Adventure Riding Solo: Do You Do It?

[BretEdge]

I just returned from a failed solo trip on the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route. I'm not one to easily accept failure and frankly it's hard for me to even write this post but in the interest of opening up a discussion that may help myself and others, here we go.

I've got almost four years of experience riding adventure bikes off-road, solo and unsupported. I have one friend who also rides but he's in Colorado and it's tough to coordinate our schedules. So, rather than gaze longingly at my Tiger 800 XC sitting unused in front of my house, I choose to embark upon solo adventures. Until yesterday, this never presented much of a problem. I've dropped this and my previous bike a few times, including once in the mud on Ophir Pass, and have always been able to pick it up on my own - albeit with a struggle. Then, yesterday, I dropped it in deep sand in the Abajo Mountains. Twice. Within 50'. I tried for an hour to pick it up and couldn't because my feet kept slipping in the sand every time I got the bike half way upright. So I gave up and sat on the side of the road hoping someone would come along to lend a hand. It was 8:00 PM, getting dark and I was in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, at about 8:30 a truckload of hunters came by and helped me right the bike. Twice. They were also kind enough to point out the fresh bear tracks right by my bike. Then, on the way out, I came within inches of hitting a deer. I finally made it to Blanding and a hotel where I collapsed onto the bed and passed out.

The experience left me wondering about my decision to do these rides solo. I've got a wife and a 3 year old son. I'm the breadwinner. If I die, we've got life insurance. No big deal (said with some sarcasm). But if I get hurt and can't work, we've got a problem. I love the adventure, the experience and even the solitude. I can't imagine giving it up. I'm thinking about buying a motorcycle winch to assist in righting the bike when I can't lift it on my own, which mostly resolves the self-recovery issue.

With all of this in mind, what are your thoughts on solo adventure riding? If you do it, what steps do you take to mitigate the risk? If you don't do it, why not? What self-recovery tips/advice do you have?

 

[Clutch]

I ride solo quite a bit, and I am comfortable with it.

It all depends what a person's comfort zone is, and only you can answer that.

I suggest getting a lighter bike, rather than a winch as they only work if the battery stays charged, bikes don't like to run laying on their side, or a get a hand come-a-long, it doesn't need batteries.

Don't ride over your head, and stay out of the silly stuff when going solo, are two good rules to live by...(but I don't always follow those rules though. :ylsmoke

 

[Randy_Linex]

+1 on the lighter bike. I just picked up a 2008 KLR 650. Still a noob at street riding (been riding dirt 15 years, 10 on an XR 600) but the KLR is excellant offroad and is pleasant at 65-70mph on the highway and tolerable at 75. Tops out at about 88mph with my fat 240 lb butt on it. All stock. Havn't even done the doo yet (bike only has 850 miles on it). My thought is if you can't at least pick the bike up after a spill, you need a lighter bike. For me, the KLR fits the bill.

 

[BretEdge]

+1 on the lighter bike. I just picked up a 2008 KLR 650. Still a noob at street riding (been riding dirt 15 years, 10 on an XR 600) but the KLR is excellant offroad and is pleasant at 65-70mph on the highway and tolerable at 75. Tops out at about 88mph with my fat 240 lb butt on it. All stock. Havn't even done the doo yet (bike only has 850 miles on it). My thought is if you can't at least pick the bike up after a spill, you need a lighter bike. For me, the KLR fits the bill.

Thanks for the response. I should have clarified: I can and have picked up the bike, fully loaded, several times. I wasn't able to pick it up yesterday because every time I'd get the bike about 1/2 way up, my feet would lose traction in the sand, slide backwards and the bike would go down again. I picked it up on a muddy switchback on Ophir Pass last year on the first attempt. It ain't easy, but certainly do-able. However, it became clear to me yesterday that there are times when circumstances or conditions just aren't in our favor.

 

[gr1910]

just try to get a lighter bike to travel with... one you would not have any problems lifting it up even in the worst conditions...

 

[Clutch]

just try to get a lighter bike to travel with... one you would not have any problems lifting it up even in the worst conditions...

