Issue 27
November 2018
LIMITLESS EXPLORATION HQ ADVENTURE GEAR RACE TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH WITH CONFIDENCE. DESIGNED AND TESTED IN REAL SITUATIONS, THE HQ ADVENTURE GEAR OFFERS THE READY TO RACE QUALITY AND COMFORT YOUR ADVENTURE DEMANDS. AVAILABLE ONLY AT YOUR AUTHORIZED KTM DEALER
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Photo: M. Chytka
Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scene. Always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations. The illustrated vehicle may vary in selected details from the production models and may feature optional equipment available at additional cost. European specification model shown.
Issue 27
November 2018
nformation: These drawings contain information o Upshift. Any reproduction, or transmittal of this without expressed written consent is prohibited by partial or complete of the sord marks is prohibited ble to the full extent of the law. Issue 27
November 2018
LOGO SHEET
THE INSIDER STUMPED
Cover Simon Cudby Design Chris Glaspell
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Photography Editor Simon Cudby
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Contributing Writers Tim Burke Stephen Clark Chad de Alva Olivier de Vaulx Chris Modell Ashley Myhre Dale Stucker Colton Udall
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Contributing Photographers Tim Burke Chad de Alva Olivier de Vaulx
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ROAD TO NOWHERE
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CANADA TO MEXICO
Contact: Brandon Glanville brandon@upshiftonline.com
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Upshift Magazine is published monthly by Upshift Online Inc. 2018. Reproduction of any material requires written consent from the publishers. All photos, editorial contributions and advertisements are accepted upon representation that they are original materials by the author and or advertiser. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author and may not reflect the views and opinions of the editor, staff or advertisers of Upshift Online Inc. Advertisers assume full responsibility for the entire content and subject matter of their advertisements.
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Chasing the Midnight Sun
BAJA RALLY LOST IN BAJA
STUMPED INSIDER: ASHLEY MYHRE I am stumped. I can’t think of a word that more accurately describes my confusion as I return home from yet another mind-blowing weekend in the desert where I didn’t see a single soul. Admittedly, I am a bit desert obsessed; ever drawn to the untamed beauty, sun, interminable sand, and sagebrush surfing – but I can’t help wondering, why in the world isn’t everyone doing this? There were undoubtedly hundreds of riders visiting the surrounding OHV areas this weekend, leaving the desert as peaceful as it is barren. Sure, there is an added layer of effort required to explore these uninhabitable alkaline expanses of the Great Basin, but the reward is an endless playground of seemingly unexplored lands that, to me, are fundamentally more satisfying than any maintained trail to ride. Discovery is a word that I know in its truest sense when I am roaming the desert. There, I feel a deep sense of curiosity and connection to early human history, signs of which reveal themselves more often than not. Now, obviously much of the experience I seek to find in the desert would be disrupted if the masses began to congregate there, it is a conundrum! I want to scream it from the mountaintops, or at least urge more of my riding buddies to make the trek, go the extra mile(s) and get a taste of what our public lands have to offer. I know as riders, you can relate to the exciting thought of sharing what we do with more people. I don’t know if it is the perceived danger or cost of entry that keeps people away, but damn I know more people should be doing this! We are incredibly lucky to use these machines as access tools, reaching areas otherwise inaccessible by foot or four wheels. As our sport is growing, how do we tell the story in a way that inspires more exploration – less laps around known trail systems and OHV areas? Let’s give it a whirl.
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APPAREL Every purchase supports the next issue! Please visit the Upshift store and check out our top notch merch. The best Yupoong Snapbacks and NextLevel tri-blend shirts available. www.upshiftonline.com/store
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Upshift - November
1. Motion Pro Magnetic Pick Up Tool • Billet aluminum laser etched handle • Bendable housing retains its shape to access hard to reach areas • Powerful magnet • Low profile tip fits in tight spaces • 18 inches long • Protective rubber coating won’t scratch aluminum or plastic surfaces • MSRP: $14.99 www.motionpro.com
2. Enduroplate License Plate Holder If you like to play hard and take your street legal dirt bike out on the trails, Enduroplate is the license plate holder you need to keep the plate in place and undamaged. Enduroplate fits most. (Some bikes with mounting holes more than 2.73” apart may need some light modification.) Comes with stainless steel mounting hardware and quality nylon thumb screws for no tool license plate removal. MSRP: $59.95 www.enduroplate.com
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Upshift - November
3. Yoshimura 2017-18 Suzuki V-Strom 650 Race Series 3/4 Exhaust System The Suzuki V-Strom 650 is a fun machine that is more than capable of producing lots of great adventure action on a middle weight platform. Yoshimura now makes that fun go further with a Race Series 3/4 system made with nothing more than performance in mind. They developed an R-77 muffler, a potent power producer that puts out power and an incredible exhaust note. Then they added their Works Finish to complete the look on the V-Strom. The results were what you might expect from the leader in performance. A weight savings of 7 pounds from the stock unit and a HP gain of 5%max and a torque curve that adds 6% max to the Suzuki Adventure machine. Let the adventure begin! Sound insert included. Made in the USA. New Yoshimura Works Finish takes on a unique coloring after it goes through a heat cycle on the motorcycle that looks much like those titanium works components our factory racers use. Part # 11621C0520 MSRP: $749.00 Stock Full system weight: 18.5 Lbs. Yoshimura R-77 3/4 system SS/SS/CF weight: 11.5 Lbs. www.yoshimura-rd.com
TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF!
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Wide Open
Chitru, India
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2018
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The craziest city traffic I have ever ridden with temperatures that brought me to my knees. Rocky cliff paths, overhangs with vertical drop-offs, hairpin bends, water crossings, rock falls, landslides; riding the Himalayas to an altitude of 14,760 ft with Upshift has been an incredible adventure.
Photos: Simon Cudby - Words: Chris Modell
India has been on my personal bucket list for a long time, and lifelong friend Simon Cudby and I have talked about riding up into the Himalayas for the last couple of years since the release of Royal Enfield’s Himalayan. To be honest, I didn’t really think it would happen. Everything then started moving pretty quickly with Upshift, Royal Enfield, Fly Racing and Mosko Moto all on-board. With the arrangements being coordinated by Dale Stucker and Upshift in the US, and Bilal Gassi, Dale’s son-in-law and our guide for the trip in Srinagar, www.backpackerskashmir.com, all I had to do was book flights.
This was a busy time for me at work and I really didn’t have time to give the trip much thought until a couple of weeks before take-off. It was at this point that I started to get middle-aged man-jitters, with pictures of Slumdog Millionaire in my head and concerns about Delhi belly! We were also going to ride Cliffhanger Road between Killar and Kishtwar, also referred to as “the most dangerous road in the world,” and after watching clips on YouTube my fear level had gone up to critical. What did I get myself into? As it turned out, the timing of this trip was perfect for me as I had just finished a project at the Monaco yacht show so I would be
flying directly from Nice via London and Delhi to Srinagar. The contrast could not be more evident: Monaco, one of the world’s wealthiest tax-free havens with its multi-million Euro super yachts littering the harbor, and India being a country with a well-documented amount of poverty. After a 12-hour flight, I meet Simon at New Delhi airport as we are flying together to Srinagar. It’s great to catch up with him at the airport and I’m looking forward to our flight together. However, when we actually get on the plane he turns left and I turn right. How did that happen? It’s a short flight, 1.5 hours. Looking out the window I’m awestruck by the size of the Himalayas. Flying at 36,000 ft it feels like I could easily reach out and touch them. On arrival at Srinagar I’m shocked by the number of armed military at the airport who all look pretty serious. After completing more passport controls we are finally allowed into Kashmir. Bilal and Dale are both there to meet us. Bilal’s father drives us to the Houseboat Everest on Dal Lake, our accommodation for the next couple of days while we sort out the bikes. The traffic is something else with drivers having little respect for any rules, and it seems as long as you use your horn you have right of way. Even though they officially drive on the left side of the road, it appears driving the wrong way down the road is just as acceptable. During our journey, Dale spills the beans that he had been involved in a pretty serious accident the previous week on one of the Enfield’s and it’s still in for repair. More concerning, he is pretty badly bruised and has a bad road rash on his right knee, so the trip is looking in jeopardy before it’s even started. We arrive at Dal Lake and take a small wooden boat with all our gear precariously balanced out to our houseboat. It’s an amazing place to stay with its opulent interior and great views. Twenty or so small boats are paddling up and down selling their wares; it’s quite a contrast to what I had expected, and all my initial fears have subsided. This is all very tranquil; I now feel that we are properly in Kashmir and it’s quite beautiful. Bilal and Dale work their asses off trying to get everything together, including getting the bikes back from the shop so they can wire them up for power to enable us to charge our phones, camera batteries and Sena headsets as the power supply on our trip is likely to be sporadic. They originally planned a week for these modifications to the bikes but because of the accident and subsequent doctor’s appointments, bed rest and recuperation, this now has to be done in one day. The bashed bike is apparently fixed (let me just add that in India nothing seems to happen quickly) so we all go to the Royal Enfield shop to collect the bikes and take some promo shots. When they eventually release the bikes it is already dark. So my first ride is to be a night ride in a town with drivers who seem to care little for basic road-craft and where traffic rules do not seem to exist. To top it off, there are regular armed checkpoints. After a long night of preparation for Bilal and Dale, we pack the bikes with our gear the following morning and we’re ready to hit the road by about 11am. Before we leave, Balal’s father lights charcoal in a wicker basket and blesses all the bikes. The family has been so hospitable to us and this is a special moment. After the obligatory group-leaving photo we are finally on the road. It’s less than an hour before we are stopped at our first military checkpoint. I jump off my bike and head up to the guard to say “Hi”, but these guys are not here as a tourist attraction and I soon realize that this is serious: Passport number, Visa number, father’s name, bike registration, reason for travel, where are we heading and why, with everything written in triplicate. This is followed by a series of photographs of us, plus us by our bikes and I’m thinking this could seriously impede our schedule. As it turns out this is just the first of five checkpoints we are to travel through before leaving Kashmir, so once again we end up riding in the dark trying to find a hotel. We eventually arrive at a compound-style guest house and spend the first 45 minutes being interviewed by the proprietor; he is just trying to be friendly but all I really want is food and sleep. The latter does not always come easily, especially when you are in a predominantly Muslim part of the country where the ‘call to prayer’ is the soundtrack to the region and is communicated through loudspeakers everywhere. I had found this quite soothing on previous days, but on this morning, we are treated to the usual 5am ‘call to prayer’, but let’s just say the guy singing the prayer is tone deaf and I’m now fully awake. The sun is up and opposite is a school or orphanage, I’m not sure which, but young kids are out sweeping litter and moving rocks and stones from the front of the building. As you can imagine we are a bit of a curiosity with our four matching bikes and all our gear, but they do not appear to be sure if they are allowed to talk with us. After a little while they come down to the gate to meet us and as we take a few pictures, an older boy shows up and they all scuttle off as if they might get in trouble.
