Tim Notier's Blog

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Our ride from Ipoh back to Kuala Lumpur started with an unexpected challenge: a broken elevator and 18 floors of motorcycle gear to carry down! 😳 But once we finally got on the road, we had a beautiful ride through Ipoh and into the Cameron Highlands, where we stopped for Indian food, explored the famous tea fields, and met some incredibly friendly Malaysian riders and fellow overlanders.

Then it was time to tackle Kuala Lumpur traffic on two fully loaded big bikes! 🚦🏍️ Weaving through the standstill traffic, adding our stickers to an overlander wall, stopping at a colorful Chinese Buddhist temple, and finally ending the day with trying some amazing Malaysian food (including a dessert squid!) made this another unforgettable day riding through Malaysia.

📍 Locations featured:
Ipoh
Cameron Highlands
Guan Yin Temple
Kuala Lumpur
Puchong
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Ride along with us on one of our EPIC Motorcycle Tours! We would love to have you along for the ride!
​
🐉 Our Thailand Motorcycle Tour! ➜ https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/thailandtour.html
🦧 Out Borneo Motorcycle Tour! ➜ https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/borneotour 🚨 Want to get more from 2Up and Overloaded? For as little as $5 a month, you can become a Paid Patreon Member and enjoy all of our videos, podcasts, and blogs completely ad free, all in one place. Your support directly helps us keep traveling, filming, and sharing the adventures with you. You’ll also get access to exclusive content, receive postcards from wherever we are in the world, and become part of a community of like-minded travelers, explorers, and dreamers. If you enjoy following our adventures, becoming a paid member is the best way to support what we do and get even more of the journey in return! 🎧 Looking for the best BlueTooth motorcycle intercoms available? All of our followers get 10% off site-wide on Cardo with coupon code: 2UPANDOVERLOADED (all caps) at https://cardosystems.com/discount/2UPANDOVERLOADED

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BLOG:

As we continue exploring the world on two wheels, we've started putting together a collection of what we consider our Favorite Rides. These are the routes that have stayed with us long after the engines cooled, and adventures we believe are worth sharing with anyone who dreams of riding them someday.

The video above is the first in this series, where we share 12 Tips for Riding to Alaska. It serves as a cinematic overview filled with practical advice to help you prepare for your own adventure.
The blog below is where we dive much deeper into the journey itself. It's the full story of our ride through Alaska, complete with the challenges, triumphs, breathtaking landscapes, and all of the small moments that never quite fit into a video. Together, the film and the blog are meant to complement one another, allowing you to not only see the ride, but truly experience it alongside us.

We'd love for you to watch the video, then settle in and ride along with us through the story below. And when you're finished, let us know what destinations from our past travels you'd like us to feature next. Whether it's a specific country, route, or adventure, we'd love to hear your ideas and answer any questions you have about the journey.

Part 1 - The Final Frontier
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​As we crossed the ferry from Dawson City into the last remote sections of Canada, the paved road turned to gravel and dirt. The previous three thousand miles from British Columbia all the way up the Yukon had been 99% tarmac, and up until that point, the biggest challenge we had was avoiding the giant, bloodthirsty mosquitoes. We had heard of this vampiric breed of swarming beasts, but no amount of forewarning could prepare us as we lay inside the forcefield that was our tent.

They buzzed just outside the netting as if they were predator drones on a seek and destroy mission. All we could do was sit in horror as we watched them clean their tiny needle mouths with their front legs like criminals sharpening their knives outside a window of some shady back-alley bar.
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To avoid donating every drop of blood we had left, our riding days were extended to around nine hours. With the sun refusing to set until almost 11 p.m., we adopted a new routine. Ride until one of us got hungry, pull over long enough to cook dinner, then dive into the tent as quickly as possible to avoid the millions of minions from hell. ​No amount of mosquito coils or repellent could prevent the onslaught and epic battles that were had every time we pulled over for a short break or to snap a picture of our surroundings. But those photo shoots were worth it, as the landscape was breathtaking.
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Marisa and I, along with our KTM 1190 Adventure R, came to a rolling stop at the US and Canadian border in the isolated town of Poker Creek. The trio of man, woman, and machine that was our small posse temporarily doubled the town's posted population of 3, which I could only assume was the American border official, the Canadian guard, and a dog that kept them both company on the long days that never seemed to end. ​Once we crossed into Alaska, the landscape transformed. The narrow corridor of trees that had surrounded us for days suddenly opened into sweeping views as we climbed onto the Top of the World Highway. After what felt like thousands of miles riding through a tunnel of forest, the endless rolling hills were a welcome change. Purple fireweed lined the roadside like runway lights guiding us north, while tufts of pink-hued foxtail barley danced in the breeze like the wild hair of those little troll dolls from the '90s.
​The gravel sometimes turned back into remnants of concrete from what was once a paved road, but now had more patches on it than a leather jacket of a member of Hell's Angels. Marisa and I were both physically and mentally on top of the world. The two of us were so close to completing the line between the southernmost point of the Americas in Ushuaia, with the northernmost point in Prudhoe Bay. It was an achievement that we had not originally set off to accomplish, but one that now seemed to synchronize with our traveling lifestyle.
The endless days, constant mosquito swatting, and rugged roads now merged seamlessly into towering mountains and vibrant wilderness. As we stopped on the crest of one of those high ridges, an overwhelming sense of wonder settled over me. The view stretched farther than anything we had seen before.
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Parts of the forest had been burnt from sweeping fires years prior, leaving behind orange and red patches of half-scorched trees across open fields. The scars left behind by the fire had transformed the landscape into a different form of natural splendor. As seasons passed, colorful wildflowers pushed through the scorched earth, weaving themselves between the burgundy remains of the forest. Nature had patiently composed a landscape where destruction and renewal existed in perfect harmony.
​After a full day of riding on the spine of the world, we camped just outside of the tiny town of Chicken, and carried on through the small settlements that dotted this remote section of Alaska. I smiled as we rode through the town of North Pole where a giant statue of Santa Claus waived to us while holding his naughty and nice list. Once in Fairbanks, we glanced at the weather forecast on our phone, and it projected a window of two clear days out of the four that it would take us to ride all the way to Deadhorse and back. So we jumped in the saddle and took off towards the Dalton Highway.
I had heard how difficult the road could be, and had been warned multiple times to take it nice and slow. But what the bike's tires bit into was hard compacted gravel. Marisa and I were lucky to have avoided the split pea soup of a road when wet, and we confidently zipped down the highway.
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The road to nowhere led us to the Arctic Circle, and we hopped off for a photo op next to the sign and to celebrate another achievement. It wasn't quite as cold as I had originally assumed the arctic to be, but I wasn't about to complain about the 66-degree Fahrenheit day at a latitude of 66.30 degrees.
For the next 400 miles, our newest traveling companion was the Trans-Alaska Pipeline as it snaked across the landscape like the tail of a giant dragon. It was an engineering marvel by every definition, although I couldn't help but laugh when I looked down and realized my KTM had just run completely out of fuel after 234 miles and four and a half hours of continuous riding. Thankfully, I carried an extra gallon in a RotopaX, and the nearest gas station in tiny settlement of Coldfoot was only another thirty miles away. Knowing the limits of your fuel range is always a good thing, but running out of gas while riding alongside one of the world's largest oil pipelines felt more than a little ironic. Unfortunately, my KTM wasn't designed to run on crude oil.
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We spent the night in Wiseman before making the final push toward Deadhorse. The rolling hills slowly transformed into rocky crags before giving way to the rugged peaks of the Brooks Range, where the trees abruptly disappeared.
​The road and pipeline continued north side by side as though they were lifelong friends, weaving together through green valleys, turquoise rivers, and gray mountains beneath an impossibly blue sky.
​Cruising through one of the most remote and untouched wildernesses in North America, we suddenly spotted something that looked like it had wandered off the set of Star Wars. A lone muskox stood in the tundra, casually chewing on short grasses beneath a pair of massive, curled horns. Naturally, I decided I needed a better photo. As I stepped off the road, what looked like solid ground quickly proved otherwise. The tundra bounced beneath my boots like a giant waterbed, the thin layer of thawed soil wobbling with every step. It was one of the strangest sensations I'd ever experienced and nearly left me feeling seasick as I awkwardly bounced my way across the field.
I made sure to keep a respectful distance from the muskox. The last thing I wanted was to be chased by what looked like a buffalo-goat hybrid while trying to sprint across ground that seemed determined to swallow me whole. Thankfully, I captured a few photos before retreating to the bike, where Marisa looked only mildly convinced that I would survive my little adventure.
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Not long afterward, we were treated to another incredible wildlife encounter. A caribou wearing a crown of magnificent antlers gracefully crossed the road ahead of us. Compared to the muskox, which seemed to move with all the urgency of an animatronic display, the caribou floated effortlessly across the tundra in long, elegant strides.
We hadn't seen wildlife in seemingly forever, and now all of the creatures were roaming around freely in the wide-open tundra. Marisa and I couldn't have been more thankful for the blue sky, dry roads, and abundance of flora and fauna that engulfed us.
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Just a few miles later, Deadhorse finally came into view. I rolled on the throttle, eager to reach the legendary sign that marks the end of the Dalton Highway. The town itself wasn't exactly postcard material. It was little more than an industrial outpost planted in the middle of nowhere. But none of that mattered. We pulled up beside the famous sticker-covered sign and proudly added our own small badge of honor to the collection.
The Dalton Highway had exceeded every expectation we had before arriving. Towering mountains, endless tundra, unforgettable wildlife, and landscapes unlike anywhere else made every mile memorable. Following an oil pipeline to one of the northernmost industrial towns in North America somehow turned into one of the most spectacular rides of our journey. Hotel prices in Deadhorse may have been hard to swallow, but after one night celebrating our accomplishment, it was time to begin the long ride back south.
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This time, however, the forecast wasn't nearly as friendly. Heavy rain threatened to turn the Dalton into the muddy mess we had heard so much about, thanks to the combination of relentless downpours and the massive tanker trucks that constantly churned the surface. But if we were going to earn our place on that Deadhorse sign, the return journey was part of the adventure too. After the slow, steady tick... tick... tick of climbing the roller coaster to Prudhoe Bay, it was finally time to race back down the other side toward Fairbanks with a healthy dose of excitement, adrenaline, and just enough uncertainty to keep things interesting. Before we twist the throttle further into Alaska... A quick detour!
Although we won't be leading any tours to Alaska, we are excited to announce new tour dates for two of our favorite motorcycle adventures: Borneo to be Wild in East Malaysia and the Tail of the Dragon tour through Northern Thailand.

If you've ever dreamed of exploring these incredible roads with us, check out the dates below. We'd love to have you join us for the adventure of a lifetime!

New Tail of the Dragon Tour Dates 🐉 - https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/thailandtour.html
New Borneo to be Wild Tour Dates 🦧 - https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/borneotour.html
And now... back to our regularly scheduled adventure. 😎
Part 2 - Angels and Demons 
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Reaching Deadhorse was another milestone that now proudly marked our inReach GPS tracker. It was a single dot among thousands that stretched from Chicago to Ushuaia in the Americas, and from Cape Town to Kenya in Africa.
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Zoomed in, our journey looked immense. Thin lines connected one waypoint to the next like a constellation slowly being drawn across the globe. Triangles, hexagons, and long sweeping arcs stretched thousands of miles before doubling back in new directions, each point representing another campsite, mountain pass, breakdown, or unforgettable memory. But the illusion of grandness disappeared with the scroll of a finger. As the map zoomed out, our intricate web of lines became nothing more than a handful of tiny dots scattered across a few continents. The vastness of the Americas and Africa quickly swallowed our route, reminding us how little of the world we had actually explored. Yet that realization didn't diminish what we had accomplished. We had ridden from sea to shining sea, endured torrential rain, snowstorms, blistering heat, and countless challenges, all while exploring the world together on two wheels.
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The ride north to Deadhorse had been surprisingly kind to us. The weather cooperated, the KTM never skipped a beat, and the Dalton Highway had been everything we hoped it would be. The return journey, however, had other plans.

