Myths and Truths about Adventure Motorcycling
 

When I started following the comunity more than two decades ago (joining HU more than 15 years ago), there was a lack of easily accessible information (of sound quality) about adventure motorcycling - especially in relation to very remote destinations.

Although adventure motorcycling was nothing new in itself at the time, it was still fairly young on the Internet. Particularily loud voices, coming from a few, but not so candid self pronounced experts, took up a lot of space. Their voices were amplified and echoed through the sofa-travelers who who joined the quire - sofa travelers who hid the fact that they had little first hand experience - passing on hearsay as both fact and first hand information.

Some of the loudest had set out on adventures to satisfy a need to both feel and be perceived as special and extraordinary. To solidify this, they created a false narrative which imposed a false image upon the world - one of themselves as heroic adventurers dealing with dangers and struggles - all blown way out of proportion (Truth: adventure motorcycling, however special the experience is to the avdenturer, it doens't make the traveler into anyone special, just one of many tousands of members of a very special comunity).

Many noobs were led astray - having been led to believe that going on a motorcycle adventure required far more skills, knowledge, tools, funds, bravery, time, etc, etc, etc - than really was the case. To some the whole notion of undertaking an adventure lost its luster, to others expectations were increased and not met. Others still, went over kill on their preparations - spending too much time and money getting prepared. Some decided to shelve their dreams until such a time when things were better aligned - only to experience that the real window of opportunity closed on them..

The self pronounced heroes led some opposers and truth seekers to follow the anti heros of the past - to set out to prove to the world that one can go RTW with; no funds, no plan, no skills, no prior experience - on motorized bikes barely suitable to take you arround your own neigborhood. The tales on the internet of people who have done exactly that are now so many that there should be no doubt - motorcycle adventuring is accessible to everyone!

The anti heros, however effective they were at killing off heroic myths, they created their own damming myths - that anything goes for anyone and everyone - that there are no real "needs", only "nice to haves"..... "Don't listen to the fanatics that try to impose a monster insurance on you. Just take your wallet, your passport, and whatever vehicle you have - and just go, go go!. It will be the most enjoyable and enriching experience of your life!". There is more than one breed of fanatics in this community I guess.

The Adventure Motorcycling Community has come a long ways the last 20 years. But, even though both the heros and anti heros of the past have become older and more mature, taking a more moderate and balanced stance on matters - the remnants of the old still echo ever so softly - leading to continued distortion of myths and truths. It is very easy for a noob, with little information to go on, to stumble upon these echoes - sometimes even in newer threads.

In particular it seems that there is still some confusion between; "capable" vs "suitable", "possible" vs "reasonable", "nice to have" vs "need to have", "tangible benefits" vs "intangible benefits", "functional attributes" vs "emotional attributes", and so forth. The informational approach often fail to see that there is a gliding scale between these opposites, and not a one or the other.

We owe it to ourselves and others to provide context when we both ask for the opinion of others, or give our own - keeping in mind that everything is relative and that choices are personal.

For example: Where one bike might deliver in full in the emotional department, it may deliver short in the practical department. Does that mean it is a poor choice for someone with a particular emotional perversion - an itch that can't be scrathed enough? What if it is just a kinky fetish that one needs to get out of one's system before being able to pursue the more practical choice - maybe on the follow up trip? Hardly so! Still, usually the functional attributes carries more relevance to more people than emotional attributes, far more often than not. Whereas discussions about feelings cannot be won with reasoning, there is always such a thing as a "most pragmatic option" for any given situation. In the end, choices are personal and usually subject to compromise. The best we can do is provide context and explanation to the advice we deal - so that the other can make a personal, yet informed decision.


What I would like for this thread is that people discuss myths and truths pertaining to motorcycle adventuring. I think it would be especially useful if it is directed towards novices and beginners.

I am not sure I understood most of that and the parts I did understand were for a large part contradictory to my experience.

There is no such thing as "Adventure Motorcycling" outside the BMW colouring in department and their quest to shift dakar styled touring bikes.

There is travel, touring, whatever you want to call it. You know where you might want to go, what you might need and plan accordingly. Brighton or Bolivia, same process, different result.

The Internet and a lot of Boomers finally realising they were never going to win TT or GP created the whole bubble of b******s and selling stuff. Just like Rebel accounts and dentists on their cruisers on sunny Sundays. I'm not sure its over, still see plenty of half ton Behemoths with silver plastic square boxes.