Today is to be our first high pass crossing, and the plan is to go up and down quickly to avoid altitude sickness. We are shooting a video and I can’t get any of the detail right while on camera, and everyone finds it amusing that I’m so clueless; I put it down to the altitude! After another long day of riding, we arrive in Killar predictably after dark at about 7:30pm. With the sun down and the high altitude, the temperature has plummeted and the air has the feeling of a ski resort, although the town appears to have one dusty street with various businesses lining the road. On first sight our hotel doesn’t even look occupied, let alone open, but Bilal finds the proprietor and we are given a warm welcome; the rooms are nice and at about $15 represent excellent value. Killar is another Muslim town, so although they sell alcohol, you cannot drink in public. Therefore, we walk to the liquor store which sells only beer and about 30 different varieties of whiskey. We purchase four bottles of Godfather beer and head back to the hotel to sit on the balcony and discuss the day’s events. I’m not sure if it’s the altitude or the adrenalin from the night ride, but after just one beer we are feeling pretty good and we head out to the one restaurant in town. Now, this is not a fancy joint. Let’s just say it’s rustic. It has an open kitchen as you walk in which has several burners on the go with big steel pots and a young guy at the front making chapattis. He is a master at his craft. The food is all vegetarian and we order lentil dahl, rice, bajis, and alo gobi all washed down with delicious Kashmir tea and bottled water. Food never tasted so good.
The next morning we meet for breakfast before we ride that road in the YouTube videos from Killar to Kishtwar. My anxiety level is high and I just want to get going, as it is about 140km and I do not want to do any of this in the dark. The road out of Killar is mostly dirt with a smattering of pavement which is broken up. After riding for a few hours, we hit the side of the mountain and before us lay the most beautiful asphalt surface snaking its long black tongue around the cliff. I could sense Simon’s tension and knew what he was thinking: had we flown halfway around the world to photograph this road only to find out it had been re-surfaced the previous week? This disappointment doesn’t last long as the newly laid surface leads us to the giant asphalt paving machines that make their way slowly around the mountain. Then the surface entirely runs out and we are riding on a rocky base with boulders, periodic sticky mud, and pebbles with waterfalls cascading above them. This is what we had come all this way for. If I were to say this road is scary it would be a massive understatement, as this ride could humble the most experienced off-road rider. The vista is huge with a vertical drop-off that goes down forever. When I can eventually take my eyes off the path and look up, the cliff face doesn’t seem to stop. It is truly awe-inspiring and to my great relief my fear and vertigo seem to be under control and we progress at a good pace, stopping frequently for pictures.
The Royal Enfield is so well matched for this terrain and we ride in first and second gear, utilizing all the engine braking this bike has to offer. The day is amazing and the sun is out. We appear to be making good progress despite the stops we are making for photography. At 4pm the sun is starting to settle on the mountain-top and as we round another spine-chilling hairpin, we find three trucks parked up and a huge pile of rubble in front of us. “Landslide” comes over my headset and we all pull up. Bilal, Simon and Dale walk around the path to check for a way through while I just find a rock to sit on and wait. The reality of the situation hits me as the inevitable of no way through dawns on me. If the path is blocked we will have to turn back and retrace our journey over the past two days. It is going to be dark in two hours and it is at least five hours back to Killar along the most dangerous road in the world. The trail between Tandy and Tindi is impassable. Bilal thinks we could do it but not without danger to life and I did not come here to die. So we made a group decision to retrace our steps along the most dangerous road and regroup at Killar and go to plan B, whatever that is? By the time we arrive at our hotel it’s 9pm and has been dark since 6:30pm. We are all just about out of fuel and Killar is such a small town it does not have a gas station. Bilal goes off in search of petrol with the hotel owner. Half an hour later he is back with a 10-litre jug of petrol and a funnel made from a Gatorade bottle with a cloth filter; we fill two bikes and he goes to get more. After some food we talk with the locals about our options. It appears that Sach Pass is open, which is good news as this is a route to Dalhousie which is in the right direction for Delhi. The bad news, Bilal has never traveled this route and it summits at over 14,500 feet. This is much higher than we had anticipated going and could cause altitude sickness, as well as the possibility of the weather turning against us at the top. However, we all decide this is our best option as the only other option is riding all the way back to Srinagar and starting over. After a sketchy night’s sleep we head out for breakfast. To be honest I do not have much of an appetite but I manage to force down an omelet. Dale hands out anti-altitude sickness pills which he explains should help. However, they are diuretics which means we will want to pee all day. He also has silk balaclavas for the cold and a special gadget to aid breathing if we get breathless. None of this is helping with my nerves and I’m more than keen to get going, as the anticipation of the ride ahead is playing on my mind. We have 230km to ride on the edge of a cliff, and the prospect of doing any of this after dark is daunting. This is rapidly turning into slightly more of an adventure than I had bargained for.
Now, as always, Simon sees photo opportunities everywhere and within the first 1/2 mile we had stopped to shoot. He asked Bilal and Dale to ride on until they hit a patch of light we could see in the distance on the road ahead. Twenty minutes later they had still not reached it and we soon realized these mountain roads twist and turn and you have no way of judging distance. I persuade Simon we should ride on and ditch the shot. Up, up, up we go through the pine forest until we get above the tree line revealing the most spectacular views of the snow-peaked summit. The ground is wet, rocky, narrow and steep, but the Royal Enfields are built with this terrain in mind and take it in their stride. With their low seating position and low down torque they are perfectly suited to this environment. I would not want to do this on any other bike; they are in fact a complete pleasure to ride even with my Mosko Moto 40-liter pack on the back that must weigh in at 50 lbs. Our progress is slow because of the terrain, and fatigue from the altitude is also a factor. But mostly it’s because we all have to stop to pee so much. The top is getting closer and the scenery more awesome by the second; the sky is blue, the snow is virgin and the views go on forever. This is turning into one of the best days of my life. We come across a Sherpa’s hut on the trail and stop for tea. Our host is Sing Sherpa from Nepal who lives at the station with his dog, helping travelers and clearing
paths. He is so friendly and keen to chat, but our journey to the top must continue if we are to make it up, over and down before nightfall. So we ride on, up and up we go. Now we are well and truly in the snow line and the temperature has dropped, but because of the strong sun and all the gear I am wearing, I am sweating buckets. The ride is very slow because one mistake could be problematic; at this altitude rescue is not easy. As we climb higher I hear, “F**k, f**k, f**k!” through my Sena, I fear the worst. Simon has whacked his foot on a protruding rock and is in considerable pain. This is a real wake-up call. Fortunately, he is made of steel and manages to carry on and catch up. Dale administers him some serious pain relief and he is good to go to the summit. The terrain is now wet with melting snow on the trail mixed with mud, rock and ice, not to mention the 45-degree incline and hairpin bends. It’s now first gear all the way to the top, our speed has dropped to about 5 mph. Reaching the summit of Sach pass at 14,760 feet is spectacular, not just because of the incredible views but also the adrenalin rush I’m feeling because I know we’ve made it. It’s a pretty special feeling. There’s a Buddhist temple at the summit and we spend some time taking photographs, take in our surroundings and pat ourselves on the back for this great achievement.
