SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker

I picked up this neat gadget in Santiago over the weekend; SPOT is a GPS receiver that is also capable of sending messages + location information via the Globalstar Satellites, which means that it works in areas that have no other forms of communication.


Pretty impressive when you consider that it can run for days on just two AA batteries!

As a registered SPOT user I can send messages and location data to friends and family as well as automatically update this blog with my current location, all for around $10 a month.

It's the ideal device to provide a little extra peace of mind as I travel through the desolate regions of Patagonia next month!

Les Stroud, host of "Survivorman" explains how all this works:-

Scala Rider

Riding with someone else is great especially when you can reliably communicate, useful for warnings of road obstacles or simply to share ones thoughts in realtime whilst zipping along.

Bike-to-bike radio headsets have been around for a while, I still have a set of Maxon units which operates on 49Mhz, walkie-talkie style of operation and have reasonable range and audio quality. Technology has moved on and we can now buy devices that offer full-duplex communications plus other useful features.

 The Scala Rider Q2 offers everything I was looking for in a modern biker headset system. This amazing gadget interfaces with my Zumo 550 GPS which in turn has a bluetooth connection to my iPhone which means that I can make and receive calls whilst on the move, with full access to my phone book and incoming caller ID via the touch screen of the GPS.

I've not tested the bike-to-bike intercom yet, but it's supposed to have a range of up to 500m. My riding buddy Glenn has purchased the same unit, so we will be making a lot of use of this feature when we ride through Patagonia in January.

The headset also has a built in radio and a connection for a MP3 player; however I find that the audio quality of the headset to be quiet poor but adequate for phone calls and probably OK for intercom. Positioning of the thin speakers inside the helmet is critical to achieving the full audio range the unit can provide.

The device comes with two helmet attachment methods, a removable clamp and a stick-on fixture. I had to go with the latter because the shell of my helmet is too thick to accept the clamp. The glue option certainly feels secure and the body of the device can be removed/exchanged with another device.

Fully Loaded

The bike is now fully loaded with luggage carriers, around 120lts of packing space ready for my tour down to Tierra del Fuego in January 2010. The plan in to head south from La Serena on the 9th, cross the border near Portillo on the morning of the 10th and meet up with my riding buddy (Glenn) and his girlfriend in Mendoza.

The rear panniers are Givi 'E41 Keyless', they feature a convenient top flap (secured by a combination lock) that provide easy access to your stuff without having to open the entire case. The build quality appears to be pretty good, I'm confident that they can take a few bumps without popping off. But hopefully there will not be an opportunity to test this theory!

Guanaqueros

On Saturday, I met up with Fabian, Gustavo and his wife for a bike trip out to Guanaqueros - a small fishing town south of La Serena (GPS 30º11'50''s - 71º25'20''W)
Guanaqueros is a popular spot for camping in the summer, it has 17km of fine sand beach. I'm told that the water is warmer in this sheltered cove ... which probably means it's a degree above frigid! The Pacific ocean in this part of the world is pretty cold.

After a spot of breakfast (scrambled egg sandwich and coffee), we looped back to La Serena via Barrancas, an unpaved road to the Ruta 43. This dirt road was quite challenging in places, quite loose surface and in need of some maintenance!

1,000km

With less than six weeks to go before I head-off to Mendoza to meet up with Glenn, I made the best of the weekend to clock-up some kms; December is going to be a busy month what with business travel and Christmas. The bike has now crossed the 1000km milestone, is fully run-in and almost ready for the adventure south. Today the bike went in for its first service and to fit the remaining luggage carriers - F*!K these things are expensive here, over $1,000 to fully outfit the bike.

The rear luggage case is a Givi - Bauletto E450 Simply Nero. It came with a universal rear mounting plate, which happens to fit the Transalp XL700 nicely. The case is easily removed and features a deep recessed handle making it easy to carry. The large red reflector adds to the rear visibility of the bike.

Scottoiler

Last weekend Gustavo helped me install the Scottoiler, an electronic chain lubrication system. Not only does this gadget extend the life of the motorcycle chain, but it also looks cool :-) I have it configured to dispense a drop of oil every 60 secs; it has a built in accelerometer to tell whether the bike is in motion and also an added feature of an ambient temperature monitor.

