Last week, enduro rider Matt Spears posted a video taking his newly-prepared Suzuki Hayabusa up the infamous Hell's Gate run in Moab, Utah.
For those just catching up with the story, before that attempt, he and his buddies did some key prep work to get the 'Busa ready for off-road riding. While their work included knobby tires, a skid plate, and a crash cage, it did not include addressing ground clearance issues. So, other than any incremental shifts that may have occurred thanks to the tire change, the ground clearance is probably at or very close to stock.
That added an extra element of difficulty, but in the end, what happened in the last video is that the 'Busa got stranded overnight. One fall broke off the left handlebar, but the bigger issue is that the bike didn't want to even start after that particular hard landing. So, Spears and his buddies made the decision to leave it overnight, then come back the next day with tools and a plan so they could attempt to rescue it.
This rescue video is from the next day, when Spears discovered that all the 'Busa needed to run was apparently just a little nap. (Me too, 'Busa, me too.) That still didn't solve the problem of the broken left handlebar, but you know what did? Bringing a buddy along who literally strapped the sucker back into place. Is it supremely sketchy? Probably, but it's still usually better to have two handlebars than just one, so Spears decided to see if he could get it up Hell's Gate anyway. Yes, even with a broken, barely-holding-on handlebar situation.
A crowd gathered to watch the activities, but one cool thing about that is that there were plenty of people around to help when the bike ended up on its side. It was a multi-stage effort, but in the end, the chonky Hayabusa that could made its way up and out. More amazingly, it did so under its own power.
The Triumphant Return of Piggy, The Honda Gold Wing
Do you remember Piggy? Maybe you don't know its name, but videos with Spears off-roading a Gold Wing (some with an enduro bike strapped to the back and some not) have been circulating around the Internet for months (as of December 2023).
If you were looking for the perfect holiday present, it just might be this video, because the Gold Wing is back. In the big crash that kept it sidelined for the past month, it lost a bunch of its front bodywork. But, as Spears points out, that's just weight reduction.
Although it's heavier than the Hayabusa, how the 'Wing carries its weight matters. As you'll see in the back half of this video, Spears takes the 'Wing on some tracks through Moab, where he has to figure out some different lines to take due to the width of the 'Wing. It's considerably wider than a skinny dirt bike, so there are some lines already marked for much narrower bikes that just won't work for a Gold Wing.
Colby, the 85-year-old Moab dirt bike expert, is back again to lead the way, and you love to see it. Getting the 'Wing through might be a bit of a different challenge, but half the fun (at least) is doing things that most people think can't be done, right?
Just 'Winging It: