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Voltage posted:That sounds like an amazing trip, what bike/gear do you have? I have a 3rd generation with sv650 with less than 7000km on the cloch with a triplet of givi cases. The tent is a new purchase - I've just pitched it once to make sure it's good to go, I went with a pretty basic $100 tent with decent amazon reviews that packs short enough to fit in the panniers - it's nothing I would take to the mountains for a week of hiking but for this it's fine. Since I've gotten soft with age I've got a nice inflatable ground sheet that's fairly enormous and a loving inflatable pillow, imagine that. If it was warmer I'd go with the small sleeping bag and the hammock setup which packs real compact and everything would fit in the cases easily. For cooking I have this small propane job, but I don't plan on cooking much. Mainly tea and coffe probably. Only tools is a few crescent wrenches, a plug kit and my smallest air pump, a swiss army knife and the scissors in the first aid kit. Supradog posted:Going around Vänern is sadly pretty boring, the north parts does not have good alternatives to the main roads. south western parts has the most interesting roads, but a good bit of them is pretty restrictive in speed limit.
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# ? Apr 27, 2023 14:37 |
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# ? Apr 23, 2024 18:33 |
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Invalido posted:I have a 3rd generation with sv650 with less than 7000km on the cloch with a triplet of givi cases. The tent is a new purchase - I've just pitched it once to make sure it's good to go, I went with a pretty basic $100 tent with decent amazon reviews that packs short enough to fit in the panniers - it's nothing I would take to the mountains for a week of hiking but for this it's fine. Since I've gotten soft with age I've got a nice inflatable ground sheet that's fairly enormous and a loving inflatable pillow, imagine that. If it was warmer I'd go with the small sleeping bag and the hammock setup which packs real compact and everything would fit in the cases easily. For cooking I have this small propane job, but I don't plan on cooking much. Mainly tea and coffe probably. Only tools is a few crescent wrenches, a plug kit and my smallest air pump, a swiss army knife and the scissors in the first aid kit. Bring some zip ties!
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# ? Apr 27, 2023 16:09 |
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builds character posted:Bring some zip ties!
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# ? Apr 27, 2023 17:55 |
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To reduce the packed gear, remember the dual use of things. ie a right kind of fleece/ wool jacket is also the extra insulation layer below your mc jacket if needed. a camp sweatpant is the same for the lower body. You talked about campfires, yeah bring a tennpose or two, a lighter and a pocket saw so you make a camp fire if needed, and camp in an area where you can have that. It gives you something to do in the evening, and is Nice. The availability of firewood and a suitable place for a fire is real high on my list when I mc camp. Packing for my first trip this year too, though we chickened out and wanted to go teltless this round, friday to a cabin near halden, then saturday morning the ferry over from strömstad to sandefjord. We got an air b&b in grimstad saturday-monday. sunday is roundtrip near grimstad. Monday super slab to oslo, or back roads from skien towards oslo if we're bored by the main roads
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# ? Apr 27, 2023 20:01 |
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I made it to my halfway point without problems worth mentioning. I slept well enough in the tent and only had to wear the rain suit for a little bit. Apart from some minor gear related lessons the two major things I've learned so far is that a small rear preload adjustment makes a world of difference to the bike's handling when loaded down, and also how dumb and dangerous it is to push ahead rather than resting when you're tired, even if only a little bit. I will give myself more time for the return to account for this. I found some roads that were proper little gems today. Some 3rd gear twisties and lots of 5th gear sweepers with great asphalt, no traffic and never a cop in sight. Good times, though perhaps a bit on the cold side.
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# ? Apr 29, 2023 16:19 |
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I'm asking everyone about their GPS tracking because I'm trying to nail it down. What app is that?
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# ? Apr 29, 2023 18:49 |
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My route app. Lifetime one time pay or subscription pay app. Here is a link to that actual route for tomorrow. https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/7351772?mode=share They recently added a Navigation app, with tracker functionality. It used to be a “make routes for your gps device” web tool. But gps devices are getting old school so they’re adding actual navigation. I run an old waterproof Mobile phone on a data sim.