Yeah, that was my point I was trying to get across...not questioning his manliness.:elkgrin:

If anyone has watched the Long Way Around, when they roached the electrical system on the cameraman's GS, then bought a much lighter Russian bike, the cameraman was waaay happier...

While you may give up a little slab performance, but a nice 650 is great ADV bike. KLR's, XR's, DR's, Huskies, KTM's etc...even a big bore dirt bike in the 500 range makes solo riding, a little less worrisome when you do a spode flop, and easy to maneuver off-road.

Can pick up a Husky 610, cheap...

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I'm also a solo guy and the SPOT <link gives my family and myself a big piece of mind. Nothing is 100% but the SPOT is much better then nothing.

 

[Harald Hansen]

I don't ride bikes, but thanks for sharing the story! We (as people) have a tendency to share only when things go well, but sharing those not-so-great moments can be of great benefit to us all. Food for tought and all that...

 

[Leipo]

what is your bike pick up technique?

there are multiple ways to pick up a fallen bike, but not all of them work in every situation!

 

[zolo]

Well this has turned into a bike pick up after falling thread...

I doubt the OP is going to buy a whole new bike after one bad ride.

Ive ridden solo a bunch. Did AK in 2010 solo. Have ridden on and off road on longer trips, solo in the SE and a little in the West.
Ive dropped both my GS and KTM. I dropped the GS a lot more. Also in bad areas of mud or dirt. So I understand were you are coming from. But after a few times you get tired and it becomes harder. That leads to bad riding, its a downward spiral at the point of exhaustion.

I think that things will go wrong and not all trips are double rainbows and rarely do you get a free puppy at every stop. I figure that is part of the whole ADV. Overcoming adversity. The waiting for the hunters was a good call.
I also carry a SPOT. However I went through 3 units till I got a good one that has worked reliably now for 2 years.
There are other and newer SPOT's out now.

I pretty much try and go prepared on all my rides whether its a day ride or a multi-day ride.
That means tools, food, water, maps, and multiple "call home' devices. I try and set my bikes up in a manner that if needed the heavy stuff can come off easily and that makes for a lighter bike. Not necessarily for picking up but if a section of road is to hard to ride loaded. Off load that joker ride the bike light then portage your gear and load back up.
Small things like that can continue a trip for the better.

For me the bike you have is the bike you should ride.
The gear you already own is the gear you should use, and if needed expand upon.

So Id say keep riding. Continue making sound riding decisions. Continue riding solo.(with your tiger). And if your alone try to look ahead, and if the road looks worse, the day light is dwindling, then make a decision, to lighten the bike ride it unloaded, camp there, or if you feel strong at that point, ride through it.
We all know the long rides are tiring to us. The end of the day is always tiring.
So just keep a clear head and ride smart.

 

[stioc]

I don't do dirt on 2 wheels but have spent lots of time on advrider.com reading trip reports and stories. If I were to do it and do it solo here's how I'd do it:

1. Suzuki DR400 or some such
2. SPOT and a CB/UHF handheld radio
3. Instead of a heavy recovery winch, a tie-down strap used to secure cars on trailers, they weigh maybe 1lbs or so and are compact. But do practice to make sure it'll work for you.
4. A firearm in case that bear posed a threat

This takes care of the common problems but whether in a car or on a bike you still can get in situations that aren't easy to deal with such as an injury, stroke, etc or even a mechanical failure that can't be addressed on the trail. It's one thing to go solo on a trail that's fairly well traveled and not too far from civilization but it's a whole different matter when you're in the middle of no where. For those remote and difficult trails traveling solo isn't wise even on 4 wheels.

 

[BretEdge]

what is your bike pick up technique?

there are multiple ways to pick up a fallen bike, but not all of them work in every situation!

I tried squatting and lifting while facing the bike, which worked best. I also tried squatting with my back to the bike and pulling from the other side, both of which failed miserably. I could only get it to about a 30 degree angle before my feet would lose traction in the sand, causing the bike to fall back down. I tried starting the bike, lifting it as far as I could and then giving it some gas to try to walk the bike upright out of the sand and all that did was dig the back tire into a hole.

When the hunters came along, we put two guys on one side to lift and me on the other side to pull. This got the bike upright easily.

