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Zubb

Veterans going from tip to tip

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Just started watching this movie.  It looks to be quite an awesome story...

 

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Yeah, talk about perseverance!

1 or 2 of these guys were guests at a Flying Monkey Rally about 4-5(?) years ago. We watched the video and were able to ask questions.

I asked why the KLR. I don't remember the answer clearly but it had to do with costs, simplicity, and availability (I think).

 

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If I were taking a motorcycle south of the border for an extended period of time, the DR650 would probably be the first choice with the KLR650 second. 

Simple, solid and capable bikes that I wouldn't feel bad about abandoning somewhere if something went bad.

Started watching this, will finish it bit by bit.

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From the title, I thought this was going to be about @tntmo and @MarcMila doing youtube sausage tasting reviews.

Then I saw a KLR with a sidecar and a bad ass trip! I started as well and will finish it.

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That’s not the Marc you have met, but he may be a veteran as well…

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So now I'm going to have 2 Moto Marc friends?

 

It's nice that the DR650 is still produced. Could make finding parts better. It has the 17" rear I think some people put a wider rim on the back for better tire selection options. Just need to have a welding guru like our own @DSM8 gusset the frame and provide the extra strength for hauling all that gear all those miles.

CHL_4137%20RosieProfile-S.jpg

 

Gen 1 KLR is also a stellar bike for not much money and Factory huge gas tank. Can always install an IMS 6 or 10 gallon to replace the metal stocker.

I'm looking forward to watching the whole video

Edited by Goofy Footer
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I finished this video while folding my laundry.  I gotta say, it felt like these guys really can't drop  the veteran identity....they had to bring it up every minute it seemed like.  I have a lot of buddies like that, they are out but everything in their life seems to revolve around what they did in the past.

Also wasn't terribly impressed by a bunch of guys paying locals thousands of dollars to drag their bikes in the jungle, and they still burned out their clutches in a few days and the bikes were really just dragged through at that point.

And expecting their lives to somehow miraculously be different because they finished a ride?  Yes, it's an accomplishment but that's all it is.  You do it for your own satisfaction, not to impress someone else.

Lots of good footage, though.  I want to ride farther south than Mexico at some point, and I likely will.  Videos like this help motivate me to make it happen.

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I noticed the same things.  I'm assuming that the producer/director needed a "purpose" for the ride and film.  A deeper objective than just touching Ushuaia.  It was a very enjoyable watch, but the ending fell flat.  They stared of in a southern direction and said "meh, I guess I'm still me". Anti climatic, from a movie story line perspective.

But....

In spite of the fact that no one thought to bring along a clutch pack or 2 or 3... or took the time to learn how to NOT burn a clutch... or to go ahead and lose 50lbs of body weight before the trip through the Darien ... etc,  I really liked the show.  I/we could pick apart lots of "fails" in it, but that's not why I watched it.

I'm all up for a great adventure, but think I'd just sail around the Gap myself and keep having fun.... IF I'm ever lucky enough to ride tip to tip.

 

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Yes, the allure to conquer the Darien gap is slightly interesting but I wouldn't really want to do it.  Maybe do a couple days hiking it?  

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41 minutes ago, Zubb said:

I'm all up for a great adventure, but think I'd just sail around the Gap myself and keep having fun.... IF I'm ever lucky enough to ride tip to tip.

 

Luck is the residue of design

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36 minutes ago, tntmo said:

Yes, the allure to conquer the Darien gap is slightly interesting but I wouldn't really want to do it.  Maybe do a couple days hiking it?  

I haven’t gotten to that part of the movie yet.

There are likely much safer / more enjoyable established routes to hike. Hiking Cotopaxi in Ecuador or Machu Pichu in Peru or through Patagonia is where I would head. Some quick and limited research on Darien suggested it’s frequently used to smuggle migrants and drugs and is openly used by militias. Your mileage may vary.

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/darien-gap-nightmare-1001-demons

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.... funny, that's what they say about Baja.

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I finished it today, I liked the movie and am happy RevZilla is pumping out well produced moto content for us motonerds and gearheads to consume. I hope they get plenty of views and continue with more videos. And hey, no ads every 8 minutes like some youtube channels which was Great!

With 137ish days of travel and footage crammed into 1 hour, some storylines didn’t make the cut.

I think the editor likely chose to splice in and/or encourage much of veteran and service talk. I bet most of their actual talk and focus was about the route, weather and finding gas and tacos.

They recognized the Gap may have not been their best decision. The editor commented saying they treated and paid the locals very well and were very appreciative of their efforts. They said they would never go back. Rich chose to go home after Columbia. I was hoping he would buy a pizza bike or ride in the van but he felt he was slowing the group down. It would have been cool to see them reunite at some point.

One of them, Simon? at the end said the hardest part of the trip was heading back home. This wasn’t a promotion piece nor advertising video where the end is a glorious climax of flowing champagne and crying wives (think of the Desert Assassins Rip to the Tip videos). I thought their reactions were normal and appropriate. One guy said he had hoped there would be a physical sign or something. Not all trips have an instagram / facebook “worthy” boast. They also seemed to reject the hallmark style branding of ‘trip of a lifetime’ manta and agree with them.

On a much smaller note when I made it to Benton (solo) on the CABDR, I too was letdown. It was the first time I had ever moto camped let alone a multiday moto camp. I threw some caution to the wind and pointed my front fender towards the gps track and went. Hell, it’s an oil leaking DR650 it’ll make it right? I took all the hardways and thought it was a decent accomplishment. But, when I got to the end.. Hell where were My cheerleaders and photographers!?! Where was the BDR welcome sign? Everything in Benton was closed, there wasn’t even a gas station employee and not a damn person was around to care! The one hay truck that drove by didn’t even wave! I couldn’t brag to friends because there was no cell service!! Benton sucks!! 😅 I rode over to the Free natural hotsprings and sat there getting wind burned in constant 30mph+ wind for a bit reflecting on my ‘ride’ then headed back south to camp near Bishop.
 

Sometimes it’s a hard reminder that life rolls on and our journey continues. When we can, we ought to celebrate our accomplishments.
Tomorrow is always coming and there are no quick fixes for their ‘demons’. I hope they had a party and celebration feast. Many viewers would have liked to see that but this documentary was somewhat of a somber tale.


 

The footage rolling into Patagonia was incredible - Grand Teton on steroids. Bravo to these guys for completing the trip. Let’s ride!!

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Edited by Goofy Footer
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