Long story.
Just thought I should pop in a show you guys this if you haven't seen it.
The Bolts action blog rules.
As does this video, and the bike.
Jeremy Jones Bikes of Bolts from Seth Huot on Vimeo.
respect.
Showing posts with label adventures on a rigid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventures on a rigid. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Long time no post.
Been ages yo.
Long story.
Just thought I should pop in a show you guys this if you haven't seen it.
The Bolts action blog rules.
As does this video, and the bike.
respect.
Long story.
Just thought I should pop in a show you guys this if you haven't seen it.
The Bolts action blog rules.
As does this video, and the bike.
respect.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Rigids being used
Got this message from one of the guys at Coconut Customs:
The trip down to the smoke out is even more proof that even an idiot like myself can ride a chopper long distance. When the trip was all said and done I bagged about 2,300 miles in a week on a hard tailed ironhead. And aside from a sore neck, monkey butt and a loose lifter block (quickly fixed) it went just fine. keep spreading the good word!
Atta boy! That's some good adventurin right there... rigids can be used people.
They aren't all the horrible, kitten killing, body busting, mind numbing, torture devices that you have been led to believe... you can do it... you can ride one to work.To play. To another town. To another state...
The trip down to the smoke out is even more proof that even an idiot like myself can ride a chopper long distance. When the trip was all said and done I bagged about 2,300 miles in a week on a hard tailed ironhead. And aside from a sore neck, monkey butt and a loose lifter block (quickly fixed) it went just fine. keep spreading the good word!
Atta boy! That's some good adventurin right there... rigids can be used people.
They aren't all the horrible, kitten killing, body busting, mind numbing, torture devices that you have been led to believe... you can do it... you can ride one to work.To play. To another town. To another state...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Adventure is a state of mind. Not a class of motorcycle.
Ok, so we all have gotten this email forwarded to us, or seen it on ADV rider before... but thanks to Tom Rose, I got a chance to review it one more time and remember just how good it was.
It is most certainly worth forwarding on to everyone in case someone missed it... and I don't all of your email addresses ... so here it is.
The infamous "Adventure Harley" email:
On Thanksgiving Day, as most of America was watching football, the Weber household was sitting around talking about bikes. We started looking though my dad�s old riding photos. These are so great that I had to share some with all of you�
My dad and some friends were Adventure Riders to the hilt back in the 1950�s. Sunday rides were the thing for these guys, with the occasional jaunt to Mexico City or somewhere thrown in for fun. First let�s introduce the characters. Here's the clan filling up for gas somewhere near Fort Collings, CO. We've got them from left to right:
Jerry Francis, 1950 Harley 74
Mike Sadusky, 1950 Harley 74
Warren Weber (my dad), 1950 Harley 74
Wendell Rea, 1942 Harley 45 CI. Notice the front knobby!
I guess the 1950 Harley 74 was 'all that', Just like the GS is (supposedly) these days. Seems pretty popular anyhow...
Here's the 'usual suspects' again taking a morning break on a nice Sunday ride.
One Sunday ride took 'em to the top of Mount Evans, elevation 14,264. This was back in the day before it was paved all the way to the top. It was, however, paved here if it hadn't been for the snow. I was recently in a similar situation on my Rally Twin coming over Pearl Pass. I thought it was touchy enough, and I didn't have a FOOT CLUTCH!!! Yikes!
Yet another 1952 Sunday ride ventured up Arapaho Pass - it's near Eldora, Colorado and is now all wilderness. Stupid lousy rotten environmental freaks, but I digress� (sigh)
The clan started out from my Dad's house in Wheat Ridge, which is a stone's throw from Golden, CO. They usually left about 8:00 a.m. If you didn't arrive on time, they'd leave you. Hard knocks. They headed up to Boulder, CO and followed the nice, twisty, scenic Boulder Canyon to Nederland. From there they headed through the town of Eldora and up Arapahoe pass.
Now some things never change. There's always that one person in the group that either insists that they absolutely positively know where to go, or that it "not that bad". In this case, the group ended up venturing down this:
Turned out that this the wrong way (DUH!). The Harley guys actually let the English bike riders be guinea pigs on this part of the ride. Must've been one of those hot-headed british riding know-it-alls that suggested it in the first place...
