Ack! Last Day To Pack

Is one ever ready!! Short post to say there is way to much to do today, but I will get there.

Last night I finished up the mechanical stuff on the bike, with only chain and suspension adjustment to complete. Today is a pack me day....... I have a ton of pics to post sometime, but I figure I will get to that when I am on the road,...LOL

cheers!

2 days left to prepare

I repacked the tent today. It sat happily in the back yard for a couple of days and passed the rain test. A stop at the local cigar store to grab a tin of Macanudo stoogies. Then run up to Sears for a 3/8 to 1/2 drive adapter for use on the 36mm front drive sprocket, so I can install the 19 tooth front sprocket and hopefully gain a few mph on the highway. Once back in town I picked up some rubber pieces to firm up the fit of the top case... it moves about too much.

I spent some time online checking on the biz cards, but no love.

The hard case for the cameras and computer is here. Plucking foam a go go... IOW.. a kit where by you custom fit your gear by plucking out precut foam.

The driving lights need to be remounted... they point down!


Yesterday I started my on www.ADVrider.com.


SO much left to do... tiem to est!

Personal Garage Time

I spent the last 12 hours or so in the throws of wiring up the bike. The lighter socket is hooked up. The fancy schmansy blue led voltage gauge is installed int he dash and wired up. The GPS has been rewired. The power adapter for the Valentine-1 is mounted and the wires run. The power for the horn is run but I still need to mcgiver a mount for the two Fiamm's.. Those 5 runs of pos and neg wires were wrapped up in a bundle and routed back to the fused power panel installed under the seat. I also installed a gang ground by the fused power supply with it's own lead out to the neg terminal of the battery. I also had to wire up the new(er) horns with the relay and that sucked up time too.

Then there is the Voltage Fix for the tiger as found on www.tigertriple.com. This re-wire bypasses the bike wiring loom to help reduce voltage loss and to help support the electrical load when it gets high. Lots of wiring, which takes me forever, but I do a good job.... at least I hope I have...

OK.. it is late almost 11:30.. I am going back down for a bit to do something. There is still so much to get ready.. like sorting the toolkit... and a test pack.. and .. and

Countdown started

Oy Vay! To copy a coined phrase..

I am leaving next Thursday!! I have an appointment on the Monday 27th for the initial session in the chair, giving me four days to get to Louisiana.

Down in the walking basement, the bike is scattered about, like so much Scarecrow after the flying monkeys tore him apart. The Crash bars from Thunderbike did not fit. Eeek.. Thursday last was spent runnign around getting them modified to fit the 1050 engine case. In short the bars had to be lengthened by about a 1/2" and the bottom plates has to be modified to clear protrusions in the case. The front radiator hose is getting smushed a bit as a result of the different case as well.

I will be digging in and hopefully finishing up the electrical work today, istallign the fuse block and wiring for the radar detector, gps, voltage meter, driving lights, accessory lighter socket, real horns and something else I am sure...

WHoohoo.. Dan sent up the KIVA stickers and last night they were applied to the side cases! Looks some sharp, I tell yeah man!

Too much to do to stop for to long... off to get hairs cut this morning... tent has been set up int he back yeard for a couple of day and is still there.. .(phew) and appears not to leak... ( double phew)..

I have pics of much to show... but will have to wait for a calm moment to post a few...

Boxes for Hard Cases

one more thing...

I spent a good part of the afternoon researching hard sided cases. I was through both Staples and BestBuy today and they had collectively squat.

I continued a search online. I need to carry my Dell 910 laptop, a Lumix TZ4 digital camera and a Panasonic SDR-S10. All small gear. After a good 2 hours of poking around, I was either finding cases that were to thick at 6-8" or too thin a2". There is also a matter of not wanting to spend $500 for the Cadillacs of cases. I ended up with a Pelican 1470 Laptop Computer Waterproof Black Case / Watertight box... with a foam kit. I have some memory foam here as well to help modify. The interior dimensions of this box are 15.62" x 10.43" x 3.75" (39.7 x 26.5 x 9.5 cm) and will easily hold the net book at 9"x7"x1" and the two other devices and their power supplies.. I was mostly concerned about the netbook, but thought that I might as well up size what I am willing to have and spend and really protect all of it. I paid $101 for it including the foam kit and then upped for 3 day shipping so I would have it a bit sooner as it is coming from Calif.

