He hath clearly wandered too far
Soon I will make way for the town of Roosville, BC at the border of Montana and Canada. Myself and Godzilla will make our way along the Great Continental Divide Trail over the course of two weeks until we reach Antelope Wells, NM.
As I make my way down the trail I’ll have a few key survival items in my possession. First, I’ll have a med kit. Second, I’ll have a Spot device. Third, I’ll have a handheld ham radio. Continue reading Ham Radio On The Great Continental Divide
My ride along the Great Continental Divide has been plotted and stored in my newly acquired & installed (used) GPS. Now then, let’s talk about distances. The GPS route was plotted by a few people who have made this trek several times. It’s broken into bite sized pieces with waypoints — fuel destinations. The average distance between waypoints is just over 100 miles, which the stock DRZ can almost manage. One distance between waypoints, however, concerns me.
267 miles.
As I mentioned, the route has been planned by aficionados, so I’m not inclined to change it. Attempting 267 miles non-stop on a motorcycle designed from factory to have a fuel range of ~90 miles does sound like fun. But, I’ll need to be more cautious and add some safety measures into the equation. Continue reading Gearing up to go the extra mile
Let’s talk tires for a moment.
The used 2008 DRZ-400-S I bought several months ago came fitted with brand new front and back Pirelli MT21 Rallycross tires. They’re a terrific tire for off-road riding. They’re also a very soft tire. Rule of thumb, soft means better performance, but shorter longevity. While they’ve been a perfect off-road training tire (likely overkill for my skill level), they’re going to fall short for my ride along the Great Continental Divide. Continue reading Fresh rubber
For my GDT ride I’ve chosen what seems to be the Toyota Tacoma of enduro (dual sport) motorcycles: the Suzuki DR-Z 400 S. It’s quite often referred to as the “DRZ.”
The Toyota Tacoma is known for being remarkably resistant to any amount of damage one may inflict upon it. They used to be affordable, but their reputation has created a value which sustains itself even in the deepest, darkest corners of Craigslist.
Update: I’ll be doing this trip in July of 2016. Soon!
In 2008 I was able to create the space for myself to ride a bicycle across the United States for three months. I started in Norfolk, VA and finished in Astoria, OR. I did not plan a route, per se. I did, however, carry maps and often asked for directions to make sure I wasn’t misreading my map or missing a unique destination based on the wisdom of local opinions and expertise. When all was said and done I clocked in just over 4,700 miles making more lengthy stops in Memphis, TN, Little Rock, AK, Kansas City, KS, and Lawrence, KS. I also hitched four rides totaling just over a couple hundred miles, met many wonderful people, and learned that everyone is much nicer than I ever imagined. It was one hell of an adventure.
