Yeah, I was slipping around pretty bad at the beginning. Once I got out on the pavement it wasn’t bad. For riding on trails and in the mud I’m going to need to get something better than the stock tires.

Gracias Soy cuidadoso pero también necesito vivir y divertirme.

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I started out a bit overconfident too and learned my lesson flying over a guardrail on the PanAmerican Highway.

I’m happy with the insta360 ace pro. It’s not perfect, specifically it’s ease of transferring files and it’s close focal range are lacking, but for great image quality, good sound off the internal mic, stabilization, and low light clarity, it’s pretty awesome. I’m upgrading from a GoPro 8 and my iPhone 14pro. I like my iPhone for its ease of use and a being in my pocket a moment away from catching the shot… the insta 360 ace pro requires a little more forethought, but it’s still easy enough to use for vlogging to be fun and the image and sound quality is awesome.

Thanks for the advice. I’m totally riding with big yellow rubber boots right now. Little by little I am upgrading my gear, with protective pants here and a good riding jacket there. But yes, boots should be a priority.

Yep, usually works. Occasionally they’ll know you only have a limited time to drive on your U.S. license in Ecuador (just for the duration of your tourist visa or stamp) and will ask to see your passport. This got me once during the pandemic when the border was closed so I couldn’t do a border run to get a new entry stamp. I was way past my 90 days and the police in San Lorenzo caught me. The police are a lot more serious on the NW coast because there’s so much criminal activity up there. Luckily I had a local politician in the car (Bolivar, the guy that became a meme because he was so confident but ended up getting like 1% of the vote in the presidential election). Bolivar got me out of that jam.

You’re welcome

Same bike. I didn’t really have to rebuild it. All the bike needed was a mirror replaced and the handlebars straightened. Thanks for the advice, I’ll do a little walk around of the bike on my next moto-vlog. These are great little bikes. You can’t get the fuel injected 190 in the U.S., but it’s little brother, the carbureted Xr150L is sold there. I wouldn’t want to take the 150 out on the highway but my Xr190L is just big enough for riding the highways in Ecuador and climbing mountain roads, and still light enough for trails and using on the farm.

@FallofftheMap yes I see that is Honda, those bikes I'm sure are great for on/off road and very reliable. I think the Honda line up has very tall stance. Being that I'm only 5'9" I might be on my tip toes at stops lol ! I also am researching future bikes to get one day in Ecuador. I was researching a little on the AXXO Scrambler 250 , in OD green with orange stripes, looks really cool. Or just go with a Shineray 250 6i. Anyway fun stuff to think about !

@Expat-happy-hour this model has a low seat hight. My inseam is only 30” and I can flat foot it. I picked mine up e up from the Jo da dealership in Quito for $3790 because I bought a 2022 that that hadn’t sold and was just taking up space. Normally they’re $1000 more. What I like is that it’s a very simple bike, very low tech so it’s reliable and easy to work on. What I don’t like are the brakes and the suspension. The suspension isn’t bad, but it is underwhelming for a dual sport. The rear brakes are garbage and with no ABS it’s too easy to lock up the front. It takes a little practice to get the breaking down and be safe. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this over the AXXO or any of the other Chinese clone bikes with the exception of the Loncin Rally 300, but that bike is too tall for me. I would go with either this or a Suzuki DR200 for how and where I ride, but of course the Suzukis are twice the price.

Ha, you caught that. I thought it was pretty cool that they left the tree and built the road around it.

But your mom does…

I was driving south on the dirt road then north on the pavement. When I make another video about the ruta escondida I will try to include a map of the area.

Yeah, those two videos, the crash and the follow up gave me flashbacks to my crash last year. I still haven’t gotten the surgery to reattach my ACL and the disks in my neck will never be the same.