Lessons of a half liter single in a three liter world

[Chitza]

After months of planning, prepping the bike, pre-trip shakedown ride and restructuring my entire plan, July 9, 2016 arrived. I was/am in the middle of a home remodel and most of my attention had been focused on that. There were many moments when I doubted the prudence of taking a 4 week trip to Alaska. But I loaded the bike and took off to meet the crew in Cullman. What follows is a general report of the adventure but mostly what I learned along the way about myself and this world we live in.

Several folks contacted me before the trip to see if I was ready. They very graciously expressed concern about me taking this trip, trying, I felt, not to say, "Are you crazy?"   But did you ever set out to do something not really knowing how insanely ridiculous it was? Funny how I see that now, and yet I did it. And I'm glad I didn't know how impossible it seemed. A 650single cylinder street bike making a 10,000 mile trip with three large displacement, adventure bikes with the right equipment and tires, piloted by 3 experienced riders. Since the inception of the trip, I considered myself the weak link in the chain and tried to prepare myself and my bike to perform at maximum. I knew my weaknesses and did not want to be the reason anyone had to babysit me or my bike and delay the trip. I knew the Top of the World Hwy was primarily dirt and gravel, so I spent some time(limited though it was) trying to improve my comfort level. To little avail. I was still timid. Allen mentioned he was concerned about my tire choice for the trip. Avon Storms. 100% street tire. But after weeks of research, there were no off road capable tires that would fit my bike. I essentially had NO choice. I went with tread longevity. And my bike? Well, there was no choice. I rode what I had. Disadvantages and all. A 14 year old, uncommon single cylinder, belt driven, BMW f650cs. Parts are scarce and ease of maintenance and service was going to be a problem. Even if I found a BMW shop, finding a tech who was familiar with my bike was not likely. Space for gear and tools was at a premium. (Shhh. The group thinks I brought an extra belt as back up. I didn't. But I did have an extra clutch lever which proved to be a good idea on the last 4 miles of the first day).

[Yankee Dog]

From what I saw your choices were just fine.  My 2005 BMW 650 has about the same engine and it is solid as a rock.  The roads I saw you ride looked like hard pack gravel for the most part.  We delude ourselves whe we think we need a dirt bike for such. There are plenty of examples out there of folks riding Sporters or sport bike to Alaska and back.

[Chuck A.]

Yes Yes. Please continue....... :o

[springer]

 Moore please  ;)

[Chitza]

Prepping the bike and gear:
As I mentioned, my bike is a 650 belt driven, single cylinder Rotax engine. Yes, a bullet proof motor with easily accessible parts. But the rest of the bike presents challenges. It's nickname is the Scarver, short for "street carver". The original inception was for it to be a worthy commuter. And it does that task very well with an average of 62mpg and a 4.1 gallon tank. It is not necessarily set up for adventure luggage. With my budget limited, purchasing luggage, specifically side cases, was not an option. I found a set of OEM bags on the f650 site. Reportedly waterproof and approximately 50liters of storage capacity between the rear seat, tail bag and tank bag. It was gonna have to suffice. Glenn, (NiceGoat), had warned me about overpacking and to be sure I put aside money to ship unused gear home. I decided to start tossing before I left. Last minute, I tossed my heated vest. It certainly would have extended my riding time, but I had not had the chance to test it on my bike for compatibility with my charging system. An electrical meltdown 4500 miles from home was not how I wanted to spend my time, so out it went.
I added a fender extender to help keep rocks and muck off the belt.
I had a touring windscreen that was cracked through the mounting point when I dropped the bike last summer.  AAA Plastics did a $20 repair on it and I crossed my fingers that it would hold at highway speeds, high winds and through the rough roads ahead.
New ADV Mesh Monster headlights and I nixed the idea of added riding lights and engine guards. Land of the midnight sun. Right?
Oil change and a new set of Avon Storms. I had 8,000 miles on the last set and had about 2000 or so miles of tread remaining. Fingers crossed again.
I had new fork seals added in February. New brake line needed after adding Rox Risers and a new clutch cable and lever. May as well throw the old one in my pack.
Riding gear: My Tourmaster jacket had proven itself to be cool enough without the liner and with vents open and was reportedly waterproof. I didn't get a chance to test that claim before the ride and there was little room for rain or mesh gear. I added a pair of snow mobile pants to a compression bag with my liners, hoping they would provide cold and wet weather protection. They fit nicely over my Fieldsheer mesh pants, even with the liner in and leggings or jeans underneath. They also have a bib for added cold weather protection up top. Four pairs of gloves, one waterproof. For me, when the gloves get too bulky, I have difficulty reaching and squeezing the clutch and brake levers without taking my hand off the handlebar. Forget manipulating the blinker switch.

