The ride starts in Bisbee, leaving Eva Rupert and Sterling Noren’s Jonquil Motel, heading out into the grasslands of southern Arizona and visiting the Mexican border. Episode 1 visits Coronado National Memorial, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, the San Pedro Valley, and ends in Mammoth. 

From there, Episode 2 takes us from Mammoth to San Manuel, to Winkelman, Pioneer Pass, Globe, Young and points beyond.

This finishes Section 2 and Section 3 of the AZBDR.

Most of the footage you see is from the handlebars, but there’s some drone footage as well.

Episode 3 takes you from Payson through the Mogollan Rim, on to the Grand Canyon, and into Cameron.

And Episode 4 ends the run, at the Utah border, running onwards from Cameron through the Navajo Nation.

Want to do the run for yourself? You can find full details on the AZBDR at the Backcountry Discovery Routes website here. The route is about 750 miles long and takes you across everything from grassy ranchlands to the desert to the mountains, as you see in the videos above. The BDR org recommends you do the run in April-through-June and late September/October to avoid bad weather. You need some permits and paperwork to get in order if you want to do this run; check out the AZBDR site for full deets.

The post Ride The Arizona BDR! appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Yes, we know it was posted on the first of April. We here at ADVRider got into the game with a couple of prank stories as well. But we gave this one a couple of days, and there’s no indication that Ryan was joking about his “motorcycle armor is kinda useless” stance.

Hope It’s A Joke

There’s no knowing wink, no clues in the notes, no obviously ridiculous sources cited. It’s one six-minute single-take walk along the beach.

The Take

First, he lays out the fact that the gear most of us wear is clunky (sure). Then, details the standards that said armor is built to – which are mostly EU specs. And he states motorcycle armor in general is too small and too thin to be useful.

The Gaps

The researchers looked at “a few thousand motorcycle crashes with known injuries” and that “the benefits could not be detected, specifically in relation to fractures.” Anyone who has ever fallen off a motorcycle will tell you that fractures are not the only injury we face in that regard.

The Internet Is Forever

So, yes, maybe it was an April Fool’s gag and we’re all dummies now. But that video is going to stay on the internet well past that one goofy date. And new riders will come across it, assume he’s right, and forego the armored gear.

Ow, My Knees

But I want you to do me a favor if you’re on his side: go outside in your jeans and drop to your knees on the nearest slab of asphalt. Don’t sweep it first, just go knees-first, pebbles and all, at zero mph,  into that blacktop. You’re going to get creative with language when you land.

Here’s the thing: we’re going to break bones if we crash. A bad crash will have us in a hospital. Fractures, dislocations, sprains will happen. But he’s focusing on the wrong thing.

Survivorship Bias

A bunch of folks I know had a great discussion about this vid, and it came down to survivorship bias. The riders who end up in the statistics that Ryan cites do not paint the whole picture. There are many of us, myself included, who have had minor getoffs during which we sustained no injury at all precisely because the armor in our gear took the brunt of the impact.

Heck, I stuffed my KLR under a Volvo during my commute one damp morning when I lost traction on a fog line. And then I picked myself up and went to work. I had no injuries because I fell on my padded gear. My knee and elbow armor did their job, the ankle armor on my boot got super scuffed, and my helmet did not live to see another day, but I was fine.

So yes, armor could be better. But it’s absolutely not useless. Those of us who crash, get up, swear, take some ibuprofen, pick up the bike and continue on with our lives are unrepresented in the data.

Here’s one of the inevitable responses. It’s four times as long, but the detail is worth it.

Don’t Be A Fool

Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. And the corollary to that is, the best way to find the right answer to anything, is to post the wrong answer as fact. People will come out of the woodwork to tell you how wrong you are.

The post Please, Keep Your Armor In Your Gear appeared first on Adventure Rider.

And another question: As you watch your friends go through tough times, especially crashes with serious consequences, would it change how you ride? Should it change how you ride?

Barry Morris takes a break from the DR650 propaganda and willy jokes this week to dig a bit deeper, asking these questions and generally bringing up some thoughtful conversation in this week’s video.

Barry’s right: The adventure bike rider is in their middle age, and many of us are increasingly aware that our actions behind the handlebars have consequences. It takes a long time to recover after you’ve been banged-up. And the older we get, the more chance we have that one of our riding acquaintances is going to suffer a crash with severe injuries, or worse. It’s happened to my friends and acquaintances a few times, and every time I’ve asked myself in the aftermath: Will this change how I ride?

I think most motorcyclists have had those same thoughts, in those scenarios. Everybody’s answer is different, but on my part, I have often thought the answer was that I’d ride the exact same as always. But is that really the case? Over time, I don’t know if I ride the same as before, but I do think I’m a lot more mindful of the consequences.

But what of the other side of that equation: The older you get, the less years you have to ride. Barry makes this point, and I think of friends I’ve known who planned great things on their retirement, only to have sickness or other tragedies take those opportunities away. So where’s the balance?

I’m not 100 percent sure, but Barry puts it into perspective this way:

Most importantly, I think it’s time to ride more. How many of us will say on our deathbed “I should have spent more time at work and less riding motorbikes”?

While some of his questions might be hard to answer, that statement, at least, is right.

The post The Philosophy Of Making The Most Of Your Moto Life appeared first on Adventure Rider.

But if you are Pol Tarres, riding the Erzberg on a small machine is not enough of a challenge. For the 2023 event, Tarres again decided that his mount of choice would be a Yamaha Tenere’ 700.

He rode a Tenere’ 700 in last year’s Erzberg Rodeo, but the difference between that bike and his 2023 machine is unclear. Even if it was heavily modified, the bike likely weighed somewhere around 450 pounds. That’s about 25% more than most competitors. And in this case, that 25% equates to riding a bike around 100 pounds heavier than most other riders’ mounts.

Tarres ended his 2022 Erzberg Rodeo at checkpoint 17. The result was a 77th-place position, a remarkable feat considering the terrain and the overall size of his bike. For 2023 Tarres hoped to better his previous finish and complete the entire challenge.

At first, Tarres was at the front of the pack, holding off many enduro bikes. But as the course entered the woods, things got difficult for the heavier Tenere’ 700. Steep climbs through the forest, complete with big rocks and tree roots, slowed the going. Ultimately Tarres’ ride ended after checkpoint 16.

For all his effort, Tarres earned a 131st-place finish out of 500 riders. While that may have been a lower placing than in his 2022 run, it was truly an epic performance on a heavy bike among lightweight enduro machines.

