Backcountry gravel roads

[Leathel]

How many here travel back country gravel roads on their Valkyries? I have travelled a few and think they handle it well

I want to do a few more backcountry loops in the "Sticks" so need some new riding buddies..... Not really as a couple of them are on adventure bikes so will join me, but most are not keen, Best to have a couple of extras along as there is no cell reception and little traffic to help if you end up under a bike...

A couple of pics from previous rides

[DirtyDan]

Just a few.....

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,48890.0.html

 

Dan

[hubcapsc]

-Mike "don't go down it unless you think you can come back up it..."

[Jess from VA]

Not unless I know the road is passable, and is only a few miles (like connecting two decent roads by shortcut).  Too many times exploring, the road got much worse, and more potholed and deep rutted, and narrower and narrower until it wasn't a road anymore but a trail, and a real challenge to even turn around.

And a couple places like this, I started hearing banjos, and a few dilapidated shacks with no power but still occupied had folks come out and give you real unfriendly looks..... like you were maybe a revenuer or LE.  And they didn't wave back.... at all.  

Around here, there are plenty of rolling scenic back roads... that are still roads.

 





Your gravel roads look pretty well maintained.  Most of the ones around here haven't been maintained ever.

Around here, if you don't know the road, this is what you may get.  No thanks.

[cookiedough]

fresh gravel (large stones) make the Valk squirrely and the dust on the bikes after a few miles want me to get off them ASAP, especially if riding in a group setting.  Looks like your pic is not fresh rock gravel so more compact and less dusty.

[Farside]

Nice trip however, I'm not a fan of a gravel road unless it is a hard packed gravel road. I've had the misfortune of starting on the hard gravel packed road only to end up in a newly supplied road of fresh gravel. Not much fun for me to say the least especially up hill Tried to see if it would get better and after a 1/2 mile I found a spot to turn around. If I go on another gravel road I'll learn thru the locals about the condiction or travel it in a 4 wheel vehicle before hand. 

[Westernbiker]

I rode my blue and cream valk down this road. It is a 28 min video so just skip to a few spots to get the idea of how this road is or watch it all. This is NOT a valk road. Met a few Sedona Pink Jeep tours coming up as I was going down. The drivers just shook their heads and said encouraging things as we passed each other.
I have TONS of off road experience on bikes and trucks.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OpOcBrxRo0

[Alberta Patriot]

Thanks, but no thanks. Plenty of paved byways with awesome scenery. my I/S with the tires I ride is scary squirrelly on loose gravel.

[F6Dave]

My Valkyries aren't too bad on unpaved roads.  Maybe the big front tire helps.  But their weight can be a real problem if you need to maneuver in a tight spot.

This is what the dual purpose 'adventure bikes' are made for!  I have an old BMW R100 GS that is fun on roads where riding the Valk is work.  It only weighs 420 pounds, has aggressive tire tread, a long travel suspension, and a skid plate under the engine.  Many consider this the original adventure bike.  Today, it's the only segment of the motorcycle market that is experiencing sales growth.

[..]

From May 2005

My route was to take me to the north side of Hayesville, NC just above the Georgia State line. To get there I was going to ride south on Wayah Bald Rd for a few miles and then head west on Junaluska Road to Big Choga to the dirt road. Now this dirt road I had already used to go up and over the mountain to get to Hayesville but looking at maps and Streets & Trips it seemed there was a better way to go which would get me back onto blacktop near to where I usually did.

After about a mile of dirt I turned left onto the section I had never ridden before. I’m not a stranger to taking the Valk off  blacktop http://www.northgeorgiamotorcycleclub.com/stories/jb001-cwa.pdf is a story written by a friend of mine I had persuaded to ride on dirt with me.

The dirt road I normally use is wide enough for 2 vehicles and only slightly washboarded on a couple of the bends along its 5-mile length.

Immediately the unknown dirt road is narrower and obviously not traveled as frequently. This I deduce by the few tufts of weed growing in the center of the single track. The track rises pretty sharply on bends tighter than those at Deals Gap. Oh well the sooner I go up the sooner I go down. Still rising the track is deteriorating slightly but forward motion keeps the Valk pretty steady. Up I ride with the weeds in the center getting more prolific.

