rallyreview

Horizons Unlimited Northern California Meet 2012

Where Adventurous Minds Come Together
By Sandy Borden
NeW ZeAlANd, GreAT BriTAiN,

Canada, China, Peru, United States where else can you go to find such twowheeled representation but at a Horizons Unlimited gathering. With over a half dozen Horizons Unlimited meetings held worldwide each year, beautiful Cambria in Northern California was the site for this years United States West Coast gathering for all those currently riding their dream and planning for future rides. Grant and Susan Johnson, the creators of Horizons Unlimited, have helped shape the adventure motorcycling world by bringing together travel veterans, dual-sport riders and those thinking of two-wheeled travel. The camaraderie and sense of family continue to make Horizons Unlimited one of the most beloved organizations in the industry. Who knew Grant and Susans first date in 1984 would lead to an around-theworld trip in 1987 on their 1986 R80 GS A very happy crowd of blokes hailing from Europe down to New Zealand. BMW? Like for many of us, the strains of more out of life led to the open road. Selling from one another. 70-hour workweeks and the desire to seek everything and quitting their jobs, Grant The three-day event was filled with a and Susan headed to Panama. variety of classes and speakers ready to eduGrant, a self-professed adrenaline cate riders on all topics, from cooking to junky, and Susan, the quieter of maintenance and proper gear to border the two with a head for numbers, crossings. Joanne Donn, founder of Gearworked as business and computer Chic and specializing in womens riding consultants while on the road in gear (http://www.gearchic.com), was on various countries, also creating hand to educate new and veteran riders on several products to help fund the latest in protective and weatherproof their love for travel. Having gear. logged thousands of miles in As always, Grant Johnsons How to Fix a more than 50 countries, Grant Flat proved to be one of the most popular and Susan hatched their Horiclasses. When Grant asked the audience to zons Unlimited brainchild in raise their hand if they had changed a tire 1998. The goal: to bring together themselves, only a few raised their hands, a global community of twoproving this workshop to be an invaluable wheeled travelers to share advenpiece of roadside education for all. Grant Johnson gives his tire changing seminar tures, advise others and learn Carla Kings self-publishing class was

136

BMW OWNERS NEWS

December 2012

rallyreview

Well Stickered, well travelled BMW 1200GS

also a well-attended event, providing information for getting your travel stories out to the masses. As an expert in self-publishing and the constant changes occurring in the world of Amazon and Kindle, Carla was at the ready to answer any and all questions from the audience. Peter Dean, a sidecar-riding executive chef, served up some easy yet tasty recipes for the audience to sample. With just a few basics that included salmon, rice and curry spices, Peter created many simple dishes that were easy to prepare while on the road. One of the most popular among the crowd was the Women Only two-hour panel. The goal was to allow women, riders and pillion alike, to ask questions and pose scenarios they may otherwise find uncomfortable discussing in mixed situations. It was a comfortable yet informative session thats been known to produce some hysterical laughter as well as stares from the gentlemen in the area. Andrea Beach and Bonnie Warch of Coach2Ride (http://www.coach2ride.com) led guided off-road rides for those new to the dirt or looking to gain more trail experience. Each rider received individual critique and pointers as well as group practice, with each student coming back feeling much more confident in their off-road skills. Nicole Espinosa (www.ruggedrider.com)

shared her tips for dehydrating your own food as well as some simple-to-prepare recipes to satisfy all palettes. Craig Vetter (www.craigvetter.com), Master of Streamlining and Fuel Economy, was by far one of the biggest hits as he pulled up in his Vetter Fairing. An instant attention getter, Craig was more than happy to discuss his ride and answer any questions from the eager audience of gawkers. Evening presentations from many seasoned riders kept the audience intrigued with their personal tales and slide show pictorials. The long list of speakers included Jeremy Kroeker (www.motorcycletherapy. com), who shared his travels through Croatia, Pakistan and Iran; Carla King (www. carlaking.com), sharing her stories of solo travel on a Russian Ural through the U.S. as well as solo travels through China and Albania; and Terry and Sandy Borden and their 11-year-old son Jack of Adventure Trio (http://www.adventuretrio.com), telling their tales of family adventure travel on two BMW GS motorcycles through North America. Will English, a British chap five months into a two-year ride, had the audience rolling as he regaled all with his tales from the road. Most importantly, on hand was Ted Simon, the patriarch of motorcycle adventure travel (www.jupitalia.com). Ted presented to a packed house on a foggy Saturday evening, expanding on stories from

