Nels Byersdorf at 2 Wheel Dynoworks is the "go to" guy when you need to change the performance of your engine. What Nels mainly does for our bikes is to retune our electronic control unit "ECU" (the computer brain in our bikes),the main improvement is he makes the bike run smoother with a much improved throttle response. Even when your bike is throttle by wire, the modifications make it feel like there is a direct cable between your hand and the engine. Another thing that's possible is he can al
I pretty much met my match out on the trail this past weekend. I was out for a nice ride on some easy trails I knew up in the mountains above Salt Lake City when I proceeded to make a cascading series of mistakes that got me in a heap of trouble. My 1st being riding on unknown trails alone. I ended up tired, embarrassed, and feeling like a bit of an idiot.
I decided to try a trail I had never been on before. On the GPS it was only a couple miles long and ended up back on the main road. Eas
It was an awesome weekend of training for the PNWSTOG! We were able to work with the great instructors at Puget Sound Safety/Puget Sound Safety Off Road for a weekend of real world Dual Sport motorcycle training. Saturday was a special Off-Road 101 class for XLADV bikes like ours. We had a full class of big bikes including 7 Teneres that covered many slow speed drills working on traction and clutch control. I think the most fun they had was going over the logs. After the drills in the green gras
Q: How high do my handlebars need to be?
A: Half your height
But how do I measure that?
I rode with Alan recently and noticed his body position seemed a bit stooped and he wasn’t able to control his 1190 R as well as he might have been had he that extra few inches of bar height.
I have been riding for roughly 4 years and even with 2” risers (Rox), Jimmy Lewis said I could use another inch of height. Now I’ve also lowered my pegs by about 20 mm, so I was looking for a way
It was an awesome day for the PNW Super Tenere Owners group!
We had a large group of 22 bikes, (18 of which were Super Teneres) riding in the Olympic National Forrest
We want to send out a huge thank you to the crew at Brothers Yamaha in Bremerton Wa. that opened up 30 min early and had breakfast waiting for us. The sale on gear was extremely appreciated!
Mike Gebhart started off the ride by showing us one of his favorite routes along North Shore Rd to get us warmed up on some most excelle
con·trol, kənˈtrōl/ - noun
1. 1. the power to influence or direct the course of events.
syn·er·gy, ˈsinərjē/ - noun
1. the interaction or cooperation of two or more agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
No doubt you've been wondering why adventure riding is so dull. I'll tell you.
When we're riding, we have nothing to do! Aside from activating the odd turning signal or grip heater or GPS, we have very little that we can do
Hi everyone,
Here are two videos my wife and I found when we were doing research before I purchased the Leatt neck brace.(Click in the links)
The search all started when my wife Elsa was in a car wreck last November that totaled her Mini and seriously aggravated an existing neck issue she had. It really got me thinking about how fragile our bodies are as we head off into the back country on our 600+ lb adventure bikes loaded down with gear.
I for one, have always follow
What do I hate about Facebook? I’ll tell you what I hate about Facebook! I hate the vague-bookers, braggers, candy crush gamers, etc…
That’s not really what I’m going to blog here about though. I’d rather focus on where Facebook falls short for us big bike adventure riders.
The biggest gripe I have is probably how temporary, fleeting and unorganized everything is. You see a really good set of photos from an event or special trip and then a few days later, they’re essentially gone. An
The March Moto Mudness was awesome! Thanks to Tad Haas, Chet Mainwaring, Deb Shiell and Greg Hilchey for the legwork putting this event on. All proceeds are going to Riders for Health and Lost For a Reason.
Took the bike out through Utah's West desert today! Ran out West on the Pony Express trail then South to the Topaz Internment Camp Northwest of Delta. There are definitely some middle-of-nowhere locations out in the West desert!
Most of the Pony Express Trail can barely be called "off-road" as it's a hard packed dirt road with a gravel skim in places. Most of the road can be ridden at 60 Mph or more, but there are parts in the passes that slow you down into the 20's. The desert has a
In the Pacific Northwest, we have access to some incredibly talented motorcycle craftsmen, whether it’s Darryl VanNieuwenhuise’s Cyclops Adventure lights, Alex Marten’s Konflict Suspension or Alex Guth of Alyxmoto. OK, you might ask, who is Alex Guth?
Well, Alex is a master motorcycle mechanic who moved here from Germany in the late 90s. He has 25 years of experience working on BMW motorcycles, and for a time was the shop manager of SSBMW. But now he’s in his own shop, and he’s expanding in
No, dumbass. It’s not that dangerous and please don’t ask to ride with me!
Is it really though? I don’t think it is (or has to be). Obviously we have accepted the risk that goes along with riding a motorcycle, but I have to only look at my friends who ride mountain bikes, road bikes, play softball, etc… and notice all their injuries. It makes what we do look safe, really.
