If It Ain't Broke...Give It Time

Murphy is alive and well, and he is nobody’s fool. Patient, cunning, and devious, he will get you when you least expect it … unless you’re prepared.

We’ve been out here almost two weeks on the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route. The sun is about to set and we plan to camp at Rocky Ridge Lake on the Lolo Motorway. This two-track heaven follows the old Nez Perce National Historic Trail, also used by Lewis and Clark. With a few scenic stops, it’s an all-day ride on the BMW R 1200 GS LC.

My buddy, Dave, and I are riding at a good clip when, rounding a turn, we see a man and woman standing beside a Suzuki DR 650. A red nylon strap is futilely wrapped around the rear tire in a last ditch effort to make the bike mobile.

“Need anything?” I ask, slowing to assess their plight.

Hopelessly realizing I’m riding a bike with tubeless tires, our new friend asks, “I don’t suppose you’d have a tube and a pump, would you …?”