Val in Real Life LLC

Tag: bmw

The Motorcycle Conundrum
There’s a saying in the motorcycling world that the perfect number of bikes is always one more than you currently have, also known as the “N+1” formula. A lot of time it’s a matter of having different bikes that serve different purposes. Sometimes it’s simply that each machine is its own special joyous unicorn of form and function—embracing the different experiences of sound and sensuality that each one delivers.
My personal fleet currently consists of a Moto Guzzi V7ii Stone, a BMW F700GS, and a BMW R100RT/Ural sidecar rig. I love all of them. They’re fantastic machines that bring me joy in different ways.
The “little” one in my adventure fleet, my beloved Moto Guzzi V7ii Stone.
Motorcyclist blasphemy
So what I’m about to say borders on blasphemy in the “N+1” motorcycling mindset. I don’t like having multiple bikes. There, I said it. Maintaining them and switching back and forth is a complete and utter hassle. It sucks. They take up a lot of space. Every one needs different parts, maintenance, insurance, documentation. It’s more work than it’s worth and it grates on my minimalist tendencies. It’s too much mental overhead.
Even if I remove the sidecar from the discussion since it’s really a different beast from a two-wheeled machine, I still have two motorcycles that I fumble between and have to keep up with. Owning two bikes only arose out of my living between Georgia and Nevada for awhile. Now that my life is consolidated in Nevada, I truly have no need for the complication of two bikes that fill essentially the same niche.
Betty serves a unique niche allowing us to share riding with friends and the adventure dog, so her position in the fleet is safe.
So sell a bike, Val.
I know, it seems that simple. Clearly I ride and travel on the 700 way more than the Guzzi. It’s certainly the better bike for what I do most of the time. But there’s more to the story.
As great as the 700 has been for me, there’s a lot of room for improvement. Much of that has to do with my body and its challenges in the post-crash era of my life. On top of the unavoidable physical issues of getting older, I’ve got a lot of issues I manage that are the result of the tremendous injuries I suffered. I’m almost four years post-crash and my new normal is now fairly well established. I know what my body will give me, I’m settled into what brings aggravation and what brings relief, and I know what my strengths and limitations are. The 700 got me this far but I’ve maxed out what it can do for me.
Combined with my physical issues, my riding and travel have evolved to the point where the 700 isn’t the optimal machine anymore. Its size, wind protection, and ergonomics—once assets—are now holding me back. So here I am reevaluating my adventure fleet, its limitations, and the potential for improvement with other equipment, instead of simply selling one bike.
My F700GS is my workhorse adventure bike. Even so, there’s room for improvement.
But wait, there’s more!
Let’s look at the larger picture of our household shall we? Because my dear man also has three bikes in the garage. If you’re doing the math, you’ll see that we actually have six different machines that need all of the things that bug me about my three.
His motorcycles have a wider variety of uses across the dirt-to-street spectrum but he really only rides his Yamaha FJ-09 these days. Though it does have its limitations. It’s a sporty-ish bike that doesn’t handle dirt and rough riding the way my 700 does. His KLR 650 is the bike for that job. But it’s basically an old tractor, not a great choice for big-mile days on good pavement. And it’s so underpowered that it’s completely mismatched for riding together when I’m on the 700.
Now throw into the mix the fact that of all the machines sitting in the garage, my Moto Guzzi is the only bike both my dear man and I can ride comfortably. Hence, it’s the only one we can pair with the sidecar for traveling. So if I sell the Guzzi, we end up sabotaging the whole point of the sidecar rig and being able to travel with the adventure dog and share motorcycling with non-riding friends.
Hence, the motorcycle conundrum. What we need is good all-around bikes that have similar capabilities and ergonomics that suit both of us. Which brings us to scrapping our entire two-wheeled fleet in the name of simplicity and function. Because if we’re both riding the same bikes, it doesn’t get much simpler than that at home or on the road.
My dear man’s go-to travel bike, the FJ-09, has its limitations for him as well.
