Killer Tacos
KILLER TACOS
KLR650 ADVENTURE TIME
Bradley Adams
ESCAPING TO MEXICO FOR GOOD FOOD AND BETTER MEMORIES, ON A BUDGET
Up until this point I’ve lived a calculated and mostly sheltered life. I’ve stayed well within my comfort zone, vigorously avoided life-changing opportunities, and come in when the streetlights went on, so to speak. Kawasaki’s KLR650 and a fast-approaching Mexican border are about to change that.
FOR THREE DAYS IN BAJA I CONSUMED TACOS AND DUST, IN EQUAL QUANTITIES.
I realize I’m not all that far from home, not to mention heading to a place where I can get away with speaking English and using American dollars to obtain the same food I eat almost on a daily basistacos or pretty much anything stuffed with al pastor. But while I’m not largely removed from my comfort zone, I’m far enough away to feel out of my element. Home’s creature comforts grow smaller with each subsequent glimpse back at the fence separating Mexico from the US, and with every mile marker that I pass, I begin to feel more and more like I’m officially breaking free of the selfbuilt bubble I’ve been living in. I’m starting to understand this whole adventure thing. It’s intimidating. And yet I want to go farther.
Kawasaki’s modest yet seemingly bulletproof KLR650 doesn’t promise to take me to Earth’s end, but the littlesingle-that-could does suggest it’ll get me as far south as I’d like to go in the three days I’ve set aside for the trip—and on everything from dirt roads to sand to pavement. At $6,599 ($6,899 with camo graphics), it also promises to do so without breaking the bank.
THE KLR650 IS ARGUABLY MORE STREETBIKE THAN DIRT BIKE BUT WILL HAPPILY TAKE YOU OFF THE BEATEN PATH, WHICH IS KEY TO ANY GOOD ADVENTURE.
GOOD VIEWS AND GREAT ROADS WERE WELL WORTH THE TRIP SOUTH OF THE BORDER.
Mexico, with its nominally priced food and gas, promises much the same.
As I ride farther down the coast of Baja California, cutting through touristy towns like Rosarito and Ensenada and then smaller, more isolated ones, I realize there’s even more to Mexico than what I came for. Each subsequent town offers a growing sense of hospitality I had never expected when planning this trip. As I ride down the road, people wave. When I stop for gas, people come up and say hello. And as I do my best to speak their language but butcher it, people don’t in the slightest bit seem to hold it against me. They’re genuinely good, nonjudgmental folk. And unbeknownst to them, they’re slowly but surely making me feel more at ease as I eke farther down the coast and away from my comfort zone.
The 2016 KLR650 carrying me south is about as stock as they come, save for Kawasaki saddlebags ($179.95) and a soft top case ($134.95) loaded with tools and clean underwear—all you need for three days in Baja, I was told. Introduced in 1987 and overhauled in 2008, the bike is something of a relic when compared to a modern dual-sport or true adventuretouring bike. And yet it chugs along, the 6.1-gallon gas tank and its downright impressive fuel mileage enabling me to cover more than 200 miles of Mexican soil at a time. Its seat is plush, vibration is minimal, and the overall ergos comfortable for highway riding. Like the parts of Baja I’ve seen so far, it’s more than meets the eye.
What I like most about the KLR, though, is that it feels almost as if you can’t break it or at least like it won’t leave you stranded. I ride deeper into Baja California, down through San Telmo, and then east toward Sierra San Pedro Mártir National Park and Rancho Meling (located just west of the park), all without hiccup. Arriving just before sunset, I settle in for my first night in Baja, in the company of a few other motorcyclists who've made the trek down from Northern California. Day one is a success and cause to celebrate with a glass of tequila along with our photographer, Jeff Allen. I guess some creature comforts were just too good to leave back at home...
While the first day consisted primarily of street miles logged in the scenic Baja wine country, day two would be a dirtier affair as I ventured toward the coast, through Colonet, and onto a section of dirt road used for the Baja 1000. The KLR fought me hard but managed most of this riding with style.
It is not a dirt bike though, and it was more than happy to remind me of that at each whoop section I came across, its back end passing the front every time I got it wrong in a set of rolling whoops—which was most of the time. Since the KLR was designed with street riding in mind, the bike’s footpegs and handlebar aren’t in a position that allow you to comfortably stand up and navigate rough sections of dirt road, and I was quickly wanting the pegs to be positioned at least a little lower and farther back.
SAME TASTE, DIFFERENT FLAVOR
We might have taken the long way around Baja California in our search for killer tacos, but we also understand that dirt roads and hip-height whoops aren’t for everyone. Thankfully, Kawasaki’s Versys 650 LT offers the same long-range comfort, admirable performance, and low entry cost.
At $8,899, it’ll save you money for all the street tacos you could manage to eat while still being a decent mount for anything from commuting to canyon carving to highway riding, with stableyet nimble handling and admirable suspension action.
Standard, 28-liter hard saddlebags absorb a full-face helmet and a change of clothes, and while the transmission is not the smoothest, engine performance is more than adequate for covering serious ground. It’s not the liveliest motorcycle, but it does get you from point A to a far-away point B without breaking the bank.
And that’s good because sometimes your money is better spent at your destination than on just getting there. Even if only on food...
I got it really wrong once and ended up pointing the bike straight toward a bush, the tail end having swapped from one side to the next at least two or three times before the bike came to a surprisingly gentle stop in the trailside shrubbery. If there were a few hundred (or thousand) dollars worth of suspension upgrades made to the bike, would I have escaped Baja’s whoops unscathed? Maybe, but I’m not sure that any amount of money turns the KLR into a true offroad machine.
And that’s okay because I’m slowly realizing that’s not what the KLR650 is intended to be. It’s a multipurpose tool meant for pushing boundaries, at a modest pace. Time and time again it’s been able to do that, too, taking me from one vista to the next and then onto a beach where I’d have the chance to ride a motorcycle on the sand for the first time in my life. Breaking out of your comfort zone is fun!
The more I relax, the more fun I have. I start to take a few extra minutes at each additional stop to soak in the views, sit down at the lunch table for just a bit longer, enjoy an extra taco or two, and forget all about those things back home that had tied me down for so long. The slower the pace, the more I enjoy myself.
There’s more to explore, of course: deeper whoops to push through (on both wheels, hopefully) and more taco stands to delve into. If I’ve learned anything on this trip, it’s that you don’t have to spend a ton of money, set aside a ton of time, or traverse the world over to break out of your comfort zone and have some fun on a motorcycle.
If it’s not Mexico and tacos, maybe it’s Canada and French fries (poutine?), Alaska and crab legs, or a neighboring state and whatever food the locals have to offer. Whatever the opportunity may be, if you have the chance, jump on it and don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you grounded. You’ll be rewarded with more than you could imagine— and hopefully some killer food along the way!
