Once a motorcyclist, always a motorcyclist. How do you explain the thrill and excitement of taking the perfect corner with your knee dragging on the bitumen? The feeling of the wind hitting against you as you ride on a mountainside or the feeling of the sun`s warmth breaking the gaps in between the branches?Ever since my first two-stroke motorcycle in the early 1990s I have been a "rider." I started with Japanese road bikes, and then moved on to racing on tracks, and then to my favorite bike I've had, the out of production Buell XB12R. So when I decided to move to Turkey I looked at the possibility of a road trip riding from Australia to Turkey, a semi round-the-world ride. Unfortunately, this was not the way I would be getting to Turkey; instead it was with a boring plane ride.Not to be held back completely, I decided the next best thing would be to hire a motorcycle and ride as far and wide as I could for a week through Turkey.Looking through the map, my thought was the green and mountainous regions of the north, Turkey's Black Sea region. But finding a motorcycle to hire there turned out to be impossible. However, I did find a motorcycle in a bike rental store in Antalya that had a nice Yamaha Tenere 600.As a motorcyclist, the city isn't where you want to ride, it's the open road, the mountains, the lakesides, and thankfully, Turkey is the perfect country for it. If it's the concrete jungle metropolis you crave, Turkey has it, but if it's the smaller country town in between the metropolises, it has that too - lots of it. With this in mind, I picked up the bike in Antalya and made a quick getaway to Belek to start my weeklong motorcycle road trip through Turkey.Belek, a resort town with beaches and hotels galore, is great place to swim, has lots of shops, restaurants and beaches for the tourists and locals. The town is also well-regarded for its golf courses, so if a shot of par 18 sounds like your kind of holiday, Belek should be added to your itinerary.But that wasn't what I was after. Having spent my first night there to rest, the next morning I had breakfast at a local cafe, filled up and headed out. I wasn't sure where, I had no planned road, I just wanted to ride and keep riding for a week, sightseeing along the way.Looking through Google maps, I noticed a mountainous region just north of Kemer, south east of Belek. So, taking the long way there I headed off the main roads and toward the mountains. However, things don't always turn out the way you expect. What started as a nice road soon turned into an abandoned road with the motorcyclist's worst enemy, loose gravel. Travelling speed dropped down from 100km/h to 10km/h as I put all my focus into making sure the bike didn't tip over. My first lesson was that Google maps aren't always right. As much as I was enjoying the mountainous view, I made a U-Turn back down the hill and towards Kemer. Heading down I took a different road and made a random turn. Luckily this ended up following an amazing view of a river that followed the mountain down. Wanting to take it in a little more, I pulled over and noticed that below road level was a hidden free flowing river. Looking closer, it looked like I wasn't the only one who was enjoying it as a little further ahead, a local Turkish family had decided on the same thing. The dad was sleeping under some trees, the mom was enjoying the scenery snacking on some Turkish favorites, sunflower seeds, and their children were swimming in the cool waters.After taking it in, I got back onto the bike and a quick ride later I arrived at Kemer. I didn't like the idea of riding at night and as the sun was setting soon, it was off to get some lahmacun, a Turkish thin bread pizza with minced meat and spices. Much like Belek and Antalya, Kemer is a tourist town- thriving in the summer months with the inflow of tourists and mellowing out as winter heads in.Having seen 2 tourist towns, it was time to head to Central Anatolia and get away from the tourist traps. Looking on the map, I liked the sound of Afyonkarahisar, for no particular reason apart from it being in central Turkey, so I packed my bags and got back onto the bike to head out that way.Along the way was Burdur. The city itself is pleasant with a typical small Turkish town feel to it. Burdur had a central strip where there were cafes, teenagers, university students and families roaming the streets. I sat down for lunch and a coffee and headed back onto the bike. After Afyon, and into my fourth day, it was off to Eskişehir.Unfortunately the ride was spoiled by high winds, which is something you don't need to worry about too much about in a car. But on the bike the heavy winds were pushing the bike around. Getting closer to Eskişehir, the road finally hit some nice mountains and I had a pleasant ride into the city. The city itself was probably one of the nicest cities on the trip. The locals were extremely helpful and pleasant, and the city one the nicest in terms of planning with a canal system, cafes and restaurants.After a night in in Eskişehir it was back onto Google maps. My next stop was the world famous Pamukkale. The ride itself again wasn't as nice as I was hoping as construction was plentiful with Turkey's roads being upgraded, but Pamukkale itself was amazing. The white rock formations could be seen from miles away and up close look just as amazing. With having ticked that off the bucket list, I hopped back on the bike and realized that I only had a few days left of my hire. Back onto the bike and I set off to Fethiye.Along the way, after another random turn, I ended up in Yeni Pazar. A tiny little "köy", otherwise known as a village, with a population of around 6,000 and the best pide this side of Turkey. I sat down and had what could only be described as pure, indulgent bliss. Pide is normally similar to a Lahmacun, but elongated with mincemeat. Yeni Pazar has a sweet version which is made from tahin and what I can only assume to be enough sugar for three lifetimes. Cooked in a wood oven, it comes out similar to crystallized caramel and peanut butter. If you ever head to Pamukkale, it is worth the 2 hour trip just for their sweet pide.Continuing south, I passed through Saklıkent, literally translated as hidden town. Saklıkent has a secluded waterfall hidden inside the mountains with river rafting and fresh trout for those who feel like having a snack. After I took a rest, it was back onto the bike and towards Fethiye. This section of road was the most amazing ride of the trip.It was everything a motorcyclist would want in a ride. Clean new roads, spectacular scenery of forests and mountains, long bends and turns through mountains and low traffic. As Fethiye is surrounded by mountains, you have to ride up and then down into the city. This is where you remember the difference between riding and driving. In the middle of summer each 5 minutes of riding you can feel the temperature difference as it cools. Riding through the forests, you can smell the pine cones. If you ever decide to do a road trip, do a motorcycle trip. Finally making it into Fethiye it was another night of cafes, restaurants and beaches along with plenty of rest.Down to my final day I made my way back to Antalya following the coastline, this time with the smell of the sea and the amazing view of the waves crashing onto the southern coast of Turkey.From meeting two other couples riding their motorcycles across the coast in Fethiye, to indulging on the sweet pide of Yeni Pazar; from a Turkish hamam with a full body massage to having to wait for the local shepherd to herd her sheep and goats across the roads of Central Anatolia, a motorcycle road trip across Turkey is one of those experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life.