- Joined
- Oct 19, 2006
- Messages
- 8,250
- Reaction score
- 36
- Location
- Big sky country; Ronan, MT
- First Name
- Bruce
- Last Name
- Taylor
I’m loading up to leave on what I hope to be an epic adventure for my 50th year since arriving in this world. Planning started well over a year ago. Can't say exactly when. I read a thread over on ADV Rider and could not get the ride out of my mind. So, I started the wheels in motion. Originally developed for mountain biking, The Great Divide Route was put together by the Adventure Cycling Association. It was soon being used by motor bikers, with some slight modifications, as a border to border ride, mostly off of paved roads. The route crosses back on forth over the Continental Divide using jeep trails, forest service roads, county roads, and a few highways. There are some paved sections but they are kept to a minimum. Time restraints would limit this trip to two weeks total so we would not make the entire route, the rest we'll save for another ride, already have an idea for that. Our plan covers the route starting from the Canadian border at Rooseville, MT to Salida, CO. A little over 1600 miles of back country riding. I have a proper machine, 2000 Suzuki DRZ 400S, and got to work on her replacing and improving worn out stock bits and pieces with this trip in mind. The DRZ now has 22,000 miles on the meter. I purchased proper luggage for the mighty DRZ, Dirt Bagz and Wolfman duffle. I ordered the maps I would need from ACA and started plotting the routes in Mapsource for transfer into the Zumo 550. (This trip was the deciding factor in purchasing the Zumo and SPOT.) I could have used tracks from those who have gone before but part of the fun in prep was plotting the route. I have a track from Big Dog Adventures also stored in the Zumo just in case.
Now that I had a plan, I just had to convince someone else it was a good idea. First to give the stamp of approval was my wife of 29+ years, Sandy. She will be playing a major role in the logistics of the trip. Getting to and from the trail is one of the logistical challenges when riding dirt bikes on a tight schedule. Hauling saves a tire change and several days in transit. We are going to trailer the bikes to the northern border then she will take the truck/trailer and meet up with us in Salida. She will be hanging out with her parents who are meeting her in Idaho the day we start our ride. Our grown and well armed kids will be holding down the fort at home. I hit up all the usual suspects last fall, the guys I normally ride with, so that any who wanted to go could arrange their vacation around the ride. One took the bait, Perry, a.k.a. NomadicFireman. Three riders would have been a little better for the worst case scenarios but two makes for easier planning and decision making on the fly. Perry and I have ridden many miles over the years so I know there won't be any personality issues. Perry will be on his trusty 2004 KLR 650 with 30,000 miles on the odo. He took care of his biggest issues, doohickey (which was broken BTW)and valves, and he added a center stand and oversized front brake.
We made a dry run trip to test the bike setups and gear load we would be taking on the big trip. An overnighter to Junction and back. Everything worked great. Confidence was boosted. Final prep started a couple weeks ago. Finally time to install the tires that had been waiting patiently in the garage for about 6 months.
Some previous bits necessary for a long ride on a DRZ.
A well used (with the help of the previous owner) bash plate under the motor.
Right side case saver (these were on the bike when I got it) with wide foot peg.
Left side case saver, +1 inch shift lever to fit my #12 boots, wide foot peg.
Racks; Turbo City rear with Dirt Bagz side. Tire lever bungied (replaced zip ties) to the rack.
4 gallon Clarke tank, requisite web stickers on the side panel. Wolfman Enduro tank bag.
The old rubber, worn but a few miles still left on them. Not near enough for this trip.
rear
front
Ahhh, new Maxxis Desert IT knobs.
front
rear
The final touch on the bike was one more sticker on the light shroud. Courtesy of ACA.
With less than a week till blast off I started gathering the camping and riding gear that would be used on the trip. We will be camping as much as we can stand so the load is a little on the heavy side but not too bad. That's one reason some of the guys didn't bite on the ride. They wanted a soft motel bed every night. Most meals will be at cafes along the route so food prep is only as a last resort if we are caught out somewhere. I assembled gear on the dining table we seldom use.
It looks like a lot but it's what I took on the Junction trip so it’ll do for a week or more camping on the trail.
We are leaving tomorrow morning. SPOT will be active if you want to follow our progress using the link in my signature. Sorry, we don't have technology to give updates along the route so you'll have to wait 'till we're done for photos and the ride report. If we have WiFi in hotels on the way up I may post a few pics and …..whatever. Wish us luck!
Now that I had a plan, I just had to convince someone else it was a good idea. First to give the stamp of approval was my wife of 29+ years, Sandy. She will be playing a major role in the logistics of the trip. Getting to and from the trail is one of the logistical challenges when riding dirt bikes on a tight schedule. Hauling saves a tire change and several days in transit. We are going to trailer the bikes to the northern border then she will take the truck/trailer and meet up with us in Salida. She will be hanging out with her parents who are meeting her in Idaho the day we start our ride. Our grown and well armed kids will be holding down the fort at home. I hit up all the usual suspects last fall, the guys I normally ride with, so that any who wanted to go could arrange their vacation around the ride. One took the bait, Perry, a.k.a. NomadicFireman. Three riders would have been a little better for the worst case scenarios but two makes for easier planning and decision making on the fly. Perry and I have ridden many miles over the years so I know there won't be any personality issues. Perry will be on his trusty 2004 KLR 650 with 30,000 miles on the odo. He took care of his biggest issues, doohickey (which was broken BTW)and valves, and he added a center stand and oversized front brake.
We made a dry run trip to test the bike setups and gear load we would be taking on the big trip. An overnighter to Junction and back. Everything worked great. Confidence was boosted. Final prep started a couple weeks ago. Finally time to install the tires that had been waiting patiently in the garage for about 6 months.
Some previous bits necessary for a long ride on a DRZ.
A well used (with the help of the previous owner) bash plate under the motor.
Right side case saver (these were on the bike when I got it) with wide foot peg.
Left side case saver, +1 inch shift lever to fit my #12 boots, wide foot peg.
Racks; Turbo City rear with Dirt Bagz side. Tire lever bungied (replaced zip ties) to the rack.
4 gallon Clarke tank, requisite web stickers on the side panel. Wolfman Enduro tank bag.
The old rubber, worn but a few miles still left on them. Not near enough for this trip.
rear
front
Ahhh, new Maxxis Desert IT knobs.
front
rear
The final touch on the bike was one more sticker on the light shroud. Courtesy of ACA.
With less than a week till blast off I started gathering the camping and riding gear that would be used on the trip. We will be camping as much as we can stand so the load is a little on the heavy side but not too bad. That's one reason some of the guys didn't bite on the ride. They wanted a soft motel bed every night. Most meals will be at cafes along the route so food prep is only as a last resort if we are caught out somewhere. I assembled gear on the dining table we seldom use.
It looks like a lot but it's what I took on the Junction trip so it’ll do for a week or more camping on the trail.
We are leaving tomorrow morning. SPOT will be active if you want to follow our progress using the link in my signature. Sorry, we don't have technology to give updates along the route so you'll have to wait 'till we're done for photos and the ride report. If we have WiFi in hotels on the way up I may post a few pics and …..whatever. Wish us luck!