2018 MOAR Bike and upgrades.

My MOAR e-bike.  I think I received it the first week of March 2018.  I of course wanted to put it together and go ride it but we were leaving for a month in Argentina and Chile with the majority of time in Patagonia.

Here is a picture of me with the new bike all put together and ready for the first ride.

Since MOAR was a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign I knew that  there would always be issues with something and this was true with the bike.

Since my first ebike build was a 48V 1000W unit that totally kicks ass, I decided to get the 500W with a larger battery.  I knew this would be an easy build and should be one of the first ones complete which it was.  Keep it simple and you won't have as many issues.  It's not the fastest but I don't care I want reliability and didn't want it to look like an ebike which are super easy to spot.

Yes I wanted it last year but the bike was being improved on a weekly basis and for the good.    I could tell that Ken the CEO (or owner) was being very thorough about design and testing but then started adding more colors, more motor options and a bunch of other things and I could see the scope creep coming.This isn't what you should do on your first crowd funding campaign but I'm not the one in charge so I just chilled since I already had an ebike that I built a few years ago.  Here are my 2 bikes.

Even after receiving my bike I knew there would probably be a few issues and I had to go over all the bolts to be sure they were tight, the front fender is held on pretty lame with a couple of zip ties and the back fender flops around so I drilled a few holes in the fender and ziptied it to the back rack and now it doesn't move.

It's not pretty but does the job and you can't really see it anyway so I don't care.  I'm into function not glamour.  Another issue I had was the tiny zip ties that were used on the machine.  They kept breaking and one allowed the wire to rub on the tire which I didn't like so I replaced a few of those. You can see the broken tie and the wire hanging a little in the top of the photo.

I also added a mirror to the bike bar end that I had on one of my bikes

After riding the bike to work a few times I didn't like how tall my lunch pack and other crap were on the back battery. I am not flexible so getting on and off and lifting my leg much higher was a pain in the ass.  You can see how high the bag comes up.

Since I live in the Pacific North WET of the US I knew I'd get caught in some sort of crappy weather which is why I ordered the fenders.  Well they will do in a pinch but are semi useless so to the design lab I went.  I am an engineer at Boeing but also own a sign shop which is what I'd rather be doing.  Here is a simple solution to help keep the crap off of the components and you can get the supplies on any street corner, especially after an election. (LOL)  There are tons of these 18"x 24" coroplast signs that people think they can just litter up our neighborhoods well NO take those shitty signs down.  I picked up a few and made some "additional" fenders for my bike.  Yeah it's not "pretty" but as you know I don't care.   Here is a piece from a sign I used for the front.

I cut it to size then painted it flat black.  After I did that I put a few holes in it with a soldering gun and zip tied it to the front shock.

Then I went to work on the back.  I just don't want rain, mud, and other crap to get on the joints, electrical wires and components if I don't have to which will make it wear prematurely.  These simple pieces can be replaced anytime since there are an abundance of signs available - LOL

So here is the back fender area.  I have not completely finished but this keeps the majority of crud off the wires and upper linkage.

It's really not to noticeable but does the job.  Now back to the carrying my lunch and other tools, etc. issue.  I'm a long distance motorcyclist from WAY back!  My current bike is a 1999 BMW R1100RT 

I found some front saddle bag type bags for an ATV that I thought I might use on my motorcycle but it just did'n't work out but then they turned out GREAT for the bike.  I only needed a bungee cord to loop over the top and through some loops on the bags and presto, problem solved.  Here is a shot with some small bungee cords which I replaced with a thick one that went over the top and made it sturdy so neither bag would hit the tires or spokes.

So there you have it for now.  I only have about 200 miles on the bike because I have been enjoying recovery from shoulder surgery this summer.  I hope to ride later this fall after I get the ok from the Doc an Physical Therapy folks.  

Happy riding.

Prep for trip and packing

It was finally time to start packing.  Since I had been planning this trip for years and throughout the year thinking about things I needed to take to survive I had a box of "Stuff" down in the basement.  Mostly for the motorcycle I would purchase later. 

Survival 

I try to plan for everything.  What if I break down in the middle of nowhere, or if I am enjoying some mountain pass in the middle of nowhere and it gets dark and I'm miles or kilometers from the nearest town?  So.........

I picked up a small 1man tent that can be put in a heartbeat.  Then I got a very nice sleeping pad that has a foot pump built in which is about 4" tall and perfect for sleeping.  Next was an emergency bivy sac that helps reflect your heat back to you.  Who knows where I'll be and many of the mountain passes can range from 3-15,000+ ft.  (My wife and I were in the Atacama Desert a number of years back where it NEVER rains or anything in mid-March.  We drove over a pass and on our way back the temperature dropped to 32 F or 0 C and we started getting snowed on, so you have to prepare for anything.)  Then a small towel, Knife, whistle, bug venom extractor, a water filter, and the Garmin InReach messenger.  

