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Baja Mexico on the NC700X

GregT

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Baja Mexico on the NC700X
August 11, 2019
Gregory J. Thompson

Fair warning; this is a long post.

Earlier this spring I spent two months on my NC700X, most of it touring the Mexican Baja, the rest in Southern California, and put 5,000 miles on the bike. When I returned home to Connecticut, I then did two more shorter tours, one to North Carolina, and a second to Vermont, putting on another 2,000 miles. This forum has been very helpful to me in preparing the bike, and so in case someone finds it informative and/or entertaining, I’ve summarized the trip and the bike below.

Me: I’m 62, and a semi-retired trusts lawyer. I bought my 2013 NC last summer with just over 7,000 miles, and basically no farkles, for $3,700. I promptly dumped another $7,000+ into it, mostly to prepare for the trip, but also, as we all know, because it’s so much fun to farkle. I’ve listed the farkles below. The bike now has 20,000 miles on it, and is running perfectly. Other than standard maintenance and tires, the only repairs I’ve had to do are replace a rear wheel bearing, the front disc rotor, and install new sprockets and a chain. This thing is like a Swiss watch; it just keeps on ticking (or is that a Timex?).

Some Tour Details: I shipped the bike from Connecticut to San Diego ($800 with AMA discount) in mid-February (and then back in April, another $800). Because I didn’t want to enter Mexico for the first time by myself, I signed up for 4-day group tour of northern Baja, leaving out of San Diego, with 20 other riders. The tour was run by GPSKevin, a very nice guy who runs many different tours. (You can find him online). I had a great time, and the tour was very well run. I was the only NC, most of the other riders were on BMWs, KTMs and some smaller dual-purpose bikes. We moved pretty fast, and covered a lot of ground, looping down to El Rosarito, then over to the Bahia de los Angeles, and then back up to San Felipe, finishing in Tecate on the US border. I then left the group, and headed south again on my own, heading first to Ensenada, then down to Guerrero Negro, Todos Santos, Cabo San Lucas, and then back north up the coast of the Sea of Cortez (aka the Gulf of Mexico) to Los Barriles, La Paz, and finally back to southern California.

Safety Concerns: With everything you read about Mexico (drug gang murders/kidnappings), I understandably had some concerns about riding alone in Mexico. I kept thinking of a line from an old western movie (spoken in a slow drawl, with a Texas accent), “A man alone is a target”. But GPS Kevin reassured me that having ridden in Baja for years, I had nothing to worry and …. he was right. While I was on my own, I never felt any concern for my safety, whether I was in busy Ensenada, or riding alone in very remote areas. That said, be careful of the Pacific beaches, which are known to be very rough. While I was staying in Todos Santos, I read of an American couple who were walking on the beach near there; the husband got pulled out into the ocean by the rip currents in a very rocky area, and died.

The Mexican People: The Mexican people were unfailingly kind to me, a little reserved unless you spoke to them first, and very patient with my very limited Spanish. I dropped the bike about five times (at low speed, mostly in sand), and except when I was off-road and alone, they would come running to help me pick the bike up. Once I dropped the bike in deep mud, and not one, but two cars stopped, and without a second thought their drivers stomped into the mud with me, and helped me right the bike. You can’t beat that for kindness.

Military Checkpoints: I was stopped at six or so military checkpoints, and the bike was searched by soldiers twice, but they were mostly boys in uniform, completely bored, and more interested in all of my gadgets (GPS, SPOT tracker, etc.), than in performing any military duties. At other checkpoints, I think because I was on a motorcycle, they just waived me through, and I didn’t even need to come to a complete stop. At one checkpoint, I persuaded three of them, one with a scary looking automatic rifle, to pose in front of my NC for a photo. See picture below.

Gasoline: Fuel range on the NC is safely 200+ miles. I considered adding a Roto-Pax, but didn’t need it. There are state owned gas stations (Pemex) all over Mexico. On two separate days, the distance between Pemex stations was more than 200 miles, but the entrepreneurial Mexicans know this, and in small towns in between distant Pemex stations, you can buy gas from pick-up trucks parked on the side of the road, for a small premium over the Pemex prices. I was told not to worry about them selling me bad gas, because the only place the roadside guys can buy the gas they sell you is from a Pemex station.

Money: Exchange US dollars for Mexican pesos, and pay for everything in Mexico with pesos. Mexicans will accept dollars, but you’ll lose in the exchange rate because of all the “rounding” in their favor. Bring credit cards and debit cards as a backup. At one point, in Ensenada, I was down to $33 in cash because my credit card number had been stolen and my card canceled, and for some reason my Chase debit card wouldn’t work in Mexican ATMs or banks. I had to make a dash back to San Diego (90 minutes) and go to a Chase Bank there to get cash, and then return to Mexico.

Spanish Language: I only know a few phrases in Spanish, but I was able to get by. I was surprised (for no good reason other than that I am an American and expect everyone to speak English) that most of the Mexicans I came into contact with spoke very little English, especially once I got south of Ensenada. Hand gestures, using the Google Translate app for more involved conversations, and patience, got me through. I will say that my lack of Spanish became a little frustrating after three weeks or so, as I often had no one to talk to. My own fault; I should have learned Spanish at some point in the past 60 years.

Weather: I had great weather for the entire trip. In my five weeks in Baja, I had only one day (but a full day) of rain. Temps ranged from 100 degrees (not often) down into the 50s in the mountains in the late day. Because it was still February/March, I needed my heated gear for the early part of the trip, especially in the mountains, but as I rode further south, it warmed up. Most of the time the temps were perfect for riding; my guess is it’s quite a bit hotter in July/August.

