Mosko Moto

I drove to White Salmon, Washington to take a close look at their soft luggage. Their products are very impressive. So are the two guys behind the company, Peter and Andrew. They gave me about an hour of their time to demonstrate the Backcountry luggage system that fixes to pannier racks, as well as their new Reckless system that won't need racks or frames. 

Andrew interrupted his work (they were preparing to produce video of the Reckless system) to mount a mounting (wedge) plate on a rack so Pete could show me the Backcountry set-up. That plate is very firmly attached to the pannier frame with eight bolts into four back clamps. Those backing pieces are machined to fit various sizes of rack frames, including the square rack frames from Happy Trails. The wedge plate Andrew is working with was mounted to a Hapco-Becker rack, and that is roughly the same size as the TouraTech rack. 

In fact, you can see some TouraTech frames right above Andrews head. 

When that plate is mounted ( and it is designed for some vertical and horizontal adjustment, which necessarily varies according to the rack manufacturer) it is very firmly affixed. There is no looseness. In turn, when the bag with its integral plate slides down onto the wedge plate, it becomes a lawyer's nightmare, as there is no wiggle room. The two plates snap together with a satisfying, sturdy sound (they literally "snap" together - lodly!).  Then the mechanical connection is finished with a metal clinching latch. The bag is now solidly on the bike, and it will take a catastrophic event to separate bag from bike. 

Pete took me through features, and there are many. 

The best way to understand all the features is to watch the videos on the website and to read their product description material.  But the most important thing I saw was the attention to detail - in both design and production. There are things that don't matter until you are somewhere in the dark between villages and it's 100 kilometers either way. For example, they use metal buckles, which fail very seldom compared to plastic or Delrin. Okay, that's good. More importantly, the edges are chamfered, or "eased" and they won't fray or snag. It also means that when your fingers are cold or tired, it is easier to fasten them, because they are designed to work smoothly with the straps and bags. I have Soft bags from two other soft bag manufacturers, and neither one approaches this level of design and attention to detail. 

Another seemingly small thing are the ends of the straps. On a compression strap, you will always have a long tail, it is the nature of the compression design. You pull the strap to compress the load, and you wind up with more strap on the free or tailing end of the strap. Having chewed off several feet of flapping strap that made its way loose from my attempts to knot it off, I can tell you that sometimes you wish you had some of that strap back. When you need a 48 inch strap, a 42 inch strap often won't do (even the use of profanity will not stretch a nylon strap - I've tried). Their solution is to use Velcro strips seen firmly to the end of the strap which allows you to roll the end of the strap up on itself and then use the Velcro to secure the rolled up strap end to the strap itself. Very tidy. It beats every other solution I have seen offered. 

Another thing that is important to some people is to have your back rack free for other uses. My Magadan bags are saddlebags, and so the supporting straps go across the top of the rear rack. That takes away from the utility of a flat smooth surface. Mosko's Backcountry design hangs the soft luggage on the racks themselves, leaving the rear rack free. (Their new Reckless design will have a bag across the rear rack, but that bag has so many integral design features that riders are going to love it. I promise. If I were going to be doing shorter trips off-road, that would be the set up I would use, hands down. Wait for it, folks, it's going to be the Cadillac for off-readers). 

Also, the Backcountry bags are designed to maintain their shape by using lightweight foam panels on the large sides, which I guess I should call the front and the back, as the back

Is mounted to the plate that attaches to the pannier rack via the wedge. Maintaing the shape of the front and back panels may not seem important, but when it is dark and rainy and the wind is blowing (or any of those things) and you are trying to find something in the bag with a flashlight between your teeth and you are slobbering around the flashlight, muttering bad words because the front edge of the bag keeps flipping over and blocking the light, you will wish the side of the bag was stiffer. These bags solve that problem. I distinctly remember using bad words on the side of the road in Uzbekistan trying to get something out of the right pannier and I could not keep the bag from flapping closed. It was windy, hot, and sandy. I was frustrated and it was unpleasant. I really try to minimize those types of frustrations. You can easily imagine why. 

A word about weight. In my opinion, the Backcountry design is a dual sport design. It is designed for both off-road and highway use. The mounting plates and bag stiffening material is going to add weight. I don't think it will add more than three pounds total, but I can't say until I get them and weigh them. For men and women who count ounces going on their bikes, this will be important, and they should wait for the new off-road design. To me it does not matter on this trip. On another trip it might. 

I looked at some bags in the shop that have been used, and while they were dirty and abused, they had held up. When you look at these bags, you will note some things right away. The cut of the fabric is excellent. The sewing is tight and even. The welded seams are flat and smooth. I did not see any production flaws. If I were to receive one of their products that did have a manufacturing defect, I have no doubt I would have a replacement quickly with no fuss. But at the outset, the designs appear to be very well executed. The product is quite simply well made. 

