Ride Reports

Yesterday at EICMA they unveiled the 2015 Tiger 800’s…. All 4 of them: The Tiger XR and XRX for the street, and the XC and XCX for dual-sport riding.

In preparing for our trip to Mexico last March, Matt and I tried to set the rear sag on my 2007 BMW F650GS with a light load of luggage. Even with the shock preload turned all the way up, there was still too much sag.

While we don’t want to have too strict of a schedule and route for this trip, our usual “fast and loose” attitude to travel probably isn’t going to cut it on a huge trip with a set amount of time. 

Every so often, I hatch a scheme to escape my everyday life and hit the road for a while, alone, on two wheels. This year that meant leaving my home in Seattle, to explore the stunning coastline, rugged mountains, and comically large trees of Northern California.

Day 5 of the 2014 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy was the first time the competition started and finished in the same place: Kootenay Lakeview Lodge. The ride was loop of approximately 200 km, offering what the competitors unanimously agreed was the best mix of riding so far this year.