What I got out of my 9 day motorcycle trip this spring, more than anything else, was simplicity. It was just so unbelievably refreshing to reduce my daily concerns to such a small and simple set of tasks. Cover miles. Don't run out of gas. Eat food. Find a place to sleep. Enjoy the views and being on the bike. That's it. It's so tactile and direct and straightforward. The complex stressors of modern day life create this vague, unending sense of worry. It's difficult to ever know if you're truly done. There's always this feeling that there's something you're forgetting about that you should be tending to. There's also more you could have done at work. There's always the fear that your relationships are slowly fading because you're not giving them enough attention. On a motorcycle trip all that falls away for a while. It made me remember how simple life can be and I LOVED it.

I travel with my motorcycle, just to turn my bike at as many corners as possible. That's it. No other reason. No cameras, no SM posts, no telling others about it. Just fckiing break, turn and accelerate the bike. That's awesome. Not what I live for. But, just plain awesome.

I find that long distance motorcycling clears your mind. It's like meditation. The road disappears beneath the GPS's blue line of destiny, your body controls the bike by muscle memory, without conscious input, leaving your mind free to wander, to observe some new sight, to connect it to some past experience, and to reveal an insight that is sometimes a minor epiphany. Audacious construction and vast skies inspire awe, admiration, wonder, humility. You feel your smallness and are reminded to try to make a difference in the lives of those around you. The emptiness of the desert inspires anxiety, as you are far more aware of your vulnerability and your reliance on the kindness of strangers if things go pear shaped. You feel your loneliness and are reminded of the importance of friends. When you’re travelling solo, you have only the task in front of you, and the monkey chatter in your head, reminding you of what’s behind you. On a good day, the monkey chatter is silenced by the rhythms of the road, and something you see triggers the spiritual gift of a new inner monologue. Happiness isn’t something to chase. It happens organically, unexpectedly, and infrequently, like a Spinning Top passing through its axis; for a microsecond in perfect balance, a beer commercial moment before it continues the momentum of its wobble. You can’t find happiness, all you can do is spin the Top faster, to give it stability, so it oscillates less, giving it a better chance to pass through its axis. Riding spins the top.

Absolutely agree with the points you made on this topic. Just do something for yourself the way you want to do it - without being a victim of marketing and trends.

This rings very true mate. I've been zig zagging around Australia on my bike for 25 years. I do seasonal harvest work and travel from state to state chasing the crops usually living in my tent. I get backpackers expecting some guru wisdom and dissapointed when I tell them my major skill is knowing where the best meat pies in Australia are located. Flipside some GS guys seem confused that I do a lot of living off my bike ( X 300 baby Versys) like I'm doing it wrong with all the wrong gear. Riders shocked to hear after Cherries finish I park my bike up and go fishing until apples start as non stop riding sucks ass everything is balance.............. Current highest ranked Pie (Chunky steak Pie @ Little Kiwi bakehouse Nerang Queensland)

I have no idea who first said it, but “ride your own ride” is the 100% accurate truth. Don’t worry about marketing, social media, or friends. Ride for yourself in the manner that YOU enjoy, whether thats one hour rides or one year tours around the world. Don’t succumb to main character syndrome. Just ride the bike that you love on the roads that make you smile. And if dressing up like a pirare, Power Ranger, or “adventure rider” makes you feel extra special for some sort of perceived validation, then so be it. You’re getting that from motorcycling too. But if you find yourself only going through the motions in pursuit of a fantasy that someone else portrayed, and it feels like a grind rather than grins, it’s time for honest self reflection and a possible bike sale.

I think that social media spoiled that idea and made people overhype/overthink motorcycle travel in general, but also, most people do it in this day and age to videotape themselves and generate clicks, which is quite the opposite of its original purpose (to enjoy the freedom, to 'forget the world' and the problems, to meditate', to just appreciate the view, nature, etc etc). I would guess that the people who do motorcycle travel and are most happy would be those that share that experience with just their friends and family in the moment right there, in the flesh, and don't bother to record anything to post on social media. Maybe I'm just old, but social media made life a bit fake and looking like a movie we already watched before.

