RTW on a thumper...KTM - LC4 Round the World ADVenturization

[rtwpaul]

ALL THE PLOTTING IS DONE FOR 5000 MILE ADVENTURES...LET ME KNOW IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED AT ALL



out of eastern Colorado into western Kansas - no much to see besides some of this



...and then some of this...



...and lots of these abandoned homesteads



but seeing all this very rare hamburger in the stockyards awaiting its fate made me hungry

[stevh0]

Great photos!

Loving this thread!

[bigbearjim]

You have a good eye for photos. Thanks for the info on your cameras and filters etc. I know I'm not the only one who is enjoying this. Thanks

[rickypanecatyl]

Curious if you guys ever swapped bikes and what your impression was of the XR650L compared to the Tenere on both the tougher dirt sections as well as the street?

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by rickypanecatyl

Curious if you guys ever swapped bikes and what your impression was of the XR650L compared to the Tenere on both the tougher dirt sections as well as the street?

even though the bikes are in the same class (650 +/- cc dual sport) the Honda is a lot lighter so easier to ride on dirt, basically a dirt bike that is licensed to go on the road, where the Tenere is the opposite, a street bike that can go on dirt

so as a comparison i would say:

Tenere is 70/30 on road/ off road and the Honda is a 30/70 on road/ off road

Tenere is a lot better on fuel

Tenere is structurally a lot stronger built (hence the heavier weight)

Tenere is a bike that is rideable around the world out of the box - the Honda needs quiet a lot of work to be the same

[jimmex]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

Paul, be sure to keep an eye out for Greg Powell at any of the HUBB events. He's a good guy to know.
If you come down with Schizz, he'll show you the "Jimmy ride" but only because he has yet to go on the ride that
will be named after him. The infamous "Schizz ride" awaits LOL!

That Jimmy would be me. Yo. Maybe see you on the road. Suerte.

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by jimmex

That Jimmy would be me. Yo. Maybe see you on the road. Suerte.

Just finished my 5000 mile adventure ride...heading home to switch to hard bags and go to the HU events in NC and ON then south to mexico and further south...where are you now, we'll have to meet up

Paul

[SchizzMan]

Jimmy's a great guy to ride with, Paul. Especially in México.

With any luck he'll be able to join us.

[MikeMike]

RTW Paul, Schizz, and Jimmy, the Mystery Rider says he's in like Flynn when you arrive.
Unless he is letting that pesky "work thing" get in the way of his true purpose in life which is riding. Hopefully he'll be around and not on the dark continent.
Ask him for a cigar.

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by MikeMike

RTW Paul, Schizz, and Jimmy, the Mystery Rider says he's in like Flynn when you arrive.
Unless he is letting that pesky "work thing" get in the way of his true purpose in life which is riding. Hopefully he'll be around and not on the dark continent.
Ask him for a cigar.

this sounds good...in the words of Kris Kristopherson..."we got ourselves a convoy"

so i got back to into Louisiana yesterday, i'll be home tomorrow, switching out to hard bags, then heading to the Horizons Unlimited event in NC (sept 7-9) then the HU meeting in Toronto (sept 20-23)

so as i'm going thru hell of a lot of states before we hit the Mexican border...where are we meeting up?

[SchizzMan]

Let's meet in Austin.

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

Let's meet in Austin.

that works for me...once i finish at the HU in Canada i head south, i need to get there but i wasn't in a crazy rush unless the weather turns!!!

is anyone on a time schedule?

[SchizzMan]

Will know more about schedule as we approach October. Let us know dates as you figure out your schedule.

[rtwpaul]

so my main focus in Kansas was Garmin and my now defunct Garmin Zumo 550, i was kind of using Kansas as a good excuse not to have to ride all the way across Texas again...seeing i did that in June this year already

so off to head office...

i walked in the front door, grubby dirty adventure rider, not knowing what to expect...what i got was the warmest welcome, the epitome of professionalism from EVERY single person i spoke to, even people passing in the lobby (with Garmin Badges on) stopped to say hello, it was very refreshing and when i met "Mr. Zumo" he was the most helpful and professional of everyone i had met so far.



The Zumo 550 is now obsolete but Garmin are still having parts made but they are in short supply and as my luck would have it they were out right then, so i had two choices: wait for a delivery, there was a date but it was possible it could change (not good for a RTW rider) or an offer of a move to a different unit of my choice. They did not try and downgrade me, quite the opposite, i walked out with a new zumo 660 and all the fixings!!!

i left the building refreshed by the genuine care that was offered to me from a big corporation, and Mr. Zumo if you're reading this, thank you again

[rtwpaul]

riding thru Kansas was a refreshing change, some rolling hills, temperatures were not too bad considering the time of year but in another way it was depressing.

The other side of corporate America had pushed out the small family farmers and taken over on a major scale, lots of abandoned buildings and homes that were not needed now that a fat guy in some big office with gravy running thru his viens was in control getting his annual bonus. He doesn't care where the family are and what happened to their farm and home that had been with them for generations, and they were left to rot and be taken back by the land

some of what i saw...









i ended the day crossing the state line into Missouri, taking a few dirt roads as a bridge was out and camped in Stockton State Park and had the place to myself