Adventure Riding Solo: Do You Do It?

[goodtimes]

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 carry one of these.

It isn't cheap - but it doesn't take up much room, is well built, and comes in really handy when you need it.

I don't think I've ever used it to pick up the bike other than to test it out when I got it (haven't had the need), but I've used it around camp & home a few times.

 

[NothingClever]

Either lighten the route or lighten the bike.

 

[Cody1771]

yup i always have some 20 foot motorcycle tie down straps in my case, they are good for a lot of things but are strong enough to pick the bike right up off the ground (good for chaning tires in really ****ty spots) they are slow to winch but well worth the investment. i ride solo ALOT, actually i've ever only rode in a group twice in the last year, and a few times with chase vehicles but 99% of the time im solo, i just did 400km from Bamfield to Victoria at 1am last night after 14 hours of fishing...

I've got myself good and stuck a few times while by myself, i find if you REALLY get stuck its best just to step back and take a breath, i think most can attest that when we get stuck a little panick settles in and we over exert then the next time we fall we are just knackered and its that much harder to get it up.

 

[BretEdge]

I carry one of these.

It isn't cheap - but it doesn't take up much room, is well built, and comes in really handy when you need it.

I don't think I've ever used it to pick up the bike other than to test it out when I got it (haven't had the need), but I've used it around camp & home a few times.

That thing is brilliant. Hadn't seen it before but looks like a fairly cheap, lightweight solution. I also like their Bring-Along, although it's quite a bit more expensive. Thanks for the link!

 

[goodtimes]

That thing is brilliant. Hadn't seen it before but looks like a fairly cheap, lightweight solution. I also like their Bring-Along, although it's quite a bit more expensive. Thanks for the link!

I have a Bring-A-Long too - but it's quite a bit bulkier & while useful, it doesn't have as much bang for the buck as the little block and tackle - IMO anyway. The one thing that the bring-a-long does that the block and tackle doesn't, is keep tension on the line when you let go.

Neither one of them will do what an electric winch will do (the Warn motorcycle winches are great - but big $$$ and big weight), since you can't effectively operate either of these while standing over the bike balancing it. But either one of them will help get it upright again if you have a solid point to tie off to.

 

[sandalscout]

Wow, that thing is pretty cool! I can see that being very handy when riding alone, and I should be able to squeeze it just about anywhere on the bike. The rope ratchet that he used to steady the bike is a cool way to keep the bike upright for just a few seconds as well. Thanks for posting that.

 

[UK4X4]

offroading my bike in the deserts of Oman was my only experience of dumping a bike

only a relatively light CRF450X.......

After dumping it twice on a 100k dune ride and I'd be crying trying to lift it.

If on a dune dragging the front wheel down hill and lifting from the side would help a lot

But after "upgrading" to a 24ltr tank......I was back to struggling.

Down graded to an 18ltr and things were relatively managable.

I can't imaging lifting a heavy bike in sand- It was a nightmare even with the CRF, mind you just riding on the sand meant by the time you fell off you were knakered anyway !

I have family now too - my choices have changed- my way of riding and behavoir has changed- I am not the gung ho young guy I once was

My decisions are based on coming home safe and sound, if that hill or dune is just a macho, I'm a hero climb- fine I'll wait here or ride arround and meet the guy's the other side. Yep you get the ********** remarks but frankly i don't give a ******** .

I will enjoy the ride and stay loosely within my comfort factor.

My wife paid for the best safety gear, no expence spared, no chinese 60usd helmets

A spot would be a good addition to your kit, mounted in an easily reached pocket or mounted securely

I would not give up riding solo- i would just try and make it as safe as is possible for your families sake.

Just imagine dropping it - breaking and ankle, wrist or arm.

You should be prepared for that at a minimum- shelter-water- food -contact with the outside world

In the desert we'd only travel in groups, each one carrying food-water and survival shelter- first aid- the heat out there was punishing.

if some one was injured the group would split some going for help and the others assisting the injured party.

Plan your trips- plan your survival- and go have fun !

take this recent experience as a wake up call, learn from it and make some sound decisions!

 

[agavelvr]

I just returned from a failed solo trip on the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route
...
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?

Sorry to hear about the bum ride. I've only taken solo rides. I carry an InReach and file a flight plan with wife and friends before leaving. No payload left for anything heavier than a strap, so I just roll with lots of confidence in myself. If you want a good laugh, here's the chronicle of my first moto trip, a solo on the AZ Traverse, http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/70118

Looking back, I'm actually pretty lucky things went as well as they did, and I had my share of drama. I doubt I will ever be able to manage lifting anything larger than a loaded KLR650 in field conditions. I did the UTBDR this past June/July. Honestly, if that gave you a hard time, I would advise a lighter bike or different routes if you like flying solo. If you are set on your bike, ride with friends or roll the dice Overall, I think the UTBDR is pretty easy compared to the AZ Traverse.

