I bought my '06 V back in October, and have been slowly putting parts on it whenever my paycheck allows.
I have been saving for a couple years now for long term travel, but I just wasn't sure how I wanted to do it. Until last summer when I realized it should most definitely be on a motorcycle.
I have friends who told me great things about the V's, so I bought one.
Here is the blog I started that is still in the works:
Someone needs to get a spouse and a couple kids and a house and mortgage and become responsible.
All this gallivanting will come to no good end.
How are you going to sit at the end of life and ponder, "What if" if you've done it already >
Doesn't seem right. But I'm just jealous. Have a wonderful time and write when you find work! :fineprint:
Congratulations, but of course it's only because you've made it a priority that you are able to set out on this trip. Looking at your blog, good move on trying out your tools changing tires, etc. No doubt your RTW plans include Greece given your family ties there.
I have put some serious time into trying to figure out this bike just to get a good sense of it while I'm on the road. I used to work on Subarus a lot, and this seems to be just as fun.
A Traveling Teacher - Around the world on my DL650
Hey all!
Here is my post I will be updating while I am preparing for my trip, and when I set off in July.
I bought my '06 V back in October, and have been slowly putting parts on it whenever my paycheck allows.
I have been saving for a couple years now for long term travel, but I just wasn't sure how I wanted to do it. Until last summer when I realized it should most definitely be on a motorcycle.
I have friends who told me great things about the V's, so I bought one.
Here is the blog I started that is still in the works:
Yo, teacher guy. I met another young teacher on a journey when at a local mountain road house. He'd been teaching English in China for a time and gallivanted off to Alaska, bought a Triumph 800 and was meandering his way to Tierra Del Fuego.
No time schedules, no societal tethers, just adventure. Carpe Diem! :wink2:
I look forward to the change in pace while on the road. I have been teaching in some form for 7 years now. It will be very interesting not showing up to the classroom come September
Did you find most places you went to be relatively safe? I feel the US gets some misinformation about southern countries, at least from what I've heard from other travelers that go down.
Don't forget that your headlights will be facing into the eyes of other drivers when you get to right hand drive countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand and some parts of Asia, e.g., Japan, Hong Kong, India, etc., i.e., the lights dip to the left.
Good on you for taking the plunge! A big step quitting your job to do this. Agree, do it when you're young, traveling the U.S. on motorcycle has been #1 on my bucket list for over 30 years, I keep putting it off. Now I'm 55 and have finally realized I have to put more effort into making it happen since I'm not sure I'll physically be able to do it when I retire.
I'm also a teacher (music), ride a DL650, and live in New England (Nashua). My best friend growing up was Greek, his family took me there one summer, a phenomenal experience. The blog looks interesting, I'll be following.
I'm looking forward to shadowing your blog during your adventure. You picked a terrific bike - the 2006, last of the single spark-pluggers, a very simple bike and very reliable, as well you know. You'll be in good stead with that bike.
I have ridden in 23 countries so far on my 09 1000 and have never been in a situation of needing to carry extra gas. I've done most of Europe, North and Central America and SE Asia. Obviously on a RTW there will be times you will need to carry extra gas. There are a few areas in the western U.S. and probably Canada where there are stretches of 100+ miles between gas stations, the outback of Australia, the Stans, etc., etc..
I always start my riding days with a full tank and know regardless of the load on the bike I can get 200 miles on a tank with a 1/2 to 3/4 gallon safety margin even blasting down a major motorway at 80 - 90 mph. But I usually start looking at filling up again once I'm a little past 1/2 a tank just to make me feel better.
My point being that you will be toting around a 1 or 2 gallon container of gas unnecessarily for a lot of the time. If it was me, I would be looking for something once I get into the areas where I might really needed it. Of course then you have the issue of what is available on the local market.
So this past April I did a mock trip around New England.
Before I left, I noticed a big dry crack in the front tire.
I took this opportunity to see if I could replace the tire with the tools I would have on the bike, and even balance out the tire while it is on the axle.
It worked like a charm and I was very happy about that. Even after about 1,000 miles driven, there is no shake in the front tire.
Quick oil change and both valve stems being replaced, I was on my way.
It was very nice getting used to the new bike and the weight on the back.
I wasn't expecting the trip to be as cold as it was.
I bought the Klim Kodiak Jacket and pants, and could not be happier with how they held up in 30* weather.
I have since used it in some hotter conditions, and the vents are in really good spots to keep you cool. Worth every penny I spent on the pair (lots of pennies).
I made it to Phillips, Maine by 9:30 PM, and spent the night cooking and relaxing for the morning ride. My plan was to go through Rangeley and over to New Hampshire, where I had a hostel booked for a night next to the Kancamangus Highway, a windy 55 mile road with nothing except some really nice views and mountains all around.
After some chain snags I spent a day fixing, I decided to stay in Phillips an extra day and enjoy the views.
Maine has some amazing views to admire, unfortunately my GoPro wasn't set up properly for the roads, but I got some photos walking around town.
The Rangeley area has some real sights, coming up Rte 17 and going up over the hill, only to see nothing but mountain tops was a real treat.
I made it to the White Mountain Hostel, left for the Kancamangus the next morning.
It started drizzling, but I didn't think much of it, until I got a couple miles into the Kanc.
The slight rain turned to wind and snow, and the ground was pretty slick. I decided to keep going, I just wouldn't accept the fact I might have to turn around.
55 Miles is a long stretch of curved roads when you are doing it at 7 mph, but regardless it was a great lesson in how to ride on slick roads.
I finally made it out of the thick of it, and it started to pour.
I was on my way to Burlington, Vermont, but the weather forecast seemed to get worse.
I decided to cut my trip short, realizing I had learned so much from those 5 days of riding and fixing the bike. I was very happy with my trip and decision to return home.
If I was on the road and the weather was bad, I would simply stay in one place until the weather got better. But for a mini trip it was really nice to experience what I had.
I don't know if it's the same on your model but there was a perfect spot for a sizeable fuel container on my 2010
We did not always keep it full but you can see that it's easy to fill while still bungeed to the bike.
We also carried a siphon pump. simple and cheap and works very well. Couple of pumps and the fuel is flowing.
Our general rule when travelling in less populated areas is when the gauge hits 1/2 full fill up when the opportunity presents.
I almost got caught out on the TransCanada two days ago when I figured I'd easily make the 146 km to the next fuel....forgetting it was uphill against the wind to the Rogers Pass.
Coasted down on fumes to the station at Revelstoke with a liter left. The CB500x is even more fuel stingy than the Wee.
I was riding into the sun and did not notice the gauge early on. It appears that the CB500x 2018 has 1 US gallon left when the reserve light comes on - that's about 3.7 liters. That is near on 100 km range left so I made my stressful 60 km with room to spare.
Most scenery distractions had to be ignored...cept this one
I think everyone here has made me more comfortable with the fact that I won't need much extra fuel. I was thinking I may need an extra 3-4 gallons of gas, but that is most likely overkill and extra unnecessary weight. I will get a siphon and small tank to bungee to the bike somewhere and call it love.
Be like Neil Peart. Note the small gas can on the back of his BMW. He rode all over Canada, the US and Mexico with this spare tank and had to use it once or twice.
Great to hear! I'm glad so many people have been saying '06 is a good year. I have been overly anxious that something might go wrong, but then again, that is all a part of the journey!
Spare gas container ....Yep - at the very least even if you didn't fill it ....you've got something to siphon into or hike to the nearest gas and back. Useful but get something that seals well...do crack the small vent tho.
Hope you have an amazing trip and make some memories!!!
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