How its been rolling so far…

I have been so bad about blogging and or just writing about my travels thus far. It’s sad to say that because I just made a list places camped and the route taken over the last two months and man have I gone nowhere but gone everywhere. I have seen nothing but yet seen so much. It much more difficult to catch up on things instead of keeping current with them. Even after 27 years of school I sometimes forget that. I have decided I am going to make it a part of my daily/weekly practice to at least write the bullet points of my travels, camps, fishing, food, etc. It is just so easy to move onto the next thing without actually reflecting on the recent doings. Good, bad, indifferent, it is important, for me personally, to do so. I have to remind myself that I didn’t start this blog for anybody but myself when its all said and done but I did make a commitment to a few people, as well as feel an obligation, to keep current on this page.

Coffee break outside of Pucon, Chile.

With that said here it goes… Up until this point, December 15th, 2019, two months and 2,500+/- miles I can say that I am the luckiest guy I know. I have had zero big hang ups bike wise or travel wise. No flat tires in the middle of nowhere and no lost or stolen credit cards or passports. In fact I am finally hitting that “flow state” when it comes to my touring, camping, navigating etc. I am currently in Coyhaique, Chile and my camp is dialed in and everything just kind of fits and flows. I am finding my speeds and gears one could say. The last two months has blew by but at the same time also gone so slow. I find myself in a place of contentment and gratitude a majority of the time. Of course there is an off day, morning, afternoon, hour, minute that my attitude sucks and nothing but the work “Fuck”, or some form of it, comes out of my mouth. I broke camp and was on the road before 9:30am for the second time in these two months just the other day. The only reason that happened is because I did a little gear check up and maintenance the night before so I was about 3/4 packed. I wake up to no alarm, put the kettle on for a hot cup of coffee, usually smoke a cigarette, and ease into my day. Up until this point I have had no deadlines or timelines so its really brought an ease to the whole thing. I don’t have to make a certain place by a certain time. I don’t have to hike, ride, see, do, anything really. It has made my last two months so peaceful as well as fulfilling. Of course I still get anxious, sad, confused angry, etc. but the highs seem to come more frequent and last longer and the lows less often and are usually short lived. Honestly they are usually all just me getting into a shit mindset or attitude and being an ungrateful jackass. As a guy, a great guy, once told me, “its amazing how far you can get with a smile and a thumbs up”. So fucking true. I don’t go out of my way to talk to every person I cross paths with but I try to always be of service and ready. Ready for what who knows, but I try to stay ready. There are these moments, lots to be exact, when I am ridding along on Lily, fishing, setting up camp, picking up trash, waiting in a huge line at the grocery store, and I start oozing with gratitude. I really just cant say how fucking blessed I am. I am of sound body and mind and all my faculties work. God damn I am off to a great start! This trip could end tomorrow for some wild reason and I would have zero resentment. I have gotten to ride, fish, camp, eat, etc. at some of the places I have always dreamt about. I wont say they are the best because you may want to be at the top of a high rise in New York eating caviar. Go fucking do it baby! I am doing what I do, how it best fits me, and its fucking amazing. I wish it on everybody!

The route after 2,500 miles, and 2 months.

“Keeping the shiny side up!”

Like I have said, I have ridden 2,500 miles, been in and out of 2 countries, camped at 5 lakes and 8 rivers, about 4 city campgrounds, and I have typed/written nothing! What an ass! From here on out I will be better about it. There is no reason why I cant update at lease once a week. I will be better about it for myself and hopefully by doing so you get something out of it.