When dry, the road was little more than chalky brown dust, loose gravel, and bits of vegetation scattered across the surface by the wind. But when you 'just add water', the road transformed into something that looked like a giant pot of minestrone soup.
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The bike was pulled into narrow ruts as though we were following the grooves of an old vinyl record. But instead of gently flowing through Beethoven's Für Elise, the road was conducting its own version of Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction. The rear tire launched a rooster tail of greasy sludge that coated everything behind us. Our duffel bag, panniers, and Marisa's backpack quickly disappeared beneath a thick layer of mud. The long hills that had been so enjoyable on our ride north suddenly became our biggest enemy as the KTM twitched and danced beneath us every time I lightly touched the rear brake. 

​Whenever the clouds briefly parted, the sun would spill across the mountains and valleys like a spotlight illuminating the stage of a theater production. Those moments never lasted long. Before we could fully appreciate the view, the curtain of clouds would close once again and another round of rain would begin its assault.

That night, we camped in Wiseman, Alaska as the day wound down to an end. The bike was filthy, but my Klim gear was ironically the cleanest it had been in weeks. Only a few days earlier, my jacket looked as though I had been on the losing side of a paintball match after thousands of oversized insects exploded across my sleeves and shoulders. The relentless rain had washed away every streak of neon-green and yellow bug guts, although our panniers and duffel bags hadn't been nearly as fortunate. Thick clumps of mud clung to the racks and fenders, slowly sliding toward the ground in heavy globs. I wouldn't have been surprised if the bike was carrying an extra ten pounds by that point. 

Our energy reserves were running just as low as the fuel tank. Before crawling into the tent, I poured the last drops of our spare fuel from our RotopaX into the KTM and dripped the remaining gasoline from our MSR stove bottle. The fuel gage still showed a single blinking bar, but there should be enough to reach Coldfoot, which was only fifteen miles away. 

One of the unexpected pleasures of riding a single road into the middle of nowhere is that you keep crossing paths with the same travelers. You leapfrog each other from scenic overlook to campground, gradually becoming familiar faces despite never making plans to travel together.
The following morning, a Jeep carrying fellow adventurers Ryan and Laurel rolled into our campsite. We shared a cup of coffee while talking about our plans.

"First things first," I said. "I need to make it to Coldfoot for gas. Then we're planning to ride the Denali Highway before heading south toward Anchorage."

"I've got four extra gallons strapped to the back of the Jeep if you need some gas," Ryan offered.

"Nah, we're only about fifteen miles from Coldfoot," I replied. "We'll be fine."

Ryan glanced at Laurel and shrugged before they climbed back into the Jeep and disappeared down the road. Marisa and I packed up camp, confident we'd see them again somewhere farther south.
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Needless to say, I ran out of fuel five miles before reaching Coldfoot. ⭐️ AD BREAK: Our Patreon Members get ad-free videos, blogs, early video episode releases, all 3 of of the ebooks that Tim has published, and postcards from our travels from around the world. If you would like to support our adventures and get premium access to our content, please consider becoming a member of our community on Patreon for as little as $5 a month! Blog Continued...

As the bike rolled silently to a stop, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. My guardian angel had offered me four gallons of insurance just twenty minutes earlier, and I had politely waved it away.
One tank of fuel and my spare RotopaX had been more than enough on the ride north to Deadhorse. But crawling through deep mud and climbing those slippery hills had quietly drained the KTM far faster than I ever expected.

"You can lead a horse to water," Marisa whispered with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I muttered, feeling thoroughly defeated.

A car appeared around the bend, and for a brief moment our hopes soared. Just as quickly, they disappeared as the driver cruised right past without so much as tapping the brakes. My opinion of humanity took a slight hit. Thankfully, it only lasted a few minutes.

Another vehicle soon rounded the corner, and this time our faith was restored. The driver immediately pulled over, offered me a lift into Coldfoot, and before long I was riding back toward Marisa with a gallon of fuel in hand.  

With the Dalton Highway now behind us, we rolled east through the town of North Pole and waved goodbye to Santa Claus one last time before turning south toward the Alaska Range. ​I had always been aware that there were mountains in Alaska, but their grandness and magnitude constantly impressed me as if I had never seen a hill rise over a hundred feet into the air. The Denali Highway showcased its treasures as if we were strolling through a museum filled with timeless, snowy wonders.  
Gravel roads split off of the highway, some of which led to remote glaciers and placid lakes, while others twisted through a tunnel of trees into open fields of blooming purple and yellow flowers. It was a sensory overload of complete bliss, and every morning we woke up to a reality that was hard to differentiate from the fairytale landscapes of our dreams. 
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But small nightmares lived in the same realm as the enchanted elk and stoic muskoxen. Tiny demons in the form of black flies ate at my legs until I almost became a double amputee. Death by a thousand needles would have been preferred over the plague-like swarms of vampiric flies that chewed on my ankles and up my shins. But good always conquered evil. The flies, along with the looming fogs that drifted across the rivers and through the trees like lost spirits, were dispelled by the rising sun. 
Our streak of perfect weather was also beginning to fade. Gray skies had become the new normal, but even they added something special to the landscape. The heavy clouds concealed the mountains in a vail of mystery that was nearly as thick as the layer of mud plastered to my exhaust.
​
On another rain-soaked day we crossed Hatcher Pass, carefully picking our way along its slick gravel roads until we reached the ruins of an old gold mining operation.
​The structures had long ago collapsed from the heavy weight of winter's snow, but what remained were remnants of history. Marisa happily read all of the little plaques as I snapped pictures of what looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster. Large wooden beams had been tossed around as if the hounds of hell had used them to play fetch, and rusted tin roofs were scattered and bent like the plate armor of a defeated samurai warrior. 
​After appreciating the hard work that it took to obtain such a soft metal, we continued towards the opposite side of the pass. The rain was still coming down in sheets, but Marisa and I decided to turn down one last muddy path that twisted into the mountains. A dirt road named Archangel was full of muddy trenches and large rocks that we slid through and bounced over as we made our way up. Tall mountains broke through the mist as they seemed to fade in and out of reality. 
The dark sky against the granite crags looked like a magnificent charcoal painting. The clouds above were wide smudges, as if smeared by a large thumb, and the edges of the rocky peaks were the only defined outlines against the foggy backdrop in the distance. Rain drummed steadily against my helmet as we climbed Mt. Olympus to confront Zeus himself about the foul weather he was assaulting the lands below with. 
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Unfortunately, our audience with the gods was cut short by a locked gate and a very unwelcoming "Do Not Enter" sign. Bound by the laws that we mere mortals have to follow, I cursed into the wind before turning around to slalom back down the path. My scream must have reached the ears of some divine being, because as we rolled down the pass and entered into Palmer, AK, the sun came out to great us. 
Alaska was proving to have all of the elements of adventure. We were only halfway through the giant state, and there was plenty more for us to discover as we made our way to the southern coast. The promise of glaciers, small fishing towns, and mountain passes beckoned us to explore every mile. We didn't know exactly what to expect, but we knew there would be more challenges and rewards, more angels and demons, and we couldn't wait to encounter every one head on like a jousting knight. 

Part 3 - Light at the End of the Tunnel

After riding our KTM 1190 Adventure R all the way from Chicago to Deadhorse, we thought we had already experienced the state's greatest treasures. We'd crossed the Brooks Range in the far north, survived the Dalton Highway, and wandered across the Denali Highway. Surely we'd seen the best Alaska had to offer. But some of the most beautiful landscapes lay on the State’s southern coast.
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Glacier National Park in Montana was more than 2,500 miles away, yet it felt as though we were riding through its oversized northern cousin. Towering rivers of ice spilled down mountainsides, their brilliant white faces standing in sharp contrast to the dark rock surrounding them. Thin wisps of cloud drifted lazily overhead, moving almost as slowly as the glaciers themselves.

Marisa and I matched their pace as there was no reason to rush. We wandered down the road, stopping every few miles to admire another glacier, another mountain, another view that somehow seemed even more impressive than the last. We laughed, snapped photos, and stood hand in hand, quietly absorbing the beauty around us in hopes of carrying that moment with us long after the road disappeared behind us.
Fireweed blanketed the landscape in vibrant shades of purple, broken only by turquoise lakes and glacial rivers that reflected the surrounding peaks. By then we had crossed hundreds of miles of scenery that deserved to be preserved on canvas, every valley looking like it belonged in the collection of a modern-day Monet.

As we continued south, we passed through a string of coastal communities that had once been quiet fishing villages but now welcomed thousands of cruise ship passengers every summer. I love seeing people experience the world however they choose, but I couldn't help feeling grateful that we were doing it from the seat of a motorcycle. The endless wind, the rain, the cold nights in a tent, and the long days in the saddle weren't always enjoyable in the moment, but they were the external forces that tethered our memories together like strong chemical bonds.

After riding north from Seward on Alaska’s Highway 1 through multiple mountain passes, we turned east towards Whittier via Portage Glacier Road. Throughout Alaska, people had told us about an interesting ride through a 2.5-mile tunnel that leads to the city of Whittier. We were looking forward to the extended passageway that burrowed through the mountain, but before we entered, we found ourselves in another glacier paradise. Portage Glacier was the main attraction. My tunnel vision was instead locked onto the frozen behemoth perched high into the mountains as a plethora of waterfalls tumbled down the green rolling hills before reaching Portage Lake.

It was a much-needed peaceful moment to absorb the tranquility of nature in all its beauty. Because directly after our moment of Zen, we rode towards the tunnel, not fully knowing what lay ahead.

From the outside, the entrance looked more like a cozy A-frame coffee shop than the gateway through a mountain. At the toll booth we paid our fee and learned how the tunnel worked. Traffic alternates directions every half hour, and because the tunnel is shared with an active railroad, everything comes to a stop whenever a train passes through. Thankfully, there would be no playing chicken with a freight train.
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The tunnel was narrow, wet, dimly lit, and just wide enough for the motorcycle and the railroad tracks running straight down the middle. I concentrated on keeping the KTM perfectly balanced between the rails, trying to stay inside my imaginary lines like a kid carefully coloring the impossibly long neck of a giraffe.
“You’re doing great, love,” Marisa chimed in over the intercom.

She must have felt my body stiffen up as I tried to counter every tiny directional drift of the bike’s front wheel. As I focused on what was directly ahead of us, the tunnel’s little yellow lightbulbs left long, streaking trails of light in my peripheral vision as if we had entered warp drive in deep space.

The mountain had swallowed us whole while we traversed through the bowels of the earth in complete darkness. It seemed that I had unknowingly paid the ferryman a single Greek obolus on our way towards Hades. And then, there it was: a light at the end of the tunnel. I didn’t realize how claustrophobic I felt until I started begging for that pinhole of light in the distance to grow in circumference until we were birthed back into the world of the living. We exited the tunnel in rejoice. But to successfully navigate to hell and back, we had to turn around and face our demons one last time.

