Twisted Road member Matt W. tells us about his dirt roads, scenic back-ways, high-speed masterclasses, and meeting other members of the Twisted Road community. 

Tell us about your riding experience. How long have you been riding, and how many bikes have you owned? How did you first become interested in riding?

I've been riding all things two wheels for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my friends and I would jump on our pedal bikes and just go exploring, usually returning home well after dark. I always knew I would eventually graduate to a motorcycle, but wanted to "save" it for later in life. After a serious mountain biking accident in Moab that made pedal biking painful due to the residual plates and screws, I decided it was time.

My garage has become a moto mansion man cave and I don't discriminate: German (BMW), Italian (Ducati), Japanese (Yamaha, Kawasaki), English (Triumph). After a hiatus from MTB (mountain biking) and a logging a lot of miles on moto, Santa brought me an Ibis HD5 and I've been back to pedaling.

Have you taken any long moto trips? Tell us about them - where did you go, where did you stay, who did you ride with?

I had a work trip in the Denver area in spring 2020 but didn't want to fly because of COVID and the uncertainty of airline cancellations, so I rode my Yamaha XT250 from Salt Lake City to Denver.

I managed to find a route mostly on dirt roads and scenic back-ways, taking four days to camp along the way, which was a much-needed decompression opportunity. I arrived at my last campsite outside of Rocky Mountain National Park a little too early in the day to call it quits, but with a flat spot next to a creek, I couldn't pass it up. It was warm when I arrived, but very cold at night and I checked my GPS shivering in my sleeping bag to learn the elevation was edging on 11,000'.

This fall, I met up with my friend Josh in southern Arizona for a masterclass in riding deep sand which included a high-speed exit, pushing the bikes into Yuma for fuel, and moto camping amongst Saguaro and Joshua trees every night. I also have an itch for exploring abandoned mines, rusting junk, art installations, and hot springs in southeastern California.

Tell us some more about you - where do you live? What kind of work do you do?

Originally from Chicago, I'm a long haul transplant to Salt Lake City. I'm the co-owner/founder of a business that builds and rents camper-vans called Basecamper Vans. We have a fleet of vehicles that customers primarily use to visit National Parks in Utah and Wyoming such as Tetons/Yellowstone and Arches/Canyonlands.

What are your hobbies - what do you enjoy doing when you're not riding?

My main hobby these days is playing "BALL!" with my one-year-old border collie mix. He's my constant companion, and I wish I could take him riding with me, but I haven't figured that one out yet. Other than that, I enjoy backcountry skiing, climbing, biking, and, of course, riding motorcycles. Down the road, I would like to build a Kitfox and learn to fly.

Tell us about your experiences with Twisted Road - as either an owner, as a rider, or both. What do you enjoy most about being part of our community?

The best part about renting bikes on Twisted Road is meeting fellow riders. My last rental was an attorney and he had a bunch of exciting cases pending. We talked for at least an hour after his ride. It's great to meet new people and hear their stories. 

What are your favorite rides near your hometown?

Best bang for your buck if you have half a day out here is to head west out of town to Johnson Pass which is about ten miles of twisties in a rural community leading to an army base, which means (thanks to DOD money) the road is very smooth and well maintained. If time allows, you can tag on Eureka Pass and get a massive burger "motogeo-style" at Porter's Place.

Last question - where do you hope to ride one day?

I want to log more track days and become a fast boi.

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