The following day will be my three children’s 21st birthday (yes triplets) so it is a pretty special day for me. Since I can’t be home, I record a special video message for them from the summit. I could not be more proud of them and it’s all a bit emotional. Now what goes up must come down; that’s what you would think but Sach Pass plateaus at the summit and we ride the ridge for a few mile before we start to descend. Coming down is a lot easier than going up, but still filled with danger as the trail is really rocky. Simon calls me over to listen to his bike as he is not happy with the steering. After inspection it transpires that his headset has come loose and the forks are rattling; this has to be fixed as we cannot afford any more incidents. Going through the toolkit we do not have a spanner big enough for the head nut, so we have to use a Leatherman to tighten it the best we can. This is a vast improvement but still a worry. Coming down the mountain we encounter another checkpoint. This one we don’t mind, as basically they are checking to see who goes up and who comes down which is quite reassuring, although it takes a good 45 minutes to get through. Because of the great distance we still have to travel to Dalhousie, at 5:30pm we start looking for a hotel as I am determined not to ride at night again. Just as we appear to be getting close to civilization I hear, “F**k, f**k, f**k!” Simon runs into trouble on a bend with a rear tire blow-out. Fortunately, his speed is only 30 mph and he manages to hold it all together. We have packed a spare tube, so we quickly get the wheel off and get to work. Popping a new tube in is no problem, trying to get the wheel back on with an unfamiliar brake set-up is another matter. An hour or so later it’s dark but the bike is back together and we are on the move again.
After a couple of wrong turns and stopping to ask for directions, we eventually come across a place to stay. Frankly I don’t care what it’s like, I just want to get off the road and off the bike. As it turns out the room is nice, although I do have to share a bed with Simon (but not in the biblical sense). The food is good and they serve beer, so all in all it’s a good night. The next morning we assemble early, ready for a 350-mile ride on the road back to Delhi. In our heads the real adventure is over, so we film a quick round-up clip for the video; little do we know the adventure is yet to begin. The first 60 miles is blissful with nice smooth asphalt road with bend after bend after curve as we descend the mountain. It is a tremendous feeling riding fast down these roads with such amazing views, waving and high fiving kids as we pass through village after village. We are trying to make at least 220 miles today so we can get to Delhi by midday on Friday, as Simon’s flight is at 3:30 am (don’t ask me why). The single track road turns into a two-lane road that leads to a three-lane highway. It soon becomes apparent that the traffic is insane, so we are trying to ride in formation calling out incoming cars, trucks, cattle, pedestrians and oncoming vehicles on the wrong side of the road. Frankly, it’s terrifying, and tonight I am determined to get off this road before dark as the prospect of another night ride on this road doesn’t even bear thinking about. So at 5:30pm, we decide to look for the next hotel we can find. We’re doing about 55 mph and I hear, “F**k, f**k, f**k! I’ve got another puncture!” Simon is just in front
of me and his back end starts snaking left to right and back again. Thank God he’s an experienced rider and he rides it out not touching his brakes and holds it all together. That was a close call. The consequence does not even bear thinking about. As he pulls to a stop we are at a junction with a service station. Faced with the prospect of changing another tube we push the bike in. Now you cannot make this up, the service station has a tire repair shop at the back and they sort the tire out and repair both tubes for 100 Rupees including fitting ($1.30). However, by the time they finish it is 7pm and once again we have to ride in the dark. This is more terrifying than anything I have ever done as there are three lanes of traffic. Some vehicles are on high beam, some vehicles with no lights and some with just one beam coming at you from all directions. With Simon having just had another flat, this is playing on my mind and I am concerned I might have the same fate but not come off so well. We find the next available hotel and get off the road. The following morning we leave at 7am with just 160 miles to go to reach the outskirts of Delhi in good time and incident free; we are on the home straight and it feels good. We stop in traffic at a junction and Bilal stalls his bike and cannot get it started again. It’s midday and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and we are wearing black riding gear. The sooner we can sort this, the better. We spend the next 1/2 hour trying to find the cause of the problem before doing the obvious and bump start the bike. All good, we are on the move again. Well, that’s what we think but the traffic in old Delhi has reached gridlock.
We manage to cover 3 miles in two hours and the traffic is still awful. We have another 10 miles to our hotel and we are going nowhere fast. More to the point we are all being cooked from the inside out. Simon says he has to stop as he is desperate for a drink, so we manage to squeeze in and park among the many hand carts that are parked three-deep jostling for space to unload their goods. We get off the bikes and head for the first bit of available shade we can find. It’s at this point I realize I am not in good shape and ready to collapse. I sit down in what turns out to be some kind of open-fronted business; I’m not sure what, and I am at the point of delirium so I don’t care, I just need to lay down. The guy who runs the business stares at me. He can see our desperation and resigns himself to the fact that we are immovable objects for the time being and in need of help. He brings water and in my desperation to cool down I tip half the bottle over by head before thinking about drinking it. Dale has some electrolytes that we add to the water; this is literally a life saver as we are seriously dehydrated and it takes a good hour to recover before we consider getting back on our bikes. It then takes another hour to get through traffic, by this time our condition has improved.
Bilal takes us on every short cut he knows, weaving our way through the back streets of old Delhi which is like a scene from a Bond movie. We reach our hotel and the finish line has never looked so good. However, when we attempt to check in there has been a mix up with our booking and there are no rooms available! Bilal’s bike won’t start due to a dead battery, so I end up pushing it around the corner to the next hotel. It’s our last evening together and we head out to a restaurant and recount our adventures over a couple of Kingfisher beers. Not only have we conquered the Himalayas, we have bonded as a group and have true friendship. India has been an extraordinary experience, throwing curve-balls at us at every turn. But what really makes a good journey is the people with whom you travel and the people you meet along the way. India has delivered in spades. Thanks to Upshift for inviting me once again. I have so many great memories from this ride, it’s going to be a tough one to beat. Bilal grew up and lives in Srinagar. His playground was the foothills of the Himalayas in Northwest India. He is a 3rd generation experienced high altitude guide. For the past 15 years he has specialized in trekking, whilst in the mountains in 2015 he met his wife Christina from the US. Together they have a shared love of riding and have now expanded their business to include custom motorcycle tours. This trip would not have been possible without the support of the following sponsors: Western Power Sports, Fly Racing, Shinko Tires, Royal Enfield, Mosko Moto and Sena.
How to book a trip: Motorcycling and trekking tours with experienced high altitude guide Bilal Gassi. Packages tailored to suit individual requirements and ability, with a Fleet of four Royal Enfield + hire options available for larger groups. BACKPACKERS Tour and Travels www.backpackerskashmir.com Phone numbers: India: +919596540353 USA: +12088885024 instagram@backpackers_kashmir
SNOW MOBILE. Stash all the winter essentials light + tight with the Reckless 40. Our new drybags are super malleable and ready for the colder temps, are you?
Photo by Jesse Felker PNW Dual Sport
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By Dale Stucker “Made like a gun.” Although the Royal Enfield Himalayan is the company’s first foray into the Dual Sport Market, I believe the 411cc thumper truly extols a manufacturing tradition that extends all the way back to the company’s military roots in 1901. (Longer by the way, than any other motorcycle manufacture on the planet.) And that in my humble opinion, is not a bad thing. While the little bike doesn’t have nearly the power, suspension, and clearance that virtually every other major dual sport motorcycle delivers in highly technological fashion, it nevertheless delivers in spades when it gets used in the environment for which it was designed. In short, EVERYTHING. The company’s only unwritten request for using it? Just don’t do it fast. Enjoy the ride, get to the other side, and live to tell others about it. It really is quite that simple. Ask any one of our team who participated in this incredible ‘road’ trip: “If you had the opportunity to do another trip much like the one we just did, what motorcycle would be your first choice if you had the opportunity now to choose one?” I did that. To a man, we’d ALL get right back on that same bike. It is simple, sturdy, fully capable of hauling crazy loads, exceptionally fuel efficient and built to allow folks from under 5 ft to over 6 ft to comfortably ride without complaining. Frankly, that’s a hard combination to beat. How Royal Enfield did it? I don’t rightly know. The fact that the bike more resembles a classic 1980s enduro than anything on the market today just makes the Himalayan all that much more remarkable. I bought a Himalayan in 2016, shortly after the bike was introduced that same year. I rode that bike on a Himalayan trek with my family on less crazy roads and had a great time. See Upshift Issue 7 “TREK UNDER HIMALAYAN SKIES”. My son-in-law Bilal rode that very same bike on this years trek too and it performed admirably. For this trek Bilal purchased another brand new Himalayan which I got to ride. The other two Himalayans were supplied by Royal Enfield North America for Simon and Chris to use. All three of those were a little taller and fuel injected but otherwise very little had changed from the first bikes produced in 2016. But then, hey, come to think about it, why change a good thing when the first one already works the way you want it to?