After a couple of twisty miles the option would be to turn around and retrace my route. Easy to do if not riding a bike the length of the Valk. I reckon I would either have to have my front wheel up a slope or the back wheel getting close to the edge to be able to complete the 180-degree maneuver. I have gone too far (stubborn) to be able to back down so I press on. At last I reach the summit and start to gingerly descend on the worsening surface. Minimal maintenance has been done to the track and in sections it feels like I am riding on pool balls on top of marbles. The handlebars are wagging from side to side and the front wheel keeps trying to slide away. It’s a strange feeling knowing that to stop falling over when the wheel slides I have to release the rear brake to get more forward speed and hence more stability.

By now the blackberry bushes are starting to crowd the track and I have to close my visor to keep them from hitting my face. As I do this I realize I have trapped a small bug inside my helmet so quickly I lift the visor and try to blow it out whilst still keeping the Valk from steering itself towards the drop off on my left. If I go over there I’ll never be found. The bug escapes and the visor comes back down. Why didn’t I stop to do this? I just knew if I stopped whilst going down the steep “slippery” slope I ran the risk of the bike falling over.

I’m now at the bottom of the slope and there is room to turn around and go back but after 3 ½ miles I know the end must be just around the corner. In fact just around the corner is a shallow stream I have to ford. This is done easily with both feet up on the pegs. A hiss of steam and the track starts to rise again.

Now the surface is not only covered in loose rocks and stones but also slick with water and moss. This section is in perpetual shade and my headlight modulator sensor ceases to work the light is so dim. The front wheel is wagging so much it feels like I have a flat.

This dimly lit section lasts for a short time and I start to break into sunlight once more after having to ford a deeper, wider stream. Only have to dab once with my left foot to keep the bike straight on course.

Up the track rises again and now it’s so rough I have to keep a firm grip on the handlebars which are wagging faster than a dogs tail. My grip on the gas tank with my thighs is getting tighter and tighter and I’m moving forward at about 4 miles an hour. So far I’ve gone 5 1/2 miles. Up and up and up. Rounding a bend there’s a small clearing to my right occupied by four horses and their on foot riders. I chug slowly by under the incredulous stare of all four. I raise my left hand for a quick wave and one rider bemusedly raises his in return. Going down a slope and rounding a very sharp hairpin bend I see why they stared. The track is now completely broken up with water channels running at a very gradual diagonal. These try to capture both front and rear wheels to make me ride off the edge into the trees alongside and below. For the first time I have to stop and use both legs whilst I paddle walk the Valk up and over these ruts. This continues for about 100 yards. Great for trail riding on a horse. I guess that’s why the riders were out. They knew there was no chance of a motorized vehicle coming along!

Down the track goes again and levels out with yet another stream to ford, the biggest so far. I’m able to put the Valk onto its sidestand and test the depth of the water with a stick. The stream bottom is made up of small stones with a good solid rock surface underneath. About 9 inches deep in the center and 6 feet wide the edges slope gradually and I make it across with minimal water in each boot.

7 miles traversed and I must be getting to the end of the dirt road soon. There are a couple of old wooden shacks covered in weeds off to the side and I hear the faint echoes of a banjo playing in the back of my mind. Scenes from Deliverance, X-Files and Wrong Turn flash through my head and my right hand forces a tad more gas into the engine causing the back wheel to slide away. My thighs are aching and sweat is dripping off my nose. Who knew going so slowly could be such hard work. Constantly changing from first to second and back has meant I have only had to use the rear brake for the past 1-½ hours. 15 more minutes and here is the blacktop.

I know if I stop straight away there’s a chance that my legs will cramp up and I’ll drop the bike. So I decide to ride for about a couple of hundred yards and then stop to give my legs a chance to relax.

Rounding a bend my jaw drops. There are about 100 Harley Davidson’s of all shapes and sizes parked all over the road and verges. Customs with rear wheels the width of a cows butt. Choppers with extended forks, full dressers and people walking in the road. I hit my Fiamm horns a couple of times to open a path through them. All the pedestrians freeze. They must know it’s a dirt road just around the bend so WHERE THE HELL HAVE I COME FROM? I thread my way through them with the dust accumulated from THE 8-mile dirt road rising from the Valk and I like talcum powder from a Whigs wig..

