It's hard to get out there, harder than I thought

Finally together again

I thought things would be easy to push aside to get some riding time. But now that I'm home and Taquache is in the driveway I feel I neglect her as much as a ropeswing that leads into the Bering Sea. She looks pretty good with the purpose built cover I now have for her but she looks better with it off. I wonder if deep in me I'm just scared to hit the dirt and the little trails along the roads here. Summer is a wastin' and the Sun isn't staying in the sky any longer than it did yesterday.

It's always exciting to unveil her for a ride

The drive back home from picking Taquache up was uneventful thankfully. Then my next ride was a trip to the store for ice cream, such LAME! I finally have a designated space for working on my ebay business and editing videos. My wife got me a pretty sweet workbench and it will make things a lot more organized, and organization means speed and efficiency. That basically translates into money for Taquache and for our gear.

I was talking with some buddies who formerly

Ah, the local grocer. Not an adventure but it's something

rode KLR's and now have moved on to other things like beemers. He recommended installing a 685cc kit. Taquache does have about 30K miles on her and I do have that odd knocking banging noise that I'm afraid to figure out what it is. I suppose I could figure that out and if it costs more to fix than to replace, well we know which direction to go in that circumstance. My buddy said he had someone to do the head work, in other words he's got a head guy. Would be nice to have that bit more power on the highway. I've heard the KLR performs pretty well with that kit.

Chores get in the way all too often

Well I'm thinking of taking Hatchers Pass as my first real ride up here. To me, it's only second to Pioneer Peak as the mascot of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Should be great views and a nice short afternoon ride. A great start. Been having problems with my microphone and I'm hoping it's just a dying battery and not the fact that I've ridden in the rain while the condenser for the microphone sits outside the helmet. Either way pictures will come just fine cause the camera is doing fantastical.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where you would like me to ride for the first time up here. Whether they're scenic roads or trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up because my bulletproof Taquache will take me there. Remember to like my facebook page or follow me on Google+ (link to the left) to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Nothing finishes a ride like a cold Yoo-Hoo!

Still no bike for me (Sad face panda clown), but at least it's in ANCHORAGE!

Finally it moved! I've been tracking Taquache online at the transport company's website and for the longest time it was just ready for transport in Auburn. Well it got shipped and it's sitting at the Port of Anchorage waiting to be inspected. I'm a little worried something happened to it or something degraded during the trip. It is a KLR so maybe I shouldn't worry so much. This isn't some pansy show bike. Thing was meant to be destroyed and put back together and ridden all over again. I need to work on that noise I was hearing as soon as I get it. The thing that makes the most sense to me is the clutch is slipping and not fully engaging or something but the bike doesn't lurch and the RPM's don't fluctuate when I hear the sound. Might be difficult but it'll be good experience. My wife got me a purpose built workbench/toolchest which I'm excited to use in the garage.

Been linking up all over with riders back home here. Some I knew were riders and some I never heard of riding. Most of em are adventure riders cause it's a great place for it so I would imagine a lot of people get drawn to it up here. I haven't been able to pick what my first ride will be. Ride out to Girdwood? up to Talkeetna or Cantwell? Over to Glennallen? Over Hatcher's pass and on to Willow? So many possibilities. And those are just the shorter touring trips I can think of. There's trails galore out here I'm sure. I've never really been out looking for em but people are riding somewhere.

I've been doing some thinking about my prospective Youtube channel as well. I subscribed to Tim Schmoyer's channel called Video Creators. He's got great tips and strategies to consider about putting your message out over the internet using videos. I need to figure out the value of my videos and I was thinking there would probably be a large demand for someone to give prospective moto-visitors a chance to see what things look like around here before they make the trip. Some will just go hardcore adventure and just come up here just not knowing on purpose but I'll bet there's quite a few who would like a sneak peek for reassurance or to get them off the fence and just get up here.

What have I been doing since I got here though? Two weeks of time off to try and get the house back up to snuff. Not that my wife didn't take care of it. Just some things that need a man's touch to get done. I'm realizing more and more how small that list is cause there's not much my wife doesn't do. We started a couple home projects, I went back to work, we went to the Kasilof River down on the Kenai Peninsula this last weekend. That was good to just relax with a fire and a beer for a few days. It was awesome to see so many motorcyclisistisist on the roads and campgrounds getting their fill of the great weather we were having. I keep wanting to wave at them but I stop myself just before. Don't think a wave from the daddyo in the suburban assault vehicle would really be taken seriously.

