Another Anti-Adventure Road Trip

[Hondarider]

Gear Preparation - Helmet

Today I spent most of the day puttering around the garage and sorting through my gear. One of the simplest tasks was setting up my new helmet. My old helmet has provided years of flawless service, but after about 10 seasons of sweat and mud and water, it's getting a little funky. My wife was kind enough to buy me a replacement for Christmas and I just recently pulled it out of the box. I'd really love an Arai or some other piece of exotic sexiness that feels like you've placed your head inside of a giant velvet-lined vagina, but I'm simply not willing to spend the dough on an item that really should be retired every 5 years or so due to the breakdown of the foam. If you believe the safety Nazis, a 10 year old helmet is complete garbage and you'd be better off wearing a styrofoam cooler on your head. Of course, I'm always a little suspicious of manufacturers dictating how often I should throw away their seemingly perfect product just to buy more of their product. It seems a bit self-serving...like those pricks at DeBeers who decided we should all spend 3 month's salary on an engagement ring or our marriages are doomed. Smells fishy...even if I do have some comprehension of the science behind helmet retirement. For that kind of money, I'd like it to last the rest of my life...like a Vanson jacket.

Forgive me. I digress.

So I've got a new helmet and I'm taking a trip...just 2 things to sort out before I hit the road.

1. GoPro camera. Here's why I love the GoPro. I love riding and I hate to take pictures. It's not that I hate taking pictures per se...it's just that I hate to stop riding for even a minute to take them. I can't begin to count all of the amazing things that I've seen during the past 25+ years of riding...and then just rode right by. I hate stopping...I just want to go, go, go...ride like hell to see whats around the next corner...to the top of the mountain...the end of the road...through the stream...around the bend...I want to ride. Unfortunately, once the ride is over and I'm trying to relate whatever amazing thing I saw along the way, my words fail to paint a picture commensurate with my imagination. However, with the GoPro running, I can capture everything I see and then just edit out the boring parts later. If I encounter Big Foot on the trail...if I scale a monster hill climb...if my buddy pulls off some epic feat of skill and heroism...if I plummet off a mountain side...the GoPro captures it all. Priceless! (as long as the battery didn't die just 5 minutes prior to the amazing event) This time around, I ordered the optional battery bacpac to ensure my camera won't be dead when I need it most.



2. Communication. I've spent alot of time extolling the virtues of helmet to helmet communicators and I still believe that they're the best thing for enhancing a trip with your buddies since the invention of steak and beer. It's just so great to be able to discuss route decisions in real time or to warn someone of danger or to initiate a lunch break. Sure, the downside is that you may have to listen to me belt out Journey's greatest hits, but it's a small price to pay when I can warn you about that bridge out up ahead. Besides, Steve Perry's got nothing on me when it comes to hitting those high notes. Rider to rider communication aside, a decent Bluetooth headset will also let you make and receive phone calls from inside your helmet, get GPS directions, listen to music, or get weather updates. That's all kinda great stuff...or you can just turn it off and ride in silence until you need it. I've had great luck with Scala for my headset. It does all sorts of things that I haven't figured out yet and it pairs with my iPhone effortlessly. Mr. LaDue scored one as well so we'll see if we can make that work. He's going to love my rendition of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".

 

[ibanezer]

Sounds like a fun time. Sub'd...

 

[Hondarider]

Gear Preparation - Tail Bag

My apologies for the long, drawn out preface...I'm just killing time until the actual trip...and I kinda like the packing and preparation. As a young Boy Scout, I would pack and repack for weeks before a trip...planning for every possible eventuality...and then ending up with an impossibly unmanageable 40lb backpack hanging on an 80lb kid. I can still remember being pushed into a snowbank on a winter hike and then being stranded like an upturned turtle for 10 minutes while my buddies pointed and laughed. Over-packing has been a lifetime struggle with often comedic results.

So today I focused on the tail bag for my XR. These are the tools and parts that I plan to carry along with me wherever I go. I'll have a packpack too, but that's another topic.
I'm open to recommendations if you see something I've forgotten.



Here's the itemized list in no particular order...
- spare hardware (4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm)
- fuel line hose clamps
- electrical tape
- Krazy glue
- razor blades
- matches
- permanent marker
- 5mm Allen wrench
- spark plug
- velcro strips
- large zip ties
- small zip ties
- spare brake lever
- spare clutch lever
- parachute cord
- rim savers
- nitrile gloves
- J-B Weld
- tube patch kit
- rags
- tire lever (large)
- tire lever (medium)
- tire lever (small)
- #2 phillips screwdriver
- 10/12mm box end combo wrench
- spark plug socket
- 17mm box end
- 24mm box end
- extension handle
- 3/8" breaker bar
- 3/8" 6" extension
- air pressure gauge
- 3/16" flat head
- 6" adjustable wrench
- Bead Buddy
- needle nose vice grips
- 6mm t-handle Allen
- Mag Light (batteries taped to prevent turning on)
- 10/14 open end combo
- 8mm combo
- air pump
- 3/8" x 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 19mm sockets

I put together the list of tools by stripping the bike this past winter and recording every tool that I used when reassembling...and then I just grabbed everything else that I had stuffed into my other motorcycles. Overkill...I'm sure.

