I was about to send this to my wife as a pitch to get an adventure bike again after injuring myself with the last one and selling it to “be more responsible” now that we are child rearing. Guess this ain’t the video for that…
get an electric mountainbike, they are much lighter, so if you mess up the chances of saving yourself are much higher. but of course you can still mess yourself up pretty good.
The cliff of death (13:00) in Colorado is seriously scary. Seeing how the road is pure shale rocks, and a cliff on the right side, that's a pretty scary ride.
I did all this before I turned 30, before the term 'Adventure bike' was even coined, and that included a few years of racing motocross. I'm good. Got it out of my system. Also have a lot of great memories. I don't criticize people who want to do this later in life. It's just that the body takes longer to heal.
Yep, such is the two wheeled life. I rode motorcycles before I had kids. Got in some very minor wrecks, nothing more than abrasions and bruises (GEAR WORKS). Had kids. Gave it up. When the kids are out of the house, my ass is back on a motorcycle. Now I ride mountain bikes. _SLIGHTLY_ lower injury risk profile than riding a motorcycle on the street, haha.
Huge props to Matt for using a thumbnail and title that makes you think this is a bike review, where most youtubers would have called it "STRANDED in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in CRITICAL CONDITION!!!!" With a thumbnail of a rescue helicopter. Exceeding expectations as usual. Wishing you a superfastrecovery ❤
That last leg, where you broke your leg, is just like skiing where you say "just one more run" then end up getting hauled down the slope strapped to a sled. Adventure!
this is the same w skateboarding. you land the trick clean after trying for an hour, look at your homies cheering, tell them “imma do one last try land it cleaner,” and proceed to get broke off horrendously
That's why you call "two minus one" instead of "last run", you are saying you will do two more but not bother with the second so you never do your "last run" because the last run you did was actually your second last run.
My dad was a mountaineer in his day, and one thing he told that really stuck with me throughout the years is about how a lot of mountaineers died not on accent to the summit but heading back down. You've acomplished your goal, you've relaxed, the hard part is over, you made the journey once already. You lose a bit of focus, a bit of awareness, and thats how you get hurt, or worse. Wish you a speedy recovery Matt, great video.
My brother hiked the Grand Canyon and we started the journey at 6 am when the sun came out. We (my brother, cousin, and I) were down there by noon and rested for an hour, enjoyed the day then we headed back up when the sun felt like it baked you to death, dust on your sweat, and drinking only water. Then you go into the shadowed valley and there was relief. We were all happy. Then my brother got sick from not having enough electrolytes. He threw up water and his legs started cramping at 8 pm. We carried him up the rest of the way and get back at the top at 1am and went to the nearest gas station to got some electrolytes and snacks. Definitely an unforgettable experience.
I concur. Everyone is super focused on the way in/up/out, whichever is the case. I experienced this mindset in many situations from motorcycle rides and mountain climbs, to military operations. But for some reason, when everyone else is hyped up on the truck, plane or boat into the op., I’m always chilled. And when everyone else is celebrating the result upon exfil., I’m contemplating the scenarios. One time, I was alone heading back to an RV on the quiet side of someone else’s border, and I got severe sunstroke! Despite drinking plenty of water, and eating enough, the last 30 hours had been eventful, and I was totally exhausted, and VERY wobbly. So I just took it one step at a time, vented, rested in shade, splashed myself in mountain streams, and plodded on. Arrived 6 hours late and in a real mess. But steady got me there with no mishaps. I miss those crazy days. Both hips and my spine are wrecked these days, but I’ve got my memories, and many others have been feeding the worms for decades.
A man who dives into danger, hops back on the horse and rides to the hospital, deserves my respect. And best wishes for speedy recovery. If I could subscribe twice, I would.
You mean, the man who decides not to sit in the middle of the wilderness with no ability to communicate to the outside world? I guess that's admirable, in the sense that he kept a cool head. There was no logical alternative, no matter whether he prioritized safety or convenience. Riding to the hospital probably halved the time it took to get there, versus using the emergency beacon.
