warming, safe nature,” Katiravan is encouraging people to plant a native tree for each of life’s milestones.

Leaving Kuala Lumpur on the 2nd January, Katiravan has so far entered 23 countries, travelled for 238 days out 608, and clocked up over 42,000 kilometres across Singapore, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Australia, Japan, Korea, Russia, Mongolia and several European countries.

Whilst in the UK, Katiravan has visited his favourite football teams in Liverpool & Manchester, then travelled to Scotland and across Ireland. We caught up with him at the annual Merdeka Festival in Hertfordshire, hosted by the High Commission of Malaysia in London.

On Tuesday, his bike will be transported to Vancouver, from there he will travel across Canada and USA for three months, then down to Central and South America. He will cross the Atlantic to South Africa, then to Eastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and stopping off for a two month break in Southern India. Finally homeward bound via Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

When presenting the idea to his family, their response was, “Daddy you worked hard, this is your money. It’s time for you to enjoy, go ahead.” Encouraged by wife and three children, he has funded this solo journey from the sale of a second property.

In 2018, in preparation for his solo world tour, Katiravan completed a seven country motorbike tour that included Bhutan, a carbon neutral country which at the time was not welcoming tourists. After checking his vehicle’s emissions, which scored a low Carbon Oxide level of 0.9% (the standard for petrol vehicles in Bhutan was 4.5%CO) he was given a visa and the green light to visit the country.

You can follow Katiravan’s solo@journey across the globe, via his instagram or PolarSteps accounts.