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!
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!!!
A Trip Up And Down The Mountain
We’re in the middle of a Vermont winter and the snow has flown quite liberally this year. Our back yard has a foot or so on the ground now and thus far, we’ve received nearly 5 feet of the cold white stuff. So when a company named Motorcycle House www.motorcyclehouse.com contacted us and asked us if we would test some of their products, I had to explain that it was presently the middle of the winter here in Vermont, and that we’d be happy to test their gear, but that we couldn’t test it on the bike until spring. That didn’t bother Dewayne from Motorcycle House one iota, and he rapidly agreed to send us a couple of Viking Cycle Enforcer jackets to test and provide comments on, whether they were good or bad. Soon the two Viking Cycle Enforcer jackets arrived and upon opening the box, I was quite impressed. So while we are waiting for Spring to come to Vermont, we decided that a winter test was in order. We couldn’t ride with the jackets on the bike, but we could try them out at one of the east coast’s largest ski areas. So we put on our boots, skis, gloves and Viking Cycle Enforcer jackets and headed to the mountain for a few rides. Before we tell you how it performed on the mountain, here’s some info on the features and design of the jackets.
This 3/4 touring design is well thought out and it has several features that are not included in jackets costing hundreds of dollars more. Here are just a few of the thoughtful features you will find on this jacket. The interior has several well arranged pockets. On both interior sides of the jacket are three pockets. Each side has two small pockets which can hold small items as well as a third zippered pocket of good size. The first of the small interior pockets has a tag indicating that they are for a small electronic device. These pockets are suited for an item the size of an ipod. Thoughtfully, there are two wire pass through holes in each of these pockets through which you can feed cables or wires should you want to use wired headphones or the like. A nice touch is that the wire holes are not directly in line, so if any moisture gets into the pocket, it can not directly travel through to the interior pocket where the device is being kept. Smart!. Directly below the device pockets are slightly larger pockets (perhaps 4″ deep) that could hold larger items such as pens etc. There are also nice zippered pockets on both sides of each main zipper. On both sides of the jacket behind the main jacket zipper is a larger zippered pocket one of which is labeled to hold sunglasses, but could equally hold maps etc. as well. There is one more 6″ X 6″ zippered pocket in the interior of the jacket with a covered zipper. So what does the interior of the jacket give you? Seven different size pockets three of which are zippered. All of these pockets are accessible with the jacket liner installed in place. With the jacket liner removed, you lose the 6″ X 6″ pocket, but you gain a 10″ x 7″ zippered pocket with a water resistant zipper. You can also get to this pocket with the jacket liner installed, but you will have to unzip the liner about 5″ to get to it.
Speaking of the liner, it is not very thick but it does insulate well. There is a tag indicating that the liner is polyester, PU coated. This seems to indicate that the liner may act as a rain liner as well, but since we were skiing on the snow, we can’t comment if it is waterproof or not. Many jackets come with liners that insulate you around the body, but the liner does not have sleeves. We were pleased to find that the Enforcer’s liner did have attached sleeves all the way to the sleeve cuff. Removing the liner is quite simple, a single zipper wraps around the interior of the jacket and the sleeves are removed by detaching a single button at the sleeve’s cuff. I can say that the liner insulated fairly well, was not uncomfortable and was easy to get in and out of.
The exterior of the jacket has several zippered pockets as well, one zippered pockets of each side of the chest and one fold over and velcro pocket at each side of the waist. The cuffs of the jacket are are adjustable with velcro as is the waist with the use of two separate side cinch straps. Each sleeve is adjustable for size with the placement of three separate snaps which allow you to adjust the fit of the bicep. I have fairly large biceps and with the liner installed and the button at the loosest, it fit well with no tight feeling.
The jacket’s main zipper is of the storm flap design (double flap) with each side of the jacket’s zipper being covered by material to seal out wind and moisture. Each of these flaps button together over the main zipper. As we stated earlier, we did not use the jacket in the rain so we can’t comment on its water resistance, but can vouch for the design idea. Lastly, the collar of the jacket is covered with a neoprene like material. Smooth, it was comfortable, sealed out the wind well, and did not chafe or catch my beard. A nice touch, nicely done.
