Can the Aprilia Tuareg 660 Handle Argentine Pass in Colorado?
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- Опубликовано: 17 июл 2024
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One of my favorite rides from last year was taking my Harley Davidson Pan America up Geneva Creek Road here in Colorado. It was later in the season, October, and I had the trail and summit area to myself. I was eager to ride it again this year, but on the Aprilia Tuareg 660.
That was our plan on this day, hit Geneva Creek Road and enjoy the ride up and back down. From last year, the upper sections of the ascent were covered in loose baby heads. It was a challenge, to be sure. This year, the Forest Service has graded the road, all but eliminating the baby head section towards the top. We were able to make quick work of this route, and decided to see what was nearby.
Argentine Pass is just a short ride over Guanella Pass Road, so we decided to ride over and check it out. Neither of us had any idea what lied ahead.
The trail entry is a bit of a gate-keeper, but once you get by that, the vast majority of the riding to the abandoned Waldorf Mine consists of embedded rock with a few patches of gravel and some light water crossings.
If you’re riding a full-size ADV bike, I would recommend spending some time at the mine’s parking area, and then head back down. If you’re on a mid-size ADV bike, and not alone, then the ride up to the summit (and back down) is challenging, but rewarding once you top out.
Past the mine, the riding consists of pitchy, loose sections with large loose rock and 2 challenging switchbacks. The challenge with the switchbacks is maintaining momentum while picking a line through a lot of large rocks.
The trail narrows here as well, so you will want to pay attention to traffic and ‘partner’ with other trail users to ensure safe travel and passes.
If I was to make the same trip, I’d be really inclined to use a dirt-bike or light dual sport. It would just make the ride more fun. Thankfully, on this ride I wasn’t alone, and Colin and I made pretty easy work picking up my bike.
The summit at Argentine Pass was incredible. You’ll just want to figure what bike you’d want to take to visit it ;)
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- Video Contents -
00:00 Intro
00:35 Trail Entry and Gate-Keeper
01:56 What Bikes Are We On
04:10 Reaching The Abandoned Mine
04:21 Aerial Footage
06:54 Trail Pass
07:47 Quick Break And Chat With Colin
09:10 Continuing On Upper Sections And Poor Line Choice
10:42 The "Wall"
11:34 Starting The Final Push For The Summit
12:15 Arriving At The Summit Авто/Мото
🏍Ever find yourself on a trail that's more suited for a dirt bike?
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I rode this last Sat on my EXC-F. The top was harder than anticipated and I was glad I did not bring my Tuareg. Nice work getting yours to the top. Impressive!!! I got an early start and had the top and the bluebird skies all to myself! Beautiful ride. Thanks for the content Jim!
Right on! The summit was worth the ride up/down. Glad you had it to yourself ;)
Your vid randomly popped up on my feed and I loved it. The Tuareg handled the ride and whilst it looked challenging it also looked exactly what an adventure is all about. Really enjoyed your commentary no over the top drama for clicks just good ol' fashion fun. GDay from Sydney.
Thank you! Hopefully winter time down there isn't too bad, and you can still get out.
Ride safe!
Great video and description 😊
Thanks Jim, great video!!! Beautiful scenery and very nice quality images!!! Greetings from the Netherlands, also a Tuareg 660 rider 😊 Richie
WOW! Taht was quite a ride on an ADV bike!! Props!!
Great video Jim!
Glad you enjoyed it
Enjoyed the video. It’s amazing that you could navigate this trail on a 450+ lb ADV bike.
Love me don’t Dave. Been spinning the End game record. Hope to experience some megadeth on an epic ride like that. Those bikes are sure intimidating on those trails. BrutL losing momentum. Appreciate the content & it’s good to learn that a fellow brother has gotten through a recovery & back out adventuring.
I’m away from (Western) Colorado for the first half of the year (2024) and your very well narrated and edited video made my day on this very rainy day in Germany.
Can’t wait to get back home to my Rockies.
Hopefully you can get some riding in upon your return. It's getting hot in the front range, so I'm sure it's getting toasty out west.
@@exploready Yep. I’ve those priorities straight and the bikes will see some serious usages once I get home. Uncompahgre plateau trails await as soon as I’m unpacked. 😏
You had me at Dave Mustaine. Nice video and solid riding.
Hey, thanks! Was a fun day and glad I got to share some of it.