One rider with WOLVERINE printed on the back of his T-shirt wobbled his bike out in front of me and in response to a couple more blasts of my horn quickly rode onto the grass verge. Now I’m through the gaggle of bikes and riders and open up the Valk hoping to get more dust off me.

I look in my mirror and 15 or 20 bikes have pulled in behind me. I assume that they heard my horn and thought the group was on the move. OH well I don’t mind leading them a merry dance. There’s a couple of customs I can see and a couple of bikes with passengers. Now I’m on a road I’ve ridden 3 or 4 times before so I just ride at a good peg scraping speed around the bends slowing down a little on the short straights. The bends are only 30 to 45 mph. In my mirrors I can see riders crossing the centerline trying to keep up. This continues for about 5 miles when I see another large group of bikes parked on the right in front of a “General Store”. Five or six people step out in front of me waving their arms in a slow down motion. Now I’m sure these guys are friendly but I move over to the left and pass them by as the bikes behind me pull over and stop.

Into Hayesville and then southwards home.

[..]

Cherohala Wilderness Adventure
A Motorcycle Tale by Jim Baker aka Coot

From around 2005 as well.

Sunday, Britman and I met at KC’s Corner Café in Fairmount, GA for a ride to The Cherohala Skyway. We avoided the arrow-straight US 411 and crisscrossed it north to US 64 where we encountered a roadblock near Greasy Creek. The weathermen had
forecast balmy weather, but my temp gauge reported 37 degrees.
We detoured up TN 314 to TN 30 and Reliance. From there we went up TN 315 and 39 to Tellico Plains. Over lunch, we decided to go to Bald River Falls, six miles off The Cherohala. Many of us have been to the falls, but few of us have been beyond.
Britman and I ventured beyond and enjoyed ten more miles of paved road, beautiful river vistas all the way........perfect for a club ride.
At the end of the paved section, we turned around and headed back. About five miles back, Britman suggested we try a road that he and his wife, Terri, had driven in their SUV. I said, “I’m game” and off we went. That ain’t exactly what I said, but this is a public forum.
Well now, this is a dirt Forest Service road that runs twelve miles up to The Cherohala. The elevation at the point of origin is about 1,600 feet, climbing to
4,300 feet at the intersection with the Cherohala.
The first five miles or so were uneventful with firm, packed ruts to follow. Then it got interesting as the ascent began. The Forest Service
had placed fresh gravel at frequent intervals. These stones were fist-sized. It was like riding The Dragon on pool balls. At mile 11.5, my sport bike front tire just buried itself
in the large, loose rocks. I struggled on and finally made it through. My heart was pounding and my sphincter was squeezing. Britman had made it through ahead of me and was awaiting my arrival. So, at mile 11.5, we decided to get our breath. My GPS showed that we were just a half a mile away from The Cherohala and paved road. Going back down through the large gravel was not an option. Up traction......down fraction.
Just then, we heard the thump of a Dual Sport coming down the hill. He stopped, swung off and announced himself as “Blue”. A rugged native of the mountains on a Honda 650 Thumper with what looked like a welded-on lawn mower seat...........this was a Rider. Sported Dockers on his big-old feet. Sport-tourer jacket and leather chaps. Said he liked to get out and ride when iťs sunny. Said he had to violate the road blocks. Our hearts sank.......had we gone through all of this to reach a road block? Blue said,
“No, that was way back yonder at Joyce Kilmer Forest, I just rode around it.” Whew!!!
It would be nice to have Blue as a member of the club, but I’ve got a feeling that Blue ain’t gonna be a “member of nothin’..........ride on, Blue. Blue thought we were crazy. He
kept on looking at our bikes and asking, “Came all the way up from Bald River, didya”? You know, Blue was probably right, but it was a most glorious day. Iťs like life.......you fall down, you get up. My GPS indicated we had a half-mile to go, so we asked Blue what was ahead. Blue said the last stretch was awful rough...........It was. We made it and high
fived each other as we reached pavement once again. We caught our breath and grooved The Cherohala sweepers on back to Tellico Plains. We grinned, shook
hands. Britman motored off to Roswell and I home to Rocky Face.