Man I can't wait to get back on that bike and ride it into the ground! Well, maybe I should just stick to riding over the ground. This state is just as beautiful as I remember it and I can't wait to show it to you in technicolor moving pictures on the boob tube.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where you would like me to ride for the first time up here. Whether they're scenic roads or trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up because my bulletproof Taquache will take me there. Remember to like my facebook page or follow me on Google+ (link to the left) to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Family Ride

Can you believe this is after 9:00 pm?

So Taquache is still not here. One of the guys at the shipping place said it would be about a week. but it's been over a week and the bike hasn't even been shipped yet. Taquache is just sitting in a dark crate all by her lonesome. And she's WASHED. I had to clean her off for the customs people. I feel like I was defiling all that she stood for as I not only sprayed her down with water but took a bristle brush to her in the real dirty spots. After a good 15 minutes I stood back and she just didn't look right. But it's the way it had to be. So I got her shipped off and have been back home for about a week and a half and still no sign of her moving.

Post the flag and pledge some allegiance

ADVsidekick

Spill 1 of 5

So while I'm waiting for the real thing my family and I took a bicycle ride around a neighborhood just for funsies. My older boy who's 6 is starting to get the hang of riding on two wheels but still has a few crashes. It was a beautiful day for the ride. Just a humdrum regular ol neighborhood but the partially cloudy skies and shady trees made for wonderful views. Left the house at about 9:00pm and the Sun was still high in the sky like it was 5 down in Washington. It's gonna be fun to show you guys what you can get into just outside of Anchorage here. The wife and I talked about houses and the kid wanted to show off for the camera. Nothing really exciting happened. My kind of family outing I'll tell ya.

ADVheroine

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up because my bulletproof Taquache will take me there. Remember to like my facebook page or follow me on Google+ (link to the left) to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Spill 3 of 5. And he keeps getting back up. Such a trooper

Go Canada!

It has been a minute

Well it's been a couple weeks now since I posted. I'm just posting this for anyone who looks at my page regularly. Been trying to get everything set up for the move back to Alaska. Stressful it is. Haven't been editing or working on the posts I want to, but I'll get back into it when I get home. Have some Vaca time planned to facilitate doing some of that. I think I've got enough content to start the YouTube channel once I get it edited up. So hang in there folks. Great trails and phenomenal views are on the way.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up because my bulletproof Taquache will take me there. Remember to like my facebook page or follow me on Google+ (link to the left) to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

I have survived . . . THE COMMUTE!

YAY! Traffic

One of the stipulations I made to myself about getting a motorcycle was that I was not going to use it for regular transportation needs. I want the thing to be a toy, I want every ride to be something entertaining and not a job. I was sorely disappointed to find that not even riding a bike can break up the redundancy of a commute. I was able to survive the traffic and the drowsiness for a WHOLE WEEK so far. Riding the super slab twice a day for 45 minutes is not my idea of fun times with Taquache but it must be done.

I found singing songs and making up lyrics to my surroundings can hold me for a while. I suppose I'll run out of songs and get tired of singing about lane changes pretty soon. I should just buckle down and get myself one of the bluetooth headsets for the helmet. I'll have to do some more research on that.

The wide angle lens does not do Mt Rainier justice

I do get to see some sights. Mt Rainier is always chipper and watching me throughout my rides. The weather has been totally gorgeous. Well except for those first couple days, rained quite a bit then. Got reminded that my boots aren't waterproof. But again my jacket, helmet, gloves and pants all held up in the steady pour.

The good news is I made my appointment to get Taquache shipped up to the big AK. In a few weeks I'll be back up there with good weather and some ride reports from the Last Frontier. I'm super stoked for that. I'm finally going to be able to put this bike to use how I intended to use it, in the muck, dirt, and beauty that is the State of Alaska.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Motorcycle Maintenance Monday!

Unfortunately during this last trip I could hear some faint clanking or thumping sound on the bike. It wasn't constant and seemed to come around most often when I was accelerating at low rpm's. I'm afraid to find out what it is. I don't know if the doohickey has been replaced on the bike. I'm at least the third owner of it. Doesn't seem too hard to check it or to replace it entirely. Just need the special tools and parts to do it.

