The bike is on its way. The Motorcycle Shop has finished servicing and crating it. DHL picked it up about noon today, January 24th, and took it to their facility. It is going by air to Seattle, where Schumacher Cargo Logistics will take over. It goes by truck to their terminal in Long Beach, California. Once in Long Beach, it waits its turn to get placed in a container, then onto a ship to Bremen in Germany. The ocean transit is 28 days. I'm not in too big of a rush because I won't get to Bremen until March 31. I hope! I changed my airline reservation yesterday but have not received my confirmation email yet . . .
My initial plan was to air freight the bike to Lisbon, but the costs are prohibitive. I will post the final costs when I pick it up in Bremen.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Bike Modifications for this trip
The bike has undergone some modifications for this trip. Two goals were in mind: to lighten the bike and its load, and to improve its ability to handle whatever load I put on it. After speaking with Lisa Thomas at the Overland Expo in Mormon Lake Arizona last year, I decided to put the Touratech Explore HP Rear Shock on the bike. Lisa and her husband Simon have been riding around the world for many years. She carries a much heavier load than I plan to, and reports that this shock is better than any she has ever used. So I ordered it up and installed it. Lets see how it does.
Next, I put on a Remus Roxx muffler. This titanium device sheds many pounds, and removes the heavy catalytic converter from the right side (I now have a huge space there). The shape of this exhaust caused me to have to change the rear luggage racks from the Happy Trails to a lighter Touratech rack. Finally, I decided to use the fabric bags designed by Walter Colebatch, the Adventure Spec Magadan bags. I will also use two Wolfman Rollies (waterproof bags) up front for light gear. Altogether, these changes save about 25 pounds. I reduced the gear weight by another 25 pounds, bringing total wight loss to 50 pounds. It is actually a title kore than that, but removing 50 pounds from the weight on the rear subframe is really important. The 10,000 miles already on the bike had already caused the lower left rear subframe bolt to wear out the nut, requiring a through-bolt solution.
I also decided to have the protection plates, bars and guards powder coated a neon yellow. I first saw this on some Twisted Throttle project bikes, and thought it looked interesting. Then I saw it on Tiffany Coates' bike Thelma. It makes sense to me to increase visibility. Also, it helps readily identify the bike if it is stolen.
Another modification was to switch out the Scottoiler chain oiler for the OSCO (One Second Chain Oiler) brand. The Scottoiler certainly did the job, but at a great mess. Hopefully the OSCO oiler will make less of a mess.
As you can see, the bike has been taken to The Motorcycle Shop for final servicing and crating.
Some links:
Lisa and Simon Thomas These two have been riding around the world for years.
Walter Colebatch and Sibirsky Extreme Walter Colebatch is an amazing guy. His ride report of riding off-road from Poland to Siberia is the classic ride report in modern adventure motorcycle reporting.
Tiffany Coates This woman is hilarious. Her primary motorcycle is an older BMW named Thelma. She has ridden it just about everywhere.
OSCO chain oiler
Touratech Explore Rear Shock
Next, I put on a Remus Roxx muffler. This titanium device sheds many pounds, and removes the heavy catalytic converter from the right side (I now have a huge space there). The shape of this exhaust caused me to have to change the rear luggage racks from the Happy Trails to a lighter Touratech rack. Finally, I decided to use the fabric bags designed by Walter Colebatch, the Adventure Spec Magadan bags. I will also use two Wolfman Rollies (waterproof bags) up front for light gear. Altogether, these changes save about 25 pounds. I reduced the gear weight by another 25 pounds, bringing total wight loss to 50 pounds. It is actually a title kore than that, but removing 50 pounds from the weight on the rear subframe is really important. The 10,000 miles already on the bike had already caused the lower left rear subframe bolt to wear out the nut, requiring a through-bolt solution.
I also decided to have the protection plates, bars and guards powder coated a neon yellow. I first saw this on some Twisted Throttle project bikes, and thought it looked interesting. Then I saw it on Tiffany Coates' bike Thelma. It makes sense to me to increase visibility. Also, it helps readily identify the bike if it is stolen.
