When it comes to adventure, if you boil them down to their bare essences, there are a couple of different prevailing schools of thought.
One of them, which we'll call Type A, has to have All The Right Stuff. The right bike, the right accessories, the right gear...you get the idea. Is a trip even worth doing if you don't have all those particular ducks (or Ducs, if you like) in a row? Maybe not, because the prep is probably at least half the fun.
The other one, which we'll call Type B(raap), that's the one that says adventure is primarily in the rider, not the bike. That the bike, while certainly helpful, is more of a secondary consideration. As long as you and a buddy or two are ready to go out, have fun, and just see where the day takes you, that's what really matters.
The second approach is what Steven and Edwin from Grind Hard Plumbing Company take in this video, where they score the two least expensive scooters they could find on their local Facebook Marketplace for some shenanigans.
What kind of shenanigans? The off-road kind, of course; and let me assure you that neither of these scoots was in any way intended by their makers as being dual-sport, off-road, or even little bitty trail bikes of any kind. No guts, no glory, right? Right.
Edwin's riding a little 50cc Honda Express SR, all the way from the early 1980s. And Steven has a newer UM Matrix 150, which makes about 10 times the power of the little Express. Then again, that's because the Express, when new, made about one or maybe two horsepower, so you probably shouldn't expect any blisteringly quick times out of either of these scoots any time soon.
Both are kickstart machines; and both, they're not really sure how well they run or how easily they'll start when they set off on their journey. The goal is to take both scoots up a nearby ADV trail to see how they do.
Along they way, they'll encounter hillclimbs, baby-head boulders, more than one water crossing, mud, and more. Oh, and it's probably worth noting that while Edwin grew up riding dirt bikes, this will be Steven's first time off-roading ever.
How do they do? Surprisingly well, to be honest. In fact, they surprise even themselves with how well it goes. That's not to say that there aren't challenges; there are, but they just kind of laugh them off, figure out a solution, and get on with it.
You have to see the campsite they reach somewhere in the mountains of Idaho, too. And it's all with the help of two scooters that would normally be no one's first choice to hit trails like this.
Are there a lot of scuffs, scrapes, bangs, and broken plastics up and down the trail? Yeah, of course. But as long as you're not super precious about the machine you're riding, in a way, that's its own kind of freedom. If you don't mind dropping your scooter or bike, you're going to be more prone to just giggling and doing the thing than if you're stressed about how much your cracked fairing is going to cost you when you get home.
Maybe there's a life lesson in there somewhere? As another YouTuber, Amanda Zito of As The Magpie Flies always urges people, maybe you just need to get out and do the thing.
