Dr. Strangelove wrote:nice pix, as usual, with the nighttime lighting, but your timeline could be mapped by the various iterations of your luggage, notably the fashioning of Pelican-or P knock off- cases.
Deets please on the tank bag? It appears to be wired? Why not just go with a SW Motech bag?
and what body part has been the recipient of cold hard steel/titanium this time?
A little stressing on the fracture site may be a good thing, but too much and you may get a failed union.
Stay safe.
John
Thanks John!
There was a slight difference from 2up to solo, I didn't run the windscreen to Baja and I added a chair and fly rod for my solo trip, other than all was the same. The ax and tent poles were strapped to the back handles two up and then rod, poles, ax and chair were on my seat for the solo ride. All our camping gear fits in the panniers, as does the poles, but easier to keep them on the seat. I've been doing so much more dirt bike adventures before the crash and changing my camping gear around that when it came time to pack the R it's so easy with more than double the space I'm prepared for. I got to bring my luxury items on this trip.
The box is a HPRC case, similar to Pelican but Italian made. I like the looks and latches more.
I do use a SW-Motech tank ring bracket, but I don't use the SW bag because it's not 100% everything proof to protect my camera, doesn't hold my GPS and I like to do things my way instead.
It is wired using a XLR plug with a 12v car socket inside, I have a dual 1A USB charger in, I charge a Lemar Powerport Wave 7000 battery pack during the day while riding and use that to charge my camera, iPhone, iPad Mini and Jambox speakers at camp at night. Foam covered in lens cloth keep the camera protected and isolated from vibrations.
There's a female 1/8th headphone jack under the handle I installed to get tunes out of the box while riding, but with the advances in Bluetooth it's not really needed anymore and I should remove it since it takes up space on the inside.
Love the tank box, have been rocking various versions since 08' I think, started with a SW bag, but it left a lot to be desired for me for traveling.
I had shattered my clavicle and broke 3 ribs this spring while coming home from a dirt bike adventure in the Sequoia's, the irony is for 4 days before the crash I had been on 1' wide goats trails with 400' drops right next to me, knarly trails where it wouldn't be surprising to get hurt... but while cruising at a very mellow speed on pavement I came around a blind corner to find water running across the road, the kind with green slime under it, not enough time to react more than shaving off some speed and trying to ride straight, but to stay out of the other lane I had to try and turn, came out of the water kind of sideways, should have just let it low side but instead tried to ride out the drift. Traction came back, maybe not enough throttle on my part and over the bars I went, landing on my shoulder. Hard dirtbike armor pressure suit with a Rukka jacket over top still didn't help me, something had to give. Could have been worse if I just had on street gear I guess. I knew I was hurt, but no cell service so I used the shot of adrenaline my body had given me picked up the bike and rode 70 miles to the hospital. Wasn't going to leave my bike with all my gear on it there anyways. Left side was injured so I could ride not using the clutch much.
Sh!t happens fast when riding, even at reasonable speeds... live and learn. Glad I wasn't on the R, would have been going much faster and plus the crash did nothing to damage my Husaberg beside a few scratches on the hand guards.
Been using the Exogen bone healer I had from my last broken bones, supposed to improve bone healing by up to 30%, Dr. said no riding till August, but I felt ready and my sanity was teetering not being able to ride... glad I went.
angellr wrote:Joe,
+1 with John.
Especially enjoyed the shot of your leaving the coast. Pretty jealous right now, as I have not been able to ride much.
BTW, does Nancy still have the F800R? I rode one of those the other day and it was extremely enjoyable, except for the bar vibrations at about 80+. It sure was fun in the canyons. Does her bike exhibit the same characteristics? Thanks.
Thanks Bob, no she doesn't have the 800R anymore, but yes it was always fun in the canyons and a little buzzy on the highway, just like my 800GS. She's riding her trusty 650GS and now she has a Honda CRF250L dual sport. Her GS matches the R close enough for long trips or as a daily rider, the CRF is a good match to the Husaberg for our dirt adventures. Cheap, fuel injected, water cooled and Nancy-proof.
One thing is for sure, one bike is not enough and of the four we have, the R is still the best all around bike I could have.
Now you get out there and make some time to ride! Life is short and two wheel time is time well invested!
peels wrote:outstanding photos!
you rode up the coast of Cali... Did you take highway 1?. thats my dream ride(dream coming closer). LOVE that stretch road south of Monterey.... 88 miles of sanity. We MAke it a point to drive it every time I visit family down there. Even if it's in the rented minivan LOL. Family lives in SLO, and Arroyo Grande. That is my favorite place on earth. The smell of the eucalyptus brings back childhood memories....
sorry...got a bit carried away there...
thanks Peels!
I did ride some of hwy 1, though I skipped the SoCal section... it was Saturday and traffic on it was brutal making it something I needed to avoid. I detoured to San Jose while heading south to get my favorite sandwich at AL's Beef ( a Chicago institution that just opened a store in Cali), when it came time to cut back over off the 101 I just couldn't stand the traffic and kept on motoring south. I understand images or smells bringing back memories, though my eucalyptus memories aren't from childhood, but I'm still glad some photos can help someone have fond thoughts from places they've been.
(shameless plug) Details on my site about fly and ride west coast tours... easy way to make that dream a reality!
Was a good thing I stayed my course and skipped that hwy 1 section though, I had been keeping an eye on the Pirelli Angel rear tire, knowing it was close to it's end and getting square. I looked at it in San Jose when I fueled up, I then picked up the pace a little since I was now away from the ocean and into the heat and I just wanted to get back by the water. (This was a very mellow trip overall when it came to riding, needing to keep the costs low and not wanting to push my luck with my clavicle, besides the two day blast up to Mt. Rainier it was relatively slow ride.)
With only a 180 miles since the last inspection when I stopped for fuel again what I saw shocked me.
There were four of these sections around the tire, evenly spaced showing steel...
I had been watching what I thought were the wear marks, I'm pointing at them, but apparently on the Pirelli Angel's there are no definitive wear marks to follow. Scary stuff, will never run these tires again....
Lucky I was not on the coast and in Santa Maria where there was a big Harley/powersports shop open that had a nice selection of tires that fit the R. I went with a Pilot Power, a tire I really liked before and the price was right.
I enjoy going into a HD shop, picking out a tire and then coming back inside in less than 4 minutes with my wheel, ready to go. With the Akro pipe I just need to remove the pannier and wheel bolts. Oh, the looks from all the pirates hanging out in the lot.
Seriously though, this HD shop was awesome, service was very fast and accommodating, about 40 minutes from the time I discovered the steel belts showing to when I was back on the road with fresh rubber. Part of the fun of traveling without planning everything out.
One of their tech was an ex BMW guy who had made brackets so they could balance my wheel, a nice rare bonus getting a tire on at a HD shop.
Here's the route, if anyone wants the GPS check my website, I'll be uploading it soon. Most places were common West Coast routes, some of the campsites were special and off the beaten path though.
And for good measure here's a few more, I took my time and made lots photos:
Sorry for the long winded responses, been a while since I had much to talk about on the forum.
