Gender feminism sends me to south america

[vintagespeed]

been there, got the pink slip man. glad you're back on track! i'm in!




oh, and around here the policy is, "if you 'feel' uncomfortable it is harrassment." i suppose feelings are not as subjective as they may seem.

ride on!

[AtvMinibike]

if you weren't near her she won't shout any harassment. Just remember next time to be always on guard Daughters are growing up you don't want them harasses too. set an example. hope the rides will clear your mind.

[jet987]

I'm in. the more updates the better!! Pressure is on!

[Parcero]

Have fun, ride safe, and kudos for seeing the silver lining and taking advantage of it. I will also be heading south, departing Chicago on November 28 and riding into Mexico and on to Central America. Let me know what route you're taking, perhaps we'll run into each other.

[Wheelman]

Good luck with your trip... i'll be watching with interest. and yea, good on you for doing something really positive like getting the bucket list sorted

[kramnamhoh]

Spent the morning cramming all of the stuff I want to bring into the tailbox and side bags....maybe I should just bring a car instead so I can carry all of this crap. Can I haul a trailer with a KLR??

Anyway, starting a 3 day ride to Arizona. Will spend a week+ with kids before resuming the trip south.

I've got "wherever i may roam" playing on the mp3 player and off I go....

[kramnamhoh]

The KLR is waaay overloaded. I've got to get rid of some of this stuff before I resume trip into Mexico. Poor KLR slows down to 60ish over a mountain pass at 6000+ ft. I'm starting to wonder how it's going to do at 15,000 ft through the Andes.

I head south into a strong headwind and the KLR struggles along. This is my first trip fully loaded with the givi bags on the side. Headwinds really bog it down. I was getting around 50mpg before this, and now am thinking that the back way through north Nevada may not have been the best idea.

The highway turns east so I'm not fighting the headwind, but the KLR is still struggling. WTF??? All of sudden, there is a vibration from the rear tire, and it dawns on me why the KLR is struggling. I've got my first flat!! I've made it all of 79 miles before it's flat.

I stop and check my phone. No cell coverage, so no rescue from AAA. I have a spare tube, and I need the practice, so I decide to change the tire myself. I'm not too excited about the idea, because I don't know what I'm doing, and I screwed it up last time and pinched the tube.


A few hours later, i find out that my patch over the previously pinched tube had failed. I get the new one in and....find out that I've pinched tube #2 also. I suck at this tire change thing. Fortunately, it's a slow leak. I can make it about an hour at a time before I have to stop and air up the tire.

The people of north Nevada are so nice. Almost everyone stops to see if I am ok. I got multiple offers of help, rides into town, and one family was going to come by after dark to see if I was still there. They offered a place to stay and dinner!!

So...off I go again....

[kramnamhoh]

At about mile #150, I have to switch to reserve. apparently, overloaded KLRs with low rear tires in a headwind get terrible mileage. Mr garmin says it still about 50 miles to a gas station. Not good....

At about mile 180, the KLR rolls to a stop for about the third time in a few miles. I shake bike back and forth, but no luck. I'm hoping that I can lean it to the left enough to get some of the last of the gas on the right to the petcock. Only problem is the bike is so heavy from all the crap I'm carrying. I get myself braced and lean it down onto my knee, and shake it around. I get enough fuel to make it a few more miles to the gas station at Nixon, Nevada.

I decide to go to walmart in Fernley to get some slime. Maybe that will plug up the slow leak enough to get me to Arizona, where the bike shop has a heavy duty tube waiting for me.

I put the slime in. Man, that stuff works great. It immediately plugs the base of the valve stem so that no air is going in or out anymore. Time to call AAA....

[KaytM]

A great story.
Buy a KTM and it'll be perfect!

[kramnamhoh]

I get to Reno kawasaki at about 1am. There are four motorcycle shops right in a row here (thank you Wade for directions). I setup camp outside the service entrance and wait. It's a good test of my new sleeping bag since it's supposed to be in 20s tonight. My old sleeping bag was rated for 20 degrees, which was very optimistic. I would get cold at 50 degrees in it. The new one has down in it, and is also rated for 20 degrees. Fortunately for me, down sleeping bag ratings mean something.

The guys at Reno Kawasaki are great. They have two heavy duty tubes and will install it for only $15. I tell the service people my story and they give me a great lesson on tire changing. They really took time to show me how it's done and give me tips on how to make it easier. The parts department even calls around to other shops in Reno to track down a motion-pro bead-buddy for me. All in all, it probably was worth the hassle of the flat to get the tire change lesson, and the parts to make it easier the next time. Thank you Reno Kawasaki. Much easier to have this experience in Nevada than most all of the places I'm going to.

Off to Arizona for time with family, and to repack. My goal is to only take half of the gear that i currently have.

[kramnamhoh]

I'm with you Kaytm.... a KTM 990 may be the perfect bike for a trip like this....or, I just need to carry less stuff with me...

I had alot of fun on KLR travelling this summer, though I had alot less gear. I'm hoping it will be more like that again once I dump off all the extra crap.

[hardwaregrrl]

...oh, I misinterpreted the title. Sorry you lost your job over some BS, but happy you're doing something amazing with all the time you have. I envy your daughters. Safe travels, friend.

[kramnamhoh]

My facebook link for photos of my rides to europe and 100+ national parks is at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1526916160

[One Less Harley]

Yeah you are carrying a lot of crap, you'll figure out what's really needed in a few days. Get a waterproof duffel and ship half ... maybe in your case 3/4..... of your crap home!!!

Here's a packing list (here), and tools (here)




Keep the report coming....

[betitolara]

Great to see that your ADV has started Mark. I'm in
Cheers,
Alberto.