It is widely known amongst the adventure biking elite (of which, my application is currently pending) that you do not head off on a big trip with a bunch of new gear without trying it first. So, to that end, I rode off this weekend with Dora the Triumph 1200 Tiger Explorer all loaded up with gear, some old, some new.The first, potentially most important thing I am trying out is the dog boarding place for my special boy, Bruno Von Wunderhund.
He got kicked out of his last boarding place for being too Bruno, so we are trying out a new spot, Real Dog Adventures.The first thing I learned on this trip is that Shit Can Happen! I stopped for lunch on the first day, 2 hours out from Oakland and met a nice old chap, Bernard from somewhere, he was wearing a Triumph T-shirt, liked old bikes. We stood next to my bike for 10 minutes and talked about new versus old and bla bla bla. He then got in his car and backed right into my bike! He did not knock it over, just pushed it down the street for 2 feet. He waived a cheery goodbye and then fucked off to wherever it was that was more important than being in Cloverdale paying for bike repairs. The kick stand got bent at a nasty angle, like Klay Thompsons knee and now, if it is parked on anything less than a 45 degree slope, I can’t get the bloody thing off the stand. The process now, park bike, look for piece of wood, heave it up and kick block under the stand so that I dont need to ask a stranger to help me get it going!
I had a lovely ride and decided that my new-to-me Dainese touring jacket and pants are great. My gloves are old and shitty and need to be something else. Dora is dreamy. As for the new camping gear, the little collapsible grill is ace. The pots and pans, good enough, the utensil kit is passable.
The new camping chair is still too low for me. The cot and pad combo is pretty comfy. If I can work out a way to bring a proper pillow on this trip, that could make all the difference. The single man tent is really not much more than a mosquito net, I doubt it would hold up to anything more than a light drizzle. I will think on the pros and cons of upgrading.
All in all, a great weekend. I can’t wait to share these amazing roads and breathtaking scenery with my old mucker.
FFS! glad Dora didn’t take a tumble but what a daft old git.
Maybe try an inflatable pillow?
Scenery looks amazing, was it still really hot, because I really want to be riding in thecwarm for a while, we seem to have gone back to winter over here, it’s bloody freezing and wet.
These roads, man! Yes, sweaty anus hot, I think is the correct terminology. Cool in the morning, baking in the afternoon, hot with a chance of mosquitoes at night.