And if you would like to see all the action from Pol’s cam, check out his video below.

The post Pol Tarres Rides Yamaha Tenere At Erzberg appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Firstly the design raises several questions about what you’re trying to achieve: A certain style to match the bike’s design lines, a certain capacity that is required for where this motorcycle might be ridden, or maybe form over function? I have personally sat and had these very thoughts, over the years building dozens and dozens of gas tanks when I built motorcycles from the ground up, built to my designs and dreams, and often to an idea that the customer would bring into my shop.

Material and its thickness can play a large part in how a gas tank will be made… steel, aluminum, or maybe even copper. There is a need to think ahead, about how the gas tank will be held together.

Welding is the most straightforward process and to make it easier it would seem obvious to reduce those welds to a minimum. Doing this in theory sounds logical, but it then requires you to do more forming work to create the desired shape. Those tools might be as simple as a hammer of a specific shape, size and weight, pounding the material against a sandbag or similar. Once the desired basic shape is there, then more technical tools and machines come into play.

If it’s steel then it’s going to be 16 or 18 gauge and beaten into submission with brute force. If it’s aluminum, then some sooty heat is applied to anneal and soften the material to make the aluminum more pliable and easier to work with and reduce brittleness.

A machine line up in my former shop of my tools of the trade included a shrinker/stretch machine (to do exactly as it describes) and a planishing hammer (hitting rapid tiny blows between two desired radiused steel heads to shape and form very specific areas you are working on, with hearing loss as a byproduct of the process…).

For final smoothing, you need an English wheel. Then you place it on the “buck,” a wooden form you made earlier to help you create that final shape you required.

Like anything, there is more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes…

…and this might be the other way, the mass-produced way…safety third, and why does everyone throw it on the floor? So that one guy can keep his job!

Watch and enjoy…

The post Making A Motorcycle Fuel Tank appeared first on Adventure Rider.

The event will take place from July 24 through July 28, with riders riding a three-day “sortie.” According to KTM, all a rider has to do is sign up and show up. They say all the hassles associated with finding accommodation and the perfect mix of scenic, exciting, and challenging routes have been taken care of.

For the 2023 version of the KTM Adventure Rally, 150 riders will base themselves at the Kvitfjell Hotel near Lillehammer. Each day of the event will feature dinner, music, and entertainment. And the KTM technical crew will ensure the attendee’s bikes are ready for the kilometers to come.

For each riding day, KTM will assign riders to four tour guide groups. The remaining riders will be able to ride “Rally Style” and self-navigate with GPS-directed routes. In addition, you can expect KTM ambassadors like Chris Birch to attend and provide “help, instruction, and storytelling.”

If you would like to attend the 2023 KTM Adventure Rally Norway, you should sign up online. KTM will open a portal for reservations from February 28. Pricing and other details will be made available at that time.

Adventure Rally Norway Essential points

• Norway is the setting for the 2023 European event from July 24 (registration day), July 25-27 (riding days), and July 28 (departure day)
• 150 places for all KTM riders (and possibly more) on a first-come-first-served basis.
• Limited slots will be available, and online booking will be possible from February 28, 2023

Riders of all levels

Some KTM rallies have traversed some difficult and very challenging terrain. However, KTM says that the 2023 Adventure Rally Norway encourages KTM riders of all skill levels to attend. In KTM’s mind, the #1 priority is enjoyment.

If you want to get a feel for a previous KTM Adventure Rally, check out KTM’s Adventure Rally France video in the middle of this article.

The post 2023 KTM Adventure Rally Going To Norway appeared first on Adventure Rider.

There’s something about Van, aka “This Spirited Man,” that is earnest and engaging. His vlogs also feature an unfettered creativity that his equally talented brother Casey explores in a loving biographical ode. It might be in the Neistat genes, because both are amazing story tellers.

In 2010, before everyone and their uncle had their own vlog, the Neistat Brothers created eight self-directed episodes for a show named after them on HBO. It wasn’t renewed, but it launched them into the spotlight. The rest is social media history. But I digress.

This raucous road trip, crammed with the kinds of trials and tribulations that only happen when you’re young, enthusiastic, and slightly under-prepared, is perfect fodder to fuel your own 2023 ride resolutions.

Music by Grey Gersten.

PART 1: Leaving NYC

 The series begins in Van’s studio in 2021, as he struggles to understand how he will produce enough video content BEFORE leaving on a technology-free vacation with his young son. It’s a feat that seems almost insurmountable until he comes across this “vein of gold”: hours of raw Lo-fi footage of Van and his pals, pulling together to make his Baja dream come true. It’s a great introduction to Van, his crew, their bikes, and the self-effacing tone of this series.

PART 2: PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Day one is Van’s birthday, and a chance for the guys to try their bikes out on terrain, which is especially important for Scott, who learned to ride to go on this trip. The next day Van and Nev begin the cross country drive to San Diego with all four bikes. We soon learn how well Nev can reverse a truck and trailer, and how comfortable Van is at minor mechanical repairs.

PART 3: MAN VERSUS NATURE

As the guys get further south and more accustomed to driving, things also get more exciting. Van eats the ‘best burger’ and the truck powers through the kind of wind that blows cop cruisers off the road and adds them to a multi-vehicle pile-up.

PART 4: THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE IN THE WORLD

Van, Scott, Nev, and Sam reach an impasse, and must compromise to save the trip. They work it out, but this viewer isn’t sure they really needed to change their itinerary.

PART 5: ROAD OF TRIALS

Let the ride begin! After a resourceful repair saves the day, Scott, Sam, Nev, and Van push their limits in challenging terrain. They also save stranded travellers in an impressive show of moto-magnanimity.

PART 6: VIRTUE OF COURAGE

This  episode begins with what was apparently their worst, most difficult day. And though there certainly were some serious challenges, these seem to spring board them into a most excellent following day.  It’s also the first time Van reaches forward a few years into the futures of two of his friends. It’s an interesting touch and reminds us that this is a project full of nostalgia for a man who has changed a great deal in the 12 years since the trip.

PART 7: THE HERO’S REWARD

This finale could easily be a stand-alone episode, and if you watched it first it wouldn’t ruin the earlier ones. Instead, it would be like when I used to read the last paragraph of a novel before starting it; a return to something familiar that has  taken  on new meaning.

