Rising Numbers of Motorcycles Congest Roads in Jakarta -- NTDTV.com

Rising Numbers of Motorcycles Congest Roads in Jakarta -- NTDTV.com: ""

Darn motorcyclists! Who do they think they are taking up room for one when I'm trying to get to work in the family sedan?!

Crazy Motorcycle Crashes From China - MaxMotorcycleVideos.com

Crazy Motorcycle Crashes From China - MaxMotorcycleVideos.com

I'm not sure just what to say about this other than please watch them and play it safe out there.

2010 Toronto Motorcycle Show

As some of you know I'm an instructor with Learning Curves, and our fearless leader Don asked us to volunteer and come on down to man the booth down at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I asked for Saturday as it fit in with my plans for the weekend.

• Friday: be a lazy s.o.b.
• Saturday: Volunteer for Learning Curves aka "FREE ADMISSION!!!"
• Sunday: see Friday

The Amsoil girls!

So I stood in the booth and accosted people walking by in the aisle and asked them if they had their motorcycle license. If they showed interest, my mission was simply to get them to sign a waiver, get them kitted out by our volunteer staff, and onto a bike and coached by Don or Ginny, then switch around and do some coaching myself. The day went by so quickly that the shots of friends you see here were stolen in fits and snatches while on break or on my way out the door.

Why would I thank Don and Peter for having me volunteer my day away? Because it was fun, and it's always a pleasure to be involved with these guys.

I found parking! Whoot!

I just couldn't resist.

Neither could Marcel.

The bikes will be over here...

The hot tub and wet bar over there...

Where's the gas tank? Where's the motor?

Where's the key? :D

ETR working hard or hardly working

Honda Canada in association with Learning Curves set up a rider training area in the loading dock, and the result was we got a ton of waivers signed, and huge amounts of happy riders that got some basic instruction and got to ride around for a while.

I have friends in low places.

Paul takes branding a bit too seriously

Two lovely ladies selling Amsoil the old fashioned way.

I'm not sure what she was selling, but I had my wallet out.

My friends drop in to say hello.

Our alumni drop in to say hi. :)

Tire kickin' with Eric

This Honda two fitty probably handles better than my KLR. :)

Parts Canada Superbike Championship Announces 2011 Schedule, With New Tracks And Classes News Article // RoadracingWorld.com

Mark your calendars! Parts Canada Superbike will be in Ontario on the following dates:
2011 July 1-3 at Shannonville
2011 August 19 - 21 at Mosport
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=42843

2011 Parts Canada Superbike Championship Schedule

Round One May 27-29 Circuit ICAR   Mirabel, Que.
Round Two July 1-3 Shannonville Motorsport Park Shannonville, Ont.
Round Three July 8-10 Autodrome St-Eustache  St-Eustache, Que.
Round Four Aug. 5-7 Atlantic Motorsport Park Shubenacadie, N.S.
Round Five Aug. 19-21 Mosport International Raceway Bowmanville, Ont.
Round Six Aug. 19-21 Mosport International Raceway Bowmanville, On

http://www.cdnsuperbike.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2580&Itemid=136

Insect Repellents and Protection

Zen Backpacking - Insect Repellents and Protection

Everything you wanted to know about bugs, repellents and how to protect yourself while camping as Labrador is notorious for black flies and mossies. Here's an even better write-up I found on the Center for Disease Control. Products I recommend after reading through all of this, is 50 to 30% deet, microencapsulated deet, and Pemethrin clothing insect repellent.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/protection-against-mosquitoes-ticks-insects-arthropods.aspx

PROTECTION AGAINST MOSQUITOES, TICKS, AND OTHER INSECTS AND ARTHROPODS

Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez, Robert A. Wirtz, Roger S. Nasci

Although vaccines or chemoprophylactic drugs are available to protect against some important vector-borne diseases such as yellow fever and malaria, travelers still should be advised to use repellents and other general protective measures against biting arthropods. The effectiveness of malaria chemoprophylaxis is variable, depending on patterns of drug resistance, bio-availability, and compliance with medication, and no similar preventive measures exist for other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue or chikungunya.

CDC recommends the use of products containing active ingredients that have been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use as repellents applied to skin and clothing (see below). EPA registration of active ingredients indicates the materials have been reviewed and approved for efficacy and human safety when applied according to the instructions on the label.

