Departure!

Well the day finally arrived!  Months of preplanning, mock packing, and anticipation.  A bit of background on this trip.  I have always loved exploring on my bikes.  Coming from Iowa, there isn't much of anything to explore, but once I moved to New Mexico, there were mountains, and I loved riding through them.  The seed was planted.

Fast forward to the present...I guess this trip has been in the works for years, but with commitments to work and family, it just wasn't going to happen.  Then with retirement looming, the wheels began to turn.  I threw it out there, looking for a partner to ride along, found a more than capable compadre in Mr. Scott Boyle, who I've ridden with before, and who is also recently retired.  A plan was hatched, refined, and finalized.  So with out further adieu it's time to hit the road!

The bike was prepped, packed, and facing out of the G'Raj Mahal, ready for departure...

Destination for Day 1 (Sunday/7-27) was to Paradise, Ca where I would stay with an old friend and workmate, Scott Jeffers.  Scott retired 11 years ago, moved to Paradise, Ca and I hadn't seen him since.  

Road wise, this figured to be one of the longest days in the saddle and I wanted to be on the road early, as temps in Cali's Central Valley soar into the hundreds in the summer.

So up at 5 am, my lovely wife Patty, who I can't thank enough for allowing me to embark on this journey, prepared a nice breakfast to get the day started.  Then it was on to the G'Raj Mahal to saddle up...

Goodbyes and "I love you's" were said and then it was time to mount up...

The requisite departure photo and I was off...

...it took about 7 1/2 hours to get to my buddy Scott's home in Paradise.  No pics of the Central Valley travels, as there is nothing to see along Interstate 5/99 except the occasional cow pasture, with accompanying smell, and signs blaming politicians for California's water crises.

Here's my friend Scott Jeffers, fellow FAA retiree, and incredible host.  We reminisced about the 'old days' over perfectly grilled steak and twice baked potatoes...and of course plenty of Guinness!

Lets Get Packing!

Well it's getting close to 'showtime', so time to get packed.  No more 'mock' packing, this time it's for real.  The pic below shows everything I'll be packing for apparel...

Here's the list:

4 T-shirts/1 Collared shirt

2 Jeans/1 Belt

3 Shorts/2 of which double as swim trunks

4 Pairs of underwear

5 Pairs of Dry Max socks/2 of which are knee length for riding

1 Pair of hiking shoes/1 Pair of flip flops

All of the clothing above is packed into my eBags.  These are neat bags that come in 3 sizes and make it easy to keep track of items.  I'll use 3 for packing and carry an empty one for dirty clothes.

Here are the eBags all packed with my clothes...

Stacked and ready to go into the rear top box.

IKRAN, still up on the stand, but all packed and ready to roll!  Most blogs that I've read, where riders are off on long trips, state that overpacking is an issue.  With that in mind, I tried to really pare back on what I'm taking.  The top box is full, my camping gear is in the Wolfman bag, mounted on the rear seat, tent/poles strapped to the Wolfman bag, and my two panniers...EMPTY!  I wanted room to store my helment and riding gear when I stop to do some exploring.  The panniers will also serve as catch alls for souvenirs, food, bier, bear spray, etc.  SO...it's about time to get this show on the road!

Camping Gear

Disclosure:  This is my first post using an Apple iPad Air, which is what I'll be using on the road to update the blog.  Pics were a wireless transfer from the Lumix Camera to the iPad, then text/pics loaded to the blog from the iPad Air.  Pretty cool!

A good portion of this trip will be spent camping, so best to make sure all the gear is in order...

Above is the camping gear that I will bring along.

  

Items shown:

Tourmaster bike cover, Wolfman Bag (everything in this pic will fit in the Wolfman, which will be strapped to the passenger seat), ALPS Mountaineering 4 season tent, ALPS 15 degree sleeping bag, ALPS inflatable pad, REI camping chair, ThermaCell Mosquito Repellent, Black Diamond light, and GSI cooking utensils.