The Garmin Inreach messenger does a few things.  Allows basically a bread crumb trail with certain plans that sends out a signal every 10 mins.  This will give family and friends a chance to see where I am at any time throughout the trip (as long as I remember to charge it) AND it allows me to call for help if anything should happen with a press of a button.  The other great part of this unit is that I can send and receive texts from people and send them back.  The texting can be done via the unit itself OR it can be hooked up via Bluetooth to a smart phone and you can text via your smart phone.

So that is my basic survival stuff.

Motorcycle stuff

I decided to purchase some soft saddlebags that are waterproof.  I know everyone touts the Mosko brand but I just didn't feel like spending that kind of dosh.  I found a really good pair on Amazon called Wild Heart, they are 25 liters per side which I think is big but they look very well mad and fairly easy to use.  These are called Dry Bags and are supposed to keep your stuff dry in any kind of weather and be rugged enough to take a few falls.  Time will tell.

Then I found a small battery powered air pump, a USB outlet for charging things from the bike to mount on the handlebar, some rim protectors and a pair of Motion Pro bead breaker and tire removal tools which I hope to NEVER use.

Camera Gear

Everyone knows I'm a camera nut.  I purchased a very nice monopod to bring on the trip to hold up car but decided it was just too long.  I decided to use the cheap small tripod and a metal selfie stick as my camera holders and they will just have to do.  For cameras I have 2 cell phones, and a host of other camera gear, we'll leave it at that.

Moto Clothes

My trusty First Gear jacket I've worn forever and halfway around the world.  It is textile and repels water, has a liner and it HOT in the sun and warm temps but that's the way the cookie crumbles.  I've ridden with it in 20 F to over 100 F.  Next I decided to finally after 40+ years of riding get a pair of mesh pants that will keep me protected yet allow air to flow through and keep my legs cool.  The only issues will be for RAIN and cold temperatures.  I have an old pair of gortex overpants that I can put on for both of those instances.  I have some hard core dirt bike boots that are like concrete.  I've worn them once for the BMW Performance school off road class and they did a great job but they are super heavy and I can't walk in them so I decided to do the next best thing and use my nice Vasque hiking boots.  They will give some protection and I can walk.  Ya can't please everyone but to bad, this is what I'm doing.  I also have a couple of neck gators for dusty or cold conditions.

Other misc stuff

Some Rock straps, a couple of wratchet straps, a siphon tube, coupld of bungie cords, flashlight, leatherman tool, first aid kit, earplugs and a few medications.  Of course, you have your electronics and a bazillion cables for everything and too much electronics, power adaptor, small extension cord, etc.  You know what I'm talking about.  Then of course a few pairs of lightweight pants, socks, shirts, underware but trying not to go overboard with too much stuff which I'm sure I have. 

 

South America - Here we come 2026

South America 2026 

Here we come! It's time to get back to in the saddle.   After too many years of research and planning I'm finally heading south to ride through South America from the top to the bottom and back.  I've been researching for years and have been on various forums, WhatsApp groups and reading as much as I can to find fun and interesting places to see and photograph.  

So who is this masked man.......  Hi, I'm Brian or as my India trip friends call me The Professor. 

I recently retired a few years ago and have ridden motorcycles since high school.  So, a LONG TIME.  I am a street rider and my current bike is a 1999 BMW R1100RT with over 160,000 miles on it.  I'm a member of the IronButt Association and have a number of rides under my belt.  I like to ride far and fast so this trip will be a new kind of riding for me (Far and SLOW).  Last year I attended the BMW Performance Off Road course in Greenville, SC and learned a lot.  I also took a class from Dirt Bike Safety Training in Marysville, WA near where I live in Everett, Washington USA.

  

In addition to riding motorcycles, I am a certified aircraft mechanic, have my Sport pilots license and fly a Six Chuter Powered Parachute, am a handyman that can fix about anything in addition to an Engineer, photographer, airbrush artist and jokester.

So......  What's the plan?  Do I even have a plan?  Well, kinda.  I'm flying to Medellin, Colombia from Seattle Washington and take a couple weeks of intensive Spanish to brush up on high school Spanish.  I hope to get at least good enough to talk my way out of a ticket.  Hahaha Or at least order some food, find a place to stay, and get across the borders of the countries I visit.  As the trip continues, I hope to increase my speaking and understanding of the language.  I won't be fluent but will be very happy to be able to at least have a little conversation with the locals.