his new book Rolling Through the Isles, a journey on two wheels through the backroads of the U.K. There was much to learn from each presenters experiences, with all vowing to hit the road again as soon as possible. Were out two months in total, exclaimed Lillian Hobbs of Great Britain, who is riding her BMW 1200GS across the States with her friend and partner in crime Wendy Peters. We shipped our bikes to Boston, then spent the first month riding across Route 66. Then, its Wendys significant (60th) birthday. So, were going to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday where we have some friends flying out from London to meet us. Lillian and Wendy were quite fun to chat with and hear of their future riding plans. Another curious attendee was new BMW G650 rider, Dan Ford. With his bike in the back of the truck, Dan explained that he was not yet comfortable riding more than 50 miles a day. He was at the event to learn more dirt skills and gain more confidence on two wheels just in general. When asked what spurred him into riding, he had quite the story. A few years ago I spent a month

Jack and Ted The patriarch of adventure riding influencing the next generation.

volunteering at a non-profit in Uganda, said Dan. In the cities and villages there were small 125cc Chinese-made motorcycles that they called boda-bodas. One weekend some friends that I was working with decided to rent dirt bikes and ride out of the city and into the wilds of northern Uganda. I rented an older Honda 250 for $15 for the day. Riding down these red dirt roads with nothing around was one of the most amazing experiences. Talk about the

December 2012

BMW OWNerS NeWS

137

rallyreview

perfect foray into dual sporting! Dan was one of the participants in the Coach2Ride class, coming back with a new sense of confidence and promises to ride his bike a little

farther each day. A handful of vendors were in attendance, but not just to sell their wares. Just ask Harold Cecil, owner of Giant Loop (http:// w w w. g i a nt l o o p moto.com), out of Bend, Ore. Harold comes not only as a vendor but also as an avid adventure rider. His BMW F800GS is fully decked out in the latest Giant Loop soft bags. We started the company in 2008. A friend had spent about a decade figuring out how to better carry camping gear on a

dirt bike, explained Harold. After the recession, I invested some money of my own to have a few bags sewn. With the power of the Internet and ADVRider, we sold the first bag within two hours of putting up the website. San Jose BMW was happy to fit any rider with the latest in Schuberth Helmets as well as answer any of your BMW questions. KLIM was also a popular gear stop, with jackets and gloves ready to be tested. When asked if hed like to expand the size of the event, Grant Johnson did not hesitate with an answer. No, replied Grant. Susan and I cap it off at 250 for a reason. If it gets too big, you dont get the chance to talk to everyone and share experiences. It loses its intimacy. Good for you, Grant and Susan. This is one of the reasons why Horizons Unlimited continues in popularity. With

138

BMW OWNERS NEWS

December 2012

meetings already in over eight countries, they are continuing to expand to meet the demand. So, wherever you find yourself in the coming months and years, look up Horizons Unlimited. Theres a good chance you may find yourself among friends ready to share their adventures and as well sit back and enjoy listening to yours. You can check out Horizons Unlimited at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com. For a full list of events for 20122013, go to http:// www.horizonsunlimited.com/events. The next Horizons Unlimited meeting will take place in Argentina from 79 December. Grant is in the final stages of planning a Brazil meeting, so make sure and check the website for further information. Take advantage of pre-registration, as space is limited at each event.

Beemerboneyard.com
UsedOil Head,K Bike&Hex HeadParts 50%ofNeworLess NewMaintenanceParts&Tools WAYBELOWRetailPrices NOBACKORDERS ORDERSSHIPIN24HOURS

10%BMWMOADiscount
OnlineOrdersOnly
Enter code BMWMOA in source code box @ checkout & click apply
Liqui Molyoil oil,fuel&airfilters12/24Kmaintenancekits brakepads& rotors fuel pumps Hall sensors repair manuals & dvdstools fuel line disconnectsets fuelinjectioncontrollers exhausts batteries&chargers master cylinders & rebuild kits starters spark plugs & wires cables radiatorfans altbelts fenderextenders Carbtune carb/TBsynchronizers

ORDER ONLINE 24/7 M/C, Visa, Discover, Paypal 973.775.3495 M F 12 5PM

December 2012 BMW OWNERS NEWS

139