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Hey everyone I'm Erick, I'm 25 and live in Northern New Jersey. Right now I'm smack dab in the middle of the greatest adventure Ive ever been on. But first let's rewind a bit. Consciously or not I've been building up to this trip for a very long time. Sometime around 2013-14 I watched long way round on Netflix and ever since then the gears inside my head have been turning. At the time I had no bike, no friends with bikes, and almost no street riding experience besides riding 2smokes on back roads in upstate NY. Truthfully I had very little practical knowledge about motorcycles, so I turned to the Internet! I found out I could take a class locally for $299 and leave a licensed motorcyclist, for which I immediately reserved a spot on the roster and had a great time doing it. Even though I could already ride a bike since I've owned quads and dirt bikes the class was still absolutely worth the investment because of the experience level of the instructors (both were motorcycle police instructors). Some of what I've learned there has already saved my life. I realized that I absolutely could not at the time afford the venerable R1200GSA as my first set of wheels and that a smaller more manageable bike may be better anyway, so I set to figuring out what bike was realistic for me. As it turned out the 2014 F700GS at my local dealer was the one. She fit right, she was priced right at the top of what I could afford and she rides like a champ. I picked her up on April 28, 2015. (I left on this journey exactly 1 year and 1 day after picking up my first and currently only bike) Put down 12 k miles and Farkled her out over the next year and here we are. Literally living a dream I once had after watching long way round for the 87th time and thinking I could never do an adventure like that. So having no experience, or bike, or living in an over populated area like NJ, or not having anyone to go is not an excuse. If you want it bad enough you can make it happen for yourself any way you can on any bike that you love with whatever gear works for you. To be honest I had never been so nervous in my life as the day before I left for the trip. Though I spent a week riding solo from my home to PEI Canada in late September and that was a great little 2k mile shakedown but this trip is over 4 times longer in duration and covers much harsher terrain and climates. Needless to say there was a lot of pre trip anxiety about what to bring, how to pack and what sort of things could go wrong. I had originally planned to leave on May 1st but some good Harley riding friends wanted to go camping together before I set out. Days 1-2 April 29th was the day I left home and me and 4 friends camped for 2 nights in the Delaware Water Gap forest. Going there my gps failed me and took us to a totally wrong destination in pouring rain at 10 o'clock we finally got to the site no thanks to me or my GPS. The whole time I was racked with nervousness about the trip especially because an enormous storm was headed across the Midwest, basically crushing my entire path with 30s-50s and hard rain which would continue to plague me each day into the 5th morning of the journey, significantly slowing my progress. Having my friends there with me on day 1 and 2 was awesome it helped me get over the anxiety of the trip and transition into it. So far the trip has gone something like this: May 1 day 3 My first solo day was a total bust. I broke down my campsite in the Delaware Water Gap under pouring freezing rain, said goodbye to my friends and set out working my way southwest hoping to get into Ohio. Within 100 miles my Klim suit, my schuberth c3pro, my Irish setter boots and Mechanix gloves (both probably not the best choices of equipment) were completely soaked through. It was 37 deg F and when I realized my hands could barely operate the clutch and brake lever and visibility was down to probably 10-20% makes for a dangerous mix I decided to get off the road and dry out. I pulled into a gas station/subway restaurant where I met 3 members and a prospect of a widely known and rather infamous MC who were making their way back to Ohio. Turned out they were really friendly guys and told me about the motel 6 down the road they stayed at the night before and recommended I try there first for a room. I got 2 subs and gassed up then took a quick shiver down the road to the motel 6. The guy who owned it was an incredibly nice man he gave me a double room for 40$ and offered to comp me a free night the next day if I decided to wait out the storm. He said he would never turn a motorcyclist away in a rain storm even if they had to camp out in the lobby. He even had me park the bike under the entrance awning and placed cones there to keep cars away from the Furiosa (my bike is named Furiosa) . Once I got into my room I realized it was only 10 am and I had time to clean and dry all my gear before heading out the next day. I washed all the gear in the tub and hung it all around the room and cranked up the heat. Worked like a charm. May 2 day 4 Much better day today only on and off rain and 55 up to 70 degrees at one point. I met a fellow adventure rider I'll call him Nicolas for anonymity sake. Nicolas has been an adventure rider for 25 years and him and brother both owned 1150gs and he currently has a ktm 950. Not too shabby at all! We talked for 20 or so minutes at a rest area about places he had been that I will be going to. About an hour after talking to Nicolas I realized I had been riding through the rain smiling and thinking about nothing at all just singing along with the music inside my helmet. Absolutely care free for probably the first time since I was old enough to understand English. Potholes and gas was all I had on my mind. I managed to sprain my ankle pretty seriously today by almost dumping the bike like an idiot and planting my left foot then running it over with the touratech pannier. Despite that little incident today was a great day. I've made camp for the night at buckeye lake KOA(37$) the entire tent section is deserted and I've got it all to myself. May 3 day 5 KOA's are awesome I woke up In a drizzle got a hot shower the use of an immaculate bathroom. I start out the day under lite mist at 8 sharp headed west for NE St Louis KOA. The ride was pretty uneventful some sporadic rain this morning but it passed by afternoon and was in the mid 60s and cloudy most of the ride. I met a lot of nice people interested in my bike because if all its luggage and they would ask where am I coming from, where am I going and how many cc the motor is. The friendliness and kindness people show to a person traveling by motorcycle is incredible! I guess because they perceive it as a more dangerous and more difficult task than it really is and because adventure bikes are rather rare in comparison to other categories. Whatever the reason may be; I have yet to meet one single unkind or rude person in 5 days. Remarkable. Tonight I'm making camp at the St Louis KOA as planned and it's a pretty sweet spot to pitch a tent. Water electric and wifi for 27 bucks all under a nice aluminum awning with a BBQ and a picnic table beside it. Can't really beat that. Tomorrow should be a big day into Kansas. Thanks for reading I will try to make nightly updates from here on! Instagram- @erickbhunter SPOT Tracker

