@@Sidewalkchalk27 that’s just British humour. Taking the piss is a national past time - if anyone’s high and mighty, I’d say it’s GS riders themselves.....although that might be down to the seat hight 😉
Gotta love the dude on the KLR. Shorts....check. T-shirt....check. Tennis shoes....check. Ok, good enough for me! I got tickled thinking maybe y'all just stopped by his place on the way. "Hey, we're going on the TAT." And he and said," hell, hold my beer. I'm ready." Only thing that would've made it better would be flip flops, lol.
That's not TOO far off from what actually happened! I predicted before we left that he would be stopping at Walmart to buy boots, but he proved me wrong. He made it the whole way... the consequences could have been pretty bad though, he got lucky.
There is a fine gentleman from North Carolina that took his 250 to Prudhoe Bay and back over serious mountains so I would think if it can do that, it can do the TAT. Really a fan of the smaller lighter bikes for that sort of adventure that require you to pack intelligently instead of throwing on more gear weight than the rider before putting up the kickstand.
You could literally ride a bicycle on this trip so yeah a 250cc is way more than enough. Tons of people have ridden the CRF250L around the world too. I know a guy with over 150k miles on his. 150+ countries.
Who needs Mongolia when we have the TAT in our "backyard"? Great pictures and video spliced in with the maps showing your progress. Goes to show you don't need fancy bikes or gear to enjoy an adventure. Looking forward to Part 2.
Awesome trip,guys,thank you for the inspiration. The TAT is on my "NEED to do!" list (unfortunately,getting to do it is not looking promising though,at least not the last few years...in time though :) )
Gary Christman Great to hear from you Gary, hope all is well. Meeting up with you guys was definitely one of the high points of our trip. Hopefully we'll see you out there again sometime.
What a fabulous adventure. Loved the presentation and the comments everyone has added, too. I came across this looking for information about which dual-sport to buy... Yamaha...Honda...Suzuki were the three 250 class I was looking at. But I am a heavy guy at 270#, so I may have to bump up CC size. It was great knowing the Honda did well.
Awesome! Thanks for posting! I want to do this ride! I did LA Barstow to Vegas in 2014 but it's not as long as this! Epic ride, from a fellow CRF250L owner!
Wow! An old friend recently mentioned the TAT. This is the first video I've seen about it. Nice video, you put it together very nicely. I appreciated watching it. I also drive a CRF250L (& an XR650L). I think I'll subscribe and check out some more videos. Great ride eh! Nice video!
XR, I was a Honda mechanic in '79 & '80. Have had many bikes,, but just bought my first Honda, a CRF250L. This winter I'm planning out my 2022 TAT ride from east to west. Haven't thought too much about what route I'll come back on. (P.S. retired, 69 yrs old)
Sat here in England ( "olde" England that is ) got me thinking you covered more miles than the distance from the very top of Scotland ( John O Groats ) to the very bottom of England ( Lands End ) and back again !!....loved the video ( and the music )
I want to tour on my xr250l but am afraid of taking it on the highways - did you change the gearing on your XR or just avoid faster roads? What's your strategy with that
Of course you haven't done the difficult part yet. I am amazed none of you had aftermarket fuel tanks on the bikes. I guess you pass a lot of gas stations on the first half of the journey.
Why does anyone think that a Honda CRF250L would be inadequate for this trip? Unless the issue is ground clearance, I don't see what advantage one would gain by riding a bike with a larger displacement engine.
You vastly underestimate Honda bikes. Those tires might get ripped up and you may grow weary of the ride but the equipment should do you well. I beat the hell out of a CL 90 on jeep trails, dry creeks, agave,.... and my 750 two up 3695 miles loaded with gear but very smooth and stout of heart.
I read all the interesting comments & missed most of the video! Duh! Wondering if youse guys ever did the western half? I'll look on YT. Edit: lots of weird results when I searched "thumper bay channel"!
I'll be tackling the TET in a few years if all goes well. I'm torn between a 690, WR, or a CRF 250. I think lightweight is the way to go if you're not doing too much motorway kms.
How the KLR actually did it compared to the two other bikes? Has it been modded? I've got a pretty good deal on a klr, but I' affraid of aged mechanics and performances compared to those exact two other bikes
Shawn Cordon Thinking about doing the second half next year. I've bought a DRZ400SM so have it and the CRF250L, and buddy bought a KTM 350EXC-F. Not sure if I'll take the 250 again or something else.
thanks for posting this vid, enjoyed it greatly. Im wanting to do this very ride this summer. I also have a crf250l. My main concern is mapping the route. Can you buy GPS routes for the tat? If that is what you used, is it accurate? And is it easy to follow? Alot of your pics are looking at maps. Have any problems finding gas? I dont have the larger tank. Do I need it?
Bryan Reynolds We bought the roll charts, and supplemented them with Co-Pilot which is an iPhone app. If I had to do it again, I would do it this EXACT same way. I think it worked perfect. No problems finding gas on the Eastern half, I understand the West is a little more difficult. I'm probably going to add the bigger tank when we do that section next.
Just bought one CRF250L so far so good but the nominal gearing could be better do you gave any suggestions related to gears size (teeth quantities) for me..Thanks
Where can I get one of the TAT decals? I'm currently building out my 2000 Jeep Cherokee for a run next year and have driven half the New York leg this past summer from Brandywine WV down to where it meets up with the main trail in TN. Anyway, would like to get a couple of the decals to put on my XJ's side windows. Oh and I know many people will say if I don't do the trail on a bike it doesn't count, yadda yadda yadda. If I could I would but my medical situation prevents me from taking the trip on a bike, it would simply be too painful and risky, but in my Jeep, that's doable so outfitting it as an expedition rig.
Hmmm..... I'll have to put the hawk 250 to the test when I get back from deployment. They were built for use in 3rd world countries. Copy of the honda CG engine and almost identical to the CRF250. A Mexican guy rode one from Costa Rica to the US/MX border. It can handle the TAT.
At the mud hole y'all crossed @ 1:39 is where we took a bath. advrider.com/index.php?threads/walkers-ride-the-tat-on-a-xr650l.979185/page-4 Great Trip!
+Iowarail I would guess probably not. But I would imagine they may have wished for 450's. That said, I love my XRL and will continue to ride it everywhere.
milleroo7 I'm 5'10" 160lbs so am perfectly fine on the smaller bike. We slept in hotels so that meant we could pack light (no camping gear). I can see someone bigger/heavier might not be as well suited for it though. It most definitely is NOT a powerhouse.
+martyisabeliever I have both bikes. I still can't decide which I prefer. The trail seems easy enough for the XR, however I think the key is how much stuff you carry. If you can manage to not bring too much, the CRF would prove to be en easier, more enjoyable bike for such a long distance.