After some back tracking and de-mudding operations, they finally found the right trail and made it to the top at 11905 feet elevation. Nice day!
I also think these guys could've invented the "No Fear" logo. I have fear when it associates a 750 lb hard tail with a stream crossing on a trail. These guys really deserve some respect for being able to pull this off. Or they deserve to be taken away in straight jackets, I'm not really sure.
Not that they didn't dab once or twice. OK, maybe they dabbed about 100 times, but they still made it across. Now it's time to take a break and dry out.
Here�s a portrait of my dad taken in 1951, just before the start of a nice ride. Notice the cool stylish apparel. Helmet? I don't need no stinking helmet! Of course, this was pre-head injury days....
These guys also had a lot of fun just playin' around. Imagine getting a couple feet (OR MORE!) of air on a 750 HARD-TAIL Harley! This makes you GS-jumpers look like whimps, with your fancy rear suspension and all. Sheesh!
But the most insane (read: talented) member of the group in the area of piloting a Harley 74(7) through the air was a fellow named Kenny Erie. If Kenny was alive today and about 50 years younger, I'm sure he'd be one of the top names in freestyle!
These guys weren't shy of riding on a bit of snow, either. Here's Mike Sadusky on his 50 Harley. Man, I really envy this guy's legs. I bet he could straddle the 950 Adventure-S with his knees bent. Me, on the other hand, can't physically touch both toes to the ground at the same time. Mike used to drape his legs over the handle bars to stretch on those long road trips (no joking!). Who needs hiway pegs?
You'd think these guys would know when to stop. Apparently not.
These were taken up by my Dad's cabin on Mt Thorodin. Wanna park, but you're too lazy to put the side stand down? Just cram it in a snow bank and leave it like my dad did. Mike and Kenny are in the process of "parking".
You're not a real rider unless you can power slide.
Now really guys... I have said this before... I hope that you aren't buying into all that garbage out there and thinking that you can't ride to work, or ride a hour or two away on your rigid bike or your attack chopper.
And I certainly hope you aren't avoiding rain, gravel, dirt, mud, or rough terrain because your freind, or an aqaintance, or some dude on television, or some painter dude who that writes for a magazine that is suppose to be an "authority" on choppers has told you that rigids are toture devices, or that they aren't really usable forms or transportation or are less that a "real" motorcycle because they do not have a swingarm.
Cause that is all a bunch of crap.
Real men and women used to ride rigids everywhere without having to be commited to hospitals afterwards, and real men and women use to have a sense of adventure.
They use to understand that you don't need the most capable vehicle for the job... and they had a state of mind that accepted the adventure when they encountered it.
They didn't have a state of mind that sent them crying for their electric starts, or their GPS's, or their 8" of rear suspension travel, or their hand clutches, or their heated suits, heated gloves, heated boots, heated seats, heated grips and heated cofee mugs! (With their portable electric coffee bean grinders in their waterproof and armored aluminum panniers, right next to their armored laptops with aircards in them so they could Facebook their personal trainer about how many calories picking up a flopped over BMW GS with a cracked head would burn!)
It's about being ready to "Go Adventuring today" when you leave the house.
It's about overcoming and exploring and enjoying life instead of being seperated, sequestered, and coddled away from it.
You people bitch about those mindless masses riding in "cages" and how is seperates them from the world around you...and your 30 some thousand dollars worth of BMW GS with panniers full of lifes most frivoulous pleasures and your constant contact with the "real world" that you were suppose to leave behind isn't doing exactly the same thing?
You might as well drive an Escalade up that mountain pass buddy.
Get out there and use your rigid.
It is most certainly worth forwarding on to everyone in case someone missed it... and I don't all of your email addresses ... so here it is.
