beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Hello WRR/X forum

I'm pretty new here, and I'm pretty new to the WRR. But I've got big things in mind for the 2010 riding season and I'd be happy to take you all along if you'd care to hop on board.

The title of this thread probably has no context without some history, primarily HERE. From that thread you'll note that I've been a BMW guy for a few years, but I'm branching out (hey, spring is coming!) - - (more BMW drivel HERE2 and HERE3).

Anyway, I'll start here at home before I ride anywhere.

The plan for 2010 is big and I look forward to it like crazy. Many more details to follow (like it or not), but for now I'll post a couple shots of the staging area for bigger, better things to follow. . .

WRR in the house (as it were. . .)


Command center for planning and for buying crap online


. . . and a completely off the record shot of yours truly reaching for a cold one without even a helmet on. . . (shhhhh!)

Adventure beginnings are so cool. I love watching things morph. Bike looks sweet! And OMG PUPPY!!! I love the facial expression. Is it a ridgeback by chance?

SheWolf wrote:

Adventure beginnings are so cool. I love watching things morph. Bike looks sweet! And OMG PUPPY!!! I love the facial expression. Is it a ridgeback by chance?

ridgeback - check! her name is Halo, we got her from ridgeback rescue about 4 months ago, she just turned one year old (we had quite a blow-out party). she is my second very great experience in rescuing a ridgeback. much respect is in order for Griffin, my best friend and companion for 10 years prior. i think these ridged pups are the best!

Don't mind me, I'm a dog-nut. I was like...dammit, don't derail the thread with dog stuff...D'OH! can't help it...PUPPY!! At least you hopefully don't have to go thru the 'terrible chews' phase. Beautiful pair you have there.

So where and how does it start ? ....with a dart on a map BLINDFOLDED ?

Can we make a loop out of it and pick up forum members along the way ?

Maybe stay-and-play (clean and maint, jacuzzi, drink etc.) and then take turns looping-out somewhere else ?

I ride every day and I STILL WANT OUT OF THIS PLACE !

X-Racer wrote:

So where and how does it start ? ....with a dart on a map BLINDFOLDED ?

Can we make a loop out of it and pick up forum members along the way ?

Maybe stay-and-play (clean and maint, jacuzzi, drink etc.) and then take turns looping-out somewhere else ?

I ride every day and I STILL WANT OUT OF THIS PLACE !

Where and how does it start? Well, in my living room and up on a bike block of course. But when it really gets underway it will involve a quick ride from my home near DC down to visit family in Nashville. And then it will involve a certain trail that heads to the Oregon coast. . .

Jacuzzi? Well it wasn't in the plan but it does sound good!
Drink? Yep, that's in the plan!

Okay, on with the ride report, which continues to be confined to my living room. Before going anywhere, the bike is going to get some new goodies. . .

First, we take the seat and body panels so we can get to the stuff that makes the bike tick. Some of the body panels will return, others will need to find new day jobs. . .



The first goodie to add is a better radiator guard. I went with this one by Force out of Australia
before / front:
before / rear:
after / front:
after / rear:

The next modification was to remove the Air Injection System. I'm not particulalrly smart on this system but I understand that since the previous owner upgraded the exhaust system and added a power programmer, then this thing is just taking up space. So I removed it. Besides, just look at it - would you really want to ride with a snake like this?


Lastly for today I wanted to open up the airbox and remove a certain flapper that closes the airbox just when you really don't want it to. Since I know nothing about these things without looking online, I brought up the instructions and then looked at my bike to realize that the prior owner already knocked this mod out. Done!


okay, that's it for today. more tinkering soon. I've got a whole stack of delivery boxes to open and play with - and share with you all. I'll also mention that I'm keeping a list of items I still need and of bolts that I strip, etc. - - yep, I'm a total hack!

Oh! and if my writing gets boring, then I promise to post more pictures of Halo the dog!

PUPPY!!! Good on you for getting rid of that tapeworm. And another mod whore is born....

RIDE ON BROTHER ! ! This is how we do it ! GET DOWN !

Hey there gang! Well my big ride report is still pretty much being broadcast from the living room. It's been fun tinkering with the bike. It has NOT been fun waiting on part deliveries. But alas, all is well and soon I think the bike will bust outdoors! Here is the rundown on recent work. . .

bye-bye old bars and guards and clamps. . .


hello new pro-tapers and really great guards and mirrors and clamp system from Highway Dirt Bikes!!


hello also to zeta levers, symtec grip heaters, pro grips, gps mounting gear (Zumo "borrowed" from the GS), powerlet, and a voltmeter from signal dynamics


here's a shot with stuff all lit up. . . ooooo, aaaaahhhh


photon blaster marker lights from skene designs also made it on to the new bars (of course) - - the break-me-off-now-please signals will likely be replaced one day soon. . .


and moving to the rear of the bike, we said goodbye to the stock taillight assembly and welcomed a new compact unit from twelve o'clock labs - very nice! (skene designs P3 lights in back too, of course)
before:

after:


to support of of this mayhem- - - noodleronie!


next up, chains & sprockets, then gas tank, then maybe to ride? wait, this thing will move? really???

and in closing, my loyal and fluffy assistant halo would like to say goodnight. . .

Keep the posts coming pleaaaaassseeeeee!!! Bike looks good. Cant wait to see the final result!

*pets Halo* Haha! Someone else who's got the vanity plate!

Wow... * wondering where the Halon system is for the noodleroni *

doubt too many people know what halon is. shewolf does of course

Yeah...you don't want to be around that when it goes off...