General Protective Measures

• Avoid outbreaks: To the extent possible, travelers should avoid known foci of epidemic disease transmission. The CDC Travelers’ Health webpage provides alerts and information on regional disease transmission patterns and outbreak alerts (www.cdc.gov/travel).
• Be aware of peak exposure times and places: Exposure to arthropod bites may be reduced if travelers modify their patterns of activity or behavior. Although mosquitoes may bite at any time of day, peak biting activity for vectors of some diseases (e.g., dengue, chikungunya) is during daylight hours. Vectors of other diseases (e.g., malaria) are most active in twilight periods (i.e., dawn and dusk) or in the evening after dark. Avoiding the outdoors or focusing preventive actions during peak hours may reduce risk. Place also matters; ticks are often found in grasses and other vegetated areas. Local health officials or guides may be able to point out areas with greater arthropod activity.
• Wear appropriate clothing: Travelers can minimize areas of exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, boots, and hats. Tucking in shirts and wearing socks and closed shoes instead of sandals may reduce risk. Repellents or insecticides such as permethrin can be applied to clothing and gear for added protection; this measure is discussed in detail below.
• Check for ticks: Travelers should be advised to inspect themselves and their clothing for ticks during outdoor activity and at the end of the day. Prompt removal of attached ticks can prevent some infections.
• Bed nets: When accommodations are not adequately screened or air conditioned, bed nets are essential to provide protection and to reduce discomfort caused by biting insects. If bed nets do not reach the floor, they should be tucked under mattresses. Bed nets are most effective when they are treated with an insecticide or repellent such as permethrin. Pretreated, long-lasting bed nets can be purchased prior to traveling, or nets can be treated after purchase. The permethrin will be effective for several months if the bed net is not washed. (Long-lasting pretreated nets may be effective for much longer.)
• Insecticides: Aerosol insecticides, vaporizing mats and mosquito coils can help to clear rooms or areas of mosquitoes; however, some products available internationally may contain pesticides that are not registered in the United States. Insecticides should always be used with caution, avoiding direct inhalation of spray or smoke.
• Optimum protection can be provided by applying the repellents described in the following sections to clothing and to exposed skin.

Repellents for Use on Skin and Clothing

CDC has evaluated information published in peer-reviewed scientific literature and data available from EPA to identify several EPA-registered products that provide repellent activity sufficient to help people avoid the bites of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Products containing the following active ingredients typically provide reasonably long-lasting protection:

• DEET (chemical name: N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide or N,N-diethly-3-methyl-benzamide). Products containing DEET include but are not limited to Off!, Cutter, Sawyer, and Ultrathon.
• Picaridin (KBR 3023, aka Bayrepel, and icaridin outside the United States; chemical name 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperidinecarboxylic acid 1-methylpropyl ester). Products containing picaridin include but are not limited to Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus and Autan (outside the United States).
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus* or PMD (chemical name: para-menthane-3,8-diol) the synthesized version of oil of lemon eucalyptus. Products containing OLE and PMD include but are not limited to Repel.
• IR3535 (chemical name: 3-[N-butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester) Products containing IR3535 include but are not limited to Skin so Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition.

*Note: This recommendation refers to EPA-registered repellent products containing the active ingredient oil of lemon eucalyptus (or PMD). “Pure” oil of lemon eucalyptus (e.g., essential oil) is not the same product and has not received similar, validated testing for safety and efficacy, is not registered with EPA as an insect repellent, and is not covered by this recommendation.

EPA characterizes the active ingredients DEET and picaridin as “conventional repellents” and oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD, and IR3535 as “biopesticide repellents,” which are derived from natural materials.

Repellent Efficacy

• Published data indicate that repellent efficacy and duration of protection vary considerably among products and among mosquito species.
• Product efficacy and duration of protection are also markedly affected by ambient temperature, amount of perspiration, exposure to water, abrasive removal, and other factors.
• In general, higher concentrations of active ingredient provide longer duration of protection, regardless of the active ingredient. Products with ≤10% active ingredient may offer only limited protection, often from 1–2 hours.
• Products that offer sustained release or controlled release (i.e., micro-encapsulated) formulations, even with lower active ingredient concentrations, may provide longer protection times.
• Studies suggest that concentrations of DEET above ~50% do not offer a marked increase in protection time against mosquitoes (i.e., DEET efficacy tends to plateau at around 50%).
• Regardless of what product is used, if travelers start to get mosquito bites they should reapply the repellent according to the label instructions or leave the area with biting insects if possible.
Repellents should be purchased before traveling and can be found in hardware stores, drug stores and supermarkets. A wider variety of repellents can be found in camping, sporting goods, and military surplus stores. When purchasing repellents overseas, look for the EPA-registered active ingredients on the product labels; some names of products available internationally have been specified above.

