Gathering My Gear

Spent a few hours getting things ready for the trip today. Took some time looking over my new tank bag and how to charge my phone. Understanding how to install the charging cord and get it connected to my motorcycle. There are protected openings sewn in the tank bag so I fished a USB cord thru one of them. It was a tight fit but I managed to get it thru after fighting a little.  I also looked thru my last year supplies and dumped a few thing I won't need or didn't use last year.  Picked out some gluten free bars for breakfast / snacks and tested the coffee left over from last year. The coffee was still good so that saved me a few bucks.  Lastly, I finally ordered another Bluetooth headset. After looking around for a few months I settled on Sena SMH5-02 from Amazon because of its reviews and lower price.  Its older tech but it has flash able firmware so that's good for the future.

New Shoes....well shoe.

I had a matched set of Shinko 705's on the KLR until I recently noticed the rear was ripping apart between the lugs!

Not happy. I replaced that tire with a stock DR650 Battle Wing I had laying around with lots of good rubber still on it.

To deal with the POS front tire, I ordered up a Pirelli MT90 A/T which I hope (and expect) will carry me through this trip and beyond without hassle.

It looks like a great on road tire, but we'll see how it handles dirt.

Loaded for Last Year

My bike loaded for last years trip. Made several rookie mistakes but the trip was a success none the less.  Changed tge foot peg location over the winter from front to mid mount. I also added quick release saddle bag brackets. I have a plan for home made adventure cases I need to get working on. 

The Zombie Killer (KLR)

This is my 2009 KLR650 kitted out in full on geek-touring mode which is pretty much how it will look when I leave my house.

The only difference is that I added a Corbin seat over the winter which SHOULD make my bum much happier. In fact, I am still deciding whether or not I will use the sheep skin or not as I no longer really need the extra padding, but the sheep skin advocates claim it does help keep you cooler.

The tank bag, obviously, contains all the things I need immediate access to such as wallet, tire pressure gauge, etc. The top box contains all the things I would like easy access to such as snacks, tools, etc. The round bag is my waterproof roll top bag which has all my tent, sleeping bag and clothes. On top of that is my sleeping pad.

It's only the middle of May, but the bike is pretty much ready to go as I ride almost everyday anyway. I recently changed the rear tire because my Shinko 705 was falling apart....pro-tip for you kids....don't buy cheap tires.

BRING ME MORE SMURFS!