Mosko was founded in 2013 when we (Pete & Andrew) left our corporate jobs to make moto gear. Our partnership combines decades of design and manufacturing experience for some of the world’s leading outdoor brands, with first-hand experience riding dualsport bikes through some of the most remote corners of the globe.
Our name, Mosko Moto, is an abbreviation of "Mosquito Coast" a remote and sparsely-traveled region in Eastern Honduras and Nicaragua.
Our name, Mosko Moto, is an abbreviation of "Mosquito Coast" (aka "La Moskitia"), a remote and sparsely-traveled region in Eastern Honduras and Nicaragua. Back in 2013, Pete was wandering around La Moskitia on his bike when he crashed in an isolated section near the Nicaragua border. It was a twist of fate moment, because he returned to the U.S. to recover in the Columbia Gorge, and that's where he and Andrew - the then lead bag designer at DaKine - hatched a plan to start Mosko.
A year later, after countless hours of thinking, talking, cutting, sewing, riding, and revising, Pete returned to the Mosquito Coast with prototypes in hand to retrieve his bike and ride it out to Panama.
WHY WE DO THIS
For us, bikes are about getting deep into the backcountry in search of epic campsites and border-hopping through distant parts of the world. They’re about getting off the pavement and out of the comfort zone: climbing mountains, crossing rivers, and traversing deserts. They’re about scratches, dents, and scars, and the stories behind them. They’re about seeing places that can't be seen any other way.
It doesn't matter if you have a brand new, high-tech machine or an old beater you bought off craigslist. Once you're out there riding, it's about where you go and the experiences you have. A few years ago I (Pete) was on some dirt road in Northwestern Argentina and I ran into three kids from the Netherlands taking a break under a tree. They were on beat-up old 125cc bikes they'd bought for a few hundred dollars, and they were picking their way through South America headed for the States. At that moment, on that road, under that tree: nobody cares what kind of bike you're on. It's about the moment, the place, and the people around you; it's about the riding experience itself.
We aim to improve that experience. When we started this business, one of our questions was: why is there a gap between the quality of gear we use in other outdoor sports - like backcountry skiing, backpacking, cycling, and climbing - and the gear available for our bikes? Moto gear requires a unique balance between durability and weight, but the fundamental needs are the same: tough, weight-conscious gear that can survive long-term, unsupported travel through highly abusive terrain. Companies like Patagonia, Arc-teryx, and The North Face revolutionized outdoor soft goods, but that revolution had never quite made it to adventure motorcycle gear.
We build our products to accompany you through the roughest terrain and craziest places you'd ever want to ride. It's tough-as-nails and built to take a beating, and we stand behind it with a lifetime guarantee. We want you to ride harder, travel further, go deeper, whether riding the dirt close to home or exploring some far-flung region of the globe. We hope to see you out there.
Design Process
Most aspects of our designs and the process of building our business is detailed online via our blog & ADVrider thread. By publishing rather than protecting this information, we collect direct, unbiased feedback from hundreds of riders around the world before finalizing our designs.
We only sell direct to rider - no dealers, no distributors - which eliminates a costly distribution step and enables us to include more premium features and top-shelf materials.
Come join us in the product development process!
- Pete & Andrew.