Riding the Aprilia Tuareg 660 on Utah's Infamous Kokopelli Trail (Sand, Rocks, and Ledges Galore)

[@BigDaveTALKS]

good stuff right there and I'm going back this year. My first ADV ride, July 2023, on my 1290 SA-R was the UTBDR and I very clearly remember riding Kokopelli Trail. It was awesome and not as challenging as I expected with a loaded up 1290. I do take the it on narrow single track trails though, so I'm used to some sketchy riding with very little room for error. Our trails are 50" wide.

[@jasonhansen5863]

I live in Moab and ride all the time. It never gets old.

[@advredbikes]

Thanks Ben for that awesome ride. What a great experience on that Aprilia. That scenery is so epic. I love it. Looking forward to your next video man.

[@Jhughes1029]

I traded my 23 KLR Adventure for a Tuareg a couple months ago and I couldn't be happier about it. I loved the Kawi but riding this bike is a whole different experience.

[@leayoung3014]

My partner and I ran the Onion trail on our two up 650 CanAm 4x4 several years ago and the beauty of that canyon stays with me always! Thanks for sharing 19:06

[@Frankstervic]

Really neat route! That Tuareg seem like a very competent bike!

[@DorkintheRoad]

It did nothing but impress me.

[@MotoCocoTV]

Yippee FINALLY the Tuareg...one of my favs

[@ruxtonnoble]

I rode the Kokopelli solo this year from Western Colorado to Moab on my FE501. Spent a night out near Top of the World. Going down Rose Garden Hill was brutal. Glad I was not going up it. I'm 55 and often ride by myself.

[@ken503]

Definitely adding this trail to the list of ones to ride!

[@ccwillia]

Did this ride solo on my T7 last year. 😬 That was an adventure! Dropped it on that switchback at 13:20, and had to wait for help to get it back upright. Some serious stuff there for a big bike.

[@americandirtrider7662]

Hell yeah, ive been waiting to hear how you liked the Tuareg. Looks like you were able to put it to a proper test.

[@bikealways]

The Tuareg was everything you mention. Riding it off road is a blast. The problem is that this bike is not reliable. After the rear bike sensor went bad, an engine leak, a quick shifter going bad in a year and a half, and the electronic gas guage going wonky, i finally traded it in for a 24 KTM 790 advenure. I hope i didn't make another mistake.

[@Hawaiishelldiver]

As an old man, 56, who rides solo I just want a TW200. Also I live on an island and really just cruise to the beach.

[@medic58]

Tw is the best just got mine this year.

[@DorkintheRoad]

nothing wrong with a tdubs

[@gzahnd]

You’re not old.

[@farrenmason8166]

Riding the streets around New Orleans, I'm used to getting thrown in the air off of my seat. Lol. Still not a good feeling, but it doesn't make nervous anymore. Lol

[@TimRHillard]

Living the dream man👍✊👍

[@medic58]

I road stuff like this last week. Way harder on a big bike. That’s why my 50 year old body rids a Tw 200. You guys are brave.

[@roysteves]

That XT250 one of your compatriots is on... that's my Platonic ideal of a small bike. If I didn't have so much pavement between me and the dirt, the KLR650S might have been an XT. 😅

[@philipmarr7325]

Ive ridden a couple days in Moab. Id love to go back and ride more. So many options from easy dirt road to super hard!

[@JimKonugres]

Was in Moab 1st week in October, did Onion Creek (my fave ride in Moab next to White Rim) Kokopelli kicked my butt on a WR, good for you on the bigger bikes

[@DeepSouthMoto]

Love your videos. I am really interested in getting started riding ADV motorcycles.

[@georgemorissette8856]

Onion Creek is super fun . Easy ride and super pretty. Great for photos and vids..

[@MeerkatADV]

Pretty much all of that is on the UTBDR. It's fantastic riding all around.

[@masbaoutdoors5353]

You mentioned your 4Runner a few times. On other videos and posts I have seen you use a trailer hitch motorcycle carrier. It would be interesting to hear more about how you carry and what bikes you can carry on your 4Runner. It is not motorcycle review but is part of the gear many of us need to use to ride.

[@Zt3v3]

Tuaregs are great for shorter guys. At 5'9" I'm usually tip toeing on most offroad bikes, not the Tuareg though. Rider triangle is great, easy to stand and reach the bars without hunching or having to ride in "attack". I mostly ride offroad so I prefer a 690 or a 500 , but if you want one bike to ride an honest 50/50, it's a great choice.

[@painsrides]

I can't wait to get back out to UT... Its my favorite place to ride on Earth.

[@alexmoreno8156]

I had a Tuareg. For the price, equipage, and value…it’s the best mid size (450-500lbs) adv bike on the market.