Darn Tough Mountaineering Over the Calf Sock. I've worn these in the military, hiking all day as a wildland fire fighter, on duty as a police officer, mx racing, track days, and now adventure riding. I've had the same 8 pairs since 2008, these are hands down the best made socks I have ever owned!! I've used these in +110 and -30 weather, they wick sweat, stay cushioned, and dry out super fast. And.........and....... life time guarantee!! Which I have never had to use. Just my 2 cents.

Oh to be 25 again.... Erik, are you going to stay on the Interstate your entire trip? A little something for the start of your trip(and the show that started it all for many of us)

We should go after and do what makes us happy! If that is his thing, which him all the luck... I'd love to do it... even in such a rush! Hope he succeed.

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. And forget any kind of in-depth ride report. Mostly it’s just a photo and a short commentary if you’re lucky. And then when you go to try and find something you’ve seen before or from a particular event, good luck! It’s not really that easy to search for it. Another gripe is how damn repetitive it is! How many tire and oil threads per week can one person possibly read?!!! The same questions get asked/answered over and over and over again. Information isn’t catalogued or organized in any fashion. People just don’t seem as nice or helpful either. Smart ass replies, thread hijacking, pissing matches, questions regarding factors already answered by the original post or a subsequent reply, etc... can really get annoying after awhile. That’s when that “stop notifications” feature really comes in handy! These are all part of why XLADV was created in the first place. Facebook can be fun and enjoyable, but it’s like cotton candy; fun at first and then it’s gone (and not particularly good for you). Park that special ride report here! Start a discussion on what types of panniers you’d like to buy. Peruse the product reviews to see which tire is going to work best for your next trip. Find ADV rides in your area and/or list your own. Check out our fabulous photo gallery and upload your own favorites. XLADV: Size matters

