Just a short update this time. I am just finishing my packing to go to Mexico and I was just struck by how much easier it is compared to my last trip going riding.

Granted, the last one was a day’s riding a Ducati Multistrada in Calgary in early June. However, it was cold so I ended up taking my Joe Rocket jacket and pants, thermals, wind layer, Arai helmet, two pairs of gloves (wet weather and GP gauntlets) and both clear and tinted visor and yet I was still frozen.

This time, I am packing for three days riding a Honda 125 in Mexico. Granted, it’s about 23C where I am going but all I am taking is a pair of summer weight gloves, some cheap shades and a different pair of sneakers. Odd, but I’m normally at ATGATT rider (all the gear, all the time) and yet this doesn’t phase me. Maybe it’s the fact its -20 today and I just need a two wheel fix, or maybe it’s that I rode there last year the same way and found it safe.

OK, it’s a 125 so I doubt i will be going as fast as in Calgary. To be honest, on the bike I am riding, 50MpH is going to be a stretch but as you will soon see from the photos and (hopefully) videos, the smile on my face may well be much wider.

Roll on Thursday and the hills North of Mexico City/D.F.

Tags:   mexico · Touring · travelNo Comments.

One of the biggest issues for any website these days is how to deal with Social Networking. We at eatsleepride believe unabashedly that you can’t get by without being a social site and thus it’s a central question to us.

At this time, there are two main models: Facebook, where friend relationships must be mutual and Twitter where relationships are one way only. With the latter, you can of course follow someone who is following you and make it a mutual relationship and a lot of people do just that. To me, the difference is more profound. On facebook, most of the time you are keeping up with and communicating directly with friends on a 1:1 basis. Occasionally, it’s 1 to many but only very occasionally. With Twitter, the medium is more broadcast than friend oriented.

So, what are we doing at eatsleepride.com? As I think we explained, we are trying to be “everything for every biker” and we do believe we can deliver on that model. Part of that secret sauce is going to be in the way we build Facebook like feeds, tailored to you and your riding but also leverage a Twitter style friend model to allow you to discover and consume new and interesting ideas. If you choose to make your relationships mutual, you’ll effectively have a Facebook for your biking (and yes, we want to implement cross-posting at some point very soon). On the other hand, if you don’t follow others, you can use it as a richer Twitter style app (again, we do want to implement cross posting so you don’t have to manage multiple profiles).

Why this fence-sitting? Both Nick and I have been long time Facebook and Twitter users and have found limitations in both. Twitter is great but it’s hard to maintain a history. That and often 140 chars is just too little. Facebook is perfect for seeing what your old high-school friends are up to, which is great and all, but if you’d really wanted to know, you’d probably still be calling them. Other than that, it’s lack of focus lends itself to being little more than an amusing way to kill some time. As a result, we’ve all but stopped using Facebook and as you may have seen, my Twitter feed (twitter.com/EatSleepRide) is not as frequently updated as it once was.

Of course, there are a raft of other features we plan on implementing that make this site more than just another Facebook or Twitter clone and all of them are relevant to your biking needs. I’ll write about them a little more next time.

Tags:   design · developmentNo Comments.

As you may know, this is a question we’ve been working on for a while now. Almost two years in fact.

We started with the somewhat paradoxical notion that motorcycling is a social activity. Sure, you might go out for a ride on your own and maybe your bike is a monoposto and not a biposto but along the way, you might wave at some other bikers. In your backpack or pannier is quite probably a magazine to which the first page you turn is the letters. When you stop, you park next to other motorcycles, if there are any, not just because it’s a more courteous use of limited parking space but because you like the pipes on the machine next to you and you wouldn’t mind exchanging a word or two with it’s owner. Perhaps you just rode to the store to pick up a few parts but spent an hour talking to the sales guy about next years Harley range or how MotoGP2 may or may not be the next great racing series.

In short, if we motorcyclists aren’t riding we love to do the next best thing, which is talking to other bikers or daydreaming about our next bike or customization project. But this isn’t the surprising part.