I was glad that we made the effort to visit some of the coastal settlements, but I was far more in tune with the remoteness of Alaska’s interior compared to the cruise ship ports of Seward, Whittier, and Valdez.
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Thankfully, it did not take long to get back to the isolated roads where fireweed stretched as far as our eyes could see. Instead of long tunnels, we crossed long steel bridges that spanned the widths of wide canyons. Lone moose and herds of caribou took the place of crowded streets filled with tourists. We were back in our element.
​Our next destination was a blustering city of McCarthy with a population of a hundred and twenty-three permanent residents. The not-so-busy city lay in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias N.P, the largest National Park in the United States. I turned the bike down a dirt road that twisted away from what was already the middle of nowhere while hoping we wouldn’t run out of gas. It was a two our detour from the ‘main’ road to McCarthy that rested on the outer limits of civilization. There was only one gas station marked on Google Maps with reviews stating that its opening hours were more of a rough estimate than a firm commitment.
But Marisa and I couldn’t be more excited to pitch our tent at the edge of Kennicott Glacier in the center of a 13.2-million-acre National Park. And when we pulled into the campground, we knew we would be staying multiple nights. There were a few million acres of unoccupied sites, and we rode to the furthest spot that we could reach before setting up our tent on the banks of the glacier’s lake. I had seen a plethora of glaciers throughout southern Alaska, but Kennicott wasn’t the standard white and blue hued river frozen in time. It was a rocky Martian landscape with a red river of ice covered in the debris that had been ground away from the peaks of the Wrangell Mountain Range.

That evening, we lay in our tent listening to the glacier.

Every so often, another section of ice would calve away from its towering face, sending a deep crack echoing across the lake before fading back into silence. It was both violent and peaceful at the same time. Each snap, crackle, and rumble reminded me of a massive Midwestern thunderstorm rolling across the prairie, except this storm came from the earth itself instead of the sky.
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The following morning, we rode our KTM across a pedestrian bridge to the old Kennicott mine that was just a few miles up the road from our campsite. What was once the most productive copper mine in the world, was now a retired relic that clung to the side of the valley. The towering, barnyard-red wooden structure looked like Noah’s ark precariously balanced atop the mountains of Ararat.
Being a miner in the middle of a frozen tundra seemed like one of the last jobs that I would have applied for, but there was over 200 million dollars’ worth of copper found within those hills. The landmark that had been abandoned and left to decay for decades was now being restabilized and restored, allowing it to stand proudly once again as if receiving a medal of honor.
​
The nights were getting colder, and we knew that our time in Alaska was nearly coming to an end. The blooming flowers of the fireweed had reached the tops of the stalk, a natural Alaskan almanac indicating that winter was rapidly approaching. But Marisa and I were more than satisfied, our adventure through Alaska had been everything we could have hoped for.
I left Alaska with a sense of fulfillment that I hadn't tried to acquire. It wasn't another destination, another sticker on the panniers, or another line drawn across a map. It was a quiet serenity carried by the brisk Arctic breeze, soaked into our skin while we bathed in freezing rivers, and reflected in every noble glacier and every purple fireweed that bloomed as vividly as the memories we made.

There had been days of riding down roads with the consistency of split pea soup. We battled vampiric mosquitoes that tried to drain us dry, ran out of gas, dealt with breakdowns, and plenty of moments that tested my patience and determination. At the time, those challenges often felt overwhelming.
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But through every muddy road, every sleepless night, every mechanical problem, and every dark tunnel, Marisa was the constant source of calm that kept us moving forward. Whenever frustration darkened my perspective, she always helped me see the bigger picture and reminded me how lucky we were to be sharing this journey together. If there truly was a light at the end of every tunnel we traveled through, it wasn't waiting for us on the other side.
It had been riding on the back of the motorcycle the entire time.
🚨 Want to get more from 2Up and Overloaded? For as little as $5 a month, you can become a Paid Patreon Member and enjoy all of our videos, podcasts, and blogs completely ad free, all in one place. Your support directly helps us keep traveling, filming, and sharing the adventures with you. You’ll also get access to exclusive content, receive postcards from wherever we are in the world, and become part of a community of like-minded travelers, explorers, and dreamers. If you enjoy following our adventures, becoming a paid member is the best way to support what we do and get even more of the journey in return! Looking for the best BlueTooth headsets available? All of our followers get 10% off sitewide on Cardo with coupon code: 2UPANDOVERLOADED (all caps) at https://cardosystems.com/discount/2UPANDOVERLOADED

We took the long way around the island Penang, Malaysia with our friends, following the coast and taking in as much of the island as we could. But somewhere along the way, we noticed another motorcycle couple following us—and when we finally stopped, we discovered two people who turned out to be incredibly special and were following us for a reason.

Then, after a great Malaysian lunch together, we headed toward Ipoh, only to find ourselves caught in one of the wildest tropical storms we've experienced in Malaysia. And waiting for us in Ipoh was an unforgettable view of the limestone mountains… and a very unexpected neighbor.
Another day, another Malaysian motorcycle adventure that is always unpredictable and surprising.
🚨 Want to get more from 2Up and Overloaded? For as little as $5 a month, you can become a Paid Patreon Member and enjoy all of our videos, podcasts, and blogs completely ad free, all in one place. Your support directly helps us keep traveling, filming, and sharing the adventures with you. You’ll also get access to exclusive content, receive postcards from wherever we are in the world, and become part of a community of like-minded travelers, explorers, and dreamers. If you enjoy following our adventures, becoming a paid member is the best way to support what we do and get even more of the journey in return! Also CHECK OUT:
🐉 Our Thailand Motorcycle Tour! ➜ https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/thailandtour.html
🦧 Out Borneo Motorcycle Tour! ➜ https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/borneotour Looking for the best BlueTooth headsets available? All of our Patreon Members can get 10% off sitewide on Cardo with coupon code: 2UPANDOVERLOADED (all caps) at https://cardosystems.com/discount/2UPANDOVERLOADED

By Marisa Notier

Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

If you want to read our previous blog posts on Japan, here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2. Our trip around Japan has finally come to its epic, and actually, abruptly unexpected conclusion. Because although our trusty Triumph Tiger 850 motorcycle (rented from the incredible UBTouring.com) had thus far stayed loyal and true, it wasn’t until we got to what felt like the ends of the earth that we faced an insurmountable problem that meant we could no longer continue.

But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. In the last blog post, we left off in the ancient samurai city of Kanazawa on the main island of Honshu. If you were to look at the map of Japan, we were more or less in the middle, and a long way from our final destination of the northern frontiers of Hokkaido. Our goal had always been to head north as the summer season shifted into rain in the south, therefore escaping the clouds and thunder. And for a while, our plan mostly worked.
From Kanazawa we rode through Japan’s “northern Alps” where what seemed like around every turn we encountered thatched roof villages called “ga-sshō zukuri.” Many of these are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and museums, and we stopped at a few, marveling at this living testament to a natural and beautiful way of life that was virtually untouched by the modern world.
The structures are huge and impressive, with entire families having lived under one roof. The thatch needed to be incredibly thick, and the rooftop inclines would have to be steep to withstand heavy snowfall. Typically on the first floor were living quarters, a shrine, and an open fire pit for cooking. But the second and third stories was where they got busy, either with silkworm production, or grain storage, reed-weaving, and other activities that could continue under a warm roof even in the harsh winters.
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And harsh winters makes sense, because we were in the high-altitude region of Honshu where Japan’s tallest mountain ranges are located, many still with snow on top. Riding a motorcycle through this beautiful alpine area is like being an ant lost in a treasure chest of stunning gems. We crossed ruby red bridges suspended over sapphire rivers, nestled between emerald hills and golden rice paddies patchworking through the valleys. And surrounding us were the jagged mountains capped in the blinding light of snow shimmering like diamonds.
And then we got to Mastumoto Caslte – the Fortress of the Black Crow.

You may recall us previously exploring Himeji Castle – the Fortress of the White Heron. Painted so white, it almost glistened pink, like a blushing cherry blossom in the sunlight. Well, Matsumoto Castle is as much Himeji’s opposite as a castle ever could be. Black and foreboding, Matsumoto doesn’t beckon you or whisper warm words of welcome. It stands with broad shoulders against a backdrop of snow-tipped mountains, dwarfing the peaks as if they’re nothing more than decoration. And like those natural barriers of mountain ice surrounding the castle, a deep and silent moat edges Matsumoto’s steep stone walls, while iron-sharp gables crown its upturned rooftops.
Needless to say, we loved every second we were there. In fact, if you had to ask me which was my favorite castle of Japan that we saw (and there are many we sadly missed), I might just have to say this one. Even though Himeji is bigger and more famous, it’s the mystique, the stark juxtaposition, the stoic ferocity that Matsumoto gives off that makes me so in awe of it.
After leaving Matsumoto, we traveled north into a land of dramatic seismic activity. And it all started with the snow monkeys.
So it was summer and there wasn’t any snow. But you may have at one point seen a picture of a cute red-faced Japanese monkey sitting in a hot spring as the snow falls all around like she’s just enjoying herself at a monkey spa. The "snow monkeys" as they're called, can be found at Jigokudani (a.k.a. Hell Valley) where we got to see these fascinating privates hang about, play with the young ones, and even go into the natural hot springs! Of course, there wasn’t any snow around, and it was a hot enough day that most monkeys felt no need to take a dip into the steaming water. But they were there, they were wild, they were adorable, and it was a dream come true to see them! But the real volcanic showstoppers were still to come. Past Jigokudani we rode high into the mountains, but these weren’t typical mountain roads. We didn’t realize it at first, but these were highways crawling up the slopes of volcanoes! We’d ride up and up, until patches of snow blanketed the edges of the pavement. And then what seemed like out of nowhere, we’d take a turn and were confronted with a stream of steam spouting from the rocks, or sulfur-smelling gases bubbling out of mud. The cracks between sickly yellow-green-streaked boulders would hiss and spew out toxic fumes. At one point in time, we parked the bike and stepped onto a path that edged along a volcano crater that was filled with an unnaturally green lake, as deeply rich as sea kelp. At another point we trekked through the snow to the “Dragon’s Eye” that can only be seen in the first week of June. The icy-blue eye of the beast only shows its pupil as the snows begin to melt, before the summer transforms the dragon iris back into its disguise of just an ordinary pond. At yet another point in our journey north, we came to a geothermal area where people laid out small tatami mats onto the warm stones to “rock bathe” in the volcanic heat. Honestly, we were a bit confused by this new (but probably really ancient) spa treatment, since people were laying there breathing in the sulfuric gases all day. It didn’t seem healthy to me, but then again, Japanese people do live to be very old. Maybe there was something to it.  Join us in Thailand or Borneo as we explore the most beautiful regions of Southeast Asia! Take a look at all of our latest tour dates at: https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/ Finally, we came to the city of Aomori at the end of the road on the main island of Japan. From there, we hopped on a four-hour ferry that brought us to Japan’s mysterious northern neighbor -- Hokkaido. Hokkaido is known as the Wild North of Japan. And that’s because for most of Hokkaido’s history the Japanese never lived there, and it was inhabited primarily by the Ainu people, a group culturally and linguistically very different from the Japanese. While staring up at the their giant totem poles where owls, bears, and eagles reached to the sky, to my American mind, the Ainu reminded me more of the Inuit and the people of Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest than the people of Japan. It was here in Hokkaido when a typhoon hit and the storms caught up to us. We sought shelter in the big city of Sapporo (where the beer is from), and enjoyed the hot springs of our luxurious hotel there. But high prices and a tight time constraint on our trip didn’t allow us to stay there for long. So once the storm seemed to have mostly passed, we crossed our fingers and headed away from the coast and into the heart of the island. I can’t express how different Hokkaido is from the rest of Japan, and how much it felt like home for me, as in the good ol’ Midwest. Yes, it had the forests and vastness and bears of Alaska, but it was actually like Alaska meets… Wisconsin. Weird, I know. In order to get to Hokkaido's famous volcanic mountain ranges, you have to first go through long stretches of what most of the island consists of – land that's completely flat. Straight roads to nowhere. Silos and dilapidated barns. Dairy farms and wheat fields. And lots and lots of more of that.
Hokkaido was not fully colonized by the Japanese until the late 1800’s when Japan wanted to fend off any threat of Russia taking it. Much like in other places of the world, colonization had a big impact on the local Ainu people, displacing them, assimilating them, and wiping out much of their cultural practices. Thankfully, it’s not all lost, and if you can get past the eternal rows of soy and corn, you'll find that the heart of the Ainu still beats proudly in Hokkaido.
We found that the true magic of Hokkaido is in its wild places. And in these dense boreal forests and snow-laden peaks, what really caught me by surprise was how completely unafraid the wildlife was of us. That’s obviously a problem when it comes to bears, which is always an issue while camping in Hokkaido, but all the other animals made me feel like I was Snow White followed by a fellowship of forest creatures.
Deer were everywhere. And little fawns with spots would nestle into the bushes next to where we’d put our tent. But the absolute best for me were the red foxes. With black-tipped ears, remarkably bushy tails, and very clever-looking eyes, they would wander the roads and campgrounds gracefully, greeting us like we were just another fox. Sometimes we'd see as many as eight in a day! It was truly an special experience.
And Hokkaido’s final stroke of wildlife spectacle was an encounter with orcas. Because as fortune would have it, we just so happened to be there at the best time of year to see killer whales! 
So of course, we got on a whale watching tour, saw our first pod of steam-breathing marine mammals in the distance, and got out our cameras… only to find that they didn’t work. All of our cameras... failed us.
It was the weirdest thing. We were eventually able to get pictures off our big Sony when it decided to function properly, and video off of Tim’s iphone, but every action camera was glitching so badly, it was turning on and off every four seconds on its own… it was very weird.