SheWolf wrote:

Yeah...you don't want to be around that when it goes off...

If I feel to hot, I guess it would cool me off.

Yeah... while you're laying on the ground suffocating. Nasty stuff in an enclosed area.

another towel please...this time make it a beach towel to go

Nasty stuff in an enclosed area ? Oh lord help me.

I can live without oxygen for three minutes right ?

A box of Handi-wipes to go please. Sham-Wows if you have em.

I'm starting to feel like a SheWolf groupie.

in moments of stress or when depressed, I search my recall section of my brain & heart.........there is stands tall, proud like a liight coming through the smoke. Then I hear the purring of a finely tuned chain saw. Instantly I am snaped awake by the snarl of an angery chain saw. I keep blinking my tired old eyes trying to steal a glimps of this creature & to understand the meaning of those colors.....never seen rainbows like them two......but I'm beginning to understand the meaning of life & where it really comes from JMO

Get on Basher's case then...I'm still waiting for that bloody tee he sent me. There's mud in them thar hills that are screamin to be rolled in!

Griff, quick...put up some pics of your bike, Halo, anything...I think I've corrupted the troops...

well you all have been keeping me busy trying to keep up with what the he11 you're talking about. (and that's a good thing!)

i'd like to speak for a moment on the topic of halon, and this will be fun for me since i know nothing about it. first, i notice that the word is quite similar to my dog's name. and from wiki i understand that halon involves quire a bit of gas. suffocating gas. well although halo does have some bad dog breath, she doesn't have much of a dog fart problem. that condition is in great contrast to her predecessor Griffin. in his day, Griff could clear a room easily. and he did it frequently. (griffin is now chasing squirrels in the afterlife - RIP my dear friend). per shewolf's doggie photo request, here's a couple shots of dear old mr griffin. in this action sequence, griff makes a decisive move on a scooby do shaped cookie.




also, now it looks like i need an Anywhere shirt.

OMG Scooby Snacks... That's priceless. Griffin was a handsome boy; I dunno about you but the worst smelling dog fart's got to come from a Boxer. Man mine could melt the stucco off the side of a house.

Yeah, we all should get Bill's shirt, then he'd have like a whole herd of followers.

Phwew! now then, where were we? I suppose that it's time to catch up on a detail or two!

Initially planned for a mid-May departure, I postponed the trip such that it will begin in early July. A few things have contributed to the delay. . .

Work got busy. . . (manning the AG's official podium!)

then I needed to go hang out with rock stars. . . (Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Paul Brown (a common trio))

then I needed to go play music with people you may well know. . . (hi chiba and other mangotinis!)

then a dog fell out of the sky and landed on me. . . (the halo effect?)


these things certainly did present some setbacks, but I've been working hard toward the trip none the less. . .

a few mods that I haven't covered well in this thread yet. . .
larger rear sprocket for some low gear dig. . .

fancy chain and engine case protector/big toe defender. . .

fatty gas tank (3.8 gal v. the stock 2.0). . .


Here she is rolling out of the living room. . .


When we last left off, the bike was in my dining room and I was making some modifications. I was able to get the bike on the road again and by April, I took her out to WV for a test run, mostly pavement and some off road. . . here she is in a more natural environment. . .


later in April, Irene and I took her down to TN and tinkered around there too . . .

also. . .


more recently, i've been working out the instrument cluster. this is still a draft. . .

goodies include. . .
heated grips, voltmeter, route sheet holder, powerlette tap, gps with XM, audio output to in-ear honkers, garmin leads (likely not needed given the trip delay). not visible here are Jerry's photon balsters. You may or may not notice that the hand guards and top clamp are from Highway Dirt Bikes - - they are great! I also have their tuck-away mirrors and their integrated turn signals - - but I'm still working to get those things to play well with all the other children on the schoolyard. . .

Another recent effort has been to work out the luggage situation. I've got saddle bags, a tank bag and a front fender tool bag - - and just recently i installed a pelican case on the tail . . .


the case is pretty wide i think, but it does seem to pass the drop-the-bike test, at least on a flat surface. . .


I still want to install a tool tube - - if anyone has suggestions then please speak up!

Other considerations have included personal apparel. my outbound TAT plan is to wear an acerbis koerta roost protector, leatt neck brace, mx helmet w/ goggles & peel-offs, my bmw santiago pants, sidi crossfire boots, bmw GS gloves and maybe underwear. maybe. and i'll have some street riding gear shipped to meet me out west so i can take some paved roads home (but hopefully no interstates).

Lastly, I've been working with Sam's maps and route sheets. i've found a pretty slick way to put all the GPS coordiantes into an excel file, then have then spit out into GPX files - - i can tinker back and forth between making waypoints, tracks, etc - - i'm still playing with it. i thought this part would be a major pain in the GPS but(t) i'm learning some things while i do it, so it's sort of fun. and as for route sheets, irene and i made a date of it to sit down with a paper cutter, scissors and a bunch of beer - and cut the roll charts while watching movies (lord knows where i'll end up!!!). . .


as of now my plan is to leave VA on July 2 or 3, drive down to TN to visit family, then meet an ADVer or two in jellico on July 6th and punch the throttle west until i see an ocean - - or meet my maker, whichever come first!!!!

Awesome update!

I saw Victor Wooten with the Flecktones at the Ottawa Jazzfest, and in Montreal with his own 'band.'
Probably my favorite bass player! w00t!