But what do I know, I've only done 3 rides, one of which ended in a SAR mission

 

[BretEdge]

Sorry to hear about the bum ride. I've only taken solo rides. I carry an InReach and file a flight plan with wife and friends before leaving. No payload left for anything heavier than a strap, so I just roll with lots of confidence in myself. If you want a good laugh, here's the chronicle of my first moto trip, a solo on the AZ Traverse, http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/70118

Looking back, I'm actually pretty lucky things went as well as they did, and I had my share of drama. I doubt I will ever be able to manage lifting anything larger than a loaded KLR650 in field conditions. I did the UTBDR this past June/July. Honestly, if that gave you a hard time, I would advise a lighter bike or different routes if you like flying solo. If you are set on your bike, ride with friends or roll the dice Overall, I think the UTBDR is pretty easy compared to the AZ Traverse.

But what do I know, I've only done 3 rides, one of which ended in a SAR mission

Thanks for the link, Jeff. I'll check it out tonite. Sounds like an interesting read! I definitely wouldn't say that the UTBDR gave me trouble as I've ridden much harder stuff (i.e. Weston, Engineer, Ophir Passes - all in the rain), etc. but for some reason I just wasn't feeling confident this time around. I've ridden my mountain bike a whole lot more than my moto this year, and maybe that's why I wasn't feeling it. Dunno, but I will ride the UTBDR next year. Maybe even the COBDR. Off to look up the AZ Traverse now...

 

[Deleted member 48574]

There's an element that hasn't been mentioned yet, but it's a common thing I find in a lot of Overlanders I've met or spoken to (Bike and 4x4), is that we spend thousands of dollars on gear, bumpers, winches, and we invest hours of time planning, researching etc. Before a big trip we'll go over our kit with a fine toothed comb.

But, how many of us give the same attention to detail to the most important piece of kit we have -- our bodies? Do folks go the gym with the intention of getting Overland fit?

It's one thing to have the fancy axe strapped to the roof rack, but will you give yourself a heart attack if a 2 foot tree is felled over the road and you need that axe to remove it?

BretEdge -- please don't take this as me saying you are unfit or not fit enough for your bike. I don't know your fitness level nor have you indicated it but I assume it's pretty good given the type of riding you do -- in fact You Bike Riders are typically way more fit than us 4x4 crew (though I hope to get a bike next year). There are definitely situations where you can't get out by yourself and you need some recovery gear, as you said -- But, I think it's an important aspect to any solo trip: You gotta be fit enough to do it, and there is no such thing as being "too fit" for an Overland trip, but you can sure be the opposite.

(I also don't mean offence to those who maybe aren't as fit as they'd like to be -- what I've said certainly doesn't mean unfit people can't overland -- one of the best parts of this stuff is that anyone can do it in their own way. But, the 500 lbs man with the CPAP machine likely won't be doing multi-day off road bike adventures solo, whereas the 30 year old army sergeant on leave might be a bit better physically equipped for that kind of thing).

Anyway, just my .02 cents -- being strong and healthy for your adventures can be a huge asset; the opposite can make you way more prone to injuries, getting stuck, or worse.

Cheers
Craig

 

[Mechanical]

+1 Ratchet Strap. Use it to tie down your gear. When the bike takes a nap, gear comes off, strap lifts the bike.

Reading through this made me think of using a Snowbunje and a ratchet strap to help you right a bike. They work amazingly well for sleds, and there may be a benifit to not having to fiddle with the strap tension while you were trying to lift the bike. You just wouldn't want to set it too tight!

http://snobunje.com/public/store.php?crn=69&rn=274&action=show_detail

Although, I really can't think of an alternate use for it, and I don't really like to pile single use tools/accessories on my vehicles.

 

[ravenranger]

Okay, it's not in sand but it's definitely one of the most impressive "lift that bike" videos I've seen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kSgJ8O_atIs

Meanwhile, you mentioned a couple of lift techniques you tried whilst down in the sand. Did you try the back to the bike, butt to the saddle "walk it up" technique?