I couldn't afford a car when I got my first motorcycle in 1978 for 1100 EUR, a two stroke three cylinder Suzuki GT550. I saved 4 hours compared to the train when I visited my family in the weekends. My girlfriend and I went from Denmark to Monaco and back on that bike on a three week holiday with tent and sleeping bags. We didn't have credit cards back then and we ran out of money after an unexpected repair and a front wheel puncture on the Autoroute. We only had money left for fuel. We lived on a baguette and camped on edges of football pitches on our way back. That was a great trip. It was never a struggle.

"You...may have gone to the stars. And you came back because you found nothing there except, again, yourself."

One of my most memorable moments was not really an adventure. I was driving an old Dnepr sidecar outfit across the country to go to a party (admittedly it was about 200 miles away). About 50 miles short of my destination, the machine died. It was a lovely, sunny early evening among cornfields, with no people and no traffic. The problem was a loose wire, easily fixed. But, sitting there by the side of the road, it was so idyllic, so blissfully peaceful, that I almost regretted how quickly the problem was resolved. In the event, I sat there for maybe another 10 or 15 minutes, looking at the fields and the sky and the sun, and my old outfit, soaking it all in, before finally resuming my journey. A very little bit of adventure, but a lot of enjoyment.

I used to watch motorcyle "travel" channels a lot. However, as my husband and myself put together a camping set ourselves, I noticed that we will do no more "offroading" but the gravel road on the campsite. Yes, we are total glampers. We have our basecamp at the campsite and explore the area. On road. We did this one time now and it was a lot of fun. We are absolutely no rebels. We enjoy riding our bikes a lot. Otherwise, we are admittedly no different than we people who travel by car. Boring, I know. We also do not film anything. We really just do it for ourselves, to spend time together and relax. That's it.

Aaahhh.. I sense another First World identity crisis coming on.. well rest assured Miles, I am in total sympathy. I found that I was more in love with the "idea" of motorcycle touring than in the actual "doing" of it. It came as a shock and disappointment to me that motorcycling really wasn't that much fun or satisfying as I had idealized it in my imagination. So, I got what I could get out of it and moved on. Nothing lost through the motorcycling experience, I didn't get hurt or worse..killed, and I am now the wiser for it.

I enjoy riding to the airbnb, enjoying some decent mountain roads, then going home.

I suggest that you stop and take a hike every day you ride. The exercise and quiet solitude are uplifting especially after a rough ride. Yet, when you get back on the bike, the ride is exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. Perhaps after the enjoyable but intense effort of a rigorous hike, the bike covers miles so easily it is difficult not to enjoy. And then when you finally hit pavement again where you can accelerate it feels like heaven!.

Ride your bike. Have a beer. Don't overthink. Chill. Repeat. Well that's me anyway. Love and peace.

I have a stand alone voice in my head that loves to travel. We have the best conversations when alone and on a journey. It sounds like BS but the best decisions I've ever made have been in these situations. Not everyone has a guide, but there's much to enpowerment and enlightenment in these moments.

In my case, in general, I travel some weekends, many of them just for the day, and not take away much time from spending with family. And I enjoy the trip, the views, getting to know new places. Sometimes by waiting for "the big trip" we miss out on enjoying the daily and possible journeys. Greetings from Uruguay!!!

I love to travel and traveling by motorcycle is much more enjoyable than in a car. I bought into the “adventure” craze years ago, but luckily realized it was stupid before I was able to spend a lot of money on trying to achieve the ultimate status. There will always be someone telling you that you’re doing it wrong. Wrong bike, wrong gear, wrong destination, etc. There is no wrong way to do it. Enjoy life, ride when you can, and get over trying to meet someone else’s idea of what true motorcycling looks like.

i could care less what anyone thinks, long distance motorcycle travel is the greatest form of therapy for me

The best motorcycle is the one which actually fulfills your needs. The one your in full control of. It starts with filtering out the fashionable stuff and finding out what you really like and need. My favorite bike is the 1989 Honda NT650 GT Hawk. 170 kg. Between 50 and 60 hp. Nobody needs more.

