Speaking of being up on the pegs, BMW does make this a bit easier than most bikes. The pegs, hand guards, controls and narrowness of the bike body all contribute to making it real easy to be up and move the bike around. The Adventure even comes with a second brake pedal that flips down on top of the standard one so that your foot can work the rear brake easily when standing.

The only part of my ride that took the grin off my face was getting the last photo down by the river. I stopped on the asphalt path and positioned the bike. I put my right foot down so that I could put the side stand down. Since my legs are a bit short for the bike, I was on tip-toe and I hit some sand. Just like in a comedy show, my foot went out and down I went. Zero speed and I dump the bike!

The bike body contribute to making it real easy to be up and move the bike around.

Now for the really dumb part. Everyone who has dumped a bike will tell you that there is a right way to pick it up. The only part I did right was to put the side stand down before getting the bike back up. As a consequence, I damaged quite a few muscles in my left arm and it took about half an hour before I could get my arm to work well enough to ride again. Total recovery time took about three weeks before my arm would work properly and I was able to do more than have it hang at my side.

Remember, riding smart means in all situations not just on the road or down a trail!




Photo Credit : Charles Renny