The Motorcycle
The Bike
This part is easy. The BMW “GS” has been the choice of Moto Adventurers since its introduction in 1980. Often called the “Swiss Army Knife” of motorcycles, the GS has become BMW’s best selling model worldwide. I’ve owned three versions of the GS and it gets better with every new model introduction. It’s tall, and kind of heavy for serious off-road riding. But with practice and patience it can handle just about anything that comes its way. My 2005 R1200GS was purchased new and I expect it will start trip with about 25,000 miles on it…..barely broken in! This bike has explored Cape Breton Nova Scotia, carved up the Blue Ridge Parkway and delivered me to Alaska in 2005. But time has taught me that even BMW’s can be improved upon, and my GS has lots of after market upgrades. I’ve fitted a taller windscreen to provide more weather protection and a quieter, calmer cockpit. Suspension has been upgraded with the brilliant and outrageously priced shocks from Ohlins of Sweden. A custom seat makes those 600+ mile days less of a pain in the butt. A Jesse luggage system gives me two watertight, locking side cases with a third case replacing the passenger’s seat. My trusty iPod will pump tunes in to my helmet and a handlebar mounted Garmin 276C GPS will hopefully keep me from getting thoroughly lost. Metzler Tourance tires provide outstanding traction and great mileage. I may switch over to a more aggressive “semi-knobby” tire for the Canadian—Alaska segments. The stock fuel tank will give me a range of ~ 200 miles between fill ups.
Personal Kit
One technology will be with me throughout my riding gear…. GORE TEX! My riding jacket, pants, gloves and boots all utilize this waterproof\breathable fabric technology. With a route that will have me crossing the Andes, through the Atacama desert, over the Andes again, through the Central American rainforests, across coastal Mexico, into Texas, over the US Rockies, over the Canadian Rockies and up and down the Alaskan North Slope I know I can count on my Gore-Tex gear to keep me dry, comfortable and safe. My jacket and pants are Aerostitch “Darians” (how appropriate) featuring great ventilation and armored protection in the shoulders, elbows and knees. Great Stuff ! My boots are a BMW off-road enduro style featuring a unique external structure providing outstanding protection. Hand wear will be selected from my friends at Outdoor Research. I’ll wear a mid-weight glove for milder conditions and a more substantial pair for colder conditions. And of course….Gore Tex again! One piece of kit that will see serious use is my Gerbings heated jacket liner. Looking like a light nylon ski jacket this plugs into the 12v plug on the bike and with a twist of a knob heats up like a small volcano! I expect this will spend as much time on my back as it will stuffed inside my luggage. My full face helmet is wired with speakers and custom iPod playlists often has me singing through a full tank of gas!
Electronica
As I mentioned my iPod will be loaded with my usual eclectic musical taste. Bach to Bluegrass, Sting to Steve Earle….And custom playlists with names like “mellow mix” to “Big Mile Boogie” will be called up as necessary. My Garmin GPS will be of varying importance as map data for South and Central America is quite basic. Map detail for the US and Canada however can route me to the nearest Mexican restaurant, ATM, or gas station (often important after the Mexican meal).
I’ll be doing my homework on the best option for a international cell phone…
Key to this trip will be a reliable, rugged laptop. This will be used to store digital photos, keep my mappting/GPS software handy,allow me to Blog and update my website and keep service manuals and records and maybe even pay bills on the road. My trusty IBM Think Pad may get put into service here.
