A young Julie de Vaulx shares her passion to ride the trails with her photographer dad Olivier de Vaulx.
It’s 5am. Everyone is enjoying a blissful sleep, while my dad and I are giving our neighbors yet another reason to think that we are out of our mind. Why would we be loading his Honda XR 650L and my Honda CRF250 Rally into a trailer so early in the morning? We just want to enjoy a great day of riding in the Southern Californian desert before the heat makes any physical activity unbearable. All riders know that when you gotta ride, you gotta ride!
Like most young riders, I originally started riding dirt bikes thanks to my father, who has always been my inspiration to ride and better myself. So it was no surprise when he rode the Great Continental Divide that I, too, wanted part of this adventure. Across the United States from the Mexican to the Canadian border, this excruciating 2800 mile ride looks like a dream to any rider, young and less young alike. The following year, getting my motorcycle license became one of my top priorities, as it should be for any serious rider.
License in hand, it was time to find the perfect bike. Teenagers are well-known for awkward growth bursts, where muscles and bones don’t grow at the same speed. Thus, finding a bike that fits is a true challenge, especially a street legal one at that. Since I am rather tall for my age, it was originally thought that I could ride the XR 650. I took it to the trails once, and quickly realized that it would not be possible; it was far too heavy, powerful, and tall for me! Thankfully, the Honda CRF 250 Rally finds to be the perfect fit for teenage riders, or anyone looking for an easy bike, while the fairing gives it a decent amount of Dakar spirit. Fully equipped with headlights, a dashboard displaying speed, RPMs and gas level, an electric start but no kick, indicators and mirrors, this bike truly calls for adventure. Being a young female rider, the dealer was baffled that I was looking for such a big bike. Coming from a 230 CRF, the Rally was definitely a step up in height and weight, but a much safer choice than Dad’s 650.
We arrived at the parking lot, geared up, and it was game time! Feeling like a child on Christmas morning, I started the Rally and thanks to the injection, I dove right into the trail without needing to warm up the engine forever. A few yards in, and already the Honda gets a couple thumbs up, from the comfortable seat to the wide handlebar. Standing or seated, the racing position comes naturally, without feeling strained or needing to think about it. With the first corner came the first surprise: the fairing and the dashboard are fixed to the frame and are not moving with the handlebar. For someone coming from a CRF 230, this seemingly unmoving front-end was a shock, and gave me the illusion that the Rally does not turn! Quickly, I got used to it and I came upon the realization that what I took for a heavy, powerful, and hard-to-handle monster was really none of the above. It felt very light in the corners, making it easy to play with. It was a nice surprise, since in the parking lot it felt a lot heavier.
The ride continued, the gears passed smoothly and the clutch was easy. It was all going like a dream, until coming to the first climb, and I realized that there was virtually no bottom end power. I attacked the climb, all ready to go, I turned the throttle and then…nothing. Once the bike reached 7000rpm, I could finally feel the power kicking in as the Rally climbed. The engine power curve is divided in two sections, the bottom-end with little to no torque, and then a higher-end with a lot more torque and energy. While there is really no middle range, there was a soft transition between these two phases, preventing the Rally from speeding out of control like a 2 stroke would. The lack of torque was really only an issue when attacking sudden climbs or when trying to speed out of corners. But it turns out to be a great teacher for those looking to smooth out their riding and keep their momentum in twirling sections. It’s not even a problem for those more interested in long-distance travels. Indeed, the engine was extremely quiet and soft; it was not a rare sight on this ride to see squirrels and other wildlife, usually hidden.
Once at the top, Dad stopped to explain to me some of the less glamorous but equally important challenges of the Continental Divide: navigation. We each had a GPS and he showed me how to use it correctly. But the real challenge came when I had to find our spot on a paper map. Like virtually all teenagers, I grew up with the Internet and Google Maps, so using a paper map is not my strong suit. Thankfully, it’s not as tricky as it sounds. When looking for an overview of the area, a map is actually much easier to use than a GPS. On the Continental Divide, it would be all new territory, thus knowing the basics of navigation seemed crucial for a successful trip.
We kept riding, and the second half of the ride brought along more rocky sections. The Rally’s suspension was so smooth that I practically glided over the bumps. The traction on the trail was usually okay, but with the Rally I did not lose control a single time, and it handled amazingly. Doubtful that my riding improved so fast in such a short amount of time, I attributed this success to the Showa elements. The CRF 250 Rally can also come with ABS, but thankfully this one did not, enabling it to brake correctly in the dirt and not slide out of control. The Honda practically anticipated my next move, making it really easy to forget its height, and to some extent, weight: it truly is the perfect bike for an intermediate rider seeking improvements, or long-distance challenges, all in comfort.
The more miles I take in the more I see myself sharing the road with my dad all the way to Canada. The training is far from over, and there are still aspects of such an adventure that I need to understand and master before leaving, as any cautious rider should. For instance, I still need to train with the bags on the side of the bike, to feel the weight difference. More importantly, I need to work on my endurance and skills. Less strong people like me need to compensate with more technique, and I definitely need to improve on that aspect, though the Divide does not seem to present itself with a lot of challenging parts but rather fast fire roads. However, being able to go very fast without the minimum experience to control the bike does not seem very safe, does it?
Endurance is the other important part, with the Continental Divide averaging daily rides of over 200 miles, which is way more than what I usually do. This means that if I want to be able to do all of this in the near future, I need to step up my game. With the Rally, it feels as though anyone can accomplish such an adventure, since it is so easy to ride and makes almost anyone feel comfortable.
Riding on the easy going Honda was an eye opening experience. Riding on small OHV areas seems pointless. Now all I dream about is to discover new open spaces that are not always accessible to cars or pedestrians. It’s all about pushing boundaries, whether it be discovering a new place, or going above and beyond what you thought you were capable. Being a young female rider makes it harder though more rewarding. And who knows, soon enough I may be riding the same bikes that my father rides and I might just beat him! (But shhh, that’s a secret)!