Lastly, the jacket is armored, with foam armor in the shoulders, elbows and back. We could not tell whether the armor was ECE approved, but based on the foam material, we don’t think it was. If it is, we will let you know.
So with all these features, how did the jacket perform? Overall, very well! When we arrived at the top of the mountain it was about 30 degrees F (-1 C) and the wind was blowing quite strongly. I was wearing a poly undergarment and a wool sweater. The liner in the jacket was in place and I can report that I was nice and warm. During two runs, no air seeped into the jacket and the blowing snow did not penetrate it. It was comfortable and the longer tail of the jacket kept any air from penetrating from underneath. We’ll report again on the jacket once Spring has arrived and can try it out on the bike.
As of this writing, the jacket is priced at $99.99 and represents an amazing bargain for the price. It would be well worth it for double the price. We don’t know how long it will be at this price, but based on this test, I would even buy it for a ski jacket, never mind having it do double duty as a motorcycle jacket.
I Stole Your Stuff, You Should Thank Me!
Imagine you have always wanted to build a personal adventure bike. A bike that does all the things that you think are important very, very well. It is perfect for both the pavement and gravel. It’s powerful but also lightweight and extremely agile. You gather your thoughts and set to the task of building this machine. Using all of your knowledge and capability, hard earned over years of on and off road experiences all over the world, you build the bike of your dreams and put it out in front of your house with some close up pictures to show people what you’ve created and what others can do if they try.
Free image courtesy of Pixabay.com
Then without permission or warning, a person takes your bike, puts it in the back of a pickup truck and drives all over the world charging people $1 to see it. He also posts it online and sells magazine subscriptions using your handcrafted personally created bike to support his publication. Then, one day you see your bike in the back of the pickup and give chase. Finally, the driver stops. You get out of your car and knock on the window of the pickup and tell the driver you want your bike back immediately! If he does not return it, you will contact the authorities.
The driver of the pickup looks you in the eye and with a degree of indignation says, “You selfish rotten person. I always tell the people who pay to see the bike, that you built it and that you took the pictures of it. I even put it online and give you credit for both the bike and the pictures. No matter what, I always give you credit for the awesome machine that you built. People deserve to see this awesome machine, so I am publishing it to the world and under the Constitution and right of Free Press, I have a right to do what I am doing. Oh and by the way, go ahead and call the authorities, all you will do is ensure that we will receive more subscriptions to see what and how we are going to handle this situation.”
Does all of this seem far fetched? I wish it were, but the above analogy is taken from a situation experienced by a friend of mine, Lisa Morris and her fiance’ Jason Spafford. A few years ago, Lisa and Jason decided to chuck the 9 – 5 grind, sold almost everything they owned and departed on a wandering world wide riding adventure. To them, the adventure is more important than living a rooted, established life. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t working. No, in fact they are working very hard. On a daily basis, the deal with the ups and downs of overlanding far from home (the UK) in many different foreign countries, using the only the money they earned from the articles and pictures they create for various magazines and their website; Twowheelednomad.com. This is how they make their living.
So it came as a shock to me when Lisa reported that she had been told that one of her articles had been published by an online publication that did not pay her for the use of her article or pay for the use of Jason’s pictures. She looked online and found that the online publication had indeed published her article. The publication did not even have the decency to contact her to ask her if they could use it. Annoyed, Lisa contacted the “publisher” and asked that the article be removed. Even more surprisingly, Lisa received a scathing and indignant email in return. The “publisher” proceeded to make a number of bewildering “points” that he had the right to use her work and she should be thankful for it! Portions of the email indicated:
- …we did you a favor by allowing other readers to enjoy your article…
- …how many other Independent Magazine Companies have done the same thing that we did? Are you going after everyone who read your article and talked about (it) they met through simple conversation?
- …you use the internet, which by the way is a FREE enterprise to all.
- …we try to reach out to all readers of the motorcycle community both (sic) men women and future riders without discrimination or riding style we will not apologize for adding your article to our magazine (emphasis added).