The next bike
I first sat on a BMW R1200GS two years ago in a dirt-riding skills class at the BMW Rider Academy, in South Carolina. I’d trained hard all day on an F700GS. Toward the end of our class, the instructors encouraged us to at least try the R1200GS that had intimidated we smaller-stature women. As I threw my leg over the 1200 one of the coaches asked how long I’d had my 700. “Six months,” I replied. He chuckled and said “Sorry, you’re going to be trading that in after you try the 1200.” Sure enough, after some brief exercises on the 1200, we all wished we’d been riding it the entire day.
The second time I sat in the saddle of a 1200 was at the national BMW rally, in Salt Lake City in July of 2017. I did a demo ride on a lower-suspension model. Struggling to keep from becoming misty-eyed over it, I convinced myself I couldn’t justify the change when my F700GS was perfectly fine at the time.
Yet here I am—having resisted going to a 1200GS for two years—making the leap. The turning point? A culmination of the realizations I’ve mentioned. Attempting to solve the motorcycle conundrum.
- I’ve made huge ground in regaining my riding abilities.
- My travel has evolved such that the smaller 700 isn’t enough bike for how hard and long I ride while on the road.
- My post-crash body has reached a point of stability and known long-term limitations.
- I need to simplify the distractions of too many motorcycles.
- My dear man has realized that the 1200 would be a good bike for him, too.
- The 1200 fits both of us well enough that we can easily swap machines while traveling with the sidecar outfit.
The rental steed that shaped the future of my adventure fleet.
Gotta be sure
Realizations aren’t enough to jump into such an investment, though. The R1200GS is not an inexpensive prospect. There’s also no such thing as the perfect bike. As legendary as the machine is, it isn’t necessarily a good bike for everyone. I needed to know that it would be worth it for me and what I needed to accomplish in reworking my fleet.
So my dear man and I rode to San Francisco to rent two 1200s and ride the California coast for a few days. We were hinging our decision process around several days of saddle time to determine if having two 1200s in the garage, instead five other mismatched two-wheeled bikes, was the answer we were looking for.
Testing out the BMW R1200GS on the Big Sur Coast.
Is the 1200GS the answer?
Short answer: Yep. It filled all of our needs and some we didn’t know we had. Like a boss. Flat out, it’s an incredible motorcycle and there’s no question why it’s so popular.
Even amongst my female rider friends, the bike gets rave reviews. For us inseam-challenged ladies, there is a constant struggle to manage height and what seems like a huge bike. But women riders I’ve spoken with have unanimously said they’ve never looked back after taking the plunge because the 1200 just doesn’t feel as big as it appears to be.
None of this is news to those who already ride 1200s, of course. I’m just a little late to the party. The height and power is intimidating at first. With a left leg I couldn’t trust until now, I simply wasn’t ready for the 1200 when I was getting back to riding. I needed the Guzzi to help get me back into the saddle. I needed the 700 to work through the next stage in regaining my moto mojo. It was a process that needed to happen before I embraced the power and performance of the 1200.
Each bike was the right choice at the time. But times have changed. Cheers to simplicity and progress!
- It’s been an amazing adventure putting 30,000 miles on my 700.
- I’ll treasure the memories of traveling on my little Guzzi.
I’ll dive into the details of my new love affair with the 1200GS next time. So stay tuned for that as well as the unveiling of my new adventure beast. She’s being tricked out by the phenomenal folks at Sierra BMW so I’ll be ready to tackle a whole new set of motorcycle travel adventures.
A special shout out goes to the absolutely wonderful folks at Dubbelju Motorcycle Rentals for a truly fantastic rental experience.
Adventure on, friends! Keep moving forward.
I will soon be all grins traveling on my very own R1200GS.
November 6, 2018
Expanding Adventures with a Sidecar
I’ve been toying with the notion of getting a sidecar rig for some time. Quite honestly, those thoughts first surfaced when I was facing the possibility of losing my leg or its ability to handle a two-wheeled machine. As that threat faded, so did the urgency to explore sidecar rig options. The seed was planted though and little musings about it still wafted through my thoughts here and there about the possibilities it might add to my adventuring life.
