Trip Report
OT - Honda 250 Round the World Ride

by martygarrison
Friday September 14, 2018 6:19pm
So a year and a half ago I posted on my plans to ride my Honda 250 around the world. I completed the ride a few weeks ago. Total of 74 days and 12,663 miles. I'm not the greatest writer so just endure the report if you wish.


https://advrider.com/f/threads/beginner-tries-a-rtw-on-a-crf250l.1333996/


  Trip Report Views: 1,575
martygarrison 		About the Author
martygarrison is a trad climber from Washington DC.

Comments
thebravecowboy

climber
The Good Places
  Sep 14, 2018 - 06:21pm PT
nice journey!

so is it, in your view, such a small world after all?
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
  Sep 14, 2018 - 06:25pm PT
Pretty cool idea and ballsy not having ever ridden a bike. Look forward to reading the rest of the story.

Half the credit card bikers at Sturgis trailered their bikes in.
martygarrison

Trad climber
Washington DC
Author's Reply  Sep 14, 2018 - 06:26pm PT
Cowboy on a 250 the world feels very big.
jstan

climber
  Sep 14, 2018 - 08:03pm PT
In the early 70's during the gas crisis I rode a Honda 250 around DC. While I never considered going RTW, I thought it a nice bike. Wouldn't try it in DC now. The traffic has to be brutal.
FRUMY

Trad climber
Bishop,CA
  Sep 14, 2018 - 08:48pm PT
Very cool - great ride.
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
  Sep 15, 2018 - 03:56pm PT

`

GO-GO_Marty'marty motorcycle!
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Sep 16, 2018 - 12:27am PT
This is a really incredible journey, wow!
Way to hang it out there.
Thanks for taking us along.
Cheers!
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
  Sep 16, 2018 - 06:20am PT
Congrats on achieving new goals.
Whillans rode his bike from the Himalayas to England after an expedition to Masherbrum in the early 60's (if my unreliable memory serves me). That must have been a trip.
JLP

Social climber
The internet
  Sep 16, 2018 - 07:40am PT
Now that you know the 250 like few have ever - no temptation for a more highway worthy bike - KLR650 or KTM 1090R - something of this class - for the kind of mileage you are doing?
originalpmac

Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
  Sep 16, 2018 - 11:05am PT
Yeah, looking forward to reading this as well. CRF 250?!! You're crazy! I rode from Ouray to Northern California on an XR 650 and THAT was rough. Tractor trailers blowing me around, top speed of 75-80mph, down hill with a tail wind.

Good on you for your trip. Someday I want to do the AK to Tierra del Fuego. These days I ride a bigger bike though. BMW F800GS.
martygarrison

Trad climber
Washington DC
Author's Reply  Sep 16, 2018 - 12:27pm PT
Now that you know the 250 like few have ever - no temptation for a more highway worthy bike - KLR650 or KTM 1090R - something of this class - for the kind of mileage you are doing?


JLP I think I'll just stick with the Honda. Not sure if I will be doing anything as long as the RTW again. Looking at the Great Divide or the Trail Across America next. Maybe explore up into the Yukon or Alaska. The Honda is just so reliable and I have it setup for long trips now. It does however wear you out.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
  Sep 16, 2018 - 02:22pm PT
Wow! When I saw 12,000 miles in 74 days my first thought was “was this a sentence?”
Great writeup. Can’t believe nobody warned you about taking pics of bridges, airports, or prisons! And nobody told you that ‘magazine’ means ‘store’? HaHaHa! 😊 I do sympathize. My first time in Helsinki I thought every restaurant near my hotel was Italian until I figured out that ‘ravintola’ is Finnish for ‘restaurant.
You crazy, man! Thanks for a great read.

In the 70’s my Russian geography prof drove a brand new Volvo from Leningrad to Tbilisi, Georgia IIRC. Intourist laid out his route for him with explicit directions NOT TO BE DEVIATED FROM! Somewhere in the Ukraine he got tired of toeing the party line and just headed off the main drag into the countryside. What could go wrong? So he and his wife are on some dirt road through endless farm fields and he sees this huge field of marihoochi! Being a geographer he knew it was for rope and such but he couldn’t resist the photo op. He’s about 15’ up a telephone pole getting the money shot when he hears a gunshot! He looks up the road to see a figure on horseback silhouetted against the sky waving a rifle over his head galloping towards him! HaHaHa! He didn’t deviate from the party line after that.
nah000

climber
now/here
  Sep 16, 2018 - 02:51pm PT
fUck yeah!

read the whole thread... thanks for posting it up here.

i own a wr250r and have it kitted out with saddle bags, oversized tank, etc. so can understand and appreciate your love of a little bike for touring... still, that is one hell of an undertaking on a 250...

you’re obviously livin’ the life... congrats and thanks for the share.
Lituya

Mountain climber
  Sep 16, 2018 - 03:21pm PT
Great trip report! Thanks for sharing it.

My Zuki DR650 awaits its ride to Punta Arenas and your trip inspires minimalism. Hopefully things in Nicaragua will settle down by next year. Right now, it's a real roadblock.
climbski2

Mountain climber
The Ocean
  Sep 16, 2018 - 03:55pm PT
I read it all man. You make Russia sound pretty big. Heh. I really enjoyed it thanks for sharing that with us
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