- …be aware that under a constitution and the right of FREE PRESS we can use it as long as you are recognized as the author and you took the photos.
- …don’t tell us that what we did for you is wrong or not right. We did you a favor, not an insult.
- I wish to thank you because all you did was draw attention to (the publication) and I am sure we will receive more subscriptions from this…
- Our 20,000 readers of our Magazine don’t need to hear any of this and our Radio and Live stream TV shows of over 50,000 viewers and listeners will never know how selfish you are by not allowing your story to be told.
- He closes his email with the tagline “See you on the road” TM which would seem to indicate that he has a desire to protect his claimed tagline through trademark protection.
Wow, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Could someone who claims to be a “publisher” be so misinformed and spiteful? What could possibly drive someone to conclude that they can take someone’s work product and use it without cost for their own use and perhaps financial gain? So let’s just take a look at what was reportedly in the email and try to figure out why this person thinks this way.
- …we did you a favor by allowing other readers to enjoy your article…
- So ensuring that others can enjoy Lisa’s work overrides Lisa’s right to compensation for her work and she should be happy about it?
- …how many other Independent Magazine Companies have done the same thing that we did?
- So others do wrong things, therefore I have the right to do wrong?
- Are you going after everyone who read your article and talked about (it) they met through simple conversation?
- Isn’t there a difference between people discussing a topic versus publishing someone else’s work work without permission or payment so you can personally benefit?
- …you use the internet, which by the way is a FREE enterprise to all.
- So is he saying if it’s on the internet, anyone can use content without permission from the author and/or any payment?
- …be aware that under a constitution and the right of FREE PRESS we can use it as long as you are recognized as the author and you took the photos.
- What can this mean? We assume he means the United States Constitution but could he be so confused about the right of the free press? Could he actually not understand the difference between freedom of the press and unauthorized publication of copyrighted content? Isn’t an article published after 1989 covered by copyright protection for 95 years after publication?
- I wish to thank you because all you did was draw attention to (the publication) and I am sure we will receive more subscriptions from this…
- So is the “publisher” now actually indicating that he used to content to gain more subscriptions, sell advertising or benefit financially? Was his intent actually to publish Lisa’s article for the benefit of others or just lining his pockets more?
- Our 20,000 readers of our Magazine don’t need to hear any of this and our Radio and Live stream TV shows of over 50,000 viewers and listeners will never know how selfish you are by not allowing your story to be told.
- Can he really be calling Lisa selfish because she worked hard, created something of value and would like to be asked for permission publish and be paid for its use?
- He closes his email with the tagline “See you on the road” TM which would seem to indicate that he has a desire to protect his claimed tagline through trademark protection.
- If the “publisher” feels it important to trademark his tagline and therefore retain control over its use, wouldn’t he want to give the same respect and protection to another fellow publisher? Why doesn’t he feel that he owes her similar protections?
I just don’t understand where this “publisher is coming from. It would seem that he wants protection for his published content, but it doesn’t appear he feels that similar protections are due to others. I can’t explain it, but I do know that I am upset about it and it just doesn’t seem right. What do you think? Leave us a comment and let us know
Rain, Bright Green Buildings, High Speed Cats, Fog & Barns
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has been posted. This time we ride in rain, park in front of bright green buildings, jump a Cat, play in the fog, and stand in front of a barn. You can find it by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting the link below into your browser.
We hope you enjoy it.
Bulging Trees, More Cable Ferries & Shrimp Factory Ships
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has been posted. This time we find bulging trees, more cable ferries, shrimp factory ships and more rain. You can find it by clicking HERE or by cutting and pasting the link below into your browser. We hope you enjoy it.
We Visit With Friends, Have Dinner and Entertain Mice
The latest episode of our Planet Ramble has been posted. Riding the remainder of the Cabot Trail, we stop to visit some old friends and make new ones we hadn’t planned on. You can find it by CLICKING HERE, or by cutting and pasting the link below:
We hope you enjoy the latest.
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!