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# ? Apr 29, 2023 20:37 |
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So I made it back home without problems. I went around 1200 km over four days, although this morning I only did maybe 150 km since I wanted to stay ahead of cold rain moving in from the west, so yesterday was the longest stint of the trip. Waiting for the ferry east of Norrköping. I ended up taking this ferry on the return trip as well, since it's a good way to avoid boring roads. I headed well south of the big lakes before heading for the west coast, and found the roads to be pretty delightful overall. I spent maybe 100km on boring straight roads, 20 km on gravel and the rest was two lane or one lane rural asphalt roads, except where they went through small towns and villages of which there were many. Camp the first night. This wasn't a planned location, just someplace I spotted in the corner of my eye when I happened to feel tired and the sun was getting low in the sky. The tent was fine, the inflatable foam pad a bit leaky (because of course it was) and my sleeping bag not quite warm enough for the weather. I still slept well and woke fully rested, though camping isn't super pleasant when it's just above freezing. First time using this cheap no-name propane cooker on anything more than a day excursion. It's great and I love it. Being Swedish I've always used the ubiquitous spirit burning Trangia cookset before and they're pretty fantastic in many ways but gas is just so convenient and since I was alone a smaller, lighter kit was just way more handy. Hot beverages and hot food makes a huge difference for comfort when it's cold. Unlike when hiking I didn't bother with fancy freeze dried stuff, canned goods and such is easy enough to bring when you don't carry it on your back. The beach at my turnaround point where I met up with some friends for a thing. I got to sleep in a bunk bed that night, although the dude below me snored something fierce forcing me to use the earplugs at night too. My ear passages didn't appreciate the lack of recovery, and the plugs were increasingly painful all the next day when I headed back east. Lots and lots of this type of riding with empty roads, good surface and no cops or even speed cameras (though these are of little importance since they only take pictures from the front if you trigger them) Things I've learned: -If I'm going on more long trips in temperatures between 0-10C, I need either a different bike with wind protection or a better jacket that's actually windproof for real and not just almost. I'll also need warmer boots. And a warmer sleeping bag. -I don't like the stock tires sitting on the bike and I will replace them shortly, probably with Angel GTs. -The givi cases are very convenient, but the panniers work best if they're packed in such a way that they can be opened while on the bike without spilling their contents on the ground. Part of the solution to the problem is to simply bring less stuff. Warmer weather would help greatly in enabling this. -My plan for charging gizmos worked pretty well. I charged the sacrificial phone with the cracked screen on the bar mount and everything else from a powerbank in camp. I charged the powerbank under the seat when riding. Except I can't access the key hole for the seat when the left pannier is mounted, which is a minor inconvenience. -This trip has increased my love for my SV650 a great deal, but the seat hurts my rear end after a few hours of riding. Not sure if it's a case of HTFU or a softer replacement yet. -Don't bring a thermos flask. This is a useless item when motocamping, seeing as every gas station sells coffee and such. (I never used any bike tools or the first aid kit either, but they're coming along on the next trip because you never know.) -Early weekend mornings is the best time to ride and well worth the inconvenience of getting out of bed. No traffic, lots of wildlife to see. I don't want to hit boar or a deer or worst case a moose so I went pretty slow, but I saw so many animals this morning and it was amazing.
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# ? May 1, 2023 11:43 |
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Oh yeah another lesson I've learned is that it's possible to scratch the motorcycling itch so thoroughly that it's completely gone. I had to drive to work today rather than ride something on two wheels and I didn't feel the least bit sad about it, which is a new experience for me. I don't know how long this feeling will last and I hope it isn't permanent since riding is fun but for now I'm kind of enjoying the satisfaction. Also I'm already looking at interesting routes to Norway
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# ? May 2, 2023 07:39 |
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Invalido posted:Things I've learned: Invalido posted:-This trip has increased my love for my SV650 a great deal, but the seat hurts my rear end after a few hours of riding. Not sure if it's a case of HTFU or a softer replacement yet.
