Happy Trails Blog

  Nothing is worse than getting stranded with a battery failure 20 miles from nowhere. Yet there are many reasons for possible battery failure. The battery might be weak to start with. Or maybe you find yourself in conditions you didn’t expect (like snow and 20° weather when you started out at 80°!) then the cold forces a failure. Dropping your bike can can mean a worn down battery as you try to clear a wet bike or get the bike started after flooding.   We love the ODYSSEY® battery for worry-free adventure touring, and we’ve fabricated a perfect Odyssey fit for both the KLR650A 87-07 and the KLR650E 08+. Continue reading →

Dateline: Virginia to Washington, D.C. By “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham Click on photos for larger images Versys parked on Dutchman’s Creek Road north of Lovettsville, Virginia Although I travel a lot, as a photojournalist covering national politics I also spend a lot of time in Washington. Sometimes weeks at a time bouncing from the White House, U.S. Capitol, State Department...

Pannier questions....Tim received extensive feedback from a customer who rode 5,200 miles of dirt roads across America with Happy-Trail panniers. For Tim it was a good experience answer pannier questions and a beneficial exchange. There were many things the customer liked about his panniers. He liked the finished look they gave his bike, found them surprisingly waterproof in the worst of downpours, easy to pack with excellent loading capacity, light ... and great to use as a table when he wanted to stand and eat along the side of the trail! Continue reading →

To all of our adventure oriented friends, The Dakar rally - eagerly awaited by the world; and especially by 20 anxious RawHyde Adventurers is nearly at hand.   Over the next two and a half weeks we'll be updating you all as much as we can from Argentina and Chile as we follow the worlds greatest motorsports event.  What "Mt. Everest" is to...

Check this out! It was 1950, a gentler time when suits and ties were the norm at an event like this. Not to mention amazing riding... how long did it take them to practice this! Click to watch   XX

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 →

Re: My trip from Elko Got about 1000 miles so far. I'm just south of Memphis were I will be visiting a friend tomorrow. Rode through an area hit by a tornado a couple of days ago. No houses destroyed but lots of trees down, roads and bridges washed out. Got around them all and had a little excitement crossing...

DATES ANNOUNCED – AUGUST 13-15, 2010 The BIG DOGS will be “Riding the Roof of North America” August 13-15, 2010, based in Ridgway, Colorado. Coveted Invitations for the 2010 BIG DOG ADVENTURE RIDE will be mailed to veteran DOGS in early June. If veteran DOGS have riding pals who are men of quality and want to get them on the...

Well, Dave and I are on the road… Hwy 395 south of Bishop along the Eastern Sierra Mountains. On our way the the Rawhyde Rally. Saturday I found the trailer with standing gas on the floor from a cut O Ring (on tank QD fastener) on the 1150 GSA. This is a common occurrence so in March/02 I’d bought spare...