The infamous "Adventure Harley" email:
On Thanksgiving Day, as most of America was watching football, the Weber household was sitting around talking about bikes. We started looking though my dad�s old riding photos. These are so great that I had to share some with all of you�
My dad and some friends were Adventure Riders to the hilt back in the 1950�s. Sunday rides were the thing for these guys, with the occasional jaunt to Mexico City or somewhere thrown in for fun. First let�s introduce the characters. Here's the clan filling up for gas somewhere near Fort Collings, CO. We've got them from left to right:
Jerry Francis, 1950 Harley 74
Mike Sadusky, 1950 Harley 74
Warren Weber (my dad), 1950 Harley 74
Wendell Rea, 1942 Harley 45 CI. Notice the front knobby!
I guess the 1950 Harley 74 was 'all that', Just like the GS is (supposedly) these days. Seems pretty popular anyhow...
Here's the 'usual suspects' again taking a morning break on a nice Sunday ride.
One Sunday ride took 'em to the top of Mount Evans, elevation 14,264. This was back in the day before it was paved all the way to the top. It was, however, paved here if it hadn't been for the snow. I was recently in a similar situation on my Rally Twin coming over Pearl Pass. I thought it was touchy enough, and I didn't have a FOOT CLUTCH!!! Yikes!
Yet another 1952 Sunday ride ventured up Arapaho Pass - it's near Eldora, Colorado and is now all wilderness. Stupid lousy rotten environmental freaks, but I digress� (sigh)
The clan started out from my Dad's house in Wheat Ridge, which is a stone's throw from Golden, CO. They usually left about 8:00 a.m. If you didn't arrive on time, they'd leave you. Hard knocks. They headed up to Boulder, CO and followed the nice, twisty, scenic Boulder Canyon to Nederland. From there they headed through the town of Eldora and up Arapahoe pass.
Now some things never change. There's always that one person in the group that either insists that they absolutely positively know where to go, or that it "not that bad". In this case, the group ended up venturing down this:
Turned out that this the wrong way (DUH!). The Harley guys actually let the English bike riders be guinea pigs on this part of the ride. Must've been one of those hot-headed british riding know-it-alls that suggested it in the first place...
After some back tracking and de-mudding operations, they finally found the right trail and made it to the top at 11905 feet elevation. Nice day!
I also think these guys could've invented the "No Fear" logo. I have fear when it associates a 750 lb hard tail with a stream crossing on a trail. These guys really deserve some respect for being able to pull this off. Or they deserve to be taken away in straight jackets, I'm not really sure.
Not that they didn't dab once or twice. OK, maybe they dabbed about 100 times, but they still made it across. Now it's time to take a break and dry out.
Here�s a portrait of my dad taken in 1951, just before the start of a nice ride. Notice the cool stylish apparel. Helmet? I don't need no stinking helmet! Of course, this was pre-head injury days....
These guys also had a lot of fun just playin' around. Imagine getting a couple feet (OR MORE!) of air on a 750 HARD-TAIL Harley! This makes you GS-jumpers look like whimps, with your fancy rear suspension and all. Sheesh!
But the most insane (read: talented) member of the group in the area of piloting a Harley 74(7) through the air was a fellow named Kenny Erie. If Kenny was alive today and about 50 years younger, I'm sure he'd be one of the top names in freestyle!
These guys weren't shy of riding on a bit of snow, either. Here's Mike Sadusky on his 50 Harley. Man, I really envy this guy's legs. I bet he could straddle the 950 Adventure-S with his knees bent. Me, on the other hand, can't physically touch both toes to the ground at the same time. Mike used to drape his legs over the handle bars to stretch on those long road trips (no joking!). Who needs hiway pegs?
You'd think these guys would know when to stop. Apparently not.
These were taken up by my Dad's cabin on Mt Thorodin. Wanna park, but you're too lazy to put the side stand down? Just cram it in a snow bank and leave it like my dad did. Mike and Kenny are in the process of "parking".
You're not a real rider unless you can power slide.
Now really guys... I have said this before... I hope that you aren't buying into all that garbage out there and thinking that you can't ride to work, or ride a hour or two away on your rigid bike or your attack chopper.