I also want to take my Nikon 4500 and lenses and I think I will be able to get it all in.

The Thunderbike bars showed up yesterday, although I didn't figure that out until after the post office was closed, so I went in today to get them. I also has to pick up a T55 torx bit for the engine mounts. Shopped for landscape stuff for the yard... pavers and decking... picked up some lawn seed for the 18 yards of loam now sitting in the front yard!

(from a post on ADVrider.com)
the basement is full of goodies... in the next few days I will be adding to the tiger....

Thunderbike crash bars
Loobman oiler
PIAA 004xts (gotta get 35 wt bulbs!)
Electrical patch panel
Wiring for Valentine
Wiring for the PIAAs
Real Horns and their wiring
19 tooth front sprocket
Rox Risers.. up 2" and swivel back
Install Datel Blue LED voltmeter in dash
Setup the bike for the Mt.Sun Tank Bags
Setup the Triumph tank bag/pad
Mount the touring windscreen.. if I can find the grommet or finally get the new ones)
install new brighter headlight bulbs.
locate & Install 1" RAM Balls for camera
Move GPS power to new switched side power
Install access power socket in dash, std lighter plug.

I've already installed the heated grips, added the lowered pegs and the sheepskin buttpad.. .increasing my comfort level...

.... and most importantist of all!!!!! Apply ADV, FYYFF and Rider Dude stickers!!!!

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Over the last 6+ months I have posted a pile on the ADVrider.com site about various aspects of the coming trip. Over the next few posts I will cut and paste many of those in here to complete some of the back story...

Breathing Hard

The last week has been a bit of a ride.... Monday was the "Jason Blows a Fuse" day, buit I got over it fairly soon and felt silly for getting all worked up, over something I had resolved by the end of the day. Thanks to some rummaging in the back, the folks at Thunderbike found a set of bars out back and they are currently waiting for clearance at USA customs. So, soon I will have everything.

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Friday, yesterday, I went in for what is hopefully the last root canal, that makes 3 in the last few months.... hoepfully I will be off to Louisiana to get crowns and bridge work done.... and this will also be a test run for the bike and all the gear.

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I have continued to test the SPOT satellite locator/tracker. I have been very happy with its performance, especially as I have been able to successfully navigate the manual, which is something that many people do not seem to be able to do. When positioned and used properly the SPOT is an awesome tool.

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I have received a set of ROX risers, which will be installed on the bike today, and this will help with that muscle tension between the shoulder blades. They are very nicely machined billet aluminum. Last week I got in the Alaska Leather Butt Pad, raising me up a bit, added to the drop from the new foot pegs, the Tiger is fitting better for the long haul. It has been fine running around, but as I get into hundreds of miles, it has been a strain on the neck and shoulders.

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Tires Tires Tires....... Man what a decision.. do I trust to finding the right tires, at the right price, at the right time.... or do I pre-buy tires and have them shipped out to me where I will be in a day or three?? I can buy all the tires I need, shipped to me for about $950. That is 3 Continental Road Attack rear tires @ $145, 2 Trail Attack rear @ $152 and two of the fronts at $119. It would then cost $15-20 a tire to ship them where ever I need them to be. The alternative is to just trust to the good will of the world.... cough.... the world will charge me around $190-$250 per rear tire plus installation fees.. if I choose... I guess I will decide in the next few days. Opinions on ADV are split..

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Thanks to calmer heads ( geoff!) my crisis earlier in the week was just a bump in the road.... although I was mighty chaffed, in hindsight I realize that any of thses incidences are just that.. moments, that will pass... thanks Geoff..