@@Temporary_yesyes Good enthusiasm! However, stale subscriber accounts actually hurts a channel, because RU-vid will think you lost interest in Matt's videos whenever you abandon that account.
Just a heads up: RICE is actually falling out of favor for first aid. Turns out it’s good for treating pain but the swelling that it’s tries to alleviate is your body knowing how to fix itself. Now the recommendation for non-severe sprains (that RICE applies to) is to support it and take it easy, but still use it. Breaks are different though, you wanna stop those bad boys from moving till you get somewhere that can put the bones back together correctly. I’d recommend grabbing a SAM splint or two, they’re thin roll up metal strips that you can put a crease in hotdog-style and then they hold their shape well enough to stabilize a break. They’re pretty compact and light, could roll them up and keep it in your spare pair of shoes if you are pressed for space. Also ibuprofen+tylenol can be used in conjunction and supposedly have the pain relief combined as mild opioids. Obviously use responsibility, if you can tough out the pain it’s better to do that as it helps with diagnosis and you’d just have to inform the hospital you took those meds, which is an extra step. But still a useful tidbit of info.
Ibuprofen and tylenol both decrease swelling and inflammation too which inhibits natural healing processes. But gives you some pain relief. Though if you have a broken bone, neither of those drugs will really do anything for you. Dont use opioids if you can help it.
The movie, "Ford vs. Ferrari" was one of the best movies ever made, until the idiot script writer decided to kill the whole movie at the end, making it into one of the most depressing movies in history. I really hope that the new version of Hollywood will put a ban on needless violence and tragedy.
Matt is rapidly becoming one of my favorite story tellers. He tells the whole thing with humor, even the bad part, and leaves that to the end in proper narrative style. Heal soon, Matt.
Nice video. A friend and I did a motorcycle "adventure" in India in 2018 on Royal Enfield's Himalayan. After three weeks and 3000 km they were basically total wrecks. I fell into rivers (big ass stones underwater), puddles (I love mud in my bags), crushed frame guards on rocks in dusty construction sites, crushed shifters and windshields and I even crashed into horses on a mountain road (behind a curve) and fell onto the hood of a car right after that. As I was waiting on a cliff of death for an oncoming car, the driver stopped and asked me where I was coming from... that was fun. Get well soon.
Be careful or life will pass you by. I have seen people break ankles & legs stepping off curbs. Buy the motorcycle, learn to ride it, and embrace life. If you break a leg, arm, ankle then oh well. At least you stepped out and created an experience.
@@Low760 Ha - have had three bikes over a decade. Got married, have two kids. Can’t shake the urge to hop back on. Wife doesn’t get it. Lost my dad when I was young. I respect the risk and want to be there for my family. One day when they’re grown I may live the dream again, but for now I’ll live vicariously through SFM! Cheers!
I ride almost everywhere with my CB500X, from single tracks to river crossings and places almost with no sign of civilization besides the road but the only crash i had was in the paved road due to a defect in the pavement and water that made it too much slippery.
What I’m about to say is rare but true. My Dad taught me and my brother how to ride motorcycles when I was a kid, the same summer I learned to ride a bicycle, I learned to ride a motorcycle. We rode every weekend we could. He was a Tulsa Trail Rider and we helped work the first and only ISDE in the US, this was in the 90’s. When I was 12 he started taking us on these week long Colorado rides that he had been doing for decades with his riding buddies. I remember my Dad actually stopped us before descending Black Bear Pass for the first time and he said, “ok boys, this trail has some steep parts at the beginning so go slow” that was all the instruction we needed lol. Admittedly it was a little unnerving but we never had trouble getting down it. Craziest thing I saw going down that pass though, mind you this was in the 90’s, was a huge square body SUBURBAN taking one of those switchbacks and hanging the front wheel off the edge, why a suburban you ask….it was a tour vehicle! People paid money to go down that pass in a suburban! I wonder if they know how much closer they were to death in that than I was as a 12 year old on a motorcycle! One year we were caught in one of those hail/lightening storm coming over the top of Black Bear, I’ve never been more afraid of being struck by lightning in my life but we made it. We rode Honda XRs btw. My Dad rode a 250, me and my brother started on our Colorado rides on 80, 100, then 200 and 250 then the all mighty 400. We ended up with 3 400’s and those things absolutely rocked. Absolutely blasted past everything off-road. Cheers Matt and I hope you heal up quickly, getting old sucks.
