Alaska on a BMW K1600 GTL

[ClifNotes]

Originally Posted by SPX

Did your water pump get changed when it was at the dealer? Have you checked your anti freeze level recently? Your bike should not be overheating.

SPX!!! THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTION!!!

YES, I JUST CHECKED BABY GIRL'S COOLANT and indeed, it's at the minimum level. on the tour, it was way lower (but she was leaking, mind you).

so... i'll have to take her back to the dealership. god, i hope the cost isn't too high. i've got just enough, i think, to find out if i'll start getting paid enough by the courier job and after that, i'll be left with no choice but to sneak the two of us on board a ship to Asia and disappear so the repo men can't find us!

[ClifNotes]

Originally Posted by judgebill

I just had a unique experience that I wanted to share. For really the first time since our ride to Alaska I drove a car for a long distance. Actually it wasn't that far, but it was at night and in the rain and I rode from my home just outside Montevideo to a house/apartment in downtown Montevideo. It was weird, driving that far. I have made the same drive many times before, usually during daytime but have done it at night and have even done it in the rain but this time was different. Then I realized that I was attuned to riding my motorcycle, whether it was daylight or nighttime, rain or no rain, I was still used to riding a long distance on the back of a motorcycle not in the seat, behind the steering gear of four wheels and a cage. Can't really describe it but the feeling was not comfortable. I would have felt more comfortable riding my bike than driving the car...even though I hate riding after dark and after dark and in the rain sort of compounds my dislike. I made the turns on the Rambla (a twisty, curving road that runs along the waterfront for miles and miles and is really a beautiful ride day or night) just fine but wanted to lean into them, wanted to twist my wrist to accelerate, wanted to feel the wind on my body. In other words, yes, I would rather be riding than driving. The emotional feel of being behind the wheel was completely different...or maybe I should say there wasn't much of an emotional feel. When riding I can feel the world around me, when driving the world is outside and I'm inside a sort of bubble that seems to insulate me from the reality of the road. After doing so much riding in such a relatively short period of time my body had become attuned to riding, my senses were primed for the feel of two wheels between my legs (say "hello" to Freud my friends) and I wanted to lean and twist a bit. But all I could do was sit and lean back against the seatback, work the shift lever with my hand (instead of my foot), the clutch with my foot (instead of my hand), press on the brake with my foot (instead of my hand) and steer by turning instead of pressing. The whole dynamic was different. Yes, I'll get used to it again since I usually drive a car much more than I ride a motorcycle...but I'm not sure I really want to get used to it. Riding has become a passion, an avocation. I guess the real solution is to simply ride as much as I can and see if I can't integrate my feelings so I don't really suffer. That's the wrong word because I'm not really suffering, I'm just missing the riding, missing the thought that tomorrow I will ride as today I have ridden.
Each day I look at my motorcycle. I haven't even tried to start it. There it sits, covered with canvas, almost forlorn on its center stand. I filled it with gas before I left but I really need to check the starter to see how the battery is doing. I have to ride next Monday so I better give it a shot tomorrow. I'll report how it feels. Different size bike, an F800, not quite the same as riding the K1600. But I've grown to love the 800 and it is really nice down here. Maybe I could talk Clif into flying down here and riding the 800 back to Los Angeles. Trouble is then I wouldn't have a bike for down here. Guess he's just going to have to win the lottery so we can all get a few more bikes and do a lot more riding.
By the way, Clif asked whether I was confused between the 1200 LT and the 1600 GTL. I sold the LT because I knew I was moving to Uruguay and wanted the K1200 GSA to ride down here. Bought the GSA in anticipation of being able to ship it down here and only after I arrived did I learn I wouldn't be able to bring in a vehicle of any sort without paying about a 100% duty. So I sold the GSA and bought the F800 down here. Then when I contemplated the ride to Alaska knew I needed a bike for that which would be comfortable and fast. That sort of limited it to either another LT or the GTL. I was able to wrangle a deal with a friend to use an almost brand new GTL so took that option. No regrets. Still love the LT but that bike is now history and I"m wedded to the concept of the GTL. Such is life and its ups and downs, ins and outs and ain't it wonderful?
Bill

so you don't like driving!! ??

when you get to LA, the garages are filled with so many motorcycles that sometimes just to reach a box in the corner, i get crotch pains because i'm straddling so many motorcycles to get from one part of the garage to the other!

Sally awaits you... and we might slap some BMW stickers on the Buells to trick you into falling for Harleys too!!!! MUA HAHAHHAHAHAHAA!

[NakedBikeRyder]

Originally Posted by judgebill

I just had a unique experience that I wanted to share. For really the first time since our ride to Alaska I drove a car for a long distance. Actually it wasn't that far, but it was at night and in the rain and I rode from my home just outside Montevideo to a house/apartment in downtown Montevideo. It was weird, driving that far. I have made the same drive many times before, usually during daytime but have done it at night and have even done it in the rain but this time was different. Then I realized that I was attuned to riding my motorcycle, whether it was daylight or nighttime, rain or no rain, I was still used to riding a long distance on the back of a motorcycle not in the seat, behind the steering gear of four wheels and a cage. Can't really describe it but the feeling was not comfortable.