After some google research and calling around I couldn't find a shop in the Tacoma area that carries parts for the KLR. It's either just off road or harley and street bike shops. Amazon has the stuff but I was hoping to do some good maintenance right then.

I figured I could at least check the doohickey to see how it's hanging in there hoping it wasn't hanging at all and still in one piece. So I watched a bunch of youtube and determined they were all saying and showing the same thing so I should be safe to do the procedure.

Dirty, Dirty Taquache

Taking bolts out was time consuming. Had to remove the bash guard, front sprocket cover (that was NASTY inside), and the gear shift. While moving around the bike I noticed one of the stickers that was on the panniers was an eagle mike sticker. I got rather excited thinking maybe the doohickey had already been replaced.

When I lifted the alternator cover off I had two different parts fall into the crank case. This caused my stomach to fall as well. I saw the right thrust washer and bearing for one of the little gears came out. But they slipped along the starter gear and stayed on my side of the gear.
Once I got the deal exposed I was able to look down in there and was pleasantly surprised to see a big solid doohickey in place. It appeared to be an aftermarket one but couldn't be totally sure when all I could see was about 10% of the part. I started looking for the coil spring but it was nowhere over there. I could just barely make out over the top of the doohickey was a beautiful torsion spring seated around it.

Let All Rejoice! No Special Tools Needed!

So I gladly slapped it all back together while only needing to reference my Clymer's manual a couple times. Happy day it was to know I don't have to deal with that. The bad part is that the noise I was hearing is coming from somewhere else. Maybe I'll check the clutch next and see how that looks.

Pretty good indicator that's it's an Eagle Mike product.

There's plenty of other things that need to be taken apart and checked out for wear and given generous amounts of lube so plenty of material for Motorcycle Maintenance Mondays in the future. And yes, this was in fact all done on a Monday.









Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

 ADVhero, out here.

My bike BROKE!!

So no crap there I was, just about to pull into the lot where I store my bike when I loose all power from the engine and it shuts off. Just before I was on even throttle and it began lurching back like it was loosing power. I came off the throttle but when I came back on the whole operation was grounded. So as I curse and swear while leaning to the shoulder I try starting it again. The engine tries to turn but just isn't taking off. Give it a little gas, try again. No dice.

START YOU BLASTED CONTRAPTION!!!!

So defeat comes over me and the first thing that comes to mind is that I won't be able to make videos until I figure out what's wrong with it. I remove my gloves, unzip my jacket and begin pushing down the street since the parking lot isn't far off. That was humiliating to be pushing that brick down the road in the bike lane while people are passing by.

I push it down the road for a few minutes and in desperation think "I'll just try it again and maybe it fixed itself" just as many desperate men have said before me when trying to fix things. So I put the kickstand down and I must have switched into automatic mode to start the bike cause I check the fuel switch down below and noticed SOMEONE HAD SWITCHED IT OFF! Can you believe that!? While I was in the convenience store someone went by and switched the fuel switch just to spite me. . . . now that I think about it maybe I turned it off when I parked and didn't switch it back on. It was just down the street from the store.

Well never you mind, Taquache is back on the road with zero problems! Videos a plenty shall be had by all.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

ADVhero, out here.

Alder Lake sunset ride

1 mile of twisties to break up the straight aways

Took an evening ride out towards Mt Rainier. Just for a little therapy. Was not dissapointed. Took myself down through Roy, past Enumclaw, to Lake Alder and past Elbe. There was some excellent vistas around Lake Alder and the forest towering up around the roads was something I have missed for many years. Up in Alaska, where I've been living for the last 12 years, the trees just aren't the same. No evergreens where I am and the forests just aren't as dense up there.

Coming from Roy to Lake Alder there wasn't much to sneeze at but soon as I got near the lake the evergreens started taking over. Oh, they were beautiful. Much more so than any building or skyscraper you can find in the city. The way the road cuts through the middle of the forest and is completely surrounded makes you feel as if you are a small intruder in the vastness of the forest. Fortunately I'm not seen as a threat and allowed passage.

