A Widow's Ride

The count down has begun…it is now a little over three-month until the start my journey. I still have a lot of things that I need to get done and I’m starting to feel like I’m forgetting something. So, I have started a check list of things that I still need to get done before the big day.

The biggest thing I learned from this check list that I have to learn is being comfortable in asking for help. The one thing that has me worried the most is the damned oil leak that never stop no matter how many time I changed the seal on it. After talking with good friend of my late husband (aka Ronnydog, a fellow TW rider) about the situation, he suggested that I have professional take a look at it. Since I didn’t know of any mechanic that I could trust, I asked him if he knew anyone. Lucky for me hat he did, he is a retired Yamaha mechanic and offered at a reasonable cost to do a complete rebuild of the motor.

The next biggest thing I need to address is the electrical so I can add accessories to the bike such as heated vest and gloves. These items will be critical during the winter months since I’m such a wimp when it comes to cold. I’m a desert girl, the hotter, the better. So, I will need to keep hands and body warm somehow. One of the solutions that was suggested was to upgrade the stator but no one would touch a TW200. So when I was at the Horizon Unlimited in September, I asked Erik from Twisted Throttle for suggestion and he offered multiple ways such as swapping out the stock headlight for LED one. Also, he suggested to a power hub in so I can control which unit is using the battery. Once again, I know nothing about electrical and I don’t trust myself to try to swap out things out and not mess it up. Luckily, Ronnydog knew someone who can help me with that too. Thanks to Clairemont Cycle Supply, they’re taking on the challenge of doing the re-wiring of the electrical.

Oh, the rack that is on my bike is also custom-built by another fellow TW rider. It’s a two-tier level rack with a storage for the RotopaX in between the two racks. He installed it before the Horizon Unlimited event to give it a test run to see if any changes need to be made. It was beautifully built and only needed a couple more hooks for the bungee cords or straps to hook onto. So I dropped it off on my way to my office in San Luis Obispo, CA so the new hooks can be added and to have it powder coated.

Ok, now I’m thinking that I should get new gears…all of mine are about 6 years old now and not sure it will last the whole year. I have been reading and researching about all of gears but with my petite frame, not sure what brands or size would fit me. So I visited one of those super motorcycle stores in San Bernardino, CA to try on every piece of gears I could. Patty (the sales lady) was super nice and patience with me. I think I’m going with the Olympia Airglide 4 jacket and pant. It was so much lighter than the current jacket I wear, the TourMaster Flex jacket and pant. So it is on my list of things I still need to buy. I also tried on several boots as well and ended up purchasing the Sidi Livia Rain Boots. It was actually my second choice but for practical reason, I ended up buying that one because it was an all-weather boot.

I still have other loose ends to tie up but I don’t want to bore you to death with all of the nitty-gritty details. Needless to say, I’m getting all excited and jittery at the same time as the draw near for my departure date. Actually, I’m sure that it will be here before I know it.

If any of you fellow RTW travelers have any suggestions or tips for me as I begin the countdown (107 days to be exact) on to my trip, I would welcome any advice!