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Archive for the ‘Thoughts on Motorcycling’ Category

Growing up we were often heading out on adventures. Sometimes the adventures would be intentional. These could be as close as a muddy spring trip along a trail on our “back 40.” Just preparing a fence line for our cattle to pasture on in Northern Minnesota could lead to a full weekend of trudging through the mud by tractor or truck, getting stuck and with many tools, getting unstuck.

Our life revolved around our cattle. In fact, each January we loaded our prized cows, calves and bulls to find our way through Minnesota’s infamous winter weather to compete at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.

Fighting our way through temperatures of forty-below zero and downright lethal winds, we hauled our hearty Scottish Highlanders down the interstate highways. Often times the gates across I-29 in North Dakota would drop behind us as we hit snow drifts at 55 mph only to barely emerge from them with enough speed to escape into the wind-cleared pavement ahead.

It was often silly to be on these yearly pilgrimages because of the bad the weather. Add to that the fact that we were trying to grow our farm as a business and couldn’t afford a decent rig to haul our animals. The risk of attending these well-attended national events was great. My father saw it as a required risk in order to build awareness of our breeding program.

Imagine for a second the power of Mother Nature. The outside temperatures were cold to the point of brittle metal. The stock trailer was open to the wind and weather. Traveling at Interstate Highway speeds likely dropped the temps to nearly -100° F. Yes, 100-degrees below zero, 132° F below freezing. Very cold conditions to withstand for hours on end.

Mother Nature also created the hearty Highland cattle eons ago. Their thick hide, hair up to 12 inches long and massive horns made them tough. Their toughness likely saved their lives during our yearly trips.

One particularly cold trip caused a bit of stress. Several hours into the trip, we pulled in for fuel and to check on our prized load of animals. The 18-year old cow with her calf stood without issue when we encouraged them to get up. The five-year old bull that my father was particularly proud of for his 2,000 pounds of heft, square physique and docile nature were exactly what the breeding program intended to create. The bull refused to stand from the woodchip and straw lined metal trailer floor.

In a bit of a panic, both my father and I increasingly prodded and pushed until the gentle giant struggled to get up. The problem was that he stood up with his front legs and the rear stayed down. Bovine stand up rear legs first. This was not a good sign. He pushed with his powerful rear legs, but always got to a point when his well-muscled honches relaxed on the floor. Shining a flashlight we found the problem.

A bull has a very specific purpose in life. The bulls are recognized at a young age for demonstrating characteristics that could improve a herd of cattle. His genes pass through the herd to create better and larger quantities of beef for sale.

In his slumber the bull must have kicked the bedding away from underneath his rear end. His testicles rested unprotected from the frosted metal of the trailer. The skin was now glued to the metal like a kids tongue to a school yard flag pole. With empathy for the poor fella, we separated his main tool for him to fulfill his purpose in life from the trailer. An agonizing, yet sincere look of gratitude escaped his eyes as he stood tall. Now released from the clench of Mother Nature and the man-made steel trailer.

The evidence of this event was easy for the show ring judge to notice. The once healthy pink skin was blackened in an area the size of three silver dollars. A crowd of spectators dotted the stadium seats. With his microphone turned off, I watched from the sideline as the judge questioned my dad about the bulls condition. An obvious cringe came across the male judge’s face as he turned on the microphone in his hand, raised it to his mouth and addressed the crowd. They soon shared in the judges cringe.

The judge finished with, “This is an incredible example for the breed. He surely would have scored better than my placement in fourth had he not survived a bit marred and unlikely to spread his genetic strengths on in a breeding program.”

Our dreams and the reason for this entire adventure squashed with a fourth place bull. Perhaps we should have written the judge when that bull went home to breed 150 cows that summer.

Again my father and I are leaving on an adventure and this time, in the warmth of May and without hauling hooves. Along with my wife, Monica, we’ll ride BMW R 1200 GS motorcycles along the length of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Hopefully, nothing will get stuck to cold metal on this trip.