Scenery: It’s beautiful, and for a life-long East Coast person like myself, wonderfully remote in most places, like you’re all alone, on another planet. The first day’s ride from San Diego to El Rosarito was along the Pacific coast, and then into the mountains. Absolutely gorgeous. You may have read about the “super bloom” that California experienced this Spring; Mexico also had it, and the mountains were a deep green color (instead of sand brown), with huge patches of brilliant orange, yellow and purple poppy flowers. Quite the sight. When crossing over the mountains from the Pacific coast to the Sea of Cortez, I would catch glimpses of the Sea of Cortez in the distance, a beautiful deep blue color framed by the sand colored mountains.

Roads: A full range of road conditions, from very good to terrible. You need to pay attention all the time. Much of my riding was in very remote areas, with nice twisties over a mountain, after which the road would stretch out, straight as an arrow, into the far distance, where you could see the next mountains you’d eventually pass over. On these long stretches, I would typically travel at 60-70mph with no trouble. In the towns, road conditions can be quite bad, with lots of potholes and rough pavement. The other danger, mostly on the long remote stretches, was livestock (horses, cows, goats, etc.) that wander into the road. On long straight stretches of road, the road would undulate gently, and too often I’d crest a small hill at 70mp and have to hit the brakes hard because the undulations blocked my view of critters wandering in the road until the last minute.

Night Riding in Baja: Don’t do it. Potholes and/or livestock wandering in the road will injure or kill you. In the bigger towns (Ensenada, Cabo, La Paz), I used Uber when I went out at night to restaurants, etc. Incredibly cheap, and a $2 tip makes you a hero.

Travel Alone or with Others: I was glad to initially go into Mexico with the tour group. I’m not the most social person, but it’s still nice to have others to talk to when I’m in the mood. Once I was on my own, I had the luxury of making my own plans, but it did get lonely at times, mostly because I don’t speak Spanish. That said, I ran into several American rider groups of two or three riders each, and in two cases, when I was alone with one of the riders, he’d ***** about the other rider. As they say, “You don’t really know someone until you’ve traveled with them”. At those moments, I was glad to be riding on my own.

The Water: Don’t drink it, not even in hotels or restaurants unless you can confirm that they filter their water, and that will only be in the higher end hotels/restaurants in bigger towns with tourists. In the rest of the country, it will make you sick. I stopped at a street-side taco restaurant in Ensenada once evening. I drank bottled water, but ate the delicious tacos, the lettuce in which was undoubtedly washed in local water. The entire next day was spent sitting on the toilet; I never knew I could projectile vomit so far. That said, I was lucky and was only sick for a day; some people are sick much longer. Stick with bottled water, even when brushing your teeth, and don’t daydream while you’re in the shower and absent mindedly drink the water coming out the showerhead. The water issue is annoying and inconvenient, but it really makes you appreciate how much we take clean water for granted here in the USA.

Overall Thoughts on Trip: This was great trip, with dramatic scenery, and a feeling in the remote areas of being the only human being in the world, which was wonderful. The food was good and cheap (I won’t be eating tacos for a while), the hotels were cheap, the weather was great, and the people were friendly. I visited Catholic missions, I petted the massive heads of grey whales and their pups, I snorkeled with huge whale sharks, and actually touched one (not risky, they only eat plankton), and met some wonderful people, including my new fiancé, Aldonza, who I met in Todos Santos, pictured below. (She's not much of a dancer). My only regret is that because I didn’t speak Spanish, I couldn’t engage in more meaningful conversations with the Mexicans I met along the way, to learn more about their lives. Mexico is a poor country; travelling through it makes you realize how much we take for granted here in the USA. I did have few mishaps on the trip; almost running out of money, the projectile vomiting, and two hard falls when I was off-road and alone that severely bruised my ribs, which in turn forced me to ride much more carefully than I wanted to for the balance of the trip. But the mishaps were all part of the adventure. I will definitely go back, this time with one or more other riders. If you’re thinking about a Baja trip on your NC (or any other bike), I would strongly encourage you to go.

The Bike:

The NC performed flawlessly, and never failed me. I had no mechanical issues of any kind in 5,000 miles of relatively rugged riding over dirt, gravel, sand, mud, pavement, and through streams and pond-sized puddles. One of my Clearwater driving lights shorted out because I submerged it when I crossed a deep puddle, and because the headlight was wired to the driving lights, the headlight also stopped working. This was easily fixed by disconnecting the driving lights from the headlight, and restoring the stock headlight plug, and I was back in business with a headlight (but without working driving lights). As I’ve mentioned, I dropped the bike a total of five times, three times in deep sand, once in deep mud, and once one pavement. Two of the sand drops were at 25-30mph. The crash bars and the Givi saddlebags protected the bike, and the only damage was a shattered (but still usable) mirror, some minor scratches on the crash bars, and a small dent in the saddlebag. None of this had any effect on the bike’s mechanical performance. I tracked the mileage with each new tank; the lowest was 58mpg, the highest was 72mpg.

The Farkles: Note that the price listed next to each farkle below did not include the installation costs, which were significant because I can’t do my own mechanical work.

  • Ohlins Rear Shock HO 070 Street S46 DR ($600), and Race Tech Gold Valve Cartridge Emulators ($160). These suspension upgrades make a world of difference in how the bike rides. Much more comfortable, very planted. I highly recommend them.
  • Adjustable Clutch/Brake Levers. ($200) Helped to fine-tune the ergonomics.
  • Braided Steel Brake Lines. ($100) A modest but worthwhile