[hubcapsc]

It was like riding The Dragon on pool balls.

I tried to go down this road a while back, after a while it went to pool balls...



-Mike

[0leman]

Not long after moving to southern Oregon, I found a road that looked interesting on Google Map.  From the satellite photos, it looked like it was not a gravel type road running thru USFS country.  So off I went exploring.  I figured that I had enough fuel to go thru the mountain area to a gas station on the other end.  I was wrong about the road surface, there was 19 miles of fairly fresh gravel.  Dusty gravel.  I was passed the point of being able to go back when I hit the gravel.   I made it by going slow, 20/25 mph slow.  Plus drove thru a grasshopper invasion about half way thru.   It took me an hour to get the dust out the hidden place on my Valk.

Since then my looking at roads on the Google has gotten better.  Only have had to ride thru less than a mile of gravel. 

[Jess from VA]

Paul, your adventure stories sound like a nightmare I might have. (so thanks for that )

Maybe at 50, not at 66, at least with a Valk.

I haven't had my DT360 for 40 years, and I could probably still do that one, but not the fat lady, no thanks.

A man has to know his limitations.

My old Yamaha.


And I had one of these on the back (which made my street riding exciting).


And I still fell down a hill in WVa 40 years ago, and broke the handlebars and shifter, and had to leave it in the muddy woods overnight, and hike out and go buy parts the next day, and hike them back and replace them before I could get up and out of that hollow (with most of the air let out of the rear).

This all to the great amusement of my WVa cousins who took me to this particular place.  

[DIGGER]

My Valkyries aren't too bad on unpaved roads.  Maybe the big front tire helps.  But their weight can be a real problem if you need to maneuver in a tight spot.

This is what the dual purpose 'adventure bikes' are made for!  I have an old BMW R100 GS that is fun on roads where riding the Valk is work.  It only weighs 420 pounds, has aggressive tire tread, a long travel suspension, and a skid plate under the engine.  Many consider this the original adventure bike.  Today, it's the only segment of the motorcycle market that is experiencing sales growth.

Awesome GS.....what yr?

[..]

A few years ago

Sometimes I'm such a dumbass.

The northerly ride up Nimblewill Gap was much longer than I thought it would be. After a couple of miles I anticipated seeing the top of the mountain around every bend. It took about another mile before I did reach the forest road summit.

Please remember that I'm a gentleman putterer so my top speed coming up the road was about 20 mph and generally was about 10mph so that I could minimize the chance of getting a flat, KLR's run tubed tires.

There's a plaque at the summit of the road commemorating an aircraft crash that happened in 1968.

https://www.summitpost.org/memorial-in-nimblewill-gap/621462

There's also a view of the downhill section of the forest road leading northwards. We've had a lot of rain recently in north Georgia and it seemed that most of the run off was going down the north side of the mountain, the direction I'm headed. As soon as the descent started the forest road showed signs of water erosion so I walked down to take a look at the lie of the land.

Hmmmm if I keep right to start with and then cross the very shallow gully in the middle I can then make my way down hugging the left side of the dirt road and keep away from the drop off down the side of the mountain.

KLR fired up I start threading my way downhill. Well that was easy, now I can press on and make my way to Two Wheels Only for lunch. Rounding the first downhill bend I see that the track is still washed out and now there are few rocks sticking through the dirt. Remember I  mentioned it had been raining, well rocks on the north side of a mountain tend to “grow” a slippery covering of a variety of lichens and moss. Here we had some fine examples that anyone studying lichenometry would be happy to see. However rubber tires and green slimy, slippery rocks are not happy bedfellows so with a mental girding of loins I start down the obstacle course slowly weaving my way around the green bulges.

Around the next corner I see that the erosion is even more severe and that the center of the track is not suitable for my level of off-road skills so I have to choose the right or left and I can only see about 20 yards before the track disappears around another bend. Well I'll keep to the left away from the drop off and I'll be safe.