 

[Hondarider]

In the end, the bag weighs about 10lbs...or the equivalent of a smallish bowling ball. The bag was designed to be mounted on the front fender, but the XR struggles to lift the front wheel as it is and the bag fits just perfectly on the tail rack...so now it's a tail bag.

 

[Hondarider]

Gear Preparation - Backpack

The back country of Colorado is far more expansive and remote than even the most desolate corner of New England. Considering that remoteness, I feel the need to be better prepared than I might be for my typical Vermont day trip. One such preparation is a hydration pack. I've never owned one previously so I hit the typical motorcycle forums for reviews and recommendations. After a couple weeks of sifting through the available information and the myriad of choices, I opted for a Kriega R15. It's a 15 liter pack with a 3 liter water bladder and it's designed specifically for motorcyclists. The straps are configured in an "X" pattern to ensure full range of motion for your arms and shoulders. It seems small enough not to hinder my riding, but large enough to carry a couple spare tire tubes, an electric air compressor, a first aid kit, a compass, some matches, and some spare clothing...maybe a couple maps. I'm open to other recommendations.



It certainly looks the part; like I might be base jumping off of a skyscraper in Dubai later on today, but I won't really be able to give a comprehensive review until I ride 200 miles of dirt in a day while hauling it.

 

[Hondarider]

Some last minute shopping today fueled by my obsessive need for preparation.

Spare rear Dunlop D606...not because there's anything wrong with the one that's on the bike, but just in case I wear the knobs off of it between now and the trip. That hardly seems likely though so I'll probably just bring it along in case of emergency or if one of my fellow riders shows up woefully unprepared.

Firestone Air Bag kit for the 4Runner. Even though I still do not have the 4Runner in my possession, I just went ahead and ordered the air bags for the rear springs. Installation looks to be 1-2 hours with me removing the rear coils all together and modifying the OEM bump stops for the install. That should be a fun project a couple days before departure. No potential for disaster there. (there really needs to be a "sarcasm font")

Maps, Maps, Maps. Oh how I love maps. I love the way they smell...I love folding and unfolding them...I love highlighting routes...I love studying them...I love studying contour lines and imagining the landscape they represent. I love good old fashioned maps. You can keep your GPS and the false sense of security you get by following a voice and a series of arrows all day...never truly knowing where you're going or even where you are. I like to know exactly where I am at all times. I like references like the sun, the stars, mountains, or rivers. You can keep those tiny little GPS satellites and your blind trust in technology. Fear the EMP! If the whole electronic landscape goes blank tomorrow, I know that I'll be able to navigate to any point in North America with my trusty Boy Scout compass and a basic atlas...I think I could do a decent job with neither just based on a lifetime of studying geography and the sun as a reference. I digress yet again. Lately I've been turned on by National Geographic TRAILS ILLUSTRATED maps of Colorado. They're constructed of heavy plasticized paper so they're waterproof and tear resistant...they're topographical so they have every little detail that your inner explorer could possibly want...and they clearly identify the myriad of trail types in CO. I just bought 4 for the areas around Gunnison, Crested Butte, Buena Vista, and Salida. I am so excited. I am such a dork.

 

[workerdrone]

Sub'd - dude, you already made me laugh a couple times and the trip ain't started

 

[Hondarider]

More packing...

So...I'm not sure that this monotonous interior monologue about packing is really all that compelling for the reader. I'm starting to lose interest myself. I considered fabricating some drama that the story might revolve around...some deeply personal struggle that I must overcome...a quest to reconnect with my dear old father in the last days of his life...recovery from some undisclosed illness or addiction...fulfillment of a loved one's dying wish...something that would pique the interest of the reader and leave you with a new appreciation for the indomitable human spirit.

Nope. I've got nothin'. The old man's probably healthier than me and I've got no drama that needs escaping from. Supportive wife...good kids...faithful dog...no complaints. Just another domestic trip report filled with the relative safety and convenience afforded to your typical middle-aged white collar American wannabe overlander as he wanders across the country in an over-priced SUV...sipping Starbucks and getting preferential treatment wherever he goes...hardly Jupiter's Travels. I really should have planned a trip to Africa or South America or Baltimore.