Repellents and Sunscreen

Repellents that are applied according to label instructions may be used with sunscreen with no reduction in repellent activity. Products that combine sunscreen and repellent are not recommended, because sunscreen may need to be reapplied with greater frequency and in greater amounts than are needed to provide protection from biting insects. In general, the recommendation is to apply sunscreen first, before applying the repellent.

Repellents/Insecticides for Use On Clothing

• Clothing, shoes, bed nets, mesh jackets, and camping gear can be treated with permethrin for added protection.
• Products such as Permanone and Sawyer permethrin are registered with EPA specifically for this use.
• Permethrin is a highly effective insecticide and repellent. Permethrin-treated clothing repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes, and other arthropods. Clothing and other items must be treated several days in advance of travel to allow them to dry. As with all pesticides, follow the label instructions when using permethrin clothing treatments. Alternatively, clothing pretreated with permethrin is commercially available (e.g., products from Buzz Off/Insect Shield).
• Permethrin-treated materials retain repellency/insecticidal activity after repeated laundering but should be retreated as described on the product label to provide continued protection. Clothing treated with the other repellent products described above (e.g., DEET) provides protection from biting arthropods but will not last through washing and will require more frequent reapplications.

Precautions when Using Insect Repellents

• Apply repellents only to exposed skin and/or clothing, as directed on the product label. Do not use repellents under clothing.
• Never use repellents over cuts, wounds or irritated skin.
• Do not apply repellents to eyes or mouth, and apply sparingly around ears. When using sprays, do not spray directly on face-spray on hands first and then apply to face. Wash hands after application to avoid accidental exposure to eyes.
• Do not allow children to handle repellents. When using on children, adults should apply repellents to their hands first, and then put it on the child. It may be advisable to avoid applying to children’s hands.
• Use just enough repellent to cover exposed skin and/or clothing. Heavy application and saturation are generally unnecessary for effectiveness. If biting insects do not respond to a thin film of repellent, apply a bit more.
• After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water or bathe. This is particularly important when repellents are used repeatedly in a day or on consecutive days. Also, wash treated clothing before wearing it again. (This precaution may vary with different repellents—check the product label.)
• If anyone experiences a rash or other bad reaction from an insect repellent, the repellent use should be discontinued, the repellent should be washed off with mild soap and water, and a local poison control center should be called for further guidance. If seeking health care because of the repellent, take the repellent to the doctor’s office and show the doctor.
• Permethrin should never be applied to skin, but only to clothing, bed nets, or other fabrics as directed on the product label.

Children

• Most repellents can be used on children >2 months of age.
• Protect infants <2 months of age from biting mosquitoes by using an infant carrier draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a tight fit.
• Products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus specify that they should not be used on children <3 years of age.
• Other than the safety tips listed above, EPA does not recommend any additional precautions for using registered repellents on children or on pregnant or lactating women.

Useful Links

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. How to Use Insect Repellents Safely; [updated 2007 July 5; cited 2008 Nov 29]. Available from:www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/insectrp.htm.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Insect Repellent Use and Safety; [updated 2008 May 14; cited 2008 Nov 29]. Available from:www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm.
• Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Safety Tips on Using Personal Insect Repellents; [updated 2004 September 17; cited 2008 Nov 29]. Available from: www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/consum/insectrepellents-e.html.

References

1. Barnard DR, Xue RD. Laboratory evaluation of mosquito repellents against Aedes albopictus,Culex nigripalpus, and Ochlerotatus triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae). J Med Entomol. 2004;41(4):726–30.
2. Barnard DR, Bernier UR, Posey KH, et al. Repellency of IR3535, KBR3023, para-menthane-3,8-diol, and deet to Black Salt Marsh mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Everglades National Park. J Med Entomol. 2002;39(6):895–9.
3. Fradin MS, Day JF. Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(1):13–8.
4. Murphy ME, Montemarano AD, Debboun M, et al. The effect of sunscreen on the efficacy of insect repellent: a clinical trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000;43(2 Pt 1):219–22.
5. Thavara U, Tawatsin A, Chompoosri J,   et al. Laboratory and field evaluations of the insect repellent 3535 (ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate) and deet against mosquito vectors in Thailand. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2001;17(3):190–5.