What was surprising to us, at least when we thought about it, is that motorcyclists aren’t as tribal as we thought or, at least, are lead to believe. If you look at the current offerings on the web, they tend to focus narrowly on one type or riding or a specific brand. I’ve covered about 15,000kms this past year and of all the riding groups I’ve taken part in or observed, I think I can count on one hand the number of homogenous groups I’ve seen – It’s been vintage Indians out with R1200GS, complete with aluminum panniers (the BMW that is, though I’d love to see an Indian similarly kitted out), Harleys with Sportsbikes – assless chaps mixing with one piece leathers – and so-on.

Most of the magazines now also talk about the blurring of the lines between machines. Out and out sportbike riders are apparently discovering supermoto and even off-road as a way of improving control and getting kicks at more street legal speeds. I even read one review by an (i think) R1 owner who couldn’t stop gushing about how great a Victory motorcycle was, especially in the corners. That’s not to say I don’t believe it, but can you imagine reading something like that a few years ago? Much less anyone saying it out loud in public?

Because there is no “neutral” ground, there’s no place to go to really discuss those issues that affect all of us in a way that could make a difference. Loud pipe laws and lane-splitting legislation to name but two can affect every kind of motorcycle riding, but if we only discuss it in our pre-existing enclaves, how can we organize and be heard?

Of course, that’s not to say that on occasion, you don’t just want to talk about the best place to find carbon or some chrome to add to your ride. We all, after all, identify strongly with our machine. That’s a large part of why we ride.

And this is the conclusion we came to. We need to be all of the above. We need to create a platform that is capable of permitting users to talk with other users but also brings them new ideas and new concepts (it’s a large part of why you buy and read all those magazines). It also has to permit you to focus on your style of riding and your favourite brand(s) and machines but also ensure you’re part of the greater brotherhood of motorcycling. In short, we have to be most things to most people.

Oh, and we also decided we didn’t want to use outdated technologies. While forums might be great, they also don’t scale well and usually intimidate new users. There’ll also be no scrolling marquees here, no garishly colored links or layouts that came straight out of Microsoft Front Page. That’s not to say sites that look like that are bad, it’s just that we can do better.

And we think we have.

I’ll talk about the actual components another time but for now, I’ll say that we will be fully web 2.0 compatible. We’ll permit you to interact with any group of riders you want to and find information very easily. The information you see, by default, will be tailored to you based on where you are, what you ride and the friends you choose. We will be about all bikers and for all bikers, from Vespa to Victory, dirt to pavement to trackdays.

But most of all, we do want this to be your site, so please tell us what you want to see.

Tags:   design · website1 Comment

I consider myself a fairly design conscious person. I’m constantly thinking about the design process behind everything that’s around me, whether it’s a nice set of machined rearsets for my Ducati 749 or a t-shirt I’m about to slip over my head, what were the designers intentions and did they succeed? Alex and I, along with the rest of the team involved, have spent countless hours on the design of what will become eatsleepride.com, considering every single interaction and what it will mean to the overall experience for each user. From the moment someone arrives, what do they see, what do they feel and what are they going to do next? Their first taste of eatsleepride will come through our branding.

The process of branding eatsleepride has been challenging, but also great fun. The name itself was our first hurdle to clear. We went through lists and lists of names, until one day Alex excitedly said, “I think I’ve got it and the .com is actually available” (being a web based community, there was no question we needed a good URL, a real challenge these days). Eat Sleep Ride had a nice ring to it we thought, but more importantly we felt as though it was meaningful. These 3 words together signify a passion and devotion, a certain feeling that all bikers get when you just can’t imagine your life without motorcycles. The longer we worked with the name, the more we embraced it and there has never since been a question if we chose the right one.

Every great name needs a great logo, which brings me to the main reason for this post. While we’ve had a working logo for a while now, it was never intended to be a final design and was just something to use until we had a clearer sense of the brand. We recognize that one of our main challenges with eatsleepride is to remain “motorcycle agnostic”. We want to be a place for all motorcyclists regardless of whether you ride a hard tail custom chopper or are busy building a 75 foot freestyle ramp in your backyard, but let’s face it, there is a big difference between your average Harley rider and your average FMX rider… well, other than maybe we can all agree that tattoos should be part of the uniform. So, we had to avoid having any motorcycle images (what type of bike would we use?), we had to avoid designs that might fit with one crowd but not the other and we had to avoid the major manufacturer colour combinations.