I stopped at the Lake Alder park and parked at the swimming beach in time to see the sun glancing over the water just above the tree line. About at my turn around point there was a pasture that opened up on one side of the road giving a great view of the hills around me.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

First ride in the rain

I had a bit of a ride in the rain yesterday. As I was heading South through Puyallup and it started sprinkling. But the further South I got the harder it rained. There were a few things I found that got difficult while I was on the road. As long as I was on the interstate the rain just slid past across my face shield, around my waterproof jacket and down my goretex pants. My boots on the other hand, I find out more each ride how waterproof they are not. I got them pretty used though. Obviously one of my first gear upgrades will be boots. When I slowed down my visor started fogging big time. I need to get some anti-fog spray on it. And some rain-X on the front of it would probably help too.

It was pretty nerve racking riding in, what turned out to be, a heavy rain like that. I always think of what keeps me on top of my bike and my bike upright is traction. I think of traction as a finite resource. There are certain things that will use up some of that resource like turning, braking, accelerating, tire wear and type. But the base of how much traction you start with comes from your riding surface. When it's less than optimal (ex. wet, gravel, dirt, or wet gravel dirt) you have less traction to work with. Less cornering before you've spent all your traction. Less braking before it's all used up.

So when you've never pushed your traction to that limit it can be nerve racking to experiment at 60 mph. Just know that many riders have done this before you and if you just keep going and keep your movements nice and slow, allow lots of room to change lanes and follow, you should do just fine.

Let me know in the comments what types of riding you're worried about, water, dirt, loose debris in the road, snow?

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

How much research should I be doing?

I love a ride after it just rained

You may have read earlier that I want to start a YouTube channel with my adventures. I've got all the equipment I need, I have some content, I've been doing research, but when should I actually post something? I wonder if its fear of not starting it right or just feeling like I haven't figured it out yet. I'm starting to get tired of the researching and preparing and just want to get something off the ground.

I've been watching and reading out of a few different places but the advice is neverending. Of course why would it be? They wouldn't have a lasting channel or blog if it did end. So at some point in time you just have to say "Lets do it! No more waiting." It will not turn out perfect but changes can be made later. So keep an eye out for ADVhero on YouTube. Should be starting soon. I'll get a couple videos up, see how it goes.

If you have experienced this kind of stuff or are stuck in the same position please leave a comment about your experience. I'd love to hear about it as would everyone else.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Don't forget to like my facebook page at www.facebook.com/dsadvhero to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Your wet ADVhero

I can't find any bueno on the gravel roads

I went out to Capitol state park today. Lots of gravel on the roads from the rock candy mt rd entrance. Deep gravel. Make my bars wobble and induce panic mode gravel. I want DIRT dang it. I suppose if there's no gravel the whole road washes away when it rains though. It's not fun feeling like you're going to biff it, but I certainly feel like a man's man when I don't do it.

I've watched many adv videos and always thought, "the sand doesn't look that bad" and "why don't they just turn tighter when they want to turn around?". I take it all back now. Quite a few awkward turn around and a great appreciation for loose surfaces.

But this is what I found helped me:

Stand the heck up and lean forward

I found I wobbled and slipped way less when I was standing and got that center of gravity nice and low. Most of the time I wobbled into panic mode it was after sitting down.

Use your feet and knees to turn

The more I tried to lean the bike with my handlebar movements the more tired I got. I found myself often trying to pull up on one handle and push on the other. Takes a lot of effort. Instead try taking your weight off of the peg on the outside of the turn and use that knee to push the gas tank to the inside of the corner.

Keep your speed up

The physics of how the bike stays upright work best when those wheels are turning. If you're standing up and the tires slide out from center the rest of the bike will follow if you have your speed up. If you're sitting down your center of gravity will be high up and you'll experience that wobble a little more. Obviously there is a situation where the bike could slide just too much and there's no recovery but when you're just going down the road and not on a sharp corner at a high speed let physics worry about keeping you up. Newton, Einstein, and Gallileo will praise you for trusting it.

If you wonder where I get my knowledge of the mechanics/physics of it all its from a book called proficient motorcycling and the basic MSF course. Great knowledge to have when you're starting out so you can predict how the bike is going to behave. The book is also filled with a plethora of techniques and tips on how to manage obstacles and potentially dangerous situations on the road. Written by a seasoned MSF instructor it's been a great book to read when preparing to ride. It won't tell you how to ride in the dirt but some of the stuff applies no matter what surface you're on.