Van is philosopher and an enthusiast, but he is also a very caring soul who is often preoccupied with the well-being of his friends. When he’s the only one he needs to worry about, he’s a more relaxed Van. Following him through to the end of this journey is fun, inspiring, and a great way to celebrate family, friends and our shared love to riding. Enjoy!

The post Retro Video Series: Van Neistat’s 2009 “Baja Motorcycle Adventure” appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Snowbikes shredding

To help you make that decision, KLIM has cut interesting videos of these machines riding through the Utah mountains. Even more interesting is the fact that for three days, KLIM invited some of their top professional hard enduro riders to give the machines a try.

Leading the mountain snowbike ride is KLIM’s Backcountry Team snowbike rider Brock Buttars. Tagging along were KLIM’s hard enduro riders Max Gerston and Paul Bolton. They get thrown into the deep end of the pool to see how their hard enduro skills translate into some serious snowbike riding. And as it turns out, those skills translate pretty well.

There’s lots of footage of the snowbikes being put through their paces in deep Utah powder. But the riders don’t just cruise around, they ride some pretty gnarly stuff. They ride up and down the mountain dodging trees. And they take the time to do a few cliff jumps to see how well the snowbike and dirtbike riders hold up.

As can often happen when skilled riders ride together, a competition breaks out. For this video, the competition turns to hillclimb and it provides some interesting angles to let you see just how steep some of these climbs are. In the end, let’s just say that these guys are skilled.

More video

So if you have ever wondered about snowbikes, or whether your dirt bike riding skills will transfer, these videos could be a worthwhile view. If you want to see more, here are the links for day one and day two.

The post Snowbikes: Ride Through The Winter! appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Once again, Albany, New York, has made the news for its attempts to stop the dangerous practice of recklessly riding illegal motorcycles and ATVs on the city’s streets.  Some places like Albany have policies that direct police not to pursue the offenders. Instead, the plan is for police to apprehend them when they stop at locations like gas stations or their homes.

But in their latest interaction with the illegal dirt bike and ATV riders, it appears that police were at least following, and some say, pursuing some of the riders.

This video shared on social media was shot Friday in #Albany. @albanypolice say the person on the #dirtbike got up, jumped on another bike, and rode away. @hunter_jonathan is talking to police and some of the people on the bikes. Hear from them tonight on NewsChannel 13. pic.twitter.com/BP8LYMNY9h

— WNYT NewsChannel 13 (@WNYT) March 26, 2022

Scene captured on video

The scene was captured by a different illegal dirt bike rider who filmed himself and the incident while dangerously riding on the city sidewalk. In the video posted to social media, another illegal dirt bike rider to the camera’s left seems to slow down and speed up in front of the police cruiser. A second or two later, the two vehicles collide and the illegal dirt biker falls to the ground. While not captured in the video, reports say the fallen biker quickly got up and fled on a different illegal dirt bike.

Reacting to the video, Albany, NY police officer Steve Smith is quoted by the Times Union as saying:

“We are aware of a video taken by an individual who recklessly and illegally operated a dirt bike on a sidewalk during rush hour late Friday afternoon in West Hill, a residential neighborhood in the City of Albany.  As with any motor vehicle accident involving an Albany police vehicle, it is currently under investigation. There were no injuries reported during the incident and the individual involved immediately got onto the back of another illegally operated dirt bike and fled the scene.”

Dangers to illegal dirt bike and ATV riders

While some people may praise the police or suggest the collision was necessary to stop the illegal dirt bike riders, others were not so impressed.

One man, Lukee Forbes, said the illegal dirt bikers were wrong for what they were doing, but the police were wrong for pursuing them. The Times Union quotes Forbes as saying:

“Yes, those bikers were 100 percent wrong for what they were doing with those dirt bikes, but that officer knew how he was trained and the different policies created around handling the bikes, and that he was wrong for pursuing them,” Forbes said. “… The actions they’re (police are) taking actually harm the community versus doing what they’re supposed to be doing, which is to keep our community safe.”

Center for Law and Justice Executive Director Alice Green told WAMC that she was “astounded” by what she saw in the video.

“I was astounded by what I saw on the video, and the reports, you know, that’ve been coming into my office at the Center for Law and Justice, of this police officer in chase,” Green said. “And then deliberately running into the back of the bike that he was chasing. And I believe that although the you know, the biker may have been operating a vehicle illegally, the police officer put, I think, put lives in danger when he violated department policy by chasing the suspect, you know, who’s on a vehicle. It put other people’s lives in danger when he did that.”

Danger to the public

But what happens to public safety if police are prevented from pursuing illegal dirt bikes and ATVs on public property? Clearly, the illegally ridden dirt bikes and ATVs increase the danger to the general public, particularly when the dirt bikes are ridden on sidewalks, ignore traffic controls and signals, and recklessly operate on public lands like city parks.

On March 18th, 2022, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, an illegally ridden dirt bike struck and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk. When struck, the pedestrian was thrown about 50 – 60 feet. Although the victim was airlifted to the hospital, he died en route. Witness reports say that the 14-year-old rider traveled at speeds up to 65 MPH. Officials also said that two other underage teens were riding dirt bikes on the same road with the 14-year-old.

In July of 2021, a four-year-old toddler was hit and seriously injured by an illegally ridden dirt bike. After striking the child, the offender fled the scene. In April, a 60-year-old woman was struck by an illegal dirt bike and suffered head injuries. There have even been cases where passengers on illegal dirt bikes have been killed and instances where police have been injured while attempting to stop the fleeing illegal dirt bikes.

What to do?

Current Albany, NY police department policy tells police officers not to pursue the illegal dirt bikers. The “no pursuit” policy is in place in many communities. In contrast, others have no such restrictions, and some, like the City of London, allow specially trained police officers to knock offenders off their machines with other vehicles.

With all the differing viewpoints and the public’s and the offender’s safety at risk, what’s the best way to stop this dangerous activity? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The post How should cities handle illegal dirt bikes and ATVs? appeared first on Adventure Rider.

GasGas says that the primary goal of its flat tracker build was to see if it can build a legitimate flat track racer from a stock MC 450F motocross bike.  To keep the build project simple (and show off its line of accessories), they tried to only fit “essential” GasGas technical accessories.  However, they did mount one non-GasGas part—a complete Akropovic racing titanium Evolution Line exhaust system should free up some power and drop a bit of weight.

Flat track build

After taking off lots of parts, the rebuild process begins with a new WP Xplor Pro rear shock with shortened suspension travel. Next, the builders fit a new supermoto triple clamp to shorten the front of the bike’s suspension as well.

