Itchy Boots

**kickstandsup** · 12-02-20

Got to try out the neck tube yesterday!

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**kickstandsup** · 12-02-20

And here it is...

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**Daboo** · 12-02-20

It's great. I love mine.

Chris

**GregWoo** · 12-03-20

Originally Posted by kickstandsup

Got to try out the neck tube yesterdatv!

The weather seems to be nice

**Daboo** · 12-07-20

This was fun! I loved it!

Chris

**Sundog52** · 12-30-20

Now for some training.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMp-oEyKh1s

**kickstandsup** · 01-18-21

Noraly has her neck tubes back in stock, under the "shop" button.

https://www.itchyboots.com

**TheMeteor** · 02-27-21

posted up new vid yesterday after a break...

**Lag** · 02-27-21

Originally Posted by TheMeteor

posted up new vid yesterday after a break...

Wow,,,,,,,,,,, Johannesburg in a Pandemic, no one will ever say she doesn't have sprit and tenacity,,. Although she wouldn't say, if circumstances permit, I would think she will try and do the continent,,.

Be interesting to see what she comes up with for a bike, it will be her 3rd unless she sold the Honda, quite a surprise move in any event I will likely perk her audience up as well!!

**Richard230** · 03-02-21

Itchy Boots bought a used 2013 Honda CRF250L (see minute 8) that appears to be in good condition. I hope she finds a couple of gas cans to carry with her during her travels. I don't think those bikes have a very big gas tank. And I really want to see how she is going to pack all of her stuff on that little skinny Honda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNIMbTMsbXQ

**Lag** · 03-02-21

Ya I thought it was a 450? I see it is a 250,,,,Obviously her experience with the smaller dirt bikes she was training on has rubbed off,,. Might be a bit of a hint as to what she plans on doing on future episodes, I don't see her riding this thing any distance on public roads or for longer hours,,. 1.6 gals,,,,37.8 seat height and only 237 lbs, just abought half of the 500X,,.

I don't think its an coincidence or accident she bought this,,. Obviously she's headed off the beaten path,,.

Nice job tweaking the viewer interest,,!!

**TheMeteor** · 03-03-21

Originally Posted by Lag

Ya I thought it was a 450? I see it is a 250,,,,Obviously her experience with the smaller dirt bikes she was training on has rubbed off,,. Might be a bit of a hint as to what she plans on doing on future episodes, I don't see her riding this thing any distance on public roads or for longer hours,,. 1.6 gals,,,,37.8 seat height and only 237 lbs, just abought half of the 500X,,.

I don't think its an coincidence or accident she bought this,,. Obviously she's headed off the beaten path,,.

Nice job tweaking the viewer interest,,!!

Was thinking the same with the gas tank size....cannot be venturing too far.

**Lag** · 03-03-21

Originally Posted by TheMeteor

Was thinking the same with the gas tank size....cannot be venturing too far.

So another episode, and a few more clues,. She has mentioned that she will be doing mostly dirt hence her choice which she had already researched,,.
Will think she will need to add fuel capacity, skid plate and I presume a windscreen is not an option,,. Top speed 130 km/h (80 mph) & I incorrectly posted the wrong seat height and weight,,. Its actually 34.4 in and 322 curb wt,,. 24.4 HP ,,.
PS
Having previously visited Johannesburg, her visit was not reminiscent of mine in the least,,. She did a very smart job of navigating what is considered by many to be rough place to navigate,,. I trust the journeys in South Africa (which may include 5 countries) will be equally as successful for her, and interesting for the rest of us?

**Richard230** · 03-04-21

As I see it right now, her practical range is about 100 miles, before she will need to look for a gas station. Do you think she will find a gas station every 100 miles along dirt roads in SA? Noraly will definitely need to carry extra fuel, but how and where? Perhaps she could find a set of small saddlebags that can be thrown over the fuel tank, although that tank surface is sure small and not very level.

