It’s been a while since my last update simply because I'd rather be out riding than tapping away at the keyboard. I’ve been out riding throughout Southern Ontario and visited some interesting towns and cities. In June, my bike and I visited Barrie, Beaverton, Bellevile, Hamilton, Innisfil, Kingston, Lagoon City, Lindsay, Orillia, Owen Sound, Port Perry, Strathroy, Tobermorray, Woodstock, and countless small towns and villages.
I’ve been riding regional roads and the 400 series highways – all in preparation for the Big Trip. I’m leaving on Friday and I know I’m mentally ready, but I have concerns about my equipment.
My helmet has had many add-ons over the last month. I have weather stripping around the inside of the visor in an attempt to cut down on the noise. I have electrical tape over every almost every join in the plastic. I’ve also added electrical tape to the outside sun visor, as I found that it was the source of a lot of wind noise. It’s now to the point where I’ve taken off the sun visor all together. I was also getting really fed up with tightening the screws every time I flipped it up. If I didn’t it would fall down. I’m not happy when it does that while I’m night riding.
The big Saddlemen bag was a total waste of money. I’ve only had it loaded up maybe four times and the thing is falling apart. It suffers from both poor design and poor quality.
My biggest concern – as well as the products biggest flaw – is the zipper. First of all, it’s not waterproof. I made a waterproof cover by cutting down a tarp and fitted it using tape. I hope it will keep the worst of the rain out, but “they” don’t sell waterproof tape in Canada, so I may wind up with wet clothes. The other problem with the zip is that it is supposed to take all the weigh of the bag when it’s lifted up. The handle is attached tot he top and the top is zippered to the side. While I like top-loading bags, too much weight on the zipper will result in zipper failure. So far it has failed twice. In an effort to salvage the bag, I purchased a new strap/handle from Lee Valley tools. The strap now supports the bag from the bottom – and the handle is much more comfortable than the original.
I’ve decided that I’m going to buy a trailer I can haul behind the motorcycle. I won’t have to worry about security, water tightness, or if the thing will fall apart in a month or two. Of course I’ve run out of time, so I will put that off for the next Big Trip.
My biggest packing headache is the motorcycle cover. I bought one that will cover the bike with the big pack on the back. In other words, it’s huge. I hope to keep prying eyes and fingers off the bike and bag when it’s parked. It will also keep it dry (for the most part) overnight after I’ve check into the hotel. It’s so big that I’ll have to bungee cord it to the top of my big pack to transport it. Luckily it comes in a sturdy bag so I won’ have it trailing behind me as I ride.
I’m taking a few gadgets with me to help be stay safe, happy and on the right roads. I have a weather alert radio to steer me clear of bad weather. I’ve seen the Prairie skies go from black to chocolate milk brown. I would hate to be on a bike when that storm hits. I’ve also heard tales of the emerald green sky, which is something I’d really love to see, but not experience, if you know what I mean.
My iPod will keep me happy for many hundreds of kilometres of riding, and it sounds fantastic. I’ve filled it right up so I’ll have a good variety of tunes while I’m on the go. Finally, the GPS is working well. I won’t need it on all the time. It’s great for finding the right road, but as I will be riding mostly on a few highways, there isn’t much chance of getting lost. The cities and towns will be where I’ll need it, and that won’t be a problem. It just doesn’t like the skyscrapers of downtown Toronto. The signal bounces around so much that it puts me on the wrong the street. Of course I’ve packed maps of all the provinces and cities I’ll be visiting, so even if the GPS send me in the wrong direction, I’ll quickly sort myself out.