Check out this video on the tube of you with some other quick tips on riding in/through gravel.
Watch "Motorcycle Experience Shifting Gears: Riding on Gravel" https://youtu.be/YEGhw_xPWq8

As far as the park goes I barely even scratched what's in there. There are multiple entrances to the north part of the park where motorized vehicles are allowed. Also I didn't go down many of the roads or any of the singletrak trails (not that much of a hero yet). Looks like there's a lot back there and it's pretty well maintained. Washington parks are always gorgeous. I found quite a few dead ends and a lot of garbage. People are horrible sometimes. But I hear there's a few clubs that try and maintain the place to keep it from being closed down.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

ADV Gallery is up

Posted some pictures in my Gallery. Go check out a smidgen of the places I've been. This was basically the best of what I have on this computer. I'll add more as it comes. I also updated the my gear page with some adjusted comments for the helmet and gloves. Gonna add blurbs about my camera and microphone as well so keep an eye out for that also.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

I found DIRT!!!

I have been out a few times since I last posted. I feel like I've been neglecting. Been a bit of testing the new microphone with the camera. It's been working great so far along with the free editing software I got.

Took a quick trip out to Steilacoom on the Puget Sound. It was pretty. A Short ride but real nice neighborhoods in a place I never thought I would find any. Guess I just don't know this area too well.

I took a couple trips up to the North side of Lake Washington over the last two weeks. Went to my sister's house just North of Green Lake. Took the LOOOOOONG route there around the East side of the lake. It was interesting to be on the highway so much. But great weather the last two weekends for it all. For the life of me I'm not having a lot of luck finding dirt to ride in using Google Maps. I don't know if there's a technique to it or what. Let me know with some comments if you have an idea how or where to look.

I took a trip to the town I went to high school in, Duvall. Always a nice drive down the Snoqualmie Valley. Stopped by the falls as well to see those. I'm going to get a tripod soon here so that I can get some 3rd party shots of myself and the bike. Should be able to use it with the camera as well.

All in all the riding went pretty safely. My gloves are still making my hands sweat. But when I used my leather gloves out to Steilacoom they weren't keeping the wind out like I wanted them to. Apparently the gauntlets on the BILT gloves are pretty useful.

Found some dirt roads just outside Ft Lewis on the East side. Lots of gravel. I found I do not like the gravel and how squishy it makes the tires under me. After riding on all this concrete the loosity is unnerving (loosity, wasn't a word, now it's a word). Found some puddles and got some mud on Taquache. She was happy, I could tell. Found out my Fox boots are not necessarily waterproof either.

I'm planning to go to a park down South by Olympia this next weekend. Get some more dirt under me. That's the goal of this all. Dirt baby, I need it. I don't even know why I'm drawn to it so.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Until next time people. YouTube will soon be mine for the taking.

THAR BE MUD UNDER THERE!!!

Youtube is just a step away, well a couple more steps

So I have lined up a few more items to bring myself into Youtube stardom . . .  stardum . . .  spell check says stardom. I looked at the advice of a few motovloggers like Accidental Broadcast and someone else who's name escapes me and decided on the Audio Technica ATR 3350 lavalier condenser microphone.

Audio Technica ATR 3350 Lavalier Mic

It runs on batteries, which are pretty cheap, and it has to be turned on to be recording, but it was only about $25 and I just want to buy one microphone. I'll have to pick up some foam or deadcat from a local shop to cover the microphone. Lots of people on Youtube say they've gotten away with $3 or $1 microphones but I just am skeptical to believe that they last for very long or that the quality is very good.

I also made the mount for my camera. I decided to go with the chin mount after watching many videos. I see EveRide uses it almost exclusively and it seems to work pretty darn well. I don't like seeing the side of the helmet in the view when it's mounted there and I don't like how high it is on top of the helmet. Chin mount seems like the best solution.

I took the idea for the mount from EveRide as well. A piece of aluminum bent up by hand while clamped in a vice to curve it to the shape of the helmet. Then make the last bit of it stick straight out in front of the helmet ensuring it's not wagging off to the side.

It's quite simple, bought a strip of aluminum from Lowe's for about $7, cut a good length of it off with a hack saw. Made sure there was about twice as much length of aluminum as there is to my camera. Clamp it into a vice at the points you want to bend it. There's quite a bit of curve on the chin of my helmet but it was surprisingly easy to match the curve on the aluminum.

Bent and painted up

After I got the angles and curve right I filed the edges and corners, then taped up the parts where dual lock would be applied to the bar so that I could spray paint the bar. The painting isn't really necessary but I just wanted to do it for not much reason other than to have things match. Well except that the camera is white but whatever.

