Motorcycle Misadventures

Crossing Borders with Laptops: Password Protection

Today I heard parts of a radio program that talked about crossing borders with laptops and the rights of the border officials to search your hard drive and even keep your laptop in order to search it at their leisure -- and mail it back to you later. (Ha!) This report seemed to be mostly about activities at the USA-Mexico border.

Is this legal? Well, dubious. Seems that, in the USA, at least, there's a rule that officials can search the contents of various and sundry items like your home, your car, office, files, even if they're under lock and key. The courts can compel you to hand over the key. Why? A key is a physical object that does not reside in your brain. But if your computer hard drive is unprotected by a password that lives in your brain . . . well, it's fair game.

It seems that there's both a psychological and legal difference between handing over a physical key to a lock and divulging the combination to a combination lock. Officials can compel you to hand over that key in your pocket but they cannot compel you to utter  information that resides in your brain that may make you guilty (as in the combination of a combination lock or the password of your computer). They can blow up a safe or bust your door down, but try though they may, it turns out that even the most sophisticated encryption decoders cannot decode the simplest computer password encryption. So you can take the fifth and tell them to just go ahead and blow up your hard drive. (Try not to smirk.)

So if you're crossing a border and officials want to look at your computer, and access to your hard drive is password protected, they can't make you tell them the password, I guess as long as you live in the USA. (Just don't make it the marque of your motorcycle or your middle name, okay?) They might  seize and even destroy maybe the computer but they can't get inside  to see the contents of your brain -- I mean -- hard drive.

So I thought, okay, here's the first line of defense when traveling (and maybe even in daily life since we live in an era where big bro might decide at a moment's notice that he's justified under the patriot act). Use the built-in password protection on your computer -- even though you have to log on every time you turn it on (and yes, whenever it goes to sleep for a while.) Yep, it's a hassle, but you may find it really convenient one day.

I already have password protection for my computers. I have a guest account so if someone wants to use my laptop to write a letter or check my email, they can't purposely or accidentally mess with my very carefully constructed file structure or change the preferences in my browser. (Don't you hate it when that happens? It's like somebody changing the radio station presets in your car.)

I thought this might be a good thing to do before traveling, especially around the world: Set up a guest account, and a "safe" account that has only Dear Mom letters and innocuous stuff like that, and your "real" account that has your browser preferences with bookmarks to you blog and your emails. Why go to all that trouble? Because if you're pegged as a journalist in some countries, you could be in very, very, very big trouble. Travelers love to write "journals," and you might  not want to be misunderstood in this world where bloggers in some regimes have been jailed for years, or worse.

Suzuki V-Strom 650 "Sport Enduro Tourer"

While checking some facts to answer Jason's question in my last entry, "Your First Street Bike: What to choose?" I came across this excellent article on Motorcycle USA on the Suzuki V-Strom 650 "Sport Enduro Tourer." This is old news, of course, but I was re-intrigued, as I'm always trying to determine what's the "best touring motorcycle." Here's an excerpt of the four-page, in-depth article. And I see from Suzuki's corporate website that they've now added ABS braking.

You can read the entire article, here.

Suzuki's concept for the DL line was to create a "Sport Enduro Tourer," and the V-Strom 650 gets top marks for living up to the monicker. In combining the SV650 motor with the DL1000 chassis, Suzuki has built its parts bin special into a bike that defines a new market segment.

With a 417-lb. claimed dry weight and road-biased rubber, the 650 isn't gonna win many enduros, but it actually takes to loose conditions fairly well.

It has the power and smoothness to dust a BMW F650, and it offers more comfort and wind protection than the SV650/S, Honda 599 and Triumph Speed Four. Its closest competitor is likely Yamaha's buzzier but faster FZ6, which shares a similar riding position, fairing coverage and price tag. The FZ is definitely faster in a straight line, but its R6-based engine isn't as adept as the smooth and torquey DL's Twin. And with its standard luggage rack and optional hard luggage, the V-Strom is much more the SUV as opposed to the FZ's sports coupe. In a way, the DL650 is the Honda VFR of the adventure-touring segment, offering versatility, a sporting nature and Lexus smoothness.

As the day's light faded into the horizon on the way back to the hotel and the subtly attractive orange glow of the instruments matched the color of the setting sun, it was hard to imagine another machine with a competitive versatility-per-dollar ratio. At $6599 in blue or black...  Read the entire article, here.

In my quest for the best world touring motorcycle, I'm keeping this one on my list of possibilities. Any takers? I'd love to hear your comments.

Until next time, may all your motorcycle misadventures have happy endings!

Carla

Your First Street Bike: What to choose?

What's a good first street bike for city and occasional cruising?

I had a dirt bike growing up and I am 22 years old and am thinking about getting my first street bike. I would use it mostly for work, as I travel the city daily, but I would love to take a long ride with my dad (who has a Honda Shadow VTX) every now and then. Would you recommend a 'Bullet Bike' or a cruiser style motorcycle for me?
Thank you for your time! - Jordan

Dear Jordan,

It's great that you are experienced with dirt bike riding, you've probably taken all the falls you need to know that you don't want to fall on the street, and are a careful rider Here are a few suggestions to get you started on a bike that is #1, nimble enough to ride around the city and #2, powerful and comfortable enough to take on long cruises with your dad.

You're right to keep it around 600 cc's. There's no reason to go heavier in the city and that size is just fine for freeway cruising.

There are actually more choices than just a classic or a cruiser: 
    1) A classic styled bike like the Enfield or the Triumph
    2) A 650'ish cruiser like your dad's Honda
    3) A sport touring bike
    4) A dual-sport

If you like the size and classic styling of the Bullet, check out the Triumph Bonneville -- it's faster, more comfortable, and much more reliable. It's the perfect size for the city, and does just fine on the freeway. You'll probably like the community around the Triumph, too. Check out the Ace Cafe "Mods-n-Rockers," for example.

You might want to follow in your father's footsteps though and get a Honda Shadow or similar Japanese bike. There are a LOT of choices in this category, and lots of bargain used bikes. I had a Yamaha 650 Maxim for years, and used it like you will -- for both city and cruising. Or check out the Kawi Vulcan 500, or the Moto Guzzi Nevada 650, which is a cruiser styled Italian that I really like.

That said, I also like the Moto Guzzi Breva IE 750, which is a sport-touring bike that's got a lot of city street smarts. I didn't think I'd like a "sport-touring" bike but I rode in for a month in Europe and fell in love. It took me through Milano with the greatest of ease, over curbs and all, and it kept up with all the speeding Fiats on the autostradas. I'm thinking that this may be my next bike for use in the San Francisco Bay Area and on long trips through North America.

The Suzuki 650 VStrom also comes to mind. It's been called the best all-around bike ever made, and it's got a huge fan base, which says a lot. I see plenty of them in San Francisco and also loaded up for long-distance touring. 

Also here in San Francisco I see an awful lot of Kawasaki KLR 650 dual sports. They're definitely fearless curb jumpers and pothole hoppers, and they zip around the latte-sipping SUV commuters before they can change lanes without signaling. Plenty of people cruise freeways on them, and the 2008 model is said to be a better freeway ride than previous versions. As a former dirt-bike rider, you might really like the KLR, and you can grab a good used one for a few grand.

Which brings me to my best advice, which is to delay investment in a newer model bike just now. Start with a used bike -- spend a few bucks and a some time to experience street riding, and figure out what you like and don't like about whatever your "starter" bike turns out to be. Then sell it, and spend the bigger bucks on your dream machine.

Jason, I hope that helps start you in the right direction. Let me know what you end up with.

Carla