And then, the moment we stepped back on shore, they all worked again and have been flawless ever since. We don’t know what exactly happened to our cameras, but we do know one thing – we were really close to Russia. Unlike Sarah Palin, we could actually see it. In fact, one time as we were chasing a pod of whales, we had to stop because we couldn’t go into Russian waters. Those orcas had officially crossed the border and had become Russian whales. Oh well.
Back on dry land on the Shiretoko Peninsula, we were loving our time in the northern reaches of Japan, even though we knew our trip was soon coming to a close. But we expected to ride the bike all the way back down to Tokyo, to UB Touring where we had rented it from.
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What we didn’t expect was that the next day, our trip would to come to a very abrupt end. As the sun rose and we crawled out of our tent, I started eating my 7-Eleven breakfast of soft-boiled eggs while Tim was checking the tires... when he realized that there was cord showing.

​This was bad, really bad. We had been trying to get new tires for weeks, calling different dealerships, but no one in Japan stocks tires, and ordering them would’ve taken weeks. Wes from UB Touring had stepped in to help us, he even had new tires that he was willing to ship out to us, but the dealerships refused to change them for liability reasons. We were stuck with the tires we had, and now these tires were worn to the bone.
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Riding on tires so bald that the cord shows is ridiculously dangerous. So we made a quick emergency change of plans to head to the port in Hokkaido where there was a ferry that could take us and the bike straight back to Tokyo. All in one fell swoop, we’d be back. Wes would pick us up at the dock in Tokyo, so all we needed was to get that bike to the ferry in Hokkaido. It was only a couple hours of riding, but we were nervous the whole time. We went slowly and pulled over to check the tires over and over again. Luckily, the rubber seemed to be holding strong and we were able to make it to the ferry. We made it back to Tokyo, and our trip in Japan was suddenly over.

Before we knew it, the sun over our Japan journey had set. But wow, we couldn’t have asked for a better couple of months riding through scenery that will forever be etched in our memories. Arigato🙏 to UB Touring, and most of all, to the incredible country of Japan.

And thank you, our beloved Patrons, for being patient as we haven’t been able to get videos out during this time. But now we’re back in Malaysia and working hard, so the content should be beginning to flow again! Love following our journey? Become a Paid Member and help support the adventures while unlocking exclusive perks. Your contribution helps support our Blogs, Video creations, and Podcasts by Becoming a Paid Member for as little as $5 a month to receive all of our content ad free on one platform.

​We are building a community of like minded travelers, explorers, and dreamers and it would be wonderful for you to join us as we travel the world together! Plus, we send out postcards from wherever we are in the world, and your paid membership unlocks the 3 eBooks Tim has written as well as other fun and interactive benefits!  Products we LOVE and TRUST as we have travel the world over the last 9 years.

Adventure Motorcyclist's Essentials:
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There are few things more exciting than preparing for a new motorcycle adventure. Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a journey across continents, choosing the right gear is just as important as deciding what motorcycle to ride. As we packed our lives once again into two panniers and a rear duffel, we found ourselves preparing for a challenge we'd never really embraced before.

Heat.
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The above video is a flashback to the gear we chose to bring with us to Southeast Asia, and the below blog breaks down our updated review after testing the gear while riding through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. We have listed the pros and cons of all of the gear and provided links to Amazon so you can see other in depth reviews of the products from other riders as well. For years we've always leaned toward gear that could handle almost any condition. Waterproof Gore-Tex suits, insulated layers, and equipment designed for four seasons of adventure riding. For Southeast Asia, our priorities completely changed. We still wanted excellent protection, but cooling became the number one objective.

Riding across continents on a motorcycle exposes us to all of the elements. The engine and asphalt radiates heat upward, the sun beats down on you for hours, and every stoplight feels like you're standing inside an oven. Add tropical humidity into the mix and your body has to work overtime just to stay cool.

But we didn’t want to sacrifice protection. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes riders make during the summer months is taking off their protective gear to survive the heat. We've all seen riders wearing shorts, flip-flops, and T-shirts because "it's just too hot." After years of riding together, we've learned that no amount of comfort is worth compromising our safety. If we ever have a fall, we want every advantage proper riding gear can provide.

Instead, our goal was to find gear that provides maximum airflow while still offering serious abrasion resistance and impact protection.
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That's exactly what we set out to do before we headed into the heat of Southeast Asia. Choosing Gear for Hot Climates

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and much of Southeast Asia all share similar riding conditions. The temperatures are high, humidity is relentless, and afternoon rain showers can appear almost without warning. That combination requires a completely different approach than riding through places like Alaska, Patagonia, or northern Europe.

Fortunately, many manufacturers have begun designing adventure gear specifically for these environments. Large mesh panels, lightweight armor, and breathable materials have made hot weather riding much more comfortable than it was even a decade ago.

Of course, comfort only matters if you're willing to keep the gear on.

The best motorcycle jacket in the world doesn't protect you if it is strapped to the back of the bike because it's too hot to wear.

Mesh Gear Changed Everything

The biggest change in our riding setup was moving away from laminated Gore-Tex adventure suits and embracing dedicated mesh gear.
I chose the Klim Baja Jacket and matching Baja Pants , while Marisa went with the Klim Avalon Jacket paired with Klim Outrider Riding Pants . At first glance, mesh jackets almost seem too light to offer real protection, but modern adventure mesh gear strategically places abrasion-resistant materials and armor in high-impact areas while allowing large sections of the jacket to flow air directly across your body.
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Once you're moving, the difference is incredible. Instead of trapping heat, the wind flows through the jacket, around your arms, across your chest, and out the back. That constant airflow helps your body's natural cooling system work much more efficiently.
Marisa immediately noticed the difference during a test ride in Florida on a hot summer day. Even at relatively low speeds, air flowed through the jacket so well that simply changing the position of her arms dramatically increased cooling across her shoulders and sides.

Quality adventure mesh jackets still include CE-rated armor in the shoulders, elbows, back, hips, and knees, along with highly abrasion-resistant materials where you need them most.

The mesh simply replaces unnecessary fabric in low-impact areas to maximize airflow.

When people sign up for our tours throughout Southeast Asia, we warn all of our guests not to wear anything Gore-Tex and we highly recommend full mesh gear. It's a much smarter solution than leaving your jacket unzipped or deciding not to wear one at all.
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At first, I loved my mesh Baja Mesh Outer Pants. There really wasn’t anything wrong with them by themselves, but after years on the road, having an additional bulky piece of gear that went over a lightweight pair of pants underneath seemed redundant.  Marisa and I have now switched to Ugly Bros MOTORPOOL pants that have removable hip and knee armor. Now our riding pants quickly turn into “civilian” pants after a long day’s ride. They are much more comfortable to hike around temples and up volcanos in compared to taking off my mesh outer pant and stashing them on the motorcycle hoping that no one takes them while we are off on a mini adventure. Klim makes the same kind of jeans with armor, but sadly they have not nailed down the female physique and Marisa had a hard time fitting into a pair that matched both her waist size and inseam. We both wear Ugly Bros and will be wearing them for the foreseeable future.

It is also worth mentioning that my Baja jacket has ample pockets for stashing my phone and wallet. In comparison, Marisa's Avalon jacket has much smaller pockets that render them almost useless. I am not sure why this design flaw is only in the women's jackets.

Jacket and Pants Reviews:

Men's Baja Jacket ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: Lightweight, excellent ventilation, large pockets with plenty of storage for a phone and wallet, great protection with D3O CE Level 1 Elbow, Shoulder, Back Pads (you can also upgrade to Level 2 armor), very flexible and comfortable to wear (no restrictions in the elbow or shoulders)

Cons: I honestly do not have any cons for my Men's Baja Jacket.

Women's Klim Avalon Jacket ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Pros: All of the same features of protection ventilation and flexibility of the Men's Baja Jacket. Actually fits women well and isn't just a smaller version of a men's size.

Cons: The two external pockets can just barely fit Marisa's phone.
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Men's Baja Mesh Outer Pants ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Pros: Large easily accessible pockets for wallet, passport, and phones. Great ventilation and built in knee and hip pads.

Cons: Sometimes it feels like the knee pads may slide out of position in case of a fall. They don't stay in place directly over the kneecap and tend to move inward as my leg moves outwards. The over pants are bulky and are an extra pair of gear that needs to be stored when not on the motorcycle. They take up a lot of room in the luggage when flying from one destination to another and I usually end up wearing them on the plane.

Women's Klim Outrider Riding Pants: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Pros: Great protection with snug fitting armor. Can be worn fairly comfortably off of the motorcycle without the extra bulk of stand alone over pants.

Cons: Klim has not quite nailed down the female physique as they never fit Marisa properly in the waist. In a sitting position, the waist was tight, there was no elastic, and it dug into her stomach. Getting a size larger would've been too bulky and large for the rest of the pants.

