Minnesota Adventure Riders

I friendly blog reader recently emailed me saying I never posted a link to part two of that Canadian who made the epic journey across Canada on his KLR650 in the winter.  Thanks Dale for the reminder.  This two part series has become my favorite moto-travel video on the internet today bar none.  I think this is especially appropriate to post this week as we have had one of the coldest rainiest Springs ever here in Minnesota and many riders are complaining.  Maybe it can serve as a reminder that it could be worse….much worse.  Enjoy.

A while back I posted a video of a Canadian who rode his KLR650 through the winter.  Now it is time to get a little crazier.  The video below is of a gentleman who has decided to ride around the arctic circle on a Honda 90.  This is really very incredible.  Crank up the sound and prepare to be inspired.

You are all encouraged to follow Jay and Conor as they ride their KLR’s from Roseville to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  They are planning for a 71 day trip to get there.  They left just this week on this once in a lifetime adventure. A photo sharing site has been setup here.

Click on over and give them some encouraging comments!

source ZeroMotorcycles.com

source ZeroMotorcycles.com

Zero Motorcycles announced last week that they have developed a new motorcycle for the U.S. Military called  the Zero MMX.  Zero claims the bike has special tactical advantages over traditional motos.  Specifically the quick acceleration, near silent operation, and low heat signature separates it from other vendor’s offerings. Zero isn’t saying how many were produced, only they some number are undergoing “operation testing”.

From the press release:

“It was a very rewarding experience for the Zero team to go through such an exacting development process. The military needed a very specific set of core features on the MMX, and we were incredibly thankful to work side-by-side with them to deliver such a unique product,” said Abe Askenazi, Chief Technology Officer for Zero Motorcycles. “The great news for our civilian customers is that we made the decision to incorporate into our 2013 MX, FX and XU retail motorcycles virtually all of the powertrain enhancements associated with satisfying this project’s stringent military requirements. Our 2013 product is truly ‘military grade’!”

Key features of the new bike:

• Specialized military dash for quick and centralized mainline controls
• Keyless ignition engaged with dash toggle for quicker departure
• Modular and quick-swappable power packs
• Wet operational abilities in up to one meter submersion
• Switchable headlight for night-time stealth
• Integrated wiring to accommodate quick installation of front and rear infrared systems
• Safety override and reserve power capabilities to extend range during extreme situations
• Aggressive foot pegs and hand guards for optimal control
• Tie down eyelets with integrated tow cable and rear seat strap

The one meter submersion feature must have been especially fun to test!  Great to see U.S. made dual sport bikes aiding our military.

I’d like to welcome the folks at Rox Speed FX as a sponsor to MinneADV.org and MinneADV.info.  Not only do these guys have great farkles for your bike, but they are based right here in the Minnesota northwoods near Grand Rapids.  Many of you may recognize the name from their very popular line of bar risers, but their family of products extends well beyond those.  So take a minute to jump on over to their website and check out their merchandise.  These guys aren’t just salesman, they do ride and know what riders require.  I hear the President just got back from a ride in Patagonia.  So jealous! Read the rest of this entry »

Do you use a dedicated GPS unit on your bike or a Smart Phone?  If you live in California you no longer have a choice.  A judge has ruled that operating a phone based GPS on your motorcycle is too dangerous.  Well thank you Mr. Nanny State!  Now this is all based on California’s existing law banning the operation of a cell phone while driving.  So I am assuming that operating a standalone GPS is still ok.  Which of course makes no sense at all.
I am all for safe motorcycling and understand that anytime you take your hands off the bars you are increasing risk, but this is just another example of America’s legal system lacking common sense.  I love my “Dual Sport Maps” app on my Android and I also know many you love “Motion X” on their iPhone.  Will this sort of ruling ban the use of these apps here in Minnesota sometime?

Only time will tell. End of rant.

Today we launched a new website: www.MinneADV.org

The purpose of this site is to give the riding community a place to:

• Post and Organize Group Rides (no more emailing me, whoopee!  Post it yourself)
• Meet fellow riders
• Post photos
• Create Discussions

The website uses the Meetup.com engine to run things.  So hop on over to the new site, sign up, and RSVP for an event, or create your own.  I will no longer be maintaining an event lists here on this blog, but instead will link to MinneADV.org.  Feel free to send in feedback on how you like the site.

One tip for everyone; The site sets your email preferences to be very invasive.  You will probably want to setup your profile to remove some of the spam emails from meetup.com.

Thanks, and don’t let the snowstorm this week depress you.