Motorcycle Camping and Trans Labrador Highway (TLH) planning

If you'd been nosey and had a look at the trip planning page (Which I deleted in 2017), you would have seen that I plan on riding the newly opened Trans Labrador Highway in the summer of 2011. They've opened the final section last year, and the plan is to pave the entire thing from one end to the other, so when a friend suggested that he wanted to ride to Newfoundland & Labrador and include the TLH, it just spurred me to get off the pot and commit to the ride this coming year as opposed to 2012.

Optimus SVEA123R

The pot is part of the kit and holds about 300ml of water.

Speaking of pots, you saw the picture and are scratching your head saying wtf has that stove got to do with the TLH? The answer is simple. I'm a cheap bastard that prefers the thought of a campsite to a hotel room, although I plan on a shower and a warm bed at some point on this journey, I'm hoping quite a bit of it will be camping off of the bike.
I used to do a ton of camping while in the army, so while being no stranger with sleeping under the stars in any weather including sleeping atop three feet of snow, I've done it the army way, which means you rarely have to worry about weight until you're on snowshoes pulling a toboggan, as the remainder of the time, the trucks handle what the soldiers don't pack in.
Whoops, did someone mention trucks? You're doing this on two wheels buddy, and if you want to enjoy the ride as a dual sport bike is capable of, then you'd best keep your cargo on the light side, as well as low on the bike. With that in mind, it's time to look at some of the gear that will get me through a weekend but perhaps may not be suitable for a couple weeks on and presumably off road.
Enter the stove pictured here. I was considering upgrading to a modern stove such as the MSR Whisperlight or similar, but I kept going back to the simplicity and rugged construction of my SVEA123R. If you check youtube or google this stove, you'll find that it's been in production for over sixty years, and while it's by no means tiny and light, it is very robust, self cleaning, and requires no pressurising unless you are in extreme cold or high altitude. In fact, you'll find many reports of "I just pulled mine out of the shed after storing it in 1970, and it still works." My story wasn't as ambitious, I pulled mine out and got a nice cuppa tea in my hands in under a quarter of an hour on six year old stale naptha or white gas.
Did I mention that in a pinch it will burn gasoline? (Yeah, it'll gum up so at some point you would need to clean the jet valve and tank with carburettor cleaner or similar to get rid of the deposits, but I was thinking it'll get you from "ran out of naphtha", to "Hey! Look! A Canadian Tire!" or similar)

My friend Darlene sent me a link to some research that she'd been doing about alcohol stoves, and I'd been able to share some links to resources that I'd had for some time.

This is a pepsi can stove I made myself over the winter. It has some rough edges (sharp too) that need refining.

Scout Alcohol stove with included windscreen and heat reflector base for $13 off of eBay

200ml cup-a-soup at -18C took three ounces of Methyl Hydrate to boil

The thought of a lightweight, no moving parts stove that can be made with a pocket knife and two pop cans is highly appealing, although transporting denatured alcohol not so much, but then I was prepared to pack coleman stove fuel, eh? But it'd make a great back-up stove if needed, and gas line anti freeze is available just about anywhere they sell fuel.  I made a purchase off of E-Bay of the Scout Alcohol Stove an alcohol side jet low pressure stove off of user hikinglite2010 for around $13 dollars shipped from the States to my front door in Canada via USPS. After testing outdoors in sub zero and above zero temps (275 metres above sea level), I have this to say about alcohol stoves:

Pros: Extremely easy to pack, light and operate. The fuel is non-volatile and flames can be extinguished with water unlike naptha or gasoline which requires an extinguisher. The fuel is readily available throughout the world as denatured alcohol, methyl hydrate and other names including "HEET" in the yellow bottle, a gas line anti freeze. The stove is made out of recycled materials and is sturdy and strong with no moving pieces to gum up or break down. Simmer control is available by moving the pot higher above the stove.

