Styx In The Mud - Adventure Rider

With the majority of the camping gear acquired ( read here to see how I broke up the list into manageable parts) it's time to move to address a more interesting part of adventure riding: FARKLES! These mods come in a variety of flavors, give one's ride a little personal touch and (in theory) help to improve the ride along the way.  Levers :   To kick things off, I replaced the levers with a pair of fully adjustable and collapsible levers. While this was a necessary mod (the previous lever was snapped) it's also supposed to - in theory - fold up and out of the way in the event of an "off" instead of smashing into little pieces so that you can still brake & clutch after going sideways. I have no doubt I'll test this theory... Bar Risers :   This next mod shouldn't  be necessary but, unfortunately, is a requirement for giants such as myself since these rides are made for the average person. When standing on the pegs these risers should put the contro...

One week's worth of deliveries It's been about a month since my new bike arrived and after weeks of researching, spreadsheets, YouTube unboxing reviews, some of my gear is finally starting to arrive!! It's like Christmas, only I have to pay for everything and nothing is a surprise... I can only assume that the USPS and Amazon delivery people must hate me right about now. I came home the other day to find our mailbox jammed - literally forced full - of bubble mailers; so much so that the door wouldn't close without it turning into some kind of theoretical quantum-physics experiment. Much of the stuff is slowly ac cumulating in a big pile on my office floor. According to my badass spreadsheet, (yes, I know, I'm a nerd), in the past 4 weeks I've received 46.7% (that point-seven is sooo important...) of the myriad of items I've been tracking and, while I'd like to think that this number will improve, inevitably I'll find more and mor...

If you've been following this journey from the start, you'll know that I've finally gotten a bike for these trips. ( See more details here .) With the machine stored away in the shop it's time to get on with the gear prep - which is going to be the death of me! Being as tall as I am, finding gear to go adventure riding is a PITA!! Dozens, maybe even hundreds of hours online searching for just the right combination of equipment that can fit a towering tree trunk like myself without leaving me completely broke; it's a "tall" order. I've been camping many times but  never on a motorcycle so I needed to get back to basics: sleeping bag, tent, camping pad, blankets and cooking/mess kit. I found a few likely options and started to rack up some rewards points on my credit card. Thank goodness for Prime and their free returns!! Trip Gear Tracking Spreadsheet The search for a sleeping bag was one of the first items on the docket. However, bei...

There's no way to do these types if trips without the right equipment. After months (MONTHS!) of searching, kicking tires, and endless hours on YouTube "researching" I finally landed on this sweet machine - a 2018 Triumph Tiger 800 XCA. Triumph Tiger 800 XCA Being the nerd that I am, I did this completely online - bought the thing without ever laying eyes on it from a private party in South Carolina! The whole ordeal took about 3 months to fully materialize but before you know it a random transport company was at my driveway - only I wasn't there to offload it. NOPE! I was on vacation at the time, so a neighbor was nice enough to help me out and roll my new iron horse into my garage. This model is pretty sick and comes with cornering ABS, variable traction control, 5 different riding modes, full TFT LCD dash, heated grips and seat, back-lit switch gear, full LED lighting with trail flood lights, aluminum skid plate, lower crash bars, 21" front tire, W...

Hey everyone - here we go! Welcome to my chronicles of preparing, planning, and performing my very own adventure riding!! Buckle up and stay tuned for what's due to be quite an exciting trip. This page features a story of how I'm making the transition from sport bikes and street riding to adventure bikes and off road riding. It's going to include topics such as finding a motorcycle, selecting gear, preparing routes, installing mods and customizations, training and practicing, and then taking the actual journeys - and all from the very high up perspective of someone who's just too tall to be doing these things and how I cope in a world that's not designed for me. You'd think that the transition would be easy for someone that's been riding for nearly 20 years. Is it? Let's find out! Be sure to check out my profile to learn a little bit about my history and transition into the world of adventure riding.