Before setting to go to Turkey, I was trying to find a way to take SALEM with me but due to Covid, international trade was at a halt so the price of shipping it to Turkey was very expensive. As looking for a solution, one of my friends Alparslan called me and said you are looking for a bike aren`t you? What if I buy a bike here in Turkey and you can ride during your time in Turkey and then I will ride it and sell it back again. I mean how can I say no to this proposal?. After looking for a suitable, adventure model motorcycle, we ended up with Benelli TRK502.
The motorcycle I have used during my Turkey trip
Benelli TRK 502
When I came to Istanbul and the first ride with Benelli, my immediate reaction was Oh boy! This is much heavier than my SALEM (BMW 310 GS), there was almost a 70 kg difference. In the beginning, I had difficulty handling it. The engine was 500 cc versus 310 cc but it had the same horsepower. Nevertheless, I had to get used to it. Also, I immediately noticed the brakes were too soft and seemed wasn’t good and the tires were done, with no threads. If I were to go on a long trip, I definitely had to take it to service and I did. Everything was tuned, changed and I bought two Michelin street tires. There were no 50/50 tires for this bike, service guys couldn’t find it. So I was to ride off-road, first time with 100% street tires. After spending a couple of days in Istanbul, my first destination was our summer house near Kucukkuyu, Canakkale city. I have loaded all my stuff to Swmotech 70 liters, a duffle bag 50 liters, and a tent to the back seat. The bike also had one Hardcase tail bag. When I loaded everything, there was almost no place for me to sit :)) A bit tight but I had no choice because I had all my caving gear with me too.
After a nice ferryboat ride to Bandirma city, I took the roads between the mountains and fields, and after 3,5 hours, I was in our village called Yesilyurt. Our village is a touristic village and when I arrived late afternoon, it was very crowded. Our house was located at a higher altitude and had to ride a narrow, steep cobalt stone-paved road and make a sharp left turn to reach the gate. I was kind of regretting climbing that road with a heavy bike fully loaded and busy with traffic but I had no choice so I started to climb. Due to house constructions, cobalt stone was covered with silt and dust and when the time for a sharp left turn came, I couldn’t do it so I stopped and thought by slowly letting the bike slide backward I can turn softly to left. Dust! No brakes! Slide and big bada boom! My first fall from the bike. With a fast roll over, I was on my feet, thank god nothing happened. I saw the advantages of crash bars, also nothing happened to the bike.
Spending 3 days of sunshine, swimming, and also going back and forth, I was getting used to the steep climb to home. It was worth it!
After a beautiful morning, time was there to hit the road again. My final destination was Anamur, the most southern part of Turkey but I was in the most western part of the country so I decided to go to Izmir, my hometown to see friends and spend a day or two. I took the asphalt road near the seaside of the Aegean sea. I decided to use the highways as well to reach Izmir before sundown. After spending 2 days in Izmir, the third route towards my final destination was Izmir-Antalya was the longest route. So I woke up early and hit the road.
During my riding, I have come across two guys at the gas station during a break, doing a country-wide tour on a scooter. We’ve chatted a little bit while drinking my coffee on a hot day and thought to myself That’s the Spirit! We said our goodbyes and we were on our way. After spending a day and two nights, I was on my way to Antalya. It was a hot day and a long journey was ahead of me. When I start riding, I grow a habit of stopping almost every 1,5 hours and rest. This route to Antalya that I was taking was a long one. Late in the afternoon, when I saw a resting place with wooden kind of gazebos underneath the tree shadows, I was so tired that I had to stop. The owner fed me with tea and literally I took a nap for half an hour. Cool summer breeze under the shadow of the tree, oh boy, it felt good! Finally, I arrived in Antalya and treat myself to a good hotel right next to the sea. Again, I have stayed one day and two nights and met with my caver friends.
The route from Antalya to Gazipasa is one of the most touristic ones and there are a lot of small towns where the main road passes through. It is crowded, hot and traffic lights like every 5-10 km. I have taken this road so many times, even with a vehicle I always regretted it but alas I have to pass through it again, this time with a motorcycle. After a long ride and looking at the people who were swimming with envy, I throttled on! Late in the afternoon, I entered Gazipasa and directly move to the hotel on the main street. It wasn’t luxurious or anything but it was plenty for one night. In the morning, I went to the airport to meet Esra Acar, a caver friend who will be joining the Morca Caving Expedition. I was able to convince her to ride with me from Gazipaşa to Anamur city on the bike. The road between Gazipaşa and Anamur city is winding and on the right, usually high cliffs embracing the Mediterranean, and to the left is the continuation of the mountains going up high. This was the best place to get experience to carry a passenger. We have given all our luggage to the minibus where we were going to pick them up at their office in Anamur. I have told the rules for the passenger (dos and donts) from what I have learned from youtube videos. We took only swimming wear, a towel, and money. I thank Esra Acar for her courage to ride with a rookie like me. We start riding and climbed the winding asphalt road. In between cities, there are many small villages nearby the sea so I took the easy one to reach the shore and swim after an hour of riding. We had to stop a couple of times because it was too hot and we had to hydrate ourselves often. And mainly it was a good excuse to stop and enjoy the scenery, to be honest. After swimming at the sea, it would be terrible to dry with salty water. Thanks to one village woman, we have been able to take a shower from a hose in the garden and change at a very dusty depot underneath the house. Turkish people are really friendly and it is been proven time and time again. Finally, we have made it to Anamur and settled in a hotel with the other cavers. Tomorrow was a big day for me. One, to organize almost everything and do our usual visitations to the mayor, and second, a small but growing anxiety of struggle off-road, dusty roads. First time in my life, with street tires, I was going to experience mild to mid-level off-road riding.
70 liter dry Tail bag
Good but increases the center of gravity of the bike higher