During the last ice age, the land surface of Drenthe was covered with glaciers and ice, slowly moving in from Scandinavia. This shift of stone and ice resulted in the creation of the Hondsrug, an elevation at the centre of Drenthe. It gave Drenthe somewhat of a ‘upside down soup plate’-look.

Some visit the plance to climb and pass the Watzmann, a mountain whose striking summit towers a whopping 2713 metres into the Bavarian sky . Others pose at and around the Königsee to polish their online fame, much to the chagrin of locals and national park rangers plagued by overtourism.

Where the Expedition truly distinguishes itself from the Norden 901 is in componentry. It shares the more stout Xplor suspension with KTM’s 890 R, gets a burly skid plate, as well as touring amenities like a more protective windscreen, centerstand, and luggage as standard.

You’ll get off the main Highway 93 and head onto the more scenic and a lot quieter Route 89, one of Americas most iconic roads that traverses the country all the way to its northern border with Canada. Sometimes called the ‘National Park Highway’.

The result was successful, as the tapered pistons had enough clearance near the top to avoid seizure there, but with smaller clearance and reduced taper along the skirt.

A close-ish pass while parallel with or going away from isn’t scary because no line change is needed by the slower rider; a close-ish pass while the slower rider is coming toward you often stimulates a steering input by the slower rider to avoid what they think will be a collision, or in fact would be a collision.

This guideline clearly delineates passing zones because when we pass riders who are parallel to our path of travel or going away from our path of travel, passing is easy and safe. This approach to passing has no caveats or exceptions. Faster riders must plan where and how the pass will happen.

Where the Expedition truly distinguishes itself from the Norden 901 is in componentry. It shares the more stout Xplor suspension with KTM’s 890 R, gets a burly skid plate, as well as touring amenities like a more protective windscreen, centerstand, and luggage as standard.

To keep that momentum going and give riders a better plan of attack for the actual journey to the homecoming, H-D has plotted six different Ride-In Routes, each starting from different points in North America and ending in Milwaukee, with an arrival date planned for July 12.

Driving the Himalayas is a challenge when it comes to weather and gear. We chose August which is rainy season. Hot enough to avoid most of the snow, but with the compromise of expected rain. Motorbikes move quickly up and down mountains. With huge fluctuations in altitude come huge fluctuations in temperature.