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# ? May 3, 2023 06:40 |
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televiper posted:You mentioned only needing your rain gear for a little bit - have you tried using your rain gear for a windbreaker outer layer while riding? I've put my FroggToggs rainsuit to that use sometimes, and it really helps a lot. Yeah, the rain suit is windproof and made things warmer for sure. It's just not super comfortable to wear and blocks access to pockets and is just a faff in general. When I wear the warm weather mesh gear I usually bring a rain jacket to put on top if it gets too cold without it after sunset or something. On the return trip I tried a trick I've seen Tour de France riders do when descending mountains - I put a newspaper over my chest, which helped noticeably. Still, a better jacket with a gore-tex membrane is high on my wish list. As for a cushier saddle, there's at least two decent looking options to choose from. I'll do the best research I can before I pull the plug, but in an ideal world I'd like to try before I buy, though I don't see how that would be possible. It's a $300 item or thereabout, so I'd like to get it right.
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# ? May 3, 2023 10:10 |
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Went on a one day overnighter with my brother. Testing the charging situation on my tenere in practice with actual normal touring usage, so some heated grips + power to gps phone. All ready to go We rode to an area we've been before, its pretty remote and sparsely populated, so you can hear the black grouse play at nightfall. Not my video but good example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHpILCc14jo Still some ice slush on the lake, but it was visibly melting as the day progressed. We took the opportunity to use the gapahuk / leanto as the gnats and mosquito aren't active yet. We heard some black grouse in the hills on the far side of the lake. A nice trip, good weather and roads.
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# ? May 14, 2023 16:49 |
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I built a a super large cargo carrier out of conduit for that tent cot thing I was talking about. Plus I want to bring a canopy. If doesn't seem to to be impacting handling noticeably, though if I loaded it up it would turn into a wheelie bar. I am planning on just pulling it off unless I am on a trip like that.
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# ? May 14, 2023 17:39 |
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Wow, i love that Tenere so much. We need colorful but 'simple' designs like that again.
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# ? May 14, 2023 20:21 |
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Agreed tbh. I kinda liked the older blocky style bodies from the 90s on sports bikes.
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# ? May 14, 2023 22:02 |
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What do y'all use for food storage? Like limited space. Animals attacking the bike seems like a no go, hard panniers seem like a bad idea.
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# ? May 15, 2023 05:10 |
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Just a random swede chiming in, but food storage isn't really a concern here. I remember camp ground bear lockers and stringing stuff up in trees being a thing when camping across the U.S. in my youth, but we don't have raccoons or black bears where I live and the brown bears don't really approach people. I guess mice could gently caress my poo poo up given enough time and solitude maybe? Never had any problems with animals going for my food when camping here so I just put it wherever pretty much.
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# ? May 15, 2023 05:32 |
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The only thing I’ve had happen food wise in the nordics is a fox finding some opened hot dog packages when I was a kid on a school organised mountain trip. It ate and poo poo all over the area to get room for all the hot dogs. You can get seagulls and such investigating opened food containers too. But yeah, nothings here really breaks into things for food. I’d just do a rope, toss that over a tree branch with an appropriate stick and pack things in a waterproof dry bag.
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# ? May 15, 2023 07:34 |
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My food's usually inside a zip-up lunchbag in a hardcase that I put well away from my tent and bike. I ought to be stringing it up but since I'm always in provincial parks, there's usually other people around who are less cautious about food safety, so I figure it's a pretty good chance the bear goes for them instead. Kinda like how the safest way to park your bike outside is up the block from someone who street parks theirs with no locks.
