A few days on the Colorado BDR is a guarantee that you will experience great riding in the most beautiful sceneries, deal with elevation changes and adverse weather, as well as meet friendly riders on the technical trails. It’s the thrill of a real adventure with your favorite plated enduro!
Browsing the RideBDR website, you can’t help but start dreaming about your next trip. With 8 connected routes in the west and 2 on the east coast, there are enough options for everybody. But if the detailed maps and the free GPS tracks push you to click on the download button after giving a welcome donation, you might wonder if your bike and your riding skills will fit the boxes for a successful adventure.
SETTING UP
Since not everybody wants to risk an expensive and heavy adventure bike on the trails, we decided to try the CO BDR with two small displacement bikes. The Honda CRF450L is the new trend in the dual-sport community; it was the perfect opportunity to put its ability to the test for a real-world adventure. Being 43 percent lighter than a more powerful Africa Twin, the 450 should shine in the most technical sections. Out of the box, the engine is detuned to endure long stretches on the highway, and consequently has a service interval at 20,000 between piston checks. There’s not much needed besides switching the small titanium tank for an IMS 3 gallon fuel tank. Additionally, we replaced the stock seat with a wider and more comfortable Seat Concepts cushion, connected a Trail Tech Voyager Pro GPS to the battery, and mounted a pair of Dunlop D606. We then strapped our MoskoMoto Reckless 40L bags on the rear fender, packed tools, spare tubes, extra gear, toothbrush, photo equipment, and we were ready to go.
HEADING UP NORTH
In Dolores, where we meet Turu and his HVA 701 loaded with the same Mosko bags, we start the 750 mile-long ride with high expectations. The day begins on the pavement, which makes for a nice warm-up, with little to no vibration on the CRFs at a cruising speed of 65mph. The vents on our Alpinestars SM10 helmets do a good job of maintaining a cool airflow around our heads, while the outside temperature is way past 90 degrees. The first gravel roads allow us to take some elevation, and we quickly reach Telluride with cooler temperatures. We could have stopped here and enjoyed the great vibes of this small town, but there are way too many tourists and still a few hours of daylight to try to reach the iconic Ophir Pass before the night. The infamous scree on the mountainside is challenging for ADV riders, but there’s nothing to fear on the nimble CRF450L. Standing up and staying mobile on the bike, it’s easy to keep the momentum and the traction over the rolling rocks. From there, it’s just an easy downhill to the small and off-road-friendly town of Ouray.
The next day will prove to be even more exciting. The route brings us over many passes, and the trails over 12,000 ft are all but smooth: hard pack dirt with bumps and ruts, rocks and boulders and drop-offs; the ride gets technical. Once again, being on a small bike helps, and we fly over the obstacles, passing jeeps and side-by-sides with ease. We still take the time for long stops at Corkscrew Pass, Hurricane Pass, California Pass, and Cinnamon Pass. There, the sceneries are so incredible that you lose track of time while admiring the amazing views of the colorful summits. Going down to Lake City, following the lake San Cristobal’s shore, it’s time to refuel, before enjoying the large fire roads heading to Buena Vista. The COBDR could stop here, we wouldn’t be disappointed! But there’s still plenty of great riding to come. The next morning starts on a fun note as the route goes into an OHV park. Jumps, whoops, and sandy berms bring back memories of our motocross days. We roll up the Alpinestars jackets in the MoskoMoto bags and ride in our jerseys in full racing mode.
After this exhilarating moment, it’s time to calm down. With the lower elevation, what the countryside lacks in spectacular summits it gains in diversity. The ambiance changes every ten miles while we go through red canyons, forests, vast plains, rolling hills, on gravel roads, or small double-tracks. Cruising at a good speed, one eye on the GPS and the other on the cattle in open range, we enjoy this easy part of the ride, knowing that we’ll soon go back in the mountains. The challenging climb to Hancock Pass proves us right. The steep grade, with round river rocks spread everywhere, makes it difficult to keep the traction, and choosing the best lines becomes a survival instinct. Luckily, the CRF450L stands proudly to his motocross DNA and is up to the task, as well as the heavier but still capable HVA 701. We reach the summit without crashing and with the satisfaction of having chosen the best kind of motorcycles. That’s definitely not a trail for big adventure bikes, and even if an expert rider could have done it, we would definitely recommend to most people to find a way around, especially knowing that the other side of the mountain is even worse! The rocky trail at the summit becomes some sort of river bed suddenly, with stones of all sizes and shapes trying to make us fall. We feel like racers trying to survive a stage of the Erzberg rodeo! The best things come to an end, and the downhill finally ends before getting any arm pump.