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T he Pacific Divide Photos and Words: Olivier de Vaulx
The Blue Route Crossing the USA from Canada to Mexico in 14 days through the mountains and the deserts of the west coast gives you three thousand miles of trails to explore. That’s more than enough to get lost, unless you have a great GPS track, like the one provided by GPSKevin. American history is tied to the very notion of conquest, it’s no wonder why riders from all over the world are passionate about crossing the American wilderness. But travels on such distances, mainly off-road, are a logistical nightmare. Indeed, how can you trace a route on more than three thousand miles, without spending years wearing out your eyes on paper maps and computer screens? This colossal task doesn’t seem realistic considering everybody’s busy schedule and would stop most of us from even thinking about such a big trip. Some riders would give up the adventure and end up doing some tours with a big company, where everybody is riding at the same pace, in a single file in the middle of the trail. Luckily, there’s another way, thanks to the work of some few pioneers who put together tracks on the internet.
A Unique Concept Although Kevin Glassett was an engineer at Hewlett-Packard for his career, his real passion has always been riding off-road with a motorcycle. After years of exploring, racing and teaching his kids how to ride a dirt bike properly, he finally retired and took the time to compile all of his travels on his website. Using pieces of information and data from other explorers as well as his own, he put together a massive library of tracks, ready to be uploaded on any GPS device. If it were just for that, Kevin would deserve his name in the hall of fame of overlanding. But Kevin also developed a new way of riding with a group. The goal is to allow everybody to ride at his own pace, to make his own adventure, but with the safety of a group of riders. Of the 20 riders registered for the 2018 Pacific Divide Route, a 14-day trip covering 3,000 miles across the USA from Canada to Mexico, everybody had already ridden with Kevin.
Some even did the Continental Divide, another mythic route made easier thanks to GPSKevin’s tracks. They all know that each day they will go in small groups from 2 to 6 riders and follow one of the three options displayed on their GPS: The blue track is the main route, usually going off-road, contrary to the green track which stays mostly on pavement. Last, the few red tracks suggest more difficult or unproven trails for those who want a spicy adventure. Nobody has to start at the same time, nobody needs to arrive within a certain limit. All of the groups will have their own way to ride during the day and each day, everyone can change groups. The accommodation is already booked, and a Mercedes van is waiting in the parking lot with everybody’s bags. This logistical support allows the travelers to ride with a very light load while having the safety of traveling with a group and the freedom to choose his own path. It seems too good to be true!
Extended Range of Bikes On the morning of the first day, in Oroville, WA near the Canadian border, the motel parking lot is full of big bikes such as Honda Africa Twins, KTM 1290 and 990 Adventure, BMWs 800 and 1200. There are also some medium and small bikes, with a Kawasaki KLR 300, two Suzuki DR-Z400 and DR650S, a Honda XR650L, two HVA 701 and one KTM 690 Enduro. Last, but not least, one rider came with a Ural side-car! The average age is over fifty and four countries are represented: USA, Canada, Mexico, and France. Some already rode a few thousand miles to arrive in Oroville, from New York or from Arizona. But the real adventure starts here, in the trails of the state of Washington, just after exiting the little town. Before we all start, Kevin, aka Yoda, explains to us for the last time why we need to pay attention to the donuts. He’s not talking about the famous American pastries, but more about a life saver he asks us to rely on.
Magic Donuts Indeed, the omnipresent dust prevents even the best buddies to ride together. The fastest will go first and, once the dust settles, the others are following, one after the other. This way, you have a clear vision of the trail, but you’re always a few minutes away from your partners of the day, and it’s easy to get separated from the group. Then, two scenarios are possible, and will more than likely occur a few times (at this point, we strongly suggest our readers take a pen and paper and make a neat drawing to understand the following hypotheses better). Let’s say that the guy in front of you misses a fork, does a U-turn and quickly comes back to take the right way. Now, he has no clue if he’s still leading or if you passed him. Indeed, what if it took him just a bit too long and you went directly on the right path, ending up now in the first position? What is the best option for him? He could ride faster to catch up with you, with the risk of putting more distance between you both if he’s still in front. Or he could decide to wait for a while, letting you go if you went up front. These situations are more frequent than one might think, and Kevin found a magical solution to prevent them from ruining your day. The infamous “donuts,” shown on the GPS tracks, are mandatory meeting points. No matter what your position is in the group, you’re supposed to stop here and wait. Even if you think you’re the last one and nobody is waiting for you. You might as well be the first one! Again, the magic of navigation makes the positions to flip all the time, and playing by the donut rule makes the game way safer. If you have to wait for a few minutes, you can still use this time to eat an energy bar, remove your jacket, check something on your bike or make a pee stop. You’ll do so with no fear of being left behind because you know that sooner or later the rest of the group will show up at this donut. No wonder there weren’t any tensions in the group during the whole trip.
The magic of the donuts eases the burden of wondering what happened to the others and erases most sources of conflicts. Talking about battles, it can be useful to highlight the fact that, following Kevin’s guideline, the roommates will be different every night. This way, you always have something new to say to the guy sharing your room, and you’ll be relieved to know you’ll waste only one night if he’s snoring like a pig.
Pacific North West Once all of these rules are understood, it’s time to explore the open spaces of this unusual journey. After the mandatory picture on the Canadian border, the small groups of riders start the first day on the ridge of small mountains. The trails are fast and the bright sky offers a clear view of the surrounding summits. The arrival at Lake Chelan is the cherry on the cake, with a private beach at the hotel. The next day, the groups encounter more technical trails with steep cliffs and rocks, and the dead trees give a surreal ambiance to the stressful ride. The side-car rider was wise to stay on the green track! The third day is all about good dirt, under a light rain. There’s no mud, the traction is awesome, and with no dust to reuse the visibility, it’s easy to race your buddies. The average speed on the morning was definitively above any reasonable limit, but who cares? Ride fast, take chances and safety third is the mantra when the conditions are so good. Anyway, everybody knows that the trails are open and that, if you want to avoid a head-on collision with a pick-up truck, you better stay calm. Or at least try to stop yourself from taking all the blind corners on the inside! Easier said than done, but, well, it’s in every rider’s mind. Crossing the Hood River bridge, with gusty winds and heavy traffic in the opposite direction, while riding on a metallic grate providing no grip to our tires is a scary moment. It seems a miracle that nobody fell under a truck. The accommodation today is at the Timberline Lodge, a historical monument built on a summit with a view on Mt Hood, and it’s an understatement to say that everybody’s relieved to sit in the cozy restaurant for an unforgettable meal. The wooden walls and the dark ambiance in and out of the old building make the whole night look a bit menacing, and you could feel yourself being trapped in a Dracula movie. No wonder they used this hotel in the Stanley Kubrick horror movie “The Shining.” In the morning, the rain and the freezing temperatures do nothing to comfort the riders. With 27°F, you better have a great set of gear, including warm gloves! Later in the valley, the first gas station offers a great choice of hand-made pastries, and everyone’s morale is going up quickly. Approaching Bend, OR, the Three Sisters show their summits surrounded by sticky clouds above a desolated landscape, where burnt trees give a dark black and white tone to the ride. Long sections of silt, thin dust viciously hiding rocks and holes, are challenging the riders.
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Luckily, the only casualty would be the clutch lever of the DR650, broken in a fall at low speed. The trails improve the closer we get to Crescent Lake, and it’s time for a well deserved hot meal near the lake! In the morning, the thick fog spreads the orange sunrise light and help us forget about the extreme temperatures. The gravel roads are well maintained and riding fast warms up our cold bodies. In the afternoon, the golden light becomes gorgeous, and it’s just impossible to resist the temptation to shoot more and more pictures. We can feel the California vibe, just 10 miles away. The last trails, more technical and single-track like, give a last touch of fun to a perfect day. In the motel parking lot, we share beers and chips. After five days, friendships are born and sharing stories of the day with your buddies makes you feel good.