The build continued with an WP Xact Pro fork and a slight gearing change, with 48-tooth black anodized rear sprocket.

The bike’s tires and wheels were changed, for 19-inch flat track styled wheels shod with Maxxis DTR-1 tires. Although the video doesn’t give us the specs, it looks like at least the front rotor was changed, but with what, we don’t know.  That said, it seems like the same Brembo calipers were re-attached.

Since the bike would be charging hard into corners, GasGas fitted a slipper clutch to help eliminate rear wheel stamping under hard braking. The new clutch unit is protected with a new Hinson clutch cover.

Flat track detail changes

Next up was a minor change to the bike’s plastics; a shorter front fender was sourced from the company’s MC 85 bike, and once installed, the bike was ready to roll.

For GasGas’s second garage build, they decided to convert another stock MC 450F motocross bike and make it into a supermoto machine.

Supermoto build

This time around, they followed a similar methodology by removing lots of the bike’s stock plastic and motocross-specific parts. Left with the frame and engine, GasGas first changed out the rear shock opting for a WP Xact rear shock with a shorter 266 mm of travel.

Next up, the front fork; GasGas installed a supermoto triple clamp which they claim is “extra wide and CNC machined for optimal stiffness and clamping.” Then, the wrenchers added a handlebar support kit to give the handlebar new mounting points for better supermoto positioning.

A new set of WP Xact forks legs were then inserted into the triple clamps. The forks also shortened suspension travel to 285 mm. To tighten things up at the bottom of the fork, an extended supermoto axle was added because of the wider triple clamps and front wheel rim.

Now that the bike could roll, it was time to start thinking about what the machine needed to slow down. GasGas paired a Brembo monoblock caliper to a new 310 mm wave brake disc. Add a Brembo radial master cylinder for single-finger braking, and you’re off to the races.

The converted GasGas supermoto.

From there, the project saw stock wheels exchanged for a set of Alpina Supermoto wheels with a 16.5-inch front and a 17-inch hoop at the rear.

Once again, since this bike would be charging hard into corners, a Suter slipper clutch was added to help eliminate rear-wheel hop under hard braking. Again, GasGas added a Hinson clutch cover and finished the project with complete Akrapovic titanium race exhaust system.

Supermoto detail changes

Down to the detail work: The nearly-complete supermoto machine received the same short fender from the GasGas MC 85 and a pair of its closed aluminum handguards to protect the bike’s levers in a fall.

All in all, the videos are a good example of what can be done with a stock motorcycle to change its intended use and capability. Not bad for something that mostly came from the parts bin!

All photo credit: GasGas

The post GasGas dirt bike changes to flat tracker and supermoto appeared first on Adventure Rider.

More important than horsepower?

Enter Honda project leader Tadao Baba.  He thought differently than the other Japanese manufactureres and believed that lighter weight was more important than outright horsepower.

So with his Honda team, he set out to build a lightweight superbike.  And his team’s result was nothing short of spectacular.  Ultimately, the bike’s light weight would allow it to be the class of the Japanese big four manufacturers.

Other manufacturers had more powerful bikes, but none of them had the speed and handling precision of the new Honda Fireblade (CBR900RR in North America).  Soon, heavy superbikes would become a thing of the past as the other Japanese manufacturers tried to catch up.

3 decades of Fireblades

To celebrate the Fireblade’s 30th anniversary, Honda brought the Fireblade’s project managers together to discuss the last three decades of Fireblade superbikes.  In this video, you’ll meet several of the Fireblade’s chief project managers and gain an understanding of how the Fireblade’s father, Tadao Baba, changed the superbike category forever.

You’ll learn how crucial saving weight was to each project team and how they went about trying to shave every possible ounce off the Fireblade.  The video is an interesting view, and I think well worth the 15-minute video length.

I may be a bit jaded because I was fortunate enough to own a 1995 CBR900RR.  But it really was a game-changer for its time.  It was comfortable to ride for its genre and oh so easy to ride.  So if you believe the “light is right” ethos, this video is for you.

Without giving much away, do you know how much a body panel decal weighs?

The post The Bloodline Of The Honda Fireblade (CBR900RR) appeared first on Adventure Rider.

The short version is, even though we are two big guys we had lots of fun with them and found them very capable machines, far exceeding our expectations.

Around a year later Zac wrote an article and again sung the praises of this little adventure machine, his article is here 

So where are they and who is taking them on adventures? A quick search in ride reports showing KTM 390 only shows three results with 390 in the title

So the question now is, is the 390 Adventure the bike of choice for adventures, any adventures?

Contemplating this, is the 390 platform even worthy, I ask a friend in India this question because he owns a 390 Adventure, he tells me the bike is very popular there as a premium motorcycle, but so is the KTM 390 Duke. He jokes most Indians don’t really get the ‘adventure bike thing’ because you can have an adventure on any bike if you go and look for it!

Really, do you have any examples?

Of course I do, and he sends a link over to a YouTube video of a rider having one hell of an adventure on his 390 and it makes you wonder if this rider came to the US would he find the TAT (Trans America Trail) or BDR’s, any or all of them very tame and boring?

You are not going to understand 99.9% of what this rider is saying but you know exactly what he is saying by watching the situation, hearing his accelerated breathing and the very occasional English word dropped in.

Would you take this ride?

The post Would You Take This Ride? appeared first on Adventure Rider.

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This video, however, is, if we’re willing to get a bit poetic about things, all of that and none of that. It is how motorcycles themselves work. It is the physical forces, broken down into small pieces. All of these forces combine to make motorcycles behave the way they do.

How were you at high school physics? If you have a general understanding of concepts like coefficient of friction and directional forces, you’re going to soak in all the concepts in this video just fine.

A quick warning, though: it might blow your mind. “Mike on Bikes” explains:

As motorcyclists, we know a lot of this information already, but probably not entirely in the conscious parts of our brains. Our muscle memory picks up on a whole lot of how a motorcycle handles.

Really?

When he claims “centripetal force at the contact patch,” though, does that actually make sense? Is this really why countersteering works? The force on a motorcycle created by cornering certainly needs to be counteracted. If we do not then lean into a turn, we fall over.

I bet, throughout our motorcycling careers, we’ve heard all kinds of explanations for why bikes do what they do, and why we have to countersteer and lean. While we’re piloting a bike, though, are we thinking about yaw, roll, pitch, load transfer, and lateral tension? Does rake, trail and wheelbase come into a purchasing decision (OK spoiler on that one: probably!)?