Gotta make sure the angle is right to carry the camera straight out to the front of the helmet

Another benefit of the chin mount is when I hook up the microphone I won't have to run cords all willy nilly around the helmet to get to the chin. A little soldering action from my Dad will shorten that cord up and make it a pretty hassle free set up.

So I left the dual lock at my Dad's house but it would be used to secure the bar to the helmet and the camera to the bar. a little previewing and minor adjustments and I'll be ready to shoot. My microphone should be in next week and then I'll get to play with that a bit.

Check out my gear page to see reviews on the helmet pictured here, my other apparel and eventually my microphone and camera, once I start using em.

Please leave a comment down below or send me an email about where else you would like me to ride. Whether they're scenic roads or particular trails I'm willing to go take a look and post it up. Remember to like my facebook page to get notifications of when I post up here. Thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.

Cycle Gear = Bilt brand, Who'da thunk it?

So I was going to take a nice ride up through a park or something this last weekend but the weather report was "crappy" at best. And I didn't have a decent jacket to weather any type of weather. So I scratched that idea and of course the weekend was nice and sunny with only sporadic showers.

Instead I used my Saturday to shop for a good jacket at a good price. Started by going to some thrift stores which gave me no luck and only distracted me from my goal. So I thought I'd give the retail stores a chance and this place called Cycle Gear came up from a motorcycle gear google search. I thought "pretty generic title for a store, surely they have a bit of a selection to test out and see what kind of jacket I want." Turns out Cycle Gear = Bilt brand store. There was some alpinestar stuff available but every wall and rack had something made by Bilt. Prices were as you would expect for retail and I was going to walk out when I saw a sale tag. Said buy their super duper explorer waterproof jacket for $400 (It did look pretty sweet and available in Hi-Vis), and get a free pair of matching pants, gloves, and a helmet.

Now $400 is a lot of money to lay down but I knew I wanted to get all this stuff anyway. And while I did have a helmet it isn't in Hi-Vis. But I had to love all of the stuff they were selling in order to get this deal. We just got out tax return too and when I talked to my wife and how I was trying to talk myself out of this she astoundingly said "so get it"! Both of us agreed its a good investment in my safety because its protective equipment as much as it's visibility gear. I tried the helmet on and it was not good. Padding inside was minimal and pressure points immediately showed themselves when it was on. After some quick review research I found many people didn't find Bilt to be very durable. This was enough for me to determine it wasn't worth it. For that money there should be no doubt about whether the gear is going to last me. So I found a pair of $20 waterproof Hi-Vis gloves, purchased em and left Cycle Gear and its deal behind.

So off I went to local leather shop in Auburn past the Harley dealer. The place was called Eagle Leather and the selection was great. Lots of different brands. The staff there was real helpful as well. They featured the First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket. Was on sale and was pretty heavy with a removable liner. Also saw an Icon brand jacket that was comparable. The Icon Patrol Field armor jacket had more pockets and features and padding in the forearm but both were rated to the same temperature. They also both looked like the padding could be removed and just used as a good winter jacket, the sales guy said he did that with his Kilimanjaro to go snowboarding. But since the Kilimanjaro was on sale I had to go with that. The Icon felt much more serious but they were both quite comfortable with and without the liner.

So I rode through the city streets the whole day and found my starts and stops are getting much better. Only stalled out a couple times and that was on an uphill start! I'm sure it'll come along nicely now that I have a motorcycle jacket. That'll make me much better. Ya know like sneakers do the run faster

jump higher thing.

On my way back to base on Sunday I decided to take the superslab. It was super boring. Just hand
back on the throttle and change lanes a few times and watch for slowing traffic. Much more to look at on the city streets and much more mellow. You do have to watch out for the left turners though. It's a give and take I suppose. Just need to get out on some dirt! I can't decide if I should go out towards Mt Rainier or the Olympic Peninsula next weekend. Got a Mariners game to go to on Friday, It's beardhat night at Safeco Field!

For a run down of the gear I wear right now there's a page link at the top that'll take you to it.

Until next time, Hang up and Drive yo!

The Long Way Home, Tips for your first ride home

I have been storing my bike at my Dad's house until I got all the paperwork squared away to ride it on the street. Now that task is done and paid for I had the pleasure of driving it home last night. This would be similar to your ride home with the bike after you buy it for the first time. I'd been looking for some time and other circumstances had kept me off a bike since I took the basic MSF class about 8 months ago.