We’re under no illusions that we will ever have a logo that everyone will like, but we hope it’s at least something that everyone can get on with. I’ll stop rambling now and just present the evolution of the logo:

My personal guide as to whether or not the new logo is good enough is to ask myself honestly, if I weren’t connected with this company would I wear a shirt with the logo on it? I answered, yes.

Tags:   design · logo2 Comments

This has been a long time coming.

I think Nick and I first talked about the concept almost two years ago. As both avid motorcyclists and technology people, we were somewhat disappointed with the current state of motorcycling on the web. Many sites look like they should have been retired in 2001. Many of them had so few posts, they looked like they were. The most trafficked ones were forums. Now, I don’t know about you, but I find that while forums are OK for having a shouting match, but they’re not so useful for finding stuff out. Well, not always. And they also don’t scale well.

Then there are the sites driven by manufacturers – Harley Davidson is a good example. Nice modern layout, some good ideas. Ultimately, the focus is too narrow. Sure, it’s nice for Harley riders to interact with others, but are they the only people they want to talk with? The mixed riding groups I see on the road suggest otherwise.

On the other side of web, we have Facebook and Twitter – Facebook is all but useless for anything but seeing what ex-school friends are up to (and it’s rarely anything interesting). We have been using Twitter for a while now (@nickESR and @EatSleepRide for Nick and I respectively) and we like it. But it’s also full of noise and a lot of irrelevancy.  In short, these social networking behemoths are a long way from perfect.

So, we had the idea to build something better. It started as a feeling, that we knew something better could be done. You can call that hubris if you like, but they do say all entrepreneurs are egomaniacs.

Our first attempt was built using Drupal about a year ago now. We sat down and spent ages thinking about what we wanted to do. We even had some good ideas. Unfortunately, when we implemented them in Drupal, it didn’t work so well. It was difficult to customize and for the amount of work we wanted it to do, we needed about 60 modules. That’s a lot.

Then the weather turned nice and we went motorcycling for weeks at a time.

But now we have returned and revived those ideas and are fully committed to the concept. It’s currently undergoing final design and we will be starting the coding of the UI in the coming weeks.

The reality is however, that this is not a site for me or Nick. It’s a site for you and that’s the point of this blog. Over the coming weeks, we want to share the features we think are important with you and ask what you think. We need your feedback to ensure this is all going to work the way we all want it to. So, please check back soon and we’ll have some new updates for you, but in the meantime we’d love to hear your left-field ideas on what you would want in a motorcycling web site.

On a final note, don’t get me started on what is wrong with motorcycling on TV. Or perhaps I should leave that for another day…

Tags:   design · Feedback · websiteNo Comments.

In a lot of countries, at least in Summer, motorcycles clearly form a better mode of transport than cars. For starters, they are usually more fuel efficient and they take significantly less space on the road. Sure, that SUV does have a more comfy leather seat and at least three or four cup holders but it was designed to carry more than just a hockey mom on her cellphone or an overweight businessman cramming down donuts and coffee. For the same space, you could get four bikes on the road and cause considerably less damage to the tarmac. Sure, a supplemental motorcycle would be expensive, but what about scooters for those not so interested in the most fun vehicle imaginable? They’re slower, sure but only slightly less fun and pretty cheap. So, why don’t local authorities do more to encourage bikes?

Partly, I think the image is to blame. Most sportsbike riders cut lanes like they’re trying to get away from Valentino Rossi. Many of the cruiser riders like to ride around town with the loudest pipes possible, preferably ripping the throttle at every stoplight in a bid to make passing babies cry. And I’ve seen dual sport riders who swear blind there’s nothing they can do to keep the front wheel down every time they wind the throttle. I know for everyone that falls into these categories and more, there are at least fifty riders who do everything by the book but be honest, which do you think people remember?

