Off-road riding: the BMW r850gs and Honda CRF250l

My two bikes. My two companions I trust upon when I go off-road riding. Big versus small. Yellow versus red. No winners and no losers, just two completely different machines. My little and agile Honda CRF250l let’s me ride like a pro rider without being one. My old and sturdy BMW r850gs gives me the feeling that I’m the queen of the world, but may crush a leg along the way. Both bikes awaken a different part of me. A playful and fearless CRF-side and a strong and determined r850gs-side.

I’ve taken both bikes along trails in Belgium and the North of France. With the r850gs the day mostly ends with me dropping the bike and yet again breaking one of the indicators. Up and till now I have somehow managed to keep my CRF250l upright and standing (knock on wood). Two completely different bikes, but for now I am the one holding them back. They are both way more capable than I am. When the going gets harder I’ll try to put a foot down when riding the r850gs while I just give it a shot on the CRF250l. What’s the worst that can happen? Me toppling over and having to pick up the bike. With the CRF250l I can handle that! Picking up the r850gs off-road is a little more tricky. Especially as I have apparently already damaged my lower back. However, when mostly dusty gravel roads lie ahead I’ll without a doubt take the r850gs. Standing up on that back while riding towards the sunset gives me a feeling of satisfaction that is hard to beat in any other way.
Whatever bike I ride and whatever type of underground I am on, riding makes me feel alive. Living takes over every fiber of my being. My worries disappear, my senses awaken and a peace I seldom feel in daily life enters my soul. Here’s to riding! Here’s to doing what you love and feeling alive!