Author: N.J.

Motorcycle and automotive, travel and adventure writer, when I'm not being an alpha geek, coder, or technical project manager.

Blowdown Pass: Expedition in an Afternoon

“I don’t think we’re making it through that,” is Mark Binstead’s first response surveying the tricky re-mix of terrain slopped across the Forest Service Road (FSR) to Blowdown Pass, one of the most accessible alpine back entrances to BC’s famous Stein Valley, ahead of us. Composed of rock, trees, branches, mud, top soil and other debris set atop a base layer of compacted snow and ice, at first glance the slide looks impassible. The statement gives me pause, a rider whose selection of routes and honed dirt skills have constantly pushed Kevin’s and my off-road bounds, Mark is not a man who turns back easily.

Crash Tested: Alpinestars Scouts – Always Prepared

The bike goes down in an instant, there is no feedback through the chassis, no squirm from the tires, one moment my KTM 690 Enduro R is upright on La Honda road outside San Francisco. The next the bike and I are sliding through the corner, only to separate with me stopping face first a few feet from the barrier and the 690 considerably further down the road. It is in the intervening time that the Alpinestars Scouts do me a world of favors; from the initial impact through a good portion of the slide, the bike’s weight has been resting on my ankle. To quote a bowl of petunias, “Oh no, not again.”

Reviewed: MotoOverland Top Rack

The standard top rack that comes on the back of your KTM 950/990 Adventure or Super Enduro may fit with the look of the bike, but it’s not overly useful.  Face it, there’s a battle to be fought even attaching KTM’s own tail bag to the thing, which is where the Moto Overland Top Rack comes in.

Kudos to the Ride Lake Superior Campaign

You’ve got to give kudos to the Algoma Kinniwabi Travel Association for their Ride Lake Superior advertising campaign encouraging motorcyclists to the area. The site features a map section, with multiple circle tours of the area, highlighting accommodations and essential services for motorcyclists – accommodations, food, gas and motorcycle shops.

2012 Orca Run Experience

The 2012 edition of DualSportBC.com’s Orca Run was hosted by the Jolly Roger Ranch, outside Duncan, BC. That marks a shift in location for the Vancouver Island dual sport ride, and with it the development of new routes. The tracks offered increased accessibility for novice and big-trailie riders, while still supporting several more hardcore options…

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Death Valley: Core, Not Too Hard (GPX Included)

This spring, thanks to a rainy season, Death Valley became the driest destination in California for motorcycle adventure media; many of whom touted Death Valley as the upper end of intrepid Adventure. Looking at Mic Cumming, a long time street rider with a number of dirt outings countable on an amputee’s hand, we can’t help but think the hardcore context these outlets are giving to Death Valley might be harming the destinations adventure approachability.

“Go To” Gear: Alpinestars SMX-2 Air Carbon Gloves Reviewed

Yep, I know that the Alpinestars SMX-2 Air Carbon Gloves are meant for street riding, but I’m keen on the extra protection offered in comparison to the majority of off-road offerings. Add good ventilation, and the SMX-2 has become my go to glove for hard adventure.

BC’s Backroads: Rural Destinations Gain the Edge

One of the key focuses of the wordily titled document Gaining the Edge: A Five-year Strategy for Tourism in British Columbia 2012 – 2016 from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation is the promotion of BC’s rural areas. At the moment I couldn’t agree more. Taking a new adventure convert out for a spin we’ve found a sand practice area, none of our group of four knew existed. While the new adventurist is seeing BC with an entirely novel sense of freedom, we’ve been reminded just how diverse our province is.

Standing Illegal: BC’s New Motorcycle Safety Laws and Re-emphasized Flaws

Amongst the fanfare of British Columbia Ministry of Justice’s April 30th, 2012 announcing new motorcycling laws requiring DOT, Snell M2005, Snell M2010 or ECE certified helmets are far reaching penalties for being out of the saddle. The release re-emphasizes Motor Vehicle Act Section 55, which sees standing to improve motorcycle control on unpaved surfaces as illegal. Largely rural, a majority of BC’s roads are unpaved and by the letter this law does endanger, if not make outlaws of, responsible dual sport, adventure and supermoto riders.

Road to Ruins: Episode 3 – BMW R1200GS Adventure v. Ducati Multistrada 1200 S

BMW’s R1200GS Adventure is the gold standard in adventure touring bikes, but now it’s facing down challengers like the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring. Is the road to ruins for the BMW paved by the likes of the Ducati? Before we find out off the pavement, a little protection and preparation is in order. If we had the licensing, we’d cue the A-team montage music and cut to the folks at AltRider.com.