Those thoughts took greater form as I realized that, regardless of my physical issues, having a sidecar rig in the adventure fleet opens up a treasure trove of possibilities. Most of those involve being able to take non-riding friends out riding. It also means the 80-pound adventure dog can join us on motorcycle trips. Now we don’t have to choose between riding trips without him and non-riding trips with him.
In the end though, sidecars are just fun! They don’t ride like motorcycles or drive like cars—they are their own special category. Even people who dislike motorcycles seem to love sidecars. For some reason, when you slap a tub on the side suddenly it’s the coolest thing ever. There’s simply something about them. You can’t help but smile and wave as they pass. And you can’t help but grin from ear to ear when you’re on one.
Having a sidecar rig opens up new ways to have big adventures.
The adventure dog loves his new ride!
How did the rubber meet the road?
The sidecar seed rattling around in my head wasn’t terribly noisy. It had really settled into an occasional “that would be cool” idea. That all changed in the course of about a day. In that time, notions of the sidecar went from “maybe someday” to being the proud new owner of a rig. Sometimes life simply comes together and I’m not one to second guess or be shy about seizing a unique opportunity.
The opportunity in question fell in my lap while attending my first BMW MOA rally back in July. I had ridden Evie, my BMW F700GS, the 600-plus miles to Salt Lake City for the event. It was a tortuous ride with several days of over 100-degree summer heat. That was followed by several more days pounding the pavement at the Utah State Fair Park in the same oppressive weather. But even with the mental haze of feeling like my brain was being roasted, I couldn’t miss her, my soon-to-be-new-to-me sidecar outfit. Betty. That’s what I call her now. It’s short for Big Betty Blue.
There she sat, impervious to the summer temperatures that were getting the best of me, looking supremely regal with her dark blue paint and red windscreen sash. She showed the wear of a seasoned adventurer but the nuances of a much-loved companion. She oozed character, something I now know she inherited from her owner, Pat. And on her windscreen sat a for sale sign. The seed in my head took root and shot out of the ground to a full-grown redwood in a matter of seconds. My life-partner-in-crime and I looked at each other. No words were necessary to communicate that we were both thinking the same thing.
We called the number on the sign and left a message. Within the hour I was on a test ride with Pat. We inspected the machine, trying to maintain some level of objectivity. The more Pat told us about it, the more we knew we couldn’t pass up this opportunity. He had kept meticulous notes. The build was clearly top-notch. We had no doubt that Pat had taken impeccable care of the rig or of how much he loved it. His changing health was forcing his decision to sell her, though.
Pat is a delightful character. As we listened to his colorful stories about the outfit—where it has been, the reasons behind some of the quirkier details of it, and the process he went through in converting her—we knew we needed to keep the adventures alive. Pat wanted the buyer to be someone who would use it well but also take care of it; someone who wouldn’t run it into the ground but also not leave it languishing in the garage. It became evident quickly that this was not only about the sidecar rig itself. It was about carrying on a legacy. I convinced him I was the person he was looking for. I told him about the blog and how the rig’s adventures would not only continue, but have new life as I shared stories with my readers.
Negotiations were brief and by the next afternoon, we were showing our friends at the rally our new acquisition. Then the inevitable question arose: “How are you going to get it home?” It was certainly a legitimate question to pose to someone who was over 600 miles from home with only a motorcycle for transportation. Fortunately Pat is a fabulous person and agreed to meet us partway between his home in Oregon and our place in Nevada a couple of weeks later. With the help of our toy hauler travel trailer, we carted sweet Betty home, delirious with visions of future adventures. That is, the adventures we would have once we learned how to drive her.
In the sea of wheels at the BMW MOA rally, she stole my heart.
Bringing Betty home.
Getting to know Betty
My two-wheeled motorcycles, Nina (the MotoGuzzi V7 Stone II) and Evie (the BMW F700GS), are both modern machines. They both run like a dream with very little maintenance or fussing about.
Betty is a different story. She’s a 1991 BMW R100RT with a Ural sidecar and over 60,000 miles under her belt. That means I now have to pay attention to things like petcocks and a manual choke. She needs a fair amount of TLC. With the sidecar addition and other changes Pat made to the engine and fuel system, she’s unlike anything else I’m familiar with. So there’s a substantial mechanical learning curve.
