Rain rain go away...

1975 A young me, crossing the country!

Do people actually mean it when they say about rain... "We need it."

Seems like it's been a very slow start to the 2014 motorcycling season.  I don't as a rule mind riding in the rain, often taking the smaller of my XT Yamaha's out wearing a rain-suit.  I'll ride around the local back roads, the dust is at a minimum but some little used clay roads can be muddy.  Nothing we can't handle though, a quick spray with the garden hose or the pressure washer takes care of the red dirt.

It's been raining off and on for the past week.  I've had lots to do, a plumbing repair job at one of our apartment units yesterday taking up the morning, trying to keep the grass trimmed during the brief dry spells, and of course there are always mechanical things here that need routine attention.

Last week, as a surprise to my friend Mike, I'd installed the tires he'd left with me the day before, on his new Sherpa.  270 50/50 Kenda's front and rear, a tire I have used for many years in the past, should likely do him for years.  I still have a rear to install on my own 225, but will do that at some time in the not too distant future.

Been humid, muggy hot.  Pretty typical of PEI east coast summers that I recall from years ago.  Not so much the heat but the humidity get to you.  Riding my 600 the other day, in full gear, I felt I was going to pass out!  Occasionally I ride sans jacket... those that knew me from my Chief Instructor days comment that it's less safe.  My reply to that after years of Baja and US SW riding is thus;  "we all have to make these decisions for ourselves.  Is it better to have the protection but risk a heat stroke and collapse riding in the desert or on a busy Phoenix street?"

VX 800 is one possibility

I've been thinking more and more about the possibility of riding across Canada once again.  It has been 39 years since my first XC ride and would make a fitting adventure doing it again on my 40th anniversary of that epic trip.  I had been exploring on two wheels since the very beginning, one could say that my entire life on two wheels has been one BIG exploration.

In preparation for 2015, I have been looking at buying a bike that is more suitable than any I have for such a long trip.  It has to be lightweight enough to handle being loaded with gear, rugged enough for any road surface, have suitable carrying capacity for thousands of miles as my pack horse, modern enough that breakdowns would be non existent, and fun enough that I can take advantage of the twisties when offered.

In view of this I have been considering the venerable DL 650 from Suzuki, otherwise known as the V-Strom or Wee Strom as they are affectionately called.  Why not a thousand?  For the extra power, there is the extra weight and truthfully, I have always believed that 650/750 sized motorcycles are pretty much ideal for a guy like me.  After all, they did fine transporting around hordes of Englishmen back in the day.  The "Swiss Army Knife" of motorbikes, the Suzuki DL 650 would certainly fill the bill.  I do have a similar VX 800 in my garage and it does have the advantage of shaft drive making for one less maintenance chore, but beyond that, the 650 is a far better choice.

I've been dealing with a young and very capable, Mitch at Centennial Motors Charlottetown store, for some time now, and feel we will have made a decision before the day is out. 

Such long distance touring is not simply a matter of getting on and riding... there are a hundred things to think of and prepare for.  Having a suitable bike is only the starting point.  One of the things I've often been asked in the past is what type of mileage has my butt seen in my riding career.  Hard to answer that.

If you count only street kilometers, certainly in the hundreds of thousands.  How you would classify  my exploits in such places as Baja or the Mojave, seem harder to define of course.  I can ride for 12 hours on a Wednesday in November around the mountains of Arizona near my home in Glendale, yet only cover 200 miles!  What I do believe of course is that riding different bikes under differing conditions truly better prepares you for any type of riding, whether its a Cape Breton weekend or a foray from south to north On the Trunk road or a day in the desert.  Having raced various disciplines, has only added spice to me riding experiences.  To say I have been fortunate, would be like saying dating a hundred Hollywood starlets, has been okay..

V Strom another...

So, I believe I will ride a motorcycle 15,000 km in 2015 crossing once again, not just Canada but a threshold that will be important and unique to the Doctor.