The word “adventure” means a lot of things to a lot of people—and it’s way more than just a category of bike. To riding buddies Adam and Efthymis, it means getting on their bikes, having some basic necessities and tools along for the ride, and having a few waypoints plugged into the GPS. That’s it, more or less.
They have a general direction, and they have a general timeframe—but beyond that, the overarching plan is that there is no plan. They’ll ride in the right direction, but not along an established path—and absolutely not with a carefully-scheduled itinerary in mind. If that sounds like fun to you, then you’ll definitely want to give this short film a look.
Here, the pair are riding on two 2022 KTMs—an 890 R and a 1290 Super Adventure R, and they’re crossing the Balkans in just five days. At some point, the front tubeless tire on the 1290 Super Adventure R gets a flat that won’t hold air. Unfortunately, the rim also ends up bent after rolling on it for some time—but luckily, they end up meeting a guy with an auto shop in Croatia who’s able to fix the rim up good as new. The tire, amazingly, manages to hold air throughout the rest of the trip.
The scenery is breathtaking—and the off-road riding is properly challenging in some places. One night in Albania is particularly terrifying, as the pair find themselves lost, then need to find their way somewhere safe to get away from an area where bears and wolves are known to hunt at night. They happen upon a small group of people and animals and contemplate staying at their camp overnight, but decide that something feels off—so, on they ride.
At this point, they feel that they’ve got enough fuel to get somewhere else—but of course, that could change if they find themselves lost. It’s a bit of a gamble, but no risk, no reward, right? (Besides, someone clearly made it back to edit and post this video on YouTube.)
It’s only a small glimpse into Croatia, Herzegovina, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania as the pair head toward their eventual destination in Greece. This type of riding may not be for everyone—but if you’re up for the challenge, it’s hard to argue that the places they’re riding aren’t completely breathtaking.
