I fully agree with the statement that the right attitude is the most important part of an adventure travel or of any travel really.

I was doing my first "adventure" riding in Laos a few years back not even knowing what adventure motorcycling meant that time. After watching "Long way down" I learned about this type of travel.

Anyway, I rode around Laos on a tiny rented Suzuki Van Van and it was the highlight of my otherwise 6 months back packing tour.




As you can see I'm not equipped with Touratech or Klim gear or had a gps but only relaying on the kindness of locals and a good attitude.

My first "adventure" tourer was a 78 Kawasaki KZ750B2 (twin). I was doing a lot of riding in the deserts of Northern Mexico and the high country of eastern California. The bike came to me from a guy nicknamed "Crash" and looked as if it had been dragged for days under a bus. It had fiberglass bags which I promptly removed (not paying attention and rode into an arroyo tearing both bags off). I replaced them with a set of 37mm ammo cans bolted to a set of homemade mounts (superb bags, waterproof, huge, indestructable if a bit heavy). The tires were, more or less bald (at 18 you don't really know very much) so I replaced them with full knobbies as I was off-road as much as on. This bike took me everywhere my VF750 would not and I had a blast doing it. Was it a great adv. tourer? Absolutely! My second foray was an 81 cx500 Honda (reused the same 37mm cans after the KZ was destroyed by a nearly blind (but awfully nice) old guy who ran it into a building while parked.The bags had one small dent...Verdict on the cx? Excellent! This was the most overbuilt bike in history. Liquid cooled, shaft drive, all for a 500cc twin. The bike was everything you'd want for rough overland touring (might've had more ground clearance). It was eventually replaced by a gs80 which was, of course, even better. It was the places I went, not really the bikes that made these years of riding so very good. I had thought I was very intrepid until I came across a guy on a 74 fl way up a set of fire roads in the back of beyond. No mods, street tires, just patient competent riding. Just shows that you can go anywhere if you've the will to.
Just playing Devil's advocate for a moment... have you ever noticed that the more difficult (arduous, nightmarish...) the trip, the more we remember? If you want a real adventure, take the worst imaginable bike for the job. Say, like Emilio Scotto, a Gold Wing through jungles, or perhaps a Hayabusa through Baja (no pavement, either) a 75 CZ Falta replica with lights cross country on interstates. If adversity breeds character, these trips would be very character-building. But they wouldn't be dull!

Possibly take up chainsaw juggling too? ;-)


I often like dull. Dull often seems to involve knowing that at 55 mph the plod will have to think of some other way to rip me off. Dull is a type of theft proofing, thieves don't do dull as much as flashy. Dull means than on days after the night before my brain can keep up with the machinery. If dull means camping halfway down some trail and doing the other half in the morning rather than doing it like a stage of the Dakar I'll have to be dull.


Andy

You ride, so you aren't addicted to the dull. If you were, you'd be on the toyota prius forum. What seems dull can sometimes turn out superbly. In March I went riding (28 degrees F, snow filled trails) this got a little sporty for me (lots of crabwise motion) so I retreated to the paved/plowed much duller back roads. I stopped for a short break near a stand of pines. Off to my right I saw movement and, there on the same tree, were a pair of birds. One was a bluejay and the other a male cardinal. Brilliant sun, deep green and black trees, white snow, and two of our most colorful and spectacular birds all in one place. Were I a religious man, I'd say God was rewarding me for the earlier visual comedy of my snow riding. Such vivid images must be seen in person, this will not happen in the living room. So much for the duller road.

You really hit the nail with that comment. I mean aren't we all here to be adventurous, to ride a bike into the unknown to have an adventure? So why so many people choose the high tech bullet proof super comfortable warrantied machines? In our modern high tech life does the word adventure lost its meaning?

Well, I always want bulletproof (mechanically) so I get a bit heavy with maintenance. The funny thing is that adventure sort of occurs, you don't need to look for it. Getting lost on Chicago's south side was an adventure, but it wasn't planned. You can go wherever you want with a bike so why not go to the places a car cannot? If we want comfort, we'd drive a land rover.Point being, we're limited by our will to go, not the thing we go on. Any bike can adventure tour or tour (some just do it better). My honeymoon in 88 was on a 72 Triumph Tiger (I broke a ring reassembling my Moto Guzzi and it took 2 1/2 months to get rings.) It was a great 10 day trip. Breakdowns (minor) roadside repair, campground maintenance, seat like a brick, etc. just made it more memorable.

I agree 100% with the article. As for the best bike discussion or who is or who isn't considered a true adventure rider ........ All bikes have their limitations and advantages, as does the person riding it. Both have been argued and debated over and over again. I respect anyone who had taken a 1200GS Adv or a 250 Yamaha around the globe, across a continent or a country. Just ride and enjoy !!!

well said!

If I may add the only thing that can be a deciding factor of what bike to use is how much fun you are having riding a particular bike. I only had a chance to ride a few different bikes but I hear from other riders the fun factor differs from bike to bike.

So, the perfect bike leads to the perfect attitude?