Post Christmas

Dec 28, 2012

Got the new steering head bearings installed on the DRZ.  All's well.  Since I can't ride offroad yet, I rode it to work to keep things all running well.

I finally got the bone growth stimulator a month after the doc ordered it.  Turns out the delay was at the doc's office.  The insurance company requested information that the doc office staff sat on for a while. Anyway, got the device.  30 mins a day the little timer clicks away.  I have no idea if it's working or not.  Won't know until mid-Jan when the doc xrays it again.  

I'm still pretty low energy but not the devastating exhaustion that I've been feeling.  I'm trying to get out on the bicycle but I don't usually get more than 5 miles.  I guess that's better than nothing.

I got out on the kayak a couple of weeks ago and did ok.  I only went 4 miles which is half of my normal kayak outing.  But it didn't bother my shoulder at all.  Probably because the kayak stroke comes from the torso, not the arms.  Muscles are weak but otherwise everything else was ok.

I got an invitation to go back and finish my trip by joining with a friend and his friends on their trip in June.  This one will avoid the gravel and will be on street bikes.   That sounds like a good plan to me.

So now I wait until mid-Jan.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

DRZ and healing issues

Nov 15, 2012

The shock on the DRZ needed servicing.  I got it back and installed it on the bike.  As I started to push it out of the garage, the front end wouldn't turn at all.  Like the forks were locked.  I dismantled the front end to find the lower steering head bearing was shot.  It was a mess.  I cleaned it all up and ordered a set of new bearings.  Hopefully they'll arrive today and I can install them this weekend.

My collarbone is not healing.  The doc ordered a bone growth stimulator on Oct 30.  I have yet to receive it. It seems the doc office dropped the ball.  The insurance company requested more information from the doc and he hasn't sent it yet.  I've been making phone calls to get it done.  Since next week is a holiday, I'm sure nothing will get done then so who knows when I'll get this thing.  In the meantime, I still have a broken bone and can't so my normal stuff.  Every day they delay is a delay in my recovery.  Pisses me off that they're dicking around at my expense.  I've been nice so far but that's about to end.  

Next week is Thanksgiving - my fave weekend of the year!  I'll be going rv camping with my friends as we do each year.  We have the full T-giving feast.  This year is Myakka River State Park.  I can't wait!!

More later.

Shoddy suspension?

Sunday, Oct 21

Took the rear shock off the DRZ yesterday, packed it up to send to get serviced/inspected and repaired if necessary.  When I was cleaning up the bike and checking it over for damage, it dawned on me that the rear shock may not be working properly and that may have contributed to my crash.  Doh!!  We'll see.  The shop will test it before they do anything to see if anything is wrong with it.  

Feeling better today.  I worked outside all day - mowing, prepping the rv for an upcoming trip.  Stuff like that. I'm really tired now and I hope I don't pay for it tomorrow.  I tend to have a really good day, then a bad day.  Every other day has been the trend.  I'm hoping to stretch that out a bit and have a couple of good days before I have a bad one.  This healing shit is S-L-O-W!!!  

That's it for now.  Time for bed.

The DRZ is home!!!

Oct 8, 2012

Got the DRZ home!!  Yay!!  Woohoo!!  Drove up to get it.  4210 miles in 3.5 days.  Holy cow.  I didn't do it alone, thank goodness!  Hurricane helped me.  He did all the night driving.  It would have taken me FOREVER if I had done it myself.  And it was a much more fun trip with him along. 

Update on my collarbone:  It's not healing.  Not good.  Doc says let's wait for the 3 month mark when we can try some non-invasive proceedures.  They have a 85% success rate.  If that doesn't work, then he'll have to go in and fix it surgically.  That would suck. 

That's it for now.  I still have to wrap this up.  I know, I know...  it takes energy to think and I don't have it right now.  I'll get there.

DRZ finally delivered!

Friday, Sep 14

Finally my bike has arrived in Nova Scotia!!  Holy cow, what a cluster that was.  Now I have to figure out how to get it home.  I got an estimate from only one company of just under $1000.  That would be about the cost of fuel for me to go get it myself.  However, the company listed no trucks and no drivers (how are you going to transport a shipment with no trucks and no drivers?!?), and only had one review that read like they posted it themselves.  I'm just not comfortable with hiring someone like that.  

The other option is a bucket brigade with friends.  The only problem with that is timing.  Winter is coming on and I'm concerned about not getting it back before snow and ice covers everything and makes it impossible to move.  

I don't know what I'll do.  Nothing for the next couple of weeks anyway.  But I need to get things rolling.

Post home update.

Tues, Sep 11

Yesterday was not a good day.  I felt like crap, achy, and stuff just kept going wrong.  There's something wrong with the left front wheel of my truck.  I thought it was a tire getting ready to blow (front end shaking, tire hotter than a $2 pistol), slowed down and nursed it home.  Mobile mechanic says it's not the tire, it's probably the wheel bearings.  Holy crap, the whole wheel hub/bearing/rotor assembly is new!!!  Had it replaced under warranty several times now.  Geesus. Now I have to take it back to regular mechanic tomorrow to see if he can find out what's wrong with it.