(demo'd here)

http://driver-safety.wonderhowto.com...rcycle-322100/

That's what I used when I dropped my ST1300 in snow (3 x's) on a mountain pass in Utah. It was one of those, "oh crap, no one knows where I am because I took a 'pretty' road, no one expects me for two days, it's getting cold and dark and no one is going to be coming this way to help so I better figure this out" multiple drop scenarios (actually, one drop was because I got it up but couldn't put the kickstand down because the wheels were in a deep track so had to put it back down to dig it out a bit to clear the stand). I, too, had the "no traction for my feet" issue plus the bike was on an incline and kept sliding back even whilst in gear. Used rocks and branches to stop the bike from sliding and to give myself something to stand on for foot traction. Dropped it twice (and lifted it three times) before I had enough sense to decide to turn around and back-track to more friendly riding.

 

[BretEdge]

There's an element that hasn't been mentioned yet, but it's a common thing I find in a lot of Overlanders I've met or spoken to (Bike and 4x4), is that we spend thousands of dollars on gear, bumpers, winches, and we invest hours of time planning, researching etc. Before a big trip we'll go over our kit with a fine toothed comb.

But, how many of us give the same attention to detail to the most important piece of kit we have -- our bodies? Do folks go the gym with the intention of getting Overland fit?

It's one thing to have the fancy axe strapped to the roof rack, but will you give yourself a heart attack if a 2 foot tree is felled over the road and you need that axe to remove it?

BretEdge -- please don't take this as me saying you are unfit or not fit enough for your bike. I don't know your fitness level nor have you indicated it but I assume it's pretty good given the type of riding you do -- in fact You Bike Riders are typically way more fit than us 4x4 crew (though I hope to get a bike next year). There are definitely situations where you can't get out by yourself and you need some recovery gear, as you said -- But, I think it's an important aspect to any solo trip: You gotta be fit enough to do it, and there is no such thing as being "too fit" for an Overland trip, but you can sure be the opposite.

(I also don't mean offence to those who maybe aren't as fit as they'd like to be -- what I've said certainly doesn't mean unfit people can't overland -- one of the best parts of this stuff is that anyone can do it in their own way. But, the 500 lbs man with the CPAP machine likely won't be doing multi-day off road bike adventures solo, whereas the 30 year old army sergeant on leave might be a bit better physically equipped for that kind of thing).

Anyway, just my .02 cents -- being strong and healthy for your adventures can be a huge asset; the opposite can make you way more prone to injuries, getting stuck, or worse.

Cheers
Craig

You've made an excellent point, Craig. I do stay fit through CrossFit workouts, mountain biking, trail running and hiking. Obviously, I need to focus on doing more squats and deadlifts, though! I'm not a big guy and never will be but I could certainly focus more effort on functional strength training.

 

[BretEdge]

Okay, it's not in sand but it's definitely one of the most impressive "lift that bike" videos I've seen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kSgJ8O_atIs

Meanwhile, you mentioned a couple of lift techniques you tried whilst down in the sand. Did you try the back to the bike, butt to the saddle "walk it up" technique?

(demo'd here)

http://driver-safety.wonderhowto.com...rcycle-322100/

That's what I used when I dropped my ST1300 in snow (3 x's) on a mountain pass in Utah. It was one of those, "oh crap, no one knows where I am because I took a 'pretty' road, no one expects me for two days, it's getting cold and dark and no one is going to be coming this way to help so I better figure this out" multiple drop scenarios (actually, one drop was because I got it up but couldn't put the kickstand down because the wheels were in a deep track so had to put it back down to dig it out a bit to clear the stand). I, too, had the "no traction for my feet" issue plus the bike was on an incline and kept sliding back even whilst in gear. Used rocks and branches to stop the bike from sliding and to give myself something to stand on for foot traction. Dropped it twice (and lifted it three times) before I had enough sense to decide to turn around and back-track to more friendly riding.

Thanks for the video links. The GS lift was especially impressive. I did try the "back to the bike" technique and it was less successful than facing the bike. I didn't think about placing some branches or rocks under my feet to give a bit more of a solid base, though. Good advice!

 

[NeverEnough]

Feel your pain

I grab most of my backcountry rides when I can, which means I've done a lot of solo trips, especially when my boys were younger. Three of my sons are now old enough to come along, which is great, but I've had my fill of "oh crap" experiences in the Utah backcountry. There's lots of great advice out there, but ******** still happens in the type of places we have in Utah. And getting stuck in the sand sucks. I remember having to dig my way out of a wash in the Swell once, which made me glad I carry a shovel. Three hours later, drenched in sweat, I had my trusty 1100GS back on the track. I dumped it two more times in the sand, finally made I-70, and treated myself to a motel room in Green River. And with big bikes, even tipovers tend to do some damage, so I've become a master of JB weld, steel wire, zip ties, and duct tape. And I'm glad that SPOT came along!

No question there's some great moments doing solo trips, but there's also no question that the probability of an "epic" goes way up. Glad you made it out safe!