Leaderboard

So this is an 8 minute vid of the prep and ride up to Overland Expo West 2015 near Flagstaff, AZ. I ride up from Orange County, California with Eric Hall, Kim Krause, and Jessica Washburn. No pics of the snow, but I'm sure the other folks have some they'll contribute. Enjoy ...

Day 3 M'yeah, so it snowed. There was to be no riding today given the weather and yesterday's difficult ride, so we just kind of made the best of things and trudged around the mud and checked out all the vendors on display. What was really cool was that I finally got to meet Ted Porter in person. That guy is amazing. He was talking suspension magic like a Gandalf or something. Kim on the Rev 'It bike Tomas' Ural Jim Gary's 690 w/Tolga's Ride Must Go On sticker prominently displayed. I did manage to walk around the other non-moto part of Overland Expo and was totally amazed at all the impressive kit out there. Saw lots of rigs that cost more than my over-priced home in Orange County. Saw lots of really cool people, including the one and only Simon and Lisa. I did miss out on meeting Tiffany Coats, however OE is a huge deal. They have food vendors, wi-fi and coffee tent, maps, showers, etc... I will definitely have to attend next year because there's no way you can see it all in one weekend. It was truly a Woodstock (except with snow and motorcycles) because this is the only place you'll see that many people who are as crazy as you are for one thing: adventure. We will camp out in sub zero temps and snow just to be a part of that madness. Many new friends as well. I was really glad to spend more time with the ICON Raiden people. Expect to see yours truly and XLADV perhaps be a part of their next video series. I was also *this* close to buying a ticket to Cambodia next month to join Brad Barker on a moto ride he's filming there. Lots and lots of new stuff to come. My ride home was thankfully a bit warmer. Roughly 52 from Flag to Kingman then 80-90 from there to OC and back down to the 60's. I took Kelbaker road south off the 40 through Amboy then down through Joshua Tree. Never been there before. Kind of a cool/creepy desert community. I will have to explore trails there in the fall when it cools down. SnOverland Expo 2015.

Day 2 So I awoke (see video) to what I thought was a cold morning. I got my JetBoil going w/some Starbucks Via coffee (of course) and walked around a bit until I realized it was only like 5:00 in the morning. Despite the cold rain/sleet, we decided to rally and go for a trail ride. Jason Houle led the group of 10 and we headed out on Schnebly Hills road on the way to Sedona. The tracks were pretty good for awhile and then we started to hit a lot of mud puddles. They were easy to get around or through but the last five miles before the highway turned into that sticky kind of mud that sticks to your front wheel. Jason, Jessica and a few others had to dig the mud out because their front wheels were completely locked. BMW needs a higher fender for sure. I have a 21" front w/no fender and here in SoCal we get to ride pretty much mud-free most of the time so it's not an issue for me. Jason digging mud out of his front fender. And no, that's not a street tire. It's just worn smooth with a layer of mud-frosting. Jason pretending not to be in pain from his back spasms he suffered Kim with mud on her butt from falling a few times Kim and Michelle became fast friends. I was surprised Michelle got past all that mud on Kim's face. Kim and Jason Kim, Moe and Jeff The crew. Note how clean I kept my new DKR suit from ICON Raiden. I didn't fall I led at least three of us back on the highway but it was so cold, my thumbs go frost nipped so I got off at the first exit and Moe and Jessica and I got some hot food, coffee and warmed up. Just as we were leaving, Moe's rear tire came off the rim! I sent Jessica on and went back to help him get the wheel off and the tire back on and aired up, only to see it come off immediately after, only this time with a loud "BOOM" when the tube exploded. Really? I put Moe on the back of my bike and rode him back to OEx. He said he'd come back for it later with his truck/trailer. Moe works for Woody's and it was a shop bike I like to call the "Franken-bike." If your memory is really good then you will recall I rode the Franken-bike in Moab along Onion Creek rd. I gave it a proper flogging at the time as I recall. I see it as a way of the bike getting back at me three years later. No, I deserve it We got back to camp and walked around the vendor area and saw this cool 2wd bike from Rev 'It, among other great attractions. It was really great to see Ron Grace, his wife Dawn and their two boys ripping it up on their little dirtbikes. Tomas Kucera and JJ Lewis too. These are the peeps who are getting it done at Lost for a Reason. Keep that in mind next time you have a few pennies to share. I had never really warmed up from the ride and spent about 45 min in Brad Barker's RV warming up. That didn't do it for me so I spent another 90 min in an RV w/the GM from our local BMW dealer and his buddy. That did the trick! It was like 35 out! I was having none of that.

