Ride On: Moto Raid II: The Adventure Continues: Motorcycling to South America 50 Years Later

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In 1963, two friends dropped out of college for one year, purchased a couple of BMW motorcycles, and embarked on an adventure from Portland, Oregon, to Pucon, Chile. This trip was one of the first recorded motorcycle trips to this part of the world.

The two friends, Keith Thye and Dave Yaden, approached 70 years of age, got to thinking about recreating the same trip basically 50 years later. They rounded up four other riders, and in 2013, set out from San Diego to Chile. This time, the trip was 100 days in a more accommodating style. This book compares many places, events, and feelings about the two trips 50 years apart.

“First in 1963 and 50 years later, Keith, you offered me a chance to ride with you on these crazy adventures to South America on a motorcycle. Crazy they were–crazy fun, crazy hard at times, and crazy memorable. How many people at age 70 get a chance to relive their wildest adventure from when they were 20?” – Dave Yaden

“If you ever considered a trip like this, do your homework, prep your bike, don’t overpack. ABSOLUTELY learn at least rudimentary Spanish and go DO IT now. It is the trip of a lifetime. There will be challenges along the way, but in the end, you will never regret it, and next year you will be just a year older.” – Michael Hansen

“Riding with close friends to a faraway places, driven by a wonderful sense of adventure and a positive attitude…the greatest ways to surmount any difficult challenges one may face while traveling on two wheels.” Jim Balz

“Riding with Keith, Dave, and the rest of the guys was a privilege and a huge pleasure. Experiencing new places, sights, and people through each other’s eyes made this a great ride.” Deby Harvey

“We missed the luxury ferry from LaPaz to Mazatlan. Fortunately, we managed to get passage on the overnight freighter, along with the garbage trucks, and would be bunking outside on the deck. When I saw Dave wearing his full riding suit, sleeping on one of the benches, I knew this would the ride of a lifetime for all of us.” – Donn Harvey

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