DMT - Day minus 15 - UnHappy Trails

Some things just work - always. McDonald's french fries. My Seiko Kinetic watch. A Chevy pickup truck. 

Until they don't.

Happy Trail gear always fit. Until this one didn't. This black arm is the rear support for the skid plate. However ...

tiny nick in frame gusset

It won't swing up into place because the frame gusset is in the way! See the tiny nick in the frame.

This is a very bad thing because the bolt holds the rear suspension to the frame. That gusset is part of what keeps the rear wheel straight and true. 

As you can see, the mounting plate is blocked from swinging up into a horizontal position to attach to the skid plate. It is not supposed to hang down to act like a scoop.

I thought about grinding the gusset for clearance but quickly decided that was The Bad Plan. The gussets prevent any sideways motion of the rear wheel. My second thought was to grind the support bracket. This is The Almost As Bad Plan. It would weaken the protection for the engine.

The plan now is to phone Happy Trail in the morning and ask for advice. 

Another day lost. Stay tuned ...

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DMT - Day minus 18 - Parts of Parts

All the bikes for the trip are in the garage. Check them over, adjust the chains and we're ready to go!

Oh how I wish that were true ...

However, this time the parts are coming in on schedule and things are looking good. Happy Trails sent the bash plate and racks for the Rally which looked great.

Jason ordered the extra mounting plate for the Transalp rack so that we could carry a RotoPax with extra fuel. The ATK has limited range and we don't want to run out so the Transalp and Rally will be carrying extra fuel.

Baja trip in 2008

However, the instructions to retrofit my older frame with the newer accessory call for drilling holes through it. Not an option since the last trip to Baja called for some impromptu welding along the way. To beat the rush and avert a frustrating problem I'm taking the whole frame to a local welder to be assembled properly. It will actually end up stronger with the plate adding strength and rigidity.

Just another item on the endless checklist of preparations. After all, if it wasn't for the last minute when would things ever get done?

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DMT - Day minus 20 - Frustration - Part 4

Stress relief. Instead of waiting for the Africa Twin parts to arrive from the UK I decided to buy another bike to prevent having the fatal problem of motolacktus. Looking around in the local ads produced a very attractive Honda CRF250L Rally. I had seen these when the first came out and thought they were a very nice modern version of the NX250. 

It has fuel injection, a 6 speed transmission, and a modern suspension. Many of the reviews dismissed it as too soft, too heavy, and too little power. If you wanted an all out enduro bike Honda makes the CRF250X. However, for a long distance adventure bike this one is perfect.

Even better, Andrew, the previous owner had already installed many of the upgrades I would have chosen like an FMF exhaust for less weight and Olins shock and fork components to upgrade the suspension and handling. A quick call to Happy Trails and the racks and skid plate are on their way. New Dunlop 606s and it's ready to roll.

I have just one small problem, the garage is getting pretty tight. Anyone want to buy a bike. I have plenty of choices to choose from.

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DMT - Day minus 21 - Frustration - Part 3

While waiting for Godot, my new helmet, a Bell MX-9, arrived today thanks to Marty at 4into1.com 

Old helmets are great nostalgia pieces but more than a couple of years old and they should be replaced. The crushable liner that cushions the impact gets wonky and the shell gets brittle. This is known as The Bad Plan.

My new one has the latest MIPS technology which means that it will take a glancing hit and keep my head from cork screwing off the top of my neck. You can read about it here.

As you can see it has a larger viewport and plenty of vents. Just what I want in the desert.

And a small reminder to ride with respect.

Now, if only I had a bike to put under it ...

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Tuesday, April 16, 2019 DMT - Day minus 23 - Frustration - Part 2

This is what I'm supposed to look like in 3 weeks

Even if everything fell jelly side up it's hard to imagine that it would all come together in time.

Maybe I need to make a leap of faith and get everything possible ready so that if the parts arrived in the nick of time it could all come together.

OR

Maybe it's time to start thinking of a Plan B.

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DMT - Day minus 24 - Frustration

These are the pictures of frustration.

A high performance exhaust system that adds a couple of (quiet) horsepower and saves 18 pounds over the stock system.

Aluminum radiators that provide extra cooling capacity for the high desert temperatures and save another 10 pounds.

All the engine parts that could be sourced here in the U.S. from the local dealer.

