Published in: Rides “Go ahead Paul,” is what dad said looking at me standing on the edge of a bridge 70 feet above the river. He had just dived off it as gracefully as an eagle. I was just 10 and proud. Still am. I could see the “Life is too short” light in his eyes. So, I raised my arms, as if to implore the luck god, and leaped. Not as gracefully as an eagle, but as, let’s say, a penguin diving off the iceberg. Little did I know then that 35 years later I would end up having so much in common with penguins. January 2008 My now well-known (lunatic to many) Winter Across Canada trip on mot ..read more

Published in: Rides How many people actually achieve their childhood dreams? For Andrew Norris, it took a lifetime and would require a 107 day trek across 17,989 km and 18 countries. A marathon overland adventure from Edinburgh to Cape Town. As a child, Andrew lived just outside Johannesburg, South Africa. Due to Apartheid-related political instability of that time his parents wanted to immigrate to the United Kingdom. Those were the insecure and dangerous days of 1979. His father was adventurous and decided that the best way to reach the UK would be via a VW camper van, driven through the ..read more

Published in: Gear The SF4 is a mid-range intercom from Sena, which explains why you might not be familiar with it; it lacks the marketing hype of the flagship models. We purchased our units more than a year ago, a decision based on the SF4’s balance between price and features. It’s been a great group ride intercom, allowing long conversations and hours of enjoying music while at speed. After about 1,000 hours of use, we’ve come to depend on the intercoms. But they did let us down more than a few times. There have been small glitches, like music playing on both our headsets or not being able ..read more

Published in: Gear I’m just back from a nine-week, 10-state ride around the U.S. and was delighted to have the chance to use Garmin’s new and much-updated XT2 navigation device for the trip. The XT2 packaging includes the wiring and a RAM handlebar mount. The cables are long enough to feed through to the handlebars of every ADV motorcycle I can think of. Wiring the unit is simple, and the cable isn’t live unless the ignition is on. Garmin says this power connection should be used in preference to any USB power options because a USB socket won’t have enough output to power the system at f ..read more

Published in: Rides The Call of the Wild is something I’ve harbored in my bones since a very young age. Great wilderness, vast expanses hardly touched by man, and living side-by-side with the creatures of the forest, are all ideals that speak to my soul. They must have spoken to Jack London as well, for his book of that title drew its inspiration from the very place we are headed: The Yukon Territory. It’s an overcast day as we set out, Edward on his 2004 KTM 950 Adventure and I on my trusty 2003 Twisted Throttle DR650. We’re in synch as we set out from Idaho Falls. Soon on the high desert ..read more

Published in: Rides Ancient Mesopotamia is a very interesting destination. But, is it possible and safe to get there by bike? They say that Kurdistan is stable with the government maintaining the security, and situations have improved since the latest bombings in Erbil in 2004 and 2007. However, despite such triumphant propaganda, the truth is that the region is still in a precarious balance. Turks, Syrians and Iranians do not look favourably upon the birth of an independent Kurdish political entity. And then there are the Sunni terrorists who seem to be willing to blow any semblance of ..read more

Published in: Rides Earlier this year in March my brother Colin and I conjured up the Middle Kingdom Ride, a circumnavigation of China by motorcycle, while eating Subway sandwiches in Manhattans’ Central Park. When folks talk about New York being a place that inspires people to chase their dreams, they are not joking! It’s a dynamic city and it dared us to think outside the box. Just five months after that meal in NYC, Colin and I were struggling through a grueling two-day training session at BMW’s Enduro Training Center in Hechlingen, Germany; and just two weeks after that we hit the road ..read more

Published in: Gear Luck favors the prepared. If you have a toolbox, you won’t need it; if you’re dressed for the crash, you won’t crash, etc. This is the mentality I abide by, if for no other reason than it helps silence the “what ifs” in my mind. And there were plenty of “what-ifs” whizzing through my brain as I boarded the flight to South Africa for the Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition launch. When you’re heading for the unknown, you should be prepared for everything. In this case, what silenced the what-ifs was the brand new KLIM Artemis women’s adventure riding suit in my gear bag. Knowin ..read more

Published in: Rides My brother Colin and I concocted an adventurous plan to circumnavigate China by motorcycle. We called it the Middle Kingdom Ride (MKRIDE). Five months later we found ourselves struggling through a grueling two-day training session at BMW’s Enduro Training Center in Hechlingen, Germany. And just two weeks after that we hit the road for what became the 65-day, 17,674km odyssey of our lifetime. Our route began in Shanghai where we headed north to the border of China and North Korea. From there we followed the legendary Silk Road along the Karakoram Highway to the Pakistani ..read more

Published in: Events {youtube}fawnoW_cvyQ{/youtube} Join us at Old Ox Brewing Company for a local screening of the new Northern California BDR route (CA-North) and a chance to win over $2,000 in prizes! Please sign-up using the link below to let us know you'll be there and be eligible for prize drawings! The screening is free and everyone who shows up and confirms their registration will receive a raffle ticket for the prize drawings. The first 20 people will get also get a free ADVMoto "Insert Before Flight" embroidered keychain.  Food and drink will be on-site but PLEASE DO NOT DR ..read more