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Glad to hear and hope to see you out on the road!

So good to hear! Comments like yours make doing this so rewarding. So many adventures on this trip. Stay tuned!

Welcome aboard! Hope you enjoy the journey!

Light-speed 3D lite flexform sleep pad. Self-inflating, 4" thick. Non-slippery fabric. Wonderful to sleep on, but bulky. 28" long when rolled up. I just looked for it and I think it is discontinued. The closest I found was this, which is very similar - www.amazon.com/Lightspeed-Outdoors-FlexForm-Self-Inflating-Insulated/dp/B09WB4W32X

Appreciate it, my friend. Comments like yours make my day! Yes, that bike has been super reliable - very good quality on a long trip like this!

Haha.. I've been bounced off my seat a few times on that bump you mention.

Insane weather, and devastating to Lytton.

If you already have a car license you can get your full motorcycle license in under two months if you can book the tests in quickly enough. If you don't have a car license it is a full two years with a novice license before you get your full license.

191 is best ridden S>N as you’re mostly gaining elevation. You’re in for a treat. Ridden 191 several times in both directions and Clifton-Morenci to Springerville is definitely the way to go. Watch out for deer and cattle. Great Mexican food in Springerville. BTW 191 was originally known as the Anti-Christ Hwy due to shield number of 666.

Yes, I personally wouldn't do this road in a 2-wheel drive vehicle. It's probably more the ground clearance I'd worry about. Hope you have a great trip!

Not in Langford, but within Greater Victoria. I find it a great place to live for stable economy, safety, climate, and relaxed vibe. Very much appreciate your comments and support!

@@MotoVenturer Pleasure man. I suggest considering offering rides around town for the tourists maybe even locals; could be a nice source of income and fun. They could rent their own bikes and you would show them around, hell, I'll even be your first client.

It was indeed too soft as it was setup for solo riding.

If you raise the question, someone will answer! Thanks, Chris.

2009 Suzuki V-Strom 650. Great mid-sized bike! Thanks!

Thank you, sir! Bike seems to be impressing most who ride it.

Thanks! 😊

Yes, that's an option. Need more kms in the stock format first as no problems so far, just a bike that love's revs.

What were your suspension settings and sag? Thanks!

@@silverhill377 Was set by the boys in the shop, so I'm not sure, but definitely softened considerably. Fully adjustable suspension, so they were able to really change the characteristics of the bike. They kept the notes! 🙂

@@MotoVenturer Thanks for the response! Mine is close. Think I need more sag. Love the bike. Still dialing in.

@@silverhill377 Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Sag will probably do the final tweaking

That's fantastic!

Tubed. I'm not sure any dual-sport has tubeless.

I did the North Island 1000 several years back during a forestry strike. All the roads were barren and free of logging trucks, which made for a great trip. Thanks for the comment and enjoy riding!

Will be trying this next. Cheers

Yes, it is a race bike and those are the oil change numbers as per the manual. Cheers

Excellent advice and much appreciated! Fortunately the guys at Tuff City Powersports will be able to assist me to get started, but I'm going to need to learn how to tune it myself to ensure I get the best ride depending upon conditions. I plan to load up on camping gear et al when riding the BDRs.

YU-AN forks and YU-AN monoshock. A Chinese brand, but the initial impressions are good. Fully adjustable, and the guys at Tuff City Powersports were able to adjust the setting for me on my second test ride (video coming next soon). Yeah, many people buy things more for the look than for the use, but I plan to take mine truly out and about! :-)

@@MotoVenturer i looked more into it, dirt-bike magazine did a review with Jimmy Lewis, he said the forks wee a Showa copy. He actually rode the crap out of the bike and he liked it, for reference he was Dakar racer.

@@rcafmaintainer3723 Awesome! Also, I appreciate the reference re "open and close" as I hadn't heard of that before. Cheers.

The Kove 450 Rally is about CAD $13K in Canada and about US $9.5K in the USA. Neither cheap nor expensive, but you get a lot of bike for that price.

Indeed!

I think it is a "must do" route for many local riders. Glad to "meet" a neighbour!

I've been to Banff, of course, but not really explored the backcountry roads. What would you most recommend for when I'm next in the area? Cheers

Thank you, Robert - your feedback is much appreciated!

I had plenty of times I'd see something I'd like to have explored, started out, said "no no no" and had to move on. Now I hope to explore more of those.

Cheers!

True!

So glad to hear that and very much appreciate your feedback. If you haven't already, you might enjoy my "BC to Arizona" episodes and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy my upcoming 55 day trip through the US. Cheers!

That's fantastic. Nice to hear from those in my neighbourhood!