[@LilSausBaus]

I'm not sure if your aware but there is a forum in the adv rider site about how the front suspensions were assembled wrong and it crushes the shim stack inside the forks creating a much stiffer front then its supposed to be, i just had mine checked last week after 10k miles and they were crushed

[@lisakundrick]

Onion Creek is the coolest! I did it with four of my buddies on XRs and DRs many years ago, late May when the water was high. We would race each other to the next water crossing just to hose down anyone behind us. Utter silliness.

[@staudio]

Looked like an awesome ride.

[@brucemorrison3563]

Gotta love Utah!

[@elijahbrooks8589]

That’s a massive bike imo

[@gillesgenete9598]

Hi, very interesting track, makes me think of what I rode in Portugal on the TransEuroTrail (BDR like) with my 500excf. @DorkintheRoad wandering how you compare Tuareg660 and Ibex450 on this kind of trail ? I dare not riding my 890R on this kind of trail because of the weight, heavy to handle, heavy to lift up alone ( I'm 67 years old)

[@moscty]

Did that loop the opposite way on my R1200GSA...good times.

[@porkshank13]

From a performance standpoint (ignoring dealer network and reliability), do you prefer the Tuareg or the KTM 790?

[@JanNaVylete]

road this trail as a part of bdr utah, but the other direction and had the most fun on my bike (Yamaha XT600) in 9 months that i traveled throughout americas (40000miles)

[@ferkuzuel]

Great video 👍

[@4LowRocks]

That's Wile E. Coyote territory right there!

[@mototurkey5289]

I think I miss whoever the old editor was that did your WABDR stuff. The CABDR and other rides I’ve watched after a certain timeframe aren’t as good. I’m sure the filming work is similar so I can only guess it’s the editing.

[@danielbare8857]

Any comment on engine heat?

[@snowbetty76]

I have been eyeing this bike for touring with light off-road capability. Looks like you were mostly standing up but did you sit enough to speak to the seat comfort and overall ergonomics on highway?

[@adamc1839]

So will there be a Tuareg 660 in future dork's garage?

[@DorkintheRoad]

If I had room, potentially. Right now I do not. I liked it a lot.

[@untamedsmiles1338]

Awesome

[@MarkAlanHoran]

Which tires are you running on the Tuareg? Please!

[@RandomGRK]

How’s the engine heat?

[@Alex_556]

What a nice ride, Ben! Q: Does that 660 have enough engine braking on steep declines?

[@stevec3936]

It has 3 settings for engine braking... it's pretty good

[@silverado5325]

Where would YT be without big bikes and gravity?

[@jameswithers2256]

Special 1000th video soon Dork!

[@user-cv9my1jq2r]

That would be a nice ride with a 300 L. Or not. Idk. Looks very cool there bud. I was super hot for a 660 after I got my 411 but ended up getting the 300 l. Still searching for another bike. Maybe the 790. I still have my Harley touring bike for a long haul but someday I’ll have to prob just ride a adv bike. I’m waiting to see if your KTM fails. So far so good it seems.

[@NEINLIVES999]

Yard sale at 7:17! Ha! Def want to get out into that area and ride ADV. Speed is your friend when riding off-road. I see the same situations while riding mountain bikes; people fall over from going too slow.

[@CraigSmith568]

I would like to get an ADV bike, but I have no intention on ever going off-road. I just prefer the riding position on these bikes. Hard to find a lot of information on how they are riding on the highway. Aprilia dealership is 100 miles away which I don't care for and I still am not sold on the KTM long term reliability with the cam issue. Honda TransAlp looks good if they just come out with a color other than that awful matte finish.

[@olddirtbiker5088]

I've never even seen an Aprilia dealership. I would probably have to drive 500 miles for service on a bike like that.

[@flannelshirtdad]

Perfect trail for 250cc dual sport.

[@gzahnd]

Kokopelli is a two-day trail in a 4x4. Avoid Rose Garden Hill - you’ve been warned.

[@wanderlpnw]

Ut oh typo.

[@DorkintheRoad]

LOL I caught it, but thank you

[@wanderlpnw]

@DorkintheRoad so beautiful out there. I need to make it over there. Unfortunately can't do COBDR ever. I get terrible altitude sickness. I'm descended from marsh people.

[@smashy_smasherton]

I don’t know how you stand it. Such ugly views and boring landscape on terrible motorcycles. Poor guy😊

[@rvsmairspace6742]

Great video but it's about time you pronounced Tuareg correctly. "Toowareg"

[@thelonewolf666]

these are over rated bikes--- they only 10kg lighter than a 1000 vstrom