Are you a trained physicist ready to tell us all the ways this guy is wrong? Because if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that ADVRider, and motorcycling in general, attracts some surprisingly smart people. What’s your take?

The post How Motorcycles Work: Explained? appeared first on Adventure Rider.

So it makes sense that Triumph would hire that guy to try out the (newly redesigned for 2022) Tiger 1200 prototype on the road, and then with quite a rear-skid flair, on dirt. He rolls it around a dirt track and makes it look like a tiny dirt bike.

We all know “it ain’t the bike, it’s the rider,” Ricky’s smile is hopefully a giveaway that this new machine is pretty fantastic even to a serious pro like him.

We’ve seen a couple of teasers for this new bike. Zac told us about the t-plane triple engine here and so it makes perfect sense that Carmichael remarked that the new Tiger 1200 was “like a Tiger 900 on steroids.”

Like a lot of you, I’m waiting impatiently for more information on the bike and the engine. I was excited about a test ride when Triumph first stuffed a 1200cc engine into the Tiger, but I came away less than impressed. Don’t get me wrong, Triumph did a lot right with the current iteration of the bike. The seating position, the cockpit, the TFT screen and its options – all great.

I parked my Super Tenere and hopped on the Tiger thinking it could very well replace that ‘Ten. But halfway through the demo ride on a perfect, dry, cool, late-summer day I could not wait to get off that bike. Its heat management, or lack thereof, had me absolutely roasting. And kudos to the group ride leader; we were definitely not dawdling, so it wasn’t like we were all crawling through city traffic.

Has Triumph heard any complaints about cooked Tiger riders? Will they address it in this update? It seems like a ground-up redesign, so I remain hopeful.

The post 2022 Triumph Tiger 1200: Ricky Carmichael Reacts appeared first on Adventure Rider.

One ridiculously-placed Wilhelm Scream notwithstanding, he makes some excellent points. But he doesn’t tell the whole story.

On the Internet, anyone can post a video claiming absolutely anything. And in this case, that’s a good thing, because there is already a response video to this FortNine vid above:

Here’s the cool part: They’re both right.

I know, on the internet, everyone wants to argue about everything. But MotoJitsu’s video even agrees — to a point. And if you’re reading stuff at work and don’t want to play a video (no, it’s fine, you’re definitely reading work-related material and not watching motorcycling videos), I am here to help.

Is Too Much. I Sum Up.

FortNine is correct in that a rider is well-served to counter-lean in tight technical stuff. It makes the whole system of you and the motorcycle more maneuverable. Swapping from a right turn to a left and back again is easy and fast when you’re staying upright and pushing the bike out from under you. Dashing through parking lots, piloting up slow technical mountain roads, or navigating busy gas stations? Counter-leaning the bike is definitely the way to go.

When you’re pushing the bike into a turn and not leaning with it, you don’t have to physically lift your person up and over the bike to initiate a turn in the opposite direction. Your field of view is clear and wide open.

I know he didn’t really talk about dirt riding, either, but in a low-traction environment like dirt or gravel, hanging off the inside of a turn is a great way to get separated from your bike.

The Other Side

However, that’s where the benefits of counter-leaning end, and MotoJitsu’s video agrees. When you and the bike pick up the pace, counter-weighting the bike will present a few problems. First, you can only reach so far, so if you’re in a fast, hard turn, your arm is only so long, and when you run out of reach, then what? Straight arms can’t steer.

Also, you may not be riding a race bike. Your motorcycle only has so much ground clearance, especially if it has floor boards. Leaning into the corner with the bike helps the bike stay upright. As MotoJitsu’s video repeats: less lean, less risk. Scraping stuff might throw fun sparks but it’s a short hop to levering a wheel off the pavement.

Different speeds and different situations call for different skill sets. Don’t get used to counter-weighting your bike and think your toolkit is full and you’re prepared for anything.

If you’re already watching videos like these it means you’re interested in learning more. Great! Every day is a school day. Even though I have been riding for decades, I know there’s always more to learn.

The post Counterweighting Your Motorcycle: FortNine Vs The Truth appeared first on Adventure Rider.

…but being stuck out in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, the logistics of getting your own motorcycle there might seem a little out or very daunting especially if you have never traveled internationally with your own motorcycle before.

I recently spent a month there with my own KTM 500exc riding every road, track and trail the weather and legal requirements would allow me to, some 5350km’s worth

Screengrab from video

The initial idea of doing this might scare some, so I have put together a video showing you how, including, costs, logistics at each end, legal requirements, costs of day-to-day riding including, camping, hostels, hotel etc. Also food, and where to get the best deals to help keep your budget in check.

Of course, the weather is mentioned as Iceland is famous for weather! Most riders know about the rain, but I go into detail about the wind too, often overlooked but very important, and where to find the best weather, and a very accurate app to use.

If the video is intriguing to you but you’d like a little more information and see what the riding is really like you could also jump over to ride reports where it’s all documented in words and photos, in my current ride report ‘A World of Dirt…On A 500exc’ plus nine separate videos of what I encountered on a daily basis when I was actually riding around the country, the places I went, the things I saw, and the rivers I crossed!

ICELAND coverage starts at this page, click this line to go to it

There are of course other options for riding there, multiple rental companies who either offer bikes or tours, make sure if you go this route you read the fine print because riding dirt roads is restricted with some rental companies.

A simple google search will get you a good list if a short 3-10 day trip is all you could do right now – THIS

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Featuring Toni Macaskill (my crush), Wall Rides, Whitney Meza & ADVRider Inmates @OxyDave, @Bibundum, @WheelieKing1, @Mootsuno

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The explanation comes from Ryan at Fort9.  Ryan’s videos are quite well known and often excellent.  In this video, he provides a rather high-level but interesting stop-action video of what makes your spinning things spin, bouncing things bounce, and rolling things stop—all in under 7 minutes.

Using a combination of stop action and tongue-in-cheek narration, Ryan shows you several major motorcycle components.  And then, he explains how they work.  It’s all done quite well, and even if you are knowledgeable about motorcycles and how they work, you might still enjoy this video.

Using the stop action, Ryan removes parts of the motorcycle.  Then he gives you a 10-second explanation of how it works and its function.  If you listen closely, you may hear a few puns.  And a few curse words as well.

So although the video is not rated “G”, it’s well-produced and actually quite a bit of fun to watch.  If you have a friend who may be interested in motorcycles, you might want to send them a link to watch the video.  They might learn something.