Shipping a Motorcycle

Where to start… First of all you need to find a company or broker that wants your business. You’d be amazed at how many companies you can contact and hear nothing but crickets. After countless emails, phone calls, and online submissions I got only two responses. Both gave me good priced quotes that came in around $2,000. That price was to ship my 800GS from Long Beach California to Santiago, Chile or the nearest port. After I made my decision between the two I stated to put the wheels in motion. I was going to build my own crate and crate the bike myself. The company was going to pick it up in reno, truck it to Long Beach, and shove it in the container. Easy right? Well, 10 days before my bike was to be picked up my broker decided to let me know that my crate needed to be a specific wood, “ISPM-15 heat treated” in order to clear international customs. No idea why, after 6 months or organizing this, he decided to tell me 10 days till pick up. I called around to get this “special wood” I found one place that could order it for me. After giving them my specs for my crate I was given a quote of about $1,000 USD just in materials. This “special wood” costs about $350 a sheet! Holly fuck, then I still need to build the crate. That was the end of that arrangement after months of emails back and forth, emails between their company, documents, size, specs, the whole nine.

Enter Air 7 Seas. They were the other company who gave me a quote originally. I chose not to go with them because every time I talked with somebody, either on the phone or email, I was always speaking with a person of a middle eastern descent. No issues with where they are from, it just didn’t instill a ton of confidence in me to simply hand over my motorcycle to a person or persons with whom I couldn’t clearly communicate. If you are a parent, find a random person on the street who speaks broken English, then hand your child over to them to babysit them for 45 days and also have them meet you thousands of miles away in a foreign country to pick up your kid. Yeah right! Same goes with my motorcycle. That’s my baby, baby. So, after other shipping arrangement falls short I quickly call “my guy” or “my broker” at Air 7 Seas to see if his estimate still stands and if I can get it on the same ship in order to get the bike there by November 1st 2019. He happily tells me yes but the price has changed a bit. I also have him throw in the $500 cost of crating the bike for me as well. Done and here we are in Chile sitting on the bike. Ha!

My broker gives me the details, prices, dates, etc. and we make a deal. It’s about $1000 USD more than I had originally budgeted but at this point what can I do? I had already bought my flight to Santiago when I finalized dates with my original shipper so it was go time. Now, in order to crate my bike I have to get it to San Jose, California to the warehouse. Not ideal but what other options do I have. I make a ride over to San Jose with all my gear minus a few things to drop the bike off for crating. I arrive and meet a different person than with whom I had been dealing with. He takes me into this shitty, dirty, make shift office to go over all the paperwork. As we are signing everything he asks, “why didn’t you fly it down for cheaper?”. I tell him that in the US motorcycles are considered hazardous materials and cannot be flown. He then, as I am signing the paperwork says, “No we have a way to get around that. We drain it and sign off that here is nothing flammable in the bike and it is cleared as a B5-C package and can be flown. Unfortunately this time you are already shipping sea freight so next time we can fly it.”. You have to be fucking kidding me. Dood tells me that as I am checking out! Dick-Head! We finish up paperwork and its time to leave the bike. He’s telling me there are different types of insurance (there is only one and it’s called complete loss) so I get insurance for up to $12,000. This only covers the bike if the whole container/crate goes missing or falls over deck. It does not cover the bike if is arrives smashed or damaged. I find that out after he sells me the one they do not actually have.

Time to get the bike ready to leave and then go pay. So I ask, “do I need to disconnect the battery myself (cause I’d like to), do you want the key with you or in the ignition, where can I park it instead of the parking lot…” You know, all those questions that would have already been answered or instructed by a professional or professional outfit! Fucking guy doesn’t know if I need to leave the key, “thinks” they have somebody to disconnect the battery, and to “just leave the bike in the parking lot with the extra bag on the seat”. Hahaha, very funny dood. I ain’t leaving shit like that! I tell him I’d like to put it in the warehouse at the very lease. This is all taking place cause the 3rd guy, guy who crates all the stuff, is out to lunch at 9:45am. So he opens the rolling door to a small warehouse staked to the roof with nothing but packing shit and objects all over. He has me roll the bike in, put it on its side stand, put the extra bag and water jug on it, and walk away. It was the hardest thing Iv had to do in a long time. I’m literally leaving the backbone of my whole up coming trip in the hands of this perceive knucklehead who doesn’t really know shit. He just kinda tells me what I want to hear but the more he talked he starts to contradict himself.