Another modification was to switch out the Scottoiler chain oiler for the OSCO (One Second Chain Oiler) brand. The Scottoiler certainly did the job, but at a great mess. Hopefully the OSCO oiler will make less of a mess.
As you can see, the bike has been taken to The Motorcycle Shop for final servicing and crating.
Some links:
Lisa and Simon Thomas These two have been riding around the world for years.
Walter Colebatch and Sibirsky Extreme Walter Colebatch is an amazing guy. His ride report of riding off-road from Poland to Siberia is the classic ride report in modern adventure motorcycle reporting.
Tiffany Coates This woman is hilarious. Her primary motorcycle is an older BMW named Thelma. She has ridden it just about everywhere.
OSCO chain oiler
Touratech Explore Rear Shock
DigitalSecurus
I had lunch yesterday with Glen and Matt from DigitalSecurus to talk about securing my laptop, etc. while on the upcoming trip. Matt is a computer security expert, and was very helpful. Among the security recommendations he made, I immediately invoked the following:
- Encrypted the hard drive on the laptop with FileVault (Apple's proprietary encryption software).
- Installed Prey on iPhone and laptop so I can both track and "kill" the devices if they are stolen.
- Identified a separate bank account to use for all financial transactions while on the trip, separate from the primary household bank account that receives all automatic deposits, etc.
- Prepared to switch to a new password on all accounts for duration of trip (which will be changed again when I return in six months) to limit exposure to that time period.
- Set automatic backup to the cloud so if the laptop is stolen, I can (a) use Prey to "kill" it, and (b) back up all my data to a new device from the cloud.
Glen Klinkhart, CEO of DigitalSecurus, is an old friend and colleague who helped me on many a case with digital forensics. Mike Messick, the other principal in DigitalSecurus, is likewise a long time colleague and an expert in system security with years of experience in ISPs and international corporate work. I met Matt Krueger for the first time yesterday, but have known of his excellent work in systems security and intrusion detection and investigation for a few years. They were all really helpful. If they had a sticker, I would put it on the bike!
Besides writing a book on internet safety for children (A Cybercop's Guide to Internet Child Safety), Glen has written a memoir to be published in April of this year that covers, among other stories, the story of the murder investigation in the death of Bethany Corriera. The book, Finding Bethany, a memoir, also covers what brought Glen into law enforcement, a reason that Bethany's death and finding her murderer is of special importance to Glen. It is more than a whodunnit or police procedural. It is a very personal story.
- Encrypted the hard drive on the laptop with FileVault (Apple's proprietary encryption software).
- Installed Prey on iPhone and laptop so I can both track and "kill" the devices if they are stolen.
- Identified a separate bank account to use for all financial transactions while on the trip, separate from the primary household bank account that receives all automatic deposits, etc.
- Prepared to switch to a new password on all accounts for duration of trip (which will be changed again when I return in six months) to limit exposure to that time period.
- Set automatic backup to the cloud so if the laptop is stolen, I can (a) use Prey to "kill" it, and (b) back up all my data to a new device from the cloud.
Glen Klinkhart, CEO of DigitalSecurus, is an old friend and colleague who helped me on many a case with digital forensics. Mike Messick, the other principal in DigitalSecurus, is likewise a long time colleague and an expert in system security with years of experience in ISPs and international corporate work. I met Matt Krueger for the first time yesterday, but have known of his excellent work in systems security and intrusion detection and investigation for a few years. They were all really helpful. If they had a sticker, I would put it on the bike!
