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 :-)