In the days to come, I’ll share the ride and our experiences along the Pacific Coast Highway.

The phrase adventure motorcycle or adventure touring motorcycle is unfamiliar to anyone outside of motorcycling. In fact, I’d wager that some riders aren’t exactly sure what an adventure motorcycle is or for what tasks it would be used. BMW likes to claim ownership of the adventure motorcycle category development.

BMW has really helped encourage the growth of the adventure touring motorcycle market. This is an old ad of the BMW R80G/S.

The BMW R80G/S began production in 1980, however, many of today’s adventure motorcycles could claim ancestry to bikes from the 1970’s such as the Honda CL450 Scrambler or perhaps the Triumph Bonneville. These bikes were certainly more street oriented than today’s adventure bikes, but many riders used and abused them in off-road adventures. In fact, look back in Harley Davidson’s photography archive and you’ll find many street bikes that took to hill climbs and water crossings more than 80 years ago. Other bikes such as the Honda Trans Alp, Honda Africa Twin and Yamaha TDM850 are well-respected bikes from the late 1980’s to 2000s.

So what exactly is an adventure motorcycle? This is a personal classification and won’t likely be found by opening a dictionary or encyclopedia. An adventure motorcycle is a motorcycle of varied engine displacement that is often used on long rides along paved and unpaved roads. These bikes are capable of carrying one or two passengers and their gear on overnight or multiple day trips miles from civilization. They have longer suspension of six or more inches, to absorb the imperfections of dirt roads, double track trails and perhaps single track trails. They often have increased fuel capacity of five to nine gallons. Typically, adventure bikes will also be fitted with side bags (panniers) and a top case behind the seat of the bike to carry the gear needed for motorcycle trips.

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 is adventure with a very sporty twist.

Adventure motorcycles can be grouped into the overarching category of dual sport or enduro motorcycles. I am of the opinion that most dual sports are powered using 650 cc or smaller single-cylinder engines, while adventure bikes are typically 650 cc or larger and most often twin cylinder bikes. This is a general rule of thumb and some bikes certainly blend those engine characteristics.

Adventure bikes are utilitarian bikes capable of covering great distances on less than perfect roads. They often have or can be outfitted with hard metal parts to protect the bike from rocks and other objects that could damage the bottom or sides of the bike. These parts include skid plates (also known as rock guards, bash guard/plate or belly pans) for the bottom of the bike, engine guards for side and front of bike and hand guards to protect the riders hands and the clutch and brake levers.

A sampling of current-model adventure touring bikes:

The Yamaha XT 1200 Super Ténéré is the latest entrant into the USA market. It is due to arrive in November 2011.

An entire accessory industry has sprouted from the slow to start, but now burgeoning adventure motorcycle segment. Accessories include windshields, guards, luggage and GPS devices. A sampling of accessory manufacturers include: Adventure MotoStuff, AltRider, Happy Trail, Jesse Luggage, Micatech, SW-Motech, Touratech and more.

Adventure motorcycles offer riders the opportunity to explore their surroundings, whether across town, country or globe. They are long-distance touring machines capable of burning of pavement or shooting rooster tails on backcountry dirt roads. They are do-all bikes that allow riders the flexibility to accessorize and make the bike what they want. The Americans may have perfected the cruiser-style bikes, but the Germans, Japanese and British own the expanding adventure motorcycle market.

Interested in learning more about adventure riding? Get to know the inmates on the online forums of ADVrider.com (general adventure bike information) and Stromtrooper.com (specific to Suzuki V-Strom) and the bible of adventure touring at Horizons Unlimited. Each holds a wealth of knowledge and experienced riders to answer your questions. The comments section (see link below) is also a good way to learn more.

The adventure begins where the pavement ends. What are you waiting for? Hit the dirt/paved road on an adventure motorcycle.