Besides writing a book on internet safety for children (A Cybercop's Guide to Internet Child Safety), Glen has written a memoir to be published in April of this year that covers, among other stories, the story of the murder investigation in the death of Bethany Corriera. The book, Finding Bethany, a memoir, also covers what brought Glen into law enforcement, a reason that Bethany's death and finding her murderer is of special importance to Glen. It is more than a whodunnit or police procedural. It is a very personal story.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Tentative Route in Central Asia and Russia
I have reviewed maps of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, as well as other sources, and I think the best entry point is via Baku and the ferry to Turkmenbashi. I'm not interested in seeing a lot of Turkmenistan, although Mary and Merv would be good to see. However, I think I would rather see Urgench and Khiva in Uzbekistan. That means it looks like I ride the M37 to Ashgabat (553km), then north on A381 to Nukus (573km) in Uzbekistan. From there I can travel southeast to see Urgench and Khiva, then back on to A380 to Bukhara, then the M37 or similar to Samarqand.
Khiva (for a brief stop), Bukhara and Samarqand are on the must see list, and the latter two deserve a couple of days at least to take them in. After that, I am uncertain where to go, and solicit any input from you and others who have recently been on the ground there.
From Samarqand, I could take the A377 to M34 and down to Dushanbe (266km), with the goal of getting to Osh. If it is possible to get a permit for the Pamir Highway, I want to do that.
After I get to Osh, by whichever route, then I think it is just up M41 through Jalal-Abad and Kara-Kol to Kara-Balta and M39, then in to Bishkek. From Bishkek M33 to Almaty. I'm not interested in seeing Astana, the new capitol, so I want to get into Russia and east to Mongolia. It looks like the A350 to Semey and from there the A349 to Barnaul is the best bet, and then M52 through the Altai Mountains and into Mongolia. There are tracks then that will take me south and east to the area of the Flaming Cliffs at Byanzag and Yolyn Am Canyon. If permits are needed to see the dinosaur fossils at Byanzang, I would like to obtain those, or a tour.
From there I will ride north to Ulaanbaatar (maybe a side trip to Karakorum), A165 to Ulan-Ude, and then the M55 to Irkutsk. Then it is the M55 to Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk. From there I will head east through Russia and on to Northern Europe to Antwerp.
Tentative Route in Europe and Morocco
The bike is going to Bremerhaven, Germany, and I will pick it up there. From Bremerhaven, hopefully using mostly A and B class roads, I will head southwest to Luxembourg, France and Spain via the Basque country. I want to start the trip officially in Lisbon, as it is on the West Coast of Europe, but time may not permit that. The Bremerhaven shipment point has added at least 5 days (1600 - 1700 miles) onto the beginning of the trip, so I will have to make that up somewhere.
From Lisbon I intend to travel south to the Algarve and along the coast until I can ferry to Morocco. The Morocco route is to Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, and back to the Med to catch a ferry back to Spain (perhaps Malaga).
I will ride the coast up to Nice in France, with a few deviations to points of interest on the way. From Nice I take the ferry to Corsica, thence to Sardinia, thence to Sicily, and finally Italy. Up the east coast of Italy to Milan and Biella to visit, then out of Italy via Trieste and down the Dalmatian Coast to Greece.
From Greece (the Acropolis) to Turkey and particularly Cappadocia. I will leave Turkey via its Northeast to Georgia, and then into Azerbaijan to Baku. The Central Asia portion of the trip begins when I leave Baku. I plan on being in Baku no later than June 30th.
The Plan for 2014 - a plan 30 years in the making
Where: Europe, Morocco, Central Asia, Russia, and Mongolia
When: I leave March 29th to pick up the bike in Northern Europe, and have a return ticket from Antwerp to Anchorage on September 30th.
Why: In 1980 or so, I read Fitzroy Maclean's epic book, Eastern Approaches. In the book he wrote about his trips to Central Asia and various cities along the old Silk Road. The book captured my imagination, and I have wanted to travel there since the first reading. Maclean died a few years ago, and his obituary is worth reading. In 2003, I read Charles Gallenkamp's book, Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions. The stories of the Gobi Desert and Mongolia once again captured my imagination, and I have wanted to see the Gobi and Mongolia ever since. Those two books, with their descriptions of the those places, are the genesis for the ideas which formed the plans for this trip.