**Lag** · 03-04-21

Might need to find crash bars and skid plate,,. She can attach those Rotopax's fuel cells to the crash bars, down low,,. Need a skid plate for off the beaten path, to easy to punch a hole in the underside in the middle of no where,,. Also , I'm wondering if camping will be on the agenda?

She's smart, she will order this stuff and show up when it arrives down the road at some point, it takes weeks for this stuff to come in,.

You can see she's chomping at the bit to get riding, its in her DNA,,!!

**Richard230** · 03-05-21

Here is Itchy Boot's first ride in South Africa. So far, so good. She sure managed to pack a lot of stuff on that little bike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdxq83940X8

**Swamp Fox** · 03-06-21

Her enthusiasm is great to listen to.

**Richard230** · 03-15-21

Here is the latest Itchy Boots episode. She is now riding around South Africa and in this educational video she visits an interesting geological feature, the Blyde River Canyon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuX5BXtnHFA

**Richard230** · 03-29-21

Here is a new Itchy Boots episode that will keep you on the edge of your seat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKi_vUz0sJ8

**Lag** · 03-30-21

Ya, she's getting pretty good,. Don't think she would have got either of her other bikes up that mtn,,. Don't see her saying much abought the gas range or the seat,,. Actually she commented that she has adapted quite well to the seat,,,,, thats at least one of the difference between being 33 and much, much older,,!!

**Richard230** · 03-31-21

Itchy Boots tackles another pass. This time with all of her luggage. But this one was not nearly as tough as the last one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgN4Cdn2qRg

**TheMeteor** · 03-31-21

I have to give her credit. On the way down you could see how steep the grades were and how loose the rock was. Not sure I would have completed that. At least not without dropping the bike a few times. Takes good management of clutch, throttle and inertia on the climb.

**skylane5sp** · 04-07-21

I subscribed to Noraly when she was in the middle of Nowherestan in Central Asia. She's made me put places on my bucket list. Like Norway. OMG.
The next day after watching her do Sani Pass, the creepy YouTube AI dropped this in my feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EuLNj4Wh4o Damn, she's hard-core...

**Richard230** · 05-31-21

This latest Itchy Boots video is interesting. She visits a South African diamond mine, although most of her visit was with the security guards that protect the mine against poachers. I had no idea that you needed a private army to keep people from looking for diamonds at these mines and to deal with rioters, but apparently that is the case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6T342vWAfE

**Lag** · 05-31-21

Quite a ruff & intriguing area of the world,,.

She's headed for Namibia next,,. Its illegal in some areas to stray off the main road,,,, they have signs that say "Trespasser's do will be Shot", there are also wild Lions, Hyenas, Cheetahs and hippopotamus, roaming in Namibia, so should be interesting upcoming episodes!!

**Richard230** · 05-31-21

I was very surprised that the diamond mine's guards were apparently willing to kill trespassers and "rioters". I was wondering where the rioters come from and why they might be rioting.

I was also amazed that so many diamonds ended up in one relatively small location. Why there and not other places in the world? I wish Noraly had explained more about the geology of the area and how all of those diamonds came to be in that area of South Africa and apparently relatively near the surface, too.

**Richard230** · 06-03-21

Here is a link to a long Itchy Boot's blog regarding her visit to the diamond mine. It is really quite interesting, but will take about 10 or 15 minutes to read:

https://www.itchyboots.com/motorcycl...T09%3A01%3A55Z

**Richard230** · 12-01-21

Itchy Boots is back and has bought a new Honda 300 Rally. She plans to continue her trip from South America where she got kicked out by the virus last year and head to Alaska. Apparently she is not going to let Omicron get in her way. Good for her. Here is a link to her latest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTnuoczs3tw

**Royce** · 12-01-21

Does she really buy the bikes? I figured they were donated/loaned by the manufacturers. It has been great publicity for Royal Enfield.

**Richard230** · 12-01-21

Originally Posted by Royce

Does she really buy the bikes? I figured they were donated/loaned by the manufacturers. It has been great publicity for Royal Enfield.