Three weeks to go and maybe the critical gaskets and rings will be here by the end of the month. Then it all has to go back together without any further problems.

It's a nail biter - stay tuned.

  

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DMT - Day minus 32 - I can breathe again - a little

Travel is all about planning. Or not planning. Or forgetting the details you should have planned for.

My new passport arrived today so I can breathe a little easier now that I know I can get back into the US without having to stand in line with thousands of immigrants for days or weeks on end.

The parts for my Africa Twin are coming in. The parts sourced from the US are on hand but the parts from the UK are on hold and I need to find out why. They are small but important parts like the head gaskets and the piston rings.

I'm gathering the items to take with me and laying them out. As always at this stage I'm including too many things knowing that most of them will be cut when the final choices are made.

Although I have a set of titanium camp utensils these caught my eye while shopping this weekend. The bamboo is just as light and sturdy as the titanium and I'm thinking they have more appeal to my sense of style and design. And a bit more posh?

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DMT - Day minus 35 - Two heads are better than none

The heads are back from Hord Power - YEAH !!

The valves and seats have been reworked and the heads have been resurfaced. This is going to be like a new engine in the bike.

Now there is just the waiting for the gaskets and rings which are coming from England. Then reassembly and tuning and hoping that I haven't lost a part or forgotten how something goes together.

Five weeks to go and it seems so long and not long enough.

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DMT - Day minus 38 - Progress is slow as time passes quickly

The parts have been ordered to put the Africa Twin back together again. Some of them I could source from my local Honda dealer but the rest will be coming from CMS in England. Owning an exotic bike takes patience (and money)!

The Mexican 1000 will be run along some of the same routes we were going to use so we will be able to follow in their path. I'm thinking we will get as far south as Bahia de Los Angeles before turning north to return to the US. Maybe we'll find some left over parts for souvenirs. Playing Ricky Racer will be fun!

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DMT - Day minus 40 - Spring time filled with anticipation

These are home made churros which are linear donuts coated with sugar and cinnamon. These are really good and remind me of the ones I got from a street vendor in Baja on the trip with Marty. After the first one I was hooked and immediately had 3 more!

The bikes are all set to come out of winter hibernation. There is energy massing in their engines and wheels that I can feel as I walk amongst them. I whisper, "Be patient, soon we will go out to play. I haven't forgotten you." They grumble as they shake off the winter cold.

Even the Taco and trailer are ready for the trip. We have decided to trailer the bikes from Tooele to Beatty, NV. It is a long, hot, boring ride across desolate territory. We will have more than enough riding on this trip to forgo this tedious slab of blacktop. 

The plan is to drive to Beatty, spend the night in a motel, and leave the Taco. On the way back we will reverse the plan and ride home in air conditioned comfort while preparing our tales of daring do for all to hear. 

Assuming that we make it, that is ...

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DMT - Day minus 45 - Shady Character

Applied for my passport which required a new photo. 

I have to admit that i'm not sure if I'd let this person into my country. 

Especially knowing his past history. This picture only misses having an InterPol tag and a number below it.

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DMT - Day minus 54 - Duhh

It's the little things that kill you. Small details that get overlooked and then bite you in the butt. A good case in point is my passport.

I was applying for a SENTRI pass which would get me into the fast lane at the border. I already have a Trusted Traveler number which gets me into the TSA Pre lane but this is apparently something slightly different.

A few more dollars so that I don't sit in an interminable line in the hot sun like I did when returning from my last trip to Mexico. I'm assuming it will be even worse with all of the immigrants trying to flood across the border.

Name, date of birth, color of eyes, all the standard stuff. Blah, blah, blah, ... Until I get to the method of verification.

No problem. I get out my passport and as I scan down the page for the number I notice one small detail that I had overlooked.

Date of expiration: 02 Jul 2018

Not Good - Not Good At All!

My ToDo list (I use Google Keep which is excellent if you are an Android person) is now topped with "Renew Passport"

It's the little things like this that would put me in line with Juan and Consuela applying for entry into the United States. On the plus side, maybe they could help me improve my Spanish.

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DMT - Day minus 56 - Directions

The heads are on their way to the people at Hord Power. They are the experts on the Hawk GT family of Honda 52° v-twin engines. This includes the 500cc Ascot, the 600cc Transalp, the 650cc Hawk GT, and the 750cc Africa Twin, as well as an assortment of Shadow cruisers.

