A New Adventure!

Here we go again folks!  I am at the beginning of a large scale adventure.  This time around, it will be just me (Greg) as Molly has to be, you know, productive and responsible. 


Here's the premise and origin of this tale.  I own a 1999 BMW F650 Classic Motorbike.  Absolutely great bike, perfect for Maui.  Great on hills, twisting roads and in the rain.  It currently has 23,400 miles on it and I bought it a year and a half ago with 17,000 miles on it.  I have ridden all over this island and it has been my primary form of transportation.  For a good chunk of time a portion of the famous Road to Hana was my daily commute and the bike ate it up.

Craigslist Money Shot

About a month ago, I made the difficult decision to part with the bike.  I love it but I have just not gotten the use out of it the past 10 months and we currently have 3 vehicles.  With depreciation, maintenance, insurance, etc... it was time to cut ties with one or both of my Bavarian conveyances.  I listed the bike on Craigslist which is an absolute horror show.  Every inquiry is a scammer or an extreme low ball offer.  It was a very disheartening experience when it is such a nice bike. 


I was one day away from accepting another low ball offer to just get the experience over with.  Molly came to my rescue.  "You know Evan wants the bike, right?" 


Inspiration struck.  Evan.  Minnesota Evan.  'Kelcey and Evan' Evan.  This was at 11pm at night.  5 hours of frantic research later, I had the outline of a plan and a very rough budget.  I researched flights to the mainland and back, motorcycle shipping to San Diego and Seattle, camping equipment, potential travel buddies, and lodging/camping options.  I fired Kelcey and Evan a text message in the middle of night to call me ASAP!!!


Evan called me as soon as he woke up and I proposed THE PLAN.  Evan, being just as excitable as I am, was intrigued.  We had enough of a consensus for me to feel comfortable telling Mr. Low Ball to suck it and I gladly did so!  After some more research, the budget crystallized.  Other things didn't come together quite as well.


I was hoping to ship and fly into Seattle.  I have family in Seattle and would love to visit.  Also it is a straight shot across the northern U.S. from Seattle to Minneapolis.  Unfortunately, shipping to Seattle was 3 times as expensive and took twice as long as shipping to San Diego.  My greatest tool during this trip is the fact that I have limited funds, but relatively unlimited time.  I can take 7 days and add 1200 miles to the trip because gas, time and food are cheap!  What I couldn't afford was the triple expense for shipping.

Ma'alaea Harbor

Now that a rough route was finalized the biggest question mark was the bike itself.  There is a lack of BMW motorcycle mechanics on Maui, let alone parts.  You find someone to work on the bike and then you can't get parts.  I have done the bulk of the maintenance on the bike since I have owned it because of this.  I am a mediocre mechanic at best but I have internet access, YouTube and pretty decent hands.  It is the brain that doesn't work too well.  My skills are not up for the task of preparing a motorcycle for a 3000 mile journey.  I took the bike into Maui Moto Adventures and they went through it.  We pinpointed some trouble issues and I reached out to Dave Campbell in San Diego. 


Maui Moto does a great job but once again, parts just aren't available.  Dave Campbell, on the other hand, has next day availability for parts and the know-how to do a partial rebuild on the bike.  So with a mechanic set up and waiting on the bike, it is time to go!


Today we took the bike to the shipping facility in Wailuku.  The adventure feels like it is real now.  Up until today, I have just been poring over maps and bugging friends and connections across 2/3 of the country for a dream, a hypothesis.  Today it feels real.  The large tote full of gear and the eagerly awaited Amazon order with the rest of my equipment suddenly feel pertinent. 


I have been reading about others who have done similar trips and dissected their packing lists.  I am currently working my way through the show "Long Way Round" about a motorcycle trip around the world.  FYI - their gear is nicer than mine, although they do ride BMWs.  Mostly, though, I have been poring over maps. 


Biggest thing about my riding style is that I am not overly comfortable on Freeways.  Give me twisting, winding mountain highways and I am in my element.  Cruising at 85mph on a Freeway is not something I am comfortable with.  Because of this, my route becomes both more intricate and more memorable.  I will be riding through state and national parks and have been ordered to STOP AND TAKE PICTURES!  Traditionally, Molly is in charge of photos.  Why?  There are a few reasons.  First of all, she enjoys it.  She is good at it.  She remembers to do it.  Me, not so much. 


The bike lends itself to stopping and smelling the roses a bit.  I have to get gas every 100 miles.  It is nice to get up and stretch.  And honestly, I have never been able to do all the bike porn that motorcycle owners get into.  I don't have a smart phone and don't carry a camera with me, which means I don't have shots of beautiful Maui sunsets over my bike.  I don't have pictures of my bike in Makena at Big Beach.  All of a sudden, I have 3000 miles of beautiful countryside to document my bike on.  Even better, I am matrimonially obligated to do so!

Honolua Bay Overlook

I fly out the evening of June 10th and should be on my way a few days after that.  Expect more posts!