Riding Into The Heart of Maine, We Find Rain, A Mill and Teddy Roosevelt
The latest episode of Stage 1A to our Planet Ramble has been posted. We ride into the heart of Maine in darkness, but miss hitting any moose. We end up exploring a state park where I walk on water and we hole up in an “old mill”. The following day we ride in rain and very bright sun. Then, in a very small town, we find relics from America’s 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt and Suffolk, England’s red communications technology.
You can find it by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the link below into your browser.
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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!
The Final Days Of Stage 1 Of Our Planet Ramble
The latest edition of our Planet Ramble has been posted. Today we ride from Glennallen, and Eagle River Alaska and end up at the airport for our flight home to Vermont. On the way, we pass some amazing glaciers, take the time to smell the flowers, ride great twisty roads and have a special guest send us off.
You can find the latest by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the link below:
Destruction Bay, Crossing the Border, A Failing Bike And Kim Gets Sick
The latest edition of our Planet Ramble has been posted. We leave Destruction Bay and ride the final miles back to the US border, where my lack of attention to maintenance rears its ugly head and Kim gets sick.
You can find this update by clicking HERE or cutting and pasting the link below:
Building the ALCAN Highway, The RCMP and Finding Destruction (Bay)
The latest edition of our Planet Ramble has been posted. Today we travel more of the ALCAN, have a quick visit with the RCMP and find Destruction (Bay) along the way. You can see it by clicking HERE or by clicking/cutting and pasting the link below:
We hope you enjoy it!
Mountains, Glaciers, Mirror Like Lakes And A Signpost Forest
Long overdue, here is the latest update to our Planet Ramble. In this post, we travel a lot of miles, riding from Idaho, to the top of British Columbia and ending up in the Canadian Yukon. Along the way, we see some awesome sights along the Icefields Parkway with mountains and glaciers surrounding us. We then continue deeper and further north to Iskut, British Columbia and see the most amazing mirror lake we have ever seen. Ultimately we end up at Watson Lake in the Canadian Yukon and find a Signpost Forest. You don’t want to miss this chapter! Join the ride by clicking HERE or clicking on the link below. Safe travels!!!
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.
The Gold Rush, A Prostitute and Coeur d’ Alene
The latest update to our Planet Ramble has been posted. This time we visit a Sprag Pole, and ride the Coeur d’ Alene Idaho state forest fire roads. You can find it by CLICKING HERE and starting with reply #89 or cut and past the below link
Horses, Berries and Eagles, Oh My!
The latest update to our Planet Ramble has been posted. This time, we play with horses, munch on berries and visit with eagles. You can find it by CLICKING HERE or by using the following link:
Kim’s Bike Takes A Nap And Duct Tape Reigns Supreme
The latest update to our Planet Ramble has been posted. Today, Kim’s bike takes an unauthorized nap and duct tape reigns supreme. You can find it by CLICKING HERE or clicking the link below starting with reply #85.
Kim Teaches Her DR A Lesson Or Was It The Other Way Around
A gorgeous day of riding today, nice temperature but once again the wind was up. Amazing scenery was everywhere. So it was near the end of the day when we decided to take a brief respite next to a river. I took a short walk and when I returned, found this.
Apparently the DR gave Kim some lip and she showed him who was boss. Or so we thought. When we retrieved Kim’s helmet, the DR had done its work on her communicator and I ended up making supremely tidy field repairs. The end result…
Awesome eh?
More details when the Planet Ramble thread is updated. I’ll let you know when that happens.
Ride2ADV’s World Ramble
We are about to head out on a long ride that may encompass many places and countries. We are very excited and will be leaving tomorrow, June 6, 2016. We will be chronicling our journey here on Ride2ADV.com as well as ADVRider. For the complete story and pictures from our travels, click HERE and you will be re-directed to ADVRider where we will be posting all the details of our journey complete with pictures.
We will also have a Spot satellite tracker that will update our position in real time. So if you want to see where we are 24/7, all you have to do is come to this page and click HERE or copy and paste this link
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=10ff55750ac5fbe899
into your browser to see where we are.
We will also be posting Facebook CLICK HERE and via Twitter CLICK HERE (@Ride2ADV)
We hope you’ll come along for the ride!
