Tiny Swoopy Roads, Amazing Views and Wooly Coos
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we find tiny swoopy roads over and through Scotland’s mountains, find some amazing scenery and have an encounter with Wooly Coos. Don’t know what a wooly coo is? Tag along on this episode and find out. You can ride with us by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the below link into your web browser:
We hope you decide to come along!
Scotch Whiskey, Castle Dungeons and Royal Yachts, Oh My!
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we discover the worlds largest collection of scotch whiskey (and drink some), find ourselves in a castle dungeon and sail in royal luxury. If you’d like to come along, you can CLICK HERE or cut and paste the following into your web browser:
We hope you come along!
Dim Castles, A British Military Tattoo, Strong People, Centaurs And Lots Of Scotch Whiskey
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we stay in a dimly lit castle, discover the British Military Tattoo and find amazing characters after finding huge quantities of single malt scotch whiskey. If you’d like to come along, you can CLICK HERE or cut and paste the following into your web browser: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/kim-mikes-most-excellent-planet-ramble.1151194/page-12#post-34523022
We hope you come along!
Barging Onto A Barge, Ferry Nightlife And A Rainy Castle Ride
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we attempt to barge onto a barge, experience ferry nightlife and end up at a castle in the rain. You can ride along with us by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the below into your web browser:
We hope you come along!
Ferries, Early Morning Beer, Carte Blanche, Road Racing & Hanging With King Julien
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been published. This time we line up for more ferries, experience early morning beer, get carte blanche while road racing and hang out with King Julien. It’s just part of the German and Dutch experience.
If you’d like to come along for the ride CLICK HERE. If this doesn’t work, cut and paste the following link into your web browser:
We hope you join us!
Ferries, Ducati Bike Service, Chili Beer And Viking Container Ships
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we find a brain opening, get the bikes serviced, rescue a moto “hostage” and find container ships. You can come along with us by clicking HERE or copying and pasting the below link into your web browser:
We hope you will come along!
Two Men Screaming, Deep Thoughts and Blowing Bubbles At The Palace
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. In Norway we find two men screaming, think deep thoughts and blow bubbles at the Norwegian Royal Palace. If you would like to come along, you can click HERE or copy and past the following link into your web browser:
We hope you come along!
Viking Ships, Well Preserved People, & Light Rail Vehicles
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. We roll into Norway and right into Oslo. Meeting up with our riding friend Bjorn, we find thousand year old Viking ships and artifacts, visit with some people preserved in metal and stone, ending up checking out light rail vehicles.
You can ride along with us by CLICKING HERE or cutting and pasting the below link into your web browser:
We hope you come along for the ride!
A Centuries Old Sunken Warship, Ikea And Country Music
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we visit a centuries old recovered and restored warship, make a “mandatory” stop at a Swedish Ikea and listen to country music… in Sweden. You can join us by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the below link into your web browser:
We hope you decide to come along!
Ancient Fortress Walls, Spicy Monks, 80 Year Old Women Riders And An Old Towne Faire
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we breach an ancient fortress wall, meet faceless and spicy monks, meet 80 year old woman motorcycle riders and visit an Olde Towne Faire. You can travel with us by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the following link into your web browser.
We hope you come along!
Penthouses, Blacksmiths and Ocean Sunsets
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we travel to Tallinn, Estonia and find a 12th floor penthouse, hang out with blacksmiths and tour through Estonia as it was hundreds of years ago. You can come along for the ride by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting the following link into your web browser:
Come along for the ride!
Pickle Pizza, Apes, Pyromania And New Found Friends
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we leave Lithuania, get a pickle pizza, witness pyromania and find two new friends. You can ride along with us by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting the link below into your web browser:
We hope you come along!
Polish Ducatisti Hospitality, Road Runners, Wooden Menus And Leaving Lithuania
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we are treated like royalty by Polish Ducatisti, watch hundreds of runners take over the streets, order dinner from wooden menus and feel the fall of the Soviet Union in Lithuania. If you would like to join us, click HERE or copy and paste the below link into your web browser:
We hope you decide to come along.