Men's and Women's Ugly Bros Pants: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: All of the advantages of well fitting protection that stays in place. The knee pads are removable from the outside of the pants (not via an inside pocket) quickly turning them into a comfortable pair of jeans. Ugly Bros actually understands the difference between men's and women's waist size compared to inseam. They fit amazingly well on both of us.

Cons: We have Zero complaints about our Ugly Bro Pants!

Gloves, My Weakness! When riding in tropical climates, your hands are constantly exposed to the elements. They're in the sun all day, they're the first thing to get soaked in a downpour, and they're your only connection to the motorcycle. Finding gloves that balance protection with airflow is every bit as important as choosing the right jacket.

After a long and expensive spree of purchasing multiple different gloves, for this trip I switched to Klim's Mojavie Pro Gloves , and they quickly became my favorite gloves. I used to think spending $100 on a pair of gloves was ridiculous, but after buying 5 pairs of $20 gloves that did not fit well, or have good construction, I now realize a pair of $60 - $100 gloves would have been an easier pill to swallow rather than constant disappointment in cheaper alternatives.
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The Mojave gloves are lightweight construction and excellent ventilation made them ideal for Southeast Asia's heat, while still providing the protection we expect from quality motorcycle gloves. Even during slow traffic and long days in the saddle, they never felt bulky or overly restrictive. The added dexterity is something I constantly appreciate. Whether operating cameras, digging through luggage, paying for fuel, or simply using our phones during a break, I found myself leaving the gloves on far more often than heavier touring gloves. It may seem like a small detail, but little conveniences like that add up during months or years of travel.

Finding that balance between airflow and protection will keep your hands comfortable without sacrificing safety.

For Marisa, Klim falls short of a proper female line up that has the same protection as the men's line. She opted to wear a small size of the Mojave as it had knuckle protection and padding on the wrist. But the extra room in the glove made her fingers look kind of extraterrestrial. Whereas the KLIM Women's XC Lite Off-Road Motorcycle Gloves has far less protection and I don't think the terminology "Off-Road" should be in the description.  Gloves Reviews:

Men's Klim's Mojavie Pro Gloves: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: Breathable, flexible, and offers good protection for lightweight category

Cons: I can't think of any cons as they have lasted years and are still comfortable and have held together well (though when it rains, my hands do sometimes turn a bluish color).

Women's XC Lite Off-Road Motorcycle Gloves: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5

Pros: At $40 the gloves are a fair price for what protection they do offer

Cons: Not a lot of protection besides blocking UV rays and bike falls at a standstill.

Rain Is Inevitable. Plan for It. One thing that never changes in Southeast Asia is the fact that it will rain.

It doesn't matter if you're riding through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, or Vietnam. At some point you're going to get caught in the rain. Sometimes it's a light afternoon shower. Other times it's a tropical downpour so intense you can barely see the road in front of you.

Because our riding suits were no longer waterproof, we knew we'd need a different strategy.
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Instead of carrying heavy laminated Gore-Tex jackets, we packed lightweight Klim Stow Away rain jackets and rain pants. The idea was simple. Stay cool during the majority of the ride, then quickly throw on waterproof layers whenever the skies opened up. I used to be a huge fan of “One Jacket and Pants to Rule Them All” as far as being able to cover all types of weather conditions throughout a multi-year journey across different climates. But I have come to realize that Gortex may be “good” in all weather conditions, but it’s not great in any single situation except for extreme cold or wet conditions. There simply aren’t enough vents for your chest / arms / legs to breathe comfortably.

Marisa and I have now gone back to a layering system. We can now add on gear, let it be our rain gear, Women's Columbia Storm Surge Pants , Men's Torrent GTX Over Pant , down jackets, and heated gear, (or better yet a combination of both heated and down jackets like our Mosko Moto Ectotherm Insulated 12v Heated Jackets ). Our base gear is mesh for maximum airflow for the hottest of days . Rather than wearing heavy Gor-Tex gear all day and overheating, we ride comfortably in breathable mesh gear and only add waterproof protection and warm layers when we actually need it.

Rain Gear Reviews:

KLIM Men's Forecast Jacket Waterproof Gore-Tex Overshell: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: The Forecast Jacket is the jacket I currently wear, it is the updated version of the Enduro S4. The S4 was made of a durable waterproof neoprene-like material whereas the Forecast jacket uses Gore-Tex and withstands the rain a lot longer than the Schoeller 4-way stretch fabric. There are vents underneath both arms that allow airflow on humid rainy days while still preventing getting drenched in downpours. The jacket also acts as a windbreaker on cold days and keeps me insulated while blocking all of the mesh that the Baja has. It is a great layering up system. Packs down small when not in use.

Cons: No cons for this versatile and useful piece of gear.

Men's Torrent GTX Over Pants ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: The Torrent pants are also Gore-Tex and block moisture from seeping in longer than non-Gore-Tex equivalents. I stay completely dry in the worst of weather. These also add a layer of warmth on cold mountain rides. Plus, they have full-length pant leg zippers that allow for quick on and off access over your other pants and boots.

Cons: They are a lot bulkier than Marisa's Columbia Pants. But we have a good location on the outside of our rear duffle that we store all of our rain gear in for quick access. The extra bulk is worth the additional rain resistance in my opinion.

Women's Columbia Storm Surge Pants ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: Lightweight, packs down much smaller than Klim's Gore-Tex Pants. Great overall rain protection.

Cons: Marisa's butt still gets damp after long periods of rain or if the seat is soaked.

Men's and Women's Mosko Moto Ectotherm Insulated 12v Heated Jackets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: 2 in 1 comfort. With both a heated element as well as a 100g of synthetic insulation makes this jacket versatile for both chilly mornings taking down camp as well as cold days at elevation. The jackets can be adjusted by 3 settings for warm, toasty, and hot depending on the what you want. There is no longer a need for a separate heated jacket with an additional puffy style down jacket. It fits comfortably over our mesh jackets and our rain gear is large enough to go over the heated jacket.

Cons: We have no complaints and love this multi use piece of gear!

Comfort Matters More Than You Think

Whenever people ask us how we're able to spend entire days riding together on one motorcycle, they're often surprised that our answer isn't horsepower or suspension. it's comfort.
When you're traveling two-up, even small improvements can completely change how enjoyable a ride becomes. One of those improvements has been our Dynamic Accessories backrest and luggage rack.

Marisa has used it for years, and it provides far more support than many people realize. She can relax into the backrest and keeps her, as well as our luggage, secure. That makes long days all the more more enjoyable after hundreds of miles on the road.
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Long-distance motorcycle travel isn't about enduring discomfort. It's about eliminating the little things that slowly wear you down day after day. Dynamic Accessories Rack ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Pros: We love this pillion backrest / rack and dread the days we don't have one installed on the current motorcycle we are touring on.

Keeping the Boots We Already Had, With Mixed Reviews While our jackets and pants changed dramatically for this trip, our boots didn't.

I continued riding in my Klim GTX Adventure Boots , while Marisa stuck with her Sidi Adventure 2 Boots . Both have already survived thousands upon thousands of miles through mud, gravel, rain, mountain passes, and plenty of unexpected tip-overs.

When people sign up for our tours in Borneo or Thailand, proper boots are the primary piece of safety gear I always stress our guests bring. Your ankle is the first point of impact in most falls and a proper pair of boots can avoid turning a sprained ankle into a broken ankle.
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A good adventure boot supports your ankles, protects your feet from impacts, and gives you confidence when you're riding rough terrain or maneuvering a fully loaded motorcycle. Tim’s Boot Update After 3 Years of Use:

Even though we were sponsored by Klim, I don’t think I would get another pair or suggest Klim’s GTX boots. They started to fall apart, and the soles pretty quickly deteriorated compared to the Alpinestar Toucans .

I want to be as transparent as possible even though we have been given some items for free to test in real life scenarios.

Now, 3 years later, the entire boot is failing, and pieces of the outer shell are falling off like a seal’s molting skin. Some may say that 3 years is a good lifespan for a pair of boots. But the Klim GTX boots became non-waterproof within the 1st year of use. And I am not a fan of the BOA locking system. It seems like an overly complex way to secure a boot in place of a good old fashion buckle strap.
Marisa still loves her Sidi Adventure boots, and we have seemed to fix the widely known “squeaking” issue that is the only real complaint. I think I will be switching back to the Alpinestar Toucans or the Sidi Adventure boots for my next round of adventure footwear.
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Boot Reviews:

Klim GTX Adventure Boots ⭐️⭐️ 2/5

Pros: Good protection and I always felt like my feet were safe.

Cons: They went from "starting to fall apart" to "replace immediately" pretty quickly. The waterproof liner failed when the sole started to come apart from the main boot structure. I also had to cut off the wire of the BOA tightening system because it started to fray and get stuck. It became an annoying feature every time I put on my boots!

Adventure 2 Boots ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Pros: Great overall protection and remained waterproof longer than Tim's GTX Adventure boots. The durability has lasted twice as long (and are still in great shape) after 4 years on the road.

Cons: They started off really squeaky! But after Marisa has worn them for years we finally used some silicone spray and the noise is now completely gone! They are also very stiff, but that is the point to keep joints safe and protected, but uncomfortable to walk around in.

Alpinestar Toucans ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Pros: Lasted twice as long as the Klim GTX Adventure boots and remained waterproof. Replaceable soles.

Cons: I think a truly "waterproof" boot does not last forever. These boots held up well, but did eventually get damp in torrential downpours.

Why We Never Ride Without Our Cardo Intercoms

After nearly a decade of traveling together on one motorcycle, we couldn't imagine riding without a communication system.

People often assume helmet communicators are simply for chatting while you ride, but for us they've become one of the most important safety tools we carry.

We use our Cardo Packtalk Edge units constantly. Sometimes it's to point out a pothole hiding in the shadows or a warning about a truck that's about to pull into our lane.

Other times we're simply laughing together about something ridiculous that just happened.
Being able to communicate instantly removes so much stress from riding two-up or with a group. The passenger isn't tapping on the rider's shoulder or trying to use hand signals at highway speeds. Instead, both of us always know what's happening.

On top of that, we use our Cardos for music, GPS instructions, and phone calls, all while keeping our hands safely on the handlebars. They've also proven themselves through some truly miserable weather, surviving countless rainy days without missing a beat. Even at highway speeds, Marisa sometimes uses hers to talk to friends and family, and her mom says she had no idea Marisa was on a motorcycle, the quality of the call is that clear!

If you're traveling with a passenger or riding regularly with friends, a quality communication system quickly becomes one of those pieces of gear you'll wonder how you ever lived without.
All of our Patreon Members can get 10% off sitewide with coupon code: 2UPANDOVERLOADED (all caps) at https://cardosystems.com/discount/2UPANDOVERLOADED

Cardo Packtalk Edge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
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Pros: After years of using Senas and different Cardo units, the Packtalk Edge is by far the most reliable and durable intercoms we have ever used! And they have fantastic JBL speakers.

Cons: We have ZERO complaints of our Packtalk Edge units! Final Thoughts

No single setup is perfect for every destination, which is why it's so important to think about where you'll actually be riding. The gear that performs brilliantly in Alaska isn't necessarily the gear you'll want crossing Indonesia or even just taking the trip in blazing summer heat in your home country.

For us, switching to lightweight mesh gear and packing separate rain and warm layers gave us a setup that was perfectly suited for months of riding through some of the hottest and most humid places we've ever visited.
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If you're planning your own motorcycle adventure in the hot summer months in your own backyard or in a faraway land, we hope our experience helps you build a riding kit that's comfortable, protective, and ready for whatever the road throws your way.
And if you have a favorite piece of hot weather motorcycle gear that you've used on your own adventures, let us know in the comments. We're always looking for ideas that make life on the road just a little bit better.