And I certainly hope you aren't avoiding rain, gravel, dirt, mud, or rough terrain because your freind, or an aqaintance, or some dude on television, or some painter dude who that writes for a magazine that is suppose to be an "authority" on choppers has told you that rigids are toture devices, or that they aren't really usable forms or transportation or are less that a "real" motorcycle because they do not have a swingarm.
Cause that is all a bunch of crap.
Real men and women used to ride rigids everywhere without having to be commited to hospitals afterwards, and real men and women use to have a sense of adventure.
They use to understand that you don't need the most capable vehicle for the job... and they had a state of mind that accepted the adventure when they encountered it.
They didn't have a state of mind that sent them crying for their electric starts, or their GPS's, or their 8" of rear suspension travel, or their hand clutches, or their heated suits, heated gloves, heated boots, heated seats, heated grips and heated cofee mugs! (With their portable electric coffee bean grinders in their waterproof and armored aluminum panniers, right next to their armored laptops with aircards in them so they could Facebook their personal trainer about how many calories picking up a flopped over BMW GS with a cracked head would burn!)
It's about being ready to "Go Adventuring today" when you leave the house.
It's about overcoming and exploring and enjoying life instead of being seperated, sequestered, and coddled away from it.
You people bitch about those mindless masses riding in "cages" and how is seperates them from the world around you...and your 30 some thousand dollars worth of BMW GS with panniers full of lifes most frivoulous pleasures and your constant contact with the "real world" that you were suppose to leave behind isn't doing exactly the same thing?
You might as well drive an Escalade up that mountain pass buddy.
Get out there and use your rigid.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Bolts action boys abusing their rigids....AGAIN!
...and here we are with another awesome post with excellent pics and a vid or two from the Bolts Action boys!
This blog rules.... go check it out.
http://boltsaction.blogspot.com/
Here's the post in question:
http://boltsaction.blogspot.com/2010/02/pigeon-jump.html
Bonus video....
This blog rules.... go check it out.
http://boltsaction.blogspot.com/
Here's the post in question:
http://boltsaction.blogspot.com/2010/02/pigeon-jump.html
More Jumping from Jeremy Jones on Vimeo.
Bonus video....
Moto Monday 4 from Jeremy Jones on Vimeo.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! Rigid adventure awesomeness!
Ok, so big thanks to Jay for pointing out my glaring oversight on this one, (I am only human, and a human with limited time and a family too, so please forgive me!)
But, this is outstanding and I wanted to make sure you all saw this:
So Shawn Britton rode this bike that I mistakenly called a CM400 in a earlier post (Which is actually a CB450) about 10,000 miles in three weeks across the US.
Adventuring on a rigid baby... and a cheap, mega lightweight one too.
Just read this Chop Cult interview. It speaks for itself...
http://www.chopcult.com/news/articles/interview-shawn-britton.html
But, this is outstanding and I wanted to make sure you all saw this:
So Shawn Britton rode this bike that I mistakenly called a CM400 in a earlier post (Which is actually a CB450) about 10,000 miles in three weeks across the US.
Adventuring on a rigid baby... and a cheap, mega lightweight one too.
Just read this Chop Cult interview. It speaks for itself...
http://www.chopcult.com/news/articles/interview-shawn-britton.html
Need I say more?
Jumps from Jeremy Jones on Vimeo.
From the very cool Bolts Action blog!
(WARNING: SERIOUSLY COOL PHOTOGRAPHY AHEAD!!!)
http://boltsaction.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The WRONG way round... adventuring with Doug.
As I was saying a few posts ago… you should never think of your rigid framed bike as a non-usable, or unpractical motorcycle. You should ALWAYS think of it as a Valid Mode of Transportation and should never hesitate to use it.
I also stated that you should not worry about having an “adventure” bike with which to have your adventures.
You don’t have to do it “The Right way” to have fun, or travel or commute, or have and adventure on your bike… you simply need to get out there and do it.
Case in point:
This is Doug… or RTWDoug as he is known on the ADVrider forums.
Doug is from Alabama and has been around the world twice and has taken many other trips overseas on many bikes. He LOVES all kinds of motorcycles and is not a Harley guy, chopper guy, or any brand specific guy.
He owns tons of bikes, and loves them all.
