The Motorcycle
Our Motorcycle of choice was the 2004 V-Strom 650, or DL650, or “Wee-Strom.” We came to this decision after a fair bit of research. We started down the path of BMW GS, as this is what nearly everyone before us was using for this trip, two-up. Although the GS is no doubt a great choice, it was out of budget for us. The second most popular bike from our research was the Kawasaki KLR650. The KLR has a lot to offer the adventure traveler, but comfort is not one of them, especially two up. Enter the V-Strom. Priced between a KLR and a BMW it was attainable. The twin cylinder engine made it smooth. The new technology (compared to KLR) made it much more potent, even though the same capacity. The largest difference, and what caused us to sell our KLR and get the ‘Strom was comfort. We could do 400 miles a day on the Suzuki. We could not on a KLR.
After 20,000 miles in the saddle, we are convinced the V-Strom is THE two-up adventure bike. Obviously, if you are going two-up you are focusing on an asphalt based trip, but by nature of an “adventure” you need to be able to tackle a bit of gravel, streams, dirt, etc. The ‘Strom can do it. And it will blow the doors off a KLR on the pavement, and will cost you nearly 50% less than a new BMW GS.
· Reliability: We had no problems, while others we met did (mostly late model BMW GSs suffering from clutch issues or rear wheel bearing failure). Our bike needed only normal maintenance, and even that was light. No need for throttle body adjustment yet, or valve shims. Just a chain, brakes, tires, and filters.
· Economy: Two-up, and loaded, we were getting around 45mpg.
· Robust Design: We could cruise at 90mph on 80 octane gass at 4000m altitude all day long. We could hit a massive pot hole at 50mph unscathed. We could dump the bike over in gravel, and not suffer a scratch (this was in large part thanks to the panniers however).
· Performance: The 650cc was the right choice for us. If you want more, there is a 1000cc. It will cost you about 40lbs more weight, and a bit more in gasoline. For a trip to Australia, or across the states I would have gone for the 1000cc. But for South America, there were only a few times I wish I had more power. More often the road will not allow you to run at excessive speeds, and the loss in economy and addition of weight were not attractive to us. To be honest, we needed the bike as light as possible for this trip.
· Comfort: Twins are always smoother than single cylinders, but this engine was extra smooth. With the addition of the corbin seat with backrest, Amie was comfy as well. As the saying goes, “happy wife, happy life.”
Modifications
Yes, the V-Strom is an excellent bike, but here is a list of things we did to make it even better! By better I mean mostly more built proof and more comfortable.
Pro Taper Handle Bars: I had heard the stock bars get a bit flimsy when the bike is loaded and in the dirt, so I switched out for BMW GS pro-taper bars on a set of risers to fortify my steering and put me at a comfortable riding position.
Acerbis Rally Pro Hand Guards: These were a bit tricky to get on, but offer wrap around aluminum protection for the levers (saved me at least twice). The hand guards are a bit small. Look cool, but do not offer much by way of wind/rain protection. These were adequate, but there may be a better choice.
Adhesive-Type Heated Grips: $20 online, and worth much more when its cold.
SW Motech Engine Guards: These guards were great. Simple, clean, strong.
SW Motech Bash Plate: Integrates nicely with the engine guards, however, not really that robust. Not recommended. There were a few problems I had with this bashplate. First, the mounting screws for the rear are not recessed or protected. In fact they are very pronounced and the first thing to scrape. The topes and mexico all but sheared the heads off the bolts making it difficult to remove the bashplate. Second, below the mounting points in the front are three large holes drilled to allow airflow through the oil cooler. These points would break incessantly. I had to have them welded at least three times. I don’t know who makes a better one, but I encourage you to look elsewhere…
Dished Corbin Seat with Backrest: Quite a big ticket item at $600, but for all the hours we did in the saddle it was worth it. Very comfortable for the passenger. For me, I wish I’d got it customized because the front dish was too big for my skinny @ss. Still, a very comfortable addition, especially for the passenger.
Remus Revolution Exhaust: Previous owner installed, but nice. Gave the bike a great sound, and was a fair bit lighter than the stock unit.
Highway Pegs: I got a set of $20 highway pegs from the bike shop and fastened them to the engine guards. A good decision it was.
PVC Tool kit: A Happy-Trails inspired PVC tube was made and mounted where the second exhaust lives on the 1000cc model.
12VDC Outlet: I wired a 12V outlet and attached it to the back of the PVC tool kit. This was handy for charging ipods, digi-cams, and heated clothing.
Tires: We used Michelin Anakees and Metzler Tourances on this trip. Both were great tires on the street, but neither instilled much confidence off road, two up. That said, I don’t know a dual purpose tire that will. We got about 6-8,000 miles out of the rear tires, the Tourances lasting a bit longer.
Luggage
We did a lot of research on what luggage to bring and settled on a mix of hard and soft luggage. Price was always a concern. We ended up very happy with the items we chose.