Do you want to test out your hot weather gear? Join us in Thailand or Borneo as we explore the most beautiful regions of Southeast Asia! Take a look at all of our latest tour dates at: https://www.2upandoverloaded.com/ Want to skip the YouTube ads and get other Member Only Benefits? Help support the Podcast, Blog, and Video creations by Becoming a Paid Member on Patreon for as little as $5 a month to receive all of our content ad free on one platform.

​We are building a community of like minded travelers, explorers, and dreamers and it would be wonderful for you to join us as we travel the world together! Plus, we send out postcards from wherever we are in the world, and your paid membership unlocks the 3 eBooks Tim has written as well as other fun and interactive benefits!  Disclaimer: We earn a small commission whenever you purchase something using our links at no extra cost to you. So thank you! Every little bit gets us further down the road.

Hey everyone!
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We've officially wrapped up our incredible journey through Japan and are back to business... editing videos! Although this episode is completely out of sequence from where our YouTube series last left off, I was inspired to put together this movie from an unforgettable four-day motorcycle adventure around the legendary Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam 🇻🇳. I'm so excited to finally share this one with you. It took a tremendous amount of work to bring it all together, and I think the finished film really captures both the incredible beauty and the very real challenges that make the Ha Giang Loop one of the world's most iconic motorcycle routes. If you've ever dreamed of motorcycle travel in Vietnam, this ride showcases exactly why so many riders consider it a bucket list adventure. It was an adventure in every sense of the word. Our ride around the Ha Giang Loop was absolutely epic, but we've decided not to offer guided motorcycle tours in Vietnam. The traffic is simply too chaotic for me to feel comfortable leading a group of riders through Vietnam.
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With that said, we do have brand-new tour dates available for our Tail of the Naga adventure through northern Thailand and our Borneo to be Wild adventure in East Malaysia. If you've ever wanted to experience an unforgettable motorcycle adventure with us, we'd love to have you along for the ride. We also offer a personalized ~45 minute documentary so you'll head home with a one-of-a-kind film of your own adventure.

Check out our November of 2027 Thailand Tour dates here - Tail of the Naga Dragon

Book your spot for our March of 2028 East Malaysia Tour here - Borneo to be Wild Back to Vietnam. Those of you who've been following us for a while might recognize our friends, Leo and his dad, also named Leo. We first met Leo while traveling through Africa, and later his dad flew us from Miami to Bimini (Bahamas) in his little airplane, which was an adventure all on its own! This time, it was our turn to show them around and introduce them to one of Vietnam's most spectacular motorcycle routes. By the time we filmed this episode, we'd already been riding a motorcycle through Vietnam for about six weeks, making our way from Saigon in the south all the way to the mountains near the Chinese border. We'd even ridden the Ha Giang Loop once before, so we thought we knew what to expect. As it turns out, this ride had a few surprises in store that made it unlike anything we'd experienced before. Vietnam has a way of doing that. 😉

Want to skip the YouTube ads? Help support the Podcast, Blog, and Video creations by Becoming a Paid Member on Patreon for as little as $5 a month to receive all of our content ad free on one platform. We are building a community of like minded travelers, explorers, and dreamers and it would be wonderful for you to join us as we travel the world together! Plus, we send out postcards from wherever we are in the world, and your paid membership unlocks the 3 eBooks Tim has written as well as other fun and interactive benefits! ⭐️ Bonus 10% off Cardo Coupon Code!

One thing we've learned after riding together around the world is that clear communication on the road isn't just convenient, it's essential. Whether we're warning each other about potholes, pointing out wildlife, navigating busy cities, or simply sharing the excitement of an incredible view, being able to talk helmet-to-helmet has completely changed the way we travel. That's why we've trusted the Cardo Packtalk Edge for our adventures. If you're looking to upgrade your own riding experience, our community can save 10% on Cardo Packtalk Edge units by using coupon code 2UPANDOVERLOADED at checkout. It's an easy way to save while investing in one of the best pieces of motorcycle gear we've ever used.

Save 10% sitewide and use coupon code 2UPANDOVERLOADED (all caps) at: https://cardosystems.com/discount/2UPANDOVERLOADED or by clicking the picture below: We hope you enjoy the adventure as much as we enjoyed living it.
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Enjoy! 😁
Marisa and Tim

- Tim Notier

Welcome to the very first episode of the 2Up and Overloaded Podcast!

The full blog post with pictures is below!

Follow our NEW Podcast on Your Favorite Podcast App by 🎙️ 👉  Clicking Here  👈🎙️ or search for 2Up and Overloaded on Apple/Spotify/Podcast and more...  

In this episode, Marisa and I share the full origin story behind our life of long term motorcycle travel. From meeting as teenagers in Chicago, to reconnecting years later after a decade apart, to eventually quitting our jobs and riding around the world together.

Below is the companion blog with pictures that highlight our very 1st episode. Hop over and sign up on Patreon to get all of our content combined all in one home for free, or help support the show and help keep us on the road by becoming a Paid Member for as little as $5 a month! Blog Post:

Everyone loves the photos of the twisting mountain roads, jungle landscapes, remote border crossings, and the beach sunsets after a long day on the motorcycle. But the real question we often get is: How did this all start?

How did two people from Chicago end up riding motorcycles across continents for more than eight years?

The truth is it did not begin with some dramatic decision to ride around the world. It began with two teenagers who met in high school and had no idea their lives would eventually come back together in the most unexpected way.

Before the Adventure

Marisa and I first met when we were young. Really young.

We first met in high school and were high school sweethearts. We went to prom together, but we were teenagers, and life had two separate paths for us. Marisa left Chicago to attend college in Maine, which is just about as far away from the Midwest as you can get while staying in the United States. We both knew that a long-distance relationship at that stage in life probably was not going to work out.

We eventually broke up, and for the next ten years, our lives could not have been more different.
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Marisa traveled the world as she backpacked across Australia, worked on farms in Ireland, stayed in monasteries in China, and befriended spider monkeys in Guatemala.

Her stories sounded like something out of a travel book.

Meanwhile, I stayed home in Chicago and built what many people would consider the traditional American life.
I bought a house, got a job, and bought a car so I could drive to work so I could pay for the car I bought to drive to work. Responsible adult things… Then I bought a motorcycle. My escape from the 9-5 was riding down country roads to and from work, and on the weekends I would ride my 1900cc Yamaha Raider to Starved Rock State Park and enjoy the small slices of nature that I could pack into my life.
When Worlds Collide

Years later, Marisa eventually returned to Chicago after spending a decade exploring the world. And she came back married… boo. It was a sad realization for me to hear all of her wonderful stories from “the one who got away” knowing I had lost a golden opportunity in a fascinating woman.

I hate to use the word “thankfully”, but she indeed got divorced, and we reconnected. I knew this time I wasn’t going to mess it up.
​
At that point I had my stable life and I suggested that she move in with me, and she agreed. But I knew our two lifestyles were potentially different. Her, a world traveler who had just come back from a life filled with international travel and adventure with the urge to see more, while I was on a career path to be thankful for as a high school dropout. But she was willing to literally sacrifice the world to be with me. I treasure her more than I can ever express for her not “taking the leap”, but instead settling down for a life that would be far less adventurous, so we thought.

To celebrate our new life together, we got matching tattoos. We both love the stars, so in the spirit of the vast unknown, but now tied together, I got the Big Dipper and she got the Little Dipper (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) tattooed on our hips.

The First Adventures

To Marisa, motorcycles seemed unnecessarily dangerous. She had loved riding horses when she was younger, but motorcycles are a different breed, with a few more horsepower than a lone stallion.

Living in the Chicagoland area, our options for dramatic scenery are somewhat limited. The tallest hill around is basically the pitcher's mound at White Sox Park. So our early trips were modest.
​
Marisa would time after time hop on the back of the motorcycle while slowly building trust in me and taking in the fresh air of the woods as we rode through the forests to remote campsites. And we kept pushing a little farther each time. We started camping near lakes, exploring backroads, and finding small places that felt far removed from the city.
Our love for travel and motorcycles merged into a common interest that satisfied both of our souls.
Around that time we also discovered the motorcycle travel documentary series Long Way Round, where actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode around the world.
​
For the first time, the idea of an extended motorcycle journey did not feel completely impossible. An around the world adventure wasn’t plausible at the time, but a ride to the American West was an achievable dream. The Motorcycle That Changed Everything

Eventually we realized our Yamaha Raider was not exactly built for the dirt and gravel roads we enjoyed taking to remote wild camp sites.
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So we made a big decision. We bought a KTM 1190 Adventure. The KTM was capable of riding down roads that I dare not take, but as my riding skills rose, the bikes capabilities would patiently be waiting for me. The 1190 was like a Siberian Husky that would be content with a walk in a city park, but I knew it longed for open landscapes and to be set free into the world. The Trip That Changed Our Lives

During a transition from one job to another, I left a three week gap between employment and with Marisa having the summer off being a teacher, we planned a “big” 19 day motorcycle trip around the Rocky Mountains.

We called it our Maiden Voyage .

The plan was simple. Trailer the bike from Chicago out to South Dakota, park the car, and then ride through the Black Hills, the Badlands, Yellowstone, and the Rocky Mountains.
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The adventure started in my driveway as I struggled to get the motorcycle onto the trailer. Riding a 500-pound motorcycle up a narrow 6 foot ramp seemed the equivalent of Charlie and Ewan’s Long Way Up. After an hour of gauging the situation, and Marisa getting bored of me failing to commit, I finally said a little prayer and successfully rode up the ramp onto the trailer. That was the start of the journey.

Once we finally got to South Dakota, a kind hotel receptionist even allowed us to park our car at her house for the week. It was the first of thousands of random acts of kindness we would experience during our travels.

Then we set off on the bike. And it immediately started raining.

The Reality of Motorcycle Travel

We quickly discovered that our gear was terrible.

Our helmets were open faced. Rain soaked through our jackets and our cheap rain gear felt more like wearing plastic garbage bags.

We were both cold and wet, and the “joy of motorcycle travel” wasn’t exactly living up to what we had imagined.

By the time we reached Yellowstone National Park, morale was not exactly high. Long days on the road, cold nights, and crappy gear all snowballed into us questioning why anyone would do this long-term.

Bad prep led to bad moods, and we found ourselves in a serious conversation about our future and whether this lifestyle was something we were actually interested in pursuing.
But the next day something happened that would change everything.

The Proposal
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At Yellowstone we took a hike to a beautiful overlook called Artist Point. I asked a French tourist if she could take a video of us with the stunning scenery behind us. Then I knelt down on one knee, dug out a ring that I had carried with me, and asked Marisa to marry me.
#wsite-video-container-202609836257037795{ background: url(//www.weebly.com/uploads/b/25584972-995... } #video-iframe-202609836257037795{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-202609836257037795, #video-iframe-202609836257037795{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-202609836257037795{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } } And I read her a little poem that I wrote:
​
From this moment in time, until the day we are grey haired and wear dentures,
I offer this proposal, if you accept, this will be the first of many great adventures.
They say opposites attract, this point could not be proven finer,
Than the joining of the stars above, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Her response?
"No."
"No."
"No."
Several times, no.
The French woman looked on awkwardly, but Marisa eventually clarified that she meant "No way!" in excitement, not an actual rejection. She proclaimed a solid “YES” and I could finally breathe again.
And just like that, our motorcycle trip had turned into something even bigger.
​
The clouds parted and the sun came down on us to help celebrate our new commitment to each other. Our ride through Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park was filled with all the ingredients of a proper motorcycle adventure. Exploring exotic landscapes filled with colorful pools and geysers, buffalo, snow peaked mountains, and roads that we leaned with wide smiles. The universe had tested us, and the stars were now aligning to create a new sense of wonder and love for each other... and a love of traveling by motorcycle.