Gate Crashing, Eating Royal Soup, Finding Dr. Seuss’s Secret Home And A Big White Angry Dog
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time, Kim crashes a gate, we get fed from a giant silver bowl, visit Dr. Seuss’s secret home in the Czech Republic and run from a paparazzi hating dog. It all happens as we leave Slovakia and travel through the Czech Republic into Poland. You can travel with us by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting this link into your web browser:
We hope you come along!
We Encounter Mechanical Glitches, Black Bison, Slovakian Harley Heaven And Get Free Harley Fuel
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. This time we run into mechanical problems, find the meeting place of Black Bison, inadvertently find Harley Heaven in Slovakia and get free Harley Fuel. If you’d like to ride along, click HERE. If this doesn’t work, cut and paste the below link into your web browser:
We hope you come along for the ride!
We Come Down Off The Mountain, Ride with Grimsel, And Dine With Fish
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has just been published. This time we come down from the mountains of Wengen only to head back up into them and ride the Grimsel Pass. We end up in the tiny town of Waltensburg, hang out with some of the Swiss National Ski Team and play with fish.
You can find the latest by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting the below link into your browser:
You will definitely enjoy this episode! Come along for the ride!!!
Eastward Through France, We Visit the Mont.
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble takes us further east across France with a visit to the famous Mont Saint Michel. An amazing Middle Ages Fortress and Monastery, it was attacked many times in history, but never taken. We walk through and find “interesting” things inside.
If you’d like to visit, click HERE.
If the link doesn’t work, cut and paste the below link into your web browser:
We hope you enjoy!
An Emotional Day In Normandy
The latest entry of our Planet Ramble has just been posted. For us it was an emotional day on the beaches of Normandy, France. You can read and see what happened by clicking HERE: or cut and paste the below link into your browser.
Ride2ADV Starts Phase 2 Of Our World Ramble
We are ready to start Phase 2 of our Planet Ramble. We’re off and riding Saturday June 3 for a few months. This trip will mostly be on pavement, so were doing a bit of an experiment and will be riding two modified Ducati Scramblers. Kim will be on a Scrambler Icon and Mike will be on a Scrambler Desert Sled. We’ve had to make some modifications to make the bikes suitable for our intended riding. The bikes now have aluminum panniers and top boxes. Kim’s bike has both upper and lower “case guards”, while Mike’s Desert Sled has only uppers. There is now weather protection for our hands, heated grips, oil cooler protection and some very bright led lighting. The last significant change is the addition of some larger and more sure footed footpegs.
There are some additional minor changes like a headlight guard on the Desert Sled and oversize sidestand feet. When we return, we’ll be looking at adding a bash plate (when we can find a quality one), or fabricate one ourselves if need be. Since this trip is to be mostly on road, this really shouldn’t be an issue. We are also running on OEM tires and will likely change to Continental TKC-80s for our trip to Morocco next Spring.
So what do they look like now? Here are a few pics.
If you’d like to see a brief video on the changes made to the Desert Sled, click the below video or on the link below the video.
Ride2ADV Nearly Ready for Phase 2 of Our Planet Ramble
We’re getting excited to start Phase 2 of our Planet Ramble. Last year we rode across North America from Vermont, USA to Alaska, USA. For Phase 2 will we be shipping our bikes (both Ducati Scramblers) to London to start a large clockwise circular route. Although subject to change depending what we find and see along the way, we should be traveling through England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and France. We’ll return to England and fly back to the USA.
We will be storing the bikes in England until March, 2018 when we’ll return to London and complete counter-clockwise journey through Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Once leaving southern Morocco, we will head north and once back into Europe, head east, ultimately spending some time in Italy, before returning ourselves and bikes to London for return to the US. This part of the journey is exciting and we’ll be posting about what we’ve seen and done as we travel.