Happy Trails Aluminum Panniers and Rack: Our most expensive piece of gear at $900, was much more than I expected to have to pay initially. In fact, the sticker shock had me considering welding up a rack and boxes myself. The time required and complexity led me to just pony up. Low production USA MFG isn’t cheap. This was the best value I could find compared to the other players including Jesse, Touratech, and others. I forget the name of the size we opted for, but it was second to the largest. I was talked out of the largest by the sales person, and I’m glad I was, I still managed to scrape the corners of the boxes when cornering at times. The install was easy, but the fitment was not precise. For nearly $1000 you would think the mounting points would line up! Is HT not using a Jig or is it just off? Regardless, the rack and boxes worked great for us. The rack was very substantial and well made otherwise, as were the boxes. The locking mechanism might last 15 minutes on the street—the aluminium loop can be snapped by a 12 year old with a screw driver. The other short coming was lack of passenger grips. The HT rack replaces the stock rack, and consequently the passenger grips. Turned out I got to do some welding afterall. I cut my stock handlebars in half and welded them into the rack to make grips for Amie. As for capacity, one box had our clothing and toiletries, the other tools, parts, electronics, etc.
REI’s Large Waterproof Duffle: A perfect choice. We looked at the “trunks” and other hard luggage available for behind the passenger seat but were not impressed. The duffle bag strapped to the rack with two tie-downs was our solution and one we are very pleased with. First, it cost us only $60 (compare that to the HT trunk). Second, it has straps like a backpack, so you can just put it on your back as you head to lodging, or wherever. It actually is completely waterproof (strapped zipper side down) and very durable. We still have it and its still in great shape. This duffle bag held the entire campsite (tent, sleeping bags, mattress, pillows) as well as tennis shoes and dirty clothes.
Wolfman Expedition Tank Bag: Rave reviews online lead us to Wolfman. The product they make is well thought out and of high quality. It is not cheap at $150 for a tank bag, but it is a very nice product. We packed it to the gills at times and it stayed put. We paid an extra $15 for back pack straps—don’t recommend this, it doesn’t make a very good backpack. We didn’t pay the extra for the rain fly (I had to stop the bleeding!) but kind of wish we did in retrospect. When it rained, we were scrambling for a plastic bag we could pull over the tank bag. Though this worked quite well, the hassle was annoying. The tankbag had our documents, guide book, map, and other handy necessities like chap stick, matches, a pen, a leathermen, first aid kit, headlamp, etc.
Granite Gear’s Compression Sacks: A bag you can cinch down to compress sleeping bags, pillows, or anything to a smaller size. This was a key item used in getting everything to fit into the duffle bag.
Eagle Creek Clothing Organizers: The eagle creek trapper-keeper-esque clothing organizers were invaluable. We packed our items in these, folded them up, and jammed them in the panniers. Everything stayed clean and tidy. Well worth $15-$20.
Bungy Cargo Net: The $5 cargo net is another must. This thing saved the day many times. Whenever there was something we didn’t want to pack or didn’t have room to pack we would just strap it (like muddy shoes, water bottles, wet swim trunks) with the net to the top of the panniers.
The Riding Gear
We rode in our riding gear every day, without exception. All in all, we loved our choices. We were not always comfortable in the heat, but we were amazed with the versatility and quality of the gear we chose.
Mike’s Gear
Aerostitch Darien Light Motorcycle Jacket: Love it. I did not want to shell out the big bucks for it, but from the reviews I read, it sounded like a good choice. I ended up finding one used off advrider.com for $100. Even in used condition, it was a fantastic jacket. The quality is there, and after a trip like this, I would not hesitate recommending to someone by an Aerostitch. Even at $400. Every day I rode I wore this jacket. The only other jacket I brought was the fleece liner (which I wore almost every evening off the bike). I’m sure there are better jackets for a hot weather trip, but for us, going from Central America, to the Andes, to the Pampas, to Tierra del Fuego, this jacket performed adequately in the heat, and exceptionally in all other climates. The fit was excellent, the padding substantial yet not cumbersome, I could go on all day. Great jacket.
Aerostitch Darien Light Pants: Great. Pants to me are not as critical, or as difficult to come by as a good jacket, but that being said, these were very good. Again, kept me dry, felt comfortable on and off the bike. They do not breath very well and my legs were sweaty whenever we were not moving and the temperature was over 80F/30C. Also, the knee pads were a bit annoying when walking around, but just fine when on the bike. Good pants.
Scorpion brand Helmet: Scorpion is a discount brand helmet from Canada sold at our local motorcycle shop Road Rider in San Jose. They are about half the price of the big named brands, but with superb quality. Highly recommended for those on a budget. We replaced the transparent faceshield with a smoked version before we left as we live by the “don’t ride at night” rule.
Sidi’s Strada Evo Air Boots: Fantastic. I considered dumping my pair of tennis shoes as I was wearing these on and off the bike. Great quality boot. I opted for the Evo-Airs, which are the same as the EVOs but with vents. I suffer from sweaty feet, that’s what drove me to the decision, and while it was a good one most the time, when it was raining I really wished I didn’t have the vents (however wrapping duct tape around them works well for about the first 30min).
