DETOUR ISSUE NUMBER THREE
T R AV E L B Y H E A R T • F E N R I R • K A R A S A N T O S
ISSUE NO.
THREE TRAVEL BY HEART • FENRIR • KARA SANTOS
04 | FOREWORD
I cheated.
0 6 | T B H D AY 0 1
Not a lot is needed in order to give.
24 | LS2 PIONEER HELMET
It’s not perfect, but it’s hard to complain when you are getting a lot for what you paid for.
Cover: Kara Santos riding Fenrir by Detour Motorcycles
28 | CUSTOM: FENRIR
A battle ready motorcycle.
34 | PEOPLE: KARA SANTOS
Blogger, traveller, rider and all around adventurer
41 | CLOSING
Travel with an open mind.
Detour Moto x Travel is an online publication under the No Barriers Just Horizons Moto Journal project. Motorcycles, travel and stories of people told in a humble and curious manner.
PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGN C O N C E P T U A L I Z AT I O N WRITING
by Marvin Geronimo
C O N TA C T
Facebook: @detourmotoxtravel Website: www.nobarriersjusthorizons.ph E-mail: no.barriers.just.horizons@gmail.com
Humble in tone, genuine in cur iosity.
ISSUE NO. THREE | PUBLISHED JUNE 2017 C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 7 © D E T O U R M O T O X T R AV E L , A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D
FOREWORD
I C H E AT E D
4
by MARVIN GERONIMO
I was supposed to leave on the morning of the 20th but instead I left home in the afternoon of the 19th. I figured since everything is in order and I have double checked all of my stuff, leaving now would help me cover more ground. My first idea was to go to Real Quezon, camp there for the night to test some of the gear that I have with me and yes, I know what your’e thinking. There are still some gear that I have with me that I have not tested yet. I then checked google maps about to find out if taking this route would be a good idea, it turns out if I go there I will be off by almost 150 kms. So I decided to just go ahead and take a different route going south, to the edge of Luzon. It’s a mixed feeling, a lot of it is excitement with a little bit of anxiety. After 4 years of preparation I’m finally doing it, travelling the Philippines alone on a motorcycle. The “what if ’s” that go through my head before a ride are mostly negative, that’s usually where the anxiety comes from. Then I get myself together, I just breath in and out then everything goes back to where it should always be, to focus on what’s in front of me. The afternoon was cool as if the weather was cooperating with my desire to travel, I hoped that it would continue the rest of the day through the night so I can travel fast and gain a lot of ground after all I have around 400+ kms to travel to get to Bicol.
To be continued on the closing...
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 1
NOT A LOT IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO GIVE. I’m on my way to Bicol now, there is some kind of itch within me that makes me want to leave the island of Luzon as soon as I can. I felt like I’m not having a proper adventure while I’m still here. I can ride to any part of Luzon anytime I wish because it’s just big island and I have been to the most notable places.
T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 1
I
just kept on going, telling myself I need to get to the port so I can start having an “adventure”. Then I saw Mayon, the supposedly perfectly cone-shaped volcano. Now don’t get me wrong I have seen it before, but never up close. Looking at the clock on my phone I thought. It wouldn’t hurt checking it out, it doesn’t look that far. So I asked some locals directions to the base of the volcano. I have seen dozens of photos of Mayon as a kid with that old church in the foreground. I guess I’m finally going to see it in person. So I went, it was farther that I thought that it would be and there’s a lot of winding roads all are seemingly going up.
