Adventure Motorcycling

Happy Trails manufacturers panniers at our shop in Boise Idaho. We have five families of panniers and various Top Boxes. We also make custom aluminum panniers and boxes as well as some custom aluminum tanks. The five families of panniers are: Teton 15" H x 18" L - Width options: 7.5" 33 liters, 9" 39 liters and 10.5" 45 liters Cascade 18"H x 18"L x 7.5" width and 38.5 liters. Denali: 20"H x 18"L x 7.5" width and 47 liters Imnaha 12"H x 15"L x 5" width and 13.8 liters Owyhee: 21.5-31.5L - 14" H x 16" L - Width options: 6" 21.5 liters, 7.5" 27 liters and 9" 31.5 liters Note: A 3/4" lip makes the opening on all boxes 1-1/2" smaller than box measurement. This lip provides a watertight seal and the strongest in the industry pannier. All of the Happy Trails Panniers have a Canyon Cut on them. See description below. The Teton Panniers have two other options, Clif Cut and Exhaust Cut. The Clif-cut (shown below) is a term describing a 1.5" - 45 degree cut-out on the inside (tire side) of the pannier. It is designed for bikes with wide protruding exhaust  to create a more symmetrical weight distribution when panniers are mounted and loaded. For bikes with asymmetrical racks it keeps the load on the exhaust side box as close as possible to the center of the bike. This also allows for a wider lid opening.  For bikes with symmetrical racks the Clif Cut option can also be used on both sides. The Exhaust Cut  is a term describing a 1.5" - 90 degree cut-out on the inside (tire side) of the pannier. This option is used on BMW Oilheads. Continue reading →

Travesilla: trav-a see-a. A very old vaquero (va-qa-ro) meaning to take a different or some other route. A Tale of two Motorcyclist driven by passion and fueled by a spirit of humanity using tools such as motorcycles to accomplish a calling. You can call it an adventure. Adventure defined by Dictionary.com Noun an exciting or very unusual experience. participation in...

  I recently received an email from Dr Gregory Frazier. The Doctor and I had been corresponding about a trip he was planning through the Northwest on his 09 KLR Project Bike. One the stops on the trip was the Rally in the Gorge in Hood River Oregon. Well the Doctor had a need,“I put a new chain and sprockets on...

This is a 126 mile loop starting and ending at Lewis & Clark Resort near Kamiah. The Elk City Wagon Road is picked up at Clear Creek and is followed to Elk City with the exception of two detours to Corral Hill Lookout and Pilot Knob Lookout. Continue reading →

When we are on Dual Sport ride or Adventure ride we have the opportunity to meet many people. There is something about meeting someone that has something to offer to you. In motorcycling we are always looking for a great ride that meets our needs and when someone takes you on  a ride that keeps a constant smile on your face you know you have a winner. One day I had the pleasure to meet Tom. Continue reading →

Heart of Idaho Adventure Motorcycle Ride September 8-11 2016 Hopefully you have made reservations at Challis Hot Springs and you have your Adventure Motorcycle or your Dual Sport ready go.  The first stop you want to make in the Challis area is the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park information located near the intersection of Highways 93 & 75. Visit the museum and visitor center, for guided and self-guided tours of Yankee Fork dredge, Sunbeam Dam, Challis Bison Kill Site, travel the Custer Motorway Adventure road and explore ghost towns of Custer. They have plenty of printed of material about the area. Continue reading →

This 'Adventure Motorcycle Ride' is in the area of what is called the Boise Front and the Boise Back. The Boise Front consists of the foothills and the mountains that are on the edge of Boise. Rocky Canyon Road starts in the City limits of Boise and is one of several routes to the Boise Ridge. The Boise Ridge has four main peaks; at the south end is Lucky Peak at 5904 feet, Boise Peak at 6490 feet, Doe Point at 7057 feet and Shafer Butte is on the north end at 7572. Doe Point and Shafer Butte are part of the Bogus Basin ski area. Continue reading →

Boise Front & Boise Back GPX - (NEW - 06-13-16) Continue reading →

This ride was 155 mile (my odometer showed 160.6) round trip from Boise, total time for the trip was 9:07 hours. This day trip would take us from the Boise Valley through the ‘Boise Basin” and Back. The Boise Basin is just over the ridge and consists of the Gold Rush mining communities making up Boise County.  The elevation ranges from 2750 feet in Boise to a high of 6050 feet at mile 44. You can see from the vertical profile in the chart below that the day consisted of a medley of valleys, basins and ridges. Continue reading →

This was a ride we did in 2010 from Boise to watch  Big Nasty Hill Climb.......Welcome to the Big Nasty Dual Sport Ride sponsored by Happy Trails products at www.happy-trail.com. This ride is for Dual Sport and Adventure Bikes only. On the ride you will encounter city streets, dirt roads, two track roads and paved roads. Please be advised that this is an enjoyable ride and not a race. You need to ride with caution and be expecting oncoming traffic at all times. Continue reading →