A BIKER helped raise more than £200,000 for charity with a marathon trip through deserts, and war-ravaged countries on a 40mph Honda!

Steve Chippendale, from Church Lane, Clayton-le-Moors, took up the African challenge with nine enthusiasts in a bid to aid a hospital in Gambia.

The 44-year-old plant engineer, who usually rides a powerful BMW 1150GS, and the other riders completed the trip on Honda C90 bikes which have a top speed of just 40mph.

On the trip they found themselves riding on the beach, the desert and up a river.

He said: "It was astounding. We were riding through deserts and snow topped mountains. It was the trip of a lifetime."

The aim of the trip was to deliver the C90 scooters to the hospital to provide much needed, and reliable, transport.

They also donated their support van which was packed full of £160,000-worth of vital medical supplies before flying home.

Mr Chippendale added: "It was hard and now I'm recovering before I go back to work.

"We got some funny looks along the way riding the little scooters but the scenery and beauty of Africa is something we'll never forget.

"It was rewarding and brilliant to see everyone's faces when we arrived at the hospital."

The bikers, who came from across the UK, met on a online forum and decided to combine their love of bikes with a charitable mission.

They started their trip on December 28 last year and, after meeting in Dover, the bikers made their way through France and Spain to Morocco. From there they rode across the Atlas Mountains down through Tan Tan into the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Then they passed through Mauritania, Senegal and finally into the Gambia where they travelled 200 miles up the mosquito-infested Gambia River to arrive at the remote Bansang Hospital in the east of the country. They were often on the road for 12 hours a day.

He said that despite suffering some mechanical problems with the van on the early part of the trip there were almost no difficulties with the bikes only suffering two or three punctures along the way.

Mr Chippendale and his pals spent a week in Bansang teaching locals to ride the C90s before flying back.

In addition to helping the Gambian hospital the group are still collecting sponsorship for two UK-based charities, Cancer Research UK and Crohns in Childhood Research Association.