Now that was wet! Taking on the infamous Strata Florida in Wales on the Honda Africa Twin

[@johnny9895]

Absolutely stunning! This was no off road this was inriver biking! The longer the video lasted the more I stopped breathing while watching! You're a really tough AND charming lady !

[@HildyPops]

Watching this inspired me enough to want to give it a go despite being a newbie at motorcycling in general and a total novice at trail riding. I had an excellent day riding with an experienced fellow TRF member who is teaching me the pleasures of green laning in the UK. Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing such a great video. I can't wait to get back out on my bike again - just have to wait for my broken hand to heal first.

[@mancavemoto]

Enjoyed that, great video. I love that its warts and all and not a sugar coated edit of the trip. 👏

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe all the warts. Thanks dude 💪🏼

[@dasautogt]

Eventful adventure...... Bit of everything in that one, 2 wheels, 4 wheels, ups and 'downs'. Beautiful countryside. Great video work V & A 👍

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe thanks dude

[@torreyzimmerman6601]

Wow, very scenic countryside. Yes, we love where motorcycles can take us. Thanx for taking us on the ride with you and your crew.🍻

[@TheGirlOnABike]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching

[@stevehines8864]

Brilliant video. Enjoyed watching this. Well done V.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

yey thanks Steve

[@Dp3.16]

Great riding picked the africa twin up like a beast 💪 👍

[@michaelahr1]

You are awesome! An inspiration for Men and women everywhere and your riding is really improving and getting flat out good. Keep it the great work.

[@stuhughes4048]

Well done with that pick up.... Heavy bike. Rode it two days ago..... Gotta be done. Glad you enjoyed Wales.... Keep the Vlogs coming 🤘

[@LuisGGomezPhoto]

That was fun! Thanks for sharing.

[@pjordan12]

Hey Vanessa I've just watched your ride on the strata florida, I've just bought a 2020 africa twin after having my ktm 790 adventure stolen. I never knew this place existed until watching your vlog. I will definitely be doing this in the summer. So thank you and all the best for the future. ✊🏻😁 PJ

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Nice choice of bike, bummer about the KTM being stolen. Mega! Have an awesome time there!

[@rodneyhanbaum697]

This was a wet n bumpy trail! You guys did great. Oh and your lunch was epic ! Great Job, thank you for sharing!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Yey. Thanks for watching Rodney!

[@loup207]

Love your rides. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Yey thanks for watching, super glad to hear you enjoyed it

[@cliff1551]

Hi Vanessa x your very good at riding bikes x I'm impressed x keep it up x take care xx luv always Cliff x

[@enduromotorradtouren]

From the title I assumed that it was located in Florida. How wrong I was. Great to see some river crossings in Wales. On legal trails, amazing. Thanks for showing this remote region. And now enjoy some Welshcakes ;-) Günter from Nürnberg/Germany

[@msims1250]

Wow! Beautiful scenery and a couple of tough crossings that you guys handled well! And sheep! Lots of fun. Thanks 😎😎

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe thanks

[@terrystratford1235]

A great byroad! Did it years ago in a classic range rover. Went to the Abby in my jeep, but I didn't remember the start being so Rocky! So I turned back and just enjoyed Wales!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Oh mega. The abbey too. I’ve never actually stopped at it hehe maybe next time

[@terrystratford1235]

@@TheGirlOnABike to be fair, your not guna miss much! Devil's couldren is a sight! Do you wish u had a smaller/lighter bike? Or is it more a case of...I wouldn't swap it for anything? I'm a sports biker! Still Got, and would never sell, my 1987 gsxr1100h! Had her for 22 years! But now I wana join the green lane club. I do have abit of a week back! The Africa twin 1100 looks and sounds amazing! Honda reliability! All be it a pain to work on! Part of me thinks a lighter bike, but my heart will always over rule my head!!!!

[@rodneyhanbaum697]

I know I'm just now seeing this, however it was amazing! Great job by everyone!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw hehe thanks dude

[@julianlay4181]

Love your Enthusiasm!! Keep up the good work

[@TheGirlOnABike]

yey thanks for the encouragement

[@johnpagejr.7628]

Great ride! Thanks for sharing it. The fact that you can lift those big bike up is amazing. I suppose it wouldn't have been all that amazing to me when I was in my Twenties but at the ripe old age of 70 it is more than this old body can do. So that is why I am waiting for my CRF300 rally to get here in Washington state in the US. Much respect from the old guy in the US.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe thanks John. A CRF will be nice! Good shout. I've just picked up the 450 RX for rally!! Can't wait to ride it!!

