Pathfinder2: un hors-programme

When I originally started thinking about this trip, I had intended to do it solo both as a way to do some much needed motocamping meditation on my own, as well as to test the new route for this year's CMT with a small bike; the idea being that I would take the Triumph to the CMT5 and I wanted to see if it was feasible.

However, over time the plan evolved as I talked about it with Witold, and it took shape almost by itself, as it often happens with these things; in this particular case it was W's idea of trying to go off the beaten track as much as possible that really helped in making the most out of the planning phase. The inspiration came to him from this offroad 4x4 event called "per antichi sentieri", and we tried to do something vaguely similar.

Obviously by eliminating almost anything to do with such candy-assed ideas as "safety" our organization is much simpler and more streamlined. Hooray! (If that last sentence made you chuckle, I recommend you read the excellent article I stole it from, and marvel at the lunacy of Project Pluto.)

At this point this trip became its own thing and you'd have to be crazy to do what we did, on a bunch of roadsters: CMT5 will see us along a far more civilized route.

The Honda and the Yamaha were absolutely perfect bikes for this trip: lightweight, tractable and with decent tires, they allowed us to do something like we did during the Stealth Trip 2, but without the wide-eyed terror.

The day really was all about hanging out and riding through these mountains we love so much on tiny bikes with minimal luggage. And it was minimal! I left the tent at home, in favor of this shelter that my awesome sister made for me. Witold shrunk everything down in a small waterproof pack and yet had everything he needed and nothing he didn't. We also had some extra gas, 2lt. just to give us a bit more range, definitely worth the additional load on the Yamaha.

Riding across familiar territories at a much slower pace may seem irritating at first, but if you can quiet the ego and rid yourself of its impatience you can quite easily understand that this is actually a meditation aid: if you can allow your psychic frequency to drift until it matches that of a higher cosmic one, riding like this is a good way to help you stay with it, so you can reap the benefits of communing with the collective subconscious. Besides, what these little bikes lacked in terms of displacement, we more than made up for with the size, and heft, of our manly attributes.

We begin our ascent on the westernmost bastion of the Apennines entering the Lucretili park through blindingly bright psychic landscapes, unto righteous triumph:

Perhaps not surprisingly, we weren't able to go exactly the way we had planned, there were ravines, a pack of dogs, mud, rocks and -worst of all- locked gates that forced us to re-route a couple of times.

Still, it was a lot of fun and the bikes honestly didn't leave much to be desired in terms of performance: they certainly have it where it counts!

I am adding this experience to the mental enchiridion of mystical paths across valleys and mountains that we have compiled over the years; you never know when we might be back around these parts.

As for the camp set-up, the new shelter works exactly as I wanted it to, and doubles as the luggage roll too, which is really convenient; cheers!

Pathfinder2: report coming soon...

50 years

This year marks half a century since Norton introduced the Commando, and while of course the production run "only" lasted a decade, the following four have seen continuous interest in the model, and countless successful racing efforts around the globe, which brought about development to a level far beyond what the Norton engineers were able to offer in the relatively short time when the Commando was new.

Whenever talking about or otherwise considering (and riding, for f**k's sake!) the Commando, it must never be forgotten just what an accomplishment it was by Norton to bring this motorcycle to Earls Court given how little time they had to develop it, and how thin their resources were stretched; nor should anyone understate how successful a model it was for something meant to be a stopgap measure, enough to give the company time to come up with something on par with the new era of "modern" superbikes, one that Norton unfortunately never really saw.

Confirmation of the fact that the popularity of this machine has not waned one bit over the years is to be found in the cult-like fervor and devotion that surrounds it wherever the name Commando is spoken; people get weirdly obsessive, possessive, defensive and downright litigious when it comes to Commandos, I've never understood why but I get it: once you have it, you want everyone else who owns one, or is thinking of getting one, to value it, respect it and treat it well.

There have already been a few well written articles printed on the most respected publications dealing with classic motorcycles in the last couple of months, offering an overview of the history and what went on behind the scenes, and most of what I've read is informative and seems accurate.

50 is a nice round number that doesn't really mean anything other than an excuse to pause for a second and look back, to realize that some of these motorcycles we love so much exist outside of time, trends and fashions; you either get it or you don't, so what I have to say on the 50th anniversary of this motorcycle is this, plain and simple:

the Norton Commando 

is the coolest motorcycle 

ever bestowed upon mankind.

Pathfinder 2: mission readiness

With less than two weeks to go before Pathfinder 2, it was high time we focused on the extensive preparations that a formidable and perilous trip like this demands.

So, I bolted the luggage rack on the Yamaha and that pretty much sums it up.

Witold got new tires for his Honda, the ever popular Continental TKC80, and fresh motor oil... again, that's pretty much it.

But we also have professional-looking roadbooks here, so you know we're taking this seriously:

The creature stirs...

It's about to get loud around here.

A home away from home.

One of the best things about riding motorcycles like I do (slow and with a destination in mind) is camping.

Some kids never grow out of the sense of adventure they first got when they turned a cardboard box into a spaceship, a submarine, or a secret hideout.
Then come the first nights camping in the backyard, very exciting, and your BMX is never too far away.
I'm still doing that, except that my backyard is 60 miles long and my BMX has morphed into a Norton Commando.

You may have already seen the photo below, or something similar, and I don't think it's hard to understand the appeal; after all, we like motocamping because we appreciate minimalism and without going to the extremes that ultralight backpackers go to (hats off to them), sometimes even a tent feels like a bit too much.

In summer, with near-certainty of fair weather and warm nights, a tent is often overkill, so I've sometimes used just a tarp or a poncho tied to the bike, as I did last year.

While that worked perfectly well, it was a little untidy and a bit too much on the gypsy side. So, I've thought about it and since what I want isn't ready-made, I went and did it myself.
Well, when I say that "I" did it, I really did nothing; my sister got the Singer out and very expertly built the whole thing herself!

Time to go test this, Pathfinder 2 is just around the corner...