Hah! As I round the bend the gully in the center of the track veers sharply left due to an outcrop of rock on the right. This leaves a strip of wet, clayey soil about 12 inches wide with mature young saplings to the left of that. These saplings have whippy leaf covered branches sticking out into the 12 inch safety zone. Now I know that on dry flat blacktop I can ride a 12 inch strip in a perfectly straight line with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back. But on this soil with thin branches whipping at my face and a rear wheel waiting to slide 3 feet down into the gully?

Oh, did I forget to mention that the water erosion was doing its best to make north Georgia's own version of the Grand Canyon. What had started out as a shallow depression in the center of the track was now a 3 feet deep gash zig zagging across the side of the mountain.

There's no room to put the bike on the side stand. There's no room to turn around and go back uphill.

Dismounting from a KLR involves hopping backwards on the right foot whilst sliding the left leg across the saddle until the left foot is clear. Hah! Hopping backwards into the abyss is what I don't want to do. Leaning the bike towards the trees I gingerly get off trying to make sure I don't slip into the waiting maw of the crevasse behind me.

Success. Now all I need to do is start the bike up and using gravity and a little engine power carefully make my way about 10 feet until the strip I'm stranded on widens out. I've decided that if I start to slip into the gully I will push the bike away from me into the trees because I don't want it falling on top of me as I lay in the bottom of the gully. Hopefully the bike wont bounce back off any pliant saplings and smoosh me into the red Georgia clay.

Phew, secure footing and I can get get back on board and prepare for the next obstacle.

Did I mention that we've had a lot of rain. The Forest Service buries 15 inch diameter corrugated pipes across the tracks to allow water run off a safe passage without washing away the track. Well the recent rains we've had have exposed the upper halves of these pipes. These pipes are slippery and you may remember that rubber tires and slippery don't like to go hand in hand. The gully is now on the left of the track which means I have to get over the large corrugated slippery pipes on the right side of the track. That's the side next to the steep downhill, falling off the mountain side part of the track. I hazard a guess that if I just roll over the pipe I will hit the bottom of the bike and possibly crack the engine case so I'm going to have to “hop” the rear wheel over. OK front wheel up and on top of the large slippery metal corrugated pipe. A quick handful of throttle and up and over I go. Bloody hell, I made it.

Now the rocks that are sticking out of the tracks surface are large enough that some kind soul has spray painted the jagged tips with white paint so that the unwary traveler doesn't impale themselves on one. The gully in the track has become fractured with many off shoots and the track now looks like a rock debris field rather than anything a motorized vehicle could traverse.

Once more I'm forced to ride on the drop off side of the track and I'm thankful for the many hours of slow riding practice I've done over the years because clutch, throttle and rear brake are being manipulated very, very carefully. Gravity helps me trickle oh so slowly downhill. Forward motion is good.

A mantra flows through my head, right foot, back brake, no front brake;  right foot, back brake, no front brake; right foot, back brake, no front brake.

Sweat is dripping down my back and oozing from the lining of my helmet – my spare helmet that has a removable liner.

Don't look where you don't want to go. Look where you want to go.
Don't look where you don't want to go. Look where you want to go.
Don't look where you don't want to go. Look where you want to go.
Don't look where you don't want to go. Look where you want to go.

This keeps me from falling off the side of the mountain which is good. Visions of me lying with broken limbs and possums sucking my eyes out at midnight flicker across my brain.

Another 15 yards and I'm back on a relatively smooth surface, one that looks like a rock quarry floor after the explosives have gone BOOM!

More blood, swear and tears and I arrive at the base of the mountain and on to a smooth gravel road.
On to http://www.twowheelsonly.com/ for lunch.

Arriving there I talk with two other dual sport riders and tell them of my morning adventure. One asks why the hell I was riding that side of Nimblewill Gap by myself.

I reply “Sometimes I'm such a dumbass.”.

[..]

Rode this on the ST1300.

Burkes Garden, VA

https://goo.gl/maps/cMhA7goWL6KUqGf88

[..]