Bill

Bill, I had a similar experience, after 3,000 miles with you and Clif, I too got back in my company car to go to work.
Instantly I was aware I couldn't smell the flowers or pines, I wanted to roll on the throttle and lean and feel the road, but I felt trapped in a cage.
I wrote to a friend in business today of my trip and said, if I could only find a way to make a living riding a Harley, she said, do it there must be a way, I'm looking.......shuttling bikes for rental companies would be fun, but I need to pay the bills so we can plan the next great adventure.

Harley Mom

[ClifNotes]

Originally Posted by NakedBikeRyder

Bill, I had a similar experience, after 3,000 miles with you and Clif, I too got back in my company car to go to work.
Instantly I was aware I couldn't smell the flowers or pines, I wanted to roll on the throttle and lean and feel the road, but I felt trapped in a cage.
I wrote to a friend in business today of my trip and said, if I could only find a way to make a living riding a Harley, she said, do it there must be a way, I'm looking.......shuttling bikes for rental companies would be fun, but I need to pay the bills so we can plan the next great adventure.

Harley Mom

There are so many ways to market this lifestyle or previous experiences we've shared. All we have to do is exist and survive as a family in LA and sooner or later, we'll connect to the right people.

Today I sat with Christian in the car, learning how to be a courier from him. The deliveries were mostly those going from studio to studio. LA, despite the advances in internet and communications, still is the center for entertainment and film.

If the Kardashians can have a reality show, so can a family that adopted each other. With a son that has a serious motorcycle addiction and teenage parents - it can't take long to tap into this industry.

big industry. big money. and as i've fantasized and wrote in this thread before - we can all be riding... forever ~

[ClifNotes]

2012 jul 31 2301

a courier job in LA could provide the opportunity to take photos and videos. And to write on a daily basis about this large and diverse city.

tonight i was shaking and knocking hard on a bathroom door because whoever was in there was taking forever.

"Just a minute!" A male voice requested.

I sat down and stared at the door for 5 more minutes. A large black man opened the door. I was just far enough away I couldn't tell if he was scowling or smiling.

In a deep, commanding voice he said, "Don't rush me. I need time to put on my make up."

I wished him a good night. Had I seen him again (easily recognizable by his security uniform), I would have said, "you left your lipstick in the bathroom."

* * *

Here is some excitement Christian and I ran into today on the courier job.

[ClifNotes]

2012 jul 31 2306

i've never been around alcohol before.

yesterday, i had a few margaritas.

today when christian and i stopped at 7-11 to get lunch, i felt a desire... a small but certain desire to grab a beer or alcohol.

strange. there really must be some very deep seated desire or need... or addiction? that can grow from drinking.

i've seen how unbreakable alcohol addiction can be. Karen, Mike. And Mike even made youtube vids with me about alcoholism. He's the son of a couple surgeons in the rich part of LA. He could live in the mansion with them. He had talent in business and cage fighting. But alcohol completely destroyed him. He purchased two expensive new sport bikes - crashed them. And worse, he bought them using his dad's stolen identity.

Once a psychic told me that in one of my lifetimes, i was a severe alcoholic.

well... not to be in this life. i didn't drink at all today.

[bobw]

Harley Mom could easily work for HD at many different levels from Corporate to the dealerships.

Clif, to borrow a line from a somehow very fitting movie; "Run!, Forrest, Run!"

Best of luck to you all.

[judgebill]

We all live by symbols, one way or another. We grow up with symbols, it's our way of quickly identifying people and places and things. Today I sent Clif and Cindy a couple dozen photographs from my camera, taken on the trip. I've sent them before but was having trouble sending all the pixels...so Clif gave me a suggestion and I tried it. Hope it works. We'll see. But what was interesting was looking at each picture. Of course these were all symbols of a time and place where I was having a lot of fun. I realize that the attitude one brings to life, at any given time, this attitude is a choice that we all make and we can choose to be happy or sad or whatever. I choose to be happy wherever I am and with whatever I am doing...but when a symbol intrudes and brings with it happy memories it is inevitable that I compare the feeling of the memory with the feeling of right now and there is a difference. I suspect we all do this with pictures, looking at them brings back memories and the feelings that went with them. With todays digital cameras and the electronic ability to store the pics on your computer in stead of having to lug around giant books of photographs, with this electronic convenience it is much easier to access your memories. For me at least. So I took a quick trip down memory lane, recent memory lane. The history I was viewing really wasn't all that long ago and the memories were vivid. Clif pulling his bike across the line between Yukon and Alaska, the three of us having dinner in Kamloops, grizzly bears alongside the road. Wow. Did I really do that? Yes, I did and I'm glad. So back to another reality and the day-to-day challenges. Had dinner last night with Guillermo, who has posted a few notes on our site. He wants to ride with us to Alaska next year, probably around the same time...so we'll have to do some planning. I know it will be as much fun the second time around. We'll keep you all posted.
Bill

[ClifNotes]

2012 aug 1 2003 studio city

today was my first day working as a motorcycle courier.