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# ? May 18, 2023 05:53 |
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Supradog posted:Went on a one day overnighter with my brother. Testing the charging situation on my tenere in practice with actual normal touring usage, so some heated grips + power to gps phone. beautiful
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# ? May 27, 2023 17:17 |
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Hooray! I just learned that my whole array of janky summer camping gear fits in just one of the side cases! (hammock, underquilt, tree straps, tarp, mosquito net, sleeping bag, pillow, propane cooker). Maybe I should just pony up for one of those fancy all-in-one hammock tent thingamajigs and make things a little easier for myself. Then again the current setup isn't worse than pitching a tent, except the tarp I have is too big. I had a much sweeter tarp years ago but lost it
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# ? Jun 22, 2023 19:32 |
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I was planning a short moto camp around midsummer but that didn't happen so I haven't done any camping this summer since the cold weekend trip in April/May, but I have a window of opportunity opening up for that Norway trip. Last night I paddled out on the local lake to test out the hammock setup. It was dark by the time I got to the tiny island, and not wanting anyone to know I was there (this is in a pretty urban setting) I just strung my gear up without using the headlamp. First time using the tree straps (they're great but heavy, wouldn't bring them hiking), first time in the new warm weather sleeping bag (great) second time using the underquilt (also great), tarp still kinda sucks. It's 4x3 meters and I want to string it the other way but there are no eylets for the gable line doing it that way. It wasn't sagging like that when I pitched it last night, I think I'll replace the lovely corner lines with stiffer ones and hope that solves it. Anyways I slept fine until 4:30 in the morning when I heard loud voices approaching, some music and other noises. I became wide awake listening to this wondering what was up, and by the time I got out of the sleeping bag I saw a tent not 30 meters from my setup. I don't think the sounds that woke me were related to this though, more likely the tent was already there when I arrived last night and I just didn't see it in the dark. Such are the perils of camping out near a lot of other people I guess. Anyways, I've decided on going with the hammock instead of the tent at least. I'll probably head out in the coming days, possibly tomorrow. Weather isn't looking fantastic but not catastrophic either and if I'm to wait out this current low pressure system I could be waiting for a long time, it looks like it's sticking around for at least another week and there are no guarantees of any high pressure systems before I need to be back at work in mid August.
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# ? Jul 19, 2023 10:15 |
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So I made it to Norway. It's been raining a lot, but not all the time and I've ridden some spectacular roads. Also I changed my mind about my tarp, I love it now, it has kept me and my gear dry two rainy nights in a row. The hammock was the right decision. Tonight odds are good I will sleep in a house. I have used almost all of my packed equipment this time except emergency stuff and underwear that's still clean, so I'm learning. Keeping enough room in the top case for the helmet and rain suit requires discipline, but it's possible. My biggest disappointment is that my riding boots aren't actually water tight, but still they have enough of a membrane that they won't dry with my feet still inside. Wool socks would have been slightly better I guess. Or those goofy looking boot cover thingys.
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# ? Jul 22, 2023 06:29 |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX5i_swivTU
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# ? Jul 24, 2023 17:41 |
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lol at “ol’ reliable” there. the k5 gsxr1000 that beat the ducati on the track making a new appearance.
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# ? Jul 29, 2023 03:30 |
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yummycheese posted:lol at “ol’ reliable” there. the k5 gsxr1000 that beat the ducati on the track making a new appearance. his name is Dave.
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# ? Jul 30, 2023 01:50 |
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I just learned about structural ridgelines for hammocks. I feel dumb as poo poo not figuring this out on my own, I need that. No more sketchily climbing trees to get the right droop angle when trees are a bit too far apart, no more adjusting things several times for good sag either, just string it up and be done. Also I ended up stringing a flimsy ridgeline just for the bug netting more often than not on the last outing since the line I had attached under the tarp ended up too high for the purpose most times. I just did a proof of concept with a rope and a stationary garden hammock and it works, I'm gonna buy some dyneema line and splice one up all nice. I'm also gonna sew up one or two of those ridgeline organizer bags the dude shows off at 6:50 in the video below. My hammock has a side pocket but it's nicer to keep things overhead I think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko6AzW01DMg Norway went fine by the way. Lots of excellent riding, mindbendingly beautiful scenery. Lots of lovely weather I guess but still mostly good times, camping went fine though I did a bit of more advanced trail riding than an SV650 should ever see in an ideal world to find quiet places to sleep a few times. Last night was the worst, I slept in a swarm of mosquitos on the Swedish side of the mountain range. I think I killed two dozen or so that followed me in under the bug net before I was left in peace. By the time I was ready to break camp and ride home it was raining pretty hard too with the bloodsuckers still hanging around. No morning coffee that day. The only mechanical issue I had was my right hand Oxford Evo heated grip not working intermittently. Luckily it came back to life when I needed it the most, crossing a cold high mountain plateau with wet gloves, only to stop working again when I was two hours from home, warm and dry. Campsite first night, not far from Borlänge, Sweden Perfectly normal Norwegian vista, nothing really special for that country but I thought it was nice enough to stop and take a picture. Perfectly average Norwegian road, again nothing special over there but still fun. I took the picture since I stopped there for a piss, not because it was the most amazing section of road I saw or anything. The trick to the most excellent riding was finding a combination of no traffic, good asphalt and no rain. When it happened (and it was't super rare by any means) it was magic. this is just a gas station. A perfectly average fjord not far from Bergen where friends happen to live and I was invited to stay over. I slept in a bed, ate good food, swam in the (very cold) fjord and even tried my hand at fishing from the dock. No takers on the lure though. Maybe next summer, we'll see.
