There is something especially exciting about closing the garage door, rolling out of your driveway on two wheels, and knowing it will be weeks before you come back.
The biggest differences between moto travel and what millions of people do every day are some thin panes of glass and two more wheels. Not being isolated from the breeze and sunshine and rain in a little metal and glass box creates a palpable connection with the world along every foot of your journey. You are not just starting here and ending up there. The views are bigger. The smells are sharper. The feeling of freedom is incomparable.
My cousin Brian and I enjoy exploring the mountains of the West. We enjoy riding our motorcycles. He has a Honda Interceptor sport bike (made for riding pavement). When we were in Colorado last July climbing 14’ers, we saw a fellow hauling his gear up a 4wd road to the high parking lot on a dual-sport motorcycle. Brian’s Subaru wouldn’t make it that far, so we were hoofing it on foot. Seeing this other guy not having to walk certainly got Brian thinking about a dual-sport motorcycle.
After test-riding my V-Strom last December, Brian had found one for himself by mid-January. Our used bikes had come with side cases and we already had camping gear. We just needed kitchen passes for a weeks-long trip. Those may be by far the most expensive parts of this trip. Just how expensive remains to be seen!
Some credit for the inspiration for a riding adventure out West is also due to a mixture of the film Wild Hogs, the Long Way Round tv mini-series, the many grand adventures I’ve read about, and all the ones I’ve gotten myself into over the years.
How could it not be tons of fun?!
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