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Then I arrived at a dead end, a parking area with a lot of tourists taking selfies with a big blue structure that says “Planetarium”. I was like “Where’s the old church? The one that I keep seeing on post-cards when I was young?”. I started to ask the kids selling me bonsai plants. Apparently, I’m on the other side of Mayon, the rear part. Those photos on those post-cards are on the front part. I did a little self-talk “Nice navigation dumb-ass”. “Well, I’m here. I can see Mayon up-close and I mean really really close, that counts as something right?” trying to comfort myself. This is just the beginning of my many navigational blunders in this 2-month trip. There were a lot of kids playing with a small skateboard, whenever a tourist car arrive they would go up to it and sell some bonsai. One kid stood out from the rest, his name is Marlon. What made him different was his eyes they were very bright and accommodating it’s as if there’s no such thing as a stranger to him. I’m quite popular with children, when I arrived all of the kids eyes were on me because of the way I look and the gadgets that were attached to my motorcycle as well as my body. Marlon asked what was that thing that was sticking out my helmet. I told him it was a camera, they were all amazed when I took it off and showed it to them. I then let him play with it, while I and his friends view the camera from my phone. It was just fun to see all these kids playing around, I really wanted to stay some more but it’s getting dark and it will take me some time before I can get back to town. I asked Marlon if there it’s possible to go up Mayon, he told me “Yes and my father can be your guide. However, they don’t allow it right now.”
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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12
My camping spot for tonight.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 1
That got me thinking if they allow people to go up Mayon then it means I can camp somewhere around here since most probably the people going up would have to stay somewhere. I asked him if there’s a place here where I can camp. He said, “I will ask my father”. After a minute, he came back running and said, “You can camp beside that house.” I rode up to a small blue house where I met Marlon’s father. Although Marlon said that I already got the permission, I decided to ask him again. When he said yes, I started unpacking my stuff. The sun is setting quite fast and it’s getting really cold, good thing everything is already set. The tent is already up, my stuff is already not so neatly arranged inside it and I’m already in my casual clothes. I felt like now is the proper time to get acquainted with my very hospitable host.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 1
I saw them preparing the plants that will be used to create the bonsai that was being sold to me earlier. The whole family was in it, some of Marlon’s younger siblings were cutting the plants while the others are cleaning it. Then I asked “Tatay” (Marlon’s Father) how they make and sell these things. I then asked if they get the plants themselves they told me that they don’t. “Somone supplies us with the plants for a certain amount then we turn them into this.” pointing to a finished product. I asked him them if this was their only means of livelihood, he said “No”, sometimes when sales are really slow he goes to the town to get some odd jobs to help him support his family of 9 (from what I can remember). By this time I started to wonder why they stay up here, so I asked him if it was their house. He told me a sad story about how they lost their home.
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 1
He told me that the last strong storm devastated their place, it destroyed his house. He then asked for the permission of the barangay captain if he can stay here for the meantime. That’s also when I found out that he sometimes work as a guide going up Mayon and until that day it was supposedly close, as there were some volcanic activities. There’s a real risk of being here but I guess he took it so they could have some temporary shelter.
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The topic then focused on Marlon when I mentioned how good he was at selling those bonsai plants. I told him that the boy is really smart and has his own charm that makes people really like him. He told me that Marlon stopped going to school so he can help support his family, he was really good at selling and he really enjoys interacting with different people. The idea of him earning from something that he liked doing makes him want to do it more. I then turned to Marlon and asked him “What are going to do with the money that you earn?”. He then looked at me and said enthusiastically. “I’m going to buy a bag and go back to school next year!”. I wanted to continue our conversation but I’m already dead tired, so I told them that I’m going to go back to my tent to sleep. They wished me to have a good rest. It looked like they are going to have a long night as they show no signs of resting early. I then head on to my cozy 1 person tent filled with stuff to get my much-needed sleep. Middle of the night I was awakened by a strong gust of wind which made the whole tent wobble continuously. I then realised it was raining and it was becoming really cold. Good thing I had my emergency thermal blanket on hand as I was already shivering. I was still very tired and sleepy so after looking for ways to keep myself warm, I tried to sleep again.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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“ “ D AY 0 1 : T H E T R AV E L
I will come back, I really hope your’e still here when I do.