Honda Rolls Out New Africa Twin “Adventure Sports” Concept Bike
In a group of new introductions, Honda rolled out yet another adventure machine at the Osaka Motorcycle Show. Called the Africa Twin Adventure Sports Concept, this Africa Twin proposes to be a more adventure oriented and ready bike with a higher level of off road capability. The bike is still a concept at this time, but if the current Africa Twin and prototype CRF250 Rally are any indication, this up-rated Africa Twin just might make it to production.
Sporting a larger looking fuel tank, wide rear body panels that hint of perhaps more under seat fuel storage, a flat single piece seat, large, wide aluminum bashplate, bar risers, grippy billet platform footpegs, small frame, engine and rear brake protection bits, tubular luggage rack and upswept Termignoni exhaust,this version of the CRF1000L Africa Twin certainly looks the role of a much more sporty rally bike.
Missing in action are the bike’s turn signals, rear fender and mirrors, so it’s apparent that this bike is still a concept at this time. However, if a similarly equipped machine makes it into production, we are predicting that this bike will become more of an enduro model and a significant competitor to more off road worthy machines like the big KTM 1190. Time will tell.
Here are a few pictures to get your mouth-watering and your wallet burning.
The Finish Line Is Just The Start – The Shakedown Cruise
Well Kim and I have finally reached what has been our goal for over 40 years. On the 4th of July 2015, we retired from the corporate world. No more suits, no more ties, no more deadlines. After spending decades doing what others wanted us to do, it’s finally our turn to go out and play. I’ve even started the beard that I’ve always wanted.
To mark our new found freedom, we’ve decided to try an around the world journey. For now, we’re just going to do a little shakedown run to ease into the retirement waters. We’re heading north from our home and will take a route that will take us from NH, through VT, Quebec via the Gaspe Peninsula, Labrador via the Trans Labrador Highway, Newfoundland via parts of the Trailway, Nova Scotia and ME.
Then we’ll take some time off to sell our home and many belongings so that we can make our way around the rest of the world.
I’ll be on a 2011 KTM 990 Adventure and Kim will be on a 2013 Suzuki DR650.
Although both have been somewhat farkelized I can’t leave good enough alone. Kim’s DR needs something more to make it worthy. So I’ve added some Barkbusters, a 5 gallon Acerbis tank, a swoopy high mount front fender and relocated her well used windshield lower.
For a detailed ride report with pictures, please click here:
The Finish Line Is Just The Start
We’ll also have a Spot satellite tracker so you can watch us as we make our way and you can find it here:
We’ll update our ride report with pictures and text constantly, so remember to come back often. Please note that there are multiple pages at this ride report, so click on the page number at the bottom or top of the page as the ride report gets longer (you’ll see a block at the top or bottom of the page that says Page X of Y).
Rumors of KTM 390 Adventure Production Gaining Momentum
Multiple websites are reporting that the long-awaited KTM 390 Adventure lightweight adventure bike is making steps towards production. It is being reported that according to import documents, KTM has imported two test mules into India for “R&D purposes” under the code name KT22. The 390 Adventure is purported to be based on the KTM Duke 390 and RC390. As such, the sites are saying that the 390 Adventure will be the recipient of some of the components from the street siblings above.
Some of the sites are quite detailed about the components and details of the 390 Adventure which potentially makes these reports subject to increased scrutiny. If they “know” these things, why don’t they affirmatively say that the bike has received the production nod from KTM? Nonetheless, they are reporting that the 390 Adventure will likely share the Duke/RC390 engine. If this is the case, we can expect a 373 cc single cylinder, fuel injected engine that makes 43 horsepower and approximately 26 ft/lbs of torque. This will not put the bike on similar power footing with the KTM 690 Enduro, but hopefully could add to the range capability of the machine. It will reportedly have a six speed gearbox with the engine tweeked for application to a light adventure bike.
KTM 390 Adventure Mock Up
It is also reported that the 390 Adventure will get heavier suspension with longer travel, higher ground clearance, disk brakes on both ends and more off road oriented tires. This definitely makes sense and would likely be necessary for the bike to be a success. It it is being reported that the 390 Adventure will come with luggage mounts, a larger windshield and bark busters. Lastly, there will be some styling changes (obviously) with redesigned lights, a more comfortable seat and a side mounted exhaust.