In our defence, riding around any town is not a relaxing thing to do. The sportsbike guys cut lanes to avoid the terrible road surface and bad drivers. Loud pipes make those idiots on cellphones (which I might add is now against the law in Ontario but is not enforced to the point where I regularly see cops driving patrol cars using them) hear us because we know they aren’t looking. I guess I still can’t justify the dual-sport wheelie crowd but I am working on it. For now, let’s just say it impresses bored looking kids on school buses and is thus a public service

Hell, even the testing centers are no longer down-town. You want to learn to ride in this province and your test is likely in Vaughan, all the way up the highway.

Parking is, however, the subject of my rant today. Unlike many major cities, Toronto is at least somewhat progressive in this regard. Motorcycles are allowed to use on-street paid parking for free. It makes getting around town that much cheaper. However, many places you want to go don’t have any spaces, so you wind up circling anyway. Maybe for every fifty parking spots, or at least at the end of the block, they should have designated motorcycle parking?

This is good balance too, because unlike the on-street parking, most parking lots in the city either don’t want to let you in or make you pay full price. Again, why not make them provide designated parking spaces and enforce maximum rates? Say, no more than 40% of the cost of a single car are you can fit at least three or four bikes in a single spot if it’s accessible side-on. Oh, and everywhere that uses those barriers to prevent you getting in and out should be made to ensure they realize bikes are there. it’s only a matter of time before I am ticketed for riding on the sidewalk as there is no other way out of a lot.

I realized how bad this parking situation was a while back when I was ticketed at a municipal parking lot. It was a packed evening and rather than take up the one free space there was, I decided to park side on, between two other cars, giving each ample space. When I returned to the bike a short while later, there was a $105 fixed penalty notice under the seat. The charge was failing to park in a non-designated area. I was upset. There were no marked bays in this parking lot, nor was there a no-parking notice like on the other side of the lot. I decided to fight it.

Just under a year later, I got my court date. I turned up, photos in hand, only to be told that if I plead guilty the fine would be $30. I said no. I was in the right here. I got to talk to the traffic officer beforehand who said that it all didn’t matter. I was parked where I shouldn’t have been and even though there weren’t any signs, it was all “obvious” as it a narrower part of the lot. She also conceded that as I was on a bike, I wasn’t really blocking anything but that it could have prevented a firetruck from entering should it have needed to even though it would also then have no chance of leaving again. Best of all, she also told me that she’d been down there this weekend, handing out tickets up the wazoo. In other words, even though it’s a known issue and putting up a simple sign would cost no more than a few hundred dollars, the City of Toronto likes using parking as a way of taxing visitors to Cherry Beach and other areas of the city.

Confident, I sat there as the judge explained the charges and court proceedings to the woman in front of me. It doesn’t actually matter, apparently, if I intended to park where I was. Signed or not, all that matters was that I was there. Damn. I looked at my own photos and quickly realized they proved the prosecutions case, not mine.

Given another opportunity, I talked to the prosecutor and got him down to $20 for the fine and happily plead guilty, taking thirty days to pay. I’d estimate it cost the city at least five times that to prosecute and all because they don’t want to be a little more bike-friendly.

On a related note, I also realized how those paralegal services, such as X-Copper work. They do the same thing. You check not-guilty and give them power of attorney to plead on your behalf. They then turn up in court at the appointed time and change your plea to guilty, taking the greatly diminished fine (and your fees). So, next time you get any form of speeding/parking/stunting charge /etc, you’re more than likely doing this yourself. Of course, before you take this as legal advice, please realize that I am not a lawyer and you’re on your own. From what I’ve seen though, it’s likely to cost you a lot less than the fine says…

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For any of you that read my twitter posts (twitter.com/eatsleepride) you’ll know that I keep talking about electric motorcycles. In the interests of full disclosure, I do not own one and nor do I own shares in anyone making them but I also do believe that in a few years, it’s pretty much going to be your only choice.

Now, I’m not suggesting that gasoline powered bikes are going to go away any time soon but it’s also undeniable that fossil fuels will run out at some point. Depending on who you read, Peak oil is anywhere from 25 years in the future to 5 years ago. Either way, so, it’s going to cost more to fill your RC45 than it is to buy it.

