I’ve been scolded repeatedly for the fact that I have failed to post since my British Columbia trip, and it isn’t like things haven’t happened since then, because boy, they have! I just got out of the habit of writing for a while, and for that I’m sorry. I’m going to try hard to do better going forward (yeah, I know, you’ve heard THAT before).

So, to kick things off, lets get you up to speed on what happened after the team trip in BC. After the other girls left, I stayed behind an extra couple of days and filmed a product shoot for REV’IT! with CampTrend which you can view here:

That was a really fun opportunity and I made a great new friend in my riding partner, Jodi Tracey. It was cold and rainy the whole day, but it turned out so good, and let’s be honest, the PNW looks incredible all moody anyways.

After the video shoot, I got to spend an extra day in BC getting from Pemberton, where I had stayed in an AirBNB with the film crew and where Jodi lives, down to Vancouver. Aaron was nice enough to drive up from Squamish with his Sprinter van to pick me and Matt’s 1090 up (which I had kept for the shoot) and he drove us both back down to Vancouver and dropped me at my hotel before heading on to work himself. Once there, I got to spend the rest of the day hanging out and exploring a small bit of Vancouver.

The following morning I headed for the airport bright and early, but I wasn’t flying back home. Instead, REV’IT! sent me to Las Vegas to attend the launch party for the new Hertz Ride Las Vegas location. I got to meet some new friends and get to know more about Hertz Ride, and I also convinced them to loan me a BMW F750GS for a few hours the next morning before my afternoon flight. We started the party at their office location, and then they shuttled all of us to the Skyfall Lounge at the Delano where we had a VIP section with free food and drinks for the evening.

In the morning I packed my things and took an Uber back over to the Hertz Ride location. I had shipped all of my gear except my helmet and gloves home from BC, but Hertz Ride is partnered with REV’IT! to rent their gear out with their motorcycles, so they loaned me a riding jacket, and although I usually do not ride without full gear on, I rode in my casual jeans and my Sorel fashion boots. I wasn’t going to pass up on an opportunity to take a solo ride in Las Vegas, so I broke the rule I usually do not break.

I rode from their office out to the Red Rock Canyon National Coservation Area. I knew it was going to offer the best views in the amount of time I had available, and it certainly did not disappoint. I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to be riding all by myself in such a beautiful place with hardly anyone else around on a Thursday morning. The temperature was perfect since it was still morning, and the smile on my face was huge!

I stopped quite a few times for pictures, but I knew that I was crunched for time, as I had one more spot that I just HAD to stop on my way to drop the bike off and head to the airport… In-N-Out!! They are only located out West, and I make it a point to swing by one anytime I’m in an area that has them. I’ll be honest though, I couldn’t remember this time why I make such a point of eating there, it didn’t seem so amazing, so I doubt I’ll go to the effort again in the future. 

From there I had just enough time to drop the bike, grab my stuff, and take an Uber to the airport to catch my flight. The morning had timed out perfectly, and I was so thankful to Hertz Ride for allowing me to use their bike and gear for a few hours.

Once I got back home, I just couldn’t stop thinking about that KTM 1090 Adventure R I had ridden in BC. That bike had left such a lasting impression on me, and I knew that it was time for me to move on from Tora. After 3 years and nearly 35k miles, it had come to the point that I needed a more off-road based motorcycle. I had planned to upgrade her to a Tiger 800 XCa model, which was the more off-road capable version where as Tora was the more road-based version of the Tiger 800. Curiosity got the better of me though, and I started looking to see what kind of deals were available on the 1090’s. 

I found a leftover 2018 model about an hour from home for $9,999 (they MSRP at $14,999), and I rode my Tiger up to their dealership to see about making a trade, but they refused to take my Tiger on trade because of how far they had the 1090 marked down. I had also found a 2019 model just like the one I rode in BC for $11,700 with all dealer fees waived, but it was located 7 hours away on the other side of Pittsburgh, PA. I called them and told them about my bike and that I was wanting to trade it in for their 1090, and by the time I got back home I had a trade-in offer. It was an acceptable offer, so we loaded Tora up in the back of the Tundra and set off for Pittsburgh. 

We stayed the night in a hotel about an hour from Pittsburgh and arrived at the dealership the next morning when they opened. Once everything was agreed upon and the paperwork was all done we loaded up my new bike and made the trek back home. I was so excited, but also felt slightly bad that I had just ditched the bike that I had loved so very much for the last 3 years.

Since then I’ve gotten it kitted out with AltRider protective parts, and I’ve bought some Mosko Moto Reckless 40L bags for it. Since we have the trailer and we don’t really ride cross-country anymore I don’t need the big, heavy hard cases, and the Reckless bags don’t require a rack to be installed, so it keeps the extra weight down and is better and safer for off-roading. I also got a Giant Loop Diablo Pro tank bag for it, which is just right for my needs and fits the tank shape well.

I’m going to wrap this post up here, but I have another post coming with details about our trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas in January, as well as another post documenting a quick trip I took to Tucson, Arizona compliments of Triumph North America last week, in which I will also give my thoughts on the new Tiger 900 Rally Pro, as well as the Street Triple RS and the Rocket 3 R. I’ll try to get both of those posts done and posted by the end of the week!