Andy

You haven't got yourself stuck in the Facebook HU group again have you Wheelie? :rofl:

Found yourself being seduced by the siren song of over Photoshopped pictures, come hither posts about KTM's being better than, well, anything really and Rohypnol laced stories by bigger, faster and more attractive adventurers than you? Get out of there, leave, and don't go back. Ignore all the doomsters, gloomsters, (!), hucksters and snake oil salesmen. All they want to do is drag you back to their writhing cesspit of commerce and envy. Wander out into the cold dawn of financial penury that the rest of us inhabit and give your existing bike a big hug. That's the one to use, the one that's stood by you through thick and thin. Just get on, look towards the rising sun, see how it colours your dreams as you ride towards it. It's time to make penance for your previous life.

And if you're a novice or a beginner, watch as Wheelie shrugs off the ties that bound and rediscovers the simple pleasures of riding a motorcycle in an unfamiliar land. You'll spot him easily; he'll be the one wearing sackcloth and ashes and looking at the scenery rather than someone else's panniers.

TL;DR

Listen to the experience of others but make your own decisions. It's your trip and nobody else's.

Adventyre
 

Adventure motorcycling is when you go out of your comfort zon.
When you expose yourself.
And make yourself vulnerable.


It has nothing to do with type of bike you ride or what is the surface of the road.
How many miles you ride. Or if you reach that end destination or not.

so we are back to........... What is an Adventure ? and what is an Adventure bike ? Certainly not one of those big heavy 1200+ things............. something more like a t7 or cb500 x , both much better for a real adventure !:scooter::scooter::

Well let me give you somebody else's definition:

"Adventure is the unexpected experience of discovery, of course"

That seems like a reasonable way to put it, and the sort of thing you'd get straight out of a dictionary, but there's a second half to it:

"but it is also a kind of death, an end of innocence"

Now that's a lot darker. That aspect of adventure doesn't get discussed that often but it is there and you don't have to look that hard to find it.

So whose definition is it? I'm sure there's someone out there who'll recognise it. The only clue I'll give is that it was made in connection with travel.

As for trying to define an adventure bike, good luck. Wrestling with that conundrum is a puzzle of Nietzschian proportions and probably deserves its own chapter in the annals of western philosophy. :rofl:

Is this an adventure then ?.......... just go for a ride ( anywhere ) without a map
or a gps and just go where you fancy !
You never know where you will end up. That is an adventure !
When i travel seldom take a map dont have a GPS . see so many people with a guide book and a gps in both hands !

Well,,,my oh my! Not being as eloquent as you guys, ( I've read this 4 times and I don't understand most of what you guys wrote doh) I'll just try and put in my 2 cents.

First rule, adventure is the result of poor planning and impulsive decisions. My life is an example of this :rofl:
I ride big bikes. I like big bikes. Ride what YOU like.
I've been riding for 50 years and travelled to 20 plus countries on bikes,,,,and hardly took a photo or blogged or written about it,,,so I wasn't influenced by much of anything. I didn't know I was doing it wrong, so I just kept doing it.So I guess what I mean is just go ahead and do it.:scooter:
Mileage setters are missing the best part. Stop often, talk to everyone you meet, smile a lot, buy a stranger a beer. bier
Read all the advice, but walk your own path.
I don't know if this is what you were asking for, but that's what I think.
Cheers!

'Myths & Truths'....???? Not sure how long the OP took to write all that but I too didn't really understand what exactly he was getting at. There are endless threads on here debating similar content one being 'Are you a biker or Traveller' which for me is more relevant.
If you are comfortable in life and uninfluenced by others in general then you yourself know why you go travelling and what constitutes an adventure. BMW however won't like you for having an independent mindset be warned...!!!!
Its pretty sad and obvious that there is quite a few out there that would love to consider themselves AS the 'Myth' but the 'Truth' is the most interesting travellers to get a conversation going with are the more conservative ones, the ones who don't need to be heard, the ones who aren't draped in sponsored related gear and more importantly the ones who have a life, a family and a job that finances there travel lust. They go travelling or 'Adventuring' for there own specific needs and wants...

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The myths and tips idea isn't so bad, but I fear the new riders who need the tips are the ones more likely to fall for the myths?

Newbie: What bike?
"Correct Answer" : Blue 2019 KTM 790 with Aezolli Wheels, Lever Brothers luggage, green 10W63 oil and the rest of the shopping list on my blog.
Sensible answer: The one you like and can apply a few years experience to match to your needs.

