Big adventure doesn’t need a big bike. Just ask the couple circling the globe on humble single-cylinders
There are two worlds in Ecuador: one below the clouds and one above. We’re atop a green mountain, looking out over an ocean of white waves rolling away into the distance. It’s peaceful up here, above the clouds on the shoreline. The only sounds are our motorcycles and jaws hitting the petrol tanks as we take in the view. It’s hard to imagine there’s an entire country here below us – completely hidden.
Teaming up
On our ride through Canada last year, we met Andrew and Wendy and have stayed in touch since. They’ve always wanted to ride in Ecuador, so they flew out and rented a couple of 200cc Hero Xpulses to join us for two weeks.
Alissa and I crossed the border from Colombia and made a dash for Quito to meet them. We got the maps out and plotted our route over coffee. The country is split into three sections: the coast on the west, the Andes mountains through the middle and the Amazon rainforest to the east. We figured the mountains running along Ecuador’s spine would have the best riding. So we pinned points on our maps, strapped all our gear down and the four of us hit the road.
Into the mountains we go
We’re eager to sink our teeth and tyres into the rough stuff, but first we make a quick detour to cross the equator and stand in the middle of the world at 0 degrees latitude. After a few days watching toucans, lazing around in hammocks and acclimatising we start our backcountry ride. And it gets good – fast. We chase tracks through rolling greenery for days, continuously climbing higher up non-stop switchbacks, past little towns, llamas, waterfalls and beautiful countryside.
Petrol is easy enough to find in the world below the clouds. But as we climb higher, petrol stations are few and far between. Even when we find one, the pumps don’t work and it’s taken out of buckets. The farther we ride the stations disappear, but we just need to ask enough people and will eventually find a shack behind someone’s house with a few bottles fuel knocking about.
We keep the bikes running on bucket petrol and ourselves topped up on chicken feet, necks and whatever else we can find being cooked on the street. We ride all day until the sun sets burning the clouds orange. Then we find little cabins and hotels to spend the night.
It gets cold in the evenings and there’s often no electricity due to Ecuador’s ongoing problem with droughts affecting its hydropower plants. So, we put our feet up by a fire, sip red wine and eat locally made chocolate to keep us warm as we chat the night away.
What goes up…
Fuelled and ready to go again, we hit the road and take more dirt tracks. We’ve been riding above the clouds for a week now. The riding up here is out of this world and we’re about as high as we can go. Then we turn around a mountain bend to see the trail plummet back to earth in the distance and it suddenly dawns on Alissa that we will eventually have to start going back downhill – and Alissa hates downhills…
Narrow and steep declines washed in loose rocks the size of fists and coupled with nasty drops nearly send Alissa into a panic attack. We all take our time as she stops at the top of each descent to psych herself up. Our brake discs glow red as the rear tyres bite into rocks for hours on end. The day turns into an obstacle course with one hurdle after another. Until the final challenge – riding through a ring of fire.
Chimbo
To cool down, we take the back trails to Mount Chimborazo. The green farmlands are long gone, replaced by dusty dry browns. We chase tracks cut through mountains until we spot the snow-capped monster hiding in the hazy distance.
The mountain is the closest point on Earth to the moon and outer space. Earth isn’t a perfect sphere and has a bulge by the equator, and as we’re one degree off the equator, that’s enough to push ol’ Chimbo’s peak closer to the stars than Mount Everest, even though Everest is a whopping 2585m higher than Chimborazo.
Your turn…
One of the best things about Ecuador is how its vastness is wrapped up into such a small space. It’s about the same size as the Australian state of Victoria yet you’ve got this empty beauty to ride through for days on end. The constantly changing landscapes make you feel like you’re riding through a new country every day. Cruise above the clouds in seas of white; follow trails through green meadows; sweat in the Amazon; watch the sun set over smoky burnt yellows; and kick up dust through the rocky Andes mountains. Ecuador is small but packs a punch and is a beautiful country to explore on two wheels.
The Bikes
Honda CRF300L
Andy and Alissa are riding Honda CRF300Ls. These lightweight dual-sports are fully LAMS-approved in Australia. Powered by a 286cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder making around 20kW (27hp), their low weight, simplicity and off-road capability make it ideal for tackling everything from rocky mountain passes to remote backcountry trails. It’s proof you don’t need big capacity to go big on adventure if you avoid the boring interstate freeways.
Why it works:
- Lightweight and easy to manage
- Proven, reliable single-cylinder engine
- Minimal electronics
- Easy roadside repairs
- Excellent off-road manners
- Strong aftermarket and parts support
Hero XPulse 200
For Ecuador, their mates hired Hero XPulse 200s – budget adventure bikes built by the Indian manufacturer since 2019. With a 199.6cc air/oil-cooled single and around 14kW (19hp), the XPulse has been praised for being light, cheap and simple to maintain. Its predecessor, the Impulse, was India’s first adventure bike. The XPulse is now on sale in Europe.
Why it impressed:
- Featherweight feel
- Great on rough trails
- Cheap to run
- Easy to pick up when dropped
- Surprisingly capable suspension
- Perfect ‘fly-and-ride’ machine
Riding in Ecuador
Fly and ride trips are incredibly easy in Ecuador. There’s an excellent top-tier rental and tour company based in the capital, Quito, with a huge selection of adventure bikes and gear. We highly recommend getting in touch with them at freedombikerental.com
Paperwork
Australians get visa-free entry for Ecuador for up to 90 days. So all you need is your passport, your driver’s licence and some travel insurance.
Getting there
You can get flights from Australia to Ecuador – usually with a couple of stops thrown in. It’s a long way, but Ecuador is one of the easiest countries in South America to fly into and rent a motorcycle, so it’s well worth the journey.
Who are Andy and Alissa?
Andy and Alissa sold everything and left the UK on New Year’s Day, 2018, to ride around the world with no finish line in sight. Eight years later, they’re still going – proving that adventure riding is more about commitment than capacity. Follow their adventures at madornomad.com