I am pretty sure that she pays for them, although she did not own the Royal Enfield or the Honda 250 that she rode through SA due to local regulations against selling a vehicle to a foreigner. She owns a Honda CB-500X that she keeps at home and now this new Honda CRF 300 Rally. Of course she might get a discount from the dealer with an option to buy the bike back to be displayed at the end of her trip.

**TheMeteor** · 12-02-21

Should be interesting. The 300 Rally appears to be a pretty neat little bike.

**Lag** · 12-03-21

Originally Posted by Richard230

I am pretty sure that she pays for them, although she did not own the Royal Enfield or the Honda 250 that she rode through SA due to local regulations against selling a vehicle to a foreigner. She owns a Honda CB-500X that she keeps at home and now this new Honda CRF 300 Rally. Of course she might get a discount from the dealer with an option to buy the bike back to be displayed at the end of her trip.

I believe she purchased the bikes however she had to register the Indian Himalayan and the South African Honda in some one else name due to her none citizenship in those countries,,. I sort of recall she may have been given a hand with the second Himalayan by Royal Enfield as a swap for her Indian one which would not meet Euro Standards,,. Apparently its on display at Royal Enfield somewhere in Holland,. As I understand it the 2nd Himalayan got damaged beyond repair while in transit back to Europe from Peru,,.

Amazing stories, exceptional content and never a dull moment,,!!

**Richard230** · 12-06-21

Itchy Boots is now in Quito, Ecuador, to continue her trip north to Alaska on her new Honda CCRF300 Rally that she has named "Alaska". What is interesting about this 20-minute video is that it shows what she had to do to get her and her motorcycle from the Netherlands to the UK, to Heathrow, on to an airplane and then to Ecuador.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpX0OGzk8yU

**Richard230** · 01-05-22

Itchy Boots crosses the Amazon River the hard way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCsy5O2OzBE

**IanA** · 01-06-22

Couldn't that have ended up badly! I was sure she was going to get her bike washed, involuntarily...
The sheer volume and quality of her video output just astounds me. There seems to be a plethora of youtube motorcycle adventurers these days, but none come even close to this lady, even those with full production teams and huge sponsorship. My partner is starting to get suspicious of my latest video watching habits, but I don't care

**Lag** · 01-06-22

Originally Posted by Richard230

Itchy Boots crosses the Amazon River the hard way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCsy5O2OzBE

Just when you start to think you've seen it,, good god,, anyone wanna try and top that,,!!

**Royce** · 01-07-22

Not that it matters at all, but ... I listened closely to the video and I don't think it was THE Amazon River she crossed, but rather one of the uncountable tributaries to THE Amazon River. Whichever is correct, it was indeed quite a feat. She was crazy to try it and deserves kudos for it.

**kickstandsup** · 01-08-22

It will be interesting to see how she handles the Darien Gap, how much time she spends in Columbia and if she bypasses Panama altogether.

https://adventuremotorcycle.com/tech...cle-darien-gap

Big Balls.

**Richard230** · 01-08-22

Originally Posted by kickstandsup

It will be interesting to see how she handles the Darien Gap, how much time she spends in Columbia and if she bypasses Panama altogether.

https://adventuremotorcycle.com/tech...cle-darien-gap

Big Balls.

I think she is too smart to tackle the Darien Gap. I bet she goes for a boat ride around that lump of nasty jungle and local gangs.

**Lag** · 01-08-22

Navigating the various Covid dynamics from one country to the next may turn out to be more challenging then the Darien Gap,,!!

**Richard230** · 01-09-22

Originally Posted by Lag

Navigating the various Covid dynamics from one country to the next may turn out to be more challenging then the Darien Gap,,!!

You could be right about that. And in the U.S. you could say the same thing about navigating from one county to the next and from one state to the next.

**TheMeteor** · 01-09-22

My wife and I watch her videos together and are amazed at her fearlessness and how she can keep such a positive attitude regardless of circumstance. You see so many other videos which are posted in which the guys are overcome by the challenge or lay on the drama. She just rolls through it with laugh. Not sure I could.

When we watch other videos and the guys get dramatic or complain, my wife often say, "Itchy Boots does not have a problem with this..."

