Three Kuwaiti Engineers have just begun an around the world adventure tour that will take them from the Persian Gulf through Asia, the United States of America and then through western Europe back to Saudi Arabia, via North Africa.

Using three BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycles, Muhanad Al-Sultan (40) Husain Ashkanani (54) and Ali Al-Bairami (50) are allowing 120 days for their trip around the world, which will visit four continents and 17 countries. The motorcycle odyssey is called 'Our Shared Planet' and is a dream come true for the three Kuwaiti riders who have been yearning to circumnavigate the globe on their own motorcycles and have been planning this journey for a long time.

"The trip has been a longstanding dream that has finally come true and I'm looking forwards to travelling with my two friends Husain Ashkanani and Ali Al-Bairami for the next four months," said Muhanad Al-Sultan. "This great adventure will take us from Kuwait into Asia and through China, where we'll be mixing with various cultures and visiting world wonders. We'll then cross Alaska and Canada and then ride across the United States all the way to New York before flying to Europe and then riding through this continent all the way to Palermo, Italy. From there, we'll take the boat across to North Africa and we'll ride across Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before heading across Saudi Arabia back to Kuwait."

Muhanad will be documenting this trip as he travels with his two friends. All three riders have chosen to ride BMW Motorrad's legendary R 1200 GS Adventure for the journey. The bikes have been supplied by local importer Tristar motorcycles of Kuwait city, where they have been prepared for this global voyage. Traffic in Kuwait is very heavy with lots of modern cars in the hands of young people going very fast. Furthermore, temperatures can rise to 55 degrees Celsius in July and August, so according to Jafar Bebehani of Tristar, it's a good time to be away and out on the road, and the GS Adventures are the perfect machines for the trio of riders to experience a variety of terrain and climate conditions.

"It made perfect sense for the guys to choose the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure for this journey. Its 33-litre fuel tank capacity will allow long distances between fill-ups and the extra long suspension travel will make some of the bad roads a bit more bearable as the conditions will be extremely different to those encountered in Kuwait! That said, the route has been planned to have minimal off-road riding, unless it is necessary, despite the GS's legendary off-road capability."

A minor modification that has been carried out has been to fit one of the bikes with an extra low seat. This option - currently offered on all BMW Motorrad models - means that a bike such as the R 1200 GS Adventure isn't literally 'out of reach' for riders of a shorter stature and makes it much more manageable when the bike is at a standstill or going slow, especially when fully laden with luggage.

As well as support and assistance from the Tristar dealership, Muhanad Al-Sultan, Husain Ashkanani and Ali Al-Bairami also have some sponsorship from the Public Authority for Youth and Sports organisation, which supports young Arabs in various sporting, social and training activities. The riders were treated to a photocall with the president of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports, Faisal Aljazzaf, before being accompanied by a convoy of 60 riders all the way to the Dubai border.

The next few weeks will see the trio ride across India, Bhutan, Nepal and China, before arriving in Anchorage, Alaska in early July. From there, they will spend six weeks crossing Canada and the USA, before the European leg of their journey starts in London, England.