Baja On A Royal Enfield
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)|November-December 2020
Winter was easing into its usual patterns of long, cold nights and travel advisories. December was just two days away and I was preoccupied when my phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was Jimmy, asking if I wanted to do Baja in March—a trick question?
Kirk Labelle
Baja On A Royal Enfield

Our ride was set to begin in Tecate, navigating all the way to Cabo, then returning by a different route to southern California. All told, we would cover 2,500 miles in 10 days. But first was the motorcycle selection, which needed to suit both challenging off-road routes and some very long paved sections. Jimmy chose a Honda CRF250 Rally with new Dunlop D606s carrying heavy-duty tubes. For me, it would be the Royal Enfield Himalayan, which had no performance upgrades, but did have several ergonomic changes: Seat Concepts’ tall seat, handlebars and handguards, and Doubletake mirrors, along with heated grips. Stock tires were the Pirelli MT60s with heavy-duty tubes.

We met our chase vehicle driver, Thomas, in San Diego, and were off to Tecate for the border crossing in temperatures barely above freezing. The crossing was quick and painless, though we did have to ask for directions in getting our visitor forms.

Each day we had three types of tracks to choose from, but we’ve never been able to ignore the more challenging “red” options. Thomas would stick to the green route, paved and civilized so he could arrive hours ahead of us on most days, book our rooms and haul in our gear from the van—talk about first-class service.

We picked up our first day’s track just south of Tecate, turning onto the Compadre Trail, a winding, dirt path through rural Mexico. It was one of the most amazing we’ve traveled, taking us through ranches, hills, villages and arroyos, and making it quickly obvious that Baja’s fauna require appropriate levels of caution.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November-December 2020-Ausgabe von Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November-December 2020-Ausgabe von Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLE (ADVMOTO)Alle anzeigen
Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?

Five-Time Dakar Malle Moto racer

time-read
4 Minuten  |
January - February 2024
INTO THE MUD
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

INTO THE MUD

Strategies for Successful Off-Road Riding

time-read
3 Minuten  |
January - February 2024
CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS

It was 2:00 a.m. on my fourth day in India. My eyes blinked open in the dark of a hotel room in Drass, a town in the Himalayas on the Indian side of the border. Yesterday was our first day riding on a six-day trip through the Himalayas, and my brain could not process everything I'd seen and experienced.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January - February 2024
Angels and Demons RIDING TWO-UP SOUTH THROUGH ALASKA
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Angels and Demons RIDING TWO-UP SOUTH THROUGH ALASKA

A not-so-warm welcome as we entered Hatchers Pass from Willow to Palmer, Alaska.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
January - February 2024
EXPLORING THE THRILLING WORLD OF RALLY RAID
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

EXPLORING THE THRILLING WORLD OF RALLY RAID

A GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED

time-read
7 Minuten  |
January - February 2024
MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE

LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January - February 2024
White Desert
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

White Desert

Riding Across the Frozen Landscape of Siberia

time-read
3 Minuten  |
July - August 2023
Kitti and Martha Forget Black Dog CYCLE WORKS
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Kitti and Martha Forget Black Dog CYCLE WORKS

How do you start something from nothing? That’s what Kurt and Martha Forgét did when they created Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW) out of their garage 16 years ago

time-read
4 Minuten  |
July - August 2023
Essential GROUP RIDING Tips
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Essential GROUP RIDING Tips

FOR ADVENTURE RIDERS (ON OR OFF THE ROAD)

time-read
6 Minuten  |
July - August 2023
MAKING MEMORIES
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

MAKING MEMORIES

Kevin and I initially met in the Marines. We have been riding together for a few years, and riding BDRs the entire time. Our first attempt at a BDR was in Utah, where we were completely unprepared and significantly ignorant of our capabilities. It led to some interesting moments conquering Lockhart Basin where we developed our backcountry motto: “Less Gear and More Water.” We document our rides on our YouTube channel, “Be Gone for Good.”

time-read
5 Minuten  |
July - August 2023