there's a lot i want to say, but i don't have a lot of time now. we're going to get something for one of our friends.

the courier company and dispatch were nice to me.

my first delivery? i had fantasies that i was going to blow them away with my great speed at delivering things. instead, i was so slow they could have delivered it much faster WALKING. i thought i'd get yelled at, but i didn't.

the last delivery i made a little boy in diapers chased me out and kept saying, "daddy! daddy!"

i didn't take any photos or videos today because i was focused on the deliveries.

i can feel myself growing more and more comfortable maneuvering the GTL. And also learning to anticipate other motorists. a woman in a black sedan nearly ran me over when she swung into my lane. i had already been riding so many hours, i went to the left enough not to be hit, but not too much to hit the car to my left on the freeway. she waved and i could see her say, "sorry." I waved back to let her know it's ok.

sometimes i honk to have them move more so the big k1600 can split traffic. the cars today were nice to me and they moved as much as they could.

i think soon i'll really be familiar with the streets.

i was on santa monica today and didn't know where la cienega was. i asked a couple people nearby to la cienega, and they were new to LA. So... there must be a lot of out of state people moving to LA all the time!

i find that often the cars that close the gap too much - making me unable to split all the way to the traffic light - are from out of state. i suspect they're from states where lane splitting by motorcycles isn't permitted.

on my way back, humiliated and scared, from making my first "pickup," a motorcycle BOOMED past me with great noise and speed. i saw he was a motorcycle courier for the company i work for!

i wonder if i'll ever be as fast as him. But his bike is much smaller than mine.

i keep thinking about ... and feeling the urge to buy a small bike, so i can maneuver better. but harley mom said i have to pay baby girl off first.

i think the courier company will pay me eventually. i don't think they're going to screw me out of 3 whole weeks of work. but they do have rules that ... make it very very hard to make money as a courier.

i thought about not posting my courier experiences, because it pretty much negates my insurance. but i also respect the stories that can be told. it's a story about los angeles from the GTL k1600 and her rider ~ me!

[XDragRacer]

Originally Posted by ClifNotes

i thought about not posting my courier experiences, because it pretty much negates my insurance. but i also respect the stories that can be told. it's a story about los angeles from the GTL k1600 and her rider ~ me!

Fraudulently claiming your insurance is for personal, not business use of your motorcycle jeopardizes every motorist you encounter, because you have no valid liability coverage under these circumstances.

Your insurance carrier may rightfully deny any claims, and you may have some 'splainin' to do to the State of California, in the event of an accident.

The issue lies between you, your insurance company, and the State of California. However, boasting about riding without valid insurance on the World Wide Web may not be useful, IMHO.

[ClifNotes]

Originally Posted by XDragRacer

Fraudulently claiming your insurance is for personal, not business use of your motorcycle jeopardizes every motorist you encounter, because you have no valid liability coverage under these circumstances.

Your insurance carrier may rightfully deny any claims, and you may have some 'splainin' to do to the State of California, in the event of an accident.

The issue lies between you, your insurance company, and the State of California. However, boasting about riding without valid insurance on the World Wide Web may not be useful, IMHO.

you bring up a good point. i'll talk to an insurance agent tomorrow so they can find the right kind of insurance.

i do read all your comments and respond or behave accordingly... spx told me to check my coolant and sure enough, it was below min. so this morning i got up REALLY EARLY and had the dealership "top me off". then i went to another day of training.

i understand everything you wrote except "imho"

thanks

[livewire]

IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

[ClifNotes]

Originally Posted by livewire

IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

Thank you... I thought it was something like "laughing my head off"

well... as you can see from the history, all of your humble opinions have kept me alive this long.

and kept my baby girl GTL from burning to a crisp too

[ClifNotes]

2012 aug 1 2342 studio city

cindy and i went to the grove where a famous singer was giving a live performance there. we went to barnes and nobles to get books for motorcycle friends and i was saddened to see the staff there so beaten and somber. all except the girl at the register seemed to be worried that the store was failing to make money. kevin there was the worst - but perhaps his intentional rudeness saved me money, as I still haven't purchased any books.

getting away... enjoying the cool night air and happy customers around us gave me the distance to reflect on the courier company. i feel they are good people. good people trying to survive in an industry that is struggling.

some people seem to be there because they've worked there 11 years and probably love the company. some others don't seem to make much money at all, experience a lot of stress, but somehow find pride and satisfaction in getting deliveries where they need to go (the radio dispatch).

i've already met a couple couriers that seem to simply love what they do - christian & Rick.

and i'm there because i like learning how to ride better. it provides the experience and material to make these entries about being outside and interacting in los angeles.

tomorrow i want to be safer by riding slower, being more patient. the entire day, the courier dispatch never asked me to be faster.

i'm yawning. i'm tired. i should sleep because i want to start early. i want to start early because i want to end early. i want to end early because i want to meet up with cindy.

[ClifNotes]

today i learned about someone that lost a million dollars and he killed himself.

if he was reading this advrider thread, he would have realized that he could:

1) declare bankruptcy
2) get a motorcycle courier job

and then he would have been happy