Cons: Wind will displace the heat from underneath the pot requiring either a better windscreen or a longer burn time. Cold weather (test was at -16 deg C) requires three times as much fuel to heat 500ml of water to a boil. Preheating time varies with outdoor temperatures so boil times are somewhat inconsistent over temperature extremes. Warm weather with low wind is ideal. Burns with an invisible flame in the daylite. Stove cannot be shut off, flame out and no simmer control.

Will I pack one for the TLH? Yes, but only as a backup and I don't plan on bringing more than 16oz of fuel for it. Perhaps for wash water and the like. The SVEA123R burns hotter, and will heat 500ml of water to a 3min boil four times on one four oz tank of fuel.

They used to sell these as fuel bottles, but now they're for water. Unless you're Rotten like me. :)

I bought some Sigg bottles to use for Naphtha fuel storage. They used to be terribly common and inexpensive as fuel bottles, but MSR has pushed them aside as the newer stoves seem to mate only with the MSR brand of fuel bottle or so similar that it doesn't matter. I've a couple of older Sigg 600ml fuel bottles, but I need to carry more fuel, so I opted for what Sigg is now calling a water bottle, four 1 litre containers (I bought them  on sale at $7.98 and now they're listed at $2.99 :(  )

Post Ride Notes:

The SVEA was a workhorse and I used 600ml of fuel to heat my own rations and those of friends, but we also ate out more often than I expected, and we used the ration heaters a few times late at night, so I was very impressed with how the stove ran on six year old fuel, easy to light and work with, although the Whisperlite stoves were faster to boil up food, I was very happy with my SVEA and will pack it along again. One rider used an MSR pocket rocket canister stove, and in zero wind it worked well and packed neatly, but in a 30kph wind took three times longer to boil water, so a windscreen is necessary.

Now to take a look at making my shaving gear lighter. Camp suds? A shaving brush and bar soap?

2011/05/09

Primus Himalaya Omnifuel

My friend Dan has a brother-in-law who is an honest to god mountain climber, and when asked to recommend a stove, he suggested a Primus Himalaya Omnifuel, which seems to date from 2001. I looked at a few reviews, and while they agree that it is a pricey stove, it's a performer, and few reviews mention packing spare generators and the like. It'll burn just about anything with the correct jet installed, and canister gas as well, but the best part is you can use canister gas in sub zero temps as you can invert the canister attached to the remote hose thus allowing liquid gas to travel to the warm burner to vaporize. Have a look and see if you agree. The current price point is $159 at MEC.ca here in Toronto. I'm still taking my SVEA123R, but this will be my replacement stove when it blows up.

Maps, Tracks, Waypoints and guide books

Currently the province of Newfoundland offers a free travel guide and map on their website available to order online here:  http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlanYourTrip/TravelBrochures
It shows Labrador and Newfoundland in good detail, enough for a trip by road certainly, although it doesn't show any of the fuel stops I was hoping for so I made sure that I loaded a track from a person who cycled the TLH last year, and posted a nicely detailed track including fuel stops and other interesting sites while he slowly made his way from Blanc Sablon to Baie Comeau.  http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?page_id=80600

I plan on riding the T'Railway, part of the TransCanada Trail system. You can download maps and gpx data here: http://www.tctrail.ca/tlocator/tlocator_en.html or download all the trail gpx data here: http://www.tctrail.ca/GPX/getfile.php?file=NL.gpx

Printable maps in PDF format for the entire T'Railway: http://www.tctrail.ca/pdf_maps/NL_maps.zip

Ride The Rock has some great information about Labrador and Newfoundland
http://www.ridetherock.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7211

ADVRider has a number of Ride Reorts, but this one stands out for beautiful pictures and gps results showing how far they went each day on their trip. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=620129

Food

I bought a case of American Army Meal Ready to Eat or MRE's as they're known. Twelve meals in a case for about $135 dollars from Costco in Canada.

Meals Ready to Eat MRE

These MRE-based meals were designed by and for the US military and are the most advanced shelf-stable food in the world. Provides complete nutritious meals anytime, anywhere. Using the included flameless ration heater you can heat these meals by using 59.1 ml (2 oz.) of water, no stove needed! FEMA has purchased millions of these meals because they are perfect for emergency preparedness in case of natural disasters such as floods, power failures and anytime you can’t get to the grocery store. They are also perfect for hunting and camping trips or anyone who works in the field or remote area.