He did his previous round the world ride on a 48 Indian Chief.
In 2009 he did it again on a raked out, jockey shift, kick only Panhead in a rigid frame with no front fender… because he thought it would be “fun”… what an interesting concept!
It took him 6 months and was about 26,000 miles.
You have no doubt seen some of his articles in THBC magazine about this same trip, but if you would like to see more pics and read more of his story, then hit this thread and check it out.
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462017
It’s probably some of the best reading out there.
And check out his website!
http://www.motosapiens.org/
Some things to note… for starters he rode some NASTY roads in Russia. VERY nasty… and the bike survived, and he made it. He also rode through Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Romania, the US, ect…
He didn’t break down a lot, but have some things shake loose, or move out of adjustment.
I'm not saying that it wasn't tough, or hard, or that this guy isn't cooler than Chuck Norris... (casue he is!) ... I'm once again saying that this is sort of adventuring on a rigid is possible acheivable, and desireable.
NO... it's not always easy... That's why it's called Adventure.
If it was easy it would be called "A nice Sunday ride".
He did question his judgement several times and thought maybe he shouldn't have used the chopper... but we all do that from time to time... and then we are glad we did later. Remember... being cushy, comfotable and safe isn't ALWAYS the best option.
"yeah... I rode 500 miles to get here, in the rain... on a brand new Goldwing. Yeah... it was pretty awesome."
Not that intersting is it?
He also did not have the “right” gear… (Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, the newest and pimpest aluminum panniers, a BMW GS or KTM Adventure, blue tooth links, cameras, spare parts, tires, PIAA lights, skidplates, crashbars, satellite phones, hydraulic suspension, suspension travel, ultralight backpacking camp stove, firestarting devices, armored laptops, ect, ect.)
The dude did it, had a blast, met tons of cool people, didn’t die, get arrested, crash, or regret it…HAD FUN... and he did it all the “wrong” way.
Maybe we should all just leave home on our choppers, and have an adventure…
I have posted some random quotes from his ride report on ADV rider that I think are rather pertinent…
What’s that? They are out of context you say?
No, they aren’t … I just told you the context… if you want more, you have to read the whole report yourself!
If people can go around the world on a ridid... why can't you ride yours to work every day?
Or to the next town for a cup of coffee?
Or to the next state for a vacation?
…There were many fully outfitted adventure bikes there, sadly, very few will ever see much 'adventure' Some looked like they had been dragged thru the latest Touratech catalog.
I open up the kicker cover, & poke around a bit, & find out the nut that holds the mainshaft bearing in place had come loose. WHEW! not a big deal.
except I dont have the tools needed to tighten it!
I had a chisel tho, & borrowed a hammer, & got it all back to harley torque specs, two grunts & a drop of sweat.
...yeah, I've had to do some work on it, but mostly its just been stuff coming loose, or problems that should have been found earlier, but I only had a week of shakedown time between finishing the bike & hitting the road. nothing has really 'broken' yet
As the roads get worse, stuff comes loose more often. I'm stopping about every 100km to look the bike over.
The Indian didn’t shake stuff loose as much. I do miss the Indian, much more comfortable & seems to be more dependable so far. The chopper was comfortable until I left the good roads, a decent bump now will put air between me & the seat. I haven’t had the bike completely airborne yet though, but both ends have left the ground!
I'm a sucker to go anywhere people tell me I shouldnt. and 99% of the time, I find the fears of others have no real basis in reality.
yep, a chopper! what a great idea, when I'm sitting in a warm dry house in Alabama, on a cushy couch, flipping thru channels on the boob tube.
a chopper. no front fender of course, no shocks, jockey shift, springer, etc...
how cool would that be!?
well it was pretty cool. then today came along. Started out nice enough, sunny at 6am, so I hit the road to enjoy it. clouds off to the east, but oh well. 650km to Perm. Long way, but I got an early start. 1st 200km were fine, then the rain started a bit. and then it didnt stop. and cold. How cold? well I even saw a hooker alongside the road with fur leggings under her fishnets (or maybe she just needed to shave?)