Once again, we will have a satellite tracking capability so you can see us in real time as we travel. We’ll post link and additional info soon.
Until later!!!
Crossing Into Canada We Find Craft Beer, A Very Large Bird, Thoroughbred Race Horses, Wind Turbines And Gravel Roads Along The Ocean
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has been posted. This time we travel from Maine into Canada and find interesting craft beers, a very large bird, thoroughbred race horses, wind turbines and deserted gravel roads alongside the ocean. You can find it by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting the link below:
We hope you enjoy the latest!
Stage 1A Of Our Planet Ramble Begins; We Go North!
The latest edition of our Planet Ramble has been posted. Instead of heading south to warmer weather, we do the opposite and head north. We prep two brand new machines for this adventure. Kim rides a Ducati Scrambler and Mike rides a Honda Africa Twin. At the beginning of this portion of our journey, we get lost in Maine, ride in the dark in moose country and head for the Canadian border.
You can find the latest by clicking HERE.
Or you can cut and paste the below link into your browser.
Hope you enjoy our latest!
Can A Ducati Scrambler Be Made Into a Light Duty Adventure Bike?
Can a Ducati Scrambler be made into a comfortable light duty (i.e. pavement and maintained dirt/gravel roads) adventure bike good for longer trips and gravel roads? I had been asking myself that question for quite some time and have finally decided to investigate for myself. Those of you that follow us know that Kim and me just finished a trip from our home in Vermont to Eagle River, Alaska. We rode mostly on paved roads, although we did travel on some forest fire roads and unimproved roads. Kim’s Suzuki DR-650 performed admirably and carried her to Alaska easily. However, the DR is a fairly low powered thumper and riding it for long distances became somewhat of a tiresome experience for Kim. She said that although the bike did everything she asked and had a relatively lightweight feel, she felt under powered on those 75 MPH stretches of two lane roads common in the western US. Passing was more difficult that she desired, especially since I was traveling on a KTM 990 Adventure twin cylinder machine. She also wished that the bike was not a single because the thump, thump, thump of the single was tiring over time.
So I set about looking for a machine that was relatively small and light that we could turn into a light duty adventure bike. Since Kim is only about 5′ 3″ the bike could not be too high, nor could it be too heavy. She really wanted to get away from a single cylinder machine and frankly I don’t blame her. She never said a word during our over 7,500 mile trip to Alaska, but I had to ask myself, whether I would have enjoyed riding a single for that long a distance. My answer would be no, so I really shouldn’t expect her to feel any different. As I looked around the market, there really wasn’t much out there that fit Kim’s want list. She had already been on a V-Strom and felt it was too big and heavy. She had also ridden the BMW F650GS (twin) and F800GS extensively in Europe and South America, but she didn’t really like them because of their relative size and ride height. If she were to like a new machine, it would have to be about the size of her current Suzuki DR-650.
One of the few alternatives was the Ducati Scrambler. It’s a twin of approximately 800ccs and is actually very small in stature. Scramblers were created for dual sport, so if Ducati at least considered dual sporting, perhaps we could make this new Ducati into a light duty adventure bike. After doing some significant searching I found a number of bolt on parts that could potentially give her the utility of an ADV bike. So maybe, just maybe, we could adapt a Ducati Scrambler for ADV touring.
After a test ride and a bit of deliberation, we have taken the plunge. Kim is now the proud owner of a 2016 Ducati Scrambler Icon. The Icon is the base model of the Scrambler line and that suits us just fine. We’ve seen and tried Ducati’s own ADV parts and they fall far short of what we will need for our purposes. I’ve identified a number of parts that we are going to try and we’ll report on how well the fit our mission. So stay tuned for more updates as we attempt to convert a base Ducati Icon into an ADV machine Kim can love.
Just to entice you, here are a few pics of Kim’s soon to be converted Ducati Scrambler Icon which we will test out on a tour of the Canadian Maritime Provinces in early September.
Ride2ADV 