So if you’ve got seven minutes of your life to spare, take a gander at the video.  Once you’ve watched it, tell everyone what you think.  Was it worthwhile?  Did you enjoy it, or did you waste seven minutes of your life?

The post Motorcycles Explained In Under 7 Minutes appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Some use punitive means such as “Click It Or Ticket” type campaigns to get their point across.  However, others take a more positive approach to the topic of helmet use.  And the Danish government seems to be one of those that are going the positive route.

The Danish Road Safety Council hired creative communications agency &Co to help get its message about helmet usage across.  And they came up with a brief video that uses humor to get people to think about wearing a helmet.

The scene is set in a rural Danish village in the year 893.  The leader of the village, Svend and his small band of Vikings are about to take to the seas.

But before he is able to get under way, he’s reminded that he’s forgotten a piece of equipment.  One of his trusted warriors, his son, and his wife all chip in with reminders that he’s missing the important piece of gear.

Svend protests their reminders, telling them that he doesn’t need the equipment for various reasons.  But in the end, listens to them rides off with it.

Regardless of whether you choose to wear a helmet, this video is able to drive the Danish Road Safety Council’s point home.  And they do it without having to resort to tell you what you already know.

If you choose to watch the video, watch it to the end.  There’s a bit of a surprise ending.

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If you click through to Youtube you can watch chapter by chapter or click the chapter links below…

Chapters in the interview:

0:00 – Intro
01:38 – Claudio’s emergency bike in Long Way Round
03:01 – Claudio’s Long Way Round BMW
05:52 – Driver’s license drama
16:11 – Osama Bin Laden interview
17:44 – Military training
19:33 – Blown up in Afghanistan
27:25 – Trapped in New Guinea
41:09 – The Long Way Up
55:39 – Motorcycle touring with the Kurds
59:51 – UNICEF
01:02:15 – Claudio’s empathy
01:09:02 – Ewan’s daughter Jamyan
01:13:09 – Claudio’s wife’s tragic illness
01:24:26 – Claudio’s Jetstream movie

“Long Way Up” is streaming on Apple TV+. The trailer can be watched here.

Follow Claudio von Planta on his site, on Instagram and Vimeo.

The post Claudio von Planta: The Badass Motorcycling Cinematographer appeared first on Adventure Rider.

It is easy to underestimate the impact Charley and Ewan McGregor have had on Adventure Motorcycling. Many credit them for the popularity the sport has today. It has been 13 years since their last epic “Long Way Down” and finally after much anticipation the duo’s next collaboration “Long Way Up” premiers tomorrow.

Long Way Up.

The new series is a 13,000-mile journey over 100 days on the electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles as they travel up from Ushuaia, Argentina to Los Angeles, USA.

Chris and Charley discuss the back story of the show and how it came to be. They delve deep into the new world of electric adventure motorcycling and answer many of the questions and concerns the community has about this new form of adventure.

Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman during the trip.

If you have questions about the interview or “Long Way Up”, post them in the comments and Chris will answer them.

“Long Way Up” will be available September 18 on Apple TV+. The trailer can be watched here.

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The full video transcript …

Hey, it’s Baldy from ADV Rider. I got to interview Sam Paschel, CEO of Zero Motorcycles.

Great interview you’ll find on YouTube.

And he said, I could have a loaner bike for an extended period of time.

I was a little skeptical of electric because I like the sound of gas motors.

I like their look and I also like to shift. Here’s what happened when I had it for two months? Wow, here we are, look at that, a Zero van.

Good to see you, I’ll stay by six feet away from you.

You’ve, no sir, We’ll have a gift for you here.

Oh, what is it? Well, as you’re about to see, the Black Forest, you know, this is a bit of a departure from a normal adventure bike.

Yeah.

And so the idea was we wanted to give you the new adventure tool kit.

Well, the tooth test is pretty funny, actually.

It’s all about adventure.

And since the motorcycle doesn’t require any maintenance, the kind of tools they provided are not what you expect.

So, this is a marshmallow roaster with removable tips, extensible.

And there was some s’mores in here, but my wife shamelessly rated this toolbox, so I don’t know if this is arranged the way it’s supposed to be.

And she ate the s’mores and that is a rechargeable lantern for when you’re camping, a mug, steel mug for your coffee.

They have the mother of all, industrial matches here that in a waterproof case. They have manuals, fantastic Grafton Pen.

I hope that’s in focus. Field Notes.

Why, of course, you got to have Field Notes and last but not least, a buff.

But does it make me look badass? I need help with that. Boy, that breaks a beauty. Holy cow! Oh, are you sure? You’ll sure love it and seat is super comfy.

And it does have a passenger, I’m think so It does and quite a compfortable real seat. I’m excited about that.

Although I’m going to give it a spin myself.

I’ve got to see if I can fit it.

So, the amazing thing about electric is you have your left hand free.

So, assuming we don’t die here, Whoa! Off we go in selfie video mode to the bakery.

How quiet is this? Well, you made a hole.

I did make a hole.

I got some for my neighbor.

I hope the bag will fit in…

Everyone fits in his luggage. There we go, here.

Nice to be able to use straps on the luggage to tie on sleeping gear.

True confession.

I was sure I would miss the sweet audio tone of a Ducati, there’re some like that.

But actually, it’s kind of like going from somebody’s private propeller airplane to a glider.

I got used to it super fast.

I thought it would be kind of lame to ride an electric motorcycle this quiet around town.

But everybody loves it.

They all want to talk about it.

It looks so badass and it’s so quiet.

They love it. Oh, I’m coming up on my buddy, Scott, I’m going to surprise him with my badass new motorcycle.

Hey buddy, how is it hanging? Hey! Hey! hey! What’s going on? Oh, check it out.

Check it out.

You didn’t even hear the engine.

Did you? I did not.

So, you got one of these guys… Electric.

So, it’s the most convenient motorcycle ever for around town and a lot of fun for short adventures.

But now I got to figure out the charging network for longer trips.

Okay, so here we are at my local grocery store and they have all these chargers.

Okay, I’m such a charging noob, I don’t know what all this means.

So, there’s a DC 2 and a DC 1 and I pull it out and that doesn’t look like the kind of fitting my motorcycle has.

And I don’t know what the hell kind of fitting that is.

But I go up to this little level two charger and this fitting…

Okay, that I can understand, that fits in the tank.

Alright. That’s what the fitting looks like.