Piloting a sidecar rig is also unlike anything else I’m familiar with. The drag of the tub creates asymetric steering dynamics. A left turn is different from a right turn. Some say it’s better if you don’t know how to ride a motorcycle before learning to drive a hack. While you do come in with some preconceived ideas about how it works, they are quickly out the window once you get started. I think knowing how to ride a two-wheeler is an asset, even if you do have to recalibrate a bit on a sidecar combination.
Checking out our new ride at Crossroads BMW Rally in Salt Lake City.
Looking ahead
We’re making good progress learning how to pilot her, care for her, and having the adventure dog learn to sit in the tub calmly. We still have some things to dial in, though. Motorcycle travel will be different with the dog—there are a lot more considerations to be factored in. It’s also an older, more finicky machine so we’ll have to be prepared to deal with that.
And sadly, the truth is that my leg still presents a future limitation. Knowing I’m building proficiency with driving a sidecar rig now gives me great comfort that it will keep my riding and adventuring life going even if I do eventually lose the ability to ride a motorcycle in the future.
Stay tuned! New adventures lie ahead! Have a look through the gallery below for more details about my beautiful Betty.
Checking out our new ride at Crossroads BMW Rally in Salt Lake City.
Pat made a special blanket for his wife to use in the tub. It has a small pocket at the end so you can hold it down with your feet.
Pat used an old belt to redesign the lashings on the sash.
Betty’s custom front suspension. She’s optimized for sidecaring.
Pat added a regulator for the auxilliary fuel tank, which holds another seven gallons of gas.
Little touches like a Mexican five-peso coin on one carburetor and a Canadian toonie on the other give Betty so much character.
The special hand-crafted luggage rack that Pat warned us to avoid ever taking apart because we probably won’t be able to put it back together.
Pat’s wife commented that with all the money he spent on the rig he could buy a Cadillac. So he added a commemorative hood ornament.
The meticulous notes that Pat kept on Betty’s conversion and maintenance.
Sidecar adventure dog!
Trips to the farmer’s market just got a whole lot more fun!
Riding in the tub in the twisties is a pure adrenaline rush.
Having a sidecar rig opens new ways to have big adventures.
Betty’s first adventure… geocaching in Nevada.
The pooch gets his first sit in the tub.
Pat is a delightful character. I promised him I’d keep the adventures alive.
Bringing Betty home.
The hand over.
In the sea of wheels at the BMW MOA rally, she stole my heart.
My newest geocaching adventure-mobile is a sidecar rig.
December 12, 2017
Going Off-Road at the BMW U.S. Rider Academy
I’m a fan of proper training. The value of learning from qualified instructors is not lost on me, particularly when it comes to photography and motorcycling.
Unlike photography, proper motorcycle training has implications beyond enjoyment and mastery of the pursuit. Health and safety are at stake when honing your riding skills. That’s why I’ve spent so much time at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation campus near my Georgia HQ.
I recently branched out, though, and ventured to South Carolina for the BMW U.S. Rider Academy’s Women’s 1-Day Off-Road Adventure Foundations course. It may be one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done for my riding and for myself in general.
It was quite an honor to spend the day building off-road skills with these folks.
Exercises
Our day began with a short introduction in the classroom. Our coach needed to assess our skills and we riders needed a sense of camaraderie before riding together. The class was small, only three riders, including me. BMW’s intent for the course was to be all women, including the instructor. Unfortunately, the sole female instructor at the U.S. Rider Academy suffered an injury and couldn’t teach the class. We had Ricardo instead, along with Rob assisting. I was disappointed initially that it wasn’t all female but Ricardo and Rob quickly overcame my hesitation with their professionalism, approachability, and supportive attitudes.
In the classroom, they set a tone of “Challenge by Choice” for the entire training course. Ricardo and Rob made it clear they were going to push us but we had the ultimate say in what we attempted and what we didn’t. We would build our skills on our own terms by moving just past the edge of our abilities and comfort zones. That was both exciting and a little frightening.
Ricardo in action, demonstrating a solo lift.