There's three main points to consider before you go pick that bike up and hit the road whether this is your first bike or whether you're a seasoned rider. You must consider your equipment/clothing, your

"break in" time, and your route home. Now the first and third points you know what I'm going to talk about. But the "break in" time I'm more referring to the meld that happens between your body and that machine. It doesn't just happen by sitting on the bike. It happens when you take some quality time to really get to know that bike and how to saddle it. Much of how you get home depends upon your skill and confidence level. Remember that confidence does not equal skill and even if you know a skill you must have confidence in your ability to perform that skill in order for it to serve you.

Equipment on you and on your bike are things to consider when picking it up. Does the bike have big panniers on the side of it that you're not used to riding with? Maybe take those things off and let your buddy who drove you up there take em back for you. Is there anything tricky about the controls that the previous owner can get you familiar with? Check out the bike's state. TCLOCS is what the MSF course teaches. Tires, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chasis, and Stands. Don't want to be moving down the road when you find out the stand doesn't stay up or your brake light doesn't work. Equipment on yourself is up to you. Obviously the best thing to have is all the protective gear you can when you ride. However if you're just starting out like I am then you're going to be short some stuff.
You MUST have a helmet. Some full fingered gloves, a heavy jacket and layer up those pants. More layers of thicker clothing could help if you fall and need to use the road as a slip and slide. We can't all afford full leather suits right off the bat here. Have some type of reflective gear too. Don't ever think it's too little to make a difference. Anything might help.

I had the ability to ride the bike a bit through some residential streets for a few days before I drove home but it's not a bad idea to do that for some time before you hit the road. Even 20 minutes could help that meld to form. Get to know that bike on some slower speed residential streets before you get into situations at 60mph on the interstate. Even if you're a seasoned rider and you aren't out of practice like I was, it's still a good idea to take some time to get used to the bike. Even if the ride back home is short, you need to know the bike and your abilities before someone turns left in front of you and you have minimal time to analyze the situation and react. Get your starts down, feel that clutch out. Do plenty of quick stops and get those brakes worked out.

When you plan your route home you have to assess what type of riding you're more comfortable with. If you're a experienced rider then go hit that highway and get home. If you're like me and this is pretty much your first time out you may not want to be on the highways. I was not comfortable getting straight onto the highway and making decisions a those speeds. I picked a route that took me around the towns and not through them. Nice single lane roads that start out about 35 - 40 mph, then build up to two lane roads with 40 - 50 mph. Eventually I went straight through Tacoma which wasn't bad. Of course this was on a Sunday which was a good day to do this. Know your route too so you don't take a wrong turn at Albuquerque and end up at Point Defiance. A beautiful place but it's a few miles off course and a good 30 extra minutes on my ride. Which leads me to, leave with enough time to do your trip in the daytime! A little more to deal with at night with other drivers than during the day. Not a good idea for your first time.

These are most of the things I thought about before I took the ride home. From Auburn to almost Lacey in about 40 miles and a couple hours after the scenic detour. Only spent about 5 minutes on the interstate at the end. The scenic detour though, was awesome. I felt like I was able to enjoy what was around me so much easier on the bike than I do in a car. Even though it delayed me and meant I was going the wrong way I was still able to enjoy the scene with the ferries (not fairies) on the water and the sun going down. Very nice jewel in the rough of getting lost. Hope your travels are as safe as mine was last night. All considered I think I did real well on the bike and much better than I expected. Keep the tips above in consideration as you prepare for your next ride. Whether it's your first one or your umpteenth one, riding is a skill that must be honed to allow many more years of enjoying it.

Don't forget to hang up your distractions and drive yo!

The perishable skills are the best ones

I have found that some of the best, no the most fun skills and activities I have done are the ones that require some type of perishable skill. Painting, sports, shooting, and riding. After a huge wait to get my motorcycle and get back on the road I have found that what little skill I acquired from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic riding course last year has quickly vanished to a shadow of what it was. Okay a relatively huge wait and vanished isn't too far of a step from where it was. I was no prodigy or anything at the end of the class but I sure felt comfortable. And that seemed to be most of the battle with the bike was getting used to it and being comfortable with leaning the bike over moving at suck slow speeds. The class was a blast really, I'd love to do it again.

