Good Riders Fall, or is it fail
It's funny how as riders we often think we are better than we are. When I first bought a bike in Thailand having not ridden 7-8 years prior, I jumped straight back on thinking I could do the things I used to to on my MX bike and R1 back in the UK. Wanting to be a little more adventurous I took on Khao Krajom having done it in my 4x4 and failed at the first corner. I was on road tires, no protection, and alone. Stupid in hindsight! I failed on second attempt after upgrading to Scorpion Trails and installing crash bars and Hand guards. On the decent from the top the rain came and I ended up in a ditch as the surface became slippy, again I was alone. While the rider plays a big part, ultimately, making the right choices are tantamount based on the tools you have. I have since fully kitted the bike for off road and trail runs and all has been good since. I was joined by a friend at dualriders who also attempted it on road tires and completed the climb and on the decent had a minor fall but his bike was protected. And recently I was contacted by someone having seen my video who asked to join. I warned him about falling off, but he was confident it wouldn't happen. He came of 3 times and slightly damaged himself and the bike. At his request I won't post pictures of the falls which I find odd. I don't know anyone who hasn't fallen off their bike on these trip. All part of the experience and fun in my book. So, the story from my perspective only. A seriously edited version and somewhat less interesting!
Cool Gear or Fools Gear?
Saturday morning the day before my trip, I packed essentials. Tools, repair gear and additional clothing for any unfortunate mishap. As I needed to call to the office about 4km away from home, I decided to ride in my jean-shorts and shirt (First time for everything), putting my Rev’it sand jacket in my Kreiga Back-pack and using a bungee cord to strap the matching pants to the Kriega US 20 at the rear. I arrived at the office only to find my pants were no longer strapped to the bike. This was turning into an expensive weekend before I’d even started!