Getting started
We began the hands-on part of the day with:
- Balanced walk-arounds. This confidence-building exercise helped us get dialed into the weight and balance of our bikes by finding the balance point and keeping it there while we moved around it.
- Raising the bikes on their center stands.
- Working from both sides on mounts and dismounts.
- Lift technique demonstrations, both solo and buddy.
My steed for the day, an F700GS like mine but full seat height and no bar risers which was a slightly different geometry to master.
On the bikes
Session 1
In our first riding session we tackled:
- Moving around the bike side saddle. We worked through a series of positions beginning with placing a knee on the saddle, moving that leg to the opposite side of the bike, riding side saddle, then swapping foot positions so we could stand on the opposite peg, before returning to a normal seated position. Gonna keep it real here… when we started this exercise I thought I was in way over my head. I thought “If they’re starting with this, I’m in trouble. This class is way beyond my skill level.” Guess what? That warm up was super easy and a successful confidence-builder.
- Slow riding. Refining our skills at low speeds, where most drops happen.
- Trials stands. Getting as close as we could to a balanced stop before using the throttle to restabilize.
- Weaves. Slow riding around cones with hard turns and learning where to position our bodies.
- Circles. The coaches added this in to help us get past our struggles with how far we needed to move our bodies off the side of the bikes. After this exercise we went back to practicing weaves and were much more capable.
Practicing camel humps with track stands.
Session 2
After lunch on the BMW campus, we got back on the bikes for:
- Washboards. Understanding the limits of the bike’s suspension and how to handle it.
- Ruts. Controlling the bike solely by using the pegs.
- Camel humps (with track stands). Working through body position transitions in quick succession over humps. I really struggled with track stands even though I have pretty decent balancing skills on pavement. I can still hear Ricardo saying “That’s not a track stand! You didn’t stop!” With love and support , of course. 🙂
- Enduro runs. A chance to ride through trees and unexpected obstacles not dictated by a man-made exercise.
Rest breaks included South Carolina sun and plenty of snacks and drinks from BMW U.S. Rider Academy.
Session 3
After a brief break there was still more to come:
- Another enduro run. Much longer and across the full campus, without knowing anything about what to expect. It was all new terrain to integrate the skills we’d been working on all day.
- Emergency braking. I struggled with this more than I feel I should have. It was late in the day and I was tired. I initially mentioned to my classmates this would have been much more valuable earlier on. Afterwards, I realized that mastering emergency braking when completely exhausted was, in fact, the best time to do it because that’s when you make mistakes. And having it be second nature at your worst point was actually the goal of the exercise.
- Trying other bikes. I rode a BMW F700GS most of the day. My own F700GS “Evie” is lowered and has handlebar risers. This bike was standard height without risers. At the end of the day, I got the chance to ride the F800GS as well as the R1200GS. I really shouldn’t have ridden the 1200. Can you say “Come to Mama”? I wished I’d been riding it all day!
- Lifting. Our last exercise was a chance to practice lifting the bikes. We had some inadvertent practice during the day, of course. However, the opportunity to practice lifts as a focused exercise instead of rushing to clear the training course was very helpful.
Our enduro runs put our newly-developed skills to practical use.
Quality
I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the course. The instructors fully grasp that most of the challenge behind mastering these skills is confidence followed by understanding what these machines are capable of doing. The pace of guided progression through confidence building was spot on, especially with the overtone of “challenge by choice” set from the beginning.
Our main instructor, Ricardo, is a motor cop and international BMW instructor. One of the hallmarks of a good instructor is the ability to deviate from the plan when necessary to give his or her students what they need. Ricardo is a very skilled instructor in that sense as well as an expert rider. Our course was also overseen by logistics dude Rob, who managed the mechanics of the motorcycles and assisted as an instructor. He was encouraging, helpful, and pushed us appropriately when needed.
My classmate, Patty, describes the collection of obstacles and terrain as an impressive off-road playground. I like how she puts that. I certainly felt like a little kid riding with abandon that day! She adds that she enjoys the physical challenge and mental focus it requires to participate in the class. It’s an intense day in the saddle. And worth every minute.
