Motorcycle Misadventures

Motorcycle Destinations on the Northern California Coast

It doesn't matter how long I live in Northern California, I feel like I will never be able to visit all the great destinations, even if I narrowed it down to the California Coast. For example, I recently treated myself to a week at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur. It was my first visit, though I've passed it dozens of times. I enjoyed the ride down Highway One from San Francisco to Big Sur in the bright, warm sunshine, knowing that it was a rare treat and loving every minute of it. About eight miles south of Big Sur town I turned into the hallowed gates of Esalen, parked the bike, dumped my stuff in my room, and went off to soak in the baths. That evening I started a week-long un-painting workshop, hiked, meditated, did yoga, read poetry on the grassy lawn, and watched whales, pelicans, sea otters, and other sea life from the perfect vantage-point of the famous Esalen baths perched on the cliffside. I didn't take my computer, telephone, or even write in my journal. A true retreat and a unique "California experience." To find out more about Esalen and their weeklong or weekend workshops and personal treats, visit their website.

A Conversation with Michael Murray of Motorcycle Travel DVDs

Brent Miller has another great interview on his Sojourn Chronicles site, an interview with Michael Murray, who has produced a series Motorcycle Travel DVDs that include Moab, Alaska, Baja, New Zealand, Copper Canyon, and the TransAm Trail, with Nova Scotia & Newfoundland and Hawaii coming in the future. Find out how he puts together the DVDS, how he chooses the locations, the experts interviewed about the rides, the resources available, and more about these informational and inspirational works. Listen to it here.

Miss Adventuring talks with Ted Simon

In 1974 Ted Simon set out on a round-the-word motorcycle journey, and his account of the four-year odyssey, Jupiter's Travels, has long been "the" classic motorcycle travel tale. His new book, Dreaming of Jupiter, is the story of how he did it all again at age 69. The delightful Dreaming of Jupiter is the tale of that adventure. How did Ted become a writer? A motorcyclist? How have life's interruptions determined his path? Listen to a conversation on life, travel, love, and writing with Ted and Carla on the Miss Adventuring podcast.

Motorcycle Camping: Tents

Bluepoof just blogged a review of her new Sierra Designs tent. It looks like a great little tent, and very affordable at around $150. I still love my Bibler (now Black Diamond) but it's hard to recommend a $600 tent. Still, I don't know of a better investment. It's light, but sturdy.  It even stood up to Burning Man winds while everybody around me collapsed--even geodesic domes. And I love the big door-window and the yellow interior. Keeps me cheered up when I'm stuck in a foggy campground.  Here's the Bluepoof review.

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

Trippin' On Two Wheels: A TV Series

I just got notice of this television show on motorcycle travel - Trippin' On Two Wheels - with episodes on Sicily and Scotland, with Spain and Quebec coming up. From the previews it looks like the emphasis is on riding fast and picking up women. If you've seen it, let me know what you think. Here's their official blurb:

Trippin’ on Two Wheels is a fast-paced series of four, 60-minute specials on Speed Channel about riding in exotic locations, and a father introducing his son to the exciting world of motorcycling.

The programs follow television personality, Dennis Gage, his teenage son, Sam, and motorcycle photojournalist, Neale Bayly, as they ride the latest motorcycles through exotic locations around the world. The series also chronicles Sam’s coming of age from a mere passenger on the back of his dad’s bike to riding world-class machines of his own; all as his proud but anxious father looks on.

The four-day missions are very loosely structured, and unforeseen circumstances provide some intense moments for the intrepid riders. The episodes were shot in Scotland, Sicily, Spain and Quebec. The routes taken focus on back roads and out-of-the-way places rather than typical tourist destinations.

Still Difficult to Motorcycle Tour in China

I'm afraid that I must report that it's still nearly impossible to cross into China with your own vehicle. People have been trying various borders for years, with no luck. If you have a lot of money you might be able to work out a "tour" with a "guide" but that's not really why we do this thing we do, is it?

It is possible to buy a motorcycle in China, and cheaply, but you need a Chinese driver's license to ride it legally. You need to be a Chinese resident to get a drivers license, not to mention proper registration papers and all that, and you need to make sure that the bike has a legal license plate. Fakes abound. It's all very complicated.

If you're still interested in information about buying a motorcycle to ride in China, or exporting a CJ sidecar rig, check out this FAQ for details.

Thanks to Big Bill of ZMW Motorworks in Beijing for this great info.

Also of interest:

• The CJ750 Sidecar Community website
• Jim Bryant's CJ750 shop in Beijing (Frank's Classic Sidecars)
• My China Road dispatches

 

Daniel Todd Emerges Muddy After Long South American Motorcycle Journey

Today, long lost motorcycle misadventurer Daniel Todd reappears after completing a journey of about 18,000 kilometers in South America. The route took him through Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, all three Guianas, back into northernmost point of Brazil, and then down the coast to Rio De Janeiro just in time for Carnival. No major mishaps to report -- just rain, mud, mosquitoes, breakdowns, border crossings, and tipsy dugout canoe rides across the rivers. English Guiana brought 1000 kilometers of jungle and lots of humongous mud holes. Nope, there is nothing like that sicking thud when your forks bottom out, your rims get bent, and the mud is so deep that the bike stands up by itself, says Daniel. Finally emerging onto tarmac he was pulled over by a cop who screamed at him in pidgin English for having mud on his license plate. To this, Daniel says he remembers riding away on wobbly rims, watching the cop shrink in the rear view mirror and asking himself, "Did I really just tell a policeman to kiss my ass?"

Look for more updates and a Motorcycle Misadventures podcast with Daniel Todd soon.

Read the 2004 post on Daniel's planned journey.

To contact Daniel please email him at danieltodd12 at hotmail.

From NC to the Canadian Border: Backroads Mag

Backroads magazine has an online version as well as a print monthly. They say they are "Available in select shops from North Carolina to the Canadian border, each month Backroads gives riders places to go and things to see. Then we give you superb roads to ride with our own Rip & Ride Route Sheets™." If you live in the area, or just want to travel there, you'll find some good rides.

Thanks to Michael Murray (of the Motorcycle Travel DVDs) for sending the info.