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 riding! It’s not really that important to me how people ride their bikes or what terms they use to describe their riding. But for me, “adventure riding” does still hold more of a finite than infinite description. I guess the classic and more narrow definition of adventure riding would be something like this: Any motorcycle journey of perhaps a week or longer, probably international or at least out of one’s comfort zone involving travel over multiple road surface types (not solely tarmac/bitumen/asphalt) where the rider is most likely camping off their bike and/or sleeping in a different place most nights, raising money for X charity and documenting their epic selfies with a GoPro camera and becoming social media commodities. Okay, so I might have been kidding about those last parts. Personally, it’s meaningful to me to understand what I consider adventure riding is as well as what it’s not. I’m very open minded and have become even more so over time but there are still some things I find bug me about it. I understand that adventure means different things to different people but when I hear someone talk about throwing their un-plated dirt bike in the back of their pickup and going “adventure riding” for the day, I just kind of shake my head. I understand that guy sees it as an adventure of some kind. I just don’t see that as “adventure riding” myself. I recently had the opportunity to pose this question of how does one define adventure riding on a Facebook group, IBAR (International Brotherhood of Adventure Riders; 8,300 followers) and got some really fantastic responses. I learned a lot! My perception of adventure riding has definitely been expanded, but I find I’m still clinging to my own tastes in certain areas. Believe me, if there’s one thing I hate it’s a “bike nazi” who sets up rules of what you can/can’t do. I don’t want to be “that guy.” But when a word starts to mean anything, it means nothing. I’m really good with broad brushes but if all I’m seeing on a canvas is a blob of neutral color with no shape, definition or story, I’m lost. I also know that simply owning an “adventure bike” doesn’t equal adventure riding. I own an adventure bike and on the rare occasion I commute on it, I call that commuting, not adventure riding. I might go ride some twisty canyon roads on a weekend and prefer to call that canyon carving, not adventure riding. I might go do a track day and would call that track riding, not adventure riding. Recently, Tolga and I took his new camera assistant, Gozde, out for some dirt training and a little trail ride. I’d call that trail riding, not adventure riding. I sit back and look at all the riding I’ve done over about four years and 56k miles and guess that maybe only about 20% of my miles were what I personally would call adventure riding (e.g. Bolivia, Baja, AZBDR, COBDR, etc…). I do a lot of these three day weekend trips to say, Death Valley, and camp in one spot and ride trails out and back each day. I guess that’s really more trail riding than adventure riding. To me, that’s totally fine. I don’t feel like I’m some kind of adventure rider poser because I’m not “doing it right,” nor does anyone else. There’s no right/wrong answer and no test to pass. It’s really irrelevant. I’m not an Alex Chacon, but I do still love following adventure riding topics via this site (of course) as well as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc… I also don’t think one even needs an “adventure bike” to go adventure riding. Some of the best examples of adventure riders did their journeys on bikes most wouldn’t consider adventure bikes: Harley Davidsons, Honda Goldwings, Honda C90’s, old Triumphs, BMW RT’s, etc… This being XLADV, I still don’t think adventure riding requires any kind of “XL” or big bike component (doesn’t hurt). Not everyone has the time/money to be a Ted Simon, Austin Vince, Lois Pryce, etc… I think the longest motorcycle trip I’ve done was just two weeks. A lot of the riding I do for fun locally I view as kind of training for future adventure riding, so in a sense I kind of see how the term gets expanded. Interestingly, I find the more regional trail riding I do is many times more adventurous and enjoyable than the two weeks of riding I did in Bolivia. The riding conditions there were pretty bad, actually. There were lots of narrow, dusty and dangerous dirt roads and no interesting single-track, challenging hills or beach riding like I’m more used to. The adventure there for me was in the places I got to see, the people I got to meet rather than the riding itself. I guess the “death road” and seeing a hillside road slide down a thousand foot cliff in front of me was adventurous. It’s also just a convenient classification we use to distinguish ourselves from other