As a society, we have options. Firstly, we could change gasoline engines to run on ethanol. This has been amply demonstrated by Bike magazine in the UK who recently took a stock Triumph Daytona 675 and converted it to use ethanol made from Apples. The downside to this is it takes a lot of apples to make enough ethanol to power the bike and sadly, humans like apples too. Sure, we can use various other plants. Corn is popular in the US and other places. Brazil has used sugar cane for years to create an ethanol based transport system. The downside of course is that all that biomass we need decreases our food production. I don’t wish to come over all Malthusian, but the human race is going to need all the food it can get, if not now then soon. While governments (and industry) seem to like this idea a lot, it looks to be another short term fix unless we take to managing the size of the human race.

There’s hydrogen. The single biggest benefit of hydrogen is it is incredibly abundant. After all, two thirds of the earths surface is water and that is two-thirds hydrogen. The downside is hydrogen is very reactive and that means we need a good energy source to make it usable as a fuel. In practice that means a mixture of advanced catalysts and electric power (hydrolysis, where electricity splits the water apart, is still the simplest way of getting at it). There are however many downsides to hydrogen. it’s volatility means storing and transporting it is more dangerous than gasoline. It will react when exposed to air (and by that I mean explode) so ruptured tanks are far worse than spilled gasoline. That in turn means heavier fuel storage systems, which puts the weight up… That’s not to mention the fact they we’d also need a national distribution system to move it.

Of course, if we’re creating all that energy for hydrogen, wouldn’t we be better off using it in electric vehicles anyway? Electricity is after all very easy to transport – all it takes is some wires and let’s face it, they are already in place in just about every single home. It’s also quite easy to make, with most “alternate” fuels really being used to create electricity anyway. The downside for vehicles is performance. While converting electric power to movement is pretty efficient, batteries don’t hold a lot of power, at least not today. It’s one of the reasons the Zero and other motorcycles performance figures aren’t exactly illuminating. However, the recent TTxgp showed that as we start to apply incentivized innovation to the problem (or competitive motorsport to give it another word), things will get better quickly. Not all the entries did well, but a few did very well. The Agni bike got up to 102mph on the straights and clocked an average lap of 85mph over the circuit. Granted, it probably needed a full charging when it got back in to the pits, but it worked. Batteries will get better. Constructions will be lighter (Ducati-style carbon frame anyone?) Systems will get more efficient and processes, such as exchanging batteries wholesale at a “gas-station” rather than plugging in to charge mean fill-ups should be reasonably easy. Of course, with such a huge market to fill, it’s entirely probably we’ll find a material that can charge almost instantly, given the right application of power and be good for 200 miles.

There will of course always be objections. Firstly, electric bikes are mostly silent and that’s a danger. For cagers that barely see us as it is, loud pipes can save lives so we’ll have to replace them. There’s no gears either or engine breaking, so some of the fun could also leave. However, silence could also be an asset – no more cops with noise meters and off-roaders should definitely stand to benefit. We might even end up with more motorsports tracks as they objections they bring are somewhat reduced. We could also have bikes with downloadable “exhaust” notes, just like we get ringtones on cell-phones today. Or maybe they’d just play music? Chances are, cars would ultimately be fitted with proximity alarms and be “driven” automatically meaning bikes might become the only form of freedom.

No matter what happens, it’s clear that change is coming and we would do well to embrace it soon. I figure in five years, it will really start to become viable. However, even after that, I’ll still be hanging onto at least one gasoline machine, if only to place in my living room to remind me of a bygone era.

Tags:   alternativefuels · electric7 Comments

Let’s face it: We all love a good road trip, right? There’s something about the open road and the freedom to see how far you can get that’s downright romantic and enticing, but it all has a dark side: You’re going to put on some weight.

Firstly, and let’s be honest about this, motorcycling on public roads isn’t an energetic sport. The principle activity you’re engaged in is sitting still for a few hours at a stretch. Granted, you’ll have to gas up every few hours. Maybe you get off when you do and have a walk around but “pay at the pump” has removed that as a necessity, unless you want some gum or cigarettes or other over priced goods from the store.