And with that, back to the packing...

I'm a big fan of sexy milspec cases for transporting and stacking your prized tools, guns, or Hummel collection. Unfortunately, Pelican cases are crazy expensive and this trip is already burning up all of my disposable income. So, off to WalMart I go for some cheap plastic totes. They won't exactly handle a tour of duty in Afghanistan, but they'll survive a ride down Colfax Avenue.

Tote #1: TOOLS - In the past, I've simply thrown a 9 drawer tool chest in the back of the truck for a trip like this, but the constant rattling is maddening after a thousand miles or so. This time around, I wrapped and packed the tools in such a way that they won't take up an excessive amount of space or clang over the bumps and expansion joints. This is my Tier 2 tool set - somewhere between the critical tools carried on the bike and the depot level tools available in my garage. Shout out if you see something that I'm missing.

- Fluke DMM...for chasing electrical gremlins
- 3pc vice grip set...for makeshift foot pegs, pinching off a fuel line, or to hold my sub-frame on
- soft blow hammer... for beating things senseless, but leaving no evidence (like a bag of oranges)
- hose cutter...works on fingers too
- propane powered soldering iron...wielding fire like a demigod
- 6" needle nose pliers...for rounding off screw heads
- slip joint pliers...for founding off bolt heads
- 8" adjustable wrench...the wrong tool for every job
- 12" adjustable wrench...the wrong tool with even more leverage and capacity for damage
- tape measure...for adjusting ride height or measuring one's semi-flaccid manhood after a few beers
- headlamp...because I like to feel like a coal miner when working on my bike at night
- cable lube tool...I just keep hoping that I'll use it one day
- feeler gauge set...to correct the poor job I did adjusting the valves the first time
- 24mm box end wrench...axle adjustments and beating off would-be assailants
- 19mm box end wrench...I really regret the wording of that last one
- spark plug wrench...its just so shiney
- duct tape...totally negates the need for any of the junk listed above
- electrical tape...ensuring that poorly executed splice will last exactly long enough to strand you outside of cell service
- 12AWG stranded wire...heavy enough to make your headlight work, but light enough to burst into flames after 15 minutes
- double-sided tape...for securing the GoPro so you won't miss the awesome footage of your bike on fire
- wire strippers/crimpers...crimp connections are the WORST!
- telescoping dental mirror/magnet...I think I have a hemorrhoid
- flat head screwdrivers 3/16, 1/4, 5/16...puncture wounds in multiple widths
- Phillips head screwdrivers #1, #2, #3...stripping out those master cylinder screws since 1970
- precision screwdriver set...I'm too old and blind to see any screw small enough to need these stupid things
- Torx bit set...in case I need to dismantle a Jeep Wrangler somewhere along the way
- metric Allen bit set...for finding TDC
- slide hammer...for removing bearings, seals, or teeth
- tap handle with 5,6,7, and 8mm taps...by the time you reach for these, its too late - the hole is shot
- file set..."I don't have a drill, but here's a rat tail. You can make the hole bigger with just a few thousand strokes"
- micro alligator cables...quicker than actually troubleshooting that electrical gremlin - just jump it out.
- hacksaw...sorry Cary Elwess. Too soon?
- metric midget combo wrench set...I still had space in the box and I wanted to pack it fully
- end cutters...more effective than toenail clippers
- tweezers...what if I get a sliver?
- mini needle nose pliers...what if its a BIG sliver?
- permanent marker...in case someone gets drunk, passes out, and desperately needs a Mr. Peanut monocle



I'm actually shocked that all of those tools fit into this one little tote box. Better yet, no rattling.

 

[Hondarider]

Is there any greater joy than the sight of a plain brown box waiting patiently for you on the front steps when you return home from work? As an adult, my UPS woman is the closest thing I have to Santa and I love her just as much as my 7 year old self loved old St. Nick. She is the bringer of joy...even if I have to pay for the pleasure of her visits.

Tonight's treasure is a pair of freshly constructed AeroStich Darien pants in 34L...black...with knee pads and reflective strips and pockets and a cool money belt...they're even
reported to be waterproof. The first pair I ordered were too big and I had to return them. Unfortunately, the 34L that I needed were not in stock and the lead time for new ones to be manufactured was going to be too late for my upcoming trip. The exceptionally friendly woman at AeroStich asked when I was leaving on my trip and assured me that she would get them to me before I left on the the 8th. Apparently they got right on it because here they are, less than 2 weeks later and they fit just right. That's some impressive customer service. I put them on with my Alpinestars and attempted to take a few photos to expound upon their virtues. Unfortunately, irrespective of the angle, all of my photos came out disturbingly like a desperate Man Seeking Man ad on Craigslist. Maybe I should have been wearing a shirt. Call me Mr. Slave.