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# ? Jul 31, 2023 14:21 |
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Invalido posted:
Check the connectors, ive had them vibrate to be not fully snug inside before. Or it’s the controller pad that dying, that can also happen. It’s real fun when that happens, there is a weather change, you only have the non insulated rain proof gloves and temperatures drop to near freezing while the heated grips turn themselves off randomly every 10sec to 2 mins and sometimes needs multiple presses to turn on.
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# ? Jul 31, 2023 19:25 |
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I brought a set of hex keys with me on the trip so I managed to remove the tiny front fairing where the connectors are tucked away and inspected and also switched them over - they're labeled left/right but otherwise identical. Anyways the fault stayed on the right grip only which in my mind elliminates the controller and points towards the grip itself being the issue. I had no multimeter with me and didn't have the means to investigate further. I haven't looked into it since I got home either. Haven't done much to the bike other than cleaning it, lubing the chain and putting it away. My riding itch has been so thoroughly scratched it might be a while yet before I feel like doing anything moto related. Anyways, I can buy a new grip as a spare part if the multimeter points that way. Only issue is I can only find it from US or UK vendors which is suboptimal since Brexit. I guess I might shoot an email to the seller first thought, maybe I have a valid warranty claim. The farkle is less than six months old. E: there are relatively tiny and cheap multimeters. I'm probably getting one and bringing it next time I go riding far from home I think. Invalido fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Jul 31, 2023 |
# ? Jul 31, 2023 20:18 |
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Hydro power regulated lakes with seasoned pine stubs is excellent camping areas.
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# ? Aug 4, 2023 23:22 |
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Supradog posted:Hydro power regulated lakes with seasoned pine stubs is excellent camping areas. Ain't that the truth. A long time ago a friend and I kayaked down one of northern Sweden's large rivers, started near the border to Norway. First night we camped on the shore of the first dam reservoir, pine stubs everywhere, thousands of them. Perfect firewood, but in very large chunks. We only had a small hatchet and couldn't really break them apart so we just pushed a few stumps together and made a huge bonfire, had to sit pretty far away from it. Toasty chests but out backs felt a little cold so we just made another fire a bit further away so we could sit between them and be toasty all over. Never seen anything like it, firewood-wise, just ridiculous.
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# ? Aug 5, 2023 09:12 |
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Here is some more images from the run last weekend. 3 day ride, 900km/560 miles. The route was up north to the family mountain cabin, then camp by the hydro regulated lake Nesvatn. In general the weather was okay, normal late summer weather in Norway with a good bit of rain showers, and then full sun. First time I've run the full glamping load on the vfr, no issues at all. Full glamping load, with tents, the big chairs and the royal box. As stated before, the higher elevated hydro regulated lakes here in scandinavia usually had a good bit of Pinus_sylvestris growing around it that was cut down. The roots has resin that is both rot resistant and very flammable which means you got a lot of ready tinder that's super easy to use if you find less travelled camping spots. All in all, a nice trip, but would have been total poo poo without proper rain gear.
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# ? Aug 11, 2023 20:07 |
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I'm more than a little jealous that you get to go out and ride Norwegian roads just like that. For me it's one day in, one day out, but you better believe I'll do my utmost to make it happen again next year. My eldest kid was adamant I take her camping during the last days of my summer vacation so we went for a short kayak overnight trip. She used my tent and I got to try out the new hammock mods. Structural ridgeline out of HMPE 3mm line. Good for 1200kg according to the seller which should be plenty, also completely insanely strong for that dimension if true. The point of this line is to get a faster setup with less adjusting so I just tried out a good length and spliced loops that go in the carabiners, and it works fine just like the internet said it would. I also whipped up a first attempt at a pair of ridgeline organizer bags. They work and I'm completely sold on the concept of overhead storage inside the mosquito net but I'll redo them and make something better before next motocamping season. Also use a better fabric. The sheer tulle mesh whatever it's called I found in my wife's stash and used was difficult to sew with my limited skills and they ended up too flimsy to put stuff into or retrieve from them by feel in the dark. It's nice that they're see-through and pack really small though, but a bit of ribbon around the edges and a slightly different form factor should improve them greatly even if I use the same fabric next time. The journey home wasn't great, strong headwind so I had to take kiddo in tow and paddle pretty hard to gain any distance at all, the worst kilometer took about 30 minutes of very hard work. Kiddo was happy during and proud after so it's all good.