Anyhow, the road went to shit above Izhveck. much 'repair' going on, which usually means they chew up the surface, sometimes for a few km, sometimes for 20 feet. They'll come back & finish one day....maybe.
Through one town, it was dirt. the whole way thru town! And a lot of traffic. Then I'm in the middle of nowhere, gas is running low, & I see a sign, 'rough road ahead'.
The pavement sort of ends into this 'bog' the big black thing in the middle? Yeah…buckled pavement.
I didn’t fall down, well almost from exhaustion, and I slid around a good bit, but never dropped it.
Charlie & Ewan would have had a good cry after this stretch.
fenders? bah!
I should have taken more pics of the road, but it was a pain to stop & dig out the camera.
I finally made it thru the mess, & about 10km later was a gas station. Of course they had no water, but I found a clean puddle & washed my classes, shield, & lights, as you couldn’t see them. Right past there was a police checkpoint. of course he stops me to see my papers. I'm covered in mud. Mr. Obvious points out that I don’t have a front fender. yeah. its a chopper.
...The road was ok today, crap yesterday. probly crap tomorrow. and rain storms movin around.
I love how everyone keeps pointing out that I have no front fender. Now for fun, I look in amazement & say "WHAT!? Where did it go?!?" hahaha
The jockey shift really blows their minds. Most have never heard of such a thing. I tell em a hand clutch was invented so girls could ride.
I’m in Krasnoryask. Tomorrow shouldn’t be bad, but then the road sort of ends for a couple hunnert miles. The GPS even says I can’t get to Irkutsk, as there are no roads going there. This stretch took 2 days on the Indian, and it was easier to ride. If the pan stays together for this, I'll be impressed. I’m already impressed with it, I never thought a Harley chopper would do as good as it’s done. Other than tightening up some stuff, nothing has broken (yet)
Well, the good news is, that the churned up dirt must have gotten washed away during rain & snow, but all the rocks were left behind!
It took 2 days, but I’m pretty much past the bad stuff.
I swear its worse & longer now than 3 years ago.
fix the road? not hardly! One stretch that was about 40km long was cut thru the forest while they build the road. but by the looks of the 2 guys with shovels I saw working, it'll take awhile.
I am amazed the bike held together. really. I got both ends off the ground, but never at the same time. Oh, and if you go 15kph, the biting flies can keep up with you. at 20 kph they cant, but the bike gets thrown all over the place.
I met a couple other Americans here, they are also taking the boat to Japan, with an 04 & an 08 BMW GS. The 08 blew the motor, & the 04 won’t run, fuel or electric problems.
Of course I am always ready to point out to them that my 47 year old Harley is still running fine. I think they may be getting tired of the BMW jokes, but damn….. it’s hard to stop! All of the people that said the Harley would break, I should get a new bike, etc…etc….
We went to the hold, as the guys wanted to work on their bikes. Mine didn’t need anything, so I just rearranged my saddlebags, just for something to do. I helped Mike flush out his fuel filter, but I think he just needs a new one. What a pain in the ass to get to. The more time I spend around new Bmw’s, the less I want one.
Also, the battery has gone kaput. It was acting up in Japan, but started acting a little better, so I didn’t worry about it. Now, even when I have been running awhile, when I shut it off, I have no headlight. Luckily, these cycle electric generators work so good, it still starts easy when hot. After sitting all night, it takes quite a few kicks to build up enough juice to fire the points. One more day….. I’ll get a new one in seattle.
Thisn should be under warrantee still, but as I didn’t bring the receipt, that wont help much. Still, it did better than the battery in the Indian did, it died in Russia after the real bad part of the ‘road’
Also, I know that Doug would appreciate it if you paid special attention to page 27 of his ride report.
Doug is trying to round up donations to help some freinds who run a special kind of
orphanage in Kiev.
Check it out. I'm sure you will agree that it a good deal.
I also stated that you should not worry about having an “adventure” bike with which to have your adventures.
You don’t have to do it “The Right way” to have fun, or travel or commute, or have and adventure on your bike… you simply need to get out there and do it.
Case in point:
This is Doug… or RTWDoug as he is known on the ADVrider forums.