Smoke in the Woods Northern California is burning, and the sky is whitened by the smoke of the huge wildfires. Luckily, we follow the tracks towards high elevations where the atmosphere is more breathable. These fire-roads crossing the mountains are a pleasure to ride. Small lakes are shining like gems, the whole scenery is so colorful it looks like a postcard. The cows spread all over these alpine meadows barely pay attention to our motorcycles. Back in the plains, we follow small paved roads, with no traffic whatsoever. One rider still finds a way to break his chain, and immediately, everybody stops to help him. To be more accurate, one guy, mechanic in Alaska, is figuring out a way to fix the broken chain while the others are watching. Isn’t it some kind of solidarity? Anyway, Dahl manages to repair the whole thing with just a plier and receives a round of applause for his exceptional skills. In the afternoon, we’re getting close to one wildfire and the trail we planned to follow is closed.
Some riders will negotiate their way with the officials to follow the blue route through the woods. Some others will just stay on the highway, taking a longer but safer way. Everybody will finally make it to the hotel, and once again, it’s time to share beers and stories! We leave a smoky Redding to reach the next mountains, spared by the fires. In the canyons, black rocks, yellow grass, centennial trees, and a few river crossings make the ride so fun you can’t ask for more. But the next day proves to be even better! Taking more altitude, we reach dead forests, followed by strange mossy red trees. We ride in these unique landscapes, under a sky so blue it looks painted. Back on pavement, it’s another windy road with thousand of curves to use the side of our knobbies. The last part of the day is again on dirt, but we barely enjoy it as we just learned that our friend on the side-car had an accident. The rider is safe, but the side is salvaged. The proof is that mankind is safer on two wheels than three!
Southern California Transitioning between Northern and Southern California, we endure miles and miles of silt, making it difficult for the biggest bikes. But it doesn’t last, and the next two days, the trails will be more than perfect, crossing golden hills and turquoise rivers. The sky is still pure blue, and the temperatures are now above 80°F. The ambiance is so different compared to Washington and Oregon that we feel like we’re making a second trip in another country! Despite some closed trails we finally reach Yosemite National Park. There are still a lot of tourists driving at walking speed with their rental cars, but the view of the Half Dome is worth the traffic. Leaving Camp Nelson at sunrise, we cross Sequoia forests to go down to the desert.
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T RAI LSMART
The KTM 990 Adventure immediately gets a flat. Which means, again, that most of us watch and talk while three are working on the tube with iron bars and a compressor. Hey, at least we stayed, right? In the desert, the trails are so good you can’t help but speed. Reaching 100mph is no big deal on most bikes. The colorful landscape shifts fast, but the last canyon before California City is definitively more technical. Surrounded by infinite plains of sand, the little town is well known for its OHV areas. At first light, the rising sun is blinding, and we try to ride with one hand up to protect our eyes. Luckily, the trails are pretty smooth! As soon as the light becomes better, we twist the throttle wide open. Here it’s legal to go off-trail, and we ride as if we were racing the Baja 1000 or the Dakar. After a few sand washes, the trails become rocky, and you’re definitely relieved to reach Banning.
Border to Border For the very last day, most will try the red section. Steep sandy downhills will give everybody the adrenaline shot they were looking for. Front tires are giving up grip in the sand, the handlebars changing direction with no warning. Each mile is a fight. We grab lunch at a small restaurant called Paradise Valley, we all needed a break! The afternoon is also pretty technical, with more rocks and temperatures rising above 90°F. The riders who stayed on the green and blue routes will wait at a Mexican joint on the road for the others to catch up. This way, everybody will reach the Mexican border at the same time. The American officers don’t mind moving their Border patrol car to allow us enough room for a group picture. But the trip is not over yet, and we still have one hundred miles on pavement to reach Alpine, the last stop of this three thousand mile journey.
As the night falls, almost everybody gives a speech around the table. They all talked about friendship more than motorcycles. If traveling is a way to reach borders, this specific trip gave the opportunity to these riders to meet people they would never have met in other circumstances. No matter your age, your job, your country, you become friends, or should I say brother in arms with your fellow riders. And it’s not just an emotional feeling inspired by the fatigue of all this riding. Weeks after the end of the ride, most will continue to exchange e-mails and share pictures and videos. The snow is already here in the North, and most of the bikes are in storage for the winter. But we all know one thing for sure: we’ll get back on the trails as soon as possible, and will wait for our friends at the donuts!
Special Thanks: To Kevin Glassett, who put together this amazing ride. Check his website at www.gpskevinadventurerides.com for the upcoming trips; Greg who did an incredible job driving the support van, loading our bags and shopping for chips and beers everyday; Jane Glassett who managed to book our lodging all along the way; Chris Glaspell at Upshift for building this impressive 2018 Suzuki DR-Z400 and DR650SE; Alpinestars for the all-new Venture R jacket and pants and the SM-10 Helmet; all the riders who helped the author during so many improvised photoshoot sessions: Dahl, Larry, Bill, Steve, Roberto, Christophe, John D and John J, Daniel, Joe, Turu, Jeffrey, Tim and Kevin were definitively the most patient models ever!
Suzuki DR-Z 400 When Olivier de Vaulx and Upshift’s Chris Glaspell talked about preparing a bike for the 3400-mile journey from Canada to Mexico, the main goal was to have a fun, reliable and economical machine for various terrain. Chris had owned DRZ’s in the past and wanted to give the 2018 stocker a few performance upgrades and add a little styling. The result was a bike that looked good and was bulletproof for the trip across the west. Starting with the suspension, Konflict Racing re-valved and added Race Tech Springs making the bike plush over big hits but not too stiff for the highway. The ride was also made more comfortable with a Seat Concept replacement seat. Pretty much every project bike Upshift has done has always benefited from having a seat from the Caldwell, Idaho based company. Handlebars for the DR-Z were provided by Fasst Company. We knew their Flexx handlebar system would be great for the long ride and raise the bar height to work better while standing through technical sections of the trip. We went with the economical but burly IMS Flight line shift lever and Super Stock footpegs. Only slight mods were done to help the DR-Z breathe. Starting with the most common one, a 3” x 3” mod to the airbox, a Yoshimura exhaust system and a JD Jet Kit. The jetting was tricky due to the fact Olivier would be at many different elevations from sea level to 6800 feet. We went with a recommended setting for 4000 to 8000 ft elevation. (Red Needle with the clip at 3 from the top. A 25 Pilot jet, 150 Main jet). Fuel capacity was increased by adding an IMS 3.2 gallon tank. (Average range was 175 miles). We reached out to Dunlop and they suggested we use their 606 tires for the journey. They were great for the ride which consisted mostly of fire roads and single track with occasional hwy use. Trail Tech provided their new Voyager Pro for our navigation and a 7” LED race light to keep the trails lit at night. Yoshimura finished off our lighting with their new LED turn signals and Fender Eliminator Kit. We kept the luggage light and compact using the Mosko Reckless 40 System.
Suzuki DR-Z 400 Chris, being a graphic designer, wanted to make some styling changes to the DR-Z plastic and create a graphics kit to go with the R-Tech kit he found on eBay. Their $100 kit uses an older model RM fender which is smaller and not flat like the stock fender which is better at high speed. Oh, and it looks better. He then sent the wheels to Dubya where they replaced the stock rims with black D.I.D. Dirt Stars. This was not crucial to the project but in Chris’s mind a big part of the visuals. Devol Racing provided protection for the motor and radiators. Doubletake provided their foldable mirrors which were great going from highway to the dirt day to day. Olivier was really stoked on how this bike came out and even more stoked on how it performed. We can’t wait to get it serviced and hit the trails ourselves.
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RIDER RALLY
RIDER KTM RALLY 2018
PARK CITY, UTAH
Photos and Words: Simon Cudby
We headed out to Park City, Utah ski resort for the 2018 edition of the KTM Rider Rally. A few hundred riders of all shapes and sizes attended the event where participants could ride with two-wheel legends like Quinn Cody, Mike Lafferty, Grant Langston, Paul Krause, and Chris Fillmore. Also we were given a sneak peek of the new KTM 790 Adventure R in its prototype raw form. New for the 2018 event was the Ultimate Race, where everyday riders navigated trails over two days for a chance to win a trip to Morocco to compete in the Merzouga Rally and a Dakar VIP trip. Over fifty riders signed up for this event, and by all accounts some of the trails were seriously technical for big ADV bikes.
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RIDER RALLY
RIDER KTM RALLY 2018
PARK CITY, UTAH
At the final awards dinner, KTM trophies were given out for achievements like Best Storyteller, Best Vendor, and Voyager for the furthest traveler.