Day 1 So... about that Overland Expo... I have to say that we had a great time still despite the poor weather. It was really cold and wet the whole time we were there. But we kept saying: "you know, three weeks from now we'll be saying this was awesome!" It all started with Kim Krause and Jessica Washburn showing up at my place Wednesday night from NorCal to stay the night. Kim was wiped out and napped on my couch while Jessica and I went and got some Mod Pizza. My desk with all my gadgets charging Gregory agreed to ride w/us and meet us at 0700 Thu am but Kim (being Kim) decided she was on her own time table. She lolligagged about the place until it was time to actually go. Then she went to the local drug store for some kind of chick lotion (dry skin) and then met us at the Coscto's for gas (except that she doesn't have a Costco card). So we went to another gas station just for her and that made her happy. Admittedly, I was being the anal ride leader and trying to crack the whip on getting us out the door. But that's only because I wanted us to be at OEx by 4 pm to give us time to set up camp before dark, get our bearings and then have dinner. Kim and I were hooked up via our Sena com's and she told me she thought it was like a two hour ride! Sorry dear, it's more like eight hours! (~480 miles). Kim's bike Jessica's bike My bike. Yes, I know. It's dirty. The way it should be. We made pretty good time stopping in Barstow, Needles for lunch, Seligman, Flagstaff, then OEx finally at Mormon Lake. Didn't see any Mormons that I could spot but they prefer "LDS" anyway. I wish I knew more about the history of the area but I'm sure it must have something to do with the Mormon pioneers that settled the area. We got a great welcome from the kind folks at the RawHyde staff and a brief intro to the "Arizona Adventure Rally" as part of the OEx we were going to take part. Jim Hyde introduced his staff and we were treated to the finest gourmet food from within a MASH-style army tent. Bonfires ensued, along with fine local craft brews, assorted cocktails and many lies about our riding prowess. And yes, that is Brad Barker on drums. There wasn't any live music at that point, but it's his happy place so we didn't want to disturb it.

Excuse the typos on the original post. Don;'t know how to edit a post and I was well into my Courvoisier medicinal cognac when I posted!

Yeah the crash bars were a big pain, the original owner laid it down and grinded the bars a little i think it tweaked them a little. Is there a washer on the right side along with the left side? i couldnt't get the tank all the way off either so i could disconnect the wires easy. the lower ESA wire ended up getting cut in half so i could remove from the bike. i got it disconnected but couldn't get it fed thru the bike. That was after a few minutes of trying to disconnect the wires on the shock side. didnt realize they disconnected up under the tank. The one mistake i almost pulled was removing the whole front cover. got two bolts loose then looked a little closer and realized i just needed to remove the plastic cover. wish i had new belt while i had it apart but oh well. Stopping the shock from turning ended up being pretty easy. I have these cool wrenches that hook up to a ratchet. So i just put it on the end of a long extension with a rachet. But what a difference new shocks make Did a few little things to the bike. Wasn't a big fan of drilling the holes thru the plastic and the powder coated panniers.

that takes the fun out of it. Found these pics from the wreck. got to luv drunk a holes

Employees Ride Their Motorcycles to Work in Show of Support for Charity Ride Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 15, 2015…Employees of BMW of North America, L.L.C. welcomed Dr. Hans-Henning Buetzow to BMW’s corporate headquarters today and gave him an official send-off for his charity motorcycle ride that will traverse 50,000-miles and raise an anticipated 50,000 euros for children in need throughout the world. Dr. Buetzow will complete his Ride of Smiles journey aboard a BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycle. His route, which will trace a symbolic 50 on the world map, will take him across North, Central and South America as well as Australia and New Zealand. His goal is to raise at least 50,000 euros for four charitable organizations: Doctors Without Borders, Christian Blind Mission, United for Africa, and Sternstunden, the Bavarian TV and Radio Broadcast. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Buetzow to BMW today to give him a proper send-off on his long and ambitious journey,” commented Kris Odwarka, Vice President, BMW Motorrad USA. “I am confident that the bike is up to the task; and I’m sure Hans is too, judging from his previous adventures!” Mr. Odwarka thanked BMW employees who rode their motorcycles to work in a show of support for Dr. Buetzow. “Imagine your commute times 1,000, and you can understand what Hans-Henning is about to do. We wish him a safe and prosperous journey.” A resident of Heidelberg, Dr. Buetzow is an experienced and enthusiastic motorcycle tourist, who has been traveling the world on two wheels since 1989. Impressed by the enormous hospitality and joy of life shown by the people he meets on his travels, he was inspired to give back to those less fortunate through his Ride of Smiles. Donations can be made directly to the four charities or via the Ride of Smiles website (www.ride-of-smiles.de). For more information on Ride of

After further consideration, I'm still voting KTM!!! LMAO. But in all seriousness, KTM! But wait, really, your only gonna get an answer from each person that's equivalent to his or her own bike in one variation or another. I think the only true way to get an answer is to pick 3 or 4 bikes that you want, maybe that could be sponsored and/or has for an acceptable price, and put up a ballot. If of course this is a Democracy. If not pick your poison! We'll all agree and support whatever decision you make! Let the fun begin!

The more I ride in Baja the funnier this gets. I'm headed back down in June....better to apologize afterwards than to ask for permission. Actually, take the wife to Coyote Cal's, stay in the Crow's Nest or whatever he calls the top room, and get the wife a massage from Ta....then take off for some riding....

I should mention Kurt Forget told me about you guys!!

here's my Katoom!!

eric, been wanting to ride that area for some time. now is the time. what can i bring?

Funny that I started this topic, then never got the reply notifications until Mero dropped a note just now. Funnier yet that I've already been out at Tahuya and Green Mt with SOP! Headed from Tacoma tomorrow (Thursday, 14MAY) to Stonyford, CA for the Sheet Iron 300 on my 950SE. It'll be crazy! Mero, you didn't by chance move here recently from Colorado, having sold a set of spoke 1200GS rims to a guy in Tacoma, did you? I ask because I haven't seen the name before...except from the guy I bought those rims from!