I was injured myself once (right Achilles tendon) and have seen friends get hurt but it’s really not that common.
Dange
Is the new liquid cooled GS Adventure better off road than the older oil-cooled one?
Yes, it is!
No, it’s not!
Who is right?
I can’t seem to find a decent answer. I could just buy a new one and judge for myself, but that day hasn’t come yet.
On road, I think there’s no doubt the new bike is an entire new generation of all around road performance. It’s clear they mean to compete more with the street touring segment.
For me, the answer is that it may be a better
This year will round out a decade of guiding day- and multi-day rides, & teaching off-pavement adventure riding skills as EarthRider. EarthRider was born as VCARS, the Ventura County Adventure Ride Series, a series of increasingly ridiculous and often epic "day" (which is to say, "and some night, as well") rides under the Aegis of BMW Motorcycles of Ventura County. The ride reports (HERE is a sample; probably a more entertaining read than the rest of this post - I'd click on it & come ba
Aren’t we though? I’m only kidding! It’s surely an incendiary thing to say but I do think there are some key differences in how the two are ridden that are worth mentioning. I do think small bikes are easier to ride off road than big bikes, but I’d never say that they are a breeze or that big bike riders are somehow “better.” Small bikes still require a lot of skill (skill I definitely am not in possession of) to ride well. Let’s face it, big bikes are less forgiving, heavier, take longer to
Has adventure riding become the new gluten-free?
Everything in the grocery store now seems to carry a label “gluten-free!” I bought bacon the other day and saw it on the front. It’s BACON! Of course it doesn’t contain any gluten!
Likewise it seems with “adventure.” Everything seems to be “ADV” this or that. Even BMW’s new S 1000 XR comes with the “adventure” moniker even though it’s probably the last bike I’d ever use for what I define as adventure riding. Look at me, I’m going adventure
As if anyone cares. The "What I HATE about BMW" is the entry that got so many views and generated so much discussion on the Interwebs. That last screed was more about BMW's GS brand becoming more "gS" (less dirt, more street), but I should note that there are a few things that are known to make the new GS/A 1200 LC bikes better in the dirt: longer swing arm that allows for more efficient rear suspension, a higher snorkel for those deep water crossing and the ability to retain front abs whi
They say adventure is only glamorous in retrospect…
The sky was overcast and ominous as I headed away from Sani Pass. I could already feel butterflies in my stomach at the prospect of heading into the unknown all alone. Sani Pass and its lodge, bar and backpackers are still very civilised, very well known, and very close to the South African border. I had heard lots and lots of stories about Sani and seen millions of pics, but now, the trip was actually starting, and I could feel it strongly.
Size matters.
It does! (snicker) For adventure bikes, at least
The smaller bikes are more fun and forgiving off-road but then they compromise considerably with cargo carrying capacity, fuel range, highway comfort, service intervals, etc…
Bigger bikes can surely carry more stuff (even a pillion) and cruise more comfortably and further on the highway, but it takes a bit more skill than most have to confidently handle them in the more difficult terrain with all that weight. Leave you gear at
Yup. Sani Pass. But we’ll get to that later…
What a great feeling… Having forgotten where you were and where you had lain your head, to wake up and realise you are on holiday, alone with your motorcycle, with days of awesome riding and adventure ahead of you and Sani Pass to climb after some brekkie. I was as happy as a pig in sh*t.
Once I had overslept, and arrived at the breakfast table I decided that, seeing today I was crossing a border, it would be a good time to try and organise intern
There are many things I love about BMW Motorrad that I will cover in a separate entry, but for now I'd like to just talk about what I HATE!
Well, hate is a pretty strong word. Dislike. Disappointed. Let-down. Maybe that's more appropriate.
Maybe it's mostly a function of who I am and what my expectations are from that particular brand. I'm more of the "adventure enduro" rider than the guy who might take his GS/GSA on some very nice graded dirt road for a mile or two in a national park once
BIG BIKE / SMALL BIKE: LEAVING FOR LAS VEGAS THE HARDEST WAY:
Riding LAB2V the Hard Way: The GS and The Huskey
Photos by Stacie B. London
The LA / Barstow / Las Vegas route chart described the next quarter-mile of Red Rock Canyon as a "Rock Garden." What was actually off the front wheel of my 600lb motorcycle didn't resemble any garden I had ever seen. Gray exhaust smoke hung low in the canyon, glowing in the late afternoon's winter sun and the air was thick with the smell of cooking c
So Why Not a Big Bike?
It really is quite amusing to find discussions here and there across the Interwebs when it comes to "what bike should I buy?" You hear some good advice like questions as to what the rider wants to do, what their riding background is, etc....
You also hear some really strong opinions, declarations really, about the bike the rider is supposed or not supposed to buy. A more recent example is when I made a big deal about Noah Horak's statement of what a "true adventure act