Practicing riding through ruts.
What I took away
- A massive boost in confidence. Riding on sketchy terrain builds skills on pavement and off-road and means you’re ready for all sorts of scenarios that are thrown your way unexpectedly. My street riding improved as a result of this class.
- I know what skills I need to work on most now. Some of the exercises went well for me, others I’ll need a lot more time to master.
- Using BMW’s bikes is the way to go. It frees you to push yourself without concern over damaging your own bike. That’s a huge benefit. It takes away many layers of mental obstacles in improving your riding.
- This is a huge physical challenge: Off-road riding is a different beast in terms of the physical challenge it presents as a rider. While I did fine and was able to complete all of the exercises, boy I was sore afterwards! My bum limb, “Frankenleg,” presents an additional obstacle to my physical stamina. Towards the end of the day, I could feel it giving out from fatigue. But I wanted every ounce of this experience and I couldn’t allow it to hold me back. It became a battle of wills of the you-don’t-get-to-quit-now type, but I clearly need to work more intently on rebuilding its strength.
Chasing Patty’s tail on an enduro run.
Why women only
One of the discussions throughout the day is why having a women’s-only class is important.
Gary Hardin, the Chief Motorcycle Instructor of the U.S. Rider Academy at the time, says that they could have offered the standard one-day class but felt it was more important to directly address female rider concerns. So they invited women rider influencers to participate in a standard one-day course and give honest feedback. What came out of the focus group afterwards was a thumbs-up on the class content and structure but the desire for the addition of the last couple of exercises that were included in our course at the end of the day.
So essentially, the women’s class is what is offered in the standard one-day, finessed to include more of what women riders are looking to improve. For me, while I don’t mind training alongside men, the dynamic is quite different. It’s often competitive and that’s not why I’m there.
Being a minority in the motorcycling world, the opportunity to be surrounded by others who understand the distinct challenges it is to be a woman rider is valuable. The overtone of our small group was absolute respect for one other and acknowledgment that we’ve all had a different path to this point in our riding.
Teamwork is required when a rider’s low-suspension bike gets hung on a hump.
Thoughts from the students
Patty, having taken the two-day course in the past, said:
“Although I’m accustomed to riding with the guys, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to take a class reserved for women. It’s always fun to meet other women who ride and even better those who are interested in off-road riding. I enjoyed hearing other ladies’ experiences and opinions about gear, motorcycles, and travel.”
My classmate Charlene was comforted by the knowledge that there would be others who understand where she was coming from in her return to riding after a couple of years off. She said she was excited by the idea that she had nothing to prove and could focus on getting back to something she loves.
The R1200GS. Can I have one? Pretty please? This is a really sweet ride.
[Update: I brought home my own 1200 in November, 2018. And I love it!]
I want more
Of course, given how much I enjoyed this experience, I asked Mr. Hardin if a two-day women’s course is in the works. He said he would love to see that happen if enough interest can be generated. Even beyond the two-day course, he would like to offer a class similar to their advanced off-road class in which they spend time off of the bikes giving travel tips for anyone wanting to adventure ride outside of the country. That particular class is only offered as an extension to graduates of the two-day off-road curriculum.
Mr. Hardin added that not many know that the U.S. Rider Academy offers private one-on-one and group instruction. That means if you desire the female group dynamic but the course schedule doesn’t fit yours, you have the option of private instruction or arranging your own all-female training.
While I’m glad my first course at the BMW U.S. Rider Academy was all women, I won’t be waiting around for the women’s two-day course to be offered. I’ve got too much to learn to let that hold me up. One course is never enough when you’re intent on mastering a pursuit. And I know I still have so much to learn and refine.
Final thoughts
In review-type posts, I typically like to offer suggestions for improvement, even when I enjoy the product or experience immensely. This time, the only aspect I’d like to see improved is pre-course information on what to bring, what to expect, etc. I give all other aspects of the course top marks:
- The pace, structure, and content of the of the course are really well thought out, in my opinion.
- The campus and obstacles were great.
- We had plenty of opportunities for breaks, hydration, and snacks.
