DEEP TROUBLE: Riding Loaded in Big Bend – What Went Wrong
Adventure Rider Radio – Motorcycle Podcast
Adventure Rider Radio | Adventure Motorcycling
4.9 • 960 Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2026
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Clif Holland shares a father-and-son motorcycle adventure that took an unexpected turn shortly after arriving at Big Bend National Park. After a 700-mile ride to reach the start of their backcountry route, the decision to explore before staging their gear set the tone for what followed. Riding a heavily loaded BMW R1200GS on remote backroads, Clif quickly found himself facing the challenges of sand, weight distribution, and the limited margin for error on big adventure bikes, which led to DEEP TROUBLE. We talk about backcountry riding and the importance of preparation, training, and testing your setup before tackling routes like the BDR.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today we have another of our Deep Trouble series. Deep Trouble is an exclusive series found only here on Adventure Rider Radio. |
| 0:07.0 | It's stories from riders that have experienced catastrophes being lost, injuries, breakdowns, or other issues that have led them into deep trouble. |
| 0:15.0 | And of course no one wants to run into trouble, but if there was no threat to dodge, no line in the sand to skirt, no precipitous edge |
| 0:22.6 | to approach, there would of course be no adventure. And because adventure lives in that gray |
| 0:28.5 | zone between safety and danger, it's all about riding the gray zone, your gray zone, whatever that is. |
| 0:34.4 | And our Deep Trouble series is about helping you ride the gray zone without having to cross into danger. |
| 0:39.8 | We do that by hearing stories from those who've fallen into trouble, |
| 0:43.2 | struggled, and returned with lessons for all of us on how to avoid it, |
| 0:47.1 | or maybe how to deal with it should you find yourself in deep trouble. |
| 0:51.6 | On this episode, a well-planned, well-equipped father-and-son ride ends before it |
| 0:57.3 | really gets going. I'm Jim Martin. This is Adventure Rider Radio. Stay with us. We got a good one for you. |
| 1:07.3 | I'm Ted Simon. Jocelyn Snow. Most in Vince. Helge Piedos. Grant Johnson, Sam Manicham, Charlie Borman, Simon Pagy, |
| 1:12.9 | Robert Schwartz, Von Aleece Schoolmarker, Jimmy Lewis, |
| 1:15.1 | Lundon Puske, Tiffany Coates, Chris Birch, Simon Thomas, Lisa Jarvis, |
| 1:18.6 | Jim Jarvis, Clinton Smout, and you're listening to Adventure Rider Radio. |
| 1:27.3 | Experience riders choose the cycle pump tire inflator made by Best Rest products for one reason, |
| 1:32.3 | because they can count on it when they pull that out of their pannier no matter what. |
| 1:35.7 | They're so tough, they're warrantied for life. |
| 1:37.9 | Best Rest has loads of other motor specific products like the Hex wrench, which is a combination |
| 1:41.9 | tire iron slash wrench, and they're known for their |
| 1:44.5 | top quality tire plugs and patch kits. More at cyclepump.com. |
| 1:49.7 | And Green Chili Adventure Gear offers American-made heavy-duty luggage systems for all types of |
... |
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