Totally agree, personally I find a 150km in one go plenty. I know there seems to be the background pressure to travel massive mileage . For me I have found it much better to do less mileage and stay longer in the places I visit, absorbing the surrounding, rather than travelling through them in a blur.

Going off road is supposed to take you to view sights and locations that you normally wouldn't experience by staying on the paved road. Sometimes the expectation doesn't meet reality, and sometimes it exceeds it.

Totally agree. For me personally I dont need to struggle and stress myself in my freetime. I just go on short trips for 1 or 2 days on the weekends. see something new, have something nice to eat, enjoy riding and also chilling

Wow what a great philosophical mind bomb ! Your understanding of English is better than mine and I’m English 😂 an amazing video and felt like you where talking to me personally 👍

My adventure bike is a measly suzuki freewind that costed 1200 euro, it is bloody perfect. Does not impress no one, its just a tool to feel free..

i truly loved your reasoning. the shot and your choice of ideas and words was beautiful. thx man!

I've criss crossed Canada twice on a motorcycle as a young guy. These days, I'm good going out for a few hours max...do some exporing, get a bit of a thrill. Puts a smile on my face every time.

What a great discussion point, I came to this conclusion myself recently. My plan now is to hook a trailer to my camper, get a small, light, lower capacity bike and do it in comfort. Me doing me, and not worrying about the crowd.

I've just completed a trip from Northern England to France and back on an Interceptor 650. The most exhilarating and intense part was blasting through 150 miles of an amber weather warning for rain on the A1. It just wouldn't have been the same in the car.. half way through my banana split was a large tea, surprisingly blissful. Love your content, and the views in Bosnia!

There is nothing better than a long strip of smooth tarmac on a sunny day.

You nailed it brother. My explanation of needing adventure is that we envy previous generations of explorers who were discovering new things. I spend a lot of time trying to get as far off road with the hope of seeing something that no one else ever has. But when I think I've found it, I look down and see a used condom. Dammit!

I love the way you analyze the topic of motorcycle travel. Thank you.

I just enjoy riding a motorcycle- and I am very nosy. I ride a KLR because the ergonomics suit me. I’m not a rebel, I’m not a trail blazer and I feel no need to pull wheelies or drift through corners. I regard every ride - even to work- as a micro adventure.

I just hit this channel because I was curious about the interceptor and became more interested in the comments section, Why? Having just completed a road trip by myself from Cartagena Colombia to Ushuaia in Southern Argentina and back again over a 1 year and 3 months period I have become very introspective with regards to many facets of my life in general, spending hours alone riding through remote mountains, sometimes paved other times rough and dangerous terrain certainly enlightened me about what I was imagining before I left and what was the reality. Many times I just felt like I wanted to turn around and give it all up, I was tired mentally and physically and I just wanted to go home. I’m not sure why I kept going, it was a subconscious decision made by a part of me I wasn’t able to control. It’s been a couple of weeks now since I arrived back in Cartagena and I’m reading this comments section with great interest, never realized so many bikers were equally introspective with a great ability to communicate their thoughts, thank you.

This is so thoughtful and well put - not something I typically expect from a random youtube MC video. Thank you for producing this content and articulating this idea of 'fake hedonism' so well. I purchased a brand new 'light adventure' bike a couple of years ago after talking myself into it and have since realized that the mostly arrow straight highways and backroads where I live are very dull to ride on.

You make interesting points. Our brain demands some forms of struggle surmounting to feel higher emotion, alive and satisfied. Climbing a mountain, playing a tennis match, solving problems, gardening, raising kids, etc. Often, the satisfaction only comes afterwards and creates a film in your memory which you can live again and again at your discretion, typically when about to fall asleep, or when you are feeling down. Btw, nice choice of music.

I still remember us in Portugal. Me as your backpack and we rode the bike so much and slept so little right after months of surfing and sleeping in a car together. I was so exhausted that I nearly collapsed on you 😂

Very good point. The whole "adventure bike" idea is, of course, a marketing idea and not an invitation to self realization or fulfillment. Those concepts are more to be associated with relationships, being a generous and self aware person doing good and taking real life altering chances on things that will matter in the long run, like creating families, creating new wealth and knowledge for yourself and to share with others, a legacy of something of yourself left for the world after you disappear into the ether from whence you came - rather than miles racked up riding goat trails on remote mountains. Aside from that, riding motorcycles is a truly fun diversion, so, carry on.

