From the Ocean to the Desert on a Yamaha TW200

You can be as ready for an adventure as possible—but something is holding you back. Sometimes it’s simply the fear of the unknown that keeps us home in our supposed comfort zones…

There’s a book that helped me out of that zone, The Complete Walker IV by Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins. It can be read in two ways: as a regular book, or as a resource guide. For this trip, it was the guide for a three-day weekend reserved for moto-camping completely from the bike. The bike… I’ve had all kinds, so this is not my first, but it is the one I’ve been having so much fun with, a 2016 Yamaha TW200. Yes, it’s small compared to what most consider an “adventure bike,” but it has made me love riding motorcycles all over again. How? It presents challenges, benefits, and comforts in very different ways, from the distinctive, stubby fat tires to the low seat height that makes it perfect for a wide range of riders. I’ve been riding for 48+ years and the TW200 makes for a seriously enjoyable experience.

From the distinctive, stubby fat tires to the low seat height, the TW200 makes for a seriously enjoyable experience.

The Yamaha was outfitted with two racks to haul my camping gear. The rear rack is made by Cycle Racks and holds a tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bag, extra water, and a saw/machete. The front rack is made by Man Racks and carries my moto tools and Helinox Multicam camp chair. I added a toilet trowel, a small Gerber hand saw and a Morakniv carbon steel knife. Also on the bike were a spare clutch lever zip-tied to the frame, a North Face wide brim bush hat stuffed between the handlebars and dash, a Ram Mount X-Grip to carry a phone for navigation, and a London Bridge Tactical 3-Day Assault 30L pack.

For this trip, the rugged London Bridge carried:

• Canon 7D DSLR camera (when it’s not around my neck on an EchoNiner strap)
• Two lenses
• Spare batteries for the camera
• A Braven BRV-Bank Battery Pack
• Three+ days’ of Mountain House freeze-dried food
• A three-liter water pack
• An old JetBoil PCS stove
• A large Ziplock bag or assorted nuts
• Nutrition bars
• First aid kit
• 5.11 Tactical Packable Operator Jacket
• 5.11 Tactical TMT A1 flashlight
• A dry bag with Mountain Khakis wool shirt
• Thermal long johns, thick sleep socks, and beanie
• Toothbrush, deodorant and TP
• Hammer Nutrition vitamins
• Motul Chain Paste
• Latex gloves
• Assorted power cables
• A 22 oz. MSR fuel bottle (spare gas for bike).

I also chose the REI Passage 2 tent, as I wanted a larger, more comfortable cabin space for all the gear. A good sleeping bag may be more important than a good tent, and mine is an old REI Downtime +15F goose down model. Goose down packs smaller than synthetic, but the flip-side is you have to be careful and not get it wet. A good night’s sleep is all about layering. I often use a thick pair of socks for those extra chilly nights. Also, the long-john thermals are worn both inside my moto pants when needed and in the sleeping bag for extra warmth, same for a wool top. The first night was 39? but it was warmer the second night, farther into Anza Borrego. Again, it’s all about layering.

Like most (all?) trips, this one was not really about the destination but more about the ride. I chose Anza Borrego over Johnson Valley, as the former is in the lower desert, which is a scratch warmer than the latter, which is in the high desert. Visiting Anza Borrego on the tiny Yamaha TW200 comes with challenges, as gas stations are sparse considering this is California’s largest state park at 600,000 acres with 500+ miles of dirt roads. Challenge accepted!

Anza-Borrego is massively intimidating the first few trips, and gas stations are sparse, thus navigation is paramount. The RAM Mount X-Grip phone holder has proven reliable for such tasks.

Getting to Anza Borrego from Costa Mesa, California, is about a 3.5-hour ride at 144 miles. The TW200 is “freeway capable” but it’s not exactly fun, as you feel small and are the smallest “fish in the sea of iron sharks.” Besides, the freeway is the most boring way, whereas side and back roads are far more interesting.

Riding a 196cc motorcycle presented new challenges to my many years of motorcycling; everything is different. From thinking about route plans to dealing with the limited suspension loaded with gear, it’s been an entirely new experience.

Diablo Drop Off—yes you drive down it. But It’s intimidating! Many come to its edge for the scenic view and then turn around. I’ve gone down it on the moto, but have driven up only in a 4X4 as it is very sandy.

For me, it’s not about going fast, but rather about slowing down, finding the back way or the most dirt way possible, in an effort to make the most mundane an adventure. To see the landscape as it is and take it all in. If the destination is the end goal, then the time spent there better be twice the time it takes to arrive. But if you rearrange your thinking, the whole trip is the goal, end to end.

Also, I’ve discovered that there’s no such thing as “lost,” only being temporarily displaced. Just BE PREPARED and RELAX! If you don’t have a good sense of direction, learn orienteering, own it and test your skills regularly.

P.S. When night falls, you’ll see why Anza-Borrego has been designated an International Dark Sky Park.

Camping under the stars in the open desert, it’s our connection to the early settlers and Native Americans.

Rodney Wills’ father first put him on a Yamaha JT1 at age 5, and soon after, the family started racing flat track in Talladega, Alabama. Growing up in the woods provided a natural playground for riding, which helped accelerate his development as a motorcyclist. Rodney quickly grew into a Yamaha DT175, but not before his dad could mount a speedway seat on the bike so little Wills could touch the ground. Street bikes came next, as a means to commute to school, which he took with him after eventually moving to California. With a Yamaha RZ350 still parked in his garage, Rodney later found his way back to dirt and the desert. Now he is happy taking the slow “adventurist’s way” to anywhere on his Yamaha TW200. A new chapter and machine which he thinks makes riding fun all over again—having to rethink skills, strategies and a new terrain which comes with all its own challenges…

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