semel in anno licet insanire

[LemonyLeprosy]

So, I signed the divorce papers, hopped on my little 250cc Honda Rebel, and left in search of myself.
I departed with a very vague plan, and no experience road tripping on a bike,
on what I hope to be a 1+ year long trip.





The basic plan is to slowly work my way east, crashing on couch's when I can,
camping when I can't. Perhaps swing through Mexico if my passport arrives in time
for the International Rainbow Gathering.
No real time frame, as long as I can live off $28 a day then I can stay on the road indefinitely.



I left San Luis Obispo headed for Bakersfield for the first night, VIA the 58.
Dropped the bike twice on the way - first time as i was pulling into a gravel turn off for a photo-op,
second time on a left hand curve which just happened to have...
gravel on it.
Gravel it would appear, is not my friend. No injuries to me, just some minor bruises -
but i bent the crash bars on my poor bike.
Turns out that all the nagging from my friend about my weight distribution was correct,
carrying everything so high made the bike *very* unstable at low speeds.
Kinda like having a passenger who doesn't understand "Keep your feet on the pegs!".
I arrived in bakersfield as the sun went down (took me 4 hours, but i was taking my sweet time along the way).
Decided to stay an extra night in bakersfield to hammer the crash bars back into position and
come up with a solution to the instability.
The new setup:





Same amount of gear, but much lower. Feels more stable.
Left for Los Angeles around 8:30am. While i prefer twisty roads and winding highways,
i decided to take the I-5 to L.A. to check how the bike rides before hitting less travelled routes.
Seems to be riding better, but i think i need to ditch some excess gear.
Perhaps cut my clothing down, or ditch a few books.
I-5 through the mountains was freezing and terrifying at times - an Orange Star Stage bus kept tailgating me down every hill.
I tried my best to pretend the bike was stable and that there was no chance of me going down in front of this bus-
I didn't, it eventually passed to intimidate other drivers.
It turns out that my gloves aren't going to cut it, my fingers kept going numb from the cold.
I kept smiling through it, and knew i was close to L.A. when people started driving as if they had
no regard for human life.

I missed L.A., it's my second home. Looks like i'm stuck in L.A. until Saturday morning waiting on a new front tire.
I was supposed to call ahead and order it last week, it was forgotten in the whirlwind of prep.
Next leg should take me to Vegas on saturday, then down through Phoenix after that.
I'll plan the rest of the waypoints along the way, and do my best to avoid snow.
Will update again when I hit vegas or phoenix.

Follow me on Spotwalla:
Http://tinyurl.com/LemonyLeprosy

I apologize for the odd formatting, it's showing up rather oddly on my netbook.
More to follow soon.

[GB]

What a great intro!! So the search for oneself begins

That's a lot of weight you're carrying very far back.. i hope the frame / subframe holds up..

Good luck and safe ride

[DeadlyBananaDog]

Have a great trip. Ditch that big-ass ammo box and get a dry bag. That trade will save you 20 or 30 pounds and keep the weight lower. As much as I love books, don't carry more than one at a time. You can pick up used paperbacks along the way, trading them at used bookstores.

[mmmpies]

Jealous...I love my family but I miss the road. Enjoy yourself.

Btw, the guys are right...less is more. You'll figure it out.

[GSAragazzi]

God Speed. Loose yourself, strip, and find. Read my signature.

[LemonyLeprosy]

As of right now with all the weight so far back, its rather unstable on the kickstand, had to cut a block of wood to set under it to stabilize it a bit, otherwise the front wheel starts lifting off the ground.

Dunno what a dry bag is but I'll look into it. I like the security of the ammo box, but yeah, it may not be working out well.

-------------
alright, the plan for tomorrow is to take the tent and sleeping bag out of the duffel bag and affix them to the outside, that'll leave enough room in the duffel bag for the contents of the ammo box, then ditch the ammo box and put the gas can where the ammo box is currently sitting. Thanks for the advice.
also, i hear vegas is expecting a storm... may brave it out and go anyway... otherwise i'll just start heading east instead.

[CB160]

Hey LL,
Ya might consider hitting an REI or camping store and get some solid luggage straps to 'assist' those bungie cords
while you're 'rearranging' the luggage. Bungies can break and put you in a world of hurt real quick - especially with
that kind of load. They're a couple bucks each and work much better than the big rubber bands.....
Ride Safe and have fun!!

[motoreiter]

have a great trip, but you've got way too much stuff! lose at least half, including that ginormous box. rather than worrying about security better to focus on not bringing much you can't afford to lose, other than what can fit into a small bag you can bring with you all the time.

if you want books, ditch the paper books and get a kindle or some kind of tablet, really makes things easier, and you won't miss paper soon enough..

[DeadlyBananaDog]

Hoping to hear more...

[Comrade Art]

Originally Posted by LemonyLeprosy

Dunno what a dry bag is but I'll look into it. I like the security of the ammo box, but yeah, it may not be working out well.
.

Good luck on your trip.
This should help: http://www.seattlesportsco.com/produ...?idCategory=13

[GeoDude]

I can see this is going to be entertaining.

Time to check in Lemony. We're all rooting for you buddy!

[LemonyLeprosy]

A brief update:
I made the mistake of getting a flu shot while in Bakersfield, so I've been down and out in LA with a ridiculously high fever, barely able to swallow. I depart again at 10am tomorrow, will be stopping to camp in the Mojave national preserve until the food that I bring in runs out, and then I continue on to Vegas, phoenix, and then I may head into Mexico as early as the 2nd or 3rd, as my passport is already being mailed back to me. Yay! (Btw, I ditched the ammo box, cut the gear in my duffel bag in half, got a dry bag to go inside of the duffel bag, and a small backpack to ride on top for easy access to my rain gear and maps/atlas. Thanks for all the input on the weight issues.)

[lexluther11]

ps, buy some riding gear, believe me you'll be happy you did.

[Bustyrucket]

You can pick up some dry bags for pretty cheap at walmart. They have two little loops in the back that you can put bungee cords through to hold them down.

[Ghostyman]

Cool! Have fun in Mojave.

Let's see the new gear setup too.