Ha! I have my cousins' collection of XRs stored in my shop now, and they've gone through the same progression from the little 80 and 100, through a CRF230, and now they both ride their mighty XR400s!
Having ridden an XR80 as an adult (with my knees over my elbows), that must have been interesting up there! Not exactly high clearance or suspension travel!
I will never be able to unsee the "Harley Starfish"... 😂 Also, I'm a native Coloradoan. Little hint... there's a Burrito Tour that takes you to the top I think 25 best burritos in the state., and the drive is a road trip all the way up to through the front range and back.. Highly recommended... Would have made a nice side quest for your adventure.
How long is that tour supposed to take? I’m not a small person and I love Mexican food, but I’m pretty sure I still have limits on how many burritos I could eat per day.
One of your best videos yet! I absolutely love your editing style. Even the simple or less interesting topics, like suspension geometry can be fun and entertaining when described the right way. Heal up quick! Best wishes!
I twisted my right foot on a track in Australia in 2000 and had to do 300 km to go to the nearest hospital, after refueling in the middle. It is part of the adventure. Good luck for your recovery.
All hail the algorithm As an old man in the twilight of my life I can say I do not regret any of the broken body parts I endured while chasing every adventure I had. And if I can , I’m not done traveling the path less traveled. Never give up Matt.
Great video Matt. For me it was very well and ironically timed. This past weekend, some friends and I went out on our own little day off road adventure. I was riding my way too big and heavy Yamaha Super Tenere. I was having a bit of fun roosting and sliding my rear tires every chance I got. Weeeeee! I haven’t ridden off road like this in the last twenty years! That is until I got a little too judicious with the throttle on some fairly deep and lose sugar sand. Well, the expected happened. The rear tire kicked out violently to the right, I chopped the throttle, the bike dug in, suddenly stopped and face planted me on the ground. The BIG Yam fell on top of my left leg and promptly broke my ankle. The big girl taught me a lesson; “I will be RESPECTED!” I also rode my bike back to civilization but nowhere near as far you did (mad respect for you) I quite literally am sharing your pain Matt. Did I mention I just turned 60? Of course some of family and friends are giving me the old; “you’re too old for this” and “when are you going grow up” speeches. To which I responded; “I need a smaller, lighter bike with better tires and better boots.” They all just shake their heads and walk away. As I wrote this laying on my couch with my two pups next to me, right after watching your entertaining video, I felt a sense of solidarity with you and every other injured MoFo who refuses to age out of life in a safe but boring manner. Get well soon and let’s look forward to new adventures.
Agreed. Layers rule. One of the best layers I always keep with me is one of those nylon windbreakers that we all used to have as kids. They are hard to find, but work wonders with a jacket. Highly recommended. Cheers!
After riding sport bikes in SoCa for many years, it was time to leave the beautiful beaches and move to the amazing mountains and deserts of CO in 1994. Now I ride a 2017 KTM 1090R and have never been happier. Thanks for sharing your experience on this trip; your sense of humor and sarcasm about life is very similar to mine!
Sounds like when I broke my ankle/leg on an adventure bike. My foot was pointing 90 degrees in the wrong direction when we came to a stop, though. Five years, three surgeries, a $4000 insurance deductible, a $9000 "surprise bill" later, and I think it's all behind me. All that's left is pain. Good luck navigating our nation's great health care system; you might find it harder than some of those mountain passes.
I respect you could have used a much better clickbait title, but you didn’t. And as a long time viewer I really appreciate it! Broke my wrist Memorial Day cleaning my garage. You had a much more adventurous adventure!
