106 West Motorcycle ADV Touring Company Launches Operations

106 West Motorcycle Adventures has the perfect tours for those who want to explore the Rockies and Utah Canyonlands. Offering 4 separate guided adventure tours on late model BMW F700/800 GS bikes, the Colorado based company gives riders enough time (8-13 day tours) to truly explore these beautiful regions. 106 West limits their tours to 7 riders to create a unique and personal experience.

Company Owner, John Hax, takes pride in his knowledge of the region, and it shows. The well thought-out routes are all loops composed of easy to intermediate level dirt roads. “I spent a lot of time planning my routes so that every day has beautiful riding, an engaging diversion, and a unique town to spend the evening in.” says John. “Every day has a highlight. For example, on Day One of the southern Rockies tour you might see an antelope, do a stream crossing, and then have amazing views of the Collegiate Peaks before descending 4000 ft/1500m to Salida, CO and spending a night in this artsy, white-water town on the Arkansas River.”

Exploration Tours:

• 14 Day – Mountains and Canyons Tour: Wanting a taste of both the Colorado Rockies and Utah Canyonlands? This tour has the best of both worlds. A loop that encompasses the San Juan Mountains, Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Bears Ears National Monument, Natural Bridges Natural Monument, and Hovenweep National Monument: Mountain passes, mining towns, arches, Native American ruins and canyon country, this tour has it all.

• 13 Day - Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route: The COBDR tour includes the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route, Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park. Ample time is given to explore all the old historic mining towns dotting the region.

• 13 Day - Exploring Canyon Country: More than just a motorcycle tour, the Exploring Canyon Country tour gives you the opportunity to truly experience the majestic Utah Canyon Country. Experience the beauty, majesty and solitude in the best way possible: on the back of a BMW motorcycle. Majestic arches, spiraling rock formations, slot canyons and Indian ruins await you on this tour.

• 8 Day - Discover Canyon Country: A shorter version of the 13 day tour, the Discover Canyon Country route highlights some of the most beautiful and scenic sections of Utah, but on a shorter time frame. From timeless monuments to fun and challenging terrain, this ride will take you through areas of Canyon Country, developed by nature over thousands of years.

• 8 Day - Southern Rockies: Enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rockies at the height of summer. Historic mining towns, Great Sand Dunes National Park, alpine meadows, 14,000 foot peaks and The Alpine Backcountry Byway await you on this ride.

Detailed information about these tours can be found on the company website – 106WestADV.com.

Through these extended tours, 106 West hopes clients will gain a perspective for how much beauty the region has to offer. “Nobody should spend thousands of dollars doing a motorcycle tour of Utah and not hike a slot canyon, walk beneath an arch, or visit an Indian Native American ruin.” explains John.

Limiting tours to 7 riders enables 106 West to align riders with their tour goals. Whether it be finding a less difficult route, spending a morning hiking, or visiting Native American ruins, small group sizes allow riders to “do their own thing” in a way not possible with larger tours.

Despite the resurgence of luxury tours, 106 West tours are economical affairs. This is partly due to the limited amount of lodging options. While the Rockies tours offer 3-4 star lodging, the Canyonlands tours are limited to 2-3 star hotels. Have a specific itinerary in mind? No worries because 106 West also offers custom tours. Bring 6 riders and the west is yours! “For those riders wanting a bit more adventure, pitching tents instead of lodging is always an option. Camping is available in most towns and certainly adds some spice to the experience.” explains John. 106WestADV.com

About the Owner:

Running an adventure motorcycle tour company requires much more than just the ability to ride a motorcycle; planning, professionalism, experience and passion are equally important. As a former Officer in the United States Marine Corp I spent 4 years planning logistics as complex as the deployment of a battalion Light Assault Vehicles by air transport to Somalia and the return of 700 Amphibious Assault vehicles from Kuwait back to the USA. My professionalism comes from spending 20 years as a consultant in the IT industry. Experience comes from riding thousands of miles of dirt including Denver to Portland, the Colorado, Utah, and Nevada Backcountry Discovery Routes, and countless riding and hiking trips throughout Utah and Colorado. Passion; what I love to hear from my guests is when they tell me they never would have seen such beautiful country if not for my guidance. I am also an Ambassador for the Backcountry Discovery Route organization. I look forward to giving you the adventure of a lifetime and showing you some of the most beautiful country on the planet. – John Hax

What could be more challenging than taking a bunch of brave/slightly unhinged men and women, blindfolding them, leading them into the Sahara desert in Morocco and telling them they have to get to a destination on the Atlantic Coast, 1000km away, six days later on tiny motorbikes more suitable for children than adults? How about taking them and their bikes to Peru?

Having discovered that Monkey Bikes are ‘the new dawn of adventure’, through running The Monkey Run in Morocco, The Adventurists have decided to set motorbike and adventure enthusiasts a new challenge and see how the bikes and riders perform in the Andes and Amazon rainforest.

It’s fair to say that The Adventurists, as their name suggests, know a thing or two about adventure. They are organisers of, amongst others, The Mongol Rally, quite possibly the world’s largest motorised event, The Icarus Trophy, the first long distance paramotor race, and the Rickshaw Run, a tuk-tuk journey across India. They feel that, whilst they may look comical, Monkey Bikes offer the ideal mode of transport for modern day adventure, especially in Peru.



The bikes small stature - they’re not much taller than knee height - means their wheels can fit onto the Andean mountain passes and squeeze between Amazonian tree roots, much better than anything from a BMW forecourt. There isn’t far to fall when you come off and they’re light enough to carry when they inevitably break down.

Being low to the ground means the bikes feel fast, but in reality give you enough time to appreciate stunning Andean mountainscapes and marvel at incredible jungle plants and animals, whilst having just enough horsepower to get the ‘hell out of there’ when you realise that the photogenic tree roots you’re looking at are actually home to a family of pit vipers.

Most importantly though the bikes are a whole lot of fun, something which The Adventurists hope will be at the heart of the Peruvian Monkey Run. “There’s a lot of machoism in the world of adventure, with people feeling if they’re enjoying something it can’t be real adventure. Of course this is nonsense. It’s true that adventure should push boundaries and this generally means some discomfort, but who said you can’t have fun at the same time? And Monkey Bikes certainly offer that. What’s more, the bikes are always a talking point and put a smile on people’s faces wherever they go, helping break down language barriers and facilitating engagement with different cultures; and the culture and people of Peru are what any trip there should really be about.” – Mr Joolz, The Adventurists.

The first Peruvian Monkey Run takes place from the 7th – 15th September, starting ‘somewhere near Ayacucho’ and finishing ‘more or less in Atalyaya’, the route you take in between is up to you. You don’t need a licence to take part, but it probably helps if you’ve sat on a bike of some sort before; not least because there’s a big party either end of the event and it’s probably not the best idea to find out you can’t ride a motorbike whilst setting off into the Amazon jungle with a stinking hangover. TheAdventurists.com

• 
• 
• 
• 
•