Interesting video... It's amazing how others can sometimes articulate my own feelings or thoughts so well through words

I have no experience but imagine that lifestyle of full time traveling motorcyclist is pretty close to hobo lifestyle.

motorcycle travel looks best when watched on TV: adventure, excitement, macho, tough, freedom ... in real life it's soar butt, scorching hot and freezing cold, stinky clothes, sleeping in the rough, long exhausting hours of highway driving to get to the interesting off-road section ... one really needs to be crazy to love this torture!

Damn, I love your channel... You absolutely nail it! I own an Interceptor, I'll be 69 years old later this year and I'm planning an european road trip this sommer (maybe not as far as yours, though). That said, your video recalled some memories... I've actually been in this country in 1964 (It was Yugoslavia back then and I was only 9 years old) with my parents and my younger brother in an already ageing Peugeot 403 and we probably drived on the same dirt roads as you just did! We had a lot of fun, even when the car broke down a couple of times, always meeting awesome people always ready to help... Sleeping in the car or in a tent on the roadside (To be waken up by the Milicia because it was illegal!)... you get the picture. At the end of the day, it's not so much about the material challenges but mostly about interacting with people, experiencing another culture and enjoying the landscape.

Your outlook on adventure and struggle ring so true for me. Thanks for reminding me to enjoy the banana split as well as the ride.

Lovely video and lovely point of view. Our extreme boredom or simply lack of depth, has turned us into “adventure” junkies. Everything has to be an adventure now, life, career, relationships, travel etc. otherwise it’s not worth it, “you’re wasting your life if you’re not out here having an adventure”. I say that as someone who has come to the same realization. What happened to appreciating life instead of fighting and trying to win against it?

This was very important, Thank You!

100% agree with you! I traveled from Germany to Greece with my DR650 and realized that the off-road stuff which I had planned didn't really fulfill my craving for adventure. A hard challenge like that is exciting at first, but then grinds you down later on. The people I met along the way made may Tour the adventure I was really seeking.

For me adventure motorcycling is certainly not struggling. That's why I got a T7 World Raid, so that going on unpaved roads towards areas the tourists skip, it's not a struggle. Because I want to enjoy the scenery, I want to take nice photos, I want to enjoy the camaraderie with my friends. And that's also why we don't camp but pick nice little hotels or bed and breakfasts. Not that one needs a T7 (or a GS Adventure which I traded in)), but it does get me comfort, safety and reliability and I have the budget. Very inspiring landscapes you filmed, really wanna go back to that area and explore further.

I’m on my second GS, it’s a 2010 1200GS with over 100,000 miles of exploring. I bought an Interceptor 650 a few months ago that I turned into a Scrambler. With its short suspension travel, small fuel tank and 18” front wheel it will never be a capable adventure bike. Gravel roads like in your video no problem. I even mounted extra fuel cans on the pannier racks. But for a 2 up camping trip to the Arctic Ocean you need an adventure bike. I’m really liking the scrambler but I know its limitations.

A lot of wisdom from a young man … love your videos

I think, for me, that the disconnect and the contrast is what does it. Where do I want to go, what do I want to do when no one in the world has any demands on me? A few weeks ago I was touring the Baltics and stopped at the historical museum of Raseniai. I was only going to refill my water bottle but the nice lady asked me if I wanted to see the exhibit. I tell you, I was in tears before we had left the first floor of what she described as ‘a small museum in a small town in a small country’. Would never have stopped if travelling any other way. Is this possible when working whilst travelling? I’m not sure. But the very point of my travels is that I don’t know what will happen. Adventure for me is not knowing. I do it on a Tracer and it does dirt roads when I need it to. But it’s not the road, it’s not the bike. It’s the people you meet and the places you see. Pink soup and fried bread in Vilnius, swimming in a lake in Latvia because it was too warm in gear to do anything else. “Adventure bikes”? Shit, I can do that on a Honda Dream.

Very interesting perspective. Excellent video.