Dunno if this is paved now. It wasn't when I rode my ST1300

https://goo.gl/maps/dBHbSZ4ZvBj32J7e7

Much relief when the dirt ended but the paved section was only about 1/2 a mile.   

[..]

Rode this uphill on my first Valkyrie.

https://goo.gl/maps/Ag35mxRXEMwEFiKBA

So happy I wasn't going downhill.

[..]

Current Valkyrie

https://goo.gl/maps/MfTQNa4XMiKrWBCE8

[..]

Couple of creek crossings on a Valkyrie

https://goo.gl/maps/Te5h3czWeekRxE9SA

[..]

This is the route with Coot

https://goo.gl/maps/1XvgkkzXN7CXgjWbA

[..]

Lately I have mightily resisted the call of a dirt road.

To date I have been strong.

[old2soon]

            MAYBE on a light weight dual sport with real motocross knobbies for tires. I've had Phatt Ghurl on gravel and dirt roads with some P G R missions. My I/S and my age make dirt/gravel way Less fun then it used ta wuz. Sides found out in 16 I no longer bend-I break now.  RIDE SAFE.

[F6Dave]

My Valkyries aren't too bad on unpaved roads.  Maybe the big front tire helps.  But their weight can be a real problem if you need to maneuver in a tight spot.

This is what the dual purpose 'adventure bikes' are made for!  I have an old BMW R100 GS that is fun on roads where riding the Valk is work.  It only weighs 420 pounds, has aggressive tire tread, a long travel suspension, and a skid plate under the engine.  Many consider this the original adventure bike.  Today, it's the only segment of the motorcycle market that is experiencing sales growth.

Awesome GS.....what yr?

It's a 1988.  I think that was the first year they were available here.  It gets more comments the older it gets.

[The emperor has no clothes]

My Valkyries aren't too bad on unpaved roads.  Maybe the big front tire helps.  But their weight can be a real problem if you need to maneuver in a tight spot.

This is what the dual purpose 'adventure bikes' are made for!  I have an old BMW R100 GS that is fun on roads where riding the Valk is work.  It only weighs 420 pounds, has aggressive tire tread, a long travel suspension, and a skid plate under the engine.  Many consider this the original adventure bike.  Today, it's the only segment of the motorcycle market that is experiencing sales growth.

Awesome GS.....what yr?

It's a 1988.  I think that was the first year they were available here.  It gets more comments the older it gets.

I`m sure. It`s a great looking bike !

[Wizzard]

I grew up in rural Iowa and all we had were gravel roads. When you got used to them you drove by feel as much as anything and you had no problem at all.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I grew up in rural Iowa and all we had were gravel roads. When you got used to them you drove by feel as much as anything and you had no problem at all.

Same thing in AK. I used to deliver papers at 6am on my Suzuki 90, sometimes with a foot of new snow. As long as there isn`t soft sand or dirt, I will take the Valk on it. I do get a little tense if Brenda is riding with me though. I know if we ever go down no matter how slight, she will never ride again.

[Wizzard]

I grew up in rural Iowa and all we had were gravel roads. When you got used to them you drove by feel as much as anything and you had no problem at all.

Same thing in AK. I used to deliver papers at 6am on my Suzuki 90, sometimes with a foot of new snow. As long as there isn`t soft sand or dirt, I will take the Valk on it. I do get a little tense if Brenda is riding with me though. I know if we ever go down no matter how slight, she will never ride again.

Same with my wife Rob. I rode 20 miles of gravel in the UP with her on and never again. She could not handle it.

[Leathel]

My Wife is OK on tarseal, but only OK so I have never had her on gravel, Have taken some unintentional gravel roads with my daughter on the back though (on the old VT1100C).... these pics are as it started to open out again, it got to grass growing in the middle on this adventure, Still even though I was the only cruiser I wasn't the slowest, Waiting for a couple more bikes at this point... at least our back country folk are always friendly if you end up on someone's private road






  I try to avoid freshly dumped gravel, or ones the grader has just been down but as our roads have a pretty good base it doesn't get done often

 They do pothole in places but over all not to bad, turning around on the Valk can be interesting at times

