to make sure it was balanced and to top off the tank. Man, is it ever top heavy and just plain old heavy! Not that bad, really, but noticeable and quite a bit heavier than is ideal for off road riding - ah well, it's all a balance, isn't it?Sure, I could leave the camping gear behind as a lot of people suggest, but I look at it as insurance, and besides, I enjoy camping on occasion and I know Arno does too.
I purchased that XL RED Ortlieb bag for the trip as my yellow large just wasn't going to cut it. That bag weighs 45 lbs as it sits, but I do have some items like a few books that will come out as the trip progresses (to be exchanged for cheap trinkets from foreign lands that will make it to the next garage sale, no doubt)! The panniers have probably 20 lbs each, so overall I'd guess the weight of me and my gear at about 300 lbs. Throw in more than 9 gallons of fuel (60 lbs) and a little more than 500 lbs for the rest, and it's pushing close to 860 lbs total weight.
Oh yeah, that's a bright red bag, the pic looks a little pinkish, it's not - not that there's anything wrong with that if it were!
Here's the obligatory beginning of trip speedo shot, reading 23,619 to kick it off.
I took it tonight because it'll be dark as I leave before 5 AM tomorrow. I hope to make Ogden between 7 and 8 PM tomorrow, more than 820 miles.
I wouldn't want to do that on the stock seat, but on the Day Long it'll be okay...
I'm going to try to catch the sunrise at Chinook Pass... I'll post it tomorrow evening if I have wireless.
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends (Woodstock):
Fushia, maybe . . . ;) Sweet looking ride, Nate. It's so . . . shiny, though. Maybe an 80's Mad Max bike . . . ;)
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