But the class and the controlled and safe environment of the parking lot are a far cry from actually riding out on the street with some other cars. I was a little nervous to get on the bike after not doing anything for almost a year, but just doing the exercises they had us do in the class got me upright with my feet off the ground and on the pegs in no time. A little wobbly but there's some great residential streets around here that I can ride on without too much traffic, pedestrian of vehicular.

I still need to get the bike registered before I can take it on Joint Base Lewis McChord but that should be happening next week. It's been a week now since I rode but I'm still super excited to get back on and just ride around the block.

I've been taking this hobby as a skill that needs to be learned very well. Not just so I can get good at it but for my safety as well. Can't afford to get all jacked up and not be able to work for the family. It's a goal to not only have fun with this bike, the blog and hopefully a youtube channel in the near future but to do it without sacrifice from the family. If anything it'll give something for the wee ones to join me on in the future. Gotta teach em how to ride a bicycle first though. That's a small Dad fail I've had so far.

Till the next time my friends . . .

The mighty steed has been secured!

I have finally procured the motorcycle of motorcycles. I have been perusing craigslist, cycletrader, and lemon lots since probably January of 2014 for a good priced motorcycle. Finally got a sweet deal on a KLR 650! I'd figured I would end up with this bike because of its versatility, reliability, and value. This opinion is solely based off of lots of youtube and forum reading but nonetheless I feel confident in my grab. I know I want to be able to do some touring so I know I just can't justify getting a smaller engine for that and the DR650 is just hard to find at the price you can get a KLR for. But this isn't a review of the KLR or any other bike.

I want to share with you the story of getting it. I've rather enjoyed the stories motovloggers tell about how they got their bike. As I said in a previous post I'm down in Washington for business right now and my family was down to visit me. The first week they were here this KLR came up on craigslist for price I hadn't seen on a 2000+ model since I started looking. I contacted the owner who was still ready to sell. I did not want to take time from my family to go pick it up two hours North of me though. My buddy had heard of my strife though about this cause we talk often and I often complain openly around him how I don't have a bike. He's the kind of guy who knows people. Not a drug dealer kind of guy fortunately. At least I'm mostly sure about that. He told me he would go pick it up for me and had a gentleman who owed him a favor. These guys drove all the way up there to go check it out, buy and drive it all the way back down to me so I could continue to visit with my family. The kicker was the downpour that was coming all day long. The day set records for rainfall. In the SEATTLE AREA! It was a lot of rain. All day they spent driving up and back down. Stopping to rest and let the guy warm back up and dry off a bit. They told me everything ran great and it was a good buy. Took about four days under a carport before the seat finally dried out.

Many motovloggers and forum surfers have told stories about the awesome community that is the dual sport crowd. I hadn't even climbed on a bike yet before I had my first experience at the selflessness that is the motorcycle community. A HUGE thank you to both of those gentlemen for doing that for me. And it's because of this I christened this bike to be Taquache henceforth. I had a conundrum about naming it Taquache or something reference to my family. I figured throughout this blog and my Youtube channel I will be making so many shout outs to the awesome support my family gives me that I could give this one to the gentlemen mentioned above.

Til the next time my friends . . .

Disclaimer

Just so you know, I'm down in Washington State for business and will be for a few more months. So while this is a blog about adventure in Alaska, I do need to get my riding legs under me and while I'm down here it was easy to find a bike and get it back up to Alaska afterward. So the beginning of this journey will be experiences and any tips I can give you about learning to ride.

Welcome!

Behold! Before you on these pages to come will be the adventures of Soldier turned Alaskan heading out on a Motorcycle to see what this state has to offer me. I've lived in Alaska for 10 years with a small break to go house hunting in Iraq. Met my wife up here and we have been growing our family in the vast Matanuska-Susitna Borough just North (To The Future!) of Anchorage.

I'm excited to share my experiences in learning to ride, learning to adventure like I used to and show you a little of teaching my family to do the same. I've found Alaskans to be a hearty breed for sure and most all of them are extraordinarily kind people. I hope to show you some of them as I go here.

I'm starting out with this blog to share these adventures but also hope to create a Youtube channel out of the idea as well. It's an arduous process to get it off the ground right but I need to start somewhere. So come with me, with your knapsack on your back and lets find some beautiful scenery, challenges, lessons, and people as I explore the Last Frontier that is Alaska.