Step 5: Final Readiness & Adjustments

With the inaugural trip just a week away I'm starting to scramble to get everything ready. I have most of the gear and equipment yet still have a laundry list of tasks to complete before the trip. The overnight test-trip taught me a few things and the bike isn't quite ready yet.

The first project that needs completion is the swap-out of my rubber. I had previously purchased a bead-breaker (for my shop) and a set of tire irons (for use on the trails in an emergency) and, much like testing of my camping gear, I could benefit from using these in a more-or-less controlled environment to gain a little practice. I select a Sunday morning to make an attempt one week before the actual trip and get to work setting up the bead-breaker and gathering the other tools needed: flat tire irons, curved tire iron, rim protectors, valve stem core removal tool, tire bead lubricant and the miscellaneous hand tools needed to pluck the wheels from underneath the bike. Rim removal is a snap and before you know it I'm breaking the first bead. My manual  breaker (see pic below) isn't perfect but manages to do the job without putting up too much of a fight. Next comes removal of the old tires and the pace of the project slows considerably as each move of the irons is carefully preceded by placement of the rim protectors - which don't go in without complaining. After working the rear tire for over an hour I do eventually manage to remove the old rubber and begin on reinstallation of the new wrap. Another hour passes as I struggle to get the first bead over the rim. It eventually gives up and falls into the rim but not without a hard fight. The rim protectors constantly get trapped in a location that is less than helpful and a few light scratches start appearing around the otherwise unscathed rim. The final bead of the new tire winds up being my adversary and after another hour I have only 80% of it folded over the edge of the rim. The struggle continues as my patience wears: The bead lubricant goes everywhere except onto the bead and dries long before I'm able to make use of it while the protectors become more of a nuisance than an aid. By this time it's hot, humid and I'm exhausted so I retire to the house to recover. Defeated I start weighing my options and envision how this process would go down out on the trails. The following day I make a final attempt and miraculously the tire lands within the rim where it belongs. I pressure it up to seat the bead only to find that somewhere along the way I nipped the inner-tube with a tire iron and punctured it. Now all my hard work needs undoing to remove and replace the damaged tube. At this point I throw in the towel and make an appointment at my nearest service shop to have the work done by professionals with fancy machines. Two days later my new tires, new inner tubes and new valve cores are properly installed and ready to go. What an ordeal - one that I hope to never have to accomplish in the wild. On the plus side, I did get to test my newly acquired patch kit... Ugh!

Tire changing stand and patched inner tube from my first attempt at changing tires

Logos!

The next project to complete is a bit of a farse as it's more-or-less a light-hearted attack at my riding partner. Since owning not one but two BMW motorcycles he's fallen victim to being a stereotype for the brand; I believe the technical term is "douchebag." (For all those who are - so easily - offended, rest assured this is no more than a running joke between us. Actual BMW riders are [mostly] just like the rest of us.) To feed the image he has carefully selected branded gear including jacket, pants, gloves, GPS navigation system, t-shirts and a laundry list of other equipment all bearing the roundel or Motorrad trademarks. Not to be outdone a good friend of mine hooked me up with some branding of my own. I've added stickers bearing the Triumph crest to both panniers, my insulated mug, a battery backup and a series of small equipment pouches in which I organize various sets of gear. I also place a patch and a pin on my riding jacket bearing the Triumph brand. Lastly I add a sticker soliciting my Facebook page "Styx In The Mud" - which has been going since the inception of this grand endeavour. Everything looks great on the gear and is sure to put a little "in your face" attitude toward my buddy.

The next little project on the to-do list is to add an action camera which includes a variety of mounting positions (2 on the panniers and 1 on the crash-bars) and a remote control mounted to the handlebars. I'm not great at editing and capturing video (yet) and have no aspirations that any of my footage is going to win any awards but the goal is to capture a variety of clips that can later be assembled into movie montage of the journey - even if only for posterity's sake. Installation is a breeze and takes little more than a couple minutes.

Action Camera mounts and remote

I also need to find a mounting system for the jerry cans (fuel and water). Unfortunately this project is going to take more time and resources than I have available at the moment. I have an idea about how to 3D print a mount but it's going to take some modeling and testing before it will be trail-ready. Stay tuned for more developments on this front as I've already put the wheels in motion. Aside from the water and fuel my test night also uncovered the need for a little more organization elsewhere in my luggage so I run back and forth through our house gathering little things like trash bags, zip-top storage bags, a sack for dirty laundry, aluminum foil and a host of other minor but important additions.

