Oh, holy crap. The time is nigh upon me to get my butt in gear and make this happen, isn’t it? Leave it to me to have the first time I get on a bike after passing the MSF be on a strange bike, 800 miles from home, in the dead of night.
The Set Up:
I’m buying this from a forumfriend of mine in Fort Worth tonight.
This bike is running 100% and rides very well. Tons of the routine maintenance has been addressed in the past 50 miles.
Cosmetically, this bike needs work. The paint job it has right now is just a quick rattle can job. The right side radiator shroud is not attached and needs some TLC. This isn’t a pretty bike, but it’s bullet proof and I’d rely on it for a trip around the world. I think it may also need new fork seals, though it’s riding great as-is.New parts include:
Brand new shift lever, Brand new battery, Ignition/gas cap/helmet lock, Brand new Kenda K761 front and rear tires with new tubes, Brand new stock size front and rear sprocket, and new chain, Brand new fork boots (not installed), Brand new front brake pads, Flushed and refilled radiator fluid and front brake fluid, Brand new air filter, lubed, Brand new control housing for headlights, choke relocation bracket, Brand new grips, Brand new left mirror, Freshly done doohickey, Several oil changes over the past 30 miles, New oil pan bolt and gasket, New oil filter, New blinkers, but not stock, New exhaust gasket, 100% freshly rebuilt carb – new float assembly, new soft parts, needle shimmed (.22 mod), and idle mixture plug removed (and set correctly)
I’ve got a SpotWalla page set up so those of you that might find my trip to be slightly more interesting than watching your drunken neighbors over the fence.
I’ve been messing about with Trip Journal for the iPhone, too. I can post my location from Twitter, which bounces out to my website, and to my facebook. Awesomeness. =)
I’m flying Frontier after work on Thursday night. I’ll probably be rocking my motorcycle jacket and boots, be bringing my helmet as my “one personal item”, and I’ll have some trip essentials packed into my tank bag. Surely, I’ll be the coolest motherfucker on the plane, right?
I get into Dallas about 11pm, and he’ll meet me at the airport, where I’ll hand him some cash, and I’ll get a bike and a tailbag in return. I’ll take the bike for a spin around the terminal, to be sure that I’m not going to kill myself getting on and off of it with that world-renowned tall seat. (to be fair, though, I didn’t have any problems with a friend’s DRZ400SM at 35″, and the KLX250SF I took my MSF on had a seat that is only 1″ lower. I don’t think I’ll have any issues.)
I haven’t worked out where I’m going to stay – I don’t think that running the first leg of an 800 mile trip at night, after a 2.5 hour plane ride and an 8 hour workday, is the best idea. I’m going to try to surf someone’s couch for the night* New experiences abound. *meaning – “I’ll probably just get a hotel…”
Three route options I’m looking at:
US287 to I-25 – The compromise route. Not looking forward to going through “where the deer and the antelope play”…
US287 the whole way – Might be interesting, avoids the freeways, higher chance of wildlife encounters.
I-35 to I-70 – Far fewer corners to misjudge, far fewer chances to encounter deer. Far, far more boring as hell.
I’m starting to get nervous, and excited. I’m sure to get stories out of this – I hope they’re the good kind.