Anna Baklund

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Carrie Barton

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

01/06/20 • 87 min

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Carrie Barton

Carrie Barton details her 10-day dual sport ride on the Tour of Idaho.

Imagine a 10 day, 1500-mile ride dominated by single track. Now imagine having to navigate the entire way without missing a beat. Better yet, picture yourself not really knowing what is going to be in store.

This is precisely the situation Carrie found herself in, August of 2019 when she became the first woman to officially complete the Tour of Idaho (TOI).

She had an idea of what to expect. But Idaho threw everything at her and her riding partners.

Tons of amazing single track. Long, grueling days. Scorching heat & chilling cold.

Water crossings. Incidents with bear spray. Critical navigation.

But what drove Carrie to take on such a big challenge? How long did it take her to prepare for the TOI and would she do it again? You’ll have to listen to catch all of the details.

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Sheldon & Karrie Bradlow

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

06/18/20 • 41 min

SHELDON & KARRIE BRADLOW

Sheldon & Karrie Bradlow recap their 2020 ride through South America.

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Improve Your Sand Riding

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

03/20/20 • 19 min

Improve your sand riding

Improve upon your sand riding today by following these helpful tips.

#1. Choose the right tire

Adventure bike sand riding is one of the most difficult things to do. So, how do you ride an adventure bike in the sand (or any motorcycle for that matter).

Your quest to conquer the sand starts in the garage or at your local dealer. Mount a tire to your bike that has considerable tread depth & spacing.

Don’t show up to the sand with a tire that favors the pavement.

A tire with knobs & spacing will actually help you spin & get on top the sand (as opposed to sinking down in it). We understand that you will sacrifice some performance on paved sections with a tire that is more aggressive. However, would you rather be stuck in the sand or just have to go slower on the slab?

Bonus tip. Our favorite tire for dual sport & adventure riding is the Goldentyre GT723R.

#2 Relax

The sand is technical. For inexperienced riders, just knowing you’ll have to deal with the soft stuff on an adventure rider creates stress.

Here’s what you can do.

Before entering the sand section, stop & take a break. Focus on getting your heart rate down and rhythmic breathing.

Visualize yourself conquering the obstacle.

Once you get on the bike, remember to maintain a subtle grip on the bars (don’t fight the machine) & pay attention to your breathing. If you “go with the flow” through the sand and stay loose on the bike, your odds for success radically improve.

#3 Use proper body position

Warning! Do not shift your weight to the rear of the bike.

What do we mean by neutral?

Balanced or centered
Relaxed grip
Elbows & knees slightly bent
Legs making contact with the chassis
Toes pointed in
Eyes up, looking far forward

A neutral position (standing or sitting) is perfect.

Too much weight on the front could send you over the handlebars on deceleration. Shift your weight too far back & you will be digging the rear tire deeper into the sand. Don’t do it! Stay neutral on the bike.

#4 Maintain Momentum

If we don’t maintain enough momentum to keep traveling forward when adventure bike sand riding, 1 of 2 things will happen.

We’ll lose our balance and fall over.

Or...we’ll dig ourselves into the sand and get stuck.

For some, sand on an adv ride can be intimidating and overwhelming. This apprehension leads to problems, injuries and ride cut short. Riders have a tendency to meet adversity with too much throttle. While not applying enough throttle is just as much a problem, we should be searching for that sweet spot.

How fast do we have to go to be in the sweet spot?

It depends. But the sweet spot doesn’t have to be super fast. Nor can it be super slow. Our advice, go just fast enough to maintain forward momentum and control of your machine. Don’t go too fast and ride over you head. Don’t go so slow that you get stuck.

#5 Braking & Turning

Again, momentum is key. Thus, the throttle is your friend.

Use the brakes only when absolutely necessary. Whenever possible, make wide-arcing turns to help brush your speed off.

When braking is necessary, avoid stabbing at the front brake. Too much front could lead to an endo or knifing of the front end. Too much rear will contribute to sinking further into the sand. Remember, we want to do everything we can to get on top of the soft stuff and stay there.

#6 Improve your sand riding with Practice

Not the sexiest of tips but it’s true.

Practice makes perfect. The more time you spend adventure bike sand riding, the easier it will be. We recommend riding sandy areas near home before launching your next big adventure ride or

Not an option?

Consider signing up for one of our off-road motorcycle training courses.

Become a Confident ADV Rider Get More ADV Riding Tips

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Has Social Media Changed Your Riding Behaviors?

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

03/17/20 • 20 min

Has Social Media Changed Your riding Behaviors?

Garrett Ortiz discusses how social media has influenced his riding.

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Kris and Nathan Fant

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

03/09/20 • 43 min

Kris and Nathan Fant

Kris and Nathan Fant join the show to discuss their adventure riding and ambassador work.

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Extend your range and your rides with Giant Loop’s fuel-safe gas bags.

Giant Loop 3-Gallon Gas Bag

Giant Loop 2-Gallon Gas Bag

Kris Fant Instagram

Nathan Fant Instagram

For the Love of Knobs YouTube Channel

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Maps to GPX

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

01/27/20 • 21 min

Google Maps to GPX

Create bucket list motorcycle adventure routes by converting your Google maps to GPX files in minutes.

Friends, we’ve uploaded a super-simple tutorial to Youtube so that you can convert Google Maps directions to gpx. We spent a bit of time discussing the highlights of the tutorial on this episode of the adventure motorcycle podcast.

However, it will likely be easier to learn by watching our video.

In other News

The tragic passing of Kobe Bryant shocked the world yesterday. My thoughts were shared briefly. But to summarize, he transcended the sport and pop culture throughout his career. The man was a global icon, looked up to by so many.

Ricky Brabec became the first American to ever win Dakar. We also heard that he opted to not re-sign with Honda prior to the event. Think Ricky might make a few extra dollars as a free agent and Dakar champion?

Giveaway

This week, we’re giving away a Giant Loop Zigzag Handlebar Bag.

Entering is easy. Just subscribe to our Youtube channel.

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Giant Loop

Bend Motorcycle Adventures Podcast

06/15/20 • 60 min

GIANT LOOP

Giant Loop owner, Harold Olaf Cecil, stops by the show.

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Giant Loop Gas Bags

Buckin’ Roll Tank Bag

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