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South Carolina Adventure Route: Sea to Summit on the SCAR

Joshua Manning

14 min read

When we first started talking about riding the South Carolina Adventure Route (SCAR), I was a little skeptical of choosing the mighty—but somewhat limited—Honda Trail 125. Adding to that, we planned to camp for a couple of nights. Going slow was one thing, but what about the extra space needed for the gear?

Over the winter, we only needed to make a few upgrades. As this is a dual sport tour, we decided on Shinko 244 tires. They’re cheap, readily available, and technically fit without having to raise the front fender. That said, we did add about two inches of height to our fenders, just to be on the safe side. That also meant repositioning the horn so it wouldn’t dent the fender when the springs compressed. These modifications were easy, though—the hard part was figuring out how to pack. Even with practice, the final packing didn’t happen until we loaded up in the parking lot of our launching point.

There were many sights along the way that captured our attention, such as this iron bridge on—get this—Iron Bridge Rd crossing Stevens Creek on the morning we left Edgefield.

Leaving the Daily Grind

For Florian and I, the pavement ended soon after we said goodbye to his truck in Kings Mountain, NC. The green trees and red clay soil, scattered with mud puddles from last night’s rain, resembled tropical roads from another country. They reminded me of the Philippines. I was following Florian with what felt like 100 pounds of gear while scrolling through a mechanical checklist in my mind, like a Dakar racer scrolls a navigation wheel. Our pair of thoughtfully packed eighthorsepower Honda Trail 125s were eating it up as much as we were. Unlike Captain America in Easy Rider, could we survive more than 1,000 miles of the unknown in the heart of South Carolina?

Motorcycles & Gear

2022 Honda Trail 125

Helmet: Arai XD-4, Arai XD-5
Jacket: Lewis Leathers Super Monza, BMG leather jacket
Pants: REV’IT! Ignition 3, Mountain Khakis
Boots: TCX Drifter WP, Merrell
Gloves: Alpinestars SMX-1 Air v2
Luggage: Nelson Rigg, Hill People Gear
Comm System: Cardo Packtalk Edge
Camera: Fujifilm X-T5, DJI Mini 3 Pro

We entered the loop going clockwise in the Piedmont, a region characterized by rolling hills and an abundance of produce. We were diving deeper into a place that most people only ever pass by on major roads, going 10 over on their way to and from beaches and bigger cities.

Horses, cows, and other farm animals glanced up from behind fences to see what might have been the only action they’d witness all day. It may have been my Yoshimura exhaust that made them look, as it sounded like a swarm of bees, but the sound of Florian’s sewing machine assured them everything would be okay.

The primal itch scratched by motorcycle camping surely must have some deep connection to a past nomadic lifestyle of traveling on foot and horseback.

More spectacular scenery introduced itself as we made our way into the Francis Marion and Sumter national forests. In this part of South Carolina, mostly deciduous trees form an almost jungle-like environment. Paired with the noise of the cicada super brood, we really felt like we could have been in a much more exotic locale. Among the trees and screeching insects, we became one with it all, and our minds were freed from the daily grind. From here on, the only grind we would experience would be freshly ground coffee, tucked away securely in my tank bag strapped to the step-through section of my Honda’s frame.