 

[BretEdge]

Well this has turned into a bike pick up after falling thread...

I doubt the OP is going to buy a whole new bike after one bad ride.

Ive ridden solo a bunch. Did AK in 2010 solo. Have ridden on and off road on longer trips, solo in the SE and a little in the West.
Ive dropped both my GS and KTM. I dropped the GS a lot more. Also in bad areas of mud or dirt. So I understand were you are coming from. But after a few times you get tired and it becomes harder. That leads to bad riding, its a downward spiral at the point of exhaustion.

I think that things will go wrong and not all trips are double rainbows and rarely do you get a free puppy at every stop. I figure that is part of the whole ADV. Overcoming adversity. The waiting for the hunters was a good call.
I also carry a SPOT. However I went through 3 units till I got a good one that has worked reliably now for 2 years.
There are other and newer SPOT's out now.

I pretty much try and go prepared on all my rides whether its a day ride or a multi-day ride.
That means tools, food, water, maps, and multiple "call home' devices. I try and set my bikes up in a manner that if needed the heavy stuff can come off easily and that makes for a lighter bike. Not necessarily for picking up but if a section of road is to hard to ride loaded. Off load that joker ride the bike light then portage your gear and load back up.
Small things like that can continue a trip for the better.

For me the bike you have is the bike you should ride.
The gear you already own is the gear you should use, and if needed expand upon.

So Id say keep riding. Continue making sound riding decisions. Continue riding solo.(with your tiger). And if your alone try to look ahead, and if the road looks worse, the day light is dwindling, then make a decision, to lighten the bike ride it unloaded, camp there, or if you feel strong at that point, ride through it.
We all know the long rides are tiring to us. The end of the day is always tiring.
So just keep a clear head and ride smart.

You hit the nail on the head. I'm not buying a different/lighter bike. I love the Tiger. It's great on-road and it's very capable off-road. I can usually get it back upright on my own but I've just discovered that there are situations when it won't be possible to do it on my own. In those situations I need to devise a way to recover the bike without outside assistance.

I do carry a SPOT and it is a great safety net if things go terribly bad.

I appreciate your thoughtful response and sound advice. Some good stuff to think about on my next solo ride.

 

[BretEdge]

I don't do dirt on 2 wheels but have spent lots of time on advrider.com reading trip reports and stories. If I were to do it and do it solo here's how I'd do it:

1. Suzuki DR400 or some such
2. SPOT and a CB/UHF handheld radio
3. Instead of a heavy recovery winch, a tie-down strap used to secure cars on trailers, they weigh maybe 1lbs or so and are compact. But do practice to make sure it'll work for you.
4. A firearm in case that bear posed a threat

This takes care of the common problems but whether in a car or on a bike you still can get in situations that aren't easy to deal with such as an injury, stroke, etc or even a mechanical failure that can't be addressed on the trail. It's one thing to go solo on a trail that's fairly well traveled and not too far from civilization but it's a whole different matter when you're in the middle of no where. For those remote and difficult trails traveling solo isn't wise even on 4 wheels.

I certainly see the merit in a lighter bike and if I had bottomless pockets, I'd surely have one. But, I've got one bike and it needs to be equally adept at on and off-road riding. I like the idea of a tie down strap or a manual come-along. Hadn't thought of either but it could be a perfect solution. I'll have to do some research. Also, I always travel armed. I'm not paranoid but I've got a law enforcement background and I'm just used to always having a gun on me. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around. Thanks for the response!

 

[goodtimes]

I ride solo far more often than I ride with others.

The 800GS that I ride most of the time is far from a lightweight, and after picking it up a few times, it'll sap your energy pretty quick.

I've been in my share of bad spots on big bikes - and because of it, I'm a bit more cautious about route selection than I used to be. For the GS, unmaintained ranch roads are about as ugly as it gets. That pretty much ensures that there won't be any long stretches of deep sand or mud (at least around here), and the wash crossings will be somewhat tame.

If I'm heading off to the truly unknown, I usually take a smaller (lighter) bike. The GS is a fantastically fun bike - but it's a handful when the terrain gets really rough.