Who are the VALR Motorcycle Adventure Alliance Team?
HK – Founder & CEO – A lifetime of ‘adventurous travel’ including a 25-yr military career that included learning to survive from a bergen in a variety of ‘character-building’ parts of the world and occasional motorcycle travel across war zones all contributed to a deep and broad understanding of how to plan, prepare and safely execute adventurous travel.
BF – Co-Founder, Investment & Marketing Director – After decades of high-speed travel on 2 and 4-wheels around many of the world’s most famous race circuits punctuated by building various successful customer-service businesses he has learnt a thing or two about how to create and support communities.
GD – Product Development & Management – Walk into almost any outdoor gear shop over the last few decades, whether it is for sports, mountaineering or extreme expeditions, and you’ll find examples of the design and manufacturing experience that has now been poured into the VALR range of products and services. Trust me, from fabric denier, buckle failure rate through to softening agents in waterproof zips, we have got you covered.
MF – Communications – Read an article about any motorcycle about to be brought into the market over the last 30-years and there’s a better than average chance you’ve read one of MF’s pieces. Known for uncompromising views and reviews, the fact the VALR products got such a glowing response from him so early on in the prototyping process gave us great confidence we were heading the right way.
RS – Product Design & Testing – a serial offender when it comes to multi-motorcycle ownership, huge experience through journeys on the ‘road less travelled’ and a lifetime teaching motorcycle riding techniques and investigating when things all went a bit wrong, RS brings a simply massive amount of knowledge on almost anything 2-wheeled and the kit around you on a journey.
AM – “Co-Pilot” Platform Development – Recent newcomer to the world of adventurous motorcycle travel, a background in product testing, professional software-development and customer experience brings a modern, fresh set of eyes and technological perspective to the droning-on, middle-aged magnolia of the Founder.
AB – Finance and Operations – Years of bean-counting, financial deal creation and just getting stuff done in the field of finance means the VALR Team get away with nothing and get it done on budget.
OUR NAME AND ETHOS
What’s in a name – VALR?
Collectively, we are huge fans of the Vikings.
Savagery aside, their ability to overcome unbelievable odds with steely determination, skill and preparation and what must have been an unfathomable ability to overcome their fears of the unknown and press on anyway sets them aside as the true masters of global travel.
If ever you’ve felt the pang of uncertainty before a journey but gone anyway, then you know what we mean by VALR.
So, our Adventure Alliance name, VALR (pronounced ‘valour’), is derived from the old Norse language and culture: recognising the skill, preparation and determination of the pioneering Viking travellers. Our contribution to your adventurous travel is to help you plan and prepare, support you along the way if you need it and connect you with a community of likeminded people.
VALR is also a mark of sincere respect to those who have fallen on the real-world battlefields of recent conflicts, making the ultimate sacrifice and showing true valour in pursuit of our safety.
[VALR taken from Old Norse meaning ‘the fallen’ on the battlefield]