As 2013 came to a close, I realized I wanted another ride, but this time something more technically challenging. I put a few needed upgrades on my Christmas list and Santa delivered. I spent the cold starting months of 2014 reading Long Way Round the book (another Xmas present). Then I ran across the RMAR Quien Sabe ride. A 7-day trip through just the southeast portion of Utah with a group of fellow adventure riders...all of us on small, capable dual-sports. Every night would be rustic camping. Every day would be technical riding in the some of the most remote, picturesque parts of Utah.
If extreme adventure riding is your flavor, then the Quien Sabe Ride will appeal. This ride will test your skills and your mental toughness out in the lonely places in Utah. Yes, riding friends, we are headed for the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route and Canyonlands!
This would not be a trip for everyone. In fact, I found out once I tried to get in on the ride that you had to submit a (long and detailed) application to the RMAR just to be accepted to the ride. There were essay questions. There were warnings about remoteness and safety hazards and remoteness and water preparedness. The motto of the trip was simple: be prepared because anything can happen. In Spanish, "Quien Sabe" means "Who Knows".
That's what this ride is about and that's what this blog is about. An adventure in the desert in 2014.
The seat that comes with the TE610 is not, shall we say, designed for comfort. I'm pretty sure it is only a slight upgrade from a 2x4 with a mousepad stapled to the top of it. If I was planning to take the TE610 on some long trips, that would have to go.
As luck would have it, Santa overheard me talking about this problem one day and decided to help me out. Enter Seat Concepts.
What Seat Concepts does is sell foam and cloth kits that are fitted to your bikes seat pan. You can do the install yourself, or for a mere $20, they will do a high quality custom install for you. I opted for the latter. I shipped my seat off to Seat Concepts on January 7th and got an email confirming its receipt on the 9th. Throughout the process, Robert at Seat Concepts kept me updated on the progress and shipping status of my seat. Just got the seat today and it feels and looks amazing!
Really, I'd started to think about a bike like this back in 2012 back when I watched the first Utah Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) trailer from Butler Motorcycle Maps. Butler, who has a history of making awesome motorcycle touring maps, decided a few years back to start creating and documenting navigable motorcycle routes through popular dual-sport territories with the idea being to cross an entire US state while driving the least amount possible on paved and primary roads. Their first map was Oregon, and next was Utah...
Yeah, this looks like no fun at all.
When I saw this video, I immediately knew I wanted to try this. There's just something awesome about the idea of riding in a group of guys out for a week of rustic motorcycle camping and adventuring in the remotest parts of the American Southwest. The route the UTBDR takes starts in southeast Utah and winds north all the way to the north end of Utah and goes through some of the most picturesque dual-sport country in the world. The only problem was, I had the wrong bike...a 2002 BMW R1150GS Adventure. The GSA is a 600lb. beast of a dual-sport. While certainly capable in the right hands, the sheer hippopotamus size of it induced a serious pucker factor on anything technical for me. Visions of having to pick up the bike would continuously be on my mind as I went through the rough stuff and the thought of being able to put a foot down to steady yourself was laughable...if it started to go, the only thing for it was to try to jump clear and hope the hard bags didn't crush your leg and that nothing dented the beautiful, bulbous 9-gallon tank.
But goddamn was she gorgeous.
That year, a friend and I went on a 10-day motorcycle ride got to taste a tiny portion of that route on our larger dual-sports and it was enough for me to realize that packing heavy on a heavy bike and taking it on technical trails just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm far more comfortable on a lightweight dirt bike. So while we did have an excellent trip through Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado that year, I have to admit it was a bit of a let down considering how badly I wanted to do the BDR.
So this year I sold my big Beemer and plan to spend all of this year enjoying my new toy, a 2007 Husqvarna TE610. At about (literally) half the weight of the BMW, this Italian stallion has a respectable 53 stock horsepower and a very wide ratio transmission (that will cruise at 80+mph all day without complaint) to complement its top of the line Sachs/Marzocchi suspension. In many ways, the TE610 is almost an ideal lightweight dual sport; it has both race-inspired lightweight high-horsepower performance and all-day high-endurance. Outside of a few known issues, it's one of the most versatile high-performance dual sports ever made. Why Husky ever stopped making them is beyond me.
2006 Italian Championship Motorally and Raid Marathon "Marathon" category winner.
Also good for commuting to work and getting groceries.
So, a couple months ago, my hunt began and I recently located a fine ultra-low-mileage specimen in Michigan. As Husqvarna dealers in the US are scarce, it looks like it's going to be necessary to have one shipped to me. A small price to pay for this amazing beast. I have a few ideas for upgrades that need done, but generally, I'm super stoked. I was actually on a business trip in Boston when it arrived, but she is here now. It's almost a shame to ride something that nice and new in dirt, but I'm sure I will find a way to bear it!