There’s still a lot to handle on this afternoon and we climb up to Hagerman Pass, on another rocky trail, to cross the Continental Divide at 11,980 ft. Arriving at Gypsum after sunset, we take dinner in no time and just fall asleep. The fourth day is more mellow, but not less beautiful, with incredible colors on the hills and nice double-track before reaching Steamboat Springs. There’s a bit more pavement on this section, but what’s wrong with an easy day once in a while?
ENJOYING LOCAL HOSPITALITY
Remember the oil interval change of 600 miles that was talked at length on every forum when the CRF450L was launched? That’s the one we need to care about right now since we passed this recommended distance yesterday. Six hundred miles might not be a problem for a weekend warrior, but on such a long ride, it’s a duty you can’t delay. The best thing about entering a moto store to buy oil is that you’re most likely to meet other riders. Once again, it worked, as we started a long conversation with Emmanuelle, a French motorcyclist living in town. One thing leading to another, we’re invited the next day to ride some local single-tracks with her husband, Brad. In the morning, after removing the bags from the bikes, we meet him at his company’s shop. He had set up a pan on the ground so we can do our oil change. Since we forgot our quarts of oil in our bags at the hotel, we knock at the door of the next garage, where an old mechanic just pumps the precious liquid from a big barrel. Can’t be cooler than that! Removing the skid plates, the main drain and pouring oil in the CRFs engines doesn’t take long, and after cleaning some drops on the ground, we’re ready to go explore. The local tracks share the same characteristics as some of the most technical trails we encountered so far; they are rocky, dusty, with very little traction and super steep grades. On his KTM 450 EXC perfectly set up for these specific conditions, Brad leads and guides us for a long and fun exploration of Steamboat Spring’s backcountry. The double track finally morphs into a very narrow single track, where fallen logs are cut with just enough room for the footpegs to sneak in. One inch out of the line, and you can say goodbye to your ankle! Out of the woods and after a few river crossings, a beer at the famous Clark Store gives everybody time to share stories about motorcycle trips. Brad tells us about his trips to Chile, Australia and Vietnam. The conversation is captivating, and without any of us noticing, the night is here. It’s still too early to part ways, and we end up at Emmanuelle and Brad’s house for a BBQ. This day couldn’t have been better, and it proves, once again, how easily a motorcyclist traveler can make friends and connections when riding alone or within a small group.
THE LONG WAY BACK
Going back to Dolores where we left our pick-up truck, can be done two ways: Via the highway, which can be achieved in 7 hours, or via backcountry roads, which would take 2 to 3 days. Since GPS Kevin already has a track available for this alternate way back, we upload it on our GPS and take the long way home. The weather is menacing, with storms almost everywhere, but our route magically goes around each of them, avoiding all the showers we can see on the horizon. With an overcast sky, we encounter little to no traffic on these dirt roads, and it’s easy to keep a high average speed. Still, we have to remind ourselves to ride on the right in order to reduce the risk of a head-on collision. If hawks and squirrels which cross our path are not harmful, deer don’t mind the traffic and can cross anytime. Riding fast and safe requires some riding skills but also acute vision to check on both sides of the road for any sign of wildlife! After a good night at Meeker, where we enjoy a nice historic hotel and some of the best Paris-like croissants ever at the White River Bakery, we head toward Crested Butte, Gunnison, and Dolores. Again, there’s some pavement, but the countryside is magnificent and the hours fly, our CRFs accumulating miles with ease. Sure thing, there’s no fairing, but it’s hot out there and even with the vents on our Alpinestars jackets and pants, some wind is welcomed!
A PERFECT DESTINATION
After one full week on the trails, the ride is already over. It’s time to load the bikes on the truck and go back home, leaving beautiful Colorado behind us. As the quiet F-150 cruises on the freeway, we can’t help but talk again and again about this last week. The memories captured from the top of the mountains, the freedom experienced on the endless trails are vivid and we can’t wait to go back to Colorado to explore more of its natural wonders. After the passes around Ouray (see Upshift issue 38) and this epic BDR, we can definitely give Colorado a five star award! As for the bikes, we’re glad we picked up small dual-sports motorcycles. This whole adventure wouldn’t have been as fun with heavier bikes, especially in the most technical sections. Since we don’t mind giving up a couple miles per hour on the highway, it seems that the lighter the bike, the greater the fun! For more information on Backcountry Discovery Routes go to www.ridebdr.com