Given that the test mule “R&D” bikes have been imported to India, it makes sense that the bike may be produced in the Bajaj plant in Chakan. Time will tell…
Click here, here, and here for three of the sites providing the info for this article.
If You Love Adventure Riding, Pay Attention!
Those of us who ride off road and enjoy using the land for responsible recreation are a giving, caring, protective, volunteering lot. We do more for trail maintenance, upkeep and responsible use than most. Unfortunately, there are a few of us who do not fall into this category and abuse the land without thought. Because of this, governmental agencies seeking to “protect the land from misuse” often “fix” the issue by imposing user restrictions and charging user fees. They believe that they know what’s best for all of us, and that their methodologies are the only way to do so.
We know that governmental agencies while good intentioned, governmental solutions often utilize bureaucratic and administrative means to “save the environment” by onerous methods. One of the most recent in the USA is the National Park Service’s plan to limit access to these important recreational areas. The NPS is presently taking comments to their proposed action in limiting access to a well loved and important recreational area in Utah called “White Rim Trail”. This beautiful trail travels long the rim of the Canyonlands National Park Canyon and is an amazing beautiful natural resource that should be available to all.
To “protect” White Rim and the general area, NPS is proposing the following:
The National Park Service is seeking public comment on a proposal to require permits for all motor vehicle and bicycle day use on the White Rim and Elephant Hill roads in Canyonlands National Park. Requiring permits for day use on these increasingly popular roads will help the park better protect resources and the visitor experience in these wild and remote locations.
For the White Rim road, a total of 50 day use vehicle permits (including motorcycles) and 50 day use bicycle permits will be issued each day. Group size will be limited to three vehicles and 15 bicycles.
A total of 24 day use vehicle permits (including motorcycles) and 12 day use bicycle permits will be issued each day for the Elephant Hill road. Group size will be limited to three vehicles and 12 bicycles.
While we support the preservation of important recreational lands, the NPS’s proposal is not the means to accomplish it. Their plan will limit access to 50 day use vehicles (which includes motorcycles) and 50 bicycle permits. Each vehicle and bicycle must obtain a permit prior to using the land. Even more ominously, NPS will be limiting group size to 3 vehicles (and 15 bicycles). NPS indicates that no fee will be charged for the 2015 – 2016 season, but they make no such assertions for the period beyond.
We can’t sit idly by while the Government continues to encroach on our land. It’s not the Government’s land, it’s your land and my land. So please, pay attention to land grabs like this and the many others that occur not only in the USA, but around the world. Speak up and make your voice heard. Write your legislators and tell them what you think and want. Email, snail mail, call. Do Something! Otherwise, what was once your land and my land will become the land of the government.
So, start now. Even if you do not use White Rim, or ever plan to use White Rim and the surrounding areas, take the time now to have your voice heard by those who would limit your access. Click here and let the Government know what you think. If you need some fodder for your comment, you can cut, paste and edit the below:
I am are quite concerned about the additional restrictions the National Park Service continues to impose upon law abiding land users. While the National Park Service’s goals may be well intentioned, the users themselves should be responsible for the appropriate and safe use of the land. Additional user fees and restrictions on usage do not improve the land or the overall use of the land. Responsible User Groups in concert with public education provide more appropriate oversight of our important natural and recreational resources.
NPS’s proposed actions continue to restrict access and impose fees which do not support the rights of the users. I consider NPS’s proposal to restrict access to 50 motorized vehicles per day and no more than 3 vehicles to a group is overly restrictive and does not further the goals of protecting the land. Please do not restrict access to the lands that belong to the people. NPS’s proposal, while well intentioned, restricts and reduces access to the lands that ALL citizens are entitled to enjoy.
If you don’t take action now, your right to ride will continue to shrink. Thanks for taking the time to read this and more importantly, make your voice heard by commenting using the link above. For a brief look of what it is like at Canyonlands National Park, check out the video below. Don’t lose your access!
Ride2ADV 