Doug is from Alabama and has been around the world twice and has taken many other trips overseas on many bikes. He LOVES all kinds of motorcycles and is not a Harley guy, chopper guy, or any brand specific guy.
He owns tons of bikes, and loves them all.
He did his previous round the world ride on a 48 Indian Chief.
In 2009 he did it again on a raked out, jockey shift, kick only Panhead in a rigid frame with no front fender… because he thought it would be “fun”… what an interesting concept!
It took him 6 months and was about 26,000 miles.
You have no doubt seen some of his articles in THBC magazine about this same trip, but if you would like to see more pics and read more of his story, then hit this thread and check it out.
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462017
It’s probably some of the best reading out there.
And check out his website!
http://www.motosapiens.org/
Some things to note… for starters he rode some NASTY roads in Russia. VERY nasty… and the bike survived, and he made it. He also rode through Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Romania, the US, ect…
He didn’t break down a lot, but have some things shake loose, or move out of adjustment.
I'm not saying that it wasn't tough, or hard, or that this guy isn't cooler than Chuck Norris... (casue he is!) ... I'm once again saying that this is sort of adventuring on a rigid is possible acheivable, and desireable.
NO... it's not always easy... That's why it's called Adventure.
If it was easy it would be called "A nice Sunday ride".
He did question his judgement several times and thought maybe he shouldn't have used the chopper... but we all do that from time to time... and then we are glad we did later. Remember... being cushy, comfotable and safe isn't ALWAYS the best option.
"yeah... I rode 500 miles to get here, in the rain... on a brand new Goldwing. Yeah... it was pretty awesome."
Not that intersting is it?
He also did not have the “right” gear… (Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, the newest and pimpest aluminum panniers, a BMW GS or KTM Adventure, blue tooth links, cameras, spare parts, tires, PIAA lights, skidplates, crashbars, satellite phones, hydraulic suspension, suspension travel, ultralight backpacking camp stove, firestarting devices, armored laptops, ect, ect.)
The dude did it, had a blast, met tons of cool people, didn’t die, get arrested, crash, or regret it…HAD FUN... and he did it all the “wrong” way.
Maybe we should all just leave home on our choppers, and have an adventure…
I have posted some random quotes from his ride report on ADV rider that I think are rather pertinent…
What’s that? They are out of context you say?
No, they aren’t … I just told you the context… if you want more, you have to read the whole report yourself!
If people can go around the world on a ridid... why can't you ride yours to work every day?
Or to the next town for a cup of coffee?
Or to the next state for a vacation?
…There were many fully outfitted adventure bikes there, sadly, very few will ever see much 'adventure' Some looked like they had been dragged thru the latest Touratech catalog.
I open up the kicker cover, & poke around a bit, & find out the nut that holds the mainshaft bearing in place had come loose. WHEW! not a big deal.
except I dont have the tools needed to tighten it!
I had a chisel tho, & borrowed a hammer, & got it all back to harley torque specs, two grunts & a drop of sweat.
...yeah, I've had to do some work on it, but mostly its just been stuff coming loose, or problems that should have been found earlier, but I only had a week of shakedown time between finishing the bike & hitting the road. nothing has really 'broken' yet
As the roads get worse, stuff comes loose more often. I'm stopping about every 100km to look the bike over.
The Indian didn’t shake stuff loose as much. I do miss the Indian, much more comfortable & seems to be more dependable so far. The chopper was comfortable until I left the good roads, a decent bump now will put air between me & the seat. I haven’t had the bike completely airborne yet though, but both ends have left the ground!
I'm a sucker to go anywhere people tell me I shouldnt. and 99% of the time, I find the fears of others have no real basis in reality.
yep, a chopper! what a great idea, when I'm sitting in a warm dry house in Alabama, on a cushy couch, flipping thru channels on the boob tube.
a chopper. no front fender of course, no shocks, jockey shift, springer, etc...
how cool would that be!?
well it was pretty cool. then today came along. Started out nice enough, sunny at 6am, so I hit the road to enjoy it. clouds off to the east, but oh well. 650km to Perm. Long way, but I got an early start. 1st 200km were fine, then the rain started a bit. and then it didnt stop. and cold. How cold? well I even saw a hooker alongside the road with fur leggings under her fishnets (or maybe she just needed to shave?)
