One of the things that makes Hell For Leather unique is that our content doesn’t just appeal to a bunch of dyed-in-the-Cordura motorcyclists, but rather to the world at large too. Need proof that that remains true even under our subscription model? The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation just did a radio interview with me about Expedition: Labrador. Now, they’re hoping more riders will visit. We make motorcycles look good. :continue:
Just 1,000 miles from New York City, Labrador is one of the most sparsely populated places in North America. It’s crossed by a single road — the Trans-Labrador Highway — which is covered in dirt and gravel with pavement only making the occasional appearance in and around the few towns. Riding through Quebec on the way there or back, it’s possible to string together around 900 miles of continuous dirt. You’ve seen all our feature content on our ride there, now here’s how to do it yourself.
Also included is a 47-image gallery of Grant’s b-roll from the trip.
Believe it or not, Wes and I don’t dress like twinkies on motorcycle trips. I decided against go-go boots and David Lee Roth high kicks and wore an unfathomably expensive Rukka suit and Alpinestars touring boots instead. I also ditched the fancy MX helmet for a cheapo full-face. After 3,500 + miles, which approach worked better? :continue:
Half way through our 3,500-mile+ ride through Labrador, Wes crashed the BMW F800GS heavily, sending it cartwheeling down the gravel road at highway speeds. Hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital, much less a BMW dealer, how did the bike fair? Click below for the feature:
You saw the adventure touring checklist we put together while we were prepping for the trip. It was long, many people laughed. We used just about everything on that list. Here’s how some of our favorite items performed on the trip to Labrador. :continue:
Kriega makes some of the most cleverly designed and high quality motorcycle luggage and accessories on the market. For the Labrador trip, we equipped both bikes with front haul loops and I made up for the F800GS’s lack of a top box with a US-30 tail pack. How’d they work? :continue:
Everyone told me that wearing this level of safety gear on an adventure touring trip was overkill and it was kind of a pain in the ass. But when it was 45 degrees and raining, I was warm and dry; when it was 95 degrees and we were stuck in a traffic jam, I didn’t sweat to death; when I head butted the road at 50 or 60mph, I walked a way a bit woozy and unable to remember what happened, but not even the least bit sore. Here’s a detailed look at the gear I wore to Labrador. :continue:
104,000 square miles, 26,000 people, one gravel road. That should be enough, but being accessible from the East Coast — just 1,000 miles from Brooklyn — makes Labrador’s call almost impossible to refuse. At least it was for Wes and I. Equipped with a BMW R1200GS, F800GS and some loose idea which way north was, we went there. Here’s the story of that journey.
While we’ve got a bunch of feature content from our trip to Labrador on a BMW F800GS and BMW R1200GS cooking, we figure’d you’d like to see some of our best iPhone photos and videos from the trip. This is material we (mostly I since Grant had to take nice pictures with his Leica and Rollei) shot along the way, representing an off-the-cuff look at our trip. Photos above, videos below, including my best David Lee Roth impression and Man Skills 101. :continue:
Over the next two weeks, Grant and I will be riding a BMW R1200GS and BMW F800GS through Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec. A lot of that time is going to be spent in remote areas without the slightest chance of web access, but we’ll be updating you with images, stories and videos via Twitter where possible. This story will remain at the top of the site throughout the duration of the trip, but our contributing editor Ivar Kvadsheim will be providing you with new content through this period, just scroll down to find it.
As you can imagine, we’re going to get really sick of each other after about the first day, so please chime in with questions, suggestions or just make fun of us. The easiest way to do that is through Twitter, but don’t worry Luddites, we’ll be checking comments too. Let us know the kind of stories you want to see.
Update: we’ve emerged from the wilderness. Back to your regularly scheduled programming shortly.