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Come morning “Tatay” approached me and asked how did my night go. I just answered “Very cold”, he then told me that the rain last night was really strong and that they were very concerned about me and my safety. They even prepared a space for me in the small house just incase I decide to transfer. I found this gesture utterly amazing, they managed to still think of me during those times when they themselves have very little room to sleep in. We chatted a little bit more and he then offered me some coffee and some bread. This family has very little yet they are still very much willing to give. I really appreciate the offer so I took it and we had our coffee and bread together. Tatay told me the there’s going to be some kind of event this morning and he will be busy, I told him I will leave early so that I won’t hinder him in whatever it is that he is going to do. I then started to pack my things to prepare for my departure. Before leaving I gave Tatay a small amount as a sign of appreciation. I have a daily budget for lodging since I saved a lot by camping here, I decided that it was appropriate for them to have it. I then said goodbye and told them that I look forward to coming back someday.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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RI D E, REV I E WS A N D R EA L STO R I ES. www.nobarriersjusthorizons.ph
REVIEW
LS2 PIONEER ADV HELMET
24
by MARVIN GERONIMO
I
was skeptical at first when buying another LS2 ADV Helmet… why? Well let’s just put it this way the previous one which was around 6,000 php sucked!
I have done around 5,000 Kms on this helmet and to be totally honest, I’m impressed. After doing the PH Tour I decided to retire my old LS2 helmet because parts of it have already rusted, rubber parts were already peeling, water seeps in when you are riding in the rain and when it’s a pain in the ass to replace the visors whenever you are riding on a bright sunny day. My ADV Helmet hunting ended up with this model. When I first saw this on the shelves of Moto Market, I quickly said to myself another ADV helmet that probably sucks… then I got to inspect it thoroughly to look for the same problems that I had with the previous one that I owned.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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LS2 PIONEER ADVENTURE HELMET
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STYLE
Now, this looks like a proper ADV Helmet. What counts for an adventure helmet? From my perspective it’s a cross between a motorcross and a street helmet one of it’s most notable features would be the protruding chin and having a sun-shield. The design for the LS2 Pioneer is very angular and very masculine, with gray accents and orange and red interior. It really looks the part, if you set it side by side with the more expensive brands, In terms of style it won’t be left behind. PERFORMANCE
It’s not as light as its more expensive counterparts. When riding for long periods of times I can actually feel some neck strain from it. Given that it’s an ADV helmet you don’t really expect it to be as aero-dynamic as a street helmet, it does catch the wind when you turn your head to the side. So be careful with this when you are riding on places with strong winds. Just a little glance can actually make your head turn farther. F E AT U R E S
One of my most favorite parts of this helmet would be its dual visor feature. It takes away a lot of the annoying things that you experience when bringing a spare tinted visor. Just pop it down when it’s too bright, then pop it back up once it becomes cloudy. The “switch” does tend to get stuck and at times you need to pull the tinted visor manually just to bring it out.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
Vents, vents vents… it has a lot of it. Vents on the chin, on the cheeks, on the top and on the sides, It’s just everywhere. It does help to cool the helmet. Although I have not experienced it, there’s a possibility of water getting into these as only the chin part has then open and close switch. It does have removeable cheek pads and innerliner. However, upon removing the inner liner, it broke off the button part. Kind of annoying but it won’t really affect anything so its all ok It features a quick release chin strap, while this is convenient, I still prefer the D-rings as it’s safer. But the straps and the connector looks solid, so were all good on that part. 27
Now the feature which is something that I don’t find in a lot of helmets even the expensive ones, a god sent to people like me who are blind without their Rx glasses. There’s a little tag inside of the liner that indicates that this is a prescription glasses friendly helmet. That means a lot to me because when you’re riding for long periods of time, the arms tend to dig into your skin making it extremely uncomfortable for long periods of time. Last but not the least is the adjustable sun shield. Which generally works as intended, however, I would have preferred if they made the two screws on each side similar to the ones on top, as those are quick release ones and the other two aren’t. AFFORDABILITY
Now this is was the most surprising part for me, it costs only half of the previous model. Which for me was unbelievable at 3,500 Php you get all of these features! CONS
I just honestly wish it was lighter, other than that. I have no real big complaints because you are getting a lot for this price point. As a matter of fact, I don’t think any other brand has something at this level at this price. R E C O M M E N D AT I O N
You can’t go wrong with this model if you’re looking for a budget friendly ADV Helmet. So it’s a definite yes for me.