The Big Let Down

I made one last call to Ma's cycles... no bars. Not gunna happen, may be able to get them by the end of summer. I ordered these crash bars TWO MONTHS ago. I have been in weekly phone conversations for the last month. I should have been told it wasn't going to happen weeks ago!!!!! They knew I had a dead line!








I *HAD* plenty of time, but I wanted to go with the USA made porduct. I wanted to spenmd the money as local as I could. Now I am fetching and getting and jumping thorugh hoops to fond a set, anmy set I can get in a week!

I am thoroughly FURIOUS at this situation!!!!!!

I am off to see what I can do about this. I can NOT venture out on a fully loaded Tiger without bars!

Damn Damn Damn!!!!!

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Update... I have found a set of Touratech bars in Seattle. $$$ more money than I had budgeted for the bars through Ma's plus air freight or delay the departure..... I also am waiting to call NZ and talk to the folks at Thunderbike about a set of their crash bars... if I have to spend more, or that much more I might as well get the best.

The pic to the left is the Touratech setup, the second is the Thunderbike set. I think for nearly the same money the Thunderbike set is a better product, but then there is the shipping costs..... while it is Monday evening at 4pm here in Maine, according to the world clock, Thunderbike is just opening for business.. time to ring them up!

Fargo and Far to go

Talked with Bob at Ma's for a bit today. Fargo is tired. They've been fetching an getting for weeks and while they are past the critical moment of this event, any heavy rains in the next few weeks could start the flooding all over again. Meanwhile, somewhere in the melee my engine bars are theoretically assembled and waiting a ride to the power-coating guy, and then they can be off to me. I really do not want to venture off, even on the first short trip without them. It is all to easy to dump a loaded bike in parking lot, or gravel or or or..

The visit to StreetCycles went well.. they replaced the temp sensor. I asked them to do a once over check and in the process found the radiator fluid to be lacking in anti, so they dumped it out and refilled with fresh... a good thing regardless. While they had it open I also asked to have them give the plugs a buffing before putting back together. It runs quite a bit better at speed, and of course the engine code hasn't reappeared. While I was there I upped for Gerbings heated jacket. a nice change from a vest that didn't work well.. thanks Ian...

My next stop was a photo tag mission, on which i was thoroughly bruced. Then a stop at my Root Canal Dr for copies of my xrays to send off to other dentist. Then on home to experience my first brucing... oh, the humiliation... .. well I couldn't let that go! I had some real coffee, sauteed up a couple of lbs of haddock, scarfed it down and set off on a night run to get the new Tag. I kitted up well, but it was still a cold ride. The elec jacket does a great job, but I only wore the rain jacket and not the pant so I was still loosing too much heat. However it was only cold feet and a cold butt... my core and arms and hands and head were fine. I tracked the trip with SPOT, which also showed up while I was mulling the brucing. See Jason on SPOT. I was nominated for a performance award on the return trip but was not selected... thank you officer! Took a short ride today to place the new tag.

Sunday is the first MEME lunch run of the season. I have much work to do on the bike and hope to get a bunch done between now and then and make it a short test run with a full kit on, including the Mt. Sun tank panniers and the tank bag, neither of which have been on the bike yet. ..wish the bars were here...... The Blue digital LED voltmeter came, as did the micro screwdriver set so I can repair the older Nikon.. the control pad joystick, sticks...... if I can't affect a fix, I'll source a junker for parts.

The Tank Panniers are drip drying a bit before I treat them with waterproofing and then they get a trip in the dryer to "seal it up". In talking to James Coburn at Mountain Sun, he suggested that I could treat the outside, but also once I had that done to turn the bag inside out and seal the seams. I have two tubesof sealer, for sealing up the Panniers and the Tent, if we ever get a decent day!! I finally realized that I m,ust have an older set of bags as I can see no good way to dettache one side to use as a back-pack. Huh... I hanen't made huge hiking plans, outside of a mile here or there to see something and take photo ops.