ALPS Mountaineering tent is a 3 man/4 season set up, which is much larger and heavier duty than I need for a solo/summer trip, takes up more room on the bike than I'd like, but at this point, I'll go with what I've got.  12 days until departure...

Bike Maintenance/Prep

With under 2 weeks to departure, it's time to get busy prepping Ikran.  First order of business was to call Pro Italia and talk to Eric, the service manager.  My concern was the 15K major service.  I'm at 13K, I'll likely finish the trip with over 17K, so do I get the major service done now, or wait until I get back?  Eric makes my day by telling me to "ride the shit out of the bike and bring it in when you get back"...love that guy!

Now that I don't have to worry about the major service, it's on to the minor stuff that I can handle.  First up was a chain maintenance.  To accomplish the this I had to order a 'spanner' from MotoMFG, which is where I purchased my stand.  MotoMFG makes first class tools for Ducati and others.  The stand is a life saver when it comes to performing maintenance on my bike.  Here's the link to what and how the stand works...
(MotoMFG Ducati Stand)

Using the chain spanner and adjusting the chain on Ikran is pretty straight forward.  Mount Ikran onto the stand and raise him off the ground (this takes all of 30 seconds), then remove the rear tire flap, loosen two bolts, secure the spanner into the notches on the mini-flywheel behind the sprocket, then pull up to tighten or down to loosen.  Reassemble and done!

After the chain adjustment it was on to the oil change.  I use Redline, fully synthetic, 10W-40W oil.  The 10W is good for the Ducati wet clutch and the 40W will handle the California heat.  I've heard it said that you need to remove the center stand to access the oil filter, but I guess my years as a Sears mechanic, in high school (LOL!), have taught me how to "improvise, adapt, and overcome"...I've never removed the center stand to accomplish the oil change.

Additional prep accomplished:  Front & rear tires changed out, brake pads checked, and the brake & clutch fluids checked.  Pretty much ready for the road.

Chain Adjustment & Oil Change

 

Electronics...

35 years ago I was riding a Kawasaki KZ650 back and forth between Iowa, New Mexico, and Ohio.  Electronics on board...zero.  Fast forward to today and we see just how electronically dependent we've become.

When I purchased my Ducati MTS GT last year, I surrendered to the modern age and added a Ducati branded Zumo GPS.  For this trip, I've taken a few more baby steps by adding a Sena SMH10R headset to my Shoei GT Air helmet and a Panasonic Lumix ZS35 camera.

The Sena headset has been paired to my iPhone and the Zumo GPS.  So not only I will be able to communicate via VOX intercom with my riding mate, Scott on his bike, but I can make/take telephone calls, listen to music, and enjoy the lovely lady inside my Zumo GPS instructing me when to turn left or right.

The Panasonic Lumix camera was added for convenience of size and function.  I've a Nikon D90 DSLR camera with a 18-270 lens and I'm still considering bringing it along, but storage, on a trip like this, is paramount, and the Nikon will take up precious room. 

Pictured below are the Zumo GPS, Panasonic ZS35 camera, and attached to the bottom left and back of the helmet, is the Sena SMH10R.

Prepping Ikran...

Major prep for this trip will start in a couple weeks, but even what may seem minor prep items will have a role in making this trip successful. 
New rear tire, aux fuel bottles/holsters, and tank bag added to 'Ikran'. This time next month he will look totally different as I get him prepped for next month's departure. Approximately 30 days on the road exploring the Northwestern US and Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Vancouver Island).

IKRAN, or mountain banshee, made famous in the movie Avatar...good movie, cool bird!  Just a short plug for my Ducati MTS GT. I have never ridden a bike that is so light, powerful, and nimble.  I was riding the mountain roads in Sequoia Nat'l Park when the thought came to me to name my bike IKRAN, at the time, it just seemed to fit.

Passport Renewed...

2 1/2 months until departure!