9 Days, 3000 Miles, Searching for Dirt and Mountains in New Mexico and Texas

Great ride report... great scenery... great photos... and a great-looking bike!

Thanks,

Great RR and pics to, thanks for taken the time to document the adventure. You really put it all out there a few times, and you even got noticed by TDP Hot Damn!

hahah, thanks for the comments! I am putting together some auxiliary info like my packing list and lessons learned. I love learning stuff like that from ride reports and wish more people would post it.


Oh yeah, don't worry about the max speed lol it is the result of passing a slow car with a driver on their cell phone who starts speeding up when they realize you are passing them. :eek1

great ride report , nice pictures

Nice ride Oliver! Good ride reporter if I may say.
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Good report Oliver. Hope you had fun. You should plan on going back down to Big Bend in Feb.

Hey Byron!

It was a lot of fun! I really want to get back to Big Bend this winter season to do more exploring. You'll have to tell me how your part of the trip went and how far you made it. Feel free to post up some pics here if you want to since we did start the ride together! I may make it out to the local meet tonight too.

I figured I should post what I am feeling after the ride...

I am having withdrawals; I want my BMW back! I love my modified 08 SV650S and I crossed 22k miles in 1.5 years with it this weekend. But I am anxious for my BMW in the shop. I took it in for a couple minor issues after the ride because I was hoping to get it back soon. Here is a summary and update on the post ride service at the shop...


-Replace gas tank for crack. (This has been long overdue and I have had the crack since I bought it new, BMW says to wait for a new tank so I guess I will...)

-Warranty Front rim and tire for bike after limping into Carlsbad NM on a flat. This is the major hold up and my dealer is trying to confirm the warranty company will cover it. I am about to get really pissed off because I know the damage happened on a paved road but since the dealer says I have a bit of dirt on my bike it may be denied. They are working things out for me but the outcome will have a huge affect on my involvement with the dealer and warranty company.

-Replace front brake caliper bolts that the shop in Roswell NM (Champion Motorsports) stripped while changing my tires and did not tell me (if they would have told me I wouldn't be mad but this is inexcusable). :ddog <--- CHAMPION MOTORSPORTS IN ROSWELL. Please do not give these guys business I am extremely disappointed in their shady overpriced service. Next time I will use my center-stand, spoons, and lay my bike over for the front tire to mount new ones myself instead of going there.


-Replace rear tire and check wheel bearings (warranty). I put 3.5k miles on the wheel bearings since they were originally replaced and I want to know if they are cool or not.

Ohhhh you guys and your silly BMWs.
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Ender, that is an awesome Adventure! I liked your mix of incredibly good photos and text. I got a great feeling for the excitement and awe you felt.
Texas and New Mexico have a lot to offer, you just got to ride your butt off to get to it! I am glad you made it out of the rough rocky dead-ends and night riding, that was intense! You must have been exhausted!
Cheers!

Great trip & great photos. Thanks for sharing your ride!

Great pictures and report. Looks like an awesome trip!

^^^ Thanks for the comments guys they mean a lot to me specially since this is my first major DS ride and I really wanted to bring you all along.



Here is my equipment list I put together!! All this fit in my bags and on my person. I picked up a set of rain gear on the way that fit in my duffel bag. Luckily the duffel expands easily and there was no problem fitting extra stuff. Let me know if you think some of this is extraneous or if you would have taken more!


Trip equipment:

- call ahead to prospective camping sites to see availability (unless
stealth camping)

- check weather throughout route over next 10 days
- check chain lube
- check chain tension/condition and sprocket condition
- check tire condition
- check brake pad/fluid condition
- check oil condition
- check nut and bolt torque (loctite any loose)
- check headlight and signal light condition
- apply Weather proofing to boots

Riding gear (on rider first out):
- Shoei dualsport helmet (DS Hornet)
- Tech 3 Aplinestar boots
- Riding socks
- Firstgear mesh jacket with built in armor (+liner)
- Tracker Airpants with built in knee armor (+liner)
- t-shirt, boxers
- Sunglasses
- cell phone, keys, wallet
- Money (cash), emergency contacts


*Clothing (extra to what I am wearing first day):
- 2x extra gloves (mesh + wind/water proof)
- 2x clear glasses (normal and extra)
- 2x t-shirts (one sleep, one day)
- 1x cargo pants
- 3x boxers (one spare, two day)
- 2x riding socks
- 1x reg socks
- 1x baseball cap
- 1x rain jacket
- 1x wind jacket
- sandals
- thermal underwear
- scarf
- balaclava
- wool hat


Bags:
- GiantLoop Great Basin soft luggage system
- Wolfman small expedition tank bag
- Wolfman dry duffle
- Camelbak mule (3 liter bladder)


Hygene/Medical:
- toothbrush/-toothpaste/-mouthwash/-gum
- camp soap/shampoo
- deoderant
- medicine (advil, cold)
- hand sanitizer
- lip balm
- deepwoods bug stick (30% DEET)
- sunscreen
- Adventure medical kit (ultralight .5)
- QuickClot Sport sponge
- Newskin (anti blister)
- small Goldbond
- Baby wipes


Fluids:
- 3L water in Camelbak
- 6L water on bike


Survival:
- 2x lighter
- water purification tablets
- survival kit
- extra duct tape