Features:

• 12 complete meals: 4 breakfast and 8 lunch/dinner meals)
• Each meal features entrée, side dish, dessert, wheat bread, drink powder, hot chocolate and condiments
• Spoon, napkin and moist towelette included in each kit
• Flameless ration heater in each kit
• 5-year shelf life
• Over 14,000 calories per case (equivalent to 7 days of food for 1 adult)
• Rugged packaging – waterproof and rodent and insect proof
  
  
  
  

Post Ride Note: These bulked heavy, and I used only a third of the accessories I brought with me, I have oodles of the crackers, bread, and desserts. I found that I'd eat the entrees then fall gratefully to sleep. The breakfast meals were quite good to my suprise, although with no variety, so it was hashbrowns and pork sausage patty over and over. Yummy!

Solar Power:

I was looking at a solar charging system, and read some good articles on it so thought this might be a good place to share some information.

http://www.21st-century-goods.com/products/Sunlinq-12-Watt-Lightweight-Portable-Solar-Panel.html

Sunlinq 6.5 Watts

Solar power follow-up:

I found a seven watt panel on eBay that out performs the Sunlinq in that it comes complete with a USB ouput and a 12V output, including a battery pack that was included in the kit. http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/79/Guide-10-Adventure-Kit

Guide 10 Battery Pack

Output Port

USB 2.5 watts 5V:0.5A)

General

Product Weight (no pkg)6.4 oz / 0.18 kgs Product dimensions2.5 x 4 x 0.75 (inch)6 x 10 x 2 (cm) WarrantyTwelve months

Operating Temperatures

Optimal Operating 32°-104°F 0°-40°C Optimal Storage 32°-86°F 0°-30°C

Nomad 7 Solar Panel

Input Source

7 watt mono-crystalline solar technology

Output Ports

USB output 5 volts DC output 12 volts

General

Product Weight (no pkg)0.8 lbs0.36kgs Product Dimensions (Folded)6 x 9 x 1 (inch)15 x 23 x 2.5 (cm) Product Dimensions (Unfolded)19 x 9 x 0.1 (inch)48 x 23 x 0.25 (cm) WarrantyTwelve months

Operating Temperatures

Optimal Operating 32°-104°F 0°-40°C Optimal Storage32°-86°F0°-30°C

It works as claimed and managed to charge my Blackberry Torch off of the solar panel itself or just the battery pack, as well as topping up my iTouch 2Gen. For camping or simply extending the battery life of my phone it seems like I picked a winner that packs into the size of the school binder you used to lug around between classes. I now feel like a planet wrecker when it sits folded up and not in use while I burn electricity to spin up hard drives and the like, knowing that it could be quietly charging batteries all the while the sun burns.

Update: 2011/07/08

Just over a week to go before we let out the clutch and I've tons to do yet for the trip. For fuel I'm just going to buy the one litre containers they sell at Canadian tire. They hold a litre and are designed to hold the fuel while under moderate pressure. Doh!

The good news is that the water bottles I bought are now being used in my work truck as water bottles so they're no great loss and I've gotten quite a bit of use out of them already.

So far I mounted some Kenda 270's with new heavy duty tubes for the trip, wired in a power source for my GPS, a battery volt meter, and will do an oil and air filter change this weekend, as well as test pack the bike to see how the load goes.

Oh, I was reporting horrible fuel mileage after my 685 rebuild, pulled apart the carb to shim the needle back down a bit to lean it out, and found that I'd installed the needle incorrectly (Thanks Willys from KLR650.net) and am now running it with a KLX needle in the third clip position, and need to make a test ride to see what I can get out of a tank. One stretch of the TLH is just over 400km long between gas stops.

Update: 2019-09-30 Power Banks

Over the last eight years I've changed up how I recharge my electronics while on the go. I now carry a 10,000 mAh power bank that I use to charge my phone and my Cardo Scala G4 overnight. During the day I recharge the power back directly off of the bike itself using a Battery Tender Jr. USB Charger (SAE to USB with up to 2000mAh output ). It's a great system that has worked well for me. If I were to camp in place for more than a few days, I would perhaps find room for a solar panel to recharge the power bank during the day.

An older 6700 mAh charger worked quite well provided it was charged during the day while on the bike.

RavPower 6700 mAh