Thats so cool you can talk to other bikers on the channel, like back in the CB days. I used to have that silver Yamaha 250 in the vintage group! Was like riding a refrigerator but good learner bike and two stroke fun, crazy to see one on a real adventure in 2024
Great story. Made me laugh many times. I also feel your pain on the broken leg. Did something similar on day 1 of a 3,000 mile trip with buddies a couple of years ago. Didn't know I broke it and as the ride leader, I wasn't going to f-up everyone's ridecation plans. It was an on-road trip with about 30 miles of an old sand beach road around Lake Superior that we had to take for lack of fuel going the long way around. Of course, on my Road Glide, it wasn't so much fun and when a buddy stopped to talk to a woman who'd pulled over in front of us, I got to fall on it again halfway through our trip. Stay safe and keep up with the awesome videos!
the pacing, delivery and narrative are outstanding. the whole thing. your finest work, i think, that's not a build video. heal up, matt. thanks for taking us on your adventure.
I got a big welcome to Colorado in 2019 when a rock slide closed i70 eastbound, making me back my tractor trailer up for 7 miles, good times, and that was interstates, I can imagine how fun the dirt roads can be!
Honestly, backing a trailer down that for 7 miles sounds like hell. Challenging, definitely, but that definitely fits with being called an actual adventure. Honestly, I'd take the dirt roads any day. That is one of those experiences that suck real bad at the time but are kind of cool to look back on in a 'i did that' way. I've definitely seen enough drivers that have issues backing into a loading dock, so being able to get out of that without needing a rotator called definitely is an accomplishment.
When a mudslide did the same thing in 2021, I was riding a motorcycle just east of it, didn't know what had happened, just ran into completely stopped traffic. While waiting, I got an electric shock from lightning striking a nearby tree. Because I was stopped, it went up my left foot and out through my right pinky. It was a deeply weird feeling, knowing that if I was just a few hundred feet over, it would've done more than just hurt a little.
One quick tip for breaks. Keep checking for PMS, Pulse Movement and sensation. If you broke it and it cuts off circulation that's bad news bears, and same with sensation. Also WFA, wilderness first aid is a weekend long class and covers a lot of really good content. Cheers!
😂 I need to go for a dual sport/Adventure ride sometime. I'm still focused on the off-road and moto stuff, though. Agreed, too - I turn 35 this week, and I'm feeling it!
@tylerruckdeschell you've been faster than me since you had that 200sx and weren't tall enough to start it, so every time we stopped you leaned against a tree. That said, my old B rider ass just wanted to grow up to be a "fast" dualsport rider
I feel like the 950/990 is like the the common ancestor of all modern ADV bikes. It's big, but so cool and Dakar. Bikes after it became big fat fatties. Gold Wings with knobbies. The bikes before it were basically an XT500 with more complications.
@@bennyb.1742 it goes back to the original GS and the Dakar Rally in 79. The Dominator, Teneré, Afrika Twin, DR Big.... then the LC4 dominated, and the 950 is the evolution of that. Built as a dedicated Dakar Racer with a license plate. As a KTM nerd, it's the penultimate. The 990 is quicker, but the carb version is more true to the Dakar Lone Rider concept. Anybody that's never ridden one, it's a religious experience
Welcome to the club. Broke my lower left leg on an easy turn on the IDBDR. My brother, who was with me, really enjoyed pushing on the bone the tip of which was resting against the skin. Exercised my EMS expertise to stablize the now usless bones. Rode 85 miles past an ambulance who was helpful by providing direction. As far as EMS care, not helpful in the least. Six months in a cast.
Slightly off topic, but I think you're someone who'd appreciate an electric mountain bike. SO much fun. Quiet, light, and you can carry them over obstacles too tough to ride on a motorcycle (fences, boulder fields, skinny foot bridges). Opens up a lot of trails, and makes unrideable climbs doable. On really narrow, twisty singletrack they're arguably just as fast as a dirt bike.
Matt, this is an excellent video. Great storytelling and comedic bits, beautiful footage, and useful info throughout. This adventure has earned its way on to my bucket list (without the leg breakage part, of course). Get well soon!
