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Hi guys, My name is Nelson Santos and as you may guess from the topic title, I'm from Portugal. I'm 33 years old, started riding 2 year ago on a BMW G650GS and one year later I switched to is big sister R1200GSA from 2008. I dream to have a XL Adventure... so while I don't get it, I try to go to all meetings and rides I found near by to improve my riding skills and have fun. Check my post on the Pictures and Video area about a rally ride I went last week: /topic/384-big-bike-rally-raid-in-portugal/?p=2246 Wish of good adventures to all, Nelson

Hi guys! Hope you enjoy this small video I put together to share my first road book rally raid with a R1200GSA in Portugal. I was lucky enough to make an almost perfect navigation through the 2 stages... so, I finished on 2nd place on the navigation rating (just behind the Portuguese ATV champion) and 4th on time/navigation rating (rating used on the Dakar). It was amazing to see a big bike ahead of a lot of more agile and dirt oriented bikes... It must have been just beginner's luck!

I've had this idea for a ride for about three years now. I got the idea from a ride in Portugal done every year on the longest day of summer (June 21) called "Les a Les," which translates as "length and breadth." That ride is a two day 1,000 km ride with bikes of all types. It is quite popular. What I'd like to do is borrow some elements of that ride, namely the podium start, rider numbers, stickers, etc... but have it positioned as a fun ride that is an introduction to adventure touring. Not necessarily the kind of riding I like to do most, which I call "adventure enduro," but adventure touring that is mostly scenic pavement with some element of dirt thrown in but mostly easy dirt roads. Riders would be camping for one night off their bike, so they'd need to learn about what type of gear to get (tent, bag, pad, etc...), how to pack your bike, follow a GPS route, etc... Basically, this is an introduction to get people into the idea of adventure riding. It's VERY noob-oriented. Neither speed nor technical difficulty are elements of any kind. 1,000 KM is quite a long way. 621 miles in total, or 310 miles/day. When I rode to the High Sierra ride that was 327 miles away. Panamint Springs is about 220 miles from me. But I think when you throw in a circuitous route with various stops along the way, I think you can pack in 310 miles without the first night's stay being really all that far from the SoCal metro area. This notion of "length and breadth" I'd like to incorporate in a route that shows the rider the coast, the local mountains (Angeles Crest Hwy, Big Bear, Idylwild, etc...) and the high desert (Palmdale, Lancaster, Cal City, Adelanto, Barstow, etc...). We could to a beach start like in Huntington Beach or Santa Monica or anywhere in between. I don't really care if our first ride is un-sponsored and only 10 people as long as we have some fun doing it. What types of ideas do you have to make a ride like this fun? One idea I had is to give points for every selfie posted to XLADV.com from a Starbucks along the route Another is an award for most farkled bike

Can also have check points with photos / selfies as proof of passage. Iconic moto restaurant/bars/stops as cheering points.

GREAT IDEA. Some of the Death Valley routes - old spanish trail, Race track, Titus Canyon all fit the bill. Rowher flats, Carrizo plains, (a couple routes we did with RawHyde Alums), winding canyon paved roads, … A lot to offer in SoCal. I mapped out some easier ways to paso robles through Carrizo. XLADV Desert to Sea or SoCal Explorer… I think this will have legs. Let me know if you need anything.

Im pretty sure a crash in DV earlier this year that resulted in a cracked rib and sore lower back played a part in my herniated disc. Hopefully Ill be finishing up PT with so results by the end of October

Welcome, illking! We have the same bike (990)! I hope you heal up soon and can join us on a ride. We have our Death Valley ride coming up in Nov I hope you can make.

And the video you've all been waiting for... (edit: I will try to re-post on Vimeo or something. YouTube spanked me for the copyrighted song on the soundtrack even though it's considered "fair use.") This was a lot of fun to ride, record and edit. Don't get uptight with the music or theme; we're just having fun with it. I've been to events that were drinking themed before (WARPED) and this wasn't one of them

Arwi had a minor tipover on Silver Canyon he got on video. That was a LOT worse than I've ever seen it before! Not easy at all to get up there this time.