Real-life Road Warriors

[miss_adventure]

I don't celebrate NYE, preferring to start my year at Samhain; typical Western NYE is just another night of dealing with drunks and fights, albeit on a grand scale. However, 31 December is saved for this: it marks the start of the annual Dakar Rally. The Rally, which started in 1979, is an off-road race from Europe (this year's race started in Lisbon, Portugal) through the Maghreb and West Africa to Dakar, Senegal. Racers use cars and trucks, motorcycles and quads, and self-created customized machines--there is even an American sidecar rig competing this year. The 2006 route is expected to take 15 days to complete for the serious contenders, as it is plotted to be as rugged and unforgiving as possible.

Needless to say, I want to ride this rally someday. Just finishing would be a Grand Adventure(TM). (Or because I'd have to enter as a broke privateer and because I would not be competing as a serious contender, a Grand Misadventure.)

Comments

[miss-adventure.livejournal.com]

What bike(s) is/are you thinking of getting? What did you have before?

Consistant residence makes me twitch. I miss being a semi-nomad. Having the bike helps, and I try to make a point of getting out of town on my long days off (I get two three-day stints a month) and vacations, but it's not really enough to keep the wanderlust at bay. It's increasingly making itself known lately. Ideally, I'd have a constant residence to use as a home base, and the ability to go on the road whenever and for however long I want. (Oh, who am I kidding? I want funding to travel.)

[kyrin7.livejournal.com]

Probably another Honda cruiser: Harleys are way outside of my budget. I've had two previous bikes, an '85 honda shadow 500C, and a '79 Honda CX500C. the CX had a larger frame though I have been told I'm actually taller since that purchase. And yes ideally a home base would be great. Kinda hard to do with my career so far, but maybe a possibility.

[miss-adventure.livejournal.com]

If I suddenly found myself well-off, I'd buy a multiple-family house and convert it into a dwelling for semi-nomad biker freaks. It doesn't appear I'm going to suddenly become well-off, though.

I'm threatening to replace my Triumph with a nice, reliable, Honda. The Honda 599 (http://powersports.honda.com/motorcycles/sport/model.asp?ModelName=599&ModelYear=2006&ModelID=CB600F) is what I think about in the shower. I've also looked at the 500 Shadow cruiser--I'm more of a standard/streetfighter girl, but it looks like a fun, efficient machine, and comfortable for the long haul.

If/when I do Dakar, I'm hoping to do it on a BMW 650 GS (http://bmwmotorcycles.com/machine/models/model.jsp?model=f650gs). It would also be a good urban assault machine, so I can search for justification claim it's practical. Unfortunately, it's also way more expensive than I can justify spending on a thumper.

[kyrin7.livejournal.com]

Triumphs are nice bikes. One of my old mentors had a 79 Triumph I'd help him work on. Eventually, he switched from harleys to Honda goldwings, something to do with being "over goddamn 60, and needing a few comforts" to quote him.

Street bikes are good for intercity, but I never have adjusted to the center of gravity or seating posture. Though I imagine being bent over the tank does prevent getting his in the chest by a cicada at 80 mph. That sings like hell, even through leather.
-Kyr

[miss-adventure.livejournal.com]

I've yet to encounter a cicada, but have encountered rocks, cigarette butts, and Grape Fanta.* I can honestly say I preferred the rocks and cigarette butts to the Fanta, any day.

*Fanta is a ridiculously low-quality soda brand notable for smelling artificial at twenty paces and for its trio of anorexic unconvincing drag queens, the Fantanas, which are the company's attempt at a mascot or icon or something

[tex-arcana.livejournal.com]

Speaking of wanderlust, checking out, and the CX500...they apparently go together.

http://motorcyclistonline.com/features/122_0503_riding/

[miss-adventure.livejournal.com]

It was the aluminum boxes. Judging by the amount of older airhead BMWs that have those things starpped to them, apparently aluminum boxes turn any bike into a machine worthy for treks to the edge of the earth on a rediculously tight budget.