Many riders dream of packing a bag and heading off round the world on their Harley-Davidson^®. Elena Axinte, or Hele Biker as she is known on social media, has turned that dream into a reality, travelling constantly while documenting her adventures for her legions of social media followers.

“I have been travelling the world for nearly five years with just my Harley-Davidson, three bags and a heart full of dreams,” Elena explains. “In all that time, I have always relied on the hospitality of local people - I am proud to say I have never spent a single night in a hotel room or any kind of commercial accommodation, nor have I taken a single flight.”

For Elena, originally a theatrical stage actress and drama therapist, the spark for what has become an all-consuming passion began eight years ago when she took a ride on the back of a boyfriend’s Harley-Davidson. Although the relationship did not last, that ride sparked a passion for Harley-Davidson that just grew and grew.

“It was love at first sight for me,” she recalls. “Despite having no prior knowledge about motorcycles, I felt an inexplicable connection. It was as if something within me resonated with the essence of what Harley-Davidson is all about. Looking back, I now believe it was destiny. At that time, all I knew was that I wanted a Harley^® in my life, without fully comprehending what that would lead to!”

A visit to her local H-D^® dealership in Milan followed almost immediately, and despite not having a motorcycle licence at that time, an Iron 883^™ was purchased. From the first shaky ride around Milan, Elena was totally smitten, and that first ride led to longer trips: to the mountains, to the sea, to Switzerland.

Little did Elena know how much that bike would transform her life in a very short time. “The ride, and the road, got into my veins,” she recalls. “It was like an addiction. I was craving the road more and more, and short rides were no longer enough for me. Riding became my meditation and my freedom, anchoring me in the here and now, bringing me equilibrium and focus and most importantly, that overwhelming feeling of freedom. Riding quite simply became more than a passion; it became my philosophy and my way of living.”

As the rides became longer, the desire for more adventures grew. Just one year into her biking journey, Elena decided her next great adventure would be spending three months traversing Africa on her bike, inspired by the travels of a fellow solo motorcycle traveler and free spirit: Anna Grechishkina.

“Anna became one of my greatest inspirations and learning about her journey was all I needed to believe that I could do it too, despite being an unskilled rider,” she says. “As I delved deeper, I found out that she was traveling continuously for three years. It was my first time hearing of such a thing. Suddenly I found myself in a new world – the world of the nomads. It was as if I had discovered something I was waiting for my entire life. As a spark ignited in my soul, I just knew – this is what I want to do! This is how I want to live.

“Everything unfolded in one transformative night that I will always remember. Sitting there with a world map next to me, I took the biggest decision of my life: [the] next summer, I would embark on my African adventure, and upon my return, I would close all the ‘circles of my life’ in Italy to embrace a nomadic new life on the road with my motorcycle. And that is what I did!”

Elena’s adventure began in summer 2018 when she set off on her Africa trip, crossing seven countries in four months. After that, there was no going back: on returning to Italy, Elena wrapped up her projects and life admin, packed a bag and set off for the life she is living today, entirely on the road.

Since that fateful day when she took her first ride on a Harley-Davidson, Elena has completed almost 200,000km and visited 35 countries on her faithful companion, the Sportster^™ Iron. Those travels have included crossing the Balkans, then riding through Turkey to the Middle East – Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran – then on to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

“With hundreds of riding stories and experiences under my belt, the ones that I love the most are those that have led me to extraordinary people and places,” says Elena. “I've managed to reach destinations that seemed impossible or very difficult to access, such as Syria and Yemen during wartime, as well as Bhutan and Tibet with their strict rules. I've explored remote areas including the Rub' al Khali – the ‘Empty Quarter’, the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world; I reached the highest paved road in the world at Umling La Pass in India, at an altitude of 5,830m, and my Iron and I tackled the extremely challenging mountainous off-road terrain in Mustang, Nepal. I even journeyed to Everest Base Camp by road in Tibet and crossed over seven passes over 5,000m in winter conditions.

“Perhaps the most testing challenge was the crossing between Tibet and China in December, when I was facing freezing temperatures of down to -20°C, at altitudes of more than 5,000m – and I was camping! This was the only way to reach, four years later, the current leg of my journey: South-East Asia. From China, I entered Laos and currently I am in Thailand, continuing my journey of exploration and discovery.” During this leg of her trip, Elena has been supported by H-D Asia, who have been connecting her with local dealerships and H.O.G.^™ groups.

Despite being a female rider traveling solo, Elena says she has always received respect and admiration from those she has met: men, women and communities, ranging from the most open-minded to the most conservative. She has never felt discriminated against – in fact, one of the biggest difficulties has been bidding farewell to the people met along the way.

“After almost five years of uninterrupted travel, not only do I intend to continue, but I cannot imagine living any other way,” says Elena. “My big dream is to traverse all the continents, so I aspire to reach Australia next, followed by riding the entirety of the Americas from north to south. Perhaps I will even reach Antarctica. Afterwards, I'll make my way back to complete my exploration of Africa and Europe. Who knows if I will grow too tired or old before then, but until that time, perhaps we will meet on the road!”

Follow Elena’s travels on Instagram and Facebook.