I always enjoy your videos. Stay healthy, SupercastMatt. :) Oh, to everyone who likes adventure riding, I can wholeheartedly recommend the series _Long Way Round_ and _Long Way Down_ with Ewan McGregor _(The Serpent's Kiss, Star Wars, Trainspotting)_ and Charley Boorman _(The Serpent's Kiss)_ where they take on the challenge of circumnavigating the globe/traversing the length of Africa on adventure bikes. Lots of fun times/bad times. :)
I watched those documentaries several years ago and thought, "the really looks like something I would like to do", after which I thought "are you freaking crazy, you're too old to do stuff like that ( I'm 64 now). The adventure you did in this video, I would do now. The one that Ewan Mcgregor and his brother did back then, I would definitely would not do now. Keep on "adventuring" and I will live vicariously through you.
@@matsuwesty2 Yeah. I agree wholeheartedly, even though I'm not Matt. :) Ewan & Charley were well funded, well prepared, and had a large team behind them - and they struggled at times, with quite a few near misses. Today unfortunately brings another reason against such a trip: The current "climate" in "certain" areas of the world, which isn't exactly what I'd call "hospitable". Times were different back then, I guess… :)
The BMW GS was not the first adventure motorcycle. The 1885 Daimler-Maybach Reitwagen probably was , being the first two wheeled petrol engined motorcycle. From 1885 to when the BMW GS was first put on the market , all motorcycles were adventure motorcycles because many people rode them anywhere.
Well it is always the last day you break your foot. Unless you are absolutbear and just carry on. It is like with planes. All crashes happen during landing. But not all landings are intended.
@@NineSun001 If it never even took off, does it count as a landing? Some crashes do happen before takeoff. And to put in a quote of my own: Any landing you walk away from is a good landing. If you can reuse the plane, it's a great landing.
The dry sarcasm in your explanations is priceless (and why I subscribed). Hilarious, well except for the broken leg part, but informative as well. Great content!
Well done Matt. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space. I've been in the same boat, having to ride with a broken foot, and like you, on the shifter side. It was remembering a comment by Ricky Carmichael that he used to get good starts by not wasting time getting his foot under the shifter to shift up. instead he would just kick it up with his heel. That eased a huge amount of pain for the rest of my trip home that day.
Whoa I can’t believe you ran into the guys doing the Colorado vintage1000! I’ve done their mountain route on my ‘72 CL450 a few years ago, it’s a great time!
I'm recovering from a jump off of a ladder, which I broke my heel into 5 pieces. Now I have 4 screws and am going through physical therapy for 3 months. This adventure looks amazing. I would definitely do this. There is a slight chance I would be going through 3 months of physical therapy after orthopedic surgery, but I could see myself doing this ride. I may be a masochist, but I love a good adventure and this looks like a good one. Keep up the good work/videos, and I will keep watching your escapades.
This is literally The. Best. Ever. I planned to quick skim this because I was in a rush... but, hell with that, I had to watch the whole thing. My daughter (27) popped into the office, "Daddy, what are you watching?" She watched the whole thing to and was late to work. Oops. MASSIVELY great work; informative, slick, great footage, perspectives and POV, experience stream is full out. Loved every minute of it. Sorry you broke your leg, again. Hopefully you're healin' up good.
This was the most refreshing YT clip I have seen as an "on hold" ADV rider in the longest time. Great sense of humor I can resonate with. I hope your leg recovers 100%. Thank you for sharing your adventure. What I saw once again. . . Solo hiking and solo ADV riding could become tricky without a buddy to help. God bless. Many safe miles ahead.
Ahh, my favorite youtube doing my favorite activity :) I just got a new bike this spring, an AJP PR7. I decided to do a shakedown run a few weeks before leaving on my two week trip and got water damage to my navigation tablet. Fixed that and went on the actual trip. Spend two days on the road, getting to france, then crashed on day one and broke my brake lever... got some super nice guys to fix up something temporary in a bikeshop and continued on my adventure Crashed a handful of times going solo offroad - pretty happy I didn't break my foot 😂
@@hydra_mc2313 Ja, er hat's echt auf eine ganz ungewohnte Art und Weise falsch ausgesprochen :) *He really found a completely new way to butcher the pronunciation
Great video. Thanks! My bud and I are strongly considering this route. That means this greenhorn needs his FIRST bike, all the gear, and then to bracket off the days on our calendar to do this. I can't wait.