If you are so inclined, you could push your riding a little harder. Sport bike riders tend to fall into this category and there is some effort involved as you move from hanging off one side to the other and the heavy braking can also add a little work out to your arms. But when I’ve been to the gym, I tend to know which I’ve worked they are sore. When most folks get off a sportsbike, the only stiffness they have is in their ass and maybe some forearm pump. Mr Universe you will not become at this rate. I should also mention, you’re only going to get that minimal workout if you really know the roads and don’t mind taking your chances with slower drivers and the increasing policing of our roads… Oh, and that’s if your roads have nice curves to play on which most round here don’t. Better get to the track then.

However, it’s not specifically the lack of exercise I find to be the problem with the road trip but the food. On my recent trip, the day went something like this: Wake up in a B&B and partake of a breakfast that consisted of at least three eggs and half a cooked pig. After waddling to the bike, it was three or four hours of riding before stopping at some nice looking road-side diner. At least, that’s the plan but more often than not it’s a nasty looking road-side diner where they deep fry everything including the salad and coffee. Waddle back to the bike, do another three or four hours before checking into the next B&B and seeing what the local restaurants in town are. Arriving at the nicest looking we’d feel tired but having covered at least 500km there’d also be a sense of accomplishment and what better way to acknowledge that than with a beer? Or two? Perhaps a whiskey to follow? And sure, dessert looks good. Waddle back to the B&B to sleep before repeating the next day. I will confess, we had lots of fruit along the way and at least managed to avoid the gas station pitfalls of candy and potato chips but that really only adds to the total rather than replaces it.

It didn’t matter where we went. No matter how up or down-market the town was, the choices tend to be high calorie, high fat and therein lies the problem. You cannot get a decent meal on the road. Actually, when I said that, I lied. All the meals were decent, what I meant was you cannot get healthy. I guess the issue is you tend to get hot on a bike, that and mentally tired. When I get that way, I tend to crave something salty and being one who loves food, there’s no way I can bring myself to order the vegetarian option, which everyone knows is the healthiest thing on a menu, when there’s a decent 8oz steak in the offing. It’s even harder to resist if it’s slathered in a béarnaise sauce.

So what are your options? I guess we could have hit the local subway but that gets boring and even the tuna mayo isn’t that healthy. I guess we could have camped and cooked our own food, but that would have taken space we didn’t have and added to the logistical headache – “We’re here. Now, I just have to go shopping for dinner…”. No, the only way out is self restraint unless you’ve got a better idea?

Of course, dirt riders are exempt from this criticism. I can honestly say it’s one of the toughest things I’ve done, riding around the local forests and trails on a KTM, but that might also be because I have pick the bike up every so often. That and there’s no restaurants out in the wilds. But then, when was the last time you did 4100km on a dirt bike, even on fire trails? I guess if I really wanted to stay reasonably fit on a road trip, I’d do it on a bicycle.

Tags: 4 Comments

I’ve often heard it said you should treat every experience as a learning opportunity. If that is indeed the case, I’d like to share the things I’ve learned from my recent road trip.

Firstly, no matter how well you are packed when you set off, you will have room on the way back. At least, this is what it seemed to me. We started with Marina and I each having one pannier each with some sundries in a backpack she was carrying. My stuff was in a waterproof stuff sack so when it forecast some rain on day two, I repacked her clothing in with mine and we instantly gained at least a half pannier back because of the compression. By the end of the trip, we’d refined this process and gained space for several maps and brochures, a bottle each of wine and bourbon, some raspberry jelly and hot sauce, two new t-shirts and a rubber duck (don’t ask) and still had room to spare.

Secondly, no matter what you pack it’s too much. My plan was to wash clothing like underwear and socks every night, rotating in a spare pair, but I also couldn’t get past taking a couple of extra spare pairs of each. I didn’t need them. While there was one place where the laundry didn’t quite dry, a single spare pair would have been enough. Footwear was also a worry for me. I took riding boots, a pair of shoes and some sandals. Again, I didn’t need them. The sandals would have done it for me and that would also mean I didn’t need extra socks. And I have no idea what made me take a set of thermal underwear and two sweaters to the south of the US. I think I wore one sweater, once. Still, as it’s Merino wool, it’s at least thin and light.

Thirdly, I need a new seat. Yes, I honestly believed we’d be OK on the stock saddle. It’s now the next customization I will make. I’m still not sure if I should get an air cover or a full gel seat but it’s not important. Comfort is far more necessary than I’d realized.