Nicely presented video. Gravity and thin air our rough! This would be cake on my 300 XC but a decent challenge on my 701. No way I'd take an actual ADV on this, too much expensive crunchiness going on 😆
The first part up to the mine was great...after that, it did get to be more challenging. I wish there was a nice resource for trail intel that was geared for 2 wheels. There's a lot of resources for jeeps etc...but that's a different experience and capability set.
Ride safe!
Enjoyed the video! Hope you're enjoying those TrailMax Missions on your HD PanAM ;)
I am! I’ve swapped them in and out with some MotoZ RallZ. Thanks!
Love this! 🎉
My KLR rocked it.
Nice! What can't a KLR do?!
Nicely done
Thank you! Cheers!
Great video! I ride a DR650 but considering the Tuareg. Comfort on the pavement would be nice but the extra weight on trails, especially as an older rider can be challenging, my stamina gives out. Looks like you handle the Tuareg quite well.
IMO the DR beats the pants off that Aprilia, for many reasons. If you want the same basic performance and a better street ride, maybe consider the KLR
The Tuareg is a great bike. At 450lb, it's comparable to other middle-weight ADV bikes, and it has ride modes, cruise, ABS, etc... Comparing it to a dual sport though...that's a tough one. The weight will always be there off road, and IMO is one of the (if not the single biggest) decider on having a good time off road.
Good luck which ever way you choose to ride!
Thanks for taking us along! Im on the fence between the Aprilla and a CRF450L. Here in Florida the sand much like those rocks, makes a lighter bike a better bike for fun of road.
I like the looks and specs of the crf450l…the only thing that I don’t think I’d love is the service intervals…but I’m sure it would be loads of fun :)
I don’t have a way to get from the house to the trail…so it’s an ADV bike for me.
Enjoy riding, whatever you end up choosing. Thanks for watching!
Love the honda 450l and it's way better for the off-road. Road with the guy on my Honda Goldwing he was on the Aprilia Touareg.
Do you have a street bike already? If so I would opt for the Honda
Reminds me of Schnebly hill out of Sedona...which I did in a 4 wheel drive truck. You are crazy lol. That KTM was amazing....the Tuareg seemed less nimble but pretty capable
You've pretty much nailed it. The Tuareg (at least with me piloting it) wasn't the right bike for that ride. Still was a nice day in the mountains.
Ride Safe!
Sounds like I will be doing this ride soon. Riding there and back from lone tree on my klr.
Have a great ride! I'm not sure what the snow pack looks like at the moment. Hopefully it'll be clear!
Ride Safe!
@@exploready thank you!
Couple of us tried to do this in October, made it further than I would have expected but the main hill was just ice.
Right on man! You never know what season you'll get in October (or just about any other month, I suppose).
How was the steering stabilizer on the rocks I loose my front grip on rocky trails and it gets annoying tbh
I love the GPR. I did end up dialing it all the way up (to 8, not 11). Couldn’t imagine doing it without it.
How does the traction control work iff road?
I had no real complaints. You can adjust it (turn it mostly off), but it was working well enough that I rarely had to do that.
Argentine pass? That's crazy. 😄😄😄😄🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷
I took mine here didn’t drop it once!
Right? Not sure what all that was about.
I realize you’re an older rider but you need to get your weight back over the rear tire
So many of these adv rides I see show a majority of people that really should be on smaller bikes, or more specifically, a dualsport. You want a coffee shop bike? Then you probably should quit trying to get dirty unless you have skills. But, do you I guess.
I would for sure have preferred a smaller bike that day.
Sometimes, you have to ride what you have. Sometimes you change what kind of terrain you like riding as you experience more and varied terrain, and then change bikes based on your changing riding preferences. Sometimes you head down a trail with limited intel...
My hope is to provide some entertainment along with a bit of a glimpse of what the trail looks like.
Ride safe and thanks for watching!
Um.. it’s not the bike.. it’s your lack of skill…especially if a F150 and a Subaru have no issue
Thanks for watching!
Everyone on the internet is an expert.
Your videos are captivating; your adventures are incredible! 🏞 How do you combat fatigue on those epic rides and keep your physical condition at its best? Eager to learn from you!
On this trip, I was thankful to be riding with a buddy. I was getting a bit worn down at 12k ft and up. It was nice getting back to a lower elevation.
What I do, and what I should be doing are two different things ;)
I should be using TrainerRoad and follow one of their cycling training plans. Great for conditioning.