September 20, 2021 – Touring Oga Peninsula to Shirakami Line on the Vintage Z1R A Laid-Back Motorcycle Journey

September 19, 2021 – Touring Mt. Chokai to Oga Peninsula on the Z1R

It’s been about 20 years since I last went on an overnight touring trip with the Kawasaki Z1R.
Retracing the old roads I once rode, I found myself back at Oga Peninsula – the same spot where I spent the night way back in 2000.
Funny how life goes in circles, huh?

The Story So Far
As the title suggests, my ultimate goal for this trip was to conquer the Shirakami Line on the Kawasaki Z1R – an old-school 1000cc road bike.
To make it happen, I swapped the stock wheels for tubeless ones, and after countless rides on dirt trails with my trusty DT125R, I was ready for some serious long-distance shenanigans.
All that effort, just for this moment…!

Now, the Shirakami Line isn’t just your average twisty mountain road.
It’s an unpaved route that cuts through the Shirakami Mountains from east to west, packed with a bunch of mountain passes to tackle.
Basically, it’s a relentless up-and-down rollercoaster, stretching about 42 km – roughly the distance from Tokyo Station to Ome Station.
And I was about to take it on with my Z1R.
To be blunt, it was a ridiculously reckless idea.

The Reckless Challenge of the Z1R on Shirakami Line

No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find any record of someone riding an old on-road bike like the Z1R through the Shirakami Line.
Naturally, that just made me want to do it even more.
It’s that same twisted logic I had back then – like when I thought, “Nobody’s ridden a Z1R around Australia, right? Let’s go!”
Yeah, call it a bad habit of mine.

If I don’t take on one of Tohoku’s most notorious dirt roads with the Z1R, then what am I even doing?
Fueled by this bizarre motivation, I headed for the Shirakami Line.

A Detour to Nyudozaki

But first, a quick stop at Nyudozaki, where I originally wanted to catch the sunset over the sea.
Sadly, I arrived a bit too late, and with dinner time and the hot spring’s early closing, I had to give up on that plan.
Still, Nyudozaki in the morning was something special.
The rugged coastline popping out from the green hills was classic Oga Peninsula.
Would’ve loved to stick around longer, but with the clock ticking, I had to move on.

Northbound Journey from Oga Peninsula

From Oga Peninsula, I hit Route 101 and Prefectural Route 42, heading north.
Passing through Ogata Village, I came across this weirdly straight bullet road that didn’t feel like Tohoku at all.
Ideally, I’d have taken the Akita Expressway from Kotokumori-take to hit a 5 km straight stretch, but that was too much of a detour.
Instead, I hopped on the highway from Hachiryu and kept cruising up the coast.

Entering the Shirakami Line

The Shirakami Line, officially known as Prefectural Route 28 (Iwasaki Nishimeya Hirosaki Line), had a sign on Route 101 saying “Shirakami Line Open.”
Guess it’s a known tourist route, though there wasn’t much of a warm welcome – just a bunch of caution signs warning about maintenance.
At around 10:45, I finally dove into the 42 km dirt stretch.

Riding Technique on the Dirt Road

To keep the bike steady, I gripped the tank with my knees and relaxed my arms.
If I didn’t do that, the bike would bounce around like crazy, and hitting a big rock or gap could easily bend the wheels or pop a tire.
The uphill wasn’t too bad, but the downhill – that’s where things got dicey.
The weight naturally shifts to the front, making it tempting to press down on the handlebars.
I focused on engine braking and using the rear brake while keeping just enough pressure on the front to stay stable.
With those Michelin road tires, though, I had to be extra mindful – no lazy riding allowed.

The Endless Up and Down

It felt like the passes never stopped.
With no phone signal, my only guide was the occasional sign saying how far it was to Nishimeya or Hirosaki.
Even though I felt like I’d been riding forever, the signs would just mock me with “3 km to go” or something equally depressing.
Yeah, no kidding.
With endless hairpins and slow progress, it was no wonder I wasn’t making much ground.
Every now and then, I’d find a tiny paved stretch just wide enough to take a breather.

Reaching Tsugaru Pass

After nearly two hours of relentless riding, I finally reached Tsugaru Pass.
There’s this old 400-year-old beech tree nearby called the “Mother Tree,” but I was way too wiped out to go see it.
Maybe next time… if I feel like torturing myself again.

At the parking area, some locals were taking a break, saying they came up here for some fresh air during the pandemic.
Apparently, it only takes 30 minutes to get back down the mountain.
Gathering my last reserves of energy, I started the descent.
Almost wiped out when the tire slipped on some mud, though.
Left boot’s a mess, but hey – no major falls!

The Finish Line: Aqua Green Village ANMON

At last, I rolled into Aqua Green Village ANMON – the goal.
Was hoping to grab lunch, but the pandemic had the restaurant shut down.
Oh well, kept moving and grabbed some ramen at the Tsugaru Shirakami Beach roadside station.

Epilogue

By the time I hit the Tohoku Expressway heading south, the moon was already high in the sky.
It was just a quick two-day trip, but it felt more like a grand adventure than just another ride.
Definitely one of the best battles I’ve had with the old air-cooled Z1R.

To all the Z1R riders out there:
Yes, you can take your Z1R off-road.
And trust me – dirt roads have a charm that smooth asphalt just can’t match.
Give it a shot… but don’t blame me if it doesn’t go smoothly (l0l).