Sean Devlin, Grant Langston, and Mike Lafferty bench racing over coffee before leading the trail rides for the day.
Fall colors in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
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RIDER RALLY
RIDER KTM RALL 2018
PARK CIT
Lots of camaraderie on the trails for the orange riders.
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RIDER RALLY
RIDER KTM RALLY 2018
PARK CITY, UTAH
The KTM Rally is not just for ADV bikes. We saw lots of 350 and 500 EXC dual sports on the trail too.
KTM’s Quinn Cody takes
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RIDER RALLY
RIDER KTM RALL 2018
PARK CIT
s a hot lap on their new 790 Adventure R prototype, while all that follow struggle with the Special Stage on Day 1 of the Ultimate Race.
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RIDER RALLY
RIDER KTM RALLY 2018
PARK CITY, UTAH
PROVEN UNDER THE TOUGHEST CONDITIONS
PRO PLUS+ is an ester fortified full synthetic 4T engine oil “Built For Adventure”. For use in all motorcycle brands: HUSQVARNA, KTM, BMW HONDA, YAMAHA, TRIUMPH, KAWASAKI, SUZUKI & more. Available in 10W-30, 10W-40, 10W-50 & 20W-50 Made in the USA
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TESTED
BY OLIVIER DE VAUL X
Jetboil HalfGen Cooking System Traveling with an adventure bike often means camping on cold nights in the middle of nowhere. If staring at stars might be comforting in some ways, having a hot meal is way better! The Jetboil HalfGen Cooking System comes with a soft carry bag, big enough to contain the 9” frying pan that fits over the stove, like a cover. The bag also makes a nice storage for the fuel regulator and the transparent windscreen. Three rubber straps maintain the stove and the frypan together, so there’s no risk of losing anything. Last, but not least, we found that we still had some room in the bag to add plates and silverware. The system is compact and easy to sneak in the backpack, even if you’ll still need to bring a bottle of propane. JetBoil is selling propane bottles that they claim are more efficient, but you can buy from any other brand at the local grocery store. Setting up the HalfGen is really fast once you know how to screw the stove, the fuel regulator, and the propane bottle together. Clipping the windscreen under the stove is recommended even when there’s no breeze, as it makes the system more fuel efficient without compromising access to the simmer control. In windy conditions, it’s a must, and the flame never went out during our tests. Overall, it takes less than two minutes to be ready. The stove includes a lever igniter, but this one stopped working after two weeks and we had to use a lighter. That’s the only minor issue we had. Regulation of the flame is really easy with the integrated knob, and cooking something more sophisticated than an omelette is not a problem. When you’re ready to serve, the foldable handle can be held even with a super hot pan, there’s no need to use your moto gloves! Cleaning the non-stick frypan never required a lot of water and the ceramic material showed no sign of alteration after one month of daily usage. Of course, it’s still possible to use other pans or saucepans if you need something bigger to boil the water for your spaghetti carbonara.
T E S T E D: J e t b o i l H a l f G e n C o o k i n g S y s t e m The HalfGen might seem a bit expensive, but the quality is there. After long hours on the seat, it’s good to know that you can count on your cooking system to have the hot meal you were dreaming about throughout the whole day! MSRP: $179.95 www.jetboil.com
A DV E N T U R E
ENDURO
D O U B L E TA K E M I R R O R . C O M
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TRAIL
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
TESTED
BY CHAD DE ALVA
MOSKO MOTO Reckless 40L System I’m starting to wonder if the designers at Mosko Moto are telepathic, because the Reckless 40 2.0 system that I’ve been using has to be the most well thought-out piece of luggage, ever. Just as soon as you find yourself starting to think “wouldn’t it be cool if…” the thing you’re hoping to find is there, well implemented, and able to make this bag better serve your needs. The Reckless 40 fits on everything from enduro (dirt) bikes to big ADV bikes with a very versatile system of replaceable straps. Mosko moto includes a heat shield to protect your bag from hot exhaust and a couple of user-installable bolt plates that allow you to create strapping points almost anywhere you need them. The front straps are secured with cam buckles, while the rear straps use plastic tension locks that all work well to keep the bag in place no matter how or where you’re riding.
There are three sections to the Reckless 40 that can be configured in a number of different ways depending on what you need to carry. On each side of the bag, you’ve got a main pocket that will hold one of the two included 16-liter dry bags. Each one of these dry bags has a pull loop on the bottom that makes installing them into the Reckless 40 a breeze. Finally, under of each of these side pockets is a roll-top pocket that’s a great place to stash a 1-liter water or fuel bottle.
In the center of the Reckless 40 is a clamshell system and room for the included 8-liter Stinger tail bag. The Stinger is an awesome piece of kit that can also be setup as a backpack, perfect for that side hike or other backpack-requiring activity. If you need a little bit more room in your setup, you can swap the 8L Stinger for the 22L version without giving up any functionality. The main Reckless harness also has two columns of MOLLE webbing, so you can run your own MOLLE pouches or Mosko’s awesome 2L Storage Pouches which are perfect for carrying more fuel. The whole system can be run with or without any of the bags attached, allowing you to create a gear carrying solution that’s matched exactly to your needs. The Reckless 40 has more than enough storage space to carry a complete camping setup, as long as you’re using backpacking-style gear. I was able to get my entire sleep kit: bag, pad, pillow, ground-cloth, and bivy in one side bag, and my camp kitchen: stove, food, coffee, and a water bag in the other. This left my tail bag for an extra layer or two, or I could have carried my tent with the clamshell.
T E S T E D: M O S K O M O T O R e c k l e s s 4 0 L S y s t e m Riding with the Reckless 40 2.0 is a set and forget affair, where you only need to install the harness, snug it up, and then completely forget about it. I haven’t had a bike take a nap on the Reckless 40, but based on the way the Mosko Moto crew abuses their gear in testing, I have no doubt this bag will hold up to many miles of hard use. For my part, after many miles and hours of AZ brush, dust, and dirt and days of CO powder on a Timbersled, my Reckless 40 still has plenty of life left. My only desire for the Reckless 40 V3.0 would be cams in place of the plastic tension locks on the harness, and to not have Velcro inside the roll top pouches. The Reckless 40 2.0 is a very dynamic piece of gear that can support all kinds of rides, from carrying nothing but fuel and tools on a Timbersled, to carrying camping gear for an overnight exploratory mission on a dirtbike. Fully loaded or carrying just those few extra bits, the Reckless 40 works great and doesn’t get in the way of enjoying your adventure. About the only thing it can’t do is carry enough fuel and water for a week-long safari, but that is of course why there’s the Reckless 80. MSRP: $489.99 moskomoto.com
YOUR ADVENTURE OUR PASSION At Rottweiler Performance, our focus has always been to ask the question, “How can we take these incredibly well engineered machines and creatively manipulate them into what we, as a unique consumer with personalized needs would want from a motorcycle?” That answer becomes your adventure, and our passion.
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C ha s ing t he Midnig h t S un BY TIM BURKE 6 am and up with the rising sun.…Actually, that phrase doesn’t apply because it’s summer here in Scandinavia and daylight is endless! It’s a cold, crisp, blue-sky kind of day in Northern Sweden and I’m located just south of the Arctic Circle. The days are long: very long. At this latitude, during summer, the sun only sets for about an hour a day. Soon, I’d be crossing the Arctic Circle, where the sun doesn’t set for nearly 3 months. It merely lowers and rotates across the northern horizon. Nighttime is a thing of the past now but come mid-winter, sunlight will be nothing more than a memory. Sunshine is a funny thing here in the Arctic; a land of the extremes.
I was off on what was sure to be a unique adventure – a partnership of sorts. It all started, jokingly, between two friends on Instagram (yes that’s right. Instagram friends…) Hanna Johannson is no newcomer to the motorcycle scene. With a custom Triumph Bonneville parked in her garage, employed full-time by a significant motorcycle retail company in Europe, and a mom who rides motorcycles, Hanna’s whole world revolves around 2-wheeled travel! Just last summer, she traveled through 20-something countries in Eastern Europe. And more recently, she rode a KLR650 on a charitable trip in Africa, delivering tow-behind-motorcycle ambulance stretchers to small, poor villages across Kenya and Tanzania. These crucial medical transport systems will help get pregnant women to the medical facilities that they require. When you take just one look at her Instagram, @Hanna.C.Johannson, you’ll find moto-travel photos spanning the earth. Well, it started as a friendly argument as old as motorcycles themselves: Which is a better travel machine? Which is more fun? Does it even matter?
