Are you really an ADV rider?!

I started out by taking the MSF course, then bought a beat up 250 rebel to get my skills up.

While I learned to ride I saved for the next bike. I stumbled on this site and fell in love with the idea of and adventure bike.

I settled on a Honda CB500X. It was an awesome bike with plenty of farkles available.

I rode from Arizona to California and to Wyoming. I explored most of Arizona highways.


But I found myself planning out my "adventures" following other peoples footsteps.
I avoided obsticales when I could and other than a few wrong turns I stuck to fire roads that were accessible to most stock suvs
My bar ends and crash bars only saw dirt once.

Unfortunately the bike spent more time in the shed that seeing the sun. Work and life took its toll so after 4 or 5 years I sold it to a friend and used the cash to fund a family car with a kid on the way.

After spending a season bikeless I picked up a used XT225, thinking that like my 250 rebel it would be a bike to learn on the dirt while i saved up and figured out what I wanted. Honestly though when it comes to dollar/fun ratio the used dual sport wins.

I now find myself on true adventures, real " I wonder where this road goes" type trips where I burn 50 - 100 miles on dirt on a sat, being slightly lost most of the time, discovering stuff that I would have sped past at 80 mph before.

Bonus is where I was not very confident in riding in snow on the road ( mostly due to other drivers), I am pushing the riding season as far into winter as I can.

Im no wordsmith, but I would say Adventures are kinda a personal thing, ride your ride whatever that is.

Cheers!

I like adventures and I love to ride, so ???
I ride mostly ride my CRF250L but also have a 450X and 500X. No GS or Adventure..
I prefer dirt but street is ok to get somewhere interesting.
I have ridden TAT, KAT, White Rim, part of 5 Miles of Hell, parts of Blue Ridge Parkway, Tell of the Dragon ect, Ensenada to San Felipe, 4
Day ISDE Ok. Qualifier ect. all over the past 50 years. Overnight yes, camping no but did take tent,bag,mattress ect. on TAT.
I have been invited to ride the Continental divide next year.
I read and post on ADVRIDER so ????
I don't think I fit what I have in my mind as a true Adventure rider, but I do like adventures and LOVE to ride.

It's really that simple, but apparently some also need others to know it too.

Or enjoy the comradery of like minded people.

Google searches kept bringing me here. Reading more, getting to know some of the folks here, I joined and dove in. This is kind of the only game in town with content pouring in 24/7 on every subject imaginable.

The ride reports are what really keep me here and I'm grateful for those who share their trips, post photos, tell stories. Then there's the folks here who just complain, judge, gripe.... Different kinds of content for sure, but like adventure... whatever someone's definition of the word is, it's all about perspective.

Ride your own ride, and enjoy it.

And please share it with others who are not yet able to go there.

but is it an EPIC adventure?!

I learned to ride on a KZ900 Kawasaki and rode over 20k miles the first year. Now, that was an adventure!

Love your part of the world. Tried to visit and ride there last year and arrived in a blizzard, in late May. . Now I have to plan a trip back.

Yeah I have no complaints.

If/when you come back feel free to reach out if your looking for routes or a riding partner

How do you mean?

Some habitually makes disparaging comments about others choice of bike or riding style because it's different than theirs, or as and excuse to boast.
"Harley's are too slow", "EMs have too short a range", "BMW GSA only ridden to Starbucks" ect. ect., followed by how fast, far, or remotely they ride as if there's a right or wrong way to enjoy riding.
As long as ones preferences don't endanger, or violate the rights of others, they shouldn't be judged for riding their own ride.
The premise of this thread is absurd, it's really an "adventure" if it's new and challenging to the individual doing it, not because it checks boxes on someone else's laundry list.

I sometimes think half the reason I prefer to ride alone is that I don't want to find out that motorcyclists in general are as judgy as the ones you meet online.

I've only encountered a handful of such riders IRL, but they're only encountered once. Online it's only a handful too, but we get to experience them over, and over again.
Naturally we all have our own likes, and dislikes that we will repeat, but some cross the line by stalking other members, or subjects to repeat them ad nauseum to elevate themselves, by degrading others.

You are all a bunch of assholes so I ride alone plus I piss off everyone.

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful......

Yeah, well, maybe if you did real asshole things instead of just having all the asshole gear, you could be one of us.

I have no issue with what anyone rides. I'll take my CB900Custom down dirt tracks. Lol.

LOL... I had a guy corner me up in Maine and tell me what type of chain oil to use. He knew everything about motorcycles.

Anyone IRL who tells you they know a lot about motorcycles and wants to teach you -- is to be avoided.

Hey, I don't know about some of these things, but I do know about BMW GSAs and Starbucks! I kind of like my GSA (of course because it's BETTER than all those other wannabe's) and Starbucks is pretty good too. Well, except for their prices, they're jacked up more than BMW prices (well almost), and they put way too much sugar (and other stuff) in their fancy "coffees", and their coffee is slightly nasty (well maybe a lot nasty compared to McDonald's). Actually all things considered a trip to Starbucks, figureing out how to order, and then drinking whatever they serve you is an Adventure!

I'll leave it to the reader as to whether the above should have some kind of emoticon.