motorcycle sub-cultures like café racer hipsters, sport bikes, choppers, cruisers, tourers, moped gangs, etc… (yes, there are moped gangs). In sum, I guess I can say that while my definition of adventure riding is already quite broad and has been expanded, it still holds specific meaning to me. That meaning is just one person’s opinion and not a test, label or judgment passed on anyone else. I’ll leave the reader here with some of the responses I felt were noteworthy: Notion of picking a spot on the map and going seems to fit. Something new, different, destination unknown, more for the journey than the destination. Live, ride explore. Not everyone can take a multi week multi country trip. For some, a good day ride on a new more challenging track is all we have time or allowance for. Anything new, or more challenging that pushes our bubble just a bit bigger is an adventure. It is to each of us a personal experience. For me it's travelling. Whether it a weekend of logging roads near Algonquin (& camping) or longer, mostly pavement trips. 10 days in Canada's East Coast & 6 weeks through Western Europe. Just getting out there and being. I think the term "adventure" is relative to each person. Hey, if it's an adventure to you based on your everyday life, then more power to you. Live your adventure. Single definition of adventure riding don't exist!! All depend what adventure means to YOU.. My idea of adventure riding. It's not about the route but about the journey. Alone or with a friend pick a spot on the Map and go there. It's always different, take pictures, enjoy the people places and the ride. I think you can define it as whatever you like. My personal definition, is having the ability to go off road and find a nice camping spot. I'm on an adventure every time I ride, even if I don't hit dirt that day. For me, an adventure ride HAS to include some dirt/off-road sections. Adventure to me is not being on Tarmac 100% of the time. Gravel, OHV trails, minimum maintenance roads and preferably not sleeping in my own bed. Explore riding is what I do riding to see where a road goes I've drove past a hundred times in my truck. Riding is fun and every ride to me is an adventure but if you can ride trails fire roads freeways you are an adventure rider. Adventure is a mindset (Harold Olaf Cecil) Adventure is in the heart. In my opinion. If you can't go out and have a good time, no matter what. You're NOT an adventurer. If you break down and say, "that really sucked"...but it was AWESOME! You ARE an adventurer. If you're on a ride with friends and have something to complain about. You're NOT an adventurer. If you can jump into a ride, last minute without caring where the destination is, you ARE an adventurer. I don't see it about being on dirt or bitumen or related to time or distance traveled. I see it as being open to try new places, roads, tracks and experiences, and being willing to go out of your comfort zone to have those experiences. It's about learning and living all at once. Well I have to say this much for you Eric Hall, you do ask some great questions and start some good threads. The marketing department at BMW really knew what they were doing when they attached the word Adventure to there bulked up GS back in 2001/2002. At that time the GS was just a moderate seller in their lineup of bikes. Now today it is their biggest seller. I think as a definition in the motorcycle world the Adventure bike was meant to be a do everything machine. Tour the freeways and highways with ease and comfort as well as get you though some fairly rugged stuff if you had the balls and the skills to ride it there. KTM soon produced a twin to compete and now there are more and more bikes that have a wider range of capabilities because that is what people think they want. One thing is for sure, the Adventure market has opened up a lot of opportunities that did not exist before. Look at all the companies like Touratech just for starters who have thrived because of this segment of motorsport. I echo the sentiments that riding in general is an adventure, but that does not mean you are necessarily doing it on an Adventure bike. If you are riding and you want to call it "ADV" riding have at it I say, want to put knobbies on your bike and run back and forth to Starbucks well maybe it's not so ADV'ish To me if it’s all pavement it’s not ADV. All pavement is touring or sport touring. ADV includes some dirt and generally longer distances. Dual sport is similar but shorter distances. The original intent of the term was to draw a distinction vs. other forms of riding My definition......the bike has to be plated and at least some of the riding must be off the pavement.......now if you're lucky.......MOST of the riding will be off the pavement and involve tents, sleeping bags and a bourbon of some kind!

