Corporate Runaways - Boston to Ushuaia on 2 BMW F650GSs

[Dachary]

Who doesn't get tired of the corporate grind? We've decided to run away from our corporate jobs and take our bikes from our home in Boston down to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego - the End of the World. We'll be riding roughly 20,000 miles through 14 countries and we're giving ourselves 4 months to do it. The plan is to avoid civilization whenever possible, camp constantly, enjoy beautiful scenery and hopefully find just enough adventure along the way.

These are our bikes:



This is Kay:



And me, Dachary:



And this is our proposed route:



We've listed all the mods we've made to each bike on our web site, as well as more information about us, at http://www.CorporateRunaways.com

We wanted to document the journey from the beginning, so I wanted to post today - because we're leaving tomorrow! We'll hopefully get out of Boston bright and early, although we typically fail at getting on the road early. I'm also a little worried about snow as the forecast looks more and more ominous.

Will our dauntless heroes make it out before the snow strikes? Will the motorcycles be so overloaded that the frames break before they even leave the U.S.? Will hypothermia claim the brave riders and end the trip before it's truly begun?

Stay tuned and enjoy the ride with us!

[donnymoto]

Wow, I'm sure you'll find your adventure, good luck!

[Bgunn]

The F650GS is a solid bike. With corporate grind in the rear view mirror and adventure on the horizon. This ride report has been "added to cart".


Feliz viaje

[Boston]

Safe riding! I'm in!

[warp9man]

good luck and safe travels.

[Dachary]

Motorcycle trips always seem to take longer than you expect to prep, and a 4-month trip over 20,000 miles warrants the extra time. We’d done as much as possible to get ready to go before the big day came, but there was still a lot we had to do the morning of to get the house and dogs ready for the house/dog-sitter, and get us ready for the road. We had some last-minute packing to do, and a few last-minute scares of things we thought we’d forgotten and had to unpack and then re-pack to check. Long story short, we didn’t get on the road until after 11AM, and didn’t hit the interstate (where we’ll be spending much of our time in the U.S.) until close to noon.


Dachary's bike packed to go.


Kay's bike packed to go.



We quickly discovered that Kay’s bike needed some adjustment. The bike was initially having speed wobbles at 65mph. We’d put new chains on the bikes, and added a dry sack duffle to the back of Kay’s bike, but otherwise hadn’t changed the configuration so the wobbles were a mystery. We only got about 15 or 20 miles from Boston before we had to pull off at a service area to check out the bike.

A quick Web search later and we adjusted the pre-load on the front suspension, checked the alignment, checked tire pressures and decided to hit the road again. Cranking up the pre-load helped immensely, but the bike was still wobbling a bit around 70mph and it was decided to stop again before we hit I-84 into Connecticut. We hit another service area just a few miles before the exit, and cranked up the pre-load and added a bit of air to the tires. Of course, the bike was on a slant and when Kay stepped off of it it fell right over. Checking underneath before lifting it revealed that no, the kick-stand hadn't done anything wrong. The bike had simply pivoted on it when it went over. When we got back to the interstate, the bike was riding well. Pre-load and air had done the trick.

By this point it was past lunch time, and we’d been riding in the cold, so we planned to stop at Traveler’s Books and Food in Connecticut. We didn’t realize how close it was to the Massachusetts border and reached it far sooner than expected. Had a tasty lunch, and I got the most amazing grilled cheese and tomato soup combo I’ve had in my life. Seriously. Truly heavenly. If you’re in the area, stop there and eat.


The Perfect Soup and Sandwitch

We managed to get about an hour and a half down the road before we had to stop again. It was time to gas up, and we were getting close to New York City during rush hour, so I decided I’d like a bathroom before we tried to tackle any of NYC’s notoriously traffic-y bridges. The first gas station we hit was a dud, so we rode on until we found a Stop N’ Shop gas station. One of Kay’s ears was hurting so he took the helmet off to adjust and give it a breather, and took glasses off to take the helmet off. And, leaning forwards to set down the helmet, crushed underfoot the glasses which had fallen to the ground in a way that looked impossible to repair.

At this point, it was around 4:30PM and already getting dark. The temperature was around 35 degrees and Kay effectively had no glasses (and needs them to drive). Back-up glasses, you say? Kay doesn’t have any - the plan is to grab some when we hit a border town in Mexico. We were mulling over our options when a guy at the next pump in the gas station heard us talking about the divey looking hotel we’d passed and recommended one just down the road. He said it was cheap but clean, and that’s how we ended up at Shoreline Motel in Milford, CT with the sun setting at 4:30 on a Tuesday.

We only made it 160 miles from home on our first day, but between getting out late, diagnosing bike troubles and broken glasses, there’s not much we could do about it. We prefer not to ride at night anytime, and with the cold it’s really quite dangerous to ride at night, even with our heated gear. We immediately exploded our gear all over the (cheap) hotel room and pulled out the JB Plastic Weld that I remembered we’d brought. Kay went to work fixing glasses while I called around on my never-ending quest to find some Michelin Anakee 2 tires for my bike. A few hours and some Domino’s delivery later, we’re fed and warm, have fixed the glasses, have located some tires for me in Louisiana, and I actually managed to get some work done, too. With one black rim and one white JB Weld rim the glasses look like a reject project from some 1980’s video though.


Kay's JB Welded glasses

Not how I’d have planned our first day, but not horrible. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we’ll try to hit the road earlier (and find some wi-fi so I can send my work off to a client and post stuff to the site for the ride report) and cover some miles. The immediate goal is to put the Great Cold North behind us - the sooner, the better!

[Boston]

Love the JB Weld on the glasses - GOOD STUFF!!!

[GB]

That's quite the ride you have planned! Best wishes for a safe journey

[lukeman]

This should be a good one. Hardcore riding right now in the northeast, its fucking cold! Get south quickly!

[Hotmamaandme]

Enjoy the ride of a life time

[klaviator]

You sure picked some cold weather to start off in. What made you pick this time of year?

Good luck on your ride. I'll be following along.

[Bgunn]

Originally Posted by Dachary

The bike was initially having speed wobbles at 65mph!

The only trouble I had with my F650 was with steering head bearings. Preload on the bearings are important. Looks like you have it sorted out.

Bet your looking forward to the warmer weather that awaits you in the south.

JB weld can be some amazing stuff...

[BikePilot]

Awesome stuff

If you end up in the DC area on the way give me a ring and I'll meet you for a bite to eat if you want (I'm from this area, but just returned after a 3-yr stint in Cambridge MA). I'd offer a place to stay but I'm sleeping on a couch myself right now so can't - you'll wanna make it further south than this anyway I think

[Animo]

Have a great & safe ride!!!!

[*Gravy*]