The main mediums are video as I ride my motorcycle and show you the scenic beauty of Washington State (and maybe some others .) but also photos and route maps as well so members can find inspiration and explore new areas.
And because this is a community, I want members to share your favorite topics and photos with me and others as well.
I ride solo mainly so don't ride in other people's dust like guys who go out in groups, but I have encountered some cars/trucks recently. Good long lasting bikes are often down to the little things
In this video I go through my mods (updated from the older vid) and also show the bag setup.
MIRRORS: Doubletake
https://www.doubletakemirror.com/
CRASH BARS: DirtRacks
https://www.dirtracks.com/collections/klr650
BASH PLATE: Enduro Engineering
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GL6YPRZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
BASH PLATE EXTENDER: Enduro Engineering
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HF4K3ZP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
PHONE HOLDER:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085DMV7XD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TRUNK: Chase Harper
...
I get asked regularly how I plan my routes and which apps I use.
PLANNING
I research using Google Maps and the USDA Forest Road Website (https://www.fs.usda.gov/ivm/)
Once I feel like I have a plan, I create my routes using (MyMaps.Google.com) which allows adding points and connecting them.
I then export the created map as KML
APPS
I mainly use Maps.Me as it supports importing the KML created. Be aware the actual map it uses is often slightly different from what Google has.
I also use the USDA Forest Map app as a backup. It's a good way to know how long and how rough forest roads are , but ALSO if it's open all winter of not (Snow notwithstanding) I've had a couple rides that Google allowed me to map, but turned out to be Closed (no longer used/accessible) so I'm starting to reference the forest app and website more to double check.
The third App is Avenza. For me it's only used with Geo Referenced PDFs. The main one for me is the Capital Forest.
I rode to Randle, WA again and south on 23 into Gifford to try FR 29 and a little offshoot looking for a viewpoint.
Most of the trails weren't overly challenging but a couple kept me honest and engaged. I got stopped by washouts, trees down across various trails and one of my main planned routes off NF25 turns out to no longer be a road.
NOTE to Self: Check my routes against the Forest Service App which lists all the national forest roads and status. Turns out this route is "closed road" which would have been good to know.
It ended up being a mixed bag of a ride
NOTE: The attached map includes other routes I have mapped out in the area not just what I actually did. Will be going back :)
