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Riders! MABDR

Red Beard

Red Beard

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2019
Messages
5,519
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in my skin
Weather is turning beautiful again and my brother called me last night to plan our next ride together. We had a great time years ago blasting through the Adirondacks when he lived in Syracuse. Then he moved to Utah, and we just haven't had the opportunity to plan anything since. Recently, he moved back east and the gap between us is now manageable. So, we've started the dreaming phase of our next trip.

He rides a F800GS and I have a R1200R and so we're looking for something that will be fun for the both of us. The Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR) is almost smack-dab between us and we're thinking that 2 or 3 of the segments may be the perfect amount of pavement/dirt mixture. Before I go on, I'll say that I wouldn't think twice about blasting down a gravel road, packed dirt road, or mild fire road on the R. It's quite a capable bike. I do draw the line at 5" water crossings though. :smile:

I've read that MABDR is the easiest/least demanding of all the BDRs and that gives me some confidence that my R1200R will be ok. What I'm looking for is advice from folks that have ridden the entire MABDR in the past that may be able to contrast the various segments regarding complexity/technicality of each one. Knowing that water crossings are out, if we could only do 3 segments, which segments out of 1-5 should we pursue?

Thank you!!

Edit: Maybe you've only ridden a couple of the sections and not the whole thing... or maybe you rode another BDR out west but had a crazy buddy accompany your group on his not-a-1200GS-KLR-AfricaTwin... I'd love to hear from yall as well!
 
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Sorry I can't help, but I'm envious. Better just roll the dice and go for it! Isn't that what those trips are all about? I rip around dirt trails in the Black Hills with an old beat up Harley FXR I kind of rigged up as a dual sport if that gives you any inspiration. I figure if that can take it, your R1200R surely can. :)
Why are you worried about water crossings? I've used Kenda and Shinko dual sport tires both and they'll both hold up for trips decently without breaking the bank.
 
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Jtaylor said:
Why are you worried about water crossings? I've used Kenda and Shinko dual sport tires both and they'll both hold up for trips decently without breaking the bank.
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Honestly, I'm wondering if I can make the trip without installing some DS tires. I may have to break down and buy some purely for the piece of mind though. :)
 
Red Beard said:
Honestly, I'm wondering if I can make the trip without installing some DS tires. I may have to break down and buy some purely for the piece of mind though. :)
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You really can't go wrong with Shinkos or Kendas for the price. They don't last too long but long enough for dual sport tires and they're really grippy. I have aluminum non-spoked wheels too and just mount them tubeless and carry a tube for the front and back if/when I get a flat if it's too big to repair with a plug.
I added more fluid to my front forks and maxed out my rear shocks for heaviest load just so I didn't bottom out. I'm not sure if your BMW has air shocks or what, but stiffening up the suspension helped a lot too just for control.
 
Jtaylor said:
You really can't go wrong with Shinkos or Kendas for the price. They don't last too long but long enough for dual sport tires and they're really grippy. I have aluminum non-spoked wheels too and just mount them tubeless and carry a tube for the front and back if/when I get a flat if it's too big to repair with a plug.
I added more fluid to my front forks and maxed out my rear shocks for heaviest load just so I didn't bottom out. I'm not sure if your BMW has air shocks or what, but stiffening up the suspension helped a lot too just for control.
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This is great advice. Thank you!

I was looking at the Dunlop Trailmax Missions but they don't make a rear in my size. I've had Shinkos (not DS) on other bikes in the past and they performed well. Looks like the Shinko 705 170/60R17 is fairly similar to my 180/55ZR17 so I may go that route. I have no experience with Kendas though.
 
Red Beard said:
This is great advice. Thank you!

I was looking at the Dunlop Trailmax Missions but they don't make a rear in my size. I've had Shinkos (not DS) on other bikes in the past and they performed well. Looks like the Shinko 705 170/60R17 is fairly similar to my 180/55ZR17 so I may go that route. I have no experience with Kendas though.
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I use the 705s offroad. I think you'll like the 705s! I put the Kenda 761s on a bike I sold just for the look and put about 1,000 miles on them (mostly pavement) and they held up pretty good.
Oh, one more thing....be aware of the fender clearances too if going with a wider or taller tire.
 
Looks like a F650GS? Or a 800? If it's a 650GS you have one of the best bikes BMW ever made and will take you anywhere you want to go around the block or around the world.
 
slydog said:
Looks like a F650GS? Or a 800? If it's a 650GS you have one of the best bikes BMW ever made and will take you anywhere you want to go around the block or around the world.
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Yes it is. Picked it up last night. Rode home in the rain from NC. Ah... good times :D

The R isn't so lonely now that she's got a stable mate.
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As someone who never owned a motorcycle I'm curious what is the list of stuff u would take on a long road trip? Off-road trips I take tools for repair, recovery gear, extra oil/atf etc, charged jumper box, spare ujoints, hilift jack, etc and I'm ready for anything. Obviously with a bike u have to have bare minimum due to limited storage space.....what is ur preparedness/emergency essentials and how to u configure on ur bike?
 
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