[@johnpagejr.7628]

@@TheGirlOnABike you will probably have as much fun on it as I will on the 300.

[@andyvee1000]

17:18 onwards I thought you would end up at some lake ... ha ha ha ! ..... and 19:17 _ eating the sandwich all along the edges ?? that's a new for me! 21:23 the language is G graded ... ask an Ozzy. Great ride there, Vanessa and nicely concluded with the rabbit hops at the endings.

[@Droptineful]

Just found your channel. Great trip!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw thank you. And welcome 🙏

[@joetubenno]

Awesome video and amazing skills. I so wan’t to get the new Africa Twin. Looks like so much fun. Thanks!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe do it! They're such ace bikes

[@ogasi1798]

the last time (august 2023) i did the one at 9mins area it was seat height on my exc500 - yeah, that high - you got such a manageable level here :-)

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Haha wow. Yeah this is definitely a trial I would not think of in winter lol

[@andrewadams7628]

Kudos to you guys for taking the big bikes through, perhaps I’ll have to try it on my 1290 😀

[@PaulBartontreegazer]

Ace vid!! Looks like a lot of fun.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

thank you

[@benjigoprotrails3911]

Beautiful countryside and Lane !

[@TheGirlOnABike]

❤️❤️

[@GodspeedChris]

I’ve done it on a C90. With deeper water than that. It’s a good route for sure 👍

[@CrustyBiker]

Do you reckon a monkey would be able to do it with tiny wheels!?

[@disco41]

Well as usual an awesome vlog 👍 what a great days riding.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thanks Andy. I really love that trail!

[@36moto]

Great vid GOAB. It Brought back some fab memories of my enduro days. For years (my efforts 99-2004) the Strata was a timed section on the Welsh Two Day enduro. CLUBMAN had 17 minutes to get from start to finish.... I've done it on my 990 ktm several times too but a little slower... Good effort.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

What! that's so cool. I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing. 17 minutes must have been sporty

[@36moto]

@@TheGirlOnABike just google some of Frank Morgan’s, brilliant ( but basic ) videos .... and see the likes of Ady Smith flying along strata Florida.

[@bikevault2302]

good effort taking big bikes through there

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thanks dude. It was definitely sporty hehe

[@franks4103]

Love your vids Vanessa!!

[@martinfretwell]

Love it I did the strat a few years back I never seen so much water. All the landrovers wait by the deep river crossing and watch the bike drama . Hardest part was finding fuel on route for my ktm 300 there isn't many fuel stations.

[@TubbyTrialTeam]

Great vid. Welldone I’ve done this in some RallyMoto races in 2014. Deep water then had to cut some of it out of the rally

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Oh wow. Cool!

[@MrSimonmcc]

Greetings from a Welsh AT owner living in Canada. I've mountain biked the Monk's Trod and I can confirm it's very wet. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇨🇦

[@masonsruggedroads]

Superb vid…. Bloody awesome riding

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Yey thanks lovely. Mega busy you watching and taking the time to comment

[@ExeterCenturion]

Brilliant video! Hate how cameras flatten out everything so much!

[@ryanwithab6239]

Looks like a great ride! Beautiful scenery!

[@darrendoe4231]

Brilliant loved seeing that on ADV bikes, great video ✊🤘👍

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thanks 👍 The big beast bikes really are fun hehe, thanks for watching 💗

[@ricksteel6401]

Your vids are Awesome! I fallow you on Insta as well! Gotta say in this video, right in the beginning you got me when you passed that first vehicle on the left!!🤣 I’m the the USA 🇺🇸! Keep it up girl! You n your husband Rock!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

haha thanks Rick, thats made me smile. Big thanks for watching and taking the time to say hi

[@ryanmalone2681]

Nice riding. Those water crossings are giving me anxiety!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe it was intense

[@bikevault2302]

love you acknowledging the Landie

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe defo! Big landy fan here

[@tripleaaa8662]

Stunning ADV Riding and greetings from Skùli 😉 Vanessa, he said you improved a lot and so you did!!!! Compliment

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw hehe yey. Hi back!!

[@tripleaaa8662]

@@TheGirlOnABike just Made the LinkedIn inquiry 😉

[@desktopdiddies5530]

That was a cool ride along, nice one

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thanks 👍

[@AllThingsCloudie]

Awesome stuff!