Finally, as I have written before, the beaver tails and the Molle attachment points just make this the most versatile system I have seen. Wolfman claims great versatility, and they are versatile. However, they just dont come close to what you can do with this total system. I like Wolfman, and I will continue to use their bags for my front panniers and my "house" bag (I call it that because my tent, my sleeping bag, my air mattress, and all related gear fit in it - it's a long narrow waterproof duffle) because they are best suited for those tasks. But I can't expand them as readily and as easily as the Mosko system. 

I am going to order a set of the Backcountry panniers to take back to Central Asia, paying full price, because I think this is just a great product. I am going to prove, I suppose, whether I am right or wrong in my assessment. Like all riders, I keep searching for the perfect equipment that allows me to do, and assists me in doing, the kind of riding I want to do where I want to do it. When I'm storming across I-70 on yet another Trans-Missouri Expedition, I want my TouraTech aluminum panniers. They look good, very butch, and tourists love them. When I'm riding where the road is defined more by the absence of vegetation than the presence of a graded surface, I want a soft bag that is lighter, waterproof, fully and almost infinitely adjustable to load, tighter to the bike, and which is less likely to snap my leg if "the bad thing" happens. 

Pete and Abdrew have reason to be proud of this product. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they come up with. 

Sara (and Malcom)

Sara has written a few comments to one of the entries below, and it was wonderful to hear from her  - and Malcom too!  They are a wonderful young couple who, as you will recall, I met the day after I fell on the Pamir, and were so encouraging that day, and again when I met them later in Osh.  Since Sara made that post, I have corresponded with them, and they sent me some really fantastic information on the rest of their trip.  Unfortunately, they didn't have a blog, so their trip is not available on the internet.  However, I will use the information they provided in further route planning, and I intend to give them credit as I go along.

Many travel writers, the foremost being Ted Simon of Jupiter's Travels fame, have expounded that when traveling, it is not the destination, it is the journey.  Others have written that the destination is the most important part of the traveller's experience.  I tend to fall in another camp, that the most important and enjoyable aspect of travel is the people you meet on the road.  This couple is an excellent example

There is a great deal of sharing of information and supplies and support on the road.  On the day I met Sara and Malcom, I was really done in.  I was in pain, I was exhausted, and I was discouraged.  I had really wanted to ride in the Pamir's, a vast, high range.  I knew I was not going to make it.  I was very down.  When I met them, they encouraged me to continue, offered to help in every way and in any way they could.  While I believe I made the right decision not to continue with them that day (the impending trench foot issue would have stalled me in Khorog for a week), their encouragement sure helped get me back to Dushanbe, and then through the Anzob Tunnel and on to Osh where I would see them again.  They gave that extra push I needed just then.

And now they have helped again with route information, as they continued on to Mongolia after they left Osh.  As you all know, we all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before.  I sure appreciate what they have done for me, and I am sure they have done for others as well.

Cheers!

Romaniac may be right!

My old friend Romaniac, who often (or at least some of the time) leads me astray, may be right about those levers.  I tried ordering three different sets of levers that were all supposed to fit the G650GS, but when they arrived, they didn't.  That is why I decided I would do them myself - and because I had the tools laying around.

A significant problem with ordering these parts off the internet is that the photographs of the parts being offered for a specific model don't always match what the part really looks like.  So even though these parts show that, for instance, the tab on the front brake letter that activates the rear brake light when the handle is pulled looks like it may be the right length and in the right location, none of the levers I ordered even had that tab when they arrived.  And they are all being manufactured in China.  BMW did not help matters when they changed the designation of the F650 single cylinder to G650, and now use the F650 designation on the twin cylinder.  The single and the twin are not anything alike, from engine to frame to brake and clutch levers.  And I will forgo the opportunity to attempt an explanation in Chinese over the international telephone system which for some reason still sounds like a string between two orange juice cans.

However, if Romaniac wants to send me some, I will try and fit them and let everyone know how that all works out!  Maybe if I send him pictures of Lake Issykul (or Issyk Kul), he will be so thrilled that his wallet will spring open and the parts will arrive in Almaty as if by MAGIC!  Odds are 25:1 against.

Russian Visa Application and Mosko Moto

I sent off my Russian Visa Application this morning.  It took about 3 often frustrating hours yesterday to complete the on-line application.  The on-line application is abundantly clear, but my data entry skills have declined since I left the work force.  I guess I read more now than I type.  Regardless, after having my photos made this morning, I FedEx'd the materials and a passport to the agency in Atlanta that provides the introductions, etc.  Once again, I must applaud David Burghof at STANtours for the excellent service he provides.

Tomorrow I head to Portland so I can visit Mosko Moto -- makers of what appears to be excellent soft luggage.  I have ordered and received their Backcountry 40 Rear Duffle to replace the 40 liter duffle I have been using.  I am very impressed with the quality and design of this duffle.  The "beaver tail" feature will be very useful, and the inclusion of the Molle system attachment points will provide versatility that the standard waterproof duffle cannot.  The pannier system has a rigid back panel, and so it doesn't droop or sag like my saddlebag type Magadan Bags.