I consider my diy Trek awd ebike an "adventure" bike. It's got over 100km throttle only range, doesn't require a license, and a ton of storage. And it only weighs about 70lb and is near silent. It is good for hunting. It is good for trail riding. I pull a camper with it. I take it on 60km trips into town to do groceries with a trailer behind me. It's comfortable. It has gps, speakers, phone charger...pannier bags and racks all over it. I love it. It looks more like an "adventure" bike than the MTB it started as. It "only" has 2500W right now, but might go to 3500W next season. That's as much as I can put to these geared motors I have without worrying about destroying the nylon gears over and over. It can climb better than I can pedalling, that is for sure, and with awd, it handles mud and sand like nothing. I am nearing the 1000km mark on the odometer, so it is still pretty new and exciting to me. I have mounts on my bike for fishing rods, a pellet rifle...lots of other stuff.
As a 4-wheel inclined person, the name and shape of the adventure bike are 100% telling of what it should be/do It "looks" like a regular moto/dirt bike that was beefed up to last the weekend, not just the afternoon. It also seems like a quintessential hobby for motor-based folk that don't want to save for a Miata Cup Car. Edit: What a beast for making it that far under worsening conditions. Matt, thank you for showing what an actual adventure looks like, good and bad
Terribly sorry about your leg but this ADVenture was SO much fun to share with you. Thank you for taking the time and energy to film and edit it for us. My son and I can never get enough SuperfastMatt
In mountain biking we never say “last lap” or “last run” or anything to the effect of making the next run the end, exactly because of accidents 😭 soon as you said “we were feeling good” my instinct was like ooooo you shouldn’t have said that and poof broken leg. Never call last lap. Great ride though! And hope you have a speedy recovery!
When somebody says break a leg you're not supposed to actually do it.... But if anything you know it was a good adventure because the bike is slightly more scratched and you're slightly more broken so overall I would say mission success.
We just finished this same trip a few weeks ago but in reverse (heading south) and also did black bear. In jeeps. We were not part of the backup you had but we did see that group of classic bikes doing the trail. Probably passed you going the other way… thanks for taking all the video and photos I did not take. :)
Enduro means offroad trail bike as opposed to a motocross track bike. A lot of older dual sport bikes were marketed as Enduros, but dual sport is term you were looking for. Streetable offroad bike
I watched this even though I swore off motorbikes after breaking both legs in two different accidents on the same adventure bike (once on road, once off road). Imagine my surprise* right at the end. Hope your recovery goes well!
All you said and more!! Been riding the Colorado dirt roads and back country passes since 1974; started on a Kawasaki Z-1 and moved up to a 76 BMW R 90. Still riding the R90, just a bit slower these days!! Thanks for the vicarious reliving of the COBDR!!!
Oh man...I had to replay it several times to believe my eyes seeing you riding your bike and managing to shift gears with a broken left leg. You must be the most like minded guy I follow on YT. Absolute respect, get well soon and may this be your last broken one. Thank you so much for the awesome concept. I discovered you due to your off road Viper and haven't lost a video ever since :)
Your comment reminded me of a bad day on motorcycle in Colorado. Instead of shifting with a broken left leg like Matt, I found myself getting very creative operating the clutch with a mangled left hand and dislocated left shoulder. I couldn't do it. So I got started by using my right hand to engage the clutch, after turning up the idle speed to avoid stalling. Then I stayed in second gear for ten miles to get back to camp. I was sure thankful to have friends who could load my bike on the trailer for me that day!