It was a fun day and I can't wait to get back there this spring

So glad you enjoyed the video! Riding both ways is a must as each feels distinctly different from the other. I hadn't heard that backstory on how the road was constructed. Very interesting and likely true as you are correct about the poor conditions. There has also been some extensive reconstructions on sections. Fortunately the Suzuki V-Strom 650 handles the rolls and bumps quite well, but your description of the roadway is spot on!

@@MotoVenturer Indeed, riding these roads both ways gives a whole new perspective: different pavement, opposite curves, new scenery - sometimes accentuated by the head space of the rider. There is a book out (older now) called Destination Highways BC, which highlights the, supposedly, best motorcycle roads in BC. I have worked through the totality of the book in one direction, and have just a few roads left to do in the other direction. (It was a nice way to get out over the past 3-4 years and having a M.C. road tick list was a pleasant distraction). My main conclusion is that BC has some of the best and most concentrated riding in Canada. What I also found though is that the larger Goldwing, while great for faster, multi lane highways and interstates, it is somewhat "overkill" and perhaps even cumbersome for the less polished byways and country roads. Gravel roads can also be problematic. Anyways, in my serious consideration/research for a smaller adventure bike (the V-Strom 650 being one), I happened upon your channel. If you don't mine I'd love to know your thoughts on the 650.

@@glennpayan4205 I've some knowledge of the Goldwing as my father owned one for many, many years, and I concur with your observations. For me, the V-Strom 650 hits a really sweet spot. People may say it isn't a powerful bike but it has plenty of gumption at all legal speeds, and that includes with me and my side bags, top case, and extra 60 liter camping bag. The bike is very well balanced and nimble, though, to be clear, nothing like a sportsbike, and thus well behaved on smooth or rough roads, and completely comfortable on groomed gravel roads. It isn't really for rough off-road unless you get 50-50 tires and you may want a stiffer suspension and definitely want a skid plate, but for regular backcountry roads I never had problems (I did have problems on bad roads, sand, etc.). Gas mileage is great until riding over about 90KPH. After that, the higher revs hit the mileage. Running at 60KPM, I can get close to 450km on a tank; at 130KPM I get more like 300km. But even that is decent range on the 20liter tank. The bike, which is a 2009 with 130km on it, has had very little maintenance required, so a very reliable steed. Each riding season I fall back in love with it. I highly recommend them, but there are also many other good bikes out there.

​@@MotoVenturer Thanks for that great information. It seems a lot of people really like the 650, but who also claim to eventually move on to a "more exciting" ride, but then...ultimately, a portion of those seem to return to the 650 later on. (This according to several anecdotal and dealership conversations I've picked up in my adventure touring research). As your father may have experienced, taking the Goldwing out is an "event" in itself. For me it's not a bike I just throw a leg over and pop to the grocery store. Increasingly, a more practical ride seems appropriate as well as getting off the interstate and onto these more scenic gravel and dirt roads on a motorcycle that is, perhaps, less disconnected with the environment. I do plan to rent the Vstrom for a day or two to check it out, but in the meantime, what are your own thoughts on the seat comfort? The Goldwing is remarkably solid and comfortable. Little else ruins a ride for me more that a sore butt, tooth rattling vibration, and the mental strain of untrustworthy reliability. Given the daily mileage on some of your videos, you must find the ride quite comfortable? Again, thanks for all your video work.

@@glennpayan4205 Full disclosure.. I may sell mine and get a new bike, but that is more about me wanting a new bike. I've thought about selling for the last 3-4 years but only during the off-season, lol. When I get on the bike I think, why sell? It is really just that the bike is now older and I'm interested in something new. Now regarding the seat, I purchased a gel seat when I first bought the bike new, so I've never really tested the stock seat. My seat has been wonderful though, and got me through many 10 hour riding days. I have no idea today which brand the seat was. I think you'll find the stock seat can't compete, at all, with the comfort of a goldwing, but for an adventure bike, I think it is a reasonably comfortable seat.

Lol, only when I run out of things to say! But don't worry, Peter, you can mute me - I don't mind! Thanks for watching

CBR would be fun but perhaps a bit tough on the body. I love the comfort and fun factor of the V-Strom

Cool! I'll definitely be out there once the weather is warmer

Thanks! Yeah, it is one of my favourite rides. I've only made it to Prince George a couple of times. So much scenery in BC!

This trip was 18 days, Anthony. I posted a video a day except at the end, when I basically raced back up I5 to home. Cheers

@@MotoVenturer If you want some tips on filming your rides let me know. I'm also in Victoria and happy to meet up.

Haven't really ridden the Kootenays in over 10 years. Definitely time to go back. I've noted those routes - thanks!

@@MotoVenturer New Denver to Kaslo is supposedly the best motorcycle road in BC. I haven't ridden ALL of them, but I'd say it would be hard to beat.

@@mollygrubber Will try to get there this summer and give my report - and thanks for the subscribe!