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# ? Aug 14, 2023 20:55 |
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Packed my stuff to see if my PHAT new sleeping mat and (for the upcoming weather) too hot sleeping bag fit onto the bike. Everything fits comfortably, i can still put a lot of food and stuff into my backpack on the tank, and just enjoy riding without anything on my back. I'm probably going to Ennepetal in the Sauerland region of Germany. Leaving thursday if the thunder storms aren't gonna be too bad. Spend all of friday riding the mountain roads, and on saturday home - perhaps see if there is a nice road along the Rhine i can follow for a while. Saturday or sunday back home - depending on whether there are any weekend closures of mountain roads for motorcycles (thanks, mr loud pipes) and whether i still feel like being in 30 degree heat. I can essentially choose between perfect temperatures and rain, or dry weather and oppressive heat, cause i don't wanna postpone my trip any longer. Though i've been struggling with some health issues that make riding uncomfortable, which would suck badly if they would flare up again.
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# ? Aug 14, 2023 20:57 |
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This is my favorite thread to check in on. I did a trip up the Oregon coast going north in three days then highway 101 all the way back in two. Really fun trip and the triumph was great. I get to replace the tires now also which is pretty exciting. I picked up a backpacking cot and it was a game changer on comfort slept really well.
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# ? Aug 20, 2023 19:02 |
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bobbert posted:This is my favorite thread to check in on. I did a trip up the Oregon coast going north in three days then highway 101 all the way back in two. Really fun trip and the triumph was great. I get to replace the tires now also which is pretty exciting. I picked up a backpacking cot and it was a game changer on comfort slept really well. that looks like an amazing trip. glad you got some clear days in there, last time I drive the Oregon coast it was foggy 90% of the time
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# ? Aug 20, 2023 19:26 |
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bobbert posted:This is my favorite thread to check in on. I did a trip up the Oregon coast going north in three days then highway 101 all the way back in two. Really fun trip and the triumph was great. I get to replace the tires now also which is pretty exciting. I picked up a backpacking cot and it was a game changer on comfort slept really well. I love the coast in the NW.
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# ? Aug 20, 2023 19:32 |
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blaaauaghhhhh thatnks for that horrible loving thing in the middle of all those other nice photos
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# ? Aug 20, 2023 19:38 |
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bobbert posted:This is my favorite thread to check in on. I did a trip up the Oregon coast going north in three days then highway 101 all the way back in two. Really fun trip and the triumph was great. I get to replace the tires now also which is pretty exciting. I picked up a backpacking cot and it was a game changer on comfort slept really well. hell yeah see see rules
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# ? Aug 20, 2023 19:43 |
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# ? Apr 23, 2024 18:33 |
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Jazzzzz posted:that looks like an amazing trip. glad you got some clear days in there, last time I drive the Oregon coast it was foggy 90% of the time It was in the upper 90s inland which made those parts suck. My gear is a little better for cooler weather since I ride mostly on the coast at home. Coastal weather was amazing lower 70s and sunny north of Arcata. Sagebrush posted:blaaauaghhhhh thatnks for that horrible loving thing in the middle of all those other nice photos Lampreys are back at the zoo! Horrifying but I had never seen them in person. right arm posted:hell yeah see see rules See See was really cool, it was my last stop in Portland for breakfast and coffee before I left for Crescent City. I had almost ordered some shirts a while back but I am glad I waited for their merch shop. Portland is great though I love visiting. Few more shots: bobbert fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Aug 20, 2023 |
# ? Aug 20, 2023 22:17 |