1. Sena 20S Bluetooth Intercom. It was my second attempt with the Sena 20S. My first attempt at setting up a Sena 20S made me feel like Jerry in his snow scraping scene in "Fargo".
But this time, with a liberal dose of help from the guys at Hourglass Cycles, Buford, GA, the Sena was installed, updated and operated nearly flawlessly. KC and I talked non-stop, pointing out cattle and antelope and potholes, clearing each other to pass, finding each other when separated and generally musing about our ride. We called out snow fences and windmills, photo ops and pee breaks, gas stops and lunch breaks, detours and round-abouts. In short, they are a game changer and I cannot imagine riding with each other and not using them. After two days in the rain, they passed my toughness test with flying colors. They NEVER ran low on batteries (assuming a recharge every night), worked great with aftermarket ear plugs and streamed music as long as my phone had battery power. Once paired, and that is brain dead easy to do, they stayed paired for 11 days without lifting a finger. The same is true for pairing with my iPhone...do it once and it stays paired. Nice.
Still, they're not perfect. I found the range, even with clear line of sight, to be less than they claim. I also found that a loud sound (a cough for example) would open the intercom even while one of us was listening to music. I also found opening the intercom to be inconsistent when one of us was streaming music. I tried using the built in helmet speakers and they're OK for a short, slow ride around town but for high speed (which is noisy in a Neotec helmet to begin with) they allowed way too much ambient noise to reach my ears. I could have added ear plugs, but this seemed like wearing a rain coat in the shower.
Mike Miller shamed me into using one and I am grateful. Grazie Miguel!
Rating: 4.5/5
2. BMW R1200GS. The bikes were absolute hosses. War Pig was perfect (it did use about 3/4 quart of oil); KC's bike's battery failed him...but other than that they started and ran as one would hope. They were fast, comfortable, handled the mountains with ease and cruised the interstates at 85, passing semis in 25 mph crosswinds like the athletic machines we have come to count on. My Adventure panniers were solid and dry in the rain. They were, as the Germans would say, "Perfeckt".
Speaking of the Adventure "boxes"...while they are waterproof, I have learned that the key to using them is to ensure that the contents are enclosed in waterproof dry bags. This helps keep things organized, it helps when removing the contents (easier to lift a bag out holding four items than lifting out four separate items) and, as we found out, when it rains opening the waterproof lid exposes everything to the rain. Duh. So a waterproof bag solves that issue. REI sells a million sizes, weight and colors of dry bags...they are pricey, but should last for years.
Rating: 4.5/5
3. Aerostich Darien. At 37 degrees and raining, riding a motorcycle is an invitation, no it is a taunting dare, for Mother nature to mess you up. But at no time did my Darien leak or allow the cold to touch my fair, freckled hide. Of course, adding a Gerbing heated jacket with a Patagonia Nano Puff layer over it, sealed the deal. But without the Darien it would have been a cold, wet mess. No surprise here, but KC pointed out that his Darien suit is 14 years old and has only been washed once.
The Darien neck closure is its single weak point...I fumbled with the velcro closure over and over.
Aerostich is made in the good ole you-ess-ay ...Minnesota in fact. Yah, they're a real good deal...
Rating: 4.5/5
4. Butler Motorcycle Maps. Both KC and I used our Garmin GPS's to navigate from city to city. But the Butler Maps, designed specifically for touring motorcyclists, were a godsend. Butler color codes the roads according to their "scenic value" which is helpful. But they also show secondary roads which on several occasions allowed us to find a back way to a destination. They are waterproof, tear proof, easy to fold and if you have a map window on your tank bag (highly recommended) you can display a half day's worth of riding. We bought the Rocky Mountain set which included a five state map, plus individual state maps. In addition to the roads, the maps identify landmarks, rivers, parks, mountain ranges and lots of other cool stuff. I used my maps every day and came to rely on them heavily. Well worth the price.
Rating: 5/5
5. iPhone 5. I have mixed emotions about this. The phone is so capable and such a help to a traveler. But my battery shit the bed and by the end of the trip it would hold a charge for only about 3 hours. I have a Powerlet charging cable on the bike but this stopped working. Given that I listen to music non stop while riding, this became an issue for me. Changing the battery is not an easy thing to do, so I was left to accept it as it was.
UPDATE: I talked to Powerlet tech support and they freely acknowledge that this charging issue is related to the OS update I did. They said iOS 9 demands a different chip in the Lightning connection and mine doesn't have it. Will try a different approach...create a USB port with a 12V connection. Cheap, available, proven. I'm over thinking this.
KC had a new iPhone 6 and I was stunned at how good the camera is. I have looked into my crystal ball and can clearly see an iPhone 6 in my future.