So tru. Thanks for being so clear about it.

ditto van life....subscribed.most sense i heard in a long time

Great vid! Love the honest appraisal too. I'm off to the Pyrenees (from Somerset, UK) soon, looking for 'adventure'. I can imagine loving it but with teh same state of mind that you have. Thanks for being real pal, and sending a bigup, from the UK 😃

I appreciate this video, I find it thought - provoking

Cool insights! Motorcycling is a recreational pastime and that’s about it (there are exceptions like commuting to work or basic transportation in a lot of countries, etc.). There are popular sayings that go like ‘you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a psychiatrist’s office’, or ‘wind therapy’, but it can be a deceptive waste of time with nothing to show for it in the end if you’re not careful. You don’t find yourself out there, you don’t resolve your mental, moral or relationship issues by riding motorcycles. That comes from other approaches to life that takes more explanation than what can be offered here. But it can be fun, and I enjoy riding and seeing beautiful sights at times on my touring bike, especially with my wife along, or with a couple of buddies.

Thanks for sharing ,great video and good music in the end :)

I think its a great question to ponder, nice insights!

Lovely shot at 8:35 Not many people realizes how much effort goes into this sort of shots including the editing... :)

I think you have some very fair points here. I’m new to motorcycle riding and am currently testing things out to see where I wanna take this journey. I’m having my first Offroad training day in 2 weeks and I’m looking forward to it because I feel that having the skill will be useful (as could be seen in your video), but I don’t know where this will take me. One point though: it seems that fulfillment is often on the other side of struggle. I’m not sure why but it seems to be that way - human nature? You definitely won a new subscriber here.

A good video. I did a "test" run last year September with 30 day trip on a rented motorcycle. The idea was to see how I like it, and if I do, to buy my own motorcycle and travel a lot. I haven't travelled before on motorcycle, so that was quite an adjustment. First week was quite hard, and then I learned to book hotel for two nights, it gives enough time to plan my next city and places to visit, also to visit the place I'm staying at, and just to have easier schedule and be more rested. I also reduced the expected mileage form 500-600 to just 250-350km per day. I would even take Uber to places in capital cities, because it was too hot and pointless to ride a motorcycle for 10-15 minutes. So, totally on point about that longer trips gets tiring, and the pace needs to be slowed down. At the end of my trip I was thinking that if I was to continue my trip passed 30 days, I would need to rent a place for a week, and just be lazy in a single spot to recharge. And then continue again. After all this I decided that travelling 2-3 months then taking 2-3 month break, and travelling again should be a very good approach for me. I'm starting my trip with now my own bike in September again, and plan to ride till mid November. It's warm for a long time once one goes South in Europe. And no plans for being influencer. Too much work for me. Thank you for your video and all the best!

Some great advice. Thanks.

Wow, what amazing footage! What an amazing philosophic attitude! The amount of struggle someone "needs" depends on your capability, depending on experience and age of course. I am, for myself, done with the "adventure bike" (offroad) stuff, i have done it, happy to stay mostly on paved roads now! Asking what you have learned about yourself? I think the wrong question, i can tell you: Feeling the intensity, that's it! At latest when you get stuck in a silly job (in the office?) as most of us, you will treasure those experiences sooo much... There is no way out for you, you will always come back and be hungry for these experiences! The bike does not matter... i've had everything from 1k up to over 30k...the experience is everything! Most GSs live their lifes in shiny garages beside SUVs... what a shame... ;-)

The most difficult thing not in just motorcycle traveling but rather in whole life itself is to learn to enjoy without goals, achievements and expectations. And not feeling guilty for things that make your life joyful and feel alive. Struggles are just a part of life that as salt in a soup makes it tastier.

Nice to hear some honest reflection for a change.

godspeed miles! superb music at the end there haha

Love your thoughts on the topic :) I think if I was going on a motorcycle "adventure" (including lots of dirt/gravel roads), I would want the lightest possible dual sport bike, and the least bulky luggage possible, to guarantee the least amount of struggling possible.

Always good to ask those type of questions. Often, they can’t be answered until you are thousands of miles into an exploring adventure.

Very insightful!

The adventure happens on the way. That is so true. I was on a tour in Bosnia just a month before you. The videos (the Series) will be ready for December.

