Exhaustion doesn't even explain what I feel today. I can barely lift my feet to walk. My brain is tired.

It was an AWESOME weekend though, so it's all worth it. I'll heal (and probably be stronger in the long run) and I think I sweated off a few pounds out there in the heat.

Riding with Becca, I realized how few places I've been on my bike. I got this link for a map that shows where I've been (so far) on two wheels.



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.


I hope to have more states completed before too long, but we'll have to see how things go with time, money, and my health.

I'm excited about riding in the Hill Country with Becca this weekend, but I'm also a little nervous. It's been more than a year since I was out there, and almost two years since I've ridden through the Three Sisters (335, 336, 337). It was so long ago, I was still on my SV at the time!

I know that it's all mental.
I know that I just have to relax.
I know that I can do it, and I need to repeat that over and over.
I know that I'll have a good time!

When I get home from work tonight I have things to do to prepare for the trip, and I also need to get a full night of sleep if I'm going to be able to ride all day in the heat. I have to run over to Karen's, then Gavin's, then home to pack my clothes and gear. I should have done all this already, but you know me...

Gavin's bike hates me. It must. There's no other explanation for the amount of time and trouble this bike has taken to paint.

If it's not my fault, it's the temperature, or the color, or the sanding, or my gun spattering, or paint spilling... Yesterday I even got my socks stuck to my feet because I put my socks on after painting and apparently there was overspray on my feet!

So the first coat of clear is complete, sanding and all. It looks great, and I am confident the finish will be smooth as glass. Just two (or three) more coats... with sanding in between... and the pinstripe... and polishing...

Yeah, this is taking forever. Quality work usually does.

The painting is coming along well, although not without incident. I get excited about things going well, then I mess up something else.

-I've spilled enough paint on myself and the floor to fill a bucket.
-My exhaust fan stopped working for no reason.
-I ran out of masking tape at 3am.

The design that Gavin and I came up with (and finally agreed on) is much simpler than I'd originally excpected, ans a lot more surface area is covered with silver than I thought he wanted. The design is simple, but elegant. Nothing too flashy, nothing too boring. The mix of copper and silver are very complementary.

There is very little shading, and it's subtle. I didn't want anything too flashy, since Gavin had no idea what my plans were for shading the silver at all.

There are a few minor spots that had an adhesion problem that I'll need to correct, but otherwise I'll be clear-coating the project this weekend. LOTS of sanding involved, but that's what ensures a smooth, glass-like finish. It's worth it!

I was told I don't write enough on here, so I'll start rambling every now and then just to amuse my friends and keep people up to date on what I've been doing.

Right now I'm in the process of painting Gavin's motorcycle. It took forever to just get started. First there was cleanup, then repair work, then sanding, then more repair and more sanding. It seems the previous owner had completely rashed the side of the bike and had spray painted it to camoflage the damage.

Once it was ready, there was the issue of choosing a color. Gavin knew what he wanted, it was just a matter of finding paint to recreate what was in his head. Samples were ordered, test patches were sprayed, and we were on our way!

Now that I'm actually spraying paint, I feel like I'm making real progress. All the prep work was monotonous, but it really has worked out well - you can't see ANY signs of damage.



Pay no attention to the brightness of the orange. It's just a base color, and will be toned down to a deep copper onec I'm done. Can you believe this section was rashed and pushed in a half inch at the bolt hole?!?!

Added a 12v cigarette-type socket to my bike to power my cell phone on the trip, and to have for other things in the future like a pump for tires, an air mattress, etc. I chose a standard plug instead of a powerlet/BMW style so that I wouldn't need adapters to power my stuff. Well, that and I'm too cheap to spend money on the fancy one just to have it a little bit smaller. It is, however, also an SAE connector that will work for heated clothes (in case I'm ever rich enough to buy some) or a battery tender (yeah right, like I'm ever going to stop riding the bike long enough to need that!)

Total cost was 11.43+tax, about a half hour of time, and some basic tools and supplies.

The breakdown:
2.59 Mini In-Line Fuse holder
1.69 10-Amp Mini Fuses (Pkg of 3)
1.69 Ring Terminals (Pkg of 4)
1.99 (?) SAE Extension
3.47 SAE to Cig Adapter



I cut the SAE extension (used for trailer hitches) in half, thereby producing two leads that can be wired directly to the bike. For now, I'm only using one. ( I might add the other one up from by the dash later) I ran a lead off the battery for both positive and ground, as the VStrom is known to not like it much if you try to ground electrical components directly to the frame. Zip ties were used to secure the fuse holder to the outside of the under-seat storage area, and holes drilled to run the wires into the storage pan. A few soldered connections, some heat shrink tubing, and VOILA!

Less than 24 hours left until we launch. I'm packed (well, mostly packed) and I think I've thought of just about everything. This time tomorrow, my backside will be sore, I'll be tired, and we'll be a third of the way out of Texas!

Lists. I keep making them in the hopes that it will help me remember everything I need to buy, check on, pack, and do before the trip. Thing is, it takes forever to get one little thing crossed off and in the process at least one more thing will be added on.

I tried sewing my own pillow, since I'm not impressed with the compressible one I got from REI. I cheaped out and went with the small one that was on sale. Had I spent three times as much, I'd have unquestionable comfort. Should I just shell out the bucks and go for the top-'o-the-line model after all? The one I made isn't bad, it's just small. I could always try again for a larger version.

The ammo can luggage system I'd been working on all along is simply not going to be done in time. I have the plastic Givi side cases (E21) that I've used all along, but I was hoping to get the new system up and running for the added space and convenience. Oh well, even the best laid plans sometimes fail. The test run two weeks ago was with these Givis, so I know they'll work and I know I can pack everything I need into them. I just hate how they look and wanted more space. UGH!