Backcountry Discovery Routes’ newest adventure tour is the Southeast BDR, or SEBDR. Riders can explore the route beginning March 1, 2025 at the World Premier of the 1,300-mile route. It begins at the Gulf of Mexico, takes riders through the Appalachian Mountains, and terminates in Damascus, Virginia. However, there’s no need to stop riding there—the Mid-Atlantic and North East BDRs continue to Canada. This hat trick gives adventure riders a deluxe tour of Eastern U.S. backroads.
The Event
The Big Reveal takes place at the Aurora Cineplex in Roswell, GA. It will comprise the movie premier, exhibits, food, and drink. Following that is the release party, where attendees can meet the BDR team, rub elbows with other ADV aficionados, and chow down on free nibbles. Come early to ensure getting a free SEBDR T-shirt. Tickets are $30.00, available here. Riders who can’t get to Georgia can see the film at over 80 motorcycle dealerships in the following weeks.
Plan Your SEBDR Adventure
Eager to see the route and start a plan? Set an alarm for March 1 at noon PST. That’s when free GPS tracks, digital maps, FAQs, and travel resources will be ready to grab on the BDR website. Then click on over to the BDR Online Store for the waterproof SEBDR map produced by Butler Maps.
About the Route
Besides Florida and Virginia, the Southeast route crosses four other states: Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. That’s over 10 percent of the U.S. packed into a single BDR.
The SEBDR promises a variety of surfaces to ride, from highways and backroads to sand and slop. Good luck picking the perfect tire for this route. Dirt roads cut through dense Appalachian forests, river crossings may dunk a rider or two, and the optional sections challenge the best riders. Twisty pavement sections provide a smoother kind of thrill. And whether you believe in climate change or not, there will be plenty of it along the route, from sea level to mountain tops.
See for yourself:
Making It Happen
The BDR organization counts on the help of industry partners to plan, create, and test-ride a new route, and their list of supporters continues to grow. Key industry sponsors for the SEBDR are Edelweiss Bike Travel, Harley-Davidson, and Triumph Motorcycles America.
The list of supporting partners provides motorcycle clothing, accessories, parts, luggage, training, and much more to ADV riders. They are: Touratech, Eurosport Asheville, Mosko Moto, Motoz Tires, SENA, Alpinestars, Outback Motortek, Rev’It!, Colorado Motorcycle Adventures, KLIM, Austin Moto Adventures, West 38 Moto, Rogue Moto, Rever, SoCal Off-Road School, Cyclops, Black Dog Cycle Works, Moto Camp Nerd, and Doubletake Mirror.
A final note: riding the SEBDR this year will help rebuild communities hard-hit by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Because the last 300 miles were not ready for travel when the BDR film was shot they are not in the movie. However, they have been checked out and most of the final portion of the route is ready for riders.
Read more: Chattahoochee BDR-X
Images: Backcountry Discovery Routes
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