@@Andrew_Fernie The friends I was riding with were impressed too, but they were even more impressed when I popped the dislocated shoulder back into place! I did it by holding a tree branch with my mangled left hand, and leaning outward to re-align the socket so it would pop back. While that reduced my distress a great deal, it made the pain worse. Somehow the dislocated shoulder didn't hurt much until the socket popped back together. The next couple days were awful!
@@tedpreston4155 Yep, those are shoulder dislocations for you. It just feels really weird at first, then you pop it back in, and it can even not hurt that bad for a few hours. The issue with dislocations, isnt the first time, but it's every time after it because the shoulder becomes more susceptible to future dislocations. Once I dislocated my shoulder in my sleep, woke up in horror , popped it back in and fell back asleep in about 5 seconds as I just couldnt be bothered 🤣🤣 So strengthen your shoulder, unless you want more dislocations.
@@--LZ--- I'm thankful that I have never dislocated my shoulder since that day, in part because I got the same advice from my brother in law that you just gave me: strengthen the surrounding muscles to help hold the joint in place. That same brother in law is the reason I knew I could pop a dislocated shoulder back into place by grabbing the tree branch. He's dislocated his shoulder so many times through the years that he described the process to me, and as luck would have it, I needed that knowledge less than a year later. 😄
NGL the sights in this vid have motivated me to get a DR650 for my first motorcycle, I was in Boy Scouts and love camping, I'd love to see this sights. I hope your leg is feeling better Matt, great vid!!
Eight years ago, I did Black Bear Pass in a 2009 FWD Mazda CX-7 while wearing an ankle brace on my right leg. Interestingly, this wasn't even the most challenging trek I've taken the CX-7 on. Did the backside route of Mingus Mountain to Jerome in Arizona, much to the astonishment of a group of Jeep's that held up progress repeatedly. I asked to pass them, and they each assured me that I would fail, miserably. They walked into the Jerome bar we were in, two hours later, and could not believe we'd finished unscathed.
Did you see my waving from PV? I would have opted for a Haunted Hamburger personally. We had a similar experience going to a primitive seaside camp site near Sinkyone. The "road" just to get to the ranger station was a muddy Jeep trail down the side of a cliff. We encountered several Jeeps having problems navigating it, but our 1999 AWD CR-V had no trouble. We parked it at the ranger station and backpacked north to the "campsite", which was just a semi-clear spot on a shelf overlooking the ocean. We even encountered a herd of elk passing through the next morning.
Awesome! I lived in Prescott and have done that road half a dozen times in a Subaru outback. I think the jeep crew massively overestimate equipment needs and under estimate basic skills!!
When I lived in WY, I did a ton of adventure riding on my 07 ducati 695 monster. Yes, definitely not an adventure bike by any means, but it's what I could afford (salvage title+good deal anyway) and the suspension was, for whatever reason, actually super stable on dirt and sand. The only big issue the bike had was street tires and low ground clearance, so I had to be super careful since the first thing that would hit would be the bottom of the engine cases. That being said, driver/rider skill is honestly a bigger factor than having the most extreme vehicle, since at the end of the day even with a super-capable vehicle if you don't have the experience you will get stuck anyway. Funniest story I had was I was getting fuel in a small mountain town somewhere around estes park in the morning, there was a group of 3 jeeps also fueling. I got to chatting, and it turned out we were headed up the same trail. They were pretty sceptical and offered to tow me out when I got stuck, which I would have definitely taken them up on if needed. However, as it turned out they ended up ahead of me (I stopped for early lunch since I didn't have space to haul anything), and when I caught up I ended up spending 1.5 hours helping them get unstuck. One of them went off trail and partially rolled, not all the way over but on 2 tires and wedged against some trees. Shouldn't have been a problem, since all 3 had winches, but none of them had ever used their winches. So a bit of rigging help later, we got it out and thankfully they had great senses of humor about it. Pretty sure they still owe me a beer...
Grew up in the area and I've seen everything from a Ferrari to a Mitsubishi MiEV on the passes; plus my fair share of twisted hunks of metal being winched up. Whenever I saw something like a cx-7 going up the passes it would be fifty-fifty if they had a pavement princes and not a clue in the world, or if they would beat up the 80k lifted rubicon in front of them. Good on ya for being the latter. I'd love to modify an old beamer with knobby tires and a lift and go cruise the mountains again.
