DMT - Day minus 11 - Packing

I'm sure there are people who are organized about packing for a trip. Regrettably I'm not one of them.

This is how it starts. Dig out everything I can find that I might want to take with me.

Then find lots more stuff and put it out too. Apparently I believe in having duplicates (or triplicates) of everything.

For instance, how many earplugs does one person really need?

And it all has to fit into the two boxes on the right with the ADV stickers. Maybe I need one of Dr. Who's Tardis boxes that are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside.

The plan is to identify the redundancies and remove them. After that it is MoSCoW triage.

MoSCoW:
Must - first aid kit, tools, batteries, toilet paper and a trowel
Should - camera, clothing, sleeping bag, camp stove and food
Could - tent, gas and water containers
Would - more tools, more food, more everything

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DMT - Day minus 13 - Very Happy Tires

Getting down to the wire with all the details that need to be checked off. Like new tires for the Rally.

This is the Dunlop 606 which is my go-to tire for off-road adventures. It is described as a 90/10 tire which means that it's designed for 90% off-road and 10% paved road. I've found that it handles just fine on pavement as long as you recognize its limits. Off pavement it digs in and holds like it was geared to the ground. Wet, dry, soft, or hard; it handles it all and keeps on going. As a bonus I find that it wears great. I'll gladly pay a little extra knowing that I'm going to get to wherever I'm going.

Sometimes bad things happen so that good things will happen which will prevent bad things from happening. Got all that?

Taking the front wheel off to get the front tire replaced was a bit of a challenge. I had to wait for the rear tire to be completed before I could work on the front end since I don't have one of those professional center lifts. After reassembling the rear end I jacked up the front end only to find that it takes a 14mm hex wrench. Something that I don't have. I have a lot of tools but not that one.

That was the bad thing. The good thing is that I was able to find a 14mm hex socket at Home Depot. It came as part of a set but I was not in a position to complain. So back home the tool worked, the wheel came off, and the dealer said it would be ready by Monday.

The bad thing that this prevented is the possible need to fix a flat tire in the middle of nowhere with no 14mm hex wrench. I never had a Honda that needed that tool and it would be virtually impossible to remove the axle without it. But now I have one! 

Somebody watches out for me and I'd really like to thank them and buy them a beer.

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DMT - Day minus 14 - Very Happy Trails

Just got off the phone with Tim at Happy Trail and he knew my problem before I got even half way through describing it. Seems that there were some bad brackets made and they thought they had pulled them all from stock but mine seemed to have slipped through.

He apologized and said that he didn't have one ready to ship BUT would send out one that wasn't powder coated to make sure my trip was covered and then send out another one that was complete when the coating was finished next Wednesday.

Everyone makes a mistake once in a while. Tim was immediately responsive to my problem and time constraint. I said that as long as it came in next week I'd be happy to wait for the right one so they didn't have to deal with it twice. Fair is fair.

This is why all my stuff is from them. Customer service! Now, if only we could get Comcast to take some lessons.

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New Improved and So Much Better

Here's the picture of the new bracket Tim sent me to show me how it's going to look when I get the mine next week.

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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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