The bottom plate mounts to the pannier or luggage rack, and the upper plate is mounted to the bag itself.  The bag also has a stiffening material in the back which, when used in connection with the mounting plates, helps the bag keep its shape, and not droop.  The links above will take you to the site and provide photo examples of what I am trying to explain.

The bags also have an internal roll-top water proof bag to keep the contents water and dust free.  My experience has taught that a system with an internal roll-top bag is the way to go.  I am looking forward to looking at these up close.

Planning and Lists

The plan for 2015 is to complete the trip.  That is, to continue through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and into Mongolia.  I have a more definite route plan now, and will write about that later.  Yes, Romaniac, I plan to see Lake Issykul (Ysyk-Köl).  After some consulting with David Burghof at STANtours, I'm getting another Russian visa - or at least applying for one. The paperwork amounts to the same, but since I have done it before, it is a lot less intimidating. It just isn't feasible to try and ride through China to get from Kazakhstan to Mongolia.

As to timing, I just received info that I ought to go to Washington, D.C. for a meeting on June 4.  Tentatively, I will leave D.C. for Osh on June 5, assuming I can get all logistics worked out.  By the time I get to Mongolia, the spring run-off should be over, and the rivers back to their more or less normal levels.  Of course, since we are dealing with Nature, and Weather, it is a shake and roll of the dice as to what I will actually encounter.  And that is why they call it "Adventure riding."

Ar for lists, I seem to have too many.  There is the three page list I made in Frankfurt of things I need to consider for this years trip.  Then there is the four page list of things I took last time, which needs to be examined in light of things that appear on the previous list.  Then there is my "brain f*rt" list that has everything I think of as I sit and ponder, or comes to me in a flash of brilliant inspiration (or, more likely, like a gas bubble, but nonetheless worth writing down).  It is in another notebook, and runs to three handwritten pages now.  I also have random thoughts written and saved as notes in Evernote.   Finally, there is my departure list from last year, which I will re-write and modify as a departure list for this year.  I may soon need a list to manage my lists.

I am getting pretty excited again.  I understand why some people make this type of travel their life' work.  Plenty of challenges both physically and mentally, an unending variety of people to meet, places to see, smells and tastes to enjoy, and things to hear.  of course, I have to leave my Little Dog Scout at home, and I will miss her companionship.

Right now she is dreaming, and those little paws are running . . .

Shortening the Clutch and Front Brake Levers

The stock levers for the clutch and front brake, as it turns out, are a little too long for me. They barely fit inside the BMW hand guards, and if the bike falls, the levers usually get hit, and can break or bend. Or worse, they can get jammed inside the guards. Further, it is easier to control the throttle if you only use two fingers on the brake lever, and the ring and little fingers on the throttle grip.

I spoke with Don Rosene, owner of The Motorcycle Shop, about how much to cut off. Don, who raced motorcycles for many years, said the racers would cut off the levers right where the manufacturers usually put the break-off crease. That's a crease or weak spot in the lever near the end that allows the end of the lever to break off on a sharp impact. My problem is that BMW doesn't put such a crease in the levers on the G650GS. Don told me that after they cut the ends off, they would put a piece of fuel hose on the cut end of the lever to keep from cutting your hand on the rough edge.  

So several days ago I started the project on the levers I have that I will take back with me. The levers are very easy to replace, so I will shorten these two, take them with me, and then replace the two that are on the bike with these. 

First, I eyeballed my levers next to some short levers that don't fit my bike (they will likely fit an F650GS- long story). 

Clutch levers.

Front brake levers. 

Using first a Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel to mark where I wanted the cut to be, then a fine-toothed hacksaw to finish the cut, I cut off the ends. Now they looked like this:

The clutch lever looks like it is too long. The brake lever looks better, but seems a little long too.  So I hacked away at them until I liked the way they looked.

Now that they are even (more or less), I decided I should try to replicate the ball on the end of the original levers.  Step one, drill a hole:

After drilling the hole, I tapped the hole, and (using Red Lactate), I installed these bolts with locking washers.

Lousy picture, but you get the idea.  By using these bolts, I am trying to add a little bulk, and a solid end piece for the levers.  I also want something to which the final ingredient, Sugru, can adhere.

Here they are with the Sugru on them.  

  

Sugru is a wonderful substance.  I have only been able to find it on the internet, as it has a short shelf life.  It is a rubber compound, sold in sealed packets.  When you open the packets and expose it to air, it is pliable and can be molded by hand easily.  After exposure to air, it will solidify and become a harder rubbery substance.  It retains some flex, but not a lot.  I carry it to use for repairs, and it is very, very handy.  All the turn signals (save one) on the moto have their stalks repaired with Sugru.