Tunnel Vision
The road through the Canyon del Pato ('Duck' Canyon) is legendary, consisting of 54 single-track tunnels through the mountainside. Since we last rode it, the surface has been covered in Tarmac, which we assumed would be an improvement. However, it hasn't been maintained and it's riddled with potholes.
Dodging these, while avoiding the cliff face on one side and a precipitous drop on the other, requires maximum concentration. On a positive note, we didn't get any punctures! Riding through the tunnels is amazing. They are pitch black, with only room for traffic in one direction.
Put your lights on high beam, get on the horn and go for it! Some of our group met vehicles coming in the opposite direction, causing gridlock. The locals tend to argue, rather than try to find a solution, so our guys acted as referee and then played a giant game of Tetra, trying to get cars, buses and trucks into a position where they could squeeze past each other. It was actually quite good fun.
After all that excitement, we treated ourselves to a day off and visited Machu Picchu, the lost citadel of the Incas. This involved catching a train, followed by a bus, and then a hike, but it's well worth the effort, because it's one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
And where else would you get photobombed by feral llamas? Back in the saddle, we headed for Lake Titicaca, on the border with Bolivia. It's both the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest lake in South America. It's also home to the floating villages, built on reed islands by the Uros people, who had originally been seeking refuge from the Incas.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2024-Ausgabe von Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