Anyhow, the road went to shit above Izhveck. much 'repair' going on, which usually means they chew up the surface, sometimes for a few km, sometimes for 20 feet. They'll come back & finish one day....maybe.
Through one town, it was dirt. the whole way thru town! And a lot of traffic. Then I'm in the middle of nowhere, gas is running low, & I see a sign, 'rough road ahead'.
The pavement sort of ends into this 'bog' the big black thing in the middle? Yeah…buckled pavement.
I didn’t fall down, well almost from exhaustion, and I slid around a good bit, but never dropped it.
Charlie & Ewan would have had a good cry after this stretch.
fenders? bah!
I should have taken more pics of the road, but it was a pain to stop & dig out the camera.
I finally made it thru the mess, & about 10km later was a gas station. Of course they had no water, but I found a clean puddle & washed my classes, shield, & lights, as you couldn’t see them. Right past there was a police checkpoint. of course he stops me to see my papers. I'm covered in mud. Mr. Obvious points out that I don’t have a front fender. yeah. its a chopper.
...The road was ok today, crap yesterday. probly crap tomorrow. and rain storms movin around.
I love how everyone keeps pointing out that I have no front fender. Now for fun, I look in amazement & say "WHAT!? Where did it go?!?" hahaha
The jockey shift really blows their minds. Most have never heard of such a thing. I tell em a hand clutch was invented so girls could ride.
I’m in Krasnoryask. Tomorrow shouldn’t be bad, but then the road sort of ends for a couple hunnert miles. The GPS even says I can’t get to Irkutsk, as there are no roads going there. This stretch took 2 days on the Indian, and it was easier to ride. If the pan stays together for this, I'll be impressed. I’m already impressed with it, I never thought a Harley chopper would do as good as it’s done. Other than tightening up some stuff, nothing has broken (yet)
Well, the good news is, that the churned up dirt must have gotten washed away during rain & snow, but all the rocks were left behind!
It took 2 days, but I’m pretty much past the bad stuff.
I swear its worse & longer now than 3 years ago.
fix the road? not hardly! One stretch that was about 40km long was cut thru the forest while they build the road. but by the looks of the 2 guys with shovels I saw working, it'll take awhile.
I am amazed the bike held together. really. I got both ends off the ground, but never at the same time. Oh, and if you go 15kph, the biting flies can keep up with you. at 20 kph they cant, but the bike gets thrown all over the place.
I met a couple other Americans here, they are also taking the boat to Japan, with an 04 & an 08 BMW GS. The 08 blew the motor, & the 04 won’t run, fuel or electric problems.
Of course I am always ready to point out to them that my 47 year old Harley is still running fine. I think they may be getting tired of the BMW jokes, but damn….. it’s hard to stop! All of the people that said the Harley would break, I should get a new bike, etc…etc….
We went to the hold, as the guys wanted to work on their bikes. Mine didn’t need anything, so I just rearranged my saddlebags, just for something to do. I helped Mike flush out his fuel filter, but I think he just needs a new one. What a pain in the ass to get to. The more time I spend around new Bmw’s, the less I want one.
Also, the battery has gone kaput. It was acting up in Japan, but started acting a little better, so I didn’t worry about it. Now, even when I have been running awhile, when I shut it off, I have no headlight. Luckily, these cycle electric generators work so good, it still starts easy when hot. After sitting all night, it takes quite a few kicks to build up enough juice to fire the points. One more day….. I’ll get a new one in seattle.
Thisn should be under warrantee still, but as I didn’t bring the receipt, that wont help much. Still, it did better than the battery in the Indian did, it died in Russia after the real bad part of the ‘road’
Also, I know that Doug would appreciate it if you paid special attention to page 27 of his ride report.
Doug is trying to round up donations to help some freinds who run a special kind of
orphanage in Kiev.
Check it out. I'm sure you will agree that it a good deal.
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