And there we go. Alright.

It says we’re charging 14% charge at 8:48.

So, we go in and get a coffee while we wait? Alright.

So, it’s been exactly an hour and we’re at 64% charge.

Can you hear the fan blowing while it’s charging? So, the charging unit is reading that we’ve been charging for an hour and 32.

So, they say the last part of the charge is the slowest, but in the last 10 minutes, it’s gone up to 94%.

So, I don’t understand.

I decided my first adventure should be to San Francisco, where there’s a high density of charging stations because it’s complicated.

There’s like four different companies and you have to have accounts with each and each location may have a level 2 charge her, but maybe not.

The right up there is amazing with all the canyons and mountains.

And first stop being the famous Alice’s restaurant where the Squids get all the tickets. Did you guys get a ticket for? Yeah, double over… How far over? Double… Wow! Somehow along the way, I bumped the GoPro on my helmet, so it’s pointing down and I missed filming some epic rides through the forest and the coast highway and even being a hooligan in the San Francisco Hills.

Talking about a great day, here I am with the Golden Gate Bridge behind me, having clocked 92 miles through the forest and Half Moon Bay, I have 26% left in charge, so I got to go find a charging station before going back home.

But oh my gosh, it’s been so great to ride this bike.

So I was a little nervous because I’d come 96 miles.

I had 14% of battery left, I’d done some hooligan stuff around the hills. And I only saw one IFFCO station with this level 2 charger.

The rest of them, you know, seem to have these big chargers.

I wasn’t in the best neighborhood either, but I found it.

So, here’s a tough decision, and it’s been charging about an hour, it’s at 52%.

It’s getting cold and windy. Do I try to get home with this much charge or do I wait until it gets over 60%? Well, that was close. I was going to fill it up to 55% because I had 43 miles to go home in it.

55% said I had a greater than 55 mile range.

But then I get on the freeway and I’m going 75 miles an hour and holy cow, it started to go down.

So, in the 43 miles, I exited the freeway one stop sooner so that I could limp home fairly slowly.

And as you see now it’s at 2%.Oh! Home sweet home.

So the good news is my high school has a whole bank of chargers, just two and a half blocks away.

And the elementary and middle schools are the same chargers everywhere.

An embarrassment of riches of level 2 chargers. Look at that.

Oh, look, we’re down at 0% and we’re cruising around the parking lot here at school on 0% charge.

Should we see what happens? It’s still going round and round the school, still doing loops of 0% charge.

I have heard on laptops, you shouldn’t run it all the way down to zero, so to speak, so I’ll be kind and charge it now.

Tough job, but I feel it’s my duty to test it in the dirt.

When I rolled in the park, it didn’t look like anybody had riden down there like me.

But right away, I saw some eye candy and a kindred spirit with an electric trials by. Oh! You bought it? Yeah.

The red one is kind of the aggressive one.

So I’ll start you on green.

Oh! and the Rangers, dude, they look badass on their Alto’s.

What do you have on your belt? I just pepper spray the radio. Yeah, they come with a converter box. So, you plug that in, then you plug this into the converter box.

Yeah. That’s really nice.

Thanks a lot. Yeah, of course. You guys have fun.

Yeah.

So I just turn the throttle.

Just turn the throttle. Okay.

I had done that. The first time I did that on an Alto, I almost…

Oh yeah. Yeah.

It’s not that twitchy [bike’s sound] So, let’s get the luggage out and mix it up with the KTM.

I know it’s not a pure dirt bike, but I had a blast with it and I was pretty gentle.

I thought, I like shifting, but actually, one less thing, and you don’t have to get your butoh under the shift level and there’s just consistent power wherever you need it.

I’m 6’4 and I felt a little bent over, but I usually am on most bikes.

I’m also 195 pounds and got the front forks to bottom a couple of times, but I never adjusted the suspension.

One thing I didn’t think of before descending my first steep hill because I’m on electric bike mood is how you slow it down.

So I had a few white knuckle experiences.

So, I fired up the app and saw the default for regenerative braking is 62% I change that to 100% and it felt better.

It still felt like gas engines have more compression to slow you down on the steep descent.

So here we are, Metcalf Motorcycle Park, which is about 35 miles south of my house.

On the slab, and I use 40% of battery, I only had 60% left.

And I thought, oh, jeez, you know, how much am I going to get to ride today before finding a charge station in San Jose and heading home? And but it’s doing well.

I’ve been riding for about an hour and I’m at 46%, so it doesn’t take up too much on the trail.

Here we are back home, suitably dusty.

Okay, I got home at 10% charge, just plugged it in at 10:57, we’ll see how long it takes at 110 volts.

So checking back two hours later at 1:05, looks like we’re at 43%.

Another two hours later, here we are at 53% That was an odd reading because two hours later, it was at 78% and two hours after that, 100%.

So eight hours to go from 10% to 100%.

So I wasn’t too keen about how the windscreen vibrates when I first got on.

Good morning, Ken.

Okay, I’m on my silent motorcycle again.

I remember thinking, why did they just attach it with those two bars? Well, it turns out it’s quite adjustable from a high angle to a low angle.

And then there’s this, with several adjustments in between.

I set the windshield on high and this thing on the outermost.

And my helmet was in pretty clear air.

On the last day, we had it, my wife suggested we go over the mountains to the ocean.

I married a bike girl.

And how do you rate this Zero compared to all the other bikes we test? Well, so far the Zero is much cooler.

Why? I love the peace and quiet.

So, we came 40 miles over the mountain and your comfort level is? Oh, it’s perfect and she’s perfect. You’ve had it two months, are you going to miss it? Yes, definitely.

You’re going to let me buy one? We’ll talk about that. If I were going to buy another motorcycle, would this be your number one pick? I have to think about that, because I can’t ride it.

And so that’s a major factor.

Was it too heavy? Yeah, it was too heavy.

So you took it out for a spin the other day, you own a BMW, 650 GS. What do you think? That was great. It’s a dream bike.

I’d love to have one, which is cool…

Are you going to buy one? Very possibly.

My wife said I could have one for my birthday, so.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Do you have to take it back? I know, it’s the worst part. So what is the extra battery? How much range does it get you? That is basically, so what we’ve got here, the main battery is a 14.4.

We call it a power pack, 14.4 kWh.

You can only have one or the other. This is currently installed with the charge tank, allowing you to use the level 2 chargers.

Yeah. So you can either do the charge tank or a power tank and a power tank is an extra 3.6 kWh.