Expect a more comprehensive review of the pants once the actual riding begins.

 

[muskie]

sloppy hitch

purchased one of the anti rattle hitch devices, you know the things that are supposed to stop your hitch from rattling around.
the one I purchased did not work campground is only 20 miles from the house when we arrived the anti hitch device was loose, I tried front ways back ways no matter which way I positioned the 4 screws it was always lose when we arrived back home 20 miles later so this is the concept I came up with 2 pieces of aluminum, but this is the only stuff I had around, 2 5/8 grade 5 bolts.I put beveled angle on top piece in a small angle on the bottom, on the bottom one I have a piece of flat steel with a slight filing I wanted to give it a little bit of angle.
ps i was using it on a travel trailer(4500lb. ), not a 400 pound bike,
PS 2 posting to show how to make your own one if the one i pictured loosen up on the bike .
PS 3 my English is bad, just trying to help

 

[r3mac]

I really enjoyed the trip report you did for that other forum.

Based on two pages of verbiage and you haven't left yet (and no vehicle) I suspect this report will be as entertaining.

Did I miss it - or was there no consideration for towing the bike behind the GS? You know to complete the manic obsessive checklist.

 

[Hondarider]

purchased one of the anti rattle hitch devices, you know the things that are supposed to stop your hitch from rattling around.
the one I purchased did not work campground is only 20 miles from the house when we arrived the anti hitch device was loose, I tried front ways back ways no matter which way I positioned the 4 screws it was always lose when we arrived back home 20 miles later so this is the concept I came up with 2 pieces of aluminum, but this is the only stuff I had around, 2 5/8 grade 5 bolts.I put beveled angle on top piece in a small angle on the bottom, on the bottom one I have a piece of flat steel with a slight filing I wanted to give it a little bit of angle.
ps i was using it on a travel trailer(4500lb. ), not a 400 pound bike,
PS 2 posting to show how to make your own one if the one i pictured loosen up on the bike .
PS 3 my English is bad, just trying to help

Thanks alot! That's good feedback. I was hoping to do a few trial runs before I go to see how well the carrier works. Now I'll definitely make that a priority. Maybe I'll try adding jam nuts to the bolts where they meet the bracket or some good old Loctite Red. If that fails me, I may very well duplicate your solution. I do appreciate the information.

 

[Bushcoat]

I love you already hondarider. I'll be hanging around for this trip!

 

[Hondarider]

I really enjoyed the trip report you did for that other forum.

Based on two pages of verbiage and you haven't left yet (and no vehicle) I suspect this report will be as entertaining.

Did I miss it - or was there no consideration for towing the bike behind the GS? You know to complete the manic obsessive checklist.

Sadly, I don't see a GS trip in my plans for this summer. Sneaking away for 11 or 12 days in July without the wife or the kids is already pushing the envelope of marital tranquility...I've got a better shot of seeing a unicorn than I do a second trip without them. It's a pity too as I love traveling on the GSA. Making the trip in a luxurious SUV is quite simply cheating. There's no challenge...no struggle...no test of endurance...no man against nature...just lots of miles zipping by while I peer out the window from environmentally controlled comfort. I might as well be watching it on TV. Traveling by motorcycle puts you out there to experience the weather, the bugs, the smells, the people. You're exposed. As a wannabe explorer, I'm not proud of this summer's mode of travel. I'm jealous of the 2 folks working their way across the TAT in a tin top Samurai...that's an improbable adventure to be proud of. I'm hoping to make it up to everyone with some genuine pain and suffering during the dirtbbike segment of the trip. I'm sure Mr. LaDue will do his part to punish me over various mountain passes...maybe we'll encounter snow...I'm sure there will be crashes. I'm going to need that luxury SUV just to drag my broken body back to New England when its over. THe most exciting part of the car trip is going to be counting how many times my father has to stop to take a leak. His girlfriend tells me that he has to go ALOT. I told him that we only stop for gas so he's going to have to hold it for 400 miles at a clip. I see "trucker bombs" in our future.

And thanks for checking out my previous ride report. That one still makes me chuckle. I like to think that what it lacks in outright adventure, it makes up for with rambling prose and jabs at my good friend MIke.

 

[Hondarider]

Big day today! Not only were we visited by both the UPS and FedEx fairies while attending my son's 5th grade commencement ceremony, but there was a cryptic text message from my buddy at the Toyota dealership. It said "It's here." I can only assume that he means the 4Runner that I've been impatiently texting him about 10 times a day for the past 3 months. Of course, he could mean just about anything. I responded with "Who is this?"

People will tell you that being greeted by your dog when returning home is one of life's great joys, but being greeted by a Dunlop is a close second...