**kickstandsup** · 01-09-22

Originally Posted by TheMeteor

My wife and I watch her videos together and are amazed at her fearlessness and how she can keep such a positive attitude regardless of circumstance. You see so many other videos which are posted in which the guys are overcome by the challenge or lay on the drama. She just rolls through it with laugh. Not sure I could.

When we watch other videos and the guys get dramatic or complain, my wife often say, "Itchy Boots does not have a problem with this..."

Exactly right, her "this is what it is" positive attitude is truly admirable. There's another Moto channel that I can't watch any longer, AndyManCam, b/c every single vid now starts with him whining about something...sat nav, road work, traffic, whatever.

The Noraly life lesson: laugh and get on with it.

**Lag** · 01-09-22

She makes it look easy and I know it is not,,. Motorcycle riding a-side, Naraly is a skilled traveler and a multilingual navigator,.

One thing I notice is that the freedom of choosing your own routes and destinations does add an element of safety that you don't have when your depending on public transport,,. Usually its those public transportation hubs such as inner city bus and train stations that lead you into the seedier situation's that you would much rather avoid,,. The independence and flexibility of pulling your own strings with the motorcycle helps the traveler skirt around some of the more hazardous areas,,.

**Lag** · 01-10-22

Originally Posted by Lag

She makes it look easy and I know it is not,,.

Case in point, can you imagine trying to navigate this crossing without Spanish,,,. Yet another amazing episode,,!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjhtmhUC8mI

**Richard230** · 01-10-22

Originally Posted by Lag

Case in point, can you imagine trying to navigate this crossing without Spanish,,,. Yet another amazing episode,,!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjhtmhUC8mI

I was really impressed by the church built over the river that starts at minute 24. Very beautiful.

**Richard230** · 01-26-22

Here is the latest Itchy Boots clip describing her plan for getting herself and her motorcycle around the Darien Gap. Sounds pretty complicated to me. One thing that I noticed is that there are a lot of motorbikes in Columbia. More so than any other country that she has visited in her rides through South American countries so far. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzX9iQlYWvI

**Sundog52** · 01-27-22

Originally Posted by Richard230

Here is the latest Itchy Boots clip describing her plan for getting herself and her motorcycle around the Darien Gap. Sounds pretty complicated to me. One thing that I noticed is that there are a lot of motorbikes in Columbia. More so than any other country that she has visited in her rides through South American countries so far. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzX9iQlYWvI

The Darien Gap is doable. It was conquered at least as far back as 1981! The late Ed Culberson did it on a BMW R80 GS and documented the trip in his book, Obsessions Die Hard: A Motorcycle Adventure Across the Pan-American Highway's Darién Gap. His bike has been "restored" and can be seen at the Palm Bay, FL (USA) dealership. See attached photos as proof....

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**Richard230** · 01-27-22

Originally Posted by Sundog52

The Darien Gap is doable. It was conquered at least as far back as 1981! The late Ed Culberson did it on a BMW R80 GS and documented the trip in his book, Obsessions Die Hard: A Motorcycle Adventure Across the Pan-American Highway's Darién Gap. His bike has been "restored" and can be seen at the Palm Bay, FL (USA) dealership. See attached photos as proof....

I have that book as well as well illustrated Two Wheels to Adventure by Danny Liska. He rode his BMW R60 from Alaska to Argentina in 1960, which included riding it through the Daren Gap, with the help of the local Indians and their dugout canoes. However, as Noraly mentions in her video clip, this is not a good time to try that, what with all of the drama going on in the Gap right now.

**TheMeteor** · 02-02-22

I am catching up. Just watched the abandoned railroad bridge. Not something I think I could do. I, at times, get a fear of heights and bridges with no shoulders. Makes no sense because at other times it doesn't bother me to be on a bridge or hike a trail with a sheer dropoff. I have flown small gliders where it feels like nothing surrounds you. But just watching her on the bridge, my breathing and heart rate jumped...LOL. I give her a tip of the hat there!

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