A bungee net held my small, soft side lunchbox/cooler on top of my bags with trail easy food and cooking essentials. You know, coffee and creamer :)

I added a hip pouch to keep all my necessities handy: drivers license, passport, money and music. The OEM tank bag is plenty roomy enough, but doesn't have compartments, so finding things quickly becomes an exercise in frustration.

Mounting the bike fully packed required me to stand on the pegs to throw my leg over, stand there and adjust my hip pouch and gear before I slid into my snug cockpit. Dismount required the same procedure in reverse.

[merc16]

You two are a tough combo (rider/bike) !

[Chitza]

Day 1: 550 miles

My original plan was to leave a few days early and meet the group in North Dakota, hoping to avoid the 600 mile + days at the beginning. Things didn't work out that way. Remodeling delays and problems with my house/dog sitter situation didn't line up as I had hoped and I joined the group for our send off in Cullman at 9:00am on July 9th.
We headed north with a goal of making it to LeRoy, IL, Moraine View State Park.



The group:

Lincoln Stewart - Triumph Tiger 800xc.

Lincoln assumed the role of leader by default. He had the GPS with our route and as we would learn later, Allen's GPS would not show maps of Canada. Had we been in the Cayman Islands, we would have been golden...
I don't know how many of you are friends with Lincoln on Facebook, but he is serious about some left lane passing only. He practices what he preaches! And here is where he earned his "trip name"(just like hikers of the Appalachian trail, we earned trip names).  Digger. He simply did not quit. Onward. Same level of energy at the end of the day as he had at the beginning. I think I'm adding doughnuts and chocolate milk to my diet.

Tony Fancher - Suzuki VStrom 1000.

Tony took the role of tail gunner and Babysitter. Rolling in to Moraine State Park about 11:00 that night, we made a wrong turn and had to turn around. I was exhausted and made "an error in judgment",(PC way of saying my gymkhana skills ain't worth shit). I dropped my bike and my left leg was caught under the bike. Tony had swung around before me and the group was already out of site. But Tony noticed my headlight wasn't moving and he came back. How he lifted that bike after a 500 mile ride is beyond me. But, bike up, assessment reveals broken clutch lever. Roll start in neutral and limped along in 1st and 2nd gear the final 2-3miles in to camp. (I'm holding off on revealing Tony's trip name. 8) ).

Allen Goodwin - riding two-up with his wife, Melony on their Yamaha Tenere.


If you don't know Allen, fix that. Amazing rider and barrels of positive energy. He and Melony are an incredible force. On and off the bike. They have the ride and camp down to a science. Lil'Abner and Daisy. Melony was a delight and helped me keep the estrogen level up for this trip. I couldn't have made it without her.
And me - BMW f650cs

[lazeebum]

I'm enjoying the report, and you were on the road with a great group of people.

[Chuck A.]

Seated, Arms folded, waiting patiently for more words of the report..................

[klaviator]

I'm with Chuck, I'm looking forward to your report.  I enjoyed the pics on FB but I'm really glad you are taking the time to do a real ride report.

[Chitza]

I was very excited. Going to Alaska has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Long before motorcycling became part of my life.  Being able to make this trip on my bike was just gravy.

Lessons from Day 1:

1. If you're going on an adventure with Digger, buy some stock in monkey butt powder. It will pay for your trip.
2. Last DG - I know the map doesn't mark it, but the last Dollar General as you ride north is somewhere in middle Illinois. Stock up on Vienna Sausages and Beenie Weenies before you move on.
3.  I don't eat much when I ride. But for some reason, riding through the heartland left me craving corn on the cob and edamame.
4. When the bike is down, Tony will come to the rescue. I'm convinced Malachi pushed me over 8)

What the group learned from me: always pack a spare.