A Plan Begins

After returning home from that trip, we knew one thing: we wanted more.

So we began saving. We sold vehicles, paid off debt, stopped buying unnecessary gadgets, and focused on one goal. Our plan was a three-year journey that would take us around the world in three stages. Year one; Chicago to Ushuaia, year two; South Africa to England, year three; Europe to Mongolia.

Our first major commitment was to set a departure date. And due to our love for the stars and celestial bodies, we chose August 21, 2017 - the day of the solar eclipse. That gave us 4 years to dedicate our lives to our new dream, and that date seemed like a million years away until it suddenly turned into two weeks away.
​
A far-fetched dream that seemed to always be on the horizon quickly became the day I put in my two-week notice. Are we really doing this?

After we stared at the moon eclipsing the sun in a surreal moment of reflection of what is to come, we nervously packed everything onto the KTM, and rode away from Chicago. The plan was to travel for three years. That was more than eight years ago. And we are still out here.

The Adventure Continues
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Since leaving home we have crossed continents, visited dozens of countries, and met thousands of incredible people. What started as a few weekend camping trips has turned into a life we never could have imagined. And we sorely misjudged the amount of time we planned on traveling the world by motorcycle.  We both quickly agreed that we would rather see more of less, than less of more. Marisa and I wanted to absorb the wonders of the world without zooming from one landmark to the next. It has been the best decision we have ever made, one that takes constant commitment, and we are still learning as we go. But over the years I have become a better rider, traveler, and husband. It has been an incredible gift that unknowingly started in high school back in 2002, and the future and its possibilities still present us with rewards, life lessons, and opportunities we are thankful for an a daily basis.

We are glad to have you along for the ride via our Blog, Podcast, and YouTube episodes, but if you want to experience some of the wonders we have encountered throughout our travels, you can Ride With Us in Thailand! Marisa and I now lead motorcycle tours through Thailand featuring the legendary Mae Hong Son Loop in northern Thailand, and the tour ends in island adventures in the south.

You can learn more and see the full itinerary at:
  2upandoverloaded.com Help support the Podcast, Blog, and Video creations by Becoming a member on Patreon for as little as $5 a month to receive all of our content in once home location. We are building a community of likeminded travelers, explorers, and dreamers and it would be wonderful for you to join us as we travel the world together! If You Enjoyed This Blog Post:

Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast app and share it with someone who dreams of exploring the world.

Thousands more stories are still to come.

Stay safe and enjoy the ride.

Tim & Marisa
2Up and Overloaded

- Tim Notier

Watch our latest YouTube Episode! 🍿 👉 Link to Full YouTube Episode Here 👈 🍿

Marisa, Brendon, Kira, and I woke up to another beautiful day. We were excited to check off a few more items on our peninsular Malaysia to-do list, as well as take some roads less traveled to potentially see hornbills, tapirs, and other wildlife.
​
Our plan for the day was to go from newly planted tea fields that rolled across a manicured landscape, to an untouched rainforest that had been thriving since dinosaurs still roamed the planet. We packed up that morning, and felt crisp chill in the air as we rolled out of the hotel's parking lot. It was a welcomed cool breeze in compared to the usual heat of Malaysia. We all wore our outer shell that was our rain gear because the skies looked like it could rain at any moment.

It was an "Earl Gray" day and it couldn't have been more suitable to roam through fields of tea leaves. 
Marisa loves tea, and British history, so this was a real moment for her to shine and wander through the tea fields as if she was searching for Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I am more of a coffee guy, but as a homeowner, let it be only a quarter acre, I can still appreciate a well maintained lawn and garden.
​
Marisa enjoyed her time and I knew that she and her mother would have a wonderful conversation that started with tea but would somehow turn into the latest gossip about the Royal Family or the current season of The Crown (Marisa informs me that show has been over for years... which shows how little I know about the British Monarchy).

It was wonderful to just see her smile from ear to ear on a misty day in Malaysia solely from the fact that she was surrounded by tiny green leaves. And I had found a new feline friend to keep me company as Marisa rattled off facts to the camera. The rainy weather of the highlands was perfect for tea, but not quite as satisfying for motorcycle riding. So after we all took in the view of what could have been a screensaver, we hopped back on the bike and headed towards lower altitude in hopes of ducking under the overcast skies.
​
Within no time at all, the four of us found ourselves back in the thick, humid air of the tropics. We were headed towards a National Park that seemed off of the beaten path, but because of that, it was the type of place that we would all enjoy. The Haks are avid bird watchers, Marisa loves spectacular vines that crawl their way up ancient trees, and I am a fan of the fresh air, good company, and I am always up for the chance, yet rare possibility, of seeing tapirs and tigers. Taman Negara National Park
​
Estimated to be over 130 million years old, this rainforest predates the Amazon. Spanning more than 4,300 square kilometers across three Malaysian states, it’s less of a park and more of a living, breathing prehistoric world. Once we entered the rainforest, the sounds, humidity, and sheer density of life hit us all at once. Every step felt like we had wandered into a nature documentary. Marisa won't admit it, but my David Attenborough impersonation is pretty spot on.
​
One of the highlights is the canopy walkway. Giant spiral steel staircases wind towards the heavens and end at suspension bridges 40 meters (131 feet) above the forest floor. These grated steel walkways seemed sturdy enough, but had just enough bounce in them to keep you alert. At the top of a towering viewpoint, the four of us looked out over the endless sea of green and we spotted Mount Tahan rising in the distance. At 2,187 meters (nearly 7,200 feet), it’s the tallest peak in Peninsular Malaysia and looks like it belongs in Jurassic Park.
Sadly, we did not encounter much wildlife, but high noon isn't really when all of the activity of nature happens. Cool early mornings, and after the sun hits the horizon in the evenings is when hornbills make their loud calls in an effort to find their mate.

Thankfully, I had the love of my life already standing next to me. I did not have to make any exotic noises or do any fancy dances, but I caught the eye of the prettiest robin on Jay Bird Street.
After walking the planks high above the sea of trees, we got back on our motorcycles and headed to our hotel. It had been a full day filled with great riding, weather, and on our way back we finally saw some wildlife... maybe not technically wildlife, but free range cows meandering between palm trees was a distant second best to a wild Malayan Tiger.
Twisty roads through palm trees on a sunny day will never get old. The colors stood out vibrantly as if some all knowing powerful being dragged the Divine Saturation Level over a bit too far to the right. The blue sky in contrast of the green fronds of the palm trees both made the little red road we twisted down feel like we were in an oil painting.
As the sun began to lower, rays of light broke through the clouds, turning the whole landscape into something that felt straight out of a Pink Floyd closing set. We have been so grateful to ride through this beautiful part of Malaysia and there is so much more to explore still ahead of us.
We are excited to share with you our journey as we continue to ride across peninsular Malaysia - from the Southernmost tip of Mainland Asia in Johor Bahru, to the Northern border of Thailand! Marisa and I are having the time of our lives and are so thankful to have you along for the ride!
​
We are also ecstatic to announce our latest motorcycle tour in Thailand!! Join us on an epic adventure through the endless twisty roads in Northern Thailand and relax on stunning beaches on Koh Lanta in Southern Thailand! Check out the itinerary and available dates HERE .

We would love to ride alongside you and explore the world together!  We can’t thank all of our Patrons enough and we are so grateful to have you along for the journey!
​
Not a member? Become a  PATREON  member to receive:
 ✅ All 3 of Tim's eBooks of our motorcycle adventures around the world! 📗 📘 📕
 ✅ Postcards from our around the world adventure! 🏞️
 ✅ Early access to the latest YouTube videos, Ad Free!  🎥
 ✅ Your name in the credits of our YouTube videos!  📋
 ✅ A warm fuzzy feeling by supporting our journey! 🥰
https://www.patreon.com/2upandoverloaded/membership 🚨 🚨 Blog Subscription Update!! 🚨 🚨
​
Marisa and I will slowly be moving our Blog from this subscription list to our  Patreon Page  . But don't worry, it is 100% FREE FOREVER to join our Blog mailing list on Patreon!

Join for FREE - FOREVER! No trials, no hidden catches. It’s completely free to join our Patreon Blog email list, and it ensures you’ll keep getting all our latest content. There are paid tiers that have additional benefits, but our Blog posts are completely free, no strings attached.

Earlier this year we had to switch our email list provider, and we lost nearly half of our subscribers . We never want that to happen again, so we are building our community of like minded explorers and friends on Patreon to ensure that everyone who signs up gets our latest blogs, YouTube links, and future Podcast episodes!​

Please  Join for FREE  now to ensure you keep receiving all of our content. We would love to hear from you in the comments or message board on Patreon.

🎙️ Welcome to Our Audio Adventure 🎙️
​
What does life actually look like after more than eight years of traveling the world by motorcycle? In our new PODCAST, Marisa and I will go far beyond the highlight reels, sharing the full journey from our earliest rides, to the remote roads and unexpected moments that shaped our life on the road. This is where we unpack the reality of an around the world motorcycle adventure, from the wins to the setbacks, the challenges that tested us, and the lessons that stayed with us. It is an honest, behind the scenes look at adventure motorcycling, and the stories we have never shared... until now. Why Start a Podcast?

While our YouTube videos will continue to showcase our current adventures, this podcast spans our full journey of over eight years of travel from before we ever pressed record on a GoPro or writing our first blog. We will dive into the crashes, close calls, cultural surprises, and lessons we’ve learned along the way. This is where we explore the stories that never made it into videos or blogs, including the moments that tested our patience, endurance, and relationship. We are thrilled to launch our very first podcast, going live on March 28th! 🎉
The first episode, Our Origin Story | From Chicago to 8+ Years on the Road, is already recorded and scheduled to air on March 28th here on Patreon or on your favorite podcast app. But before we record more episodes, we want to hear from you: the people this podcast is made for. What questions have you always wanted to ask about life on the road?
We Need Your Input

We want this podcast to answer the questions you’ve always wondered about. Imagine sitting across from us at a campfire, what would you ask? Here are a few examples we’re planning to explore:
​
• Funding Long-Term Travel – How do we afford to stay on the road for years on end?
• Adventure Bike Debate – Big and powerful or small and agile? Which wins on the road?
• Convincing Your Partner – How I persuaded Marisa to ride around the world with me 😉
• Motorcycle Maintenance Skills, or lack thereof – What do I need to know to get by? • Marriage on the Road – How we’ve stayed together through stress, long trips, and epic challenges
• Social Media – Behind the scenes of creating YouTube videos, blogs, and our podcast. Is it worth it?
• Packing: What’s in your luggage and how do you decide what to bring on long-term motorcycle trips? • Why Marisa doesn’t ride her own motorcycle
• Favorite continent / countries
• Health emergencies from Peru to Indonesia to Thailand Which of these questions stand out to you? Or do you have your own? Your input will help shape the stories and episodes we share, making this podcast a true conversation with our adventure community. We would love for you to comment on this post or in the 2Up and Overloaded Community Chat Group on Patreon with your questions!

