Moto Bum 101

Here’s one of the best Web sites I’ve seen in a decade. It’s extremely simple. The site discusses the Honda XL700V Transalp. The machine is not currently available in any North American country.

http://www.transalp700.com/

What is an Adventure moto without big serious aluminum pannier boxes attached to the sides? Nothing. So the fresh DL got some Big Aluminum Boxes. I went with Touratech because they sell adventure. As a bonus, the box design makes the most sense from a design perspective compared to the pseudo-competitors on the market. The lids completely detach meaning that cargo strapped to the top of the lids can remain while getting into the boxes. Also, the lids can be removed while the oversized stuff hanging from the luggage rack behind the rear seat goes undisturbed. There are no seams on the luggage, so there’s no weld breaking while crashing, only bending. A hammer or other blunt percussive instrument is all that is needed to make these bags work in case of damage. They are waterproof. They require no tools to put on or take off. They can convert to a camp table while camping. And they lock with a key. They are asymmetrical in design for this particular motorcycle. The right bag can hold 35 liters of stuff while the left is rated at 41 liters. If I were to say that I had a “prized” material possession in life, I’d say that the 41-liter box is it. It’s fucking massive. Forget about the 50mm (2 inch) foot peg feeler I installed on the left for the center stand. This 41-liter aluminum bag trumps the long feeler. I know I’ll feel it when that left box touches the ground. So, I’ll be careful and try not to wear off the corners. They are expensive corners.

The optional manufacturer accessory center stand has now been applied. Installation was a snap. It is black and sturdy. The moto now can sit upright in the garage during maintenance stints, washing, loading, unloading, and at the campsite. My favorite part is that the left rider foot peg feeler got changed out from a 10mm deal to a 50mm deal. So, cornering clearance has been reduced going to the left. No biggie. Especially considering what is being mounted next.

Has anyone noticed how much larger an Adventure bike is compared to a sportbike? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Look how much bigger the fresh DL is compared to the beloved F4i.

Installation was simple - remove motor mount bolts and place engine guard over mount holes and affix with longer supplied motor mount bolts. Easy… a no-brainer. And it even looks badass. It is very Adventure with a capital A. I can imagine using the engine guard as a grab handle to pull the bike out of a ditch up on some dirt road on the side of some mountain somewhere sometime. Or, of course, simply saving the 5.8-gallon (22 liter) gas tank and orange plastic side cowls from crumbling mayhem upon a low-speed low-side crash resulting from carelessness during the daily regimen of feet-up circle burnouts.

An adventure moto must have hand guards. So, the fresh DL received the factory Suzuki mandatory accessory. Mounting them was simple enough. It took me over an hour to mount ‘em. Going in, it seemed like it’d be a 15-minute job, but instructions were clearly written by a committee not of our tongue. Something was lost in translation. For example, step 1 of the instructions state to remove the stock clutch cover rubber thingy. Clearly, this step can only be completed after steps 2 (remove clutch lever bolt) and 3 (disconnect clutch cable). Only then can the cover thingamajig slide off the clutch cable. There were other issues with the installation documentation too, but they’re not worth rehashing here and now. Next time, I’ll remember that it’s best to use instruction papers to start a fire and install motorcycle parts near firelight and soothing warmth anyway.

The performance of the all-plastic hand guards is wonderful. Wind flows around the handlebars. What a concept! That’s what the hand guards are for. Indeed, they work well. They work at speed too. I’ll wait to test their wind deflecting performance on the rev limiter in top gear until after the engine is broken in. Rocks, dust, and mud expect to be tested against the hand guards in some future moment as well.

I picked-up a fresh ‘09 moto the other day. It’s a DL650 - orange in color. I’ve wanted an “adventure” bike for a couple of years now. Now is the time. No more waiting. The first adventure taken was to the top of the Northgate Mall parking garage, in Seattle, for the photo. Yes, the first ride on it had me in my Captain America replica helmet. I envision future adventures will be to remote landscapes. But first… accessories must be aquired and placed.

It was the end of an era. The summer of 2008 in Seattle and the State of Washington is over. On Sunday, September 7th, I could feel the weather getting ready to change. If we didn’t go on any more rides to Mt. Baker, Winthrop, Mt. Constitution, Mt. Rainier, Chuckanut, or anywhere, we wouldn’t this year. LoopOut (The Artist Formerly Known as Stroker) and Christina met up with me and T-Bird in the Bothell Albertson’s parking lot to ride somewhere. We decided to hit Hwy 20.


MotoBums cartwheels the Albertson’s parking lot.



LoopOut chills with his BMW F650 CS, drinking water, listening to the audio system.



LoopOut fuels his funky moto in Darrington, WA while a three-wheel scooter scoots in the background.



T-Bird, LoopOut, and Christina take a break.



LoopOut kills the Honey Bucket



T-Bird, motos, and the Cascades.



MotoBum, T-Bird, & The Overlook.



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LoopOut tries the phone in the middle of nowhere.



MotoBum gets a sensible phone after eating a chemical-filled gas station burrito.



Horsing around while freezing in the middle of the night.



See the intensity?


In the end, we did it. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. At least we were having times. Although T-Bird & I ended up skipping dinner and eating microwave heated frozen burritos packed full of pharmaceuticals and partially-hydrogenated things from a gas station that we’d never, ever, consider consuming under normal circumstances, we all got together for an impromptu Big Ride to close-out the summer. We avoided hitting suicidal darting deer. We froze. At one point, everyone was pissed for one reason or another. I was cold and uncomfortable. T-Bird was cold, uncomfortable, and hungry. LoopOut was completely freaked-out by the deer popping out on the road. And I think Christina was upset by the fact that she traded tucking in her little girl with for a crazy ride through the afternoon and half the night. We survived. Next time, I think all of us are committed to taking more comfortable motos (at least I am - no more F4i touring for me), some layerable clothing, more leather, and a camp stove with quality food to cook.

Check out Stroker’s pallet wrapped VFR 800 Interceptor. This is the funniest thing I’ve seen all week. The story is that Stroker’s co-workers wished to leave him a getting-away-from-work present. The pallet wrap, like big sheets of plastic wrap found in your kitchen, was thought to be a hindrance for Stroker to leave work as they didn’t want him to go. It was. He tells me he had to use his 911-style box cutter to get to his moto. Fortunately, he’d been working all day and the bike was cool to the touch before the wrap was applied. Thanks for the picture, Stroker.

Here’s a video of the European-market new 2008 Honda Transalp. Why don’t we have these motos in America? How is it that BMW, Kawasaki, and Suzuki sell mid-size machines of this sort in the U.S. while Honda offers… what… the XR650L? Is it me or is Honda crazy?