Now its time to pay. I get walked in and passed off to the 4th guy in the rotation, finance. He prints out the invoice, sets it on the table, and then pulls out a calculator. He asks, “how are you going to pay?” Well its 2020 so I say, “credit card”. He proceeds to tell me there are other options like cash, I can deposit it straight into their B of A bank account, and check but wanted to let me know there was a 4% service charge for all cards, debit and credit. What the FUCK! “Pravin (my broker) didn’t tell you that?’ No dood otherwise I would have made fucking arrangements. I’m at their will at this point because I cant leave without guarantee unless I pay at least half of the total. MOTHER FUCKERS. I pay, no other options really and say good by to my bike. I did tip the 2nd dood a 10er and left the crate guy a 20 to take good care of my baby. Doubt that made it to him. I hit the road to the train station so I can get to Davis on time to catch a ride with a friend back home to reno. I decide to call my broker and ask about the service charge he failed to mention. He says, “I thought you would pay with a check”. Mind you this guy is mid 30s and knows my age of 32 and its 2019. What the fuck makes you think that I am going to pay with a fucking check! And hey fucko, maybe tell me my payment options before hand so that I can make arrangements. But hey you guys are welcome for my payment in full before I leave, plus my 4% service charge, Dick-Heads.

I share all that cause its important to try and somewhat set the scene of shipping your motorcycle internationally. I say all that and I still don’t have my bike 50+ days later sitting in Cartagena, Chile. Obviously it takes time to sea freight something thousands of miles away so no big deals there. On my original invoice, as well as a second bill to pay for my “destination charges”, it says, and I was told, the bike would be going directly to Santiago. Well, once I arrived in Santiago I stopped by the ECU Worldwide (the carrier) to pick up my official Bill of Landing. They informed me that the bike would not come to Santiago and instead I had to personally pick it up in the port of San Antonio. Surprise to me since it was confirmed throughout by my broker that it would be in Santiago. I immediately emailed my broker and true to his form told me, “We contacted the carrier and will not ship personal items to Santiago and you have to pick it up in the port.” No fucking shit, I’m here in the office talking to them. I fired back a few emails being polite but also jumping in his shit. — “A few questions Pravin? When did you know or for how long have you know the bike wasn’t coming to Santiago? This is kind of like the service charge you forgot to mention and now here I am the proper fucking idiot having to take care of yet another thing I already paid you for.” “Not to mention I have a room booked here, so I need to eat that money, get transportation to a town 2hrs away, and then pay for another fucking room.” Most of it true but just felt like giving him a “What-fer”. I arrive in San Antonio and set out to check in with customs. I find the office (the one the carrier in Santiago told me to go to) and they inform me that this is the wrong one and I need to go to another. Seems know body in the shipping game knows their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to logistics and that’s what they do! I get to the other office, dead center of the port and all the giant containers piled high. I am so out of place. Only white guy or gringo for miles, as well I’m not going to work with my vest and hard hat so obviously I stick out like a piece of corn in a turd! To my surprise the two customs guys I meet with are delight. So helpful, willing to call around for what they don’t know, want to see me succeed. As well the older one is infatuated with what I am doing, my plans, where I am from, what its like, the whole deal. Even though we are done until the bike actually gets unloaded I sit in his office chatting with both as if we are all taking a break around the coffee pot. Fucking great.

That all brings us to the present moment. I arrived Thursday October 17th at 10:30 am. Ship gets in that day so no big deals. Takes about 2-4 days to unload everything and sort through the containers. Understandable. They tell me come back Monday @ 4pm and well finish everything up and get your ass in the saddle. Sweet! Well… at this time Santiago, Chile starts to become a boiling pot of revolution. If you haven’t seen what’s going on I tell you take poke around the jet stream (internet) and see for yourself. No big deals, I’m not there, bike comes Monday, it’s Thursday, we are good. Hahaha, I know better. Santiago boils over like the LA riots back in the 90s. There are metro stations and busses being burned to the ground, looting going on in the supermarkets, and masses of people starting to congregate and protest. The Chilean government ends up having to call in the military to help control the people and bring order. If you don’t know this is a huge deal. They have not done this since the dictatorship days of Pinochet back between 79-90. So, when the government calls in military force it means business, brings back the dark memories of that decade, which to me, seems similar to that of Germany in the 30s. “Papers, where are your papers.” Military and local police stopping anybody when they want, for whatever they want, and then doing what they want. It doesn’t seem that it has gotten to that point yet, but I really don’t know shit. There is now a curfew, and has been for 2 nights prior, in Santiago proper, as well as all the surrounding cities and regions to the north and south.