- The machines ran well and Rob responded quickly to any requests to tweak clutch levers and what-not.
- The staff was absolutely top-notch.
But the biggest factor here is that BMW has taken the initiative to embrace the needs and challenges of women riders as separate from our male counterparts. It’s not that women’s concerns are better or worse, or more or less important, they’re just different. And given our minority in the motorcycling community, those considerations are often overlooked. BMW is acknowledging that. I’m a fan.
Ok, you’ve made it this far! Here’s a little behind-the-handlebars glimpse of riding at the BMW U.S. Rider Academy…
January 9, 2017
Motorcycling Through Northern California and Southern Oregon
“Shit!… are you kidding me?!? I don’t know about this. Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit!” (Or possibly stronger oaths.)
Those are the words I gasped in my headset to my dear man as the pavement suddenly deteriorated to something formerly known as asphalt. The sand and gravel covering it didn’t help matters. The unexpectedly unruly terrain had my bike dancing over its surface like a slapstick comedian trying to walk on ball bearings and banana peels.
This was my introduction to the Coos Bay Wagon Road in Oregon that he had joyfully selected as part of our route earlier that morning.
“Do you want to turn back?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said as my motorcycle wriggled like a restless toddler underneath me.
I took a few deep breaths and got rational. No. Backtracking was counter-productive. Suck it up. Ride. In spite of my confidence issues since last year’s crash, this isn’t that big of a deal. I reminded myself that I know how to do this. The situation is simply a surprise. How far could it be on this old logging road anyway, right?
The ball-bearings on glass scenario shifted to dirt and gravel. But with tight twisties. And then I found myself staring wide-eyed at a massive logging truck barreling at me around a blind corner on the narrow road.
More epithets ensued, of course, as I quickly corrected for the situation.
Those were only to myself this time. To my dear man, it was a calm “There’s a logging truck coming. Watch out.” That was the mom instinct kicking in. Finally. Project calm while internally freaking out. And not letting on how dicey the situation was for me.
It was then that I realized I was outriding him. He was not in my mirrors. I slowed to close the gap but he was way back, something that’s never happened before given his level of riding skills compared to mine. But on a new bike not equipped for this riding; a low sport-touring beast with no skid plate and a wide rear tire that might as well be a bouncy-ball on this terrain. My BMW F700GS was the better bike for the job, in spite of my lesser skills.
But that was more than mid-way through a 1,300-mile trip that started 4 days earlier.
The challenges of the Coos Bay Wagon Road forced retreat and rerouting — and a pause to check the integrity of our steeds after the effort.
A change of plans
So what do you do when your original plan for a motorcycle trip is waylaid by extreme temperatures and wildfires? You reroute, of course. That’s how I found myself wandering through northern California and Oregon instead of moseying my way south through the eastern Sierra.
The Independence Day holiday was approaching and we anticipated increasing traffic as the weekend approached. Our goal was to escape the brutal desert heat but avoid the building holiday traffic.
Not having ridden much in the west, this is all very new and challenging for me. I’ve been working on my skills on day trips in the eastern Sierra but the intensity of a seven-day trip of twisties and grades far more intense than in the east forced me to up my game considerably.
The riding in Lassen is nothing short of astounding. Several months later, my breath still catches thinking of the drama and beauty.
The route
My lackadaisical trip (yes, only 1,300 miles in seven days) wound from Carson City, Nevada to Eureka, California up to Coos Bay, Oregon, then back east around Crater Lake before returning to northern Nevada.
All in all, an excellent riding route. The Coos Bay Wagon Road was initially daunting but I eventually found my groove and ended up enjoying the ride. My dear man was having less of a good time. When we reached pavement again we felt triumphant. Then the road reverted to living up to its name, and we had to make a decision.
After chatting with a local and finding out we were looking at 20 more miles of slow-going, messy terrain, my partner gave that route a big thumbs down. By then, my tune had changed and I was kind of digging the idea of some more dirt. But it wasn’t worth risking damage to his bike, which isn’t designed for this kind of riding. Its low clearance on a rough road made the likelihood of busting his oil pan very high. And that would put an end to the trip. So we ended up backtracking to stay on more established throughways.