While in Medellin, I'll look for a small bike, purchase it and prepare to hit the road after my couple weeks are up.  I'll be heading south through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile to Ushuaia, the southernmost point you can drive in South America.  Then I'll head back north and over into Chile where I'll travel to Villa O'Higgins in the Carretera Austral  and then head back up to the Atacama Desert and beyond.

Of course, in between all these places are many things to see and do so follow along and see where I go and what I do.

Ride the Himalayas Day 7 7-16-19 Moonlake Camp to Plm dhara Hotel & Restaurant Sissu

Ride the Himalayas    

7-16-2019       Day 7 of the "Ride the Himalayas" Starting in Moonlake Camp

The night was super clear and COLD!  Remember we all were huddled around the wood stove in that tent last night before dinner!  Ya almost wanted to snuggle with your bunk mate but we weren't that good of friends.  Hahaha   Did I mention It was a COLD night, well we all managed to survive and the boots were nice and COLD in the morning as well from being soaked the day before which was another treat. LOL  The sun in the morning was a welcoming sight and Mischa led morning Yoga.

 After breakfast and packing up we found out that 4 of our crew were leaving us as they didn't have work permits or something in the next state (or province) to continue on.  We pooled up a good some of money to tip them for all their help and wonderful cooking.  Von did an awesome heartwarming speech thanking them for their help and hospitality on the trip then presented them with the tip they could divide amongst themselves.

Von is on the right and Jjr Pawan on the left with our fab four guys leaving us in the middle.

Moonlake Camp

I took a bunch of photos of the area with all my cameras and about 8:30 we took off down the dusty trail.  The insides of my knees were killing me as they felt so bruised from hugging or banging against the fuel tank and my lower lip (which would become legendary as the worst burnt lip of the century) hurt so bad I could barely eat which is another weight loss technique I was mastering on this trip.  LOL

  

My eyes were burning pretty bad and tearing like crazy from accidentally getting sunscreen in them this morning but ya gotta put that stuff on or you'll burn to a crisp in the thin atmosphere up here.

 

We backtracked to the park boundary and had to go through many stream crossings.  Here is Paul Dunne from Australia showing us how it's done.  After he came down the stream he went BACK UP just for a little practice.  Paul was an excellent rider.

Here I am crashing my way through, photo courtesy of D. Hamilton

We finally made it to pavement where I'm in my element and in short order started blowing by the fellow riders with vengeance for fun of course.  I really should have just stayed in the back as I'm sure I missed taking some awesome shots but that just means I need to go back and do it again.  😀 

The lunch stop for the day was by a bridge and a super tall waterfall was nearby.  Most of us had a Roman style egg noodle dish which was quite SPICY!  Von scored some really nice hand made wool hats and I thought some gloves for like 500 Inr which was super cheap.

 

Some of the group

Our awesome photographers Vidit and Vikas

Huge rock that fell down the mountain.

We finally got to our hotel (Plm dhara Hotel) in Sissu (about 9875') which was still being built but the top floors were complete.  This place was BEAUTIFUL!  Our room had a nice TV (we didn't even bother to turn on).  All the male staff wore black suits from very young boys to the owner which was a very nice touch. We had nice balconies that looked out over the valley and across to the Sissu waterfall.  All of us ripped off our soaked clothes and put everything out to dry on the balcony.  It was nice to just walk around in dry clothes and regular shoes that afternoon/evening. 

 

Like most hotels we stayed at, all were a work in progress and some did and some did not have WiFi.  Wifi was spotty at best even in the larger towns so don't get your panties in a bunch if you can't post to the world every day. 

At dinner we saw on the menu that they had "Cheeseburgers"  All of us went crazy at the thought but it was fake news.  😆😆  One good thing was the hotel had labeled all the dishes so we knew what the heck we were eating which was awesome!  None of us really knew the names of the dishes so I took shots of everything.

 

Every afternoon or evening we would have some snacks.  Tonight were some fried/battered veggies and they were SPICY HOT!  Everyone has Chai tea (I'm not a tea fan at all but gave it a try and still don't care for it so water for me).  Von, Steve and Dave started working over the Kingfisher beer supply at the hotel and our mates Paul, Evan & Mischa from Australia joined in.  Those guys were putting the hurt to the cold beer supply of the village and I'm sure an SOS was going out to other villages to truck some more beer in ASAP.  Things started getting out of hand when Von thought it might taste good in his soup.  Hahaha  At one point Paul was going to toss up a Gulab Jamun (donut hole type thing soaked in honey) for Von to catch and well... it didn't go as planned.  Gala tried to catch the circus events on her camera and all of us howled. 

Vanna went over to the nice shop that sold all sorts of clothing and wool type products and found some nice sox to keep her feet warm.  Since she took a bad fall in the beginning of the trip she wasn't able to wear a boot on that foot (later we found out that her ankle had been broken).