[@jimweagant8920]

Looks like a great adventure and video

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thanks for watching! Yey

[@lordbrasic9469]

Impressive riding, you made that look easy. The Bomb Hole, yes it steeper than it looks in camera. You threw that AF about like it was a light weight 125.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe thanks dude, it was a fun day 💗

[@guud-weyneMedia]

You deserve to get my subscription because I love adv.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw yey. That's mega. Thanks for the sub and welcome! ❤️

[@charliem5332]

Nice vid showing what to expect

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Glad you enjoyed, thanks Charlie

[@guystevens162]

wow thats what u call green laneing. Love the Africa Twin.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe yeah so much fun!

[@guystevens162]

@@TheGirlOnABike wish could afford one. But love my VFR lol. X

[@stevenevans6314]

Just found your vlog absolutely loved it what a great day out it looked, ain't motorbikes just the best ❤ thanks Steve

[@pw3591]

Used to love doing that trail on an Enduro bike sometimes part of the Welsh 2 Day, but looks like a nightmare on an Africa Twin.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe it was a fun nightmare 😋

[@motobob]

Maddddd. I need to build up to this 😅

[@woongtv-naturehealing273]

Wow, it's a very surprising and touching motorcycle driving 💗🌾💙 video. Have a lucky day 🌿💞💘 👍👍👍🤙👌

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw thank you

[@zippysworld]

Nice to see more AT action specially in the UK (yes im biased) great to see you and mates pushing your comfort limits. AT + girl on a bike + Smooth bottom = good watch!

[@stephenpotts8170]

Full admiration to ya, it terrified me just watching....

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe thanks Stephen

[@gilesgreenaway5655]

You done so very well,those are big heavy bikes you are riding and that is quite gnarley in places. I rode the strata florida saturday just gone and i was thinking my beta xtrainer could have done with being a bit lighter!!! How you managed those big bikes i don,t know.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw thanks so much, it was challenging at times but mega fun! I hope you enjoyed your ride also!

[@martinwebber5792]

Great video Vanessa. We are looking at doing the Strata Florida and the Monk trail this May. But how do you get the 15%of on the Cardio head sets 😊

[@TheGirlOnABike]

oh sweet, you'll love it. For 15% off Cardo use both this link cardosystems.rfrl.co/5gxzq and use code “TGOAB“

[@martinwebber5792]

@@TheGirlOnABike Cheers dear ride safe have fun 🤩

[@christhompson1708]

Those bikes are not my cup of tea, prefer lightweight Enduro bikes, ride looks awesome, added to bucket list. Great vid keep em coming 🤙

[@kaylahodge312]

That looks so much fun!!

[@ianferrier235]

That was awesome 👍🏻👍🏻

[@waynegargan8468]

Awesome video. Warrior class.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe thanks Wayne

[@itsallabouttheridekeepingi4449]

What a fantastic UK trail being from Australia didn’t realise you had good 👍 trails like that , I assumed it was predominantly Green laneing . Always enjoy your vids mate 👍👍👍

[@TheGirlOnABike]

hehe it's actually surprising how much ace riding we have, it's not endless paradise but we have some little gems hehe Thanks for watching 💗

[@GillyBikes]

Really enjoyed watching that. 😎

[@TheGirlOnABike]

aw yey, that makes me smile, glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 💗

[@kevinwestwood6668]

Great stuff, Pol tarres did the red bull romaniacs, on a tenere 700, amazing what can be done on an adventure bike.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

He's a beast! It was so impressive watching him, I even manged to meet him hehe #fangirl

[@ccscleaningservices1072]

Whats the best gear to keep your feet dry, when you are in the deep water, Are you wear drystar gear

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Honest answer is accepting you'll have we boots. But!! I highly recommend seal skinz socks. I wear these and they are quite long up to my knee so just above my boot. The water will always go into the boots as it just goes over the top. Hubby has the drystar and would not recommend. Water goes over the top and then as they're are waterproof just stay flooded where as other boots drain. He also finds then sweaty. Much prefers normak boots. The water proof socks mean your skin is dry in a wet boot 👌

[@kbenham7683]

A refreshing scramble through the green countryside. On a beautiful summer day, the only thing better would be riding a Gold Star or maybe a Greeves.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

ooo we just so happen to have a Greeve 1977 Challenger, its a MONSTER lol

[@christinegreen7120]

Hi, I also own an AT like yours - lucky us!. Can you tell me how to make Apple car play recognise the head set without having to pair the unit every time the ignition is turned off. My phone is immediately recognised but for some reason not the head set (without going through the pairing process). Loved your trip by the way - thanks for sharing. Cheers Simon

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hey Simon, I'm ashamed to say I've actually never tried to use it. I'd totally forgotten it even has apple play if I'm honest. Thanks for the reminder, I guess as I have my quadlock mount and Cardo intercom I just have the nav from my phone to helmet. Sorry that's utterly unhelpful. Good luck!

