LET THE ROAD TAKE US

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONTI SMITH

FROM A ROAD TRIP…

When you need to be 700 miles away and both parties involved have an Indian Motorcycle in their garage, you’re not flying commercial. You’re flying that two-wheeled highway cruiser and getting in the wind.

After three good days on the salt of Bonneville, we had our last meal in Wendover and walked out of the Salt Flats Café to our bikes. Monti was on his beautiful red Chieftain Dark Horse, and I was riding my Sport Chief. Our mates Jack and Stacia had a couple more days in town, so we hugged and said our goodbyes, all knowing we’d see each other again before too long. Monti and I tightened our cinch straps and pointed our bikes east toward Salt Lake City. Monti had spent a lot of time in Utah growing up, so he was happy to play tour guide.

Riding out of Salt Lake City, the only really bad option is the most direct one. Take your time, soak it up, and try to get lost if you can. We were only on the interstate for twenty minutes before cutting east at Spanish Fork and moving south along Highway 89. Rolling hills of green, cliffs of orange and red rock, lakes, rivers, and ponds interspersed — twisty roads inspired spirited riding, but the scenery demanded time and attention.

The next morning we were on the road twenty minutes after waking up. All of a sudden! “Morgan, Jack and Stacia are up at Forest Ranch up the 395, wanna roll?”

“Oh dude, not next door but the weather only gets better if we head over here — and maybe we can do one night of camping on the way?”
We continued to chat through our Cardo and tried to find a reason not to go home. There’s always another stop or another place to stay — but there’s always the next trip, too. Take the trip if you have the opportunity. Take as many friends as you can. Make it longer and explore new places.

That’s really what our bikes are for.

When you reach Iceland – a land of Vikings, legends, ice and fire – as my friend Olivier says you have to be ready for visual overload! Everything’s a source of wonder; even with photos, details, and stories it’s hard to really do justice to the amazing variety of extraordinary landscapes we passed through.
If you make the journey, you’ll see the mountains around the eastern fjords plunging into the sea; ride alongside black sand beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see; cross broad deltas, work your way through huge moss-covered lava fields and flows, and pass the base of glaciers and their glacial lakes where blue icebergs float as if you were at the poles; you’ll travel roads winding through dry landscapes that look like they belong on the moon, amid deserts of rock and ash. Your bike will take you along the foot of looming mountains, barely slumbering volcanoes, and outlandishly coloured geothermal fields with smoke spiralling from below. You can stroll along the fault line between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. From the edge of the summit craters of some of the volcanoes, you can glimpse the turquoise lakes within – and be mesmerised by the roaring power of the country’s waterfalls.

You’ll undoubtedly be wearing your Gore-Tex gear, with padding and protection. Bring warm gloves and underwear – the average temperature is 13°. You get used to it very quickly, but sometimes it can get as low as 7° and be very damp. You need to be prepared for it to be raining throughout your stay. If you’re ready for something a little more challenging, take your tent – but watch out for the wind, which can be very strong at times. Bear in mind you’re in the middle of the North Atlantic, 300km from Greenland and at the edge of the Arctic Circle! On July 28 we boarded the ferry to return home and felt it was over far too soon. To make things last that bit longer we stopped off for three days on the Faroe Islands, where we enjoyed more fabulous views on our rides!
This archipelago is quite simply fantastic; you really have to see it for yourself. The 1800km trip back along the motorway from Hirtshals to Angers wasn’t exactly unforgettable, but it was all part of the experience! The extreme heat made it a long, tough ride, and we were sad that our wonderful road trip would soon be over. By August 4, we were back in our village – and it took some time for us to digest everything we’d seen and done!”

By Joe Dryden, professional stunt rider

Feeling the bike move as you lean into a turn, hearing the pegs scrape just a bit—for many of us,
it’s the best part of riding. And the more confident and experienced you get, the better it becomes. That’s why we asked Joe Dryden, a professional stunt rider (who, in his free time, rides an Indian Chieftain) for some tips. You may not ever be chased by Keanu Reeves like Dryden was in John Wick 2 (or have to fight Reeves while he’s on horseback and you’re on a motorcycle, like Dryden did in John Wick 3), but at least you’ll have even more fun the next time you find yourself on a twisty road this fall. 

Look where you want the bike to go, not where it is
“Focus on the farthest point through the corner that you can see. Look there and your bike will follow. And don’t be afraid to use the whole lane, especially as you link turns.” 

Keep your speed
“You never want to throttle into a corner, but you also don’t want to be totally off the throttle. Speed should be consistent. That means being aware of engine braking, too. If you’re hard off the gas at high rpms, the bike will engine brake and you won’t get a smooth entry into the turn.” 

Push your bars for turns
“You’ve got to understand counter steering, which is when you push the inside bar and pull on the outside bar. It makes cornering much easier, especially with big bikes. You don’t have to fight the bike. Instead, you can relax. A relaxed rider is a good rider.”

Get the right tires
“There is a reason some tires are more expensive than others. It makes an unbelievable difference. And make sure they’re at the correct pressure.”

Learn before you turn
“You have to practice. Don’t try to learn as you go. I recommend finding an open space, like a parking lot, where you can push your bike around and learn what it can do. Start a big-radius circle at five to ten miles an hour. Tighten up until you feel the floorboard touch and then back off of it. You need to know what that feels like.”

BONUS LESSON FROM A STUNT RIDER: WHAT TO DO IN A CRASH, FROM A MAN WHO CRASHES ON PURPOSE
Even the safest drivers can be in accidents. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re going down, Dryden’s biggest piece of advice is to let go of the bike. “People hold onto the bike for way too long,” he says. “Once you get close to making contact with the pavement, you need to let go. The pavement will do the work and pull you off. When I crash for a scene, my main priority is making sure I don’t get tangled up in the bike.”

Last November, a four-day ride was organized in the southern US for four remarkable female riders, taking them from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to El Paso on the Mexican border. The group consisted of stuntwoman Jolene Van Vugt, artist Darwin Longfellow, gallery owner Ash Rolshoven and actor Lee Dawn Hershey – each of them riding a Scout. They’d never met before they set off, but soon fell into easy companionship as their ride took them along Lake Abiquiu and across White Sands National Park. Follow their adventures in 5 video episodes on YouTube: Scouting America – Indian Motorcycle. You’ll also find pictures of the ride on our Instagram page (@IndianMotorcycle).

 Photographs by Scott Toepfer for Iron and Air Magazine