On Tuesday July 18, 2023, I bought Anansi, a little Hero XPulse.
Of course I wanted a Honda CRF 300L — or a Yamaha XT250, which I adore — but couldn’t afford it. The 2021 XPulse with barely 3,200 kilometers was only C1,200,000 (under $2400). Can’t beat that! And there’s nothing to lose at that price. Just fun to be gained!
Plus, she was wearing Sahara tires. Surely a sign to buy her!
The red X on her reminded me of a Black Widow spider, so I named her Anansi, after the trickster from African and Caribbean tales. Anansi “is a rogue, a mischief maker, a wise lovable creature who triumphs over large foes.” In many tales, “Anansi sets out on a long difficult journey” and “teaches us about the consequences of making bad choices. ” (GRIN.) I post the cute photos below to envision myself with my riding teams. 🙂
After purchasing her, I rode home via route 137. I like the way she feels. Her favorite speed is 85 kph.
Sahara, my Honda CB 500X is happy with her little sister.
Last Sunday, I tested her out on gravel with a fabulous ride with a few dear friends from Recon CR, Robert, Harold, and Nacho. It was THE BEST fun!
We first rode to Piedras Negras then to San Antonio de Puriscal. Anansi did just fine on these gravel routes. But her real skills revealed themselves on Route 324 from Caballo Blanco (route 239) to Las Delicias. A marvellous and partly-challenging route.
Route 324 is mostly easy, hard-packed gravel, with lovely views and then tree-tunnel beauty. Gorgeous! There is, however, a tricky crossing of a creek/small river: once across one immediately climbs UP onto a steep part with two hairpin curves. After this, there are a few other rutted, rocky uphill parts, but no big deal.
We came to a crossing where we normally go right to El Sur, but Robert decided to lead us forward (left).
It was a delightful last part of route 324 that ended up between Las Delicias and Tulin. Yay! A wonderful adventure indeed, and Anansi was extremely easy for me to handle. Double Yay! The Sahara tires did alright, although twice the back tire slid a bit going downhill.
I left the team on the way to Parrita because I had ridden the day before with my dear friends David and Bernard from Los Rejuntados to Bajos del Toro. (Plus, I was hungry! :-)) I share some photos of that trip as well, though it wasn’t with Anansi. Just to celebrate being with Dave and Balú again. We had a nice time.
Anyhow, Anansi does great on both asphalt and gravel. I am happy to have a motorcycle that is easy for me to handle when parked. Hahaha! I have a hard time turning Sahara around at times. I am also more confident doing Recon with her, which I hope to do a lot of this coming year.
Yesterday, I went to La Esperanza de Nicoya, hoping to go to Coyote. First I went to Curú Wildlife Reguge. Such a beautiful beach.
I stopped by Tambor for lunch on my way to La Esperanza. Nice bay.
The route to La Esperanza is a nice gravel road that goes up and down. It is in good condition.
At La Esperanza, I stopped to ask some locals about the route to Coyote. They said I had to cross a couple of rivers, and didn’t act encouraging. I headed over, but when I got to the turnoff, I saw the route was a narrow trail with mud and puddles. I turned around and ended up heading back home instead of spending money on a hotel somewhere.
I look forward to doing this route in the summer, with friends. (I think I did it once with Adrian Acuña. Not sure.)
I was happy to catch the 3 p.m. ferry from Paquera and to ride home while there was still some ambient light. The word that captured my sense of my day was “splendor.” The riding life is truly magnificent.
RIDING IN COSTA RICA: FEEL THE BEAUTY. KNOW THE LOVE. LIVE THE POWER.
“Catch the blue train
Places never been before
Look for me
Somewhere down the crazy river
(Somewhere down the crazy river)
Ooh, catch the blue train
All the way to Kokomo
You can find me
Somewhere down the crazy river
(Somewhere down the crazy river“
Riding in Costa Rica 
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