Our fledgling adventure motorcycling industry is at the precipice of an expansive frontier, loaded with anticipation of an exciting future. Scratching a certain itch for those who crave more, we’re ready to escape into the world of adventure outside of the urban box. Oftentimes it takes a visionary to lead the way. Just as Walt Disney took the helm to manifest a vision for his time, adventure motorcycling is ready for its own visionary to help shape its future. Enter Jim Hyde, and The World of Adventure—previously known as ADVLife.

The story began in 2008, when RawHyde became an official BMW training center after six years of fine tuning various educational riding programs packaged in an adventure lifestyle framework. Being the number one big enduro training facility since 2004 solidified the fact that Jim Hyde was helping to define the new term “adventure motorcycling,” first coined by Chris Scott back in the ’90s in his iconic riding bible, the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

So, we all find ourselves riding into the new frontier of this young industry with no all-in-one resource to guide product decisions, education, or community… until now. Jim has taken on the imagineer’s role to create a way for entry-level adventure riders to immediately connect with all aspects that will make them better, safer riders, while having fun exploring this new world with other like-minded individuals. This vision is what’s behind The World of Adventure, and testing the concept began at its first event, Adventure Days, November 2012.

The weekend began with the beasts rolling in oneby- one, up the long and winding dirt and gravel entranceway to the fabled RawHyde ranch. Hundreds of eager riders were looking to grab some big enduro skills, to check out top-selling adventure motorcycle products and services at Vendor City, and to attend many of the non-stop roster of seminars and talks in the packed schedule of this unique experience. And did I mention the chefs extraordinaire who were busily prepping the weekend’s gourmet delights included in the package? All of this orchestration came together like clockwork at the hands of Jim and his stellar RawHyde team. This would be the weekend that I would experience the best adventure riding event to date.

The venue was the RawHyde ranch in Castaic, California—a 120-acre adventure motorcycle playground—the perfect spot to prove that there is a big demand for “everything adventure” in our exploding riding movement.

Jim came up with the concept of The World of Adventure program after observing that most new riders were somewhat lost when it came to basic education about riding technique and gear. He realized that other outdoor recreation industries, like marine and RV, embrace a certain kind of lifestyle that ours was lacking. Boaters and RVers, for example, walk into an already fully formed world aided by associations and clubs that not only help but actively nurture all levels of interests. It’s what’s missing in our adventure riding industry, and Jim believes we can do something similar for our adventurous way of life on two wheels.

This event was a “call to test” our market with a one-stop-grab experience, where top products, adventure riding training, and community were within reach. It was a powerful draw, to say the least, and the first of its kind. Friday saw the RawHyde ranch’s back forty fill up with earnest riders standing on their pegs surveying plot availability amidst a colorful sea of unfurling tents. Once the helmet was off, it was easy to hear the buzz of excitement about having so many of us sharing the same passion in one place. Down past the arena, vendors were setting up booths that housed top adventure riding products: Touratech, Black Dog Cycle Works, Klim, Wolfman Luggage, Jesse Luggage, Happy Trails, BestRest Products and adventure bike dealers, to name a few.

After Jim’s welcome speech, it was easy to see that his wife and right-hand woman, Stephanie, was one of his major secret weapons in keeping the packed schedule moving seamlessly, as she slipped in to take the mic for class announcements. The rest of the RawHyde team, with assistant Barbara, and posse of top big enduro trainers, stepped up to the plate to make sure that all participants got the utmost out of the event extravaganza, and then some. Male and female riders alike saddled their beasts to tackle some great dirt classes in the arena led by the talented Thomas brothers, Shawn and Lance, who always seem to be able to raise a rider’s confidence to the next level. Then, there were the skidding classes that took the more advanced or ballsy riders to the edge of their abilities to prove that they, too, can reign over their machines and terrain. Friday and Saturday were packed morning-to-evening with the same not-to-be-missed classes, so that if you couldn’t make one the first day, you could grab it the next.
Mealtime, happy hour, and Saturday night entertainment were dialed in like a well oiled machine to satisfy all participants and vendors with the type of gourmet menu and fun that would ensure this event was a class act. And presentations of foreign land riders pumped up the masses with shots of pure inspiration, while classes like GPS navigation, field fixes, trail 9-1-1, and packing for adventure, added to the educational mix.

Now, what would be more fun than putting all of this training and education to the test? You better believe that it had to be challenging rides for almost every level of ability, both on the ranch and the surrounding mountain trails.

The cold front that hit us during the weekend kept everyone layered and huddled next to the all-day fire ring at times, and threw a curve to the riders who rode into the snowy elevations of the more advanced rides. It was all part of the adventure, especially when one rider got stuck in the snow after his fuel pump died. When word got back to the event HQ, hero-of-the-day Mike Spencer, general manager of BMW Ventura, left his booth to take a spare fuel pump up to the rider behind the wheel of his modified Rubicon Jeep. A perfect example of what our industry is all about… people coming together for adventure, passion, camaraderie, and the outdoors.

Through Adventure Days, Jim has given us a peek into a possible future. From this vantage point, it looks as though we’ll have access to our own adventure lifestyle through one destination portal—The World of Adventure program, where we’ll be able to witness the shaping of a Tomorrowland that delivers everything adventure.

RawHyde-Offroad.com