Had my local doc appt today.  There's quite a gap in the bones and he doesn't see signs of healing.  However, that's not unusual and he says to give it more time and see how it's doing in 3 more weeks.  He was kind of on the fence about if he would have plated it or not when it was still fresh.  He's inclined to let them heal naturally vs surgery.  So we'll wait and see how it goes.  In the meantime, I can't go play.  That really sucks.  

Still haven't heard a word on my bike.  Tracking number still doesn't work which means it hasn't been shipped yet.  I'll give it until the end of the week and I'll email them again for a status update.

Friends are working out a sort of bucket brigade to get it down to me.  I have the best friends in the world!!  I hope it can all happen soon.  The weather is going to turn soon and it needs to move before then.  

I'm taking the rest of the week off work to get my head together.  I just can't face it now.  I need to settle back in to home for a bit.  

I'll try to work on a wrap up and then put this blog to bed.  I need to move forward.

Testing... testing... 1... 2...

This past weekend, I took a trip up to north Georgia for some Easter camping.  I loaded up the DRZ with all the stuff I'm going to take on the Trans Lab trip.  I wanted to see how it was all going to work, how the bike was going to handle - that kind of stuff. 

First, the loaded up bike.

Before I ever got out of the driveway, I discovered issues.  First, I couldn't wear my Camelbak!  I had too much crap on the bike and barely any room for me.  So I had to strap that down on top of the bike.  Second, the comm unit I had on the helmet didn't have a jack for my mp3 player input.  Doh!!  No music for the whole trip.  I'm going to try to solve that by getting a Y connector where I can have two lines into one - one line for mp3, the other for my GPS (Garmin Montana 650t).

Got on the road fairly early.  I was following a route I created on the computer and downloaded to the GPS. About 30 miles into the trip, the GPS froze.  I had to stop and remove the battery and reinstall it before it would work again.  Then it happened again a little while later.  Ugh!  Looks like I'll have to make another call to Garmin.  

I saw a picture opportunity and as I rode by I thought I'd just stop on the way back.  Then I said no, I have to turn around and go get it.  I'm really bad about seeing something and not stopping for a pic.  This is what I got:

Haha!!  It's Mater!

A little later on in the trip, the clouds increased and it started to get dark and dreary.  It then started to rain lightly and the temperature dropped.  I didn't bring any clothes for cold weather because the forecast had been for nice weather.  After a while I was so chilled that I decided the next Dollar General store I saw, I was going to stop to get a sweatshirt.  That's what I did.  And I scored!!  I got a sweatshirt for $1 and a stocking cap for $0.50.  Haha!!  The stocking cap made the helmet bearable.  It doesn't fit right and I decided it's not going on The Big Trip.  I'll wear my street helmet.  Anybody want to buy a helmet?

After I got north of I-16, the GPS turned me to the west a bit.  I didn't think much about it at first - I just thought it was a jog in the route and I'd be turning north again soon.  But after a while, I realized it was trying to route me onto I-75!  I specifically set up the route NOT to get on the interstate.  Dang it!!  What is this crazy GPS doing?!?  I had to stop and figure that out.  This is a new GPS and I haven't learned everything about it.  It's a bit more complex than my old nuvi 550.  

I made it up there in a longer time than it should have taken but that was ok.  It took eight hours and should have taken six.  I have scheduled eight  hours riding per day for The Big Trip so that was a good test.  I was fine after riding  eight  hours.  

Overall, it was a good trip up.  It was great camping out and testing out the new tent and gear.  I packed everything back up much better than I had originally and had it organized much better as well.  The trip back was GREAT!  The Airhawk seat cushion was fantastic!  No achy butt.  The return trip only took six hours.  

Next up, I'll list the gear and equipment I'm planning on taking.  

Take off... to the Great White North.

Take off...  it's a beauty way to go.

"The Big Trip" is riding my 2009 DRZ400S on the Trans Labrador Hwy - and then some.  This started many, many years ago when I first heard about the Bay of Fundy.  I was in college, working on my bachelor's degree in Biology, when one of my professors in class told us about the tidal bore there.  I was fascinated by this and said right then that this was something I just had to see.  I put it on my "bucket list".  

Several years ago, in 2006, I bought my first dualsport motorcycle.  I've been riding motorcycles since 1970 but always street bikes.  This was my first off-road motorcycle.  It was a 2006 KLR650.  One ride on dirt and I was hooked.  Since my #1 passion is mountain biking, I shouldn't have been surprised.  Anyway, the KLR was a great bike but it was a bit too big and heavy for me in the technical stuff.  So in 2009, I bought a DRZ400S.  This is the bike:

What a great bike it is!!  It is SO much more capable than I am!  It's also 100 pounds lighter than the KLR. 

Always in search of places to ride off-road, I connected with folks on the KLRworld and ADVrider forums (as well as a few others).  This is where you can read stories of people's trips.  There are day trip reports as well as extended 'round-the-world trips.  Some of them are absolutely inspiring!  

One of the trips I read about was the Trans Labrador Hwy in Canada.  It's mostly a gravel road however it is currently being paved.  When I heard about this I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do my first adventure ride AND see the Bay of Fundy all at once.  So that's how this trip came to be.

Stay tuned...  more to come later.