What does all that mean for me you ask? Well it means the port works will go on strike and have! Of course, why not. Actually comical when you think about it. I was set to get my motorcycle out of customs 2 days after one of the biggest unrest’s happens in Chile in the last 30 years. Why the fuck not. So now instead of Monday it is Tuesday night and I am supposed to be getting Ol Lily tomorrow morning. More will be revealed cause as Iv learned, a lot of this is like trying to turn a ball round door knob after you just put lotion on your hands. After countless attempts you finally wrap your shirt around it and get it open!

I know this post sucked. It did for me. I haven’t been to involved in blogging, writing, journaling, or anything of the sort up to this point. I started to change today. I wrote down a few Chilean dishes, wrote this, and kept up on my gratitude list. I hope it gets better, I wouldn’t want to read this. Practice not perfection.

Which Scooter and Why?

Which motorcycle to ride for a trip or even just daily use, that is the question? All one needs to do is google the question and you will have your answer. Well, you will have every answer, reason, debate, video/article comparing every make and model of bike available. Honestly, it’s fucking overwhelming. On top of that, simply read the comments section and you will have every Tom, Dick, and Harry telling you which bike they would use and why. Keyword is, “would”. Most want to insert their opinion by telling you what bike is best and for you. Thing is, most don’t seem to have much, if any, boots on the bike experience in the field that is being talked about. There will always be a battle over brand marks; “BMW is better than KTM”, “Hondas are so easy to fix”, “KLRs are bulletproof”, blah blah blah. I could go on at length about my complaints but instead Ill just take “an opportunity to shut the fuck up“.

End of the day its YOUR trip, and whatever bike you choose to ride is your fucking choice. Whether it be a Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, or KTM,n its your ass in the seat and your ass alone. My thoughts since you asked… If it has two wheels, runs, gets you where you want, and you enjoy being on it is all that really fucking matters. I know I did and I couldn’t feel better about it. Some people spend $10 on shoes some spend $100. One person likes Coke while the other prefers Pepsi. All I can say is buy one, ride it, and smile ear to ear baby!

My Scooter of choice and why…

After all my countless hours of research I personally have chosen a 2017 BMW f800gs.

Her name is Lily after the best dog I have every know. Same color, same spunk, and same love for adventure and exploration.

I narrowed it down to 3 motorcycles that fit what I was looking for. They were; Triumph Tiger, KTM Adventure, and BMW GS. I chose the BMW simple because I wanted to be like Charley and Ewen! Kidding of course. However there is a reason that those two chose BMW, they are reliable. After all my research I came to the same conclusion, BMW Motorcycles are reliable and will last. So far it has been my experience. Luckily we have a wonderful family owned and operated BMW Motorcycle dealership, Sierra BMW, here in Reno, NV.

What I wanted… I wanted a bike bigger, and a bit heavier, than my previous KLR 650. The trip I took in the States with that bike was wonderful but when windy, which happened regularly, I would have to fight all day leaning just to keep it vertical. As well, I wanted something with a little more power to it. There is something to be said about powering past a a semi or RV up hill with just the bend of the wrist. The 800 wont blow your hair back but it feels so stable when jamming at 80mph.