[@jay26cee]

Very well done. Some dodgy looking water sections where there is no telling what is submerged.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Haha there sure were. Great fun

[@alvinplummer9308]

Fantastic you are a star

[@TheGirlOnABike]

😘

[@CrustyBiker]

Id love to be able to see that scenery etc, but now I've got rid of my 900 for a 125 Monkey, I don't think it would be up to it tbh, some of them river crossings look like they have no escape route, its just do or die basically lol.. Great video of what's involved though, thanks and that campsite you could see before you got there looked awesome! 👍

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Oh it was so beautiful! Hehe yea i think you are right about the river crossing part

[@CrustyBiker]

@@TheGirlOnABike ...although since posting my comment I have seen another video of two monkey bikes and a vespa doing the Strata Florida, one of the river crossings they carried the bikes through though and others were pushed through with engine off lol! :)

[@rockbiterhd]

You done well on the AT 👍🍺

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thanks 👍 it's such a fun bike!

[@Cross-Country-Biker]

What can't you do on an AT, using your clutch skills from dirt biking, stunning scenery 👌

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe thanks dude

[@gsrichy]

Amazing looks like fun

[@nedkelly4999]

Take my hat off to you guys. That looks knarley. Defo wannna do it. Need some crash bars first, dont wanna drop my bike without them. 👍🏻

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Yeah good idea! It would not be fun on those rocks without the protection hehe

[@ianbendall3116]

That’s awesome, you’re not the biggest of girls, but fair play you rocked that and that Honda isn’t a small bike either.

[@claretbuck1882]

Awesome guy's cheers 👍🏻

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Yey thanks for watching

[@mickpeters4457]

A mate and I did that trail in a minivan in the early 1970’s. Needless to say it was a very dry Summer. 😂😂

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Haha wowza amazing

[@stevepest3184]

Brilliant how longs strada track hours riding

[@TheGirlOnABike]

The actual stack is not that long to be honest, 7 Miles

[@HF_lol]

What was wrong with the Bars did they got bend? And if so how did you fix that? 😮

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Just went off line slightly with the drop. Got Ruckymonster to hold the front wheel in his knees and then I pulled the bars. Just a slight twist in the folks, which is easy to fix and no long term issue

[@HF_lol]

@@TheGirlOnABike lol now you making me paranoid about the bars on my AT I dropped it pretty hard while offroading recently wonder if I have any bent, but I guess I would have noticed. Thanks for the reply just found you recently and I'm loving the channel! Not sure why it took so long to be recommended with all the OffRoad videos I see.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

I would say you would know if they were twisted. It feels like your tracking off, like your bars are facing forwards but the wheel is going slightly off direction. It’s kind of obvious. If you bent your bars… That’s a slightly bigger fix. What I had here was just the folks twisted a touch. I'm happy you found me, thanks for the support 😘

[@182mcg1]

Hello i have accident last time coś abs fail me keep me straight direction.... Its extension my breaking way

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Oh no, hope you are ok now

[@ericstephenson3607]

What tyres were you running on the africa twin?

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Michelin Anakee wild 👌

[@Cameron2874]

Great riding. Did you end up getting the AT or was it just a demo bike? Would love to see more of your adventures on it if you kept it

[@TheGirlOnABike]

I had it for about 11 months on a long term loan and loved it. Ace beasts. I’ve recently fallen for the Tiger 900 and also love the Pan America. I’m not sure what to have in the garage for next year yet hehe

[@liveinwonder7221]

Wow. You rock!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

thanks for watching!

[@carlosespin5537]

Do you think the Strata could be done on a Himalayan?

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Yeah I'd say so. Make sure you go when water is lower as even big bikes wouldn't handle it wet wet (the rivers get deep). There might be a couple of bits you have to be careful on for ground clearance particularly of the engine guards. But yeah, I'd say totally doable. You'd have fun!

[@HildyPops]

Yes, it absolutely can be done on a Himalayan, I did it (well, my Himalayan did it, I needed a fair bit of help with some of the gnarlier sections) in March of this year. But as Vanessa says, make sure the water levels are as low as possible - it needs to have been dry in the area for at least 2 weeks or more. And if you have Givi engine guards then you shouldn't have too many problems. Ground clearance on the Himmies is generally quite low so expect to bottom out in a few places. But overall, it's an excellent ride and an absolutely stunning part of Wales :-)

[@ManBikeSwag]

Wow was that bridge a Roman ruin? God I'd love to ride in Europe! Australia has bugger all history.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

I'm not sure when it was built but it really was stunning!!