In the mean time there are plans to be made including where to go when we get there. Wherever that may be.

I'm a big fan of GPS but prefer old school paper maps. For one thing, a map gives you a much broader scope. For another, it gives you much better detail. Even Google Maps is limited by the size of your screen as you scroll up and down and zoom in and out. Plus I can make notes on a map and highlight trails and points of interest. I know people who have clamped a small laptop to their handlebars but you become a robot following a robot. Not my idea of adventure.

Another point, maps don't need batteries and don't break when you drop them. I carry a GPS as a backup when I need to know exactly where I am so that I can figure out where to go next or how far to get gas. Other than that it stays in my tank bag.

Right next to my trusty compass. Another, I don't need no stinking batteries, low tech gadget that has gotten me straightened out many times. This one has been with me for years and has always been ready to point me in the right direction. Good for finding north at dusk when I'm stetting up for a night star picture while I can still see what I'm doing.

A shout out to Mexico Maps. They have always been my go-to place for south of the border maps. Great selection and the service is unbelievable.

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DMT - Day minus 60 - My heads on the bench

Finally got all the tubes and hoses out of the way and just kept taking off things until it all got loose. Admittedly crude, but effective.

You can see two jacks under the bike. The swing arm pivot bolt is also the rear engine mounting point. Makes for a more rigid frame and better handling but is a real pain in the butt for taking the engine out.

The frame member comes off so you can get the engine out.

I don't have one of those clever time-lapse videos of the disassembly. It would only show how confused I was about what to do next.

You can't see it here but the shift shaft on the other side hangs up on the drive chain which has no master link. 

If I did this a couple of more times I think I could get the hang of it.
I'm glad I'm not paying myself by the hour!

All apart on the workbench waiting to be sent out for head work.

A few people have asked why I'm doing all this. Certainly not because I have too much money or spare time. The compression after the last trip to Baja and the Copper Canyon was only 125# instead of the factory specification of 175#. Time for a refresh.

In the morning I'll be making calls to find a shop that will do head work and then ordering parts from abroad.

Oh, the joy of owning an exotic bike!

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DMT - Day minus 69 - Trouble with my head

This is how it goes with the Africa Twin engine

Freaking hoses everywhere!

The biggest pain with all of this is getting all the emissions tubing out and labeled so that it will all fit back together correctly

The hoses are all disconnected and the valve covers are off.

The rear head come off pretty easily, slipping through the frame rails

No such luck with the front head. The head slides up on the studs and runs into the frame down tube. 

The two options are: 

• Unscrew the studs and hope they will seat properly when I put them back in.
• Pull the engine.

I'm thinking that even though pulling the engine is (a lot) more work it is the more prudent of the two choices.

Let's see what happens in the morning.

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DMT - Day minus 79

Where is the time going? It seemed like it was near infinity and now it seems to be nearer the end.

Not that I've been sitting on my butt all of the time. Jason and Erika are plotting trails and points of interest in Death Valley. My job is to lay out routes through Baja. 

Here's part of my plan. It starts at Coco's Corner where we can camp out for the night and then heads south past the Calamajué ruins. An exciting part of this is that it is often part of the Baja 1000 race route. We'll get to play Ricky Racer!

The dashed lines are "easy". Check out the little dotted line that drops down from the #1 at the edge of the map. That's where we earn our Death March badges.

Time to get back to work - time is running low!

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Where it all started

I ran into this clip about the Cotati Raceway. That was the first track I was at in the mid-60s. The American Federation of Motorcycles (AFM) was just starting. When not racing we met at the Rose and Thistle (possibly The Rose and Crown), a pub on California St near Van Ness in San Francisco. Good times!

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DMT - Day minus 97

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

It's the year of the Pig and that's pretty much how I feel. Over weight and under muscled. Not the best way to start a new adventure.

I've planned out an exercise program that works out with a medicine ball and dumb bells. The goal is not just strength but endurance as well. Both will be required in the heat of the desert.

I don't have any links of super training sites and I'm certainly not going to post pictures of my puny body. This is just a public notice of my intentions to bolster my resolve.I will add more in the future on my progress.

Note: Erika recommends Erika Hurst strength training. It's targeted for women but there is a lot of good advice for everyone.

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