Why the 800 and not the 1200… To be honest I didn’t even know BMW made an 800 before I stated doing research. On the road I had seen a million and one 1200s and a handful of 650s. Once I discovered the 800 I quickly fell in love with it. What I liked or like about it over the 1200 is simple really. One, it is simply smaller in size both engine but also just regular body mass. When I stood by the 12s my only thought was how big they were. The first thing I noticed was the giant gas tank that sat atop with two protruding piston heads sticking out the sides. Nothing wrong with that, I just simply wanted something a little more streamlined. The 800 still has the tried and true, “parallel-Twin” but instead it is packed into the frame with of the bike. The gas tank sits under the seat instead of on the top on the bike behind the handle bars. I loved the idea of the center of gravity being under my ass instead of in front at chest height. I looked at the “Adventure Model” which has a 6gal gas tank instead of a 4gal. It also comes with engine guards, and pannier racks, and a bigger front fairing of plastic. I had the wonderful privilege of having Lane Swall, General Manager of Sierra BMW, help me out and walk me through both models of the 800s. I told him, “I want to camp off my bike. I would like to be able to ride 200 miles of tarmac, turn off at a fire road, and follow it till it ends. I don’t ride single track dirt and go super fast. I want something that’s “easier” to pick up solo if I drop it. He told me to go with the standard 800. It has less plastics to break and replace when dropped. He also suggested I could mount a Rotopax on the bike for an extra added gallon or two of gas. I am so happy I did! I love my bike. The feel of how it rides, the size of it, the way it handles and the look of it.

What I added…

• Camel Tank: (an added 1.7gal gas tank that mounts between the back right pannier and bike. Super simple and easy to install. No drilling in gas tank and siphons right out. Also the Camel Tank drains first and then your regular tank. This leave your hardwired gas gage reading true and untouched.

• BMW Panniers & Top Box: I love them simply because they are keyed with the bike! Same key for the ignition and the panniers. I also like the hard style. When I drop the bike like an asshole in an empty parking lot they help protect it. More importantly for my travels, local or abroad, I wanted to be able to have everything completely lock up and secure. Soft panniers seem great I just didn’t like the idea of being able to slice them open. I bought a pair of Saddlemen lid organizers. Love them. I glued extra velcro to the organizers and the lids and they stay nice and snug. What is usually wasted space in the panniers is now full of my little needs like, head lamp, shit tickets, shaving kit, tent repair kit, paracord, etc., all nicely organized and easy to get to when needed.

• Rotopax: Originally this was bought and mounted for a 1gal gas can. I used it for a while and liked it but after discovering and using the Camel Tank I bought a Rotopax water can instead. Camping where I do and the way I do it is always nice to have a gallon of drinkable water the minute I hop off the bike at camp. I also carry a water filter but after riding through a few spots in Arizona and Utah I realized there isn’t alway a clean running water source near by. I also like the idea that I don’t have to fill bottles or a bladder to jam into my already full panniers or carry on my person.

• Sargent World Sport Performance Seat: As most know when buying any bike the stock seat is usually so uncomfortable. I originally tried a comfort touring seat from Touratech but I did not like the feel of it nor the fit. I sat really far off the lines of the bike, looked weird and made me feel the guts under the seat were exposed to the elements. My Sargent seat fits perfectly and is very comfortable. Every ass is different so get one you like cause it will make your riding so much more enjoyable!

• Touratech Zega Pro Quick Release Bottle Holder: I bought 2. One I mounted on the back right hand side of the back right pannier for my MSR stove fuel bottle. Fucking love it. I love not mixing the gas in with my sleeping stuff, food, electronics, etc.. I stopped using canister gas and stoves because outside of the states those onetime use canisters get pricey as opposed to a giant bottle of white gas. The combo works great. I mounted the other bottle older on the front left side of the left pannier. In this one, as of now, I put a water bottle. I use a 40 Hydroflask. It’s holds the weight no problem and it doesn’t obstruct the case unlocking and opening. Its nice to hop off the bike and have ice cold water on a 100 degree day just a reach away. As I ride the America’s this holder might evolve into another stove fuel canister or a thermos full of hot water for mate! Either way I recommend the bottle holders. They free up space and help keep whatever it is separate from you equipment and clothes. They also pop off easily when not being used.