'm from Portugal, I've done several motorcycle trips around Europe with different types of motorcycles and in the end what gave me the most pleasure is the ease of talking to people. When you arrive on a motorbike you arouse people's curiosity, you are well received, people greet you. I'm older, I'm going to buy one. motorcycle with sidecar for comfort reasons. I think I'll make even more friends

ive been traveling for 28 years. I am currently motorcycling Albania on the cf moto Mt450. I don't know if its about finding yourself, or finding fulfillment. For me its about exploration, Freedom, and finding secret things. The beauty of places. The struggle and difficulty is only a part of it. It takes some struggle to find the places that others will never see. I love travel and motorcycles. It does not define me but it simply is me. It is what I do because of who I am.

You're spot on here. You go, especially on a solo trip to leave your world behind and experience a new one, be in control of what you want to do, how and when. Having a commercially curated narrative to force you to ride longer, harder or whatever is a waste. By all means, push yourself if you want but for the right reasons.

Very good point, thanks for sharing

Great video and a lot of great points. I currently own a R1250GSA and a Ducati Rally Sport both fully decked out with all the adventure gizmos from Touratech. My wife and I take a couple of rides each year mostly highway (300+ miles) The rest of the time, these bike only see short errand runs around the house and Starbuck coffee runs. A lot of my motorcycle friends have the exact same story.

Spot on with regards to the whole adventure riding hype

Important dialogue. I reached the same conclusions as you. I enjoy getting on my bike in my free time and riding, but enjoying the journey, taking my time, riding to destinations that I really want to visit and stopping to do activities that I enjoy along the way.

I believe Elspeth Beard's book "Lone Rider" resonates with your main idea of this video, that long distance travel on a motorcycle is not all sunshine and rainbows. My longest trip was just over a week long into the Alps, by myself, but it was the most fulfilling moto-trip I ever had. Mostly because I did what I wanted, when I wanted. I rode at a pace I was comfortable with, I planned my trip and my days EXACTLY how I wanted, and it all went great. In the end it is your own time, money and physical effort, so spend them wisely, as YOU would like to spend them... not how social media urges you too.

Nice video and nice thoughts :)

"Do you need to go on the ultimate adventure and go to a country, which has a GDP low enough to be considered adventure worthy" - I love that I found this channel and your approach to optimising adventure :-)

"I know who I am as a person and I don't know how that could be completed through motorcycle travel" I bow down to this. I am not riding to find myself, I am riding to fulfil what I always needed

Great thoughts - things to consider. Love your quote: Don’t forget to enjoy the occasional banana split. Happy trails - cheers from a Scandinavian Himalayan 450 ☮️🍺👍🏻🔥

Agree totally with you, life alone is an adventure riding your motorcycle just adds a bit of spice. Thank you for your thoughts.

13:43 oh, there are some dogs again.... nice philosophical lesson about adventure biking ✌ I guess some riders are using the term "pushing oneself to the limits" when it comes to the search of struggle enroute/offroad

This is a question I’ve considered myself. For me, the enjoyment is a sliding scale… sometimes the challenge of a solo trip vs a quick Sunday morning blast through the hills… different for each of us. The key I think is ‘You do you’… don’t get sucked into having the latest bike and gear and feel the need to video everything. Use what you have to the best of your ability and enjoy it. Also, the majority of us only get to ride weekends and don’t video it. For me, if I’m not on a trip, it’s simply a chance to put all my daily stress aside and focus on one thing I enjoy. Thanks for your video👍

Some serious life philosophy, & some stuff about motor bikes, thank you.

Realistically very well reasoned, dude. Lots of people out there selling their dreams as the one we should all aspire to. Without sharing the less than glamorous (nightmare) aspects along the way. There’s plenty of truth in that “too much of a good thing” cliche.

You are correct in all your points. It is not an alternative lifestyle silver bullet. You have to find what you want, what works for you and have realistic expectations. I have realized that I love riding regardless road types or bikes. It brings me therapy and a sense of being aware. During that time my inner self can make well founded decisions (or stupid ones). I don't see it as a particular life style nor as adventures as I don't look for struggles even though they of course happens from time to time. I really enjoy the banana splits and the vistas. Great episode.