Who is going? I just signed up for the full experience. I plan to leave Thursday night, hopefully crash at a friends in flagstaff and then be at the Expo Friday morning.

Meeting at Village Inn Restaurant @ corner of HWY 54 and 301 (Zephyrhills) at 8am sharp for a little breakfast/pre-ride planning, then heading up to the trails thereafter. So far it's just me and John Hutches, but if you want to come along, just show up. We WILL be riding off-road, so if you try avoid sand or even easy water crossings at all costs, might not be for you. We won't be trying to kill ourselves, but we'll only ride the dirt roads to connect to the next trail. Let's ride!

I do not mean to high-jack your thread. This is the opening for a 1969 TV series called "Then Came Bronson". It lasted one year and had a pilot movie and 26 episodes that were filmed around the country. It was based on a real person. Essentially, the character quit his job, and spent a year traveling and working his around America wanting to see and experience the real America. The stories were about day to day people. The series came on at 10:00 PM Eastern time and I BEGGED my father to allow me to stay up and watch this show. He would always acquiesce and allow me (I was nine at the time) and would watch it with me. My dad drove long distances to work and he had to be up very early. I recall rarely being able to make it through to 11:00 PM and my dad would haul me back to bed. This show started the idea of traveling(and a love of motorcycles) for me and rarely does a single day go by that I do not recall it. My dad has passed now and I have great memories of watching it with him. He liked the character because Bronson WORKED to support himself. This was 1969 with the hippies and counter-culture movement and lots of young people criticizing and blaming mom and dad(particularly dad) while still holding their hand out. Young people wanting to "find themselves and see the world" is nothing new. The big bike companies were also working to rid the "biker" image from the media("You meet the nicest people on a Honda"). Bronson was introspective and a good person. Anyway, maybe someday soon I'll be Bronson for a year and ride my bike over the Bixby Creek Bridge. However in the meantime, reading about the travels of a young Bronson from New Jersey will suffice! Safe wandering!

Pointing out hazards for the guy behind you, I feel like this is not done by most people. Can be done with either a leg or a hand, and is greatly appreciated by those of us who break the following too close rule.

Hey kojack06, thanks for dropping in. I plan to avoid the interstates as much as possible once I've reached Colorado. I figured I would blast across 70 west in 3-4 days to maximize my time out west. What is the title of that movie I've never seen it and now I'm dying to know more about this guy! Talk about an epic opening scene, wow.

These have worked well for me on the project 990 from Rottweiler Performance Reviewed here

I'm usually the one waiting, Probably too much, Tip top, I invented it, know how - yes / done it - no, No, If the scenery is awe inspiring - yes, No, I have but have learned from that mistake, I have but have learned from that mistake - Sand is my Kryptonite, I watch and take pictures, I yell at them for scratching it, If the music in my helmet is really good maybe, I bottle it - sleeping in and making me watch you get ready while I twiddle my thumbs is my pet peeve, Don't you know how to use GPS? (No - double negative), Absolutely not, Absolutely not, If they want me to for some good video otherwise no. A note on the "Do you show up for rides you know are way above your ability" question. I feel that I have a decent skill set, and can handle some fairly gnarly terrain; although, an "expert" I am not. It is, however, tough to judge if one is entering into a ride on a trail that is above their ability when they have never ridden the trail before. When in that situation do your homework in advance! In relation to this specific adventure I believe we have all done our due diligence - watched the movie (not just the trailer), read ride reports, looked at pictures, and spoken to others that have done the entire trail. With that information you can make a decision base on your knowledge of your own abilities, and you willingness for it to go wrong.

Preach it brutha! Com on! What Eric is saying is that if you're an XLADV facebook "fan" and reading this, click the "Create Account" button in the upper right and help us build something special, a place of our own! 👍 Our vision is a community that is fun, interesting, inspiring, and full of valuable info. But, with a commitment to keeping the place respectful, classy, and devoid of Internet pissing matches, defending our choice of what we ride. That is just useless "noise" and if you're like us, you want something better. We've created tools, features, and organization that make it easier to find and consume only what you're most interested in. And, we've also created things like the "Garage" where you can showcase your rides, your mods, and others can learn from what you've done. You can even rate your bike and each mod, again, helping those around you learn from your experience. When they do the same, it benefits you and so on.