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
WANDE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES
FENRIR OWNER: KARA SANTOS The battle ready motorcycle.
ER ONE
CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE: FENRIR
I
f you are into console games from the late 2000’s then you must have heard of the title Final Fantasy. If you have, then you must know that there’s a 2 hour movie about it called Advent Children. What you might not know is the name of the black gold themed battle motorcycle that the main character Cloud rides. Hint: it’s on the title.
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Now back to the story, Kara told me that she is on the hunt for a motorcycle because her aging Yamaha Fino named Chocobo (another Final Fantasy creature) is now clamouring to be replaced. This was just after the 2016 Moto Builds Pilipinas and I’m really looking for a new motorcycle project to work on, so I suggested to her “Why not build a custom motorcycle? Maybe I can help”. Then I started to ask her what designs does she has in mind, she told me that she really likes Daryl’s bike on the Walking Dead. She loves its brutish rugged looks and post apocalyptic feel but she also likes Cloud’s motorcycle on Final Fantasy as well because of its battle ready appeal. Then lastly she said “It has to be utilitarian and not just for looks!". So first it has to be rugged, then it has to look like it’s battle ready and more importantly it needs to be practical! Custom motorcycles aren’t exactly known for that. Because most if not all are designed for aesthetics and not really to be practical… this is going to be a challenge. We first searched for a base bike, what we ended up buying is a Suzuki Thunder 125. I particularly liked it because of it’s engine, it looks big compared to other 125cc motorcycles. We then went on to the drawing board, I showed her some photos of motorcycle which uses ammo cans as panniers and she liked it. I figured that she will be riding out a lot and that would be useful for travel gear that she usually brings. Plus it really looks bad ass and it gives it that battle ready feel.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE: FENRIR
Since we were going for the look of Fenrir we decided to use black as the main color with gold accents to resemble Cloud’s bike. Although his bike is glossy black, we opted for a matte version to give it that post apocalyptic feel. We thought that glossy black is too polished for both our tastes.
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While building it I talked to Ador regarding some details that we neeed to keep. One of the major issues of custom motorcycles would be the airbox. Most if not all custom motorcycles remove their airboxes. Removing it makes the bike more simple and easier to customize. The downside is you will only be left with the option of just using a pod filter. If were going for utility and practicality then definitely the airbox has to stay. We just need to figure out a way to make it work with the design. During the 2nd month of building, I took it from Ador and gave it to Kara so she could test it out and see if everything is to her liking. After a week we took it back to shop to resume working on it. We wrapped up the build on the third month but there were still some minor changes here and there on the succeeding months. Although Kara liked Fenrir at first there’s just some things that she wasn’t happy about. That’s just how it is with custom motorcycles, you tweak it and tweak it til it fits you. It’s as if it’s never perfect nor good enough. What people usually see on magazines are the finished products, all glossy clean and seemingly pefect motorcycles. But the reality behind it is: its a rough, hard sometimes even depressing. But that is what bonds you to your custom motorcycle. Once all the drama is over, believe me you will never let go of it. After knowing that it's well capable of doing what we intended it to do, we then decided to improve the aesthetics a little bit more. So we brought it back to the shop and detailed it to finalise it's identity.
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
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PEOPLE
KARA SANTOS blog ger, traveller, r ider and all around adventurer WORDS BY MARVIN GERONIMO
PEOPLE : KARA SANTOS
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W
hen I got to the table where the rest of the finalists of the 2015 Wrangler True Wanderer was sitting, I noticed one un-familiar face. From what I can remember there’s only one female finalist, so who can this lady be?