Allen and Lincoln were trying to figure out how to repair my clutch lever when I pulled out the spare. "Who packs a spare clutch lever??!!?, they said in amazement. "Karla does," says Tony as he begins to wonder if there is a Suzuki dealer in the area for him to pick up an extra. Then they pitched in  to teach me how to change it. Thanks guys!

Take aways:

We spent a lot of our time in Midwest America on the first day. Endless fields of corn and soybeans spotted with small farming towns and wind farms. What I noticed was how different the communities appeared. Norman Rockwell worthy. The towns were neat and clean. Even the houses that seemed to be lower than middle class were well kept. Every blade of grass manicured. Old cars were clean and polished. Homes were freshly painted. There was little to no roadside trash. Marquees posted information about little league games and community events. A true picture of Americana. I had to wonder why it seemed so different than the farms where I grew up in south Alabama.

Looking at the fields an obvious reason stood out to me. Corporate farming. I don't know for certain, but the farms had a very business like feel. Acres and acres of corn and soybeans, all with corporate signs dotting the line between them and the road. I guess the days of the small time farmer are over in the Midwest. It's Walmart farming now. But there seems to be a financial gain for the community. Hopefully, Health benefits and vacation days.


Note: I will add pictures when I get some from Melony. She was our photographer as the rest of us were kinda busy being pilots :)

[RubyRider]

 ;)

Anxiously awaiting more...........

[Fencejumper09]

Thanks for taking us along! You guys rock!

[Chitza]

Lessons from Day 2: 620miles

1. Cerro Gordo - I know just enough Spanish to carry on a minimal conversation. And sometimes my memory ain't so good. We went through two towns named Cerro Gordo, one in Illinois, one in Iowa. My "memory", or lack of, was certain that "cerro" was Spanish for pig, therefore the towns were "Fat Pig." (In reality, cerro is Spanish for "hill", " cerdo" is pig). I'm sticking with pig.
2. Another popular farm in Illinois was the wind farm. At this point, there was a noticeable change in the climate as well. It was windy. I considered whether or not the position of the wind mills had been strategic(catching the best wind) or if they were producing the wind. But when the roadside puddles have white caps, you know why you're fighting your bike to stay in your lane. The road may have been straight, but we were all using our sidewalls. No worries about flat spots on those tires!
2. And the rain begins...hours of rain...time to find out if my waterproof gear works. Most of it didn't.



The bags were constructed like a tent with seam seal tape that was old and cracked. Most of my clothes in the tail bag were wet. Camping gear in the rear seat bag was okay as it was packed in waterproof stuff sacks(thank you, YankeeDog). My waterproof gloves and snowmobile pants worked for awhile, but after hours of rain, they were approaching fail status. My jacket worked well with only a little seepage at the collar. Shoulda, woulda, coulda done a better job on rain prep. Time to rethink.
3. Suburbia, MN was nice. Thanks to GPS we got to see a few neighborhoods up close and personal. And I got
To practice my rusty turn arounds. With a heavy pack load. In the rain.

The group learned from me: the gypsy has a crystal ball

Take aways: At the end of the day, you have to know your limit. I was wet. My gear was wet. And at 11:30pm we still had 50miles to go to our planned camp site. We stopped for fuel and it was still raining. We were in Alexandria, MN. There were three hotels right next to the gas station. We were 600+miles on the day at that point. Being the smaller bike in the group, I was struggling to keep up. I could run the speed with them, but if anything got in my way, like merging traffic, I did not have the power to catch up. It was a physical and mental struggle. I had been hallucinating and knew the next day was gonna be another push. If I was going to push my limit again, I needed rest and time to re-evaluate my gear. The group declined joining me and went on their way to camp....in the rain at a place called Lightening Lake. It lived up to its name that night.
I had time to consider what the adventure was worth. Why was I on this trip? What were my goals and priorities for making this trip? I had ridden to my limit two days in a row and looking at the plan, I was going to be doing it again. And again. I had one more day to reconsider my ability to physically accomplish this ride...or turn around.

[bblass]

This is an amazing ride report!