I see. So for the weight of this bike, it would basically translate to another 40 miles or so, 40, 50 miles.

So, can you talk me a little bit about the belt drive? Sure. There’s some guys online are concerned if you get a rock in their brakes or something.

You know, they are not an incredibly robust drive technology.

You know, it’s why. We do recommend, if you’re going to be riding some serious off-road stuff or if you’re going to be catching more than about 6 to 10 inches of air, we do recommend to chink it.

I see. And so that is available.

It, of course, makes it noisier.

But I do know a lot of people that have done that, you know.

For most people we have found in the dual sport category, you know, depending on where they live, depending on their capacities, they’re not usually catching much air.

They’re doing fire roads.

They’re doing… or using it on their property or just doing more simple, less technical stuff.

And that’s really what this excels at, you know.

Oh, this is said. Bye bye.

Bye bye. Bye bye.

Until next time.

Until I come down and buy you.

We hope you enjoyed this. If you’d like find out about future episodes, please subscribe.

 

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In previous articles on the front page, it was pointed out more than a few times by inmates that their marketing ploy to tempt people and make them wait mostly failed and riders, well, just didn’t.

Then add to that they sell it all over the planet and not in the US until a year later, surely with all that lag time they could have coordinated a worldwide release?

There are so many other options out there why would you have waited?

…but what if you did, a shout out to those riders, are you happy with what you bought, is the Yamaha T7 everything you were expecting?

The obvious wish list for the T7 was normal and seems to pop up for any new unreleased bike when specs are yet to be revealed, riders wanted –

• less than 400lbs – fail
• fuel range over 300 miles –  fail
• good suspension with lots of adjustment – fail
• good brakes for on and offroad – fail
• adjustable seat height – win
• not too many crazy electronic aids – win
• subframe strong enough to hold luggage – win
• 6-speed transmission – win
• long service intervals – win
• price under $10,000 – win

How does it compare with offerings from KTM, Husqvarna, BMW or Triumph, all those manufacturers are in this sized bike market but you can expect to pay at least a couple of thousand (US) dollars more.

To make the T7 BDR, TAT, CDR, RTW ready is it good value out of the box or do you need to spend too much after inital purchase?

…or did Yamaha miss the mark and leave the door open for the other manufacturers to learn from their mistakes?

For those of you that have written this bike off and feel it’s not capable, that, of course, is debatable, but put the T7 in the hands of an exceptional rider like Pol Tarrés the T7 appears more capable than most riders who are realistic about their own riding skills

The post Did The Yamaha Tenere T7 Meet Expectations? appeared first on Adventure Rider.

I have the same feeling, and I’ve been an ADVRider inmate since 2006.  Because I love bikes so much, I’d never purposefully do anything that would harm or reflect poorly on our sport.  But I guess some motorcyclists don’t feel the same way or don’t know any better.

The dirt and gravel roads of western Wyoming are amazing.

Motorcyclists the source of bad news

I recently read an article in a Wyoming newspaper called the Cowboy State Daily.  And it has my hackles up.  Not with the paper, but with the motorcyclists in the story.  It makes me wonder whether we are our own worst enemies.

The article talks about some dirt riding motorcyclists causing significant damage in Grand Teton National Park.  Apparently, the riders decided to have an impromptu (or planned) “motocross” event on the national park’s grasslands.  According to the paper, the group built a track on National Park property about 1,000 feet long ranging in width from about 2 to 10 feet.

According to the National Park Service, the property is part of a 10-year project that began in 2014.  It’s not a small project.  It is a collaborative effort between the National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Teton Conservation District.

The project

These agencies are attempting to restore the land to its original sagebrush steppe habitat.  It’s an area that’s an essential habitat for elk, bison, pronghorn, moose, deer, sage grouse and a variety of other wildlife.  Bravo.

You’ll see lots of these guys on the steppes for Wyoming.

The project’s work includes the removal of non-native grasses and the replanting of 37 species of native plants.  In fact, much of the area had been reseeded last year.  And, much of that work has been damaged or destroyed by some fellow motorcyclists.

One of my favorite riding experiences happened on just this kind of land.  If you’ve ever ridden some of Wyoming’s dirt/gravel roads (particularly western Wyoming), you’re bound to come upon the wildlife mentioned above.  Seeing pronghorn foraging and running across the steppe is a fantastic experience.

Why?

So why would a group of motorcyclists create a motocross track on National Park land knowing the impact of their actions?  I wonder.

It’s not only the immediate damage to the land that is of concern.  If you watch the featured video, you can see that there are adults with kids on dirt bikes.  What kind of lesson are these adults teaching their children?  Is it OK to just make a motocross track on someone else’s land?  That’s discouraging and terrible.

They didn’t know?

You have to wonder why an adult would even think about doing what these motorcyclists did.  I did.  And I hope that it was “just” a case of the adults not knowing that the land was National Park Service property and in the midst of a 10-year long restoration.

But is that really an excuse?  I don’t think so.  If you don’t know whose land you are on, should you unilaterally decide to build a motocross track on it?  Certainly not.  But it seems that a significant number of adults thought it was OK.

According to the article, a group of about 50 people was in the area attending the “event.”  Could it be that not one of them thought about the impact of their actions?  Many people would find that hard to believe, and frankly, I’m one of those people.

Restoring the land

Whatever the reasoning of the event’s participants, they must now know about the damage they caused.  The paper asks anyone with information about the event to contact the National Park Service’s Investigative Services.  Clearly, they are quite upset and want the offenders punished.

From my point of view, those that caused the damage can help right their wrong.  The group should come forward and offer to restore the land to its planned condition.  While what they did is illegal and could subject them to fines, the potential monetary loss would be far less of an issue.

Those adults, either erroneously or purposely, taught their children that they could do whatever they want without facing the consequences.  If the adults come forward, it would not only teach them a lesson; it might, more importantly, teach their children a lesson.

If we want to keep the sport we love, we have to ensure that those who will inherit our love for the sport (our children) do nothing to harm it.  If those adults come forward and fix the land with their children, they will have both learned a valuable lesson and helped preserve the sport we love.

I might even suggest that if the group comes forward, the National Park Service would not file charges or impose fines.  But if they don’t come forward, they should get what they deserve and face fines and/or prosecution.

What do you think of this group’s actions?  What if anything should be done about it?  Let us know in the comments below.

All photo credit: Mike Botan

The post Making Motorcyclists The Enemy appeared first on Adventure Rider.