I got the notice this morning from my manager that my 17 day stretch of vacation is approved for late August/September. So, it's time to get serious about my CDR trip. I hadn't bothered doing too much in the way of offroad setup on my Strada yet as it's around 99% pavement, 1% gravel up to this point. So, I'm going to need to get setup with: Handguards / Handle bars Skid Plate (possibly DIY) Crash Bars (possibly DIY) Radiator guard (for sure DIY) A way to extend the front fender (DIY) Tires GPS Solid tool kit Pod mod -or- H5 & Am.E's 3D print air box seal Seat Concepts +1 seat If all that comes goes well and at a reasonable budget, and ebay sources me some good deals (and hoping everyone here overlooks Dutchgit's post about the spoked 19/17 Strada setup) then I'd like to get a second set of wheels as well to mount the more dirt oriented tires to. Having never undertaken a trip remotely this long (17 days 5500 miles), it's definitely going to be an adventure. Previously, my longest trip was about 1200 miles over 3 days. There are several things I've really been thinking about over the last 7 or 8 months of throwing this idea around. Now that I'm almost moved into my new house, I'll be getting my shop set up properly and I'll be starting some of the mods I've been brainstorming. So, keep an eye out for some upcoming mods from me that are a bit out of the ordinary.
Also, with this size of bike, you are going to have to very carefully think about your luggage. Depending on if you decide to camp most of the trip and/or hit motels along the way, your kit carrying capacity becomes critical. You have the perfect size bike to do the CDR. I enjoyed riding it immensely. I did it alone, but I would highly recommend going with a buddy. I only saw two other motorbikes on the entire CDR when I went in 2010. Have fun!
Yep, I'm still trying to sort out what my sleeping setup is going to be, but I'm about to pull the trigger on a bivy sack, combine that with my sleeping bag I've already got, and a lightweight tarp and I that should reduce my packing immensely. Needing to decide soon as I want to do some 2 day test runs in the next couple months. Highfive's trip report got me thinking about those hammocks. While I still think they'd be an awesome way to go, I don't think I'd get as much use out of it. The rest of the kit is pretty much sorted. I've done some multi-day camping trips with it before and really my tent was the only thing that really bugged me. I was just talking about this over the weekend at a harescramble, I'm more excited about this trip ran I am to race this year. So, I might be scratching some more off my schedule and doing some more short trips.
I'll take a stab at some of this. Handguards / Handle bars: Stock bars are fine for me. Barkbusters are crucial though. Being a Strada, you've more on those bars to worry about than just levers. You will have to account for your ABS stuff on the install. The part that I used can be seen here: http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/terra-fy-your-strada.34142/ Skid Plate (possibly DIY): Lots of good options already on the market. I personally wouldn't go through the hassle of a DIY job on this one. Crash Bars (possibly DIY): FabOneUp has the best bars out there. Copy his design. Radiator guard (for sure DIY): Yup, DIY it. A way to extend the front fender (DIY): If you plan on doing wheels, scrap this idea. The stock Strada fender will only handle up to a 19" wheel. If you're going spoke, go with a 21". Tires: I'm not getting into a tire debate. GPS: Pick the least miserable one you can afford. I've yet to find one that does it all the way I want it, but Garmin comes closest for me. Solid tool kit: If you are looking for a mostly turn-key solution, you can't beat the new RRR Adventure Roll. I was convinced to buy one after having a few beers the day they were released, and I LOVE it. The only thing I've added (tool wise) is a set of needle-nose vise grips, a 24mm wrench for the axle and oil plug, and a set of tire irons. What I love about this kit is that it is almost universal. Instead of going to my toolbox, I often just grab it when I do maintenance on all my bikes, which include Triumphs and a Ural. http://shop.rrrtoolsolutions.com/RR...Premium-HIVIS-Yel-Includes-Ship-RRRATRPHV.htm Pod mod -or- H5 & Am.E's 3D print air box seal: Yes. I just made the decision to do pod mod myself, but both are good solutions. Seat Concepts +1 seat: This, along with the Touratech adjustable pegs, has been my best modification yet. I thought the stock seat was good, but I needed to increase the seat to peg distance for longer rides. What I didn't realize was how much BETTER the Seat Concepts seat was than the stock seat.