With regards to the Morocco portion, who can forget the movie, Casablanca (the greatest movie of all time, regardless of what critics say about Citizen Kane)? And for those old enough to remember the book, The Drifters, by James Michener, Marrakech and environs beckon. Finally, who, in their heart of hearts, doesn't want to visit places with names like Fez, or Timbuktu, if the opportunity arises? As Don Quixote sang, ". . . my destiny calls, I must go."
As for Europe and Russia, they are merely corridors, routes that must be traversed to and from those other places. Not to say there won't be some interesting places along the way, hopefully the Acropolis among them, as well as some island hopping along the way: Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily. We will see as the trip unfolds.
What: After a lot of deliberation, and seeking of advice, I have decided to take the small bike, the BMW G650GS. This is not a trip where speed is central to success. Rather, I need a steady, agile platform with which to negotiate the Pamir Highway and the Western Mongolian tracks. While the 1200 Adventure is more than capable of handling those bits, as well as out-performing the 650 on the highways, it is a significantly heavier bike, and under my control, not as nimble as the 650. Since I am traveling alone, I will take advantage of the extra margin of safety in the 650. Moreover, with the 650, I will be less likely to overload it. At least that is my intent. Those who know me know that I have always over-packed in the past. It will be a real challenge to not do so on this trip. I hope what I have learned in the past two trips will be focused on preparation for this one.
There are less than 90 days now before the trip starts. The bike and luggage have to be ready to ship by the last week in January. I will try to keep this blog updated as the final planning unfolds, including posting the detailed route. The priority now, however, is to get the bike ready for shipping. That will be the focus over the next three weeks.
When: I leave March 29th to pick up the bike in Northern Europe, and have a return ticket from Antwerp to Anchorage on September 30th.
Why: In 1980 or so, I read Fitzroy Maclean's epic book, Eastern Approaches. In the book he wrote about his trips to Central Asia and various cities along the old Silk Road. The book captured my imagination, and I have wanted to travel there since the first reading. Maclean died a few years ago, and his obituary is worth reading. In 2003, I read Charles Gallenkamp's book, Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions. The stories of the Gobi Desert and Mongolia once again captured my imagination, and I have wanted to see the Gobi and Mongolia ever since. Those two books, with their descriptions of the those places, are the genesis for the ideas which formed the plans for this trip.
With regards to the Morocco portion, who can forget the movie, Casablanca (the greatest movie of all time, regardless of what critics say about Citizen Kane)? And for those old enough to remember the book, The Drifters, by James Michener, Marrakech and environs beckon. Finally, who, in their heart of hearts, doesn't want to visit places with names like Fez, or Timbuktu, if the opportunity arises? As Don Quixote sang, ". . . my destiny calls, I must go."
As for Europe and Russia, they are merely corridors, routes that must be traversed to and from those other places. Not to say there won't be some interesting places along the way, hopefully the Acropolis among them, as well as some island hopping along the way: Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily. We will see as the trip unfolds.
What: After a lot of deliberation, and seeking of advice, I have decided to take the small bike, the BMW G650GS. This is not a trip where speed is central to success. Rather, I need a steady, agile platform with which to negotiate the Pamir Highway and the Western Mongolian tracks. While the 1200 Adventure is more than capable of handling those bits, as well as out-performing the 650 on the highways, it is a significantly heavier bike, and under my control, not as nimble as the 650. Since I am traveling alone, I will take advantage of the extra margin of safety in the 650. Moreover, with the 650, I will be less likely to overload it. At least that is my intent. Those who know me know that I have always over-packed in the past. It will be a real challenge to not do so on this trip. I hope what I have learned in the past two trips will be focused on preparation for this one.
There are less than 90 days now before the trip starts. The bike and luggage have to be ready to ship by the last week in January. I will try to keep this blog updated as the final planning unfolds, including posting the detailed route. The priority now, however, is to get the bike ready for shipping. That will be the focus over the next three weeks.
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