Alpine Star MX Gloves: I don’t know exactly what model these are, but they were great for hot weather. They are mostly mesh on top with some knuckle protection, with a soft leather palm and fingers. I loved these gloves in the heat, but they didn’t cut it for the andes or TDF. For the really chilly days I put on a pair of Snowboard mits we picked up along the way: water proof gauntlets with fleece lining.
Amie’s Gear
First Gear: Kilimanjaro: Love it.
Aerostitch Darien Light Pants: Good pants.
Scorpion brand Helmet: Scorpion
Sidi’s Strada Evo Boots: Fantastic.
Alpine Star MX Gloves: Great warm weather glove
Camping Gear
Rei’s “Half Dome” 2-man Tent: A little small and overpriced. We needed the tent to be small and light, and this fit the bill, but ended up being a bit cramped, and at $200, more than we wanted to spend. With that said, we did get our money’s worth out of the tent and it has held up very well. We did not camp much throughout Central America and most of South America, but we used the tent almost every night. Accommodations are generally inexpensive (and organized camping generally non-existent outside of Chile and Argentina) but most are not very pleasant and are rather insect infested (especially mesquitos). The best thing about this it goes up in two pieces: a pop up mesh dome, and an optional rainfly. For avoiding the mesquitos we never wrestled with mesquito nets, sprays, or coils, we just pitched our mesh tent right on the bed and slept soundly and safetly away from them as well as other pests we ran into (like spiders and scorpions!)
Whisper’s International Lite Camp Stove: This stove made the most sense for us, small and light, and runs on unleaded (we’ve got plenty of that), but halfway through Mexico we gave it away—we just weren’t cooking. The food was cheap and we weren’t camping. The only time we wished we had it was the end of our trip in Argentina and Chile.
Thermarest’s Sleeping Mats: Another item we ditched in the first weeks of the trip. They were massively bulky and cumbersome. We simply weren’t camping enough to justify them. This hurt because they cost us about $60 each. In Argentina, when camping was the only way to go, we bought an inflatable mattress, with pump, that was the identical dimensions of our tent’s footprint for $29. This was a bit heavier than the thermarests were, but not near as bulky, and much more comfortable.
MSR’s Stainless Cooking Set: This made a Mexican family very happy. Another ditched item.
Northface’s Algheny 4C Synthetic Sleeping Bags: These were great. They packed up small, poofed up comfy, and kept us warm everywhere but TDF.
The Company Store’s Cotton Travel Pillows: I scoffed at the idea of bringing pillows on a motorcycle. I mean how much room does the wife think we have?! This was another item that was really great. They packed down small in a compression pack and we used them very often, even in many hotels (because they were so much nicer).
Misc
Cheap Laptop: Another item that I was against, but my wife pressed for. It was a great choice. I had two gripes: Expensive and extra weight. These were both addressed. We got the laptop for $399 at Walmart (its not the fastest machine I’ve used, but its got a 40G disk, wifi, and 3 hour battery) and it is the same size as the V-Strom service manual. We put the service manual in the computer, and now its no extra weight. Its been invaluable for storing photos (we upload the photos to the laptop, burn them to CDs, then mail them home. Once we have confirmed receipt, we delete them from the harddrive). We have also been able to glean wireless internet for free on many occasions, watch DVDs in our hotel room, play solitare, etc. I would definitely recommend bringing along a cheap laptop on any trip over a few months.
Canon Rebel XT Digital Camera: A $900 digital camera I was against, but the wife was for. Her argument was that I had the motorcycle riding as my hobby, she had photography as hers. The truth is the MAJORITY of our photos were taken on the point and shoot pocket cam as it is way easier to just whip out, way less flashy for the less than safe city streets, and far less cumbersome to just grab and go. For me the bulk and risk associated with bringing this camera led me to say no, however, I choose my battles. J
Canon SD500 PowerShot Digital Camera: This pocket sized camera took the majority of our fotos and performed very well. We were also able to take many video clips. At the end of our trip, the flash began smoking. Strange, I know, but other than this, Canon makes an excellent camera.
Ipod Nano: We started out with an Ipod each but Amie’s got wet in Guatamala and was ruined. My Nano survived the length of the trip and was a fantastic accessory. Amie would listen to music in her helmet as we rode along many of the days.
Lonely Planet Guidebooks: Central America and South America on a Showstring were our two guides for the trip and they served us very well. Our only problem with them was they were if anything too budget conscious. When in Bolivia for example and fine dining is $5 a head, and the best hotel in town is $20/night, you don’t want to know where the cheapest hostel is or where to get a saltena for $0.10.
Nelles Maps: We bought Nelles Maps from Amazon.com for all the countries we were heading before we left. These maps are very accurate and detailed and also include many points of interest right on the map. We loved them.
Loaded up on the day of departure, October 1, 2006
Detail of passenger grip, 12v placement, and tool tube
Our riding gear
The economical tankbag rainfly
Amie models the eagle creek packing cubes
(not the tent in the funky mexican motel room)
THE two-up adventure bike