Hanna and I teamed up with Triumph Motorcycles of Sweden to find out. Over the next month, Hanna would be riding Triumph’s modern classic 900cc Scrambler. I’d be on the adventure-blooded Tiger 800XCA. One is built for style, and one is made for utility. If you’ve been following along on any of my adventures over the past few years, you know that this is a “new” bike for me in more ways than one. To date, I had ridden 60,000 miles on a GS. How would the Tiger stand up? Could it handle my style of travel? Was there enough power? Was it comfortable? All valid questions that I was itching to find out for myself. I picked the motorcycle up from Triumph’s offices in Stockholm. As I rode away, the very first thing that popped out at me was the sheer smoothness of the machine. Perfectly tuned, I had never felt an engine with a powerband so consistent and linear. Remember, I had been shifting a BMW GS for the last 4 years, which when clicked into gear from neutral, sounds like a flash band-grenade going off in the gearbox. The Triumph slips in and out of gears with ease and the perfectly-spaced gear ratios allow for almost zero “lurch” between gears at any speed.
“Maybe it will be buzzy on the highway,” I thought to myself, trying to find flaws in the bike as I rolled through the streets of beautiful Stockholm. With the need to hustle to get to Vilhelmina, 430 miles to the north, I had a long travel day ahead of me to find out. With cruise-control set, the motorcycle glided along at 80 mph (130 km/h) like an airplane on autopilot. I sat on the machine for almost 10 hours, and I just knew that the next 3 weeks would be problem-free and comfortable. The engine was 400cc smaller than I’m used to, but I still felt no lack of power in the triple-cylinder motor. “The highway is one thing,” I thought. “How is it off-road though?” Over the next two days I would put the machine through the ringer. It was the reason that I traveled to the small Swedish village of Vilhelmina in the first place. Vilhelmina is both a winter and a summer paradise. Here, I met with professional stunt rider, motocrosser, ice track racer, and an all-around good guy, Sune Andersson. Sune owns SA event, an adventure company that provides guided off-road motorcycle tours and in the winter, manages an ice-racing school where both motorcycles and cars are fitted with spiked tires for racing on frozen lakes.
For 300 miles, Sune and I laid beatings on the Triumph Tiger 1200 and 800 through the slippery, rocky, and rutted-out forest-roads of Northern Sweden. While it was hard to push the bike’s envelope with its street tires, the bike still showed its capability to handle abuse and adapt to varying conditions with its selectable riding modes. These two days (and the next 3000 miles) would teach me that this bike just goes. It goes where I point it. It does what I want it to do, and it does it well. I reached the conclusion that this bike could and would go everywhere that my BMW bike has taken me over the last couple of years. It proves that there are options on the market other than just the one marquis brand that’s priced according to that marquis status. Other manufacturers have come out swinging with highly capable and more affordable bikes, elbowing their way into the ADV market. This combination is slowly but surely taking a bite out of the German giants market share and eroding the cult following partly cemented by Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor.
South America - Part 2
My priorities for any motorcycle are pretty simple: Reliability, comfort, and the availability of parts (OEM or generic) while abroad. This bike offers all of that. This bike is ready for round-the-world travel. With full confidence in the capability of the machine, I pushed on, further into the Arctic. In Løding, Norway, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, time doesn’t seem to matter. Actually, nothing seemed to matter as I rolled through terrain that’s illuminated by a magical, golden Arctic light. At midnight in Norway, it’s high noon in Hawaii, and the sun’s rays seem to be coming directly from over the North Pole. I rode around until 2 in the morning, camera around my neck, just chasing the sun’s rays! The Arctic environment in Scandinavia is entirely different than the Arctic region of North America. Because of the jet streams (and Gulfstream), warmer air and water is brought up from the south, resulting in conditions that are more temperate. It allows for better agriculture, vegetation growth, and comfortable living than the frozen tundras of Canada and Alaska. In Norway, hundreds of small towns and even a few large cities inhabit this region north of the Arctic Circle. As I roll through on two wheels, under warm summer light, it creates a desire to return during winter when night skies are decorated by the northern lights. In the days and miles that lay ahead, Hanna and I would roll through one of the most magical places on earth: The Lofoten Islands. In all of my travels, the Lofoten Islands remain at the top of my favorites list. It’s a chain of islands connected by a series of deep underwater tunnels. It’s a land where mountains meet the sea and wildflowers are sprinkled across green pastures on the sides of glacial fjords. Mountain valleys, filled with mist, white sand beaches and icy channels of
tidal-water create a clash of environments that is hard to imagine until it’s experienced in person. Every day of riding here feels like being on the set of a fictional, fantasy movie. Each corner and every mile requires constant reminders that this is actually real life! At the bottom of this island chain lies the village of Reine. Red fishing shacks, propped up on stilts, line the shores of the solid-rock harbors. A 3-hour ferry carries you from the islands to Bodø, Norway, located on the mainland. For a city in the Arctic, Bodø is relatively busy, and it’s where we met with Eirik Simonsen. Eirik and I, also an adventure motorcyclist, have more in common than just bikes though. Eirik is a private pilot and offered to take me flying, making me reminisce about the career that I left behind. Seeing Norway from above takes its beauty to an entirely new level. We flew over glaciers so massive, they extended far beyond the horizon. At the same time, the view from above showed the enormous recession of these ice caps, providing a somber reminder that our planet is indeed changing.
Over the next couple of weeks, with absolutely no agenda or resemblance to a plan, Hanna and I zig-zagged our Triumph Tiger and Scrambler motorcycles on small roads, southbound through rugged, coastal Norway. Free wild camping is abundant in Norway, and actually, is legally protected. Allemansrätten is what the Norwegians call it, and it translates to “every man’s right.” With respect for the land and the property owner, in both Sweden and Norway, you may legally camp anywhere you’d like! Still, though, every few days, a roof and a warm shower is always a nice luxury. It was after two days of camping that Ivar and Leni of Mo I Rana, Norway invited Hanna and I, total strangers, to stay in their beautiful vacation home in the mountains. It took just five minutes of listening to our different stories of travel that they somehow decided it was OK to “toss us the keys.” “Beer and wine are in the fridge,” Leni said. “Make yourself at home.” Almost 18 months into my travels, the kindness and generosity of strangers around the world still blows me away. This is the part of the journey that I’m addicted to. Ahead of us, one of the most quintessential, twisty motorcycle roads in all of Europe was calling our names. Trollstigen Pass climbs its way up the almost-vertical walls of a glacially-created box canyon. No less than eleven 180-degree hairpin corners keep every square inch of motorcycle tire exercised. If the pavement is dry, you’ll have no problem scraping footpegs on this wild ride!
Every day of riding in Norway introduces new mountain roads, multiple ferry crossings, and new views that will drain camera batteries and fill memory cards. If you’re not taking hundreds of pictures in this country, you must be blind! Eventually, we made it to the southern city of Bergen. Bergen is on the west coast of Norway, and its precipitation makes Seattle look like the desert. It rains a lot here. If you catch Bergen on a good day though, it will blow your mind. Regardless of the weather, there’s no shortage of restaurants, bars, and small shops to keep you entertained. While Norway still has much to offer, even further south than Bergen, the real enemy, as always, was time. With days dwindling before the motorcycles had to be returned to Sweden, it was time to say goodbye to the fjords and turn the motorcycles east. A two-day stop in the capital city of Oslo provided a stark contrast to the rural fishing communities that we left behind. By sheer luck, my stop in Oslo also allowed me to cross paths with one of my good friends and fellow world-traveler, William Gloege (@roadtripdown on social media.) Billy has amassed so many stamps in his passport riding his motorcycle it makes my head spin. The last 3 times we’ve met have been in three different countries…on three different continents! Catching up with a fellow traveler is always special, but when they’re a good friend, it’s even better. A few cold beverages later (Billy’s idea), it was time to wish him well once again as he continued on in one direction and I continued in the other. The drive between Oslo and Stockholm is relatively flat, but if you make an effort to stay on back roads, it can be quite enjoyable.
As I passed through the rolling farmlands of Sweden, it allowed me to decompress and reflect on 3,000 miles (4800 km) of Scandinavian travel on a motorcycle that was new to me. It allowed me to think about Hanna’s style of travel, compared to mine. And broader than that; other riders’ style. I’m of the utilitarian-based mindset, where sheer function trumps fashion. Where heated grips, long travel suspension, a windshield, and an ergonomic seating position makes my life on the road better. To Hanna, the simple style of the modern-classic motorcycle, which combines fashion with nostalgic moto-culture is where she finds her happiness on a bike. To her, it’s motorcycling in its purest form: An engine, two wheels, handlebars, and just a dash of decorative chrome. Nothing more, nothing less. She bungee-cords her belongings to the rear of the bike and sets off into the horizon. She’s doing it her way… She’s doing it right. While we rode together, thousands of miles passed underneath the tires of these motorcycles. We wore different gear and maintained different styles. We come from different continents and were raised under different societies. It reaffirmed to me that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how people choose to explore this earth. There is no wrong way to do it. We decided our travel-modes are based on our interests and our styles. When you find your way… your style, on whichever bike you chose, you’ve found the right way to do it too. Motorcycling is a passion that millions of us share. There’s no wrong way to experience our world. Just get out there and do it.