Gualliguaica

Earlier this month I rode out to the Equi Valley with Gustavo and his wife. We had a very pleasant ride out to Gualliguica where we stopped for breakfast. Known by the locals as "The Drowning Town", the Gualliguica you see today is in fact a reconstruction of the displaced original that is now under the Puclaro dam. A nice historical record of the town's demise can be found here:-

http://www.ludens.cl/photo/stories/gualliguaica/gualliguaica.html

A new road had to be built around the dam, the multiple S-bends around the lake border are particularly satisfying on two wheels :-)

Zumo GPS

GPS technology has moved on quite a bit since I bought my first Garmin III approx 10 years ago!

The Garmin Zumo 550 is specially designed for motos, it has a large bright colour display and many additional functions like a MP3 player and the ability to interface with your cellphone over bluetooth.

The Zumo is quiet pricey compared to similar GPS models just for cars, but I'm definitely glad I went for this unit; its well built and it came with all the necessary hardware to attach it to the bike and a separate mount for use in the car.

It took me around an hour to fit it to my bike, but most of this time was taken trying to figure out how to route the power cable! So I'm all set for a group ride out to the valley on Saturday.

Low Speed & Tight Turns

Whilst you never forget how to ride a bike, it takes a while to learn about your new machine's particular quirks and behavior.

One characteristic of the Honda XL700 TransAlp that has taken me a little by surprise is its alarming tendency to 'dive' heavily towards the ground when making tight turns at low speed! I'm pretty sure that this was a contributing factor in my fall yesterday.

A friend of mine has the previous model and he say's it does the same, and that it has caused him to drop the bike also. So the point to take away here is to obviously avoid making tight turns at low speed, especially in slow moving city traffic when there is a tendency to 'weave' a little behind a slow moving vehicle in an attempt not to come to a complete standstill; it's essential not to stop whilst in the middle of a turn or there's a good chance you 're gonna go down!

Cerro Grande

So I've been riding to work everyday getting used to the bike as well as a few longer rides out to the valley and along the coastline. I've clocked up several hundred Kms and felt I was ready for something a little more challenging - off road!

Now, I've been up Cerro Grande many times in the truck and my Jeep; the road is pretty rough and steep in places but ordinary cars can reach the summit if you take it easy. So I figured that it wouldn't be too bad on the bike. It was a nice day and I was looking forward to the view.

However, I seriously under estimated how rough and loose the road surface was; before I even got to the first switch-back I got into trouble. Bouncing around in the ruts, I tried to stabilize myself but lost my footing on the loose surface and dropped the bike - Shit! I fell backwards onto my left shoulder - ouch! The bike is lying in the dirt on its side and I fear the worse. Damn this bike is heavy, finally I get it back onto its stand and inspect the damage. Thank god for the optional engine guard, it took the fall, only the plastic wind guard on the left handlebar is a little scuffed and the rear indicator lens popped off, the gear change looks a little bent as well.

Maneuvering the bike on this steep incline to a position on to which I could safely get back on it was a struggle, the bike literally started to slide backwards under the loose gravel, what a nightmare! Eventually I found a spot with some traction, got on and gingerly rode to a point that was reasonably level and had enough room for me to turn-around and abort this suicide mission!

I got back down safely and headed home. A learned a painful lesson today, I shall treat my bike and the road conditions with a lot more respect in future!

It's here!

I have to admit, I was feeling pretty nervous at picking up my new bike, new jacket, lid and gloves too! A colleague from work also showed up to witness my maiden voyage - the pressure was on not to screw this up :-)

Any ho, I saddled up and adjusted the mirrors; after letting the motor idle for a min. I slowly pulled out of the bike store without a hitch - phew!

59bhp of pure fun and freedom

It has probably been 15 years since I've owned a motorcycle, but I've always promised myself that one day I would make a road trip, and that time is coming - Jan 2010 the mother of all journeys, the infamous Ruta 40 Argentina.

I take delivery of the bike next week, I need to get some practice in!