It's 10 days until the start of this adventure. There are so many loose ends to tie up before I go, I don't think all of them will get done. At this point, I'm just about mentally checked out and ready to get underway.
The weather is my biggest concern right now. October weather in Colorado can change quickly. I have a dental appointment in Juarez on the 17th. I have decided to leave on the 15th. That gives me 2 days to get there. I will stay in El Paso and shuttle across for 2 or 3 days.
My birthday is the 14th; I will be 60, so I want to combine that with a little send-off party. If everything goes well, I'll be gone about six months.
Let me explain...
Somehow I got the idea to ride a motorcycle to South America. I have been reading ride reports on advrider.com of those who have previously done it. Eventually, it became clear that I could do it, should do it, would do it. It's been in the back of my mind for several years. There were many excuses why not to do it, but somehow, I have worked through in my mind the "why I can't" to become the "why can't I". So, I set a date and now it's just about time.
I bought a new Kawasaki KLR 650 in 2009. I was pretty sure that would be the motorcycle to take on this trip. It is well proven around the world and many before me have done it. For those who don't know, it is classified as a dual-sport motorcycle. Equally at home on pavement or dirt roads. I have a street bike, a Honda VTX 1800, that I have ridden border-to-border and coast-to-coast in the USA. But I wouldn't think of taking it to Latin America. It's too big and would be limited to mostly pavement.
The KLR would have been fine, but I will be carrying all my luggage for a six month trip on it, and if I did tip over, it would be very heavy to pick it up.
So, about a month ago, I bought a new 2016 Yamaha WR250R on eBay. I flew to Kansas City, rented a pickup, drove 2 hours south, purchased the motorcycle, loaded it into the truck and drove back to Kansas City, turned in the rental, got a hotel, and the next morning, rode that little motorcycle home in 12 hours. I flogged it. I was impressed.
It's about 100 lbs lighter than the KLR, so should be easier to pick up from a fall. It is also a dual-sport and I will feel more confident on dirt with this bike than the KLR.
I outfitted it with the Reckless 80 soft luggage system from Mosko Moto. I added a tail rack and a medium sized Pelican hardcase that I can lock for smaller valuables. It only has about a 2 gallon tank, so I will carry 2- 1 liter MSR bottles of extra fuel. That's it. It is stock otherwise.
I bought new riding pants and jacket from Alpinestars that is supposed to be waterproof. It has liners that can be removed when it gets hot, and it comes with body armor at the hip, elbows, back, shoulders and knees.
I bought a new Scorpion modular helmet. I have been using a half helmet for years, but because the Yamaha is stock without a windscreen, I wanted a little more protection for my head and face, especially in the rain.
I don't want to camp in Mexico or Central America (I may camp in South America), but just in case, I am bringing camping gear. I have upgraded to a lighter-weight sleeping bag, which is actually rated at a lower temperature than my previous one, a new sleeping mattress, tent, and cooking stove and gear.
The weather is my biggest concern right now. October weather in Colorado can change quickly. I have a dental appointment in Juarez on the 17th. I have decided to leave on the 15th. That gives me 2 days to get there. I will stay in El Paso and shuttle across for 2 or 3 days.
My birthday is the 14th; I will be 60, so I want to combine that with a little send-off party. If everything goes well, I'll be gone about six months.
Let me explain...
Somehow I got the idea to ride a motorcycle to South America. I have been reading ride reports on advrider.com of those who have previously done it. Eventually, it became clear that I could do it, should do it, would do it. It's been in the back of my mind for several years. There were many excuses why not to do it, but somehow, I have worked through in my mind the "why I can't" to become the "why can't I". So, I set a date and now it's just about time.
I bought a new Kawasaki KLR 650 in 2009. I was pretty sure that would be the motorcycle to take on this trip. It is well proven around the world and many before me have done it. For those who don't know, it is classified as a dual-sport motorcycle. Equally at home on pavement or dirt roads. I have a street bike, a Honda VTX 1800, that I have ridden border-to-border and coast-to-coast in the USA. But I wouldn't think of taking it to Latin America. It's too big and would be limited to mostly pavement.
The KLR would have been fine, but I will be carrying all my luggage for a six month trip on it, and if I did tip over, it would be very heavy to pick it up.
So, about a month ago, I bought a new 2016 Yamaha WR250R on eBay. I flew to Kansas City, rented a pickup, drove 2 hours south, purchased the motorcycle, loaded it into the truck and drove back to Kansas City, turned in the rental, got a hotel, and the next morning, rode that little motorcycle home in 12 hours. I flogged it. I was impressed.
It's about 100 lbs lighter than the KLR, so should be easier to pick up from a fall. It is also a dual-sport and I will feel more confident on dirt with this bike than the KLR.
I outfitted it with the Reckless 80 soft luggage system from Mosko Moto. I added a tail rack and a medium sized Pelican hardcase that I can lock for smaller valuables. It only has about a 2 gallon tank, so I will carry 2- 1 liter MSR bottles of extra fuel. That's it. It is stock otherwise.
I bought new riding pants and jacket from Alpinestars that is supposed to be waterproof. It has liners that can be removed when it gets hot, and it comes with body armor at the hip, elbows, back, shoulders and knees.
I bought a new Scorpion modular helmet. I have been using a half helmet for years, but because the Yamaha is stock without a windscreen, I wanted a little more protection for my head and face, especially in the rain.
I don't want to camp in Mexico or Central America (I may camp in South America), but just in case, I am bringing camping gear. I have upgraded to a lighter-weight sleeping bag, which is actually rated at a lower temperature than my previous one, a new sleeping mattress, tent, and cooking stove and gear.
I bought a Delorme InReach satellite tracker that will track my position anywhere on earth and allow me to send and receive text messages whether there is cell phone service or not.
That's about it for preparation. I will take a tool kit, tablet, cheap camera and my cell phone. It may be a trick carrying all that, plus me, on this little donkey. 'til next time...
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