In addition to my Ultimate Motorcycling duties of editing, writing, organizing, and picture taking, I do get out on a motorcycle now and then. Well, okay, I ride motorcycles frequently. I ride them on weekends, weekdays, and holidays. I can be found in the mountains, desert, along the coast, or in one of the busiest urban sprawls in the world, and having fun every moment.
Much of our testing is done on known-quality roads and trails in the area, and they become exceedingly familiar when you put on as many miles as we do. So, it’s always a treat to find a new route, be it long or short.
While solo-testing the 2023 Kawasaki KLR650 S that you’ll find in this issue, I noticed a USFS road that had never caught my eye. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t new, and I rode right by it, thinking, “I’ll have to check that road out sometime. It’s odd that I’ve never been down it.”
I immediately caught myself and made a quick U-turn to go on an adventure. As it turned out, the road is pretty cool, even if it eventually dead ends—or does it? It’s a high-quality gravel and dirt road that offered me new perspectives of a larger area, and I love stuff like that. I spend many hours investigating Google Maps in satellite view, and riding through an area helps tie it all together.
At the end of the dirt road were a couple of mines and a road closed sign. The road didn’t look all that closed to me, and it was out in the middle of nowhere. However, the route was starting to get a little rough, and I was alone on the KLR. So, I filed exploring the “closed” road away for later. I also noticed a few undocumented trails requiring further investigation on a knobby-tired dual-sport bike. Don’t get me started on how many roads the public paid to have built that are now closed to the public, but open to the government.
A few days later, I was testing a set of Shinko 216MX DOT-legal off-road tires on a 2023 Husqvarna FE 501S, along with Editor At Large Bill Kranhold, who was putting some miles on a Klim Arsenal 15 backpack while riding his personal tricked-out Husqvarna FE 450 dual-sport bike.
Bill has an encyclopedic knowledge of off-road Southern California, and we ended up on some roads and trails I had been spying, but hadn’t ridden. I’m not big on trying new trails when riding alone, so having him leading that ride was a treat.
I had ridden part of the way on one of the trails. However, it is not an easy trail, so I stopped when it got extremely rocky and steep. I couldn’t see ahead around the corner, and I didn’t want to find out the hard way that I had made a poor decision while riding solo. As it turned out, the rugged rocky climb was doable—thanks, Husky and Shinko—and the rest of the trail is scenic and mostly easy. Now I know, and I’ll be back [insert Terminator T-800 voice].
A few days later, Associate Editor Kelly Callan and I were urban-testing the KLR650 and the KTM 390 Adventure. While motorcycles like that may seem aimed at suburban and rural riding, they are both fantastic in the city. We rode through the Hollywood Hills, taking in a few odd enclaves I have heard about, but never seen in person. The steep hills of Echo Park are particularly fun on dual sport bikes—especially when you find one with dirt instead of pavement.
I also showed Kelly a couple of short backroads-style dirt routes that you would never think would exist in such an urbanized environment. Her delight was audible via the Sena 50S communications units we were using—have I ever mentioned how wonderful mesh intercoms are?
We all have roads we love, but always remember that there was a first time you rode them. That new favorite, long or short, might be right around the corner. If you ride past a road that intrigues you, always turn around—you never know what you’re missing.