Words: Stephen Clark Photos: Simon Cudby
There are only a few places on the planet that are defined by motorsports, and Baja California is definitely one of them. Made famous by the Baja 1000 desert race, this Mexican peninsula is a mecca for off-road enthusiasts. Baja has been on my bucket list for years, but living in Idaho the logistics for visiting Mexico always prevented me from making the trip. An opportunity arose this fall to visit Baja for a week with Simon Cudby following the Baja Rally on a KTM 1090 and Honda Africa Twin; all I needed to do was get myself to Orange County. So excited, I pretty much had flights booked before I hung up the phone with Cudby. Years of dreaming about such a trip and it was finally going to happen. After flying into California, we spent the morning packing the bikes before departing Orange County about noon. We ripped down the 5 to San Diego and crossed the border in Tijuana; surprisingly the border crossing was completely seamless. We pulled up to a booth and they just waved us through, the sketchiest part of the whole process was not crashing on the metal balls they have embedded into the road. As soon as you cross it’s immediately apparent that you are in a foreign country and it was a strange feeling. I’ve traveled a lot internationally in the past but always flying and in that situation, you have the flight to prepare for the change in culture. Crossing the border into Mexico was just such a sudden change, it’s literally like San Diego is on one side of the street, and the other side of the road is a Third World Country. From Tijuana, we jumped on the beautiful Highway 1 and followed the coast down through Rosarito to Ensenada.
The purpose of our trip was to follow the almost 1000-mile Baja rally that would support a loop around the top section of the Baja peninsula starting and ending in Ensenada. As one of only a few rallies in North America, the Baja Rally follows a similar format to Dakar and is the ideal race for aspiring Dakar racers and riders looking to try demonstration for the first time. Other than seeing Dakar clips on Red Bull TV this was my first exposure to rally racing, so I had a lot to learn. Navigation plays a huge part in rally racing, and this is all done through the road book. The road book is a handlebar-mounted roll of paper provided by the organizers that tell the riders the distance between the turns and obstacles; they then use this to manually navigate with an odometer to keep track of the distance between corners. And as if it wasn’t hard enough, the prompts are all in French due to all rallies being officiated by the French organization ASO, which interestingly also organizes the Tour De France. The racing itself is as much about going fast as it is about navigating and not getting lost.
There are lots of tricks, and experienced racers will purposely take wrong turns and loop back into the course to throw off following riders or be careful not to roost the turns so they don’t leave any tracks that might help other riders. It’s a challenging sport, and you have to watch the roadbook to keep in track constantly. So bear in mind the next time you see a video of a rally rider, that they are not only hauling ass but also reading a complicated roadbook at the same time. Impressive. In Ensenada, we met up with the racers and organizers of the Baja Rally as they prepared for the start of the Rally the following day. After introductions and getting a game plan for the following day we headed to bed. The next morning we drove a few miles South of Ensenada to the Las Canadas campground where the riders do a short 15km prologue to establish their start positions for the following day. The riders set off at one-minute intervals, and overall the whole prologue was fairly uneventful. After the prologue, we headed South and stopped off at a small road-side restaurant called Acambaro. Owned by race fans, this place was full of really cool Baja racing memorabilia with tons of cool racer jerseys and pictures from old races. We even spotted an old photo of Quinn Cody from his Baja days. We enjoyed some killer tacos and a refreshment, then continued our journey south. We needed to be at Mama Espinoza’s in El Rosario by the evening, so we decided to take a bit more time and cut over at Santo Tomas to the coast. It was a beautiful ride but was slightly interrupted by losing a bag off the back of the bike. The rough roads caused the bag to work loose, and it fell off. In the time it took me to go back and find it someone must have picked it up and taken it. As weird as it sounds, after an hour or so of searching it’s the only explanation we could come up with. The bag was full of tools, camera chargers, and all of my shoes, so a stop at a local shoe shop was in order. Thankfully we found one in a small town near San Quentin. We arrived at Mama Espinoza’s just at dusk.
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Similar to Acambaro, Mama Espinozas is another legendary Baja racing location and is filled with jerseys and photos. Sitting in a wealth of Baja history we enjoyed some incredible lobster burritos, margaritas and reflected on the day’s riding. The following day’s stage would take us east across the peninsula to the Sea of Cortez side. Along the way we stop in at another legendary Baja spot, Coco’s Corner. Run by a paraplegic with a huge personality, Coco’s Corner is in the middle of nowhere and a great place to escape the heat of the desert and grab a drink. From Coco’s we headed further east and stopped off in Gonzaga Bay for lunch; Alfonsina’s was without a doubt the coolest place we visited on the trip. Situated right on the beach in an incredibly quiet beautiful bay, Alfonsina’s has a relaxed, mellow vibe accentuated by incredible food and drinks. It was one of those places that was really hard to leave, and my next Baja trip will be planned to spend a few days there. Reluctantly, we had to leave the tranquility of Gonzaga and headed north to San Felipe to join the bivouac.
Coming into the trip, I will admit I was a bit apprehensive and concerned about staying safe in Mexico. You always hear horror stories about the drug cartels, but honestly on our trip we never felt unsafe. I felt more unsafe on an all-inclusive family vacation in Puerta Vallarta than I did in Baja. The locals in Baja were incredibly warm and welcoming. Due to schedules, we had to be back in California by Saturday, so after watching the start of the Rally on the beach of San Felipe, we headed back towards the US. Through a crazy rain storm, we headed north and crossed the border in Mexicali. Thankfully the border crossing was uneventful, and we navigated the joys of California traffic on interstates back to Orange County. All in all, we traveled about 1000 miles and got a great taste of what Baja has to offer. I will definitely be back. For results and information on the Baja Rally Click Here. A big thanks to Baja Rally for having us, Honda and KTM for great bikes, Mosko Moto for the luggage and KLIM for the awesome gear.
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COLT ONM Y BAUDAL L JA R AL LY
Words: Colton Udall The 2018 Baja Rally was an event of epic selection, the racing terrain was chosen wisely by the coordinators. In the ten years that I have been racing in Baja, I have never experienced so much fun during a race, including the challenge of navigating, and I was close to being “a fish out of water” on the first day. The track utilized “Baja Norte” for the northern section of the Baja Peninsula with Laguna Chapala being the southernmost area. We would race-navigate on roads and areas I have never even seen before, on terrain never touched by a 4-wheel vehicle, and in sand washes cleaned by Mother Nature. My Baja Rally experience started with a phone call and an opportunity to finally get my feet wet in Rally. It then expanded into building and fabricating my first navigation tower with Jamie Campbell at RaceCoUSA, utilizing last years Baja 1000 race-bike, and selling a last-minute FastHouse gear sponsor on Friday morning before the event. I certainly wanted more rally training before this event, but the circumstances made it tough, so I re-trained my brain during the prologue and started 5th on the first days special.
C OLT ONM Y BUDAL L A JA R AL LY
I quickly caught the leaders during day 1 but that wasn’t due to experience, it was simply luck, and the process of navigation as each rider learned the road books and how the race coordinator built each “note.” As the stage went on each rider would prove their experience, I would eventually get lost and lose a good 10 minutes before finding the route but not without confusion. Sometimes in rally, you have to trust your fellow racers and follow their tracks. I ended the day finishing in 3rd, a hefty 17 minutes off the leaders Skyler Howes and Scott Bright. Race Day one’s evening stay would include the beautiful Catavina Hotel in the cool desert temperatures and an amazing sunset during the bivouac dinner. Each evening after dinner, the riders would all get together and tell fun stories about the days’ events: getting lost, close calls and crashes all included as each rider/driver tells their unique story while interpreting the road book. The following 3 days of racing would be a great learning experience for myself and the others, I am sure. I personally had an electrical wire fail on day 2, my fault; I fixed it but not without losing an hour. Followed by winning Stage 3 by 18 minutes and on Day 4 opened the route for my very first time. I would finish the Rally missing the podium by just 2 minutes but I had nothing but great experiences to learn from, and this Baja guy is hooked on Rally racing. I personally believe Rally Racing is the future for motorcycles both in Mexico and in the US and I encourage all racers and enthusiasts to give it a try. Sign up for a school and go get Lost in Navigation or sign up for the 2019 Baja Rally, you won’t be disappointed!
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