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. Danger carries with it a lot of romanticism though and that is surely used to sell the whole “lifestyle.” I think there’s a bit of that in Brad Barker’s (Ride of my Life) video he did last year on AltRider’s “Taste of Dakar” event. There certainly can be quite a bit of danger in what we do if you don’t know what you’re doing and/or if you simply don’t pay any regard to safety. Here are a few things I think contribute to safe riding: Gear. ATGATT. You need a good helmet, good boots, good gloves and a good riding suit with good armor. I took a particularly nasty spill doing the COBDR (riding too fast to slow down in time for a washout). My fellow riders thought I was going to be seriously injured but I just got up and dusted myself off. I had a small bruise on my right quad the next day and that was it! I also wear a neck brace (Leatt) as well as knee/shin guards. Proper bike prep. Don’t think you’re a stud because you ride off road with street tires or something similar. You’re just dumb (in my opinion). Ride with knobby tires (aren’t completely worn off). Adjust your seat, pegs, bars, controls so that you can ride comfortably, particularly when standing. Have a bike that’s in good working order with all the tools, spares, etc… you need to handle most roadside repairs. Have enough gas to get where you’re going plus a safety margin, but if you have a GSA and are only riding 60 miles of trails that day you certainly do not need 8.7 gallons of fuel compromising your bike’s off-road handling. Nor should you be riding with hard panniers off-road if you don’t absolutely have to. Air down your tires enough to give you a better contact patch, but not so low you risk damaging your rims (about 30 psi on my bike). Tell people where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Use a SPOT/DeLorme type satellite device if you can. If you have a GPS with tracks, for chrissakes please know how to use it! Proper body prep. Riding a big bike off road takes a higher level of fitness. Consider going on a diet and exercise regimen. I recently lost 30 lbs myself and notice it’s a lot easier to ride. You should also eat enough and bring enough water (1 liter/hour) and drink it regularly to avoid dehydration/exhaustion. Maybe a session of endurance drinking the night before isn’t such a good idea prior to spending all day on the trail. Accidents always seem to happen when you’re in that “yellow zone.” If you really like riding off road and spend most of your seat time doing that, consider investing in some formal off road training. It’s the best farkle you’ll ever buy. Proper riding technique and trail/group choice. 100 miles from the nearest highway is not the best place to practice wheelies or riding near 100% of your maximum speed. Slow is fast. Don’t ride beyond what you can see. Don’t ride in dust. If you stop, get off the trail. Joining a group of dirt bikes when you have less than a year of experience (and no formal training) on a big bike is not a wise idea. Joining an “A” group when you’re a “C” rider is also not a good idea. Never ride at a pace faster than you’re comfortable with (they’ll wait for you). Grow up and leave the need to compete or prove your riding skill behind (no one cares). Stop or “post up” at a turn and wait until the person behind you reaches you so they know which way to go. If it’s getting late and you have a bailout point, take it. Don’t pass other riders unsafely. Pick a spot in the riding order you’re comfortable with and stay there. Know how many people are in front and behind you.

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 stop, easier to tip over/harder to pick up, have less traction and less suspension travel. They can’t go over the same terrain in the same fashion. I cannot go as fast over whoops or any other obstacle or I’m going to break my bike or get bucked off! I recall hearing Ryan Frazier (GS Trophy Team USA ’12) say that’s why he likes riding the bigger bikes; because they require so much more finesse and control off road. I’ve seen quite a few dirt bike riders be humbled by a bigger bike. The skills are similar but these riders don’t always make a smooth transition to the bigger bike. I have ridden with former Baja racers who found their skills didn’t automatically transfer to the bigger bike. But as difficult as riding big bikes may be, so many find with a bit of instruction and feedback that they are a lot of fun off road. I’ve seen too many riders go from complete dirt noob to intermediate or advanced in as little as a year. What do you think?