This podcast is for adventurers, dreamers, and riders of all levels, and we hope it inspires you to explore, plan, and maybe even take the leap to see the world on two wheels. You will be able to listen to our podcast on Patreon, or by following us on your favorite podcast app 🎙️ 👉 Follow Podcast or by searching for 2Up and Overloaded on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Pocket casts, and MORE.

Join Us for the Ride

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering us, there’s a place for you to share stories, ask questions, and connect with fellow adventurers via the 2Up and Overloaded Community Chat Group.

We can’t wait to start this journey with you. Grab onto the handlebars, put your visor down, and let’s go for a ride!

Not a PATREON ? Become a member for as little as $5 a month to receive:

✅ All 3 eBooks written by Tim Notier! 📙 📗 📘
✅ Postcards from our around the world adventure! 🏞️
✅ Early access to the latest YouTube videos, Ad Free! 🎥
✅ Your name in the credits of our YouTube videos!
✅ A warm fuzzy feeling by supporting our journey! 🥰
👉 https://www.patreon.com/2upandoverloaded/membership 🚨 🚨 Blog Subscription Update!! 🚨 🚨
​
Marisa and I will slowly be moving our Blog from this subscription list to our  Patreon Page  . But don't worry,  it is 100% FREE FOREVER to join our Blog !

Join for FREE - FOREVER! No trials, no hidden catches. It’s completely free to join our Patreon Blog email list, and it ensures you’ll keep getting all our latest content. There are paid tiers that have additional benefits, but our Blog posts are completely free, no strings attached.

Earlier this year we had to switch our email list provider, and we lost nearly half of our subscribers . We never want that to happen again, so we are building our community of like minded explorers and friends on Patreon to ensure that everyone who signs up gets our latest blogs, YouTube links, and future Podcast episodes!​

Please  Join for FREE  now to ensure you keep receiving all of our content. We would love to hear from you in the comments or message board on Patreon.

Click here to sign up for FREE!  ​

- Tim Notier

Our West Malaysia Adventure Begins in Kuala Lumpur
 
​Read the Blog, then watch the video 👉 Link to Full YouTube Episode 👈 
​
After eight years of riding motorcycles across dozens of countries, we finally rolled into a place that had long lived on our dream list: West Malaysia.

And it all began in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. A city of gleaming skyscrapers, spotless streets, world class food, and narrow roads stretching toward misty highlands and jungle covered mountains. Kuala Lumpur felt modern, organized, and surprisingly easy to navigate. It did not take long for us to realize that this was not just another big city. It was a launchpad.
​
But before we could chase waterfalls, border crossings, and mountain roads, we needed one very important thing: a motorcycle.


Upgrading for a New Chapter
​

After spending a year riding a tired old Bajaj Pulsar 220cc across Indonesia, we were ready for something new. Something a bit more reliable and capable of carrying us across Peninsular Southeast Asia and, if all went well, into Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

Marisa and I were lucky enough to be able to borrow a motorcycle from a new friend, one who unknowingly to us at the time would shape our adventure into a journey we will never forget!
Enter our friend Faizal. Marisa and I met with Faizal early in the morning to introduce ourselves and meet the newest member of the 2Up and Overloaded team. And in Malaysia, no adventure begins without food.
Before even looking at motorcycles, we sat down for a proper Malaysian breakfast. It was a new set of flavors from all over the world. A mix of Indian, Malay, and Chinese food made a perfect blend for our taste buds to enjoy!

Then we met the bike.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 411​

We had ridden many motorcycles over the years, but the Royal Enfield Himalayan was one we have always been curious about. One look at the 21 inch front tire and sturdy frame and we knew it would be a perfect fit for what we had planned. It seemed to have simple electronics and was rugged for the amount of gear we would load on its back and the potential bumpy roads ahead. We both felt drawn to the Himalayan. It seemed to fit our style. And though it may not be as fast off the line as some more sporty bikes, it seemed like it would chug along without complaining much through any terrain.

We all headed to Sunny’s workshop, one of Faizal’s trusted mechanics, and the Himalayan got fresh oil and a once over. When it was finally time to ride it for the first time, we gave the bike a name. We knighted our newest steed: Naga. There is something special about that first ride on a new machine. The cautious clutch release. The search for the shifter. The small grin that spreads from ear to ear inside your helmet.
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So far, everything felt right. Reuniting With Old Friends
Five years earlier, while riding through South America, we met Kira and Brendan, better known as the Adventure Haks. We traveled together across the Bolivian Salt Flats, mud pits in Peru, got through breakdowns, and created some of our favorite memories from the road (you can find all these adventures in our book "Blood, Sweat, and Notiers").

Now, by pure coincidence, they were in the region.

So we invited them to Kuala Lumpur for another chapter together.
With Faizal guiding us through the local food scene, we embraced Malaysia’s national pastime: makan, which means eating. A lot. Huge spreads of dishes covered the table as we caught up and laughed about past adventures. Then we took in some of KL’s most iconic sights.
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The skyline of Kuala Lumpur rose around us like a city constantly reaching upward. Glass and steel towers reflected the tropical sun, but nothing commanded the horizon quite like the twin spires of the Petronas Towers. These architectural wonders glinted in the sunlight, and they have such a unique design, I consider them to be some of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the world.  Their stainless-steel facade shimmered in the humid afternoon light, the intricate geometric patterns inspired by Islamic patterns catching the sun from every angle. Later that afternoon we left the modern skyline behind and rode just outside the city to one of Malaysia’s most iconic cultural landmarks. Batu Caves rises abruptly from the jungle limestone hills, a dramatic wall of ancient rock that feels almost prehistoric compared to the polished towers of downtown Kuala Lumpur. At the base of the cliff stands the colossal golden statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war and victory. Towering more than 40 meters tall, the statue gleams brilliantly against the dark limestone behind it, holding his spear high as if guarding the entrance to the sacred caves above. From the plaza below, the staircase leading upward looks almost unreal. 272 steep steps painted in vibrant bands of red, blue, yellow, and green climb sharply toward the cavern entrance carved into the limestone cliff face. As we started the ascent, the tropical heat wrapped around us instantly. The air was thick and humid, and each step seemed just a little taller than the last. The resident monkeys watched everything. Long tailed macaques lined the railings and perched along the staircase walls, eyeing tourists with the casual confidence of animals that know they run the place. Some lounged lazily in the shade while others darted across the steps, occasionally attempting a quick snack theft from distracted visitors. At the top, the entrance to the main cathedral cave opens like a massive natural doorway in the rock. Inside, the space is enormous. Sunlight pours through a hole high in the limestone ceiling, illuminating the cave floor where small temples and shrines sit beneath the towering rock walls. The air felt cooler as the cave echoed with the sound of chanting, footsteps, and the flutter of birds nesting high above. Incense drifts through the cave as worshippers pause in prayer while visitors wander quietly through the sacred space. It is both a place of devotion and a reminder of Malaysia’s deep cultural roots. Hindu traditions brought by Indian communities over generations remain alive here, carved directly into the limestone hills that have stood for millions of years. From the futuristic skyline of Kuala Lumpur to the ancient stone of Batu Caves, the contrast is striking.

Within a single afternoon, the city revealed two very different sides of itself. One reaching toward the future in glass and steel. The other anchored firmly in tradition, spirituality, and the stories of the people who have shaped Malaysia for centuries.

But cities are only the beginning.

It was time to ride.

Heading for the Highlands
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Thanks to Faizal’s generosity, we now had two motorcycles: the Himalayan and the Bandit. Four riders. Two bikes. Just like old times. We left Kuala Lumpur behind and aimed north.

The Royal Enfield surprised us immediately. It was not fast, but it did not need to be. The suspension handled uneven pavement beautifully. It climbed hills without complaint. It felt like a small military tractor in the best way possible.
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Then came Fraser’s Hill. If anyone thinks Malaysia does not have world class twisty mountain roads, they are mistaken. The climb toward Fraser’s Hill proved that within minutes of leaving the busy lowlands.
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The road began gently enough, weaving through small patches of jungle, but before long the climb starts in earnest. Tight twists wind their way up the mountainside. Each corner seems to lead immediately into the next, a rhythm of braking, leaning, and rolling back on the throttle. Marisa and I just kept giggling to each other over our Bluetooth intercoms. The jungle presses in close on both sides. Towering tropical trees form a dense green wall along the road, their branches reaching high overhead and filtering the sunlight into shifting patches of shade across the pavement.
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As the elevation rises, the temperature began to drop. The humid heat of the lowlands gave way to cooler mountain air, and the scent of damp earth and vegetation drifted through our helmet vents. Mist hung in the trees, adding a quiet, almost mysterious atmosphere to the ride. The road itself was narrow and wonderfully technical. First or second gear became the natural rhythm of the climb. It is not about speed here. It is about precision. Smooth throttle control while finding the perfect line through the corner and letting the bike flow naturally from one bend to the next.

And the turns just kept coming. Looking down at the map, I could see that the route zigzaged up the mountain in a series of sharp angles that resembled a child’s drawing more than a highway. But on the bike, every one of those turns felt perfectly placed, as if it was designed specifically for riders who appreciate a good mountain climb. By the time we reached the cool highlands near Fraser’s Hill, it was impossible not to appreciate just how special these Malaysian mountain roads are. Hidden beneath the jungle canopy and far from the bustling cities below, they offer some of the most enjoyable riding in Peninsular Malaysia.

And then something went wrong.
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Road Gremlins Back on the main road, the engine began revving higher than it should have. And the bike was not accelerating the way it should.

I knew something was off, but my mechanical diagnosis of what it could be lacked the skill to know what was wrong with any confidence.

We had dealt with a failing clutch before in Bali. That repair turned into a two-week ordeal of waiting for parts and rearranging plans. The thought of repeating that on our very first day in West Malaysia was crushing.
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Every twist of the throttle sounded dramatic but delivered little power. We pulled over, took off our helmets, and a sinking feeling settled in. Thankfully, Brendan has a sharp mechanical mind. After some inspection and a few test rides, he realized that the handlebar adjustment had tightened the clutch cable slightly. He added slack to the cable and took the bike for a cautious test ride.
The Royal Enfield seemed to like the extra slack, and it ran much smoother. I was still uncertain that the issue had been fully resolved, but I was so thankful to have Brendan riding with us as he solved a problem that I would not have been able to do on my own. I always say that you don’t have to be a mechanical genius to travel the world on a motorcycle, but man is it nice when you have one along for the ride!

After a bit of cranking the throttle while in gear to see if it responded properly, I headed further up the road much more confident in our machine.
We pulled into a hotel after another 20 minutes of riding and took in a deep breath of satisfaction and relief. I now felt assured that we were able to ride further than only a single day out of Kuala Lumpur.

The Beginning of Something Bigger

This was just the beginning of a grand journey across Peninsula Southeast Asia. It began with new and old friends, stunning architecture, culture, and food, along with a mechanical scare as a reminder that the road ahead would have challenges as well.

Our 1st day on the road had the full mix of what makes a proper adventure.

And if West Malaysia had already given us glittering skylines, sacred caves, incredible food, legendary mountain roads, and a mechanical scare on day one, we could only imagine what the rest of the journey would bring.
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Stay tuned. The highlands, the borders, and the rest of Southeast Asia are waiting. Watch the full YouTube Episode 👉HERE! 👈 or click the below image!
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