Keep in mind, this is the guy who looked at his 10-year-old map and said, “Hey, let’s try the wagon road. It’s probably paved by now.” We did consult Google Earth and saw plenty of blacktop. But we didn’t check the entire length of the road. Adventure travel. 🙂
Riding up the Oregon coast on Hwy 101 proved to be extremely challenging with erratic, strong winds. But this is still a spectacular ride.
Taking in the view of Crater Lake for the first time with my dear man.
The challenges
You know I’ve got some serious road-trip cred in my trusty Subaru Forester and while there are some overlapping challenges, motorcycle trips require an extra level of badassery. Contending with exposure and vulnerability make a two-wheel adventure a very different beast from a car journey. The truth is it doesn’t matter what kind of trip you’re on, there are always challenges. This is life, yes?
For this particular excursion, beyond still getting familiar with western riding, here are some of the more “memorable” challenges:
- The heat in the valleys in the first two days made every mile feel like three or four. We fought to stay hydrated and keep our minds sharp in the numbing heat. It was soul-sucking.
- We hit a number (ok, a lot…) of construction zones. The kind where you can wait up to 30 minutes for a pilot car. On scorching black asphalt in full gear, you can imagine the discomfort. At one point we had to park our bikes on the shoulder and scramble to the paltry shade of the only pathetic, scrawny tree in sight for a scrap of shade so that we didn’t roast.
- Oh, Oregon, you do know how to blow a motorcycle around. I’m no stranger to intense weather and wind on the bike but the Oregon coast takes the cake on unpredictable, erratic winds. Gusts shifting around you constantly means you don’t know which direction the next blast is coming from. That kind of riding takes its toll. By the time you’re off the bike for the day, you feel like you’ve been in a boxing ring getting pummeled for hours on end.
- My western bike, a gorgeous BMW F700GS, isn’t quite yet dialed in on ergonomics like my darling Moto Guzzi (“Nina”) in Georgia. That means fatigue from poor positioning; mainly throttle hand cramping and numbness. That will tire you out quickly. Hence the only 1,300 miles in seven days.
- The heat and fatigue contributed to exhaustion that kept me from being productive at night. I know that’s not an issue for most folks out for a jolly trip, but it’s a reality of my blogger life and it became a point of frustration.
Imagine my ironic laughter hitting yet another construction zone… on a remote logging road in rural Oregon. I can’t help but think the construction gods were unhappy with us.
Even in a Crater Lake National Park we hit challenging road construction.
The rewards
Of course the reasons we adventurer-types do this is for the rewards; the groovy discoveries along the way.
- It was my first visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park. This not-well-known park is breathtaking and includes some seriously fun riding. I’m bookmarking it for much more exploration in the future.
- This trip also took me to Crater Lake National Park for the first time. By the time we arrived, the holiday crowds had already descended on the park. It was a madhouse. Another bookmark set for better timing.
- We found several charming mom-and-pop motels. Complete with actual, honest-to-goodness keys to the rooms and owners running the front desk. And a retro mountain resort where time appears to have stopped in the 1970s. Very old school but fun.
- We found unique, yummy places to eat. Local breweries, hamburger joints, cafes — they were ripe for the picking. I will admit to putting on a few pounds on this trip. Totally worth it.
- All along the way, we met great people. Being on motorcycles just seems to make you more accessible and both riders and non-riders always love to chat about where you’re going.
- The riding was phenomenal. I love my mellow, southern roads but the exhilaration that comes with the terrain here makes the heart pitter-pat.
I don’t know that I’ll ever stop gushing about riding in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Would I do it again?
Yep. Absolutely. Great roads. Great riding. On a second go, I would either compress this trip down to five days or add on some miles to make it a fuller seven days. And just know what I’m getting into on the Coos Bay Wagon Road in advance. Then attack it with gusto!
My first view of the iconic Crater Lake in Oregon. Despite the bustling holiday crowds , there was no resisting wrestling the infrared camera from my panniers to grab a quick shot.
Some more random images from a crazy motorcycle adventure!
September 21, 2016