I haven't got the Valkyrie muddy yet but it's only a matter of time until I stuck wet slushy roads.... well I have struck those conditions on it but it was still pouring with rain so was washing it of as soon as we left the gravel for the long trip home

[Leathel]

This is as close to riding on the Gravel my Wife has got, following the bikes with the kids in the car



 Good to have a car along as back up though as its just around this corner I had to run into the ditch to avoid a milk tanker......just part of the experience.....but being in the van instead of my truck meant we got stuck..... and some walking was involved

[Leathel]

Some good replies to this post..... have some reading to do tonight (at work ATM)

[Serk]

This dude has us all beat.....

http://www.baikunomatsuo.sakura.ne.jp/index.html

(Sadly, these are NOT ME!!!)

On his was to Mt. Everest Base Camp



If the translation is correct, Mt. Everest is one of the mountains in the background:



In Iran, heading to Pakistan:



Valkyrie in Zimbabwe:



Mozambique:



Valkyrie at the Great Pyramids in Cairo!



And in Mongolia!





Sao Paulo, Brazil:



He even rode it to the Rocky Mountains in the good ole' USA:



Anyway, more pics on the first link... Be sure to use the Translate option in Chrome browser for a little better idea of what he's saying.

This guy will always be one of my heroes and someone I wish I could emulate.....

[cookiedough]

Nice trip however, I'm not a fan of a gravel road unless it is a hard packed gravel road. I've had the misfortune of starting on the hard gravel packed road only to end up in a newly supplied road of fresh gravel. Not much fun for me to say the least especially up hill Tried to see if it would get better and after a 1/2 mile I found a spot to turn around. If I go on another gravel road I'll learn thru the locals about the condiction or travel it in a 4 wheel vehicle before hand. 

agree,  freshly laid loose big gravel chunks make for an interesting always squirrely time at most doing 35 mph top speed but have to keep going for if stopped or slow down too much our heavy cycles might tip over, definitely unable to turn around safely that is for sure.  If hard and compact, is do-able though, but not welcome.

[Leathel]

This dude has us all beat.....

http://www.baikunomatsuo.sakura.ne.jp/index.html

(Sadly, these are NOT ME!!!)

On his was to Mt. Everest Base Camp



This guy will always be one of my heroes and someone I wish I could emulate.....

 We had a member of our social riders group that is a chinese national but lives here,  he did a tour across China with a group of friends and through some pretty rugged country, also some very scenic open country, I had never thought of visiting China but it sure have some very scenic areas. He did daily posts but in separate posts so can't link a thread...Awesome looking trip. I wish I had the ability to take several months of to do something similar, Inspiring people  

This is his map trake, From memory about ten years of trips

[The emperor has no clothes]

This dude has us all beat.....

http://www.baikunomatsuo.sakura.ne.jp/index.html

(Sadly, these are NOT ME!!!)

On his was to Mt. Everest Base Camp



This guy will always be one of my heroes and someone I wish I could emulate.....

 We had a member of our social riders group that is a chinese national but lives here,  he did a tour across China with a group of friends and through some pretty rugged country, also some very scenic open country, I had never thought of visiting China but it sure have some very scenic areas. He did daily posts but in separate posts so can't link a thread...Awesome looking trip. I wish I had the ability to take several months of to do something similar, Inspiring people  

This is his map trake, From memory about ten years of trips

That's quite the journey he was on. 

[DirtyDan]

Hats off

Dan

[Leathel]

That's quite the journey he was on.  

 I think he runs tours in NZ so may have been doing that in china too, has great camera skills too, A few of his pics I have found... I tried finding a Blog or the likes from his trips a while back but didn't find one

Edit : Found his NZ tour company page (or at least it looks like it)

https://www.facebook.com/gotournz/photos/


Sherman Chen's Pics

[Leathel]

I had this video turn up on the youtube home page...... back country riding is like that, you just keep going to see whats there

https://youtu.be/ArkyI9rsV9w

[baldo]

I had this video turn up on the youtube home page...... back country riding is like that, you just keep going to see whats there

https://youtu.be/ArkyI9rsV9w

That guy is a character....now I have to see all his stuff.....lol