Newbie: How do I get Sponsorship
"Correct Answer" : Send me your address, I'll post you free stuff and a brown envelope of 20's to pay for your holiday.
Sensible answer: Become very good at a popular sport or be more successful in your acting career.

The ones looking for the sensible answers probably know it already.

Andy

Hello

Yes, and we should nerver forget that the roads, dirt tracks etc., where we find our adventure, are the infastructure of the locals who live there.
Our "end of the world" is their "center of the world".

Heros or antiheros, don't know who you mean at the time back then.
I got inspired by books and one or two slide-shows, long before Youtube.
Never saw them as heros, just "I wanna do that too".
On Youtube I see and enjoy a lot of reports of trips, some are great, while at others I have to turn off the audio and just enjoy the film.
Everybody who has done his first ride will figure out that it's not that big a deal and will be able to differentiate for themself what others report .

What's an adventure bike?
Quite simple, if "adventure" is written on it, it's one. :D

cheers
sushi

As an anthropologist, I am not sure I would agree with what you are trying to imply. It sounds more like an attempt to describe the duality relationship between perceived perception and reality. However, the reality is a perceived notion of social constructs based on your own internal bias and perceptions.

The notions of myths and truths is an abstract one as they are equal the same and relative to the ethnocentric and idiosyncratic view of the observer. I have travelled the world three times tied to a backpack, and I have ridden or drove in three continents. If I step away from the bike, I’m still the same person has on it, the debates between biker and traveller irrelevant.

The questions asked and the solutions offered from experience are sought by others to allow them to frame the experience and develop their schema to the situation or experience.

In the 1650s, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal asked one of the most counterintuitive aphorisms of all time: “The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he cannot stay quietly in his room.” the point is here that whatever your external activity is; it is only a projection of your internal self.

A quantitative question will be sought to a qualitative problem; this is an attempt to frame the interaction to the internal socio reference perception of the one seeking the advice.
The only real solution or answer to anything will always be it is your own choice to your singular experience, or whatever one decides is the solution to them is the right answer.

The old adage of there is no dumb question, and there are no right answers; all debate is subjective and therefore meaningless. What is right for you is Right!

somebody is overthinking it...

......and some....!!!!!

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so ........... shall we all just sell our bikes and play scrabble !:oops2::oops2:

Hold on, wait a minute, what are we saying here, let me throw in a grenade with my overweight, cumbersome, none practical scratch built, only one in existence, not a factory built BMW, 2 wheeled Landrover....!!! Is it a 'Myth' ...??? No, it's 'True', it really does exist and one day it will be coming to a continent near you..!!! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f47031de11.jpg

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Here's a little algorithm that I apply to my life;

Believe a quarter of what you read,
Half of what you are told,
Much of what you see for yourself.

It's dead easy (in this medium, as well as other media) to work out which reports are consigned to the rejected three quarters of the first line.

If you have the capacity its not possible to overthink something, but it is certainly possible to underthink it if you do not!

Nice! It's Orange! I Like the bar work...

Looks like OUR 'Over Thinker' has removed his thesis.....!!!! Oh Dear..!!!

It was deleted because unlike yourselves, I didn't want to make a big thing out of something that doesn't matter, but like all British people like you, the only reaction you can have when faced with something you do not understand is to try and bring it to down to your level...

If you have the capacity, it's not possible to overthink something, but it's certainly possible to underthink it. So maybe it's best removed to make way for a pictorial version for you!

I'm quite confused by the original post, and also quite confused by many of the replies.

I've ridden my Canadian motorcycle through every Western, Central, & Eastern European country as well as all of North Africa from Morocco to Libya - I've done that for at least a month every year (not all the countries every year, obviously) for the past 20 years.

I don't consider any of that travel to be "adventure" travel - to me, it's just travel for the pleasure of it on a type of vehicle I enjoy operating.

During my working life, I was an aircraft pilot. in the 1980s & 1990s, I flew for the International Committee of the Red Cross, in war relief, in the civil wars in Angola, Mozambique, Liberia, Western Sahara (back when it was WS), South Sudan, Somalia, etc. I've been shot down with a missile, taxied over land mines, but never thought that was "adventure" work - it was just pleasant & interesting work.

More recently, just before I retired, I would deliver new aircraft from the factory to customers all over the world - I usually visited about 60 different countries every year. I didn't consider that to be "adventurous" - again, it was just pleasant & interesting work.

Why do we need to call something an "adventure" to make it seem worthwhile? Just do what you enjoy doing, that's all that matters.