Tools (for bike):
- Adventure Designs F800GS tool kit
- Allen wrenches for TT accessories
- zip ties (multiple several sizes)
- tire pressure gauge
- 2x Motion Pro tire irons
- 2x motion pro rim protectors
- Motion pro bead popper
- Patch kit (standard for bicycle tubes)
- CO2 tire inflator (all sizes, threaded or non)
- 5x 16oz CO2 cartridges
- Small hand pump
- 2x Valve stems
- Valve stem tool (quad with thead cleaners)
- 3oz WD40 spray can
- 6in needle nose vise grips
- quicksteel putty (two piece JB weld)


Bike Parts:
- 3x spare Tubes (one rear, two front)
- Clutch and Brake levers
- Shift and Brake pedals
- 1x Headlight bulb
- 1x spark plug


Electrical:
- GPS (mounted to bike)
- GPS charger (for backup)
- head lamp (waterproof)
- flashlight (mini LED maglight)
- BMW to american plug converter
- Micro power Inverter
- Phone with charger
- camera (Cannon D10) with charger/batteries/memory space
- cell phone charger


Equipment:
- Multitool (Leatherman Wave)
- ear plugs (multiple)
- Towel (Microfiber, compact)
- 2x bungee cords (1 ft unstretched)
- 4x 3-4ft nylon straps
- zip lock bags (large, multiple)
- plastic bags (large and small, multiple)
- toilet paper (in small plastic bag)
- paper towels (in plastic bag)


Camping:
- plastic spoon/fork/knife (wrapped)
- Tent
- Pegs
- Tarp
- Rain cover
- compact inflatable pillow
- Ultralight stool (tripod, doubles as a prop to take off front wheel)
- Sleeping Bag
- Mattress (self inflating compact)
- Cot


Misc
- Lanyard for key
- Trail rope saw
- Camelbak energy tablets
- pens
- paper
- 6x mini cliff bars
- 10x MRE with heaters

If the warranty doesn't work out check with Woodies Wheel Works. Nothing but good reviews that I can find.

sweet ride - nice shots too! good job man

Thanks guys! To update on the repairs after the bike went to the shop...


- Front rim replaced with little to no hassle under warranty.
- Rear bearings check out fine.
- Front brake bolts replaced, a curse on Champion Motorsports of Roswell, may they sleep uncomfortably for endangering me for no good reason.
- Hand guards bent almost into shape... not totally satisfied but oh well, I am thinking of getting bark busters instead.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading about your trip, (especially since I did it at work.) I look forward to seeing some of your route someday! Good...um...job?

And your opinion of the F800GS as an adventure bike?

Excellent photos there man, and the bike just pretties them up even more. I'm getting one! Sounds like an great little trip.

First let me say Happy Thanksgiving to all you FFs out there!


The F800GS was a blast during this trip, it lived up to all my expectations and more. I felt confident and daring enough to try new things. Also the repair and recovery from crashes was easy enough even though I am out of shape.

My opinions in no specific order... written kind of fast

Rideablility, maneuverability, and general comfort
- The low BMW seat was great for me, I didn't want to compromise the suspension but I still wanted to tip-toe the bike. No problems with my butt on the 600 miles highway trip.
- Bike feels really light in the twisties and tight fire roads even with all the gear on.
- Gear felt like it was not even there and only when I leaned way back during downhills I could feel it but that was not a problem.
- I am amazed at the maneuverability on fast twisty roads with the knobbies and 21 inch front. I was carving the mountain roads as fast or faster than I would on my SV650S. The suspension inspires confidence in corners because it can soak up anything unexpected unlike the SV. (Disclaimer: I have progressive springs and heavier fork oil).
- Coming to a stop I have to prepare a bit because I can only get one foot down and support any weight, I have to pick my stopping spot on trails so I can get a good foothold lol I am fine with this because once I get going it feels amazing.

Power
- Great power on the highways with gear no problems even at 9500 feet that I noticed.
- Bike can go to super low RPMs and not bog down so I do this instead of slipping the clutch, works well.

Windscreen
- Stock windscreen is great off road and gives you lots of air.
- Buffets on the highways and gets tiring holding your head up especially with a dual sport helmet. This was probably the most uncomfortable part in the 600 mile day.

ABS
- Great in the wet pavement
- Terrible on anything dirt. Don't forget to turn it off!!!
- Turns back on every time you turn the electrical system off and on.
- Very easy to turn off, just have to be stopped and hold the button for 3 seconds.

Gas Tank
- Not super easy to put gas in you have to concentrate to not splash around a lot.
- Weight in the back low is great!!
- Helps narrow the front of the bike and make standing very easy.

On Board Computer
- LOVE the temperature gauge!
- Miles to go gas gauge never let me down, was relatively acurate the whole trip. At least it is more informative than the gas light that comes on with my SV650S and no gauge...

Center Stand
- Easy to put loaded bike on center stand and take it off.
- Front end requires too much weight on the rear to lift off the ground.
- In the field without a jack would require to lay the bike over to change front tube.

Heated Grips
- MY SAVIOR! LOVE THEM! I would have been miserable without these. I used them every day almost all day. (Two settings low and high, I usually switched between off, low and high to get to the desired warmth).

Tires
- Kind of dissapointed in the mileage I get from the Metzler Karoo T in the rear (2500) but it works great!!!!

Service and Repair
- Easy access to maintenance parts
- Easy wheel removal and re-install
- Chain of course is a PITA to maintain but I wouldn't have it any other way, it is fixable in the field!



I may post more when I think of some... Now I am off to my parent's place for some Turkey!!