Our Team
-Bear Haughton - Team Leader/Founder
Bear is a lifelong world traveler that first developed his taste for adventure serving with NATO and UN forces. He's a serial entrepreneur, owner, and founder of www.oldbikebarn.com and the Greasy Dozen Builder Collective to name a few of his motorcycle related projects. In recent years Bear has shifted his focus to the growing adventure riding market and creating world class adventures - not just motorcycle tours - and making them accessible to the average person with the belief that the catharsis that high mountain riding brings is something that all motorcyclists should sample at least once.
"We are living in a very special time in human history where travel to exotic locations that would only have been available to aristocrats is within the reach of the working man." -Bear
-Buddhi Singh - Team Leader/Founder
A man of action that has been blazing trails since he "borrowed" his older brother's motorcycle at 15 years old and left on it for a 6 month trip. From humble beginnings in his mountain village, Buddhi found the world was a much bigger place and has been conquering it ever since. Educated in Paris, he speaks 5 languages and is a part of the back bone of what we do. Buddhi is a passionate motorcyclist with a back ground in mountaineering. Bear and Buddhi's bond working together in tough conditions leading men places few have ventured is part of the DNA of Motorcycle Sherpa.
-Doug Wothke - Tour Leader / Motorcycle Jester
One of the best motorcycle nuts we know "Round the World Doug" is accomplished on more motorcycle fronts than we can count! We are proud to call him a friend and officially welcome him as a tour leader on multiple expeditions in 2023 including riding across Mongolia and the 3 highest roads in the world on our India adventure! His southern charm and sharp wit never disappoints! If you ride with Doug make sure you bring your man card and your sense of humor!
-Moti - Expedition Lead / Mountain Logistics Specialist
Moti is mild mannered yet lion hearted! Dedicated and hard working, he does not sleep until all the teams' and riders' needs are met. He's a talented and experienced rider that has mapped routes all over the sub continent. He's a mountain man by birth native to the High Himalayas. He's worked mountaineering gigs and owned his own motorcycle repair and sales shop. These days when he's not working or leading tours, he's an apple farmer. Here's a shot of Moti with Bear and Lauren at his high mountain orchard that is nestled on a plateau below a mountain face that takes 1.5 hours to hike to with a nearly vertical walking climb. Moti may smoke like a chimney but he's got super human strength and endurance from climbing that mountain daily when he's not working expeditions
-Tim O'Reilly - Support Staff / Pack Runner
Tim is a lifelong motorcycle rider and king of the one liners. He's quiet and often seems reserved until he lets out one of his classic zingers that are never mean but always witty. It's in those moments you see the depths of his character. Tim has helped promote adventure travel at shows around the country and has been on the team since the first trip Bear put together. He continues to work both on reconnaissance missions scouting routes and as support staff and a pack runner on some trips.
-Mike Vandegriff - Team Photographer
Mike's story is an amazing one. When Bear first commissioned him to shoot photos in the high Himalayas he had never left the US. He's now traveled every region of the Himalayas with Bear and Buddhi and transformed himself from land locked midwesterner to an international motorcycle photographer that's shown his Himalayan photos at events like AMA Vintage Days and Mama Tried. Mike continues to promote our adventures at shows across the US and break new ground as we expand into new countries.
-Zane Cook - Support Staff / Pack Runner
Don't let this one's age fool you! Zane has more riding experience than many men twice his age. He's been riding since he was 3 years old and racing since he was 5! Zane is a passionate bike builder and amateur racer so he brings an especially enthusiastic spark to the table! He shoots pictures and video on certain trips as well as working in a support role both stateside and over seas. He's got the stuff and is being groomed to lead custom tours as our organization grows.
-Lauren Lever - Lead Admin / Customer Service
She's the admin guide, and many need one. Make no mistake, certain countries are daunting when it comes to finding the right information about Visas and mistakes can be costly or even affect your ability to attend the expedition. You need not worry though. If you run into any snags with our detailed instructions Lauren is there to help by phone and email. She is American and English is her first language so you won't run into the language barriers that you often see with foreign based companies. We work to be a world class tour company and that includes admin and logistics. .
What makes our team different?
This is our core team that you see here. With Motorcycle Sherpa you will always see some of these familiar faces on your Expedition unlike many other "Tour" resellers who hand you off to contractors or the lowest bidder whose standards and ethics may vary widely. We all know each other and not only have we spent thousands of miles navigating treacherous terrain together, we've also spent personal time together getting to know one another on a personal level and building our trust and friendship. This comes through in the atmosphere we create on our expeditions. We also have a few other rotating junior members for chase truck/rider and advance party duties as needed, but each one of them is someone we know and who works directly for us. With Motorcycle Sherpa you will never be handed off.