Another lesson-learned from my test night of camping is that key organization needs significant improvement. Since I'm cheap and haven't sprung for the Triumph-matched locksets for the panniers it's necessary to keep three different keys with me: one for the bike, one for the side panniers and one for the top case. Keeping each key in my pocket during setup and teardown of the campsite leaves me fumbling around looking for the right one among a menagerie of other bits and bobs in my pocket. Fortunately my solution is simple and rather effective. By adding a small color-coded band (made from heat-shrink tubing) to the base of each key and then assembling them all into a single ring with a carabiner I can easily identify the correct key. Plus access to them is a "snap" when clipped to my belt once at the destination. Viola! Problem solved!!

Another quick project to complete is the installation of lowering pegs. I bought these Moto Bau Bear Trap pegs months ago but never took the time to put them to work. Fortunately the swap-out is quick and relatively painless. A little finagling with the clips is all that's needed to get them installed which leaves only a few adjustments to the shift and brake levers to bring them within reach. The job takes only a few minutes but unfortunately the brake lever is at the absolute maximum travel. It could stand a few more centimeters but it's workable until I have time to get a lowered unit. These particular pegs move my feet down about 1-3/4" and back about 1-1/2", which works wonders to get my knee-angle more like a normal (i.e. short) rider and also helps while standing upright on the machine (particularly when coupled with bar risers). My only complaint is that they are smaller than the stock pegs. I could have sprung for the oversized ones - which adds about 10mm to the width but they would still be shorter than the OEM units. I would find out later (on the trails) that the tradeoff does take some getting used to and am tempted to revert back to the stockers. 

Another little addition is a charm, courtesy of my lovely better-half. A few of my previous bikes have had these, including my weekend cruiser (a Kawi C14 Concours) and my wife was kind enough to acquire the miniature momento to keep me safe. The small bell is, according to folklore, said to ward off the evil troll of the road and keep the rider safe. I'm not one to believe in such tall tales but I do appreciate the gesture and the motive behind it, sentimental though it may be. This one is proudly badged with the moniker of my motorcycles namesake and quickly gets added just beneath my rear brake lever. 

The week of hectic craziness also finds us modifying our initial routes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the campgrounds in New Mexico are all closed after dusk so we have to make an adjustment to the first night and select a stopping-point just short of the TX-NM border, about 13 miles from our intended destination. The following nights are also adjusted and reroute to dispersed camping areas instead of well-known sites. Colorado too has some challenges as we find that the campgrounds are all reservation-only. Due to the holiday weekend and the mass of travelers not permitted in hotels - again due to the virus - the sites fill up almost immediately so some advanced planning is necessary. My riding partner updates the routes and I scramble trying to remember how to download them into my GPS. I eventually find a short tutorial that I had written for myself the last time I attempted this but find that Rever has changed its output files slightly so the guide isn't quite accurate and needs some updating.

As we prepare to make a charge for the Oklahoma border, I also gather up all the electronic devices to charge them as well. As I collect the various components I begin to realize that putting USB charge ports in the panniers should pay dividends on longer rides. In the collection of gadgets that need to be juiced up I find 7 discrete devices needing a USB micro port (flashlight, headlamp, air pump, USB battery backup, bluetooth speaker, action camera and helmet intercom), one that uses a USB mini (the bike's GPS), 3 that use a lightning connector (2 phones and a tablet) and a 12-volt SAE connector (jump starter). It seems that I'm unable to separate myself from my electronics even when planning a back-country adventure ride. Once again the nerd shines through and days before the ride my desk looks like a cobweb of cables and cords.

Aside from the series of last-minute details that must be completed in the final week before departure my nerves are starting to fray. I'm anxious about how everything is going to go, worried that I'll have forgotten something and scared that we'll get into a situation that I'm not ready for. Strangely, though, I remain outwardly calm knowing that I've done the research, the prep work, some training and that there will be plenty of opportunities to make adjustments along the way. I'm also extremely excited - in that I finally get to see the fruits of the last 8 months of labor and that, no matter the outcome, it's sure to be at least memorable but much more probable to be nothing short of epic! I've done all that I can do so now it's time to put down my planner and start having an adventure! Stay tuned - the next posting should, if all things go as planned, be an update from our first full day.