Well, I've been sneaking in some purchases here and there. Handlebars: I picked up a set of ProTaper SE (7/8") ATV Mid. I compared them with the bend with a Terra on the dealer's showroom and it looked very similar. I'll admit, the main reason I bought these is because I want a crossbar to mount my GPS and roll chart to. GPS: I have a Garmin 78 on the way (will be arriving today). Along with that I have a hardwire kit and a Touratech locking mount inbound. I went with the 78 for a number of reasons. 1) Hardwire option. 2) Marine unit, so it should handle the rain fine without having to worry about it. 3) Price - I got it for $170 shipped. 4) Utility - It would work just fine for hiking trips, or dirt bike trips (re: Moab - I will be back). I've been playing with Basecamp the last 2 weeks, downloading all of the KS, MO, AR tracks I can find on ADV, and plotting courses. I don't have internet or TV at the new house yet, so I've been downloading from my phone and transferring over. It keeps me occupied in that down time before bed. Air Filter: I've got the Uni filter on it's way from Australia. I'm going to move forward with acquiring all the materials to do the 3D printed piece. Sourcing the glue is giving me fits, but I figure I should be able to get all the parts by the end of June and try it out over the 4th of July 3 day weekend. Tool kit: I've got a roll up bag, and assorted tools. It's going to be a matter of going through everything on the bike and making sure I have every tool I would need. Then buying duplicates, or individual tools better suited, so as to not have things go missing from my racing tool box. On the wheels, I'm still a bit up in the air. I don't believe there is anything too serious on this route that would really make me regret not having spoked wheels. Then again, I would hate to be out there and be stranded because I broke a wheel that otherwise would have just been bent. And yet again, I hate patching a tube in a tubeless tire as they're always a bear. With the stock wheels, I can just pop a plug in, air up, and be on my way. Either way, I think I'll stick with the 19/17 setup. Scouting ebay, I could get spoked for about $450. For the front fender, I did pick up a low fender from a 800GS a while back and have been trying to figure out how to make it work. It's had a bit of dremel work to it already, but I'm still not sure it's going to get the job done. If I had a set of conventional forks on there, things would be 100x easier. But that's not for now. I may yet go with the Terra high fender. The next on the list are to find handguards I can live with, then do the seat. For some reason, I'd forgotten how my knees don't like that seat to peg distance after a while behind the bars. So, after the seat if needed, I may look into the foot pegs as well. Then onto the protection. Might look into putting together a screen for the radiator sooner than all of this tough, as I'm thinking I've got some Saturday mornings that look like a good time to get used to the GPS and run a some back roads, and flinging gravel up on that radiator really makes me nervous. Anyway...lots to do. Good thing I'm not planning on having any motivation draining TV or Internet at the house until my neighborhood gets Google Fiber this fall.
Good question. Originally a bicycle route, adopted by the ADV rider community. It's primarily Gravel/Dirt roads from the Canadian border at Rooseville, MT down along the Continental Divide, crossing it numerous times, until arriving at the Mexican border at Antelope Wells, NM. Roughly 2500 miles in length. \ There's been a lot of people to ride and document the trip, so I figured it would be a good one to follow for a first extended trip, as the GPS tracks are well tested and camping, gas, and dangers are all marked. Lots of good notes from other's ride reports on what to expect, while still leaving quite a bit of room to experience it all. Takes the edge off trying to discover a route myself though.
The coolest thing about that one is it has the actual divide plotted out and seems to be the most recently compile collection. Another set of tracks that are very useful are these, as it has a lot of extra waypoints listed (bike shops, campsites, alt routes, etc): http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=619934 And a master thread over there for all kinds of additional information, Q&A and reports. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=763745 One thing I am changing on my version is I'm flipping the questionable sections. Making the bypasses part of the main route, and the reported difficult sections as the alternate routes. I'd rather consciously make the decision to run one of the hard lines, than stumble onto it. Not knowing how others classify difficulty is the biggest unknown. As well as not knowing how my nothing's impossible ego on the WR, is going to translate to being loaded on the TR. So, I'll figure that out as I go.
Top, I'm heading from Kansas City up there to the Montana border. It's about 1500 miles just to get to that point, so my butt is going to be sore as hell. I decided to go north to south strictly for the sake getting the mental reboot/anti-social solo/meditation trip sorted out before getting distracted with family visits. If I were to go South to North, I likely wouldn't make it through Wyoming before needing to head back and would have that "I didn't finish it" thing hanging over my head.
Well, I'm adding a twist to my trip. I'm going to not only solo the trip, but I'm going to attempt to hit as many breweries as I can. Seems a fitting set of waypoints that I haven't seen in anyone else's GPX files yet. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24373141 Yeah, my handle over there was from the old days back when I still had a KDX -- and used that handle for many years.
