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We samP
1e BIvIWs
new
RrzooGS
Adventure
with a ride into
Bv Kr
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\*
The Brttw RI2OOGS Adventure mokes it
eosy
to
Eel
to
plo(eJ
like lhe wGst rim of the
\
\
Grond Conyon vio
roods
less lroveled.
was okay until our trail guide started talking about dehydration,
para-
medics and satellite phones, and that's when I started feeling, admk-
tedh a liftle nervous. Bu! I
guess
I wasn't the only one, as
was
evi
denced by
thi
mass exoius to the men's room immediately
followinS
our
pre-rrde
rrder's meetrng.
Our
guide
was speaking to a
room full
of
iournalists
just
prior to our
departr.rre for a 25O-plus-mile ride to the Grand
Canyon
that Bl'4W had
planned
and orgddrzed to introduce its new Rl20OGS Adventure, which
replaEes the Rl I50GS Adv€nture and is based on the
"standard''
Rl200GS, a
bike
that took
on a maior overhaul last year. We'd begin the
single-day ride in Sedona, Arizona, and,
if
all went
well, we'd
end up at
the edge of the more remete west
rim (rather
than
the
easy-lo-get-to,
tourist-infested south .im) of the Grand Canyon
-
but nor before a
lengthy
side
trip down and into
the
heart ofthe canyon, where triple-digit
temperatures
and
rumors of rocky
and
wet terrain
just
before reachinS
the
lip
of the Colorado River had us a bit on edge,
Plus,
about half of the
ride would be on well-mainEined dirt roads, we were told, but even the
best-groomed
off-pavement
Toutes have a way of
jumping
up and biting
you
when
you least
expect it, and I'm sayrng that from
pievious
experi-
ence.
Nothing
on this ride would be taken
for granted, I
thought, espe-
cially on a
$17,000
motorcycle. So crashinS would not be an option, even
if the new Adventure does come with more
protection
for the fuel tank,
engine and valve covers than did the
previous
R-GSs.
Part of our concern (or at least mine)
was
the fact that we would be
riding
such big
(and
tall) motorcycles
-
on the dift. Yes, I know, the GS is
I
I
I
-;
.),,
I
|,
#y:.
r;\.
i-
I I
34 JUNE zr,2006 cYcLE NEWS
4r5
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