Michael

It's not a case of 'Don't Understand' , it's a case of whether a post is relevant or not. Your obviously a super intelligent member of this forum that is clear to see but your post was a clear display of it, way beyond me I'm not ashamed to admit. As for slagging off the British, go for it, not a problem, we love banter. You should know this anyway, your forefathers would have taken the 'banter' gene with them surely...???!!!
At the end of the day you ride a bike and travel, that's good enough for me to call you a Brother, super intellect wouldn't help you roadside broken down but I would stop and help you out and expect nothing in return. Lets keep this sensible please.....

In the meantime I'll get my colouring book out and my crayons....!!!!!

I'm actually from Manchester, born in Rusholme and dragged myself out. I was a fabrication welder before Thatcher destroyed the industry and I switched to Uni. Apart from funerals and the odd visit, I haven't been back for twenty years, why would you (Manchester) err... I agree let's be gentleman, I will delete my post.

Thanks, Brother, I will lend you my colouring in pens

Well what can I say; to take the road less travelled, I'm sorry to see your post's been removed. Sure, not many of us are sociologists, psychologists or anthropologists (although my kids are!) but it doesn't hurt from time to time to reflect on why we do what we do. And now's not a bad time to do it as actual travel is thin on the ground.

I'm not sure we need to go as far as turn it into an academic discipline (although others do - https://motorcyclestudies.org/volume...-david-walton/ ) but there's been enough posts here over the last few months that suggest people are, at some level at least, kicking the tin can around inside their heads. Even the BBC have been getting in on the act with a programme on R4 a few days ago considering the difference between a tourist and a pilgrim (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r8d8q )

Most of the travel books (bike or otherwise) that make it to the top of the must read lists here all have some degree of reflection or (more rarely) analysis built into their pages. To dismiss it all as pointless is doing the authors a disservice. Everybody makes decisions when they travel - take this photograph rather than that, turn down here rather than there, talk to him and not him. It goes with the territory. All I'm suggesting is that it's occasionally a good idea to look at why you make those decisions. The answer doesn't have to be couched in impenetrable academese.

Nice to see it's on the road :clap: You're going to have to give us a guided tour some time :thumbup1:

Looks good. Is it available in blue? :D

Seriously, it does look good and it is nice to see it out and about.

Sorry, only in KTM Orange...!!!

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If course, when the covid fog lifts..!!

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Quote 'Quite simple, if "adventure" is written on it, it's one.'
Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.
Edit, 'if you have what you consider an adventure while you are riding it, it's one'.

For gods' sake, the rest of the world hates motorcyclists as it is, let's at least try to be a bit more empathetic amongst ourselves and accept that not everyone has to comply with our personal norms and standards without being denigrated.

No, no..

Only if the marketing department declares it as an "adventure bike" and sells it as one, it's one.
What would the biking community be if EVERYBODY could decide this for themself.

sushi

Its like birthday cake.

You can eat it on any day.

If it says Happy Birthday on the icing someone possibly designed it for someone's birthday but may never have seen that person or have a clue about how old they are, what they like..... etc.

If you have a party because you survived another circuit round the sun and eat any cake, that was Birthday cake, icing doesn't matter, have cheese instead if you like that.

The fact the cake says Happy Birthday in the icing does not make you a year older regardless of what the cake shop suggests. If you like iced cake, candles and singing every Wednesday, knock yourself out but don't ask me to watch the video.

Andy

I think we need to make a bit of a distinction here by what we mean by "adventure" because we're talking about different contexts.

You can have an adventure on an "adventure" bike, or a Gold Wing, or a Super Cub. What we generally think of as an adventure is the road less travelled, relying on our selves and our bike and the kindness of strangers. There's no law that says you can't do this all on tarmac, all off road, or any combination of the two.

However, different bikes are suitable for different things, an effortless cruiser will be unwieldy on unpaved roads, a nippy city bike will be out of its depth on long highways and an enduro blaster will be a PITA everywhere but the forests and deserts. There's a market sector that has been called "adventure bikes" because they possess abilities to be usable on and off road, maybe not as well as a specialist machine in either area, but enabling more flexibility on a long trip where you expect to do both.

So go, have an adventure. That's what it's all about after all. Ride what you like, and if it's an "adventure" bike all it says about you is you're anticipating a particular type of journey :)

being shot down by missile is definitely and adventure, you just earned a badge :thumbup1: wish somebody shot my bike down by a missile it would make my day :Beach:

p.s.
nothing wrong with using word "adventure", it's a word like any other but it was overused by BMW sell department for sure.