Fourthly, you don’t need a GPS. We covered just short of 4100km (about 2800 miles or so) with just paper. After the GPS was stolen, I decided not to buy a new one, instead waiting to see what the iPhone could do for me. Not a lot right now, at least not with the battery life you get when GPS and 3G data is on. And that’s if you can get 3G which is far from certain. Even if I’d taken a GPS, I’d have picked the route ahead of time and just used the GPS to tell me when to turn. Printing it out and putting it in my tank bag made the route more visceral. Sure, I had to think a little more and pay attention to signs, but that also made me watch where I was. The names of towns, geographical features all became more visible to me. I think we got lost once, missing a turn that was badly signed, but we realized quickly and wound up talking to a local who sent us on a great alternate route. I still might buy a GPS for next time, but I’m definitely going to try not to use it.

Fifthly, you need some form of entertainment. Sure, where you are going there some great roads, but there’ll always be at least one stretch of road that’s really dull. This is where you need entertainment. I installed an Autocom rider to pillion system for Marina and I. While the iPod was great for those long stretches, time flew far more quickly when we talked. If you’re on your own, the iPod is still great but I’d definitely try some spoken word books too. For what it’s worth, the Autocom worked perfectly, but I’d recommend earplugs while your using it too. The only change I’d make is to wire in the loom so I can power it from the bike battery as I think we went through about nine PP3 batteries.

The last piece of leaning I have is pick your destinations wisely. While most the places we stayed were great, there were some that were not. For the most part, we just wanted a clean, comfy bed and most places do fit that description. However, when they are close to the highway or far from a decent place to eat, it can be a complete downer. Worse, some of the places we stayed were dry counties. While I’m certainly not a raging alcoholic, after a long days riding, I am often jonesing for a beer and I can honestly say raspberry iced tea, nice as it is, is no substitute.

Other minor points I found are:

* You really don’t need two pairs of riding gloves
* if you take rain gear, it doesn’t rain much. If you put it on, the rain stops
* You’ll forget to lube the chain at least one day and have to apply at a lunch stop
* You’ll never check the tires and on at least one occasion, think you are losing pressure
* Top boxes are a good idea

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For anyone paying attention, I should point out that we technically arrived back in Canada two days ago, but it was a stop-over at a friends house in Leamington, some 300km from Toronto where we live. So while yesterday was spent basking in the warm glow of friendship and great company, today was back on the bike for the absolute last part of the trip.

As this is about riding in southern Ontario, it’ll be far and away the shortest post yet. There’s so little to tell. From Leamington, you really only have two choices – highway 3 along the shores of Lake Erie or the 401 and playing “dodge the people who don’t know how to change lanes”. The skies were clear when we set out but by lunch, the rains had started and we stopped in the Dutch diner in Iona. It really is a cornucopia of ephemera and I ended up buying a 1940’s Louisiana cookbook as it was so damn cool. The food isn’t much to write home about though.

Whilst eating, the rain came down hard but by the time we’d finished, it seemed to have stopped. Foregoing rain suits, we set off again but were soon caught by more rain, presaged as it was by the spectacle of forked lightening in the near distance. Pressing on, we got wet. Granted, it was mainly road spray but it still messes with your visor. In the rain, Ontario drivers respond in two ways. They drive slower and look less so it was hang back time.

One more stop for gas and we finally hit the city limits though. We knew were back in the city as the traffic had basically slowed to a crawl as it always seems to around here. Maybe it’s just me, maybe it’s the routes we took, but it seems the worst traffic we had was both leaving and entering this city. The last 30km was definitely the slowest and we eventually arrived back home after detouring the ever-changing set of closed intersections we have here. I make it sound like I hate driving here and I have to say, after being in the US for seven days, I’m starting to realize how bad it is here, but I’ll save that lambast for another day.

The trip has put precisely 4070.6km on the Tiger and this place looks exactly as I left it. The garbage strike is still on and there’s no food in the refrigerator and I’m already starting to think of the all the work and the chores I skipped to go on this trip. It’s enough to make a man pack up his panniers and see which way the road is pointing…

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