the Mojave spirit
2020 luna scrambler field test report
Summarizing 2020 would be like reading a passage from Orson Welles. Even that might be insufficient.
A wrinkle in time that seemed stratified and surreal.
A script from a dystopian movie that turned into reality.
Our routines were shaken to the core and our daily patterns shattered.
Unpredictability, uncertainty and fear dominated our society.
Play Mojave spirit
It forced some of us to seek comfort, and others to venture out into the unknown
We are 2700 miles from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a place far from home. There are no buildings reaching for the sky, no sirens echoing. A place free of the marks of civilization. Just the sound of silence. Eerie at first, then deeply calming.
Unrelenting heat during the day and biting cold the moment the sun sets. Absent of most lifeforms except determined cacti and resilient reptilians.
No wonder this land is filled with ancient myths about struggle and survival.
About people losing themselves.
And finding themselves.
According to the legend, Mojaves – the native inhabitants of the desert, received their guidance, knowledge and power from the dream world, in which they had adventures and were given information and instructions.
The sky from the morning sun merges with the sand and creates a dreamlike atmosphere.
Calling to explore and venture out into the unknown.
Boulders the size of houses, gravel sharp as glass, and liquid sand as far as the eye can see.
This is not easy terrain for any machine.
For the Tarform Scrambler,
this was the perfect proving ground.
as part of our vehicle testing program, we wanted to give it a real challenge to see how it performs far away from the paved roads of New York.
The smooth delivery of power from the throttle to the rear wheel provided an instant take-off. The tires dug up the sand and the absence of vibrations from an internal combustion engine was more noticeable than ever before. There was no need to shift, pull in the clutch lever nor listen to the revs. As the machine was picking up speed, the front wheel started to wander. The instinct is to grip the bars tighter and stiffen up, but the opposite must be done.
Balance is achieved by holding on and letting go, relaxing the body, and letting the bike move underneath you, with you, standing lightly, with knees bent, centered over the bike to guide it.
The focus is shifted to the terrain right in front of you, scanning what is coming and anticipating the change. Sand hitting the bodywork generating a sound like heavy rain on a car.
This is when years of development are being converted into a pure experience
Our tests coincided with a celestial event where Jupiter and Saturn would meet for the first time in 370 years,
A Hundred miles from the nearest megacity, the stars
in the sky were glowing brightly as they have been for billions of years enabling us
to witness this celestial dance.
we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children
/Native American proverb