As I sat down she extended her hand to introduce herself and said “I’m Kara Santos one of the judges of this years competition”. That’s the first time that I met the lady who I eventually I look up to in terms of blogging. I honestly didn’t know anyone in the local blogging world before I met her. I did check out some motorcycle bloggers but I never got to really know them and I didn’t even bother trying to, because all I wanted was just to create content. After winning the competition, she asked if I’m cool for an interview. “One of the magazines that I work for want to feature your story” it was my first time to do this so I said “Yeah, sure… let’s do it on a ride.” We then scheduled that interview on a Sunday morning ride to Marilaque. I remember sending her a message that I will leave even without her because she was running a bit late, I’m actually glad that I didn’t.
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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ISSUE NO. THREE
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PEOPLE : KARA SANTOS
“
I’m really glad that I waited for her during that first ride, because if not I would have missed knowing such an awesome bad-ass person.
I didn’t know she was popular, like very popular. She’s very simple with no air whatsoever, but she has this very distinct professional aura to her. She speaks eloquently and direct, you will really feel that she knows what she’s doing and that she’s done it a lot of times. After that interview, I was intrigued as to who she really is.
Apparently she runs this very popular travel blog called Travel Up. Her travels, gear reviews, food suggestions and thoughts are all housed there. Looking at her photos and stories I can pretty much say she is very adventurous, from rappelling down a waterfall to riding motorcycles on the last island north of the Philippines, she’s pretty much done it all. Aside from that she also writes for various online and print publications, in short she’s like a professional adventurer. Back then I was very new to blogging and by reading what she writes as well as hanging out with her, I learned a lot. Present day, we converse with each other almost on a regular basis. We have known each other for two years (Thanks to Facebook for the reminder) but it feels like I have known her for longer that time. We even did a project together, a custom motorcycle called Fenrir. I’m really glad that I waited for her during that first ride, because if not I would have missed meeting such an awesome bad-ass person.
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
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CLOSING
T R AV E L W I T H A N OPEN MIND The continuation of the foreword 41
by MARVIN GERONIMO
After 2 hours of riding I passed by a town that has a lot of activity going on, it turns out its their fiesta and they are going to have a boxing match in the middle of the plaza. I slightly hesitated to stop and check it out, then I had to remind myself “Isn’t this why I’m out travelling? To experience life away from my comfort zone and that I should not get fixated with the distance or the hours of travel as it will suck the fun out of what I’m doing. You are here, the event is unfolding before your eyes, stop, watch, take it all in. This is why you are here. I went into the plaza and looked for a decent place to park my motorcycle as I was doing that I noticed that all eyes were on me. Covered with all black armour with a motorcycle filled with luggage and cameras sticking out my helmet, I was like a sore thumb. I just told myself that I should get used to it. I was just in time for the first match of the afternoon. Two young men not over 25 were called to the ring, not overly fit but their body built was acceptable for the event. I have seen cage fights before, it’s easy to determine real fighters from those that are just trying it out. It is quite evident that these guys are not sure what they got into. The bell rang and the boxing started, well it was more like a brawl, but it was fun to watch. They might not have the skill but they definitely have the heart. The first round felt so fast due to the aggressiveness of both fighters, the second round was even faster as one of them got knocked out. I had to leave after the second match as the night was closing in on me, fast. Had to take advantage of the daylight that I have left. When the sun was gone it started to rain and it went on through the night, one thing that I dislike about riding in the night was not being able to see the view and I felt like Cavinti has a lot to offer. At around 9 pm my feet was already drenched and I’m partially wet so I had to call it a night. Luckily I passed by an inn, it was pretty decent nothing fancy. I removed all my wet gear and tried to reflect how my day went and told myself. Not bad for a first day… well half of a day.
TRAVEL BY HEART | KARA SANTOS | FENRIR
DETOUR
ISSUE NO. THREE
Humble in tone,genuine in cur iosity. ISSUE NO. THREE | PUBLISHED JUNE 2017 C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 7 © D E T O U R M O T O X T R AV E L , A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D