Grew up in Ouray--I can't afford it now either lol. You're spot on in this one about different people being good at different things. Black Bear is, to me, one of the easier passes around, but if you put me on something in moab on hard rock with crazy inclines I wouldn't be doing so well. Generally going in the mountains on a summer afternoon is asking for a rainstorm and its slippery consequences to cause problems. Glad your injury wasn't worse, good luck on your recovery! Side note: side-by-sides really are the worst.
The most hilarious thing is when adventure riders try riding along with dirt bikers. Invited some people over, knew they had bikes, didn't know they were adventure bikes. They still came. They didn't even make it 100ft onto the trail 😂
It's okay everybody has their own scale. Those of us who ride small Enduro bikes on steep muddy or exposed rocky terrain are really a different breed from everybody else.
Great video! In 2020 I got to experience some of this area riding the TAT with 2 buddies. We left the truck & trailer in Trinidad and road for a week over a buch of the passes with Monticello as our furthest location. What a great adventure! Hope you heal quickly!
Was worried you’d talk through the great footage you put together, but enjoyed your wit and delivery. For that I give kudos and thanks. As an “ADV” rider for over 20 years you captured it all very well in a trip. To the question of Why the answer is Just Go Already and find out!
I wish you to heal SuperFast, Matt💪🦶💪 Adventure brings scars. Scars brings memories, and are a living proof that you managed to get out of it alive, thanks to your skill and endurance! (And always to a bit of luck!😅) Thanks for sharing your experience mate
Great video Matt, we just did the northeast BDR. 7 days 1424 miles. All on a CRF250L. Keep up the great work and hope your leg is better. From Shelby’s Dad.
We must have just crossed paths in Leadville, I was there basically the same day. Born and raised about an hour south of Buena Vista. Have them make that bone out of something stronger while they are in there!
Amazing vid Matt! I was just in the process of texting this to my friends when the busted trotter came up. Busted my leg in the same way in 2016 slipping on ice. Do not. Repeat. Do not avoid the physio. Learned that the hard way....
With our desert trips, it was always the ( just one last ride before we leave) that got people hurt. We finally made a rule, no more last rides!!! This was a fantastic video, thank you.
I moved over to an 2021 Africa Twin from a Honda CBR Fireblade (1995). I was blown away by how awesome my new bike is. It's comfortable and allows me to travel far stretches with minimal to no breaks. Plus, the boxes allow me to take more than enough luggage with me. As I am now just starting to learn how to ride it off road, I must say that my 1000km trip to an island (all paved roads) was still an adventure. My own adventure, as Honda's slogan says. They're great bikes and you can do anything you with them - based on your comfort and skill level.
Man this was a great episode. I'm not a rider but I do backpack/hike/snowboard. Didn't know Telluride had these biking routes and I've always wanted an adventure bike. Maybe mix in a day of snowboarding and biking in Telluride in the future, it is one of the best places for snow sports in the winter.
I just got back from my first vacation. I went to Colorado in June. I also just happened to get a 2011 Suzuki DL650a. Im loving the bike, and I want to go back to Colorado. I have been dreaming of going back and riding those trails on my bike. This video made me want it even more. I miss that scenery.
As a fellow motorcycle rider, with a 3 times broken leg experience - I feel for you brother! Hope you heal up soon and are able to get back on two wheels. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
First time seeing Matt's upload, and i have to say i learned a lot and has made me think twice of buying a T7. This upload was as nice to see, as to hear Matt explaining everything along the way, and he also was a bit sarcastic from time to time which made me laugh a lot. I would like to see more of these kind of uploads please. Thank you for sharing, and try not to stop inspiring.
I recently finished PT from shattering my knee, ACL & tibia at a vintage moped rally! A surgery & $42k later, I'm going to check that box labelled "adventure" and get back to woodworking. Great video!!!