My first solo trip with my bike was back in highschool on my dad's CB150R :D Rode for about a full day, not even knowing where I was going ending at the coastline. Such great memories and improved my riding confidence a ton too!

In Australia every city is so far away. It makes sense to ride, but when you see a detour or an interesting place on a map, it's similar to your experience in this video where you hit rocky dirt roads to experience something beautiful. Adventure bikes make sense in countries like Australia where you do a lot of highway and need to easily get across a dirt road in a desert, or a bush. You struggle less on an adv bike and it can help you cruise across a big brown land like Aus. Also I ride a Suzuki Vstrom and you can pick them up 2nd hand less than the price of a brand new interceptor. Just my thoughts. Good video, I found it ironic that you were going on an adventure as you were questioning the nature of adventure riding/overlanding. You've gained a new subscriber haha.

great MAssage ! Great Video!

Enjoying and insightful video! I agree with your thought process. I do go off road. I travel far many times to get to the off road riding. It's funny when I'm riding in some technical stuff off road....I'm not necessarily liking it at the moment. I even question why I'm doing it and sometimes vow to not ride in hard off road conditions anymore. But....at the end of the day, for some strange reason; I feel glad I did it and get up the next morning and do it again.....At the end of the days I'm going over in my mind what I could've done better and feel obliged to correct things the next day. One thing I do regret is many times missing out on beautiful scenery. I'm so focus on staying upright or not going on the edge of a cliff....that I miss out. Love sitting at camp with friends discussing the day and whatever topic comes to mind. At the same time I have NO trouble at all riding a highway on a straight flat road for endless miles just living inside my head. Talking to myself. letting my mind go free and I just rapid switch between multiple thoughts. I need it. I do wish I had more time on my trips. 1 week here and there and some weekends here and there are not enough! One thing I can't stand...is I just get in to the swing of things and have adjusted to the trip...then it's time to get back to my life at home just as I was adjusting. Always want some extra days in that time that I have adjusted...

Totally agree. Thats why I always rode enduro bikes but on asphalt because of their security when riding over pot holes, and speed bumps, etc. I never saw the fun in offroading with all that hassle, dust, dropping the bike, the energy expenditure, and the danger. I feel the same about camping trips, even if it involves a car instead of a bike. Perhaps an idea for your next video? My idea of a great time would be riding some twisties with a view, stopping an hour into my journey in a nice place and drinking out of my thermos if it's a remote area, or eating in a simple snack bar if not a remote place, and heading home. Doing it with 2 bikes could make it more fun. But not 3. Three is a crowd. Great point made!

Love your bike!

Great content, congrats!

I totally agree with your point of view: I can be many things, all important to me, yet they are just parts of who I really am, of my character, my thoughts, my inner self. I am vegetarian, but that's just a personal choice. I ride my motorcycle for the pleasure of riding (actually I bought a GS just because I liked the bike. That's all!). I studied history of art and I remember a professor at first year of university reminding us that "we dedicate ourselves to the study of art, philosophy, literature, music, but let's keep in mind that for some other people mountaineering is more important than all these things together".

👍 Well said. Fully agree. Of course a reliable bike is needed, but not an expensive one. Spend money on trips, not a second mortgage to own an adventure bike with all trimmings. Keep rolling!

thank you! Finally, somebody who understands what it's really about! Cheers mate

I was doing this style of travel and "adventure" before I knew it was a thing. I was poor, had a DT175 that barely ran, but every chance I got I took a trip on it. You don't need "lifestyle". A $4000 used Honda dual sport and some basic gear and you're in. People complicate and make it as obsessive as they will, but it needn't be anything but a simple getaway for a day or two, or a round the world thing.

For me, adventure riding was defined by the Long Way Around/Up/Down movies. And that’s where I feel the struggle aspect became glorified. You make a great point in this video that adventure is what you make it. I don’t currently ride an ADV bike, but on the few longer distance trips I’ve taken I’ve enjoyed the scenery and the stops along the way. I’m not quite sure what “adventure” means to me yet, but I’m looking forward to finding out.