[@AudreyH48]

That's a perfect adv style ride! I used to own a KTM 1090 advr and that would have loved it there. They really are big dirt bikes haha. Looks a lot like Washington state in America to me.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

oh wow that's cool. Wales is a beautiful part of the world but I've not yet been to Washington

[@mickleblade]

going down there on bikes that heavy? I remember using an XR250 and wishing for a 2 stroke 125. I didn't remember 9 River crossings, it felt like was riding lengthwise down one!

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Haha your comment has really made me smile. Thanks dude. I can totally relate. I actually think we did ride down a river at one point in the video 🤣💦💦

[@keyboarddancers7751]

The Africa Twin is growing on me. It's obviously big enough to maintain autobahn speeds for hours on end in comfort yet with its effective seat placement design, it doesn't seem too intimidating when traversing rocks, sand, water or mud (as very ablely and effectively demonstrated by *The Girl On A Bike)* and all without spending oodles on suspension updates. When you look at the comparative prices of T7s and ATs on the new and definitely the secondhand market, there's a very good case to be made for delving just a bit deeper in your pocket for the Honda. It can obviously go off-road virtually anywhere that the T7 can go, so you might as well treat yourself to the AT's *additional* luxury highway cruising ability as well. I'm not sure all these same comparisons can be drawn with any of the other litre+ ADV mounts.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

I 100% agree. And thank you for the kind words about my riding too ❤️

[@mrakmal6978]

The most adventurous track with African twin so far

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe it was fun!!

[@markl8043]

Awesome ride!! How did the crf rally keep up with the big bikes? Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

[@TheGirlOnABike]

the CRF wasn't riding with us, we just passed them on the trail

[@JEmmertz]

If it's wet and bike slides through it, then you know the bike likes it.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

haha nice

[@Followthebeard]

Nice video Vanessa, it brought back some great memories. I’ve done it a few times but on large can am quad bikes. When we did the ride it was biblically wet and flooded ,( there is a video on my channel if you want to see wet 😂) there was a river running down the bomb hole. Thanks for sharing your adventures 👍

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Oh wowza. Ah it was called the bomb hole! Haha I thought it was something like that

[@Followthebeard]

@@TheGirlOnABike 😂 the bum hole is the smaller one behind 😂😉 Happy adventures mate 👍

[@TheGirlOnABike]

🤣🤣🤣🤣😳

[@bannor_murphy369]

been twice this year so far ,back again in oct

[@billyarsenault1970]

You make really fun vids. Your so cool and adorable though you would be able to tell I’m clearly in love with you and not properly focusing on the road. I’d be crashing everywhere. But whatever- my problem not yours. Rock on. Sweet Jesus- you flipped that AT back-up like a gangster. Your the girl.🤘🏻 Hey- is it the camera that makes the AT display flicker like that in vids. It’s gotta be. Thx. Take care V.

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Aw hehe thank you. That's very kind. Yes the camera makes it flicker, it's normal the the eye. It's the same with the led headlights on camera 🤷‍♀️

[@billyarsenault1970]

@@TheGirlOnABike Cool. Didn’t realize the camera headlights do that too- now I know. Thx V. Have a great one. Appreciate you.

[@thecabinetminister9212]

Nice video.... Fantastic trail.. Your skills seem to be improving on the AT pretty quickly. What's the GPS you are using?

[@TheGirlOnABike]

this was the Garmin etrex 32x which I was practicing with pre racing Red Bull Romanicas with it

[@thecabinetminister9212]

@@TheGirlOnABike thank you... Will check it out

[@jonnyjogger]

Go the girls 👍🏼

[@joelfildes5544]

Great innit…we did it both ways once,and I drown the bike in the BIG puddle on the way back,I was surprised as I’d just done it the other way and it was fine…it was only after dragging the bike out that we discovered the cause of the drowning…a flat rear tyre,which had ‘lowered’ the bike just enough to let the water into the airbox!…so we had to de-drown the bike AND change a puncture…ha,ha…happy days.

[@hectorberruet7794]

Is very interesting and amazing

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Thank you very much

[@antoniocoutinho511]

Please don't break anything!... 😄

[@TheGirlOnABike]

Hehe 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤣