Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

Hometime finally...


I haven't had a hometime in 5+ weeks and I haven't slept outside the truck since the first few days in April, about 9 weeks ago. My last hometime in early May was short and sweet and I slept in my truck to save on hotel costs.

I'm going to be busy but enjoying this hometime. It's making me anxious just knowing I'm so close to truck freedom for a few days.

I think I"m going to take a full 4 days this time. I should be in Richmond early Saturday morning so I'll plan on being back in the truck early on Wednesday morning. Most likely I will go back Tuesday night and get myself organized.


Going to get my new bike dirty...

I joined a riding group in Williamsburg that has a Facebook page. Recently I posed the question of where I could find some fire roads/gravel roads or something similar so I can get that experience on this pig of a bike. Not only did I get my answer but one especially helpful Williamsburg rider posted satellite pictures with little added arrows of which way to go. I'm pretty excited about this as it is much less stressful riding off-road where there are no cars. Plus I figure it would be best to get used to this bike off-road so if I encounter these types of conditions in Mexico and places further south, I'll have the experience. I'm not really looking forward to dropping my bike and adding it's first battle scars but I know it's most likely going to happen. The best part is the this guy said to let him know when I get into town and maybe he will show me in person these dirt roads. He has the same bike I do but a newer version. That would be pretty awesome.


My "dirty" new motorcycle license plate...

I had ordered my Virginia motorcycle license plate last time I was out there. That was the first time I had seen my new-to-me bike and I had registered it. I've never had "vanity" customized lettered plates before but I've always wanted them. I wanted to treat myself to this so I ordered a special Blue Ridge Mountain plate. Colorful and it benefits the maintenance of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sounds good to me. For the specialized lettering part, I had 5 letters to work with on the plate. I figured since the bike is somewhat dualsport/enduro that I would go with a "dirty" theme statement. I tried different variations of the word "dirty" but everything was already assigned. I tried "DURTY"...."DRTEE"....etc. All were taken. Then, since this bike will be going to Mexico and Guatemala this year and possibly South America next year I started with some Spanish terms. I though the word GRINGO would be funny so in the 5-letter variation I tried "GRNGO" but it was already taken. Who would put GRNGO on their motorcycle license plate other than me?!?! So I went Spanish with the word "dirty". The masculine version of the word in Spanish is "SUCIO". But someone had taken SUCIO already! So at the DMV I decided that I would get "SUC1O" with the "I" substituted with the number 1. It worked and my plates were submitted. Or so I thought...

My plates never arrived. I got a notice that said my plates were rejected for being indecent but that I could keep my temporary, everyday boring plates and make them my permanent. Unacceptable!

I should have known something was up when the lady that was registering my bike at the DMV, upon me filling out the plate lettering on the form, asked me "Suck 10?" I told her "No, 'sucio' with the 'I' substituted with a number 1. It means 'dirty' in Spanish as the bike will undoubtedly be getting dirty".

So plate never arrived, I got the notice saying it had been rejected and I called the Virginia DMV and bounced around between DMV people until I got hold of the woman that accepts or rejects customized license plates. I explained to her what "SUCIO" meant in Spanish, that it was harmless and only meant "dirty". She also thought it had something to do with sucking 10. She said that people got creative with their cursing on license plates. She said that I could get the plate but since I really didn't want a letter substituted with a number I told her that I would rather just get the word "SUCIA", the feminine version of the Spanish word. This word had not been taken already and it was available. So it was accepted. The plate arrived a few days later.

Upon further investigation of the feminine word "SUCIA" I found that there are many interpretations. But, one of them is the word used for a dirty girl or even a dirty hooker. It depends on how it is used.

Either way, I think the border guards will get a kick out of it down south. My bike is now been christened The Dirty Hooker. But in Spanish...

I'm planning on getting all of my reading materials in my hands that were mailed to me while I was out on the road. I'm very excited about this. Can't wait to bring them on the road with me and dig in and start the real planning on routes, places to stay and things to see. I've already been digging through the few books I have here in the truck but I've read and reread them to the point that I'm ready for this new material. I have special maps of Mexico and Guatemala waiting for me. I have some stickers for Mexico and Guatemala I"m planning on sticking on my aluminum panniers once I officially get in those countries.

I've got my passport application ready and now when I get out to Virginia I need to hit the local AAA office and get my passport photo's done. Then run down to where I get my passport application processed and get that ball rolling. Next time I'm out there and my passport has arrived I'm going to do the application for my International Drivers License. That's one of the final steps. Well, not nearly...

I have to find out which shots I need so I don't get a case of the Heeby Jeebies or Guatemalan Cooties. Then I need to order a brand new battery and new tires and install all. Not sure on what tire I'm going to use yet. The ones on the bike currently are 80/20 street to dirt. That's probably what I will need or possibly something leaning a little more towards the dirt side, like a 60/40 street to dirt.

I have to try and contact the previous owner and see if he still has some boots for sale and this air compressor for the bike. I also have to try and see if I can get this local bike mechanic to show me some troubleshooting and roadside repairs I will need to know. It's going to be a busy time off but I can't wait to get it started.

 

Thanks. I'm trying to learn something everyday. Most recently I've learned that the little chain that holds the fuel cap is tough to reattach on the little loop inside.

 

Home time!

Man that was a tiring drive last night. It's been a while since I've had to drive the whole night through to near dawn. Messed up my sleep clock pretty good. Early to bed tonight.

When I got to Amazon this morning I found out that they didn't take deliveries from 0400-0630, not the original planned 0400-0430. I didn't have enough time on my clock to wait around until 0630 so I went over to the Richmond terminal. It took a little battle to get the thing t-called but I got it done. Picked up my new OK and KS EZPass things and stuck em up on the windshield for when I return to the Prostar.

I had a ton of mail waiting for me including a tear-proof, water-resistent map of Mexico and one for Guatemala. I received the self-published handbooks by Sjoerd, the Mexico guru and they are fantastic!! Unbelievable wealth of information. Not only tidbits of info on almost every Mexican town but also the best restaurants to hit up and a few cheap hotels in every town. It's an unbelievable guide. I've been averaging the prices for the cheaper hotels and they are averaging out to be what I had already read, about $17/night for a single. He also includes special hints on parking as they apply to motorcycles at the hotel such as "owners allow motorcycle parking inside lobby" or "easy access to the Zacalo (town square) just out the door and one block north". Etc. Fantastico. I received a free Touratech catalog, 1859 pages total! I like to window shop but can't afford or won't buy much of anything from there. But it is cool to see all the accessories for my bike and other dualsports. I recognized a few farkles on my bike that previous owner had purchased and had installed. Cool. I received a book called "The World's Great Adventure Motorcycle Routes" that I have been looking forward to. Also fantastic. I already read the section on Mexico and started highlighting places on my Mexico map that I have read about in other sources and that were reiterated in this book - all those must see places. When I look at the map and those places I have highlited I'm going to have to figure out an appropriate route and/or just cut some out for this trip. As it is I would be zigzagging throughout the country to hit these highlited places. I got my new bike registration and the plate and I received another book "Adventure Motorcycle Maintenance Manual". Looks like this will be pretty helpful as it covers common breakdowns.

I did finally get in touch with that mechanic out here and we had a long conversation prior to my pickup yesterday. He is a cool guy and referred me to another local "backyard" mechanic that has taken his GS nearly around the world, doing his own maintenance and repairs. I'm contacting that guy this weekend.

Other than that I received some stickers and a bunch of bills, to round things off. Felt like Christmas other than the bills part.

Family is awesome and I received a cool Camelback type hydration system for my travels. Carries 2 liters of water and has some extra storage. And it's partially yellow, to match my bike. They surprised me with some Happy Birthday song and a chocolate cake too. I hadn't expected that. I was out on the road last month when my birthday came around. So, this was a very nice surprise.

I put my truck in the Richmond shop this morning before leaving the terminal. They won't do my scheduled B service early. I have just under 35,000 miles and the B service is due at just over 41,000. Dang. But, when I pointed out that I had a decent air leak since I picked up the new truck, the mechanic crawled under and was not happy to discover that one of my suspension air bags was completely busted underneath. That's going to be the repair they will be working on. They said they couldn't align my high beams but it's not a big deal.

About to go message this local rider and see if he wants to squeeze a ride in this weekend. In the meantime I'm going to go out and stick on my new license plate, start her up and maybe take this free ferry across the James River to the other side and get myself lost. And just relax...

 

I have an '02 BMW r1150GS Adventure.

I know I need them. I have some decent ones back in storage in WA but, I'm ashamed to say this kind of, I've been riding with my steel toe work boots on my bike. Same ones that I use at work. Ironically I was just looking at boots today. I need to get some that are comfortable for walking as well. I'm looking at the Sidis (expensive tho!) and some Aerostich as well.

I just bought/ordered a helmet yesterday. The one that I have with me is crap. It's one of those Bilt helmets that Cycle Gear sells. I bought it a while back due to the novelty of it having a Bluetooth system and speakers built in as well as one of those sun visors that pops down inside the shield. Total garbage. Build quality is poor with stuff falling off of it (chin guard piece) and it is the noisiest helmet I have ever owned. I have a couple of so-so helmets in storage including a HJC an Icon and I think a couple of off-road helmets.

So after much research I decided to order the Nolan 104 modular helmet. Flip up design. Figured it would be easier for communicating on the street on my trip and also at borders/police checkpoints, etc. It was on sale for $150 off. $320 total price. I looked at the cheaper helmets, including the Bell Revolver Evo modular and almost bought that one. I avoided the super expensive Schuberth and Shoei Neotek that ran upwards over $600. The Nolan (cab yellow color) I bought has a cool pin lock system whereby the shield will never fog based on the design as opposed to those face shields that have a coating that might wear off. It also locks up in place and it has a huge eye port for improved vision. It had great reviews too. I think I made the right choice. It will be the best and most expensive helmet I ever owned.

Now back to looking at boots...

 

Day off ride through the Virginia trails. And, as expected, I fell...

Yesterday was a great day. Phenomenal. I forgot how much I love to ride trails. I haven't rode a bike on a trail is a very long time, not since I had to sell my ol' '93 Yamaha XT600 to pay some bills back during the hard times prior to this job. It killed me back then and it still bothers me to think of losing that bike. It was my escape back then, something like a new world opened up to me. I found that riding in the muddy, wet trails of Tahuya and Capitol Forest in WA - no cars, no police, no people, no nothing - was absolute therapy. As much as I love to ride the twisties on the tarmac, I don't like sharing the road with cars that can care less about hitting me. Riding in the woods was pure nirvana and I experienced it all over again yesterday.

I had asked in a post on Facebook in a local Williamsburg forum where I could find some dirt trails or fire roads to take out my big GS. They responded with detailed directions on how to find these somewhat elusive roads not far from Williamsburg, near the town of West Point, Virginia. I wrote the directions down in my own scribbled shorthand, placed the directions under the weathered plastic window that attaches to the top of my tankbag and I left.

With a couple of wrong turns I found the trails and they were incredible. Just what I was looking for. Nothing too hardcore, like single track that you would take a small dirt bike on. But, they were pretty decent dirt trails, mixed with puddles, 12" ruts, slick mud spots and packed dirt. It was perfect. To say that I got the new-to-me BMW GS muddy would be an understatement. It was completely and utterly filthy to the core. Took me about an hour at the do it yourself car wash today to spray out the mud and clean. And I still found spots of mud when I got back here.


It was hot and humid so at one point I decided that I could more easily deal with some gravel imbedded in my skin and some scrapes as opposed to the oppressive heat and humidity back in the trails. I'm usually an All Gear All The Time (AGATT) type of guy but I gotta admit, it feels so good to ride and have that feeling of the wind brushing up against your skin.

I almost dropped the bike about 4 times and I succeeded one time, although it was a slower speed tip over. You can hear me laughing in the video. I wasn't just laughing "ha ha" but I was laughing because I felt pure joy in the moment. Exhilarated. This area where I was riding was basically some country roads, paved, with no cars leading to gravel roads that lead to the dirt trails. Then I would hop back on pavenment after the trail, ride down the road some more and get onto another dirt trail. That was my afternoon.

This video is about a minute and half. I fall over at the end of the video and submit it for you viewing enjoyment.

Video was filmed in 1080p so better if watched in High Def.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yfjy49NxKc


Another video. No fall but gives you an idea of the trail I was on. About 2 minutes 30 seconds long. Not sure how to embed these videos so here are links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnGdDySDMJY

 

Something I should add about the BMW thing. Today while I was washing out my bike at the do it yourself place another guy came up to me and started talking "bike". He has an older Yamaha 650. He mentioned something to the fact that BMW was kind of hoity toity. Not sure if I spelled that right. I guess he was saying sort of an image bike.

When I was initially looking at another motorcycle, specifically to do this upcoming trip I was looking at Honda XRs/XLs, Suzuki DRs and the Kawasaki KLR's. I hadn't really considered the BMW at that point due to it being so much more money than I was willing to spend. I also had some reservations about the perceived image issue with BMW's. I never had an issue with anyone and what they ride but I know some look at BMW's a certain way. Maybe, like this guy was saying in a round about way, "uppity". But my BMW had everything I wanted and everything I needed and instead of adding all the add on's to another bike like a DR and spending the money that way, this bike was basically "plug and play". I just had to register and insure it.

I've always like the big BMW GS. This was before the Ewan McGregor "Long Way Round" and "Long Way Down" series. I actually liked the old air cooled GS that I remember seeing in the early 1980's. When the new design came out in the late '90s and early 2000's with the offset headlight, pronounced "beak" front fender and the huge GS Adventure gas tank, I was hooked. Then those movies came out afterwards. Something I also admired about the BMW was it's history and those crazy German engineers. They think of everything and everything has a purpose. Things I wouldn't have even thought about, they thought about and acted on. I would have never imagined having a motorcycle with ABS brakes but here I am with one. And I found out yesterday, riding those trails, how it helps especially coming down a steep dirt incline and using the back brake alone to scruff off some speed. The ABS was pretty remarkable. Not something I would necessarily seek out in a motorcycle as I like things kind of basic but I can respect the engineering that goes into these bikes.


When it comes to bikes, I won't buy a bike because of an image but I definitely will not pass up a bike because it has an image. If it's something I want to ride then I will ride it. When people get clannish with their bike preference, including my friends whom might ride sportbikes exclusively, I have no problem telling them that I will ride absolutely anything with two wheels. I would ride a sportbike, a dualsport, a Harley, a Goldwing, an old classic or anything that uses internal combustion and makes that sound that I love so much. I don't know though if I could ever ride an electric bike as the sound of a bike is part of the experience. I love the thump of a big V-twin, the braaappp of a 2 stroke, the high pitched whine of high rpms on a sportbike and the thump....thump...thump of a big, single cylinder 4 stroke. If the option was to ride nothing or ride a scooter well hello Vespa, I'm riding a scooter.

This guy at the car wash was a newer rider and his Yamaha 650 is his first bike. I explained this all to him and told him that there are so many styles of bikes, how different they are all but how enjoyable each can be. He started to understand. He agreed his Yamaha will not be his only bike for long...