Rating: 3/5
6. Shure 425 Sound Isolating Ear Phone. I bought these at the very last minute and enjoyed wearing them around the house before I left. But after a half day on the bike, I found them a bit uncomfortable and noisy. That is, they did not block the road and bike noise as well as my much cheaper and older custom made ear phones. Granted the Shure's sound quality is much, much, much better, but the presence of the ambient noise cancelled out this benefit. I'll try them again and maybe in slower, more technical riding like we mostly do in North Georgia they'll seem better. I'm on the fence.
Rating: 3/5
7. Wolfman Expedition Dry Duffel Bag (Medium). I've had this duffel bag for several years and have used it before on over nighters. Securing it to the bike with heavy duty Rok Straps (FIVE STARS BTW), it is absolutely bomb proof. Never had a drop of water or a gram of dust inside the bag. It easily held all the clothes I need for weeks on the road, plus a huge toiletries bag, a 13" Macbook Pro with cables and chargers. In high viz yellow, I think it helps motorists to see the bike. My Wolfman bag was perfect.
Like mine, only cleaner...
8. Micheline Pilot Road 4 Trial Tires. KC thinks these tires are the best tires he's ever had on a bike. They are fantastic in all conditions, including cold wet rain. I think they have made me a safer and more confident rider. These are the best touring tires I've had. Note: There are certainly better off road tires than these, but for a relatively smooth dirt or gravel road...like the five miles of uneven, muddy mess the Blackfeet Tribe left us outside Browning, MT... they're fine.
One negative to report and this was all on me. I rode with my tire pressure lower than recommended (35F, 38R) and I think this really accelerated the wear in the center of the rear tire. So much that I had to replace them when I got home. Fortunately, my good friends at Hourglass Cycles, Buford, GA too great care of me. War Pig now has fresh oil and fresh rubber!!!
Rating: 5/5
9. Shoei Neotec Helmet. I've been wearing this helmet for a couple years and have been on the fence the whole time. I LOVE the flexibility of the design...flipping open the helmet to cool off or talk, dropping down the shaded sun visor (mine has a couple rows of electrical tape to block a low sun) when the sun is strong...or flipping it up to go through a tunnel or riding with the clear face shield partially open in hot weather...all these things are great. BUT...I think the helmet is pretty noisy and I don't find the ventilation (with the face shield closed) to be all that effective. So, I continue to wear it because of all it does well, but I'd throw it overboard for a helmet that could do it all.
Rating: 4/5
10. Hotel Reservation Systems. Some time in the past a change occurred that I missed. The change I am referring to was when American businesses decided that they no longer wanted to have to deal directly with their customers. We saw tech support being off-shored to India and we've all had to deal with this particular nightmare.
But what has happened more recently is the outsourcing of hotel reservations to the sneaky bastards that flow over the internet and on to our computer or iPhone screens when we seek a hotel reservation. When I say sneaky bastards I am referring to Expedia, Orvitiz, Hotels.com and on and on and on. They never say who they are and smoothly lull you into thinking you are dealing directly with the hotel. Just try cancelling a reservation or changing a date or changing who is billed for the hotel. I HATE THESE PEOPLE. The hotel employees admit they're a problem and suggest you avoid them. If I coulda, I woulda.
When I make a hotel reservation, I want to talk to a person behind the front desk of the actual hotel I want to stay in. Not a call center. And certainly not a call center for a company that is not the company actually running the hotel. I hope they all go out of business before my next trip and I hope the business executives who are responsible for this travesty of customer care all end up asking if "you want fries with that?" in their next jobs.
Rating: 1/5
11. Fuji XT-1/ 18-135mm and 16mm To be perfectly honest, I bought my Fuji XT-1 and lenses with this very trip in mind. It was time for an updated digital camera and Tour the Rockies was the impetus I needed to buy something. The benefits of mirrorless seemed obvious to me (size, weight while still excellent image quality) and my research showed me that Fuji was held in very high regard among both enthusiasts and professionals. I should first say that the XT-1camera is capable of far more that its owner...it is always the eye of the photographer and the light that matters most. Still, the camera has delighted me at every turn. It is a powerful, tough, sophisticated tool that can produce wonderful images. Its waterproof and dustproof and both of those traits came in handy on this trip. Never broke, never got fussy nor unpredictable. Battery always lasted me all day...and that's all I hoped for. I love this camera and I love Fujifilm.
Rating: 5/5
12. Held Air Stream Gloves I've owned these gloves (purpose built for motorcycle touring) for about two years and other than very cold (say under 45F) or very wet conditions, these are my go to gloves. They are simply the most comfortable gloves made and I LOVE these gloves. If I could add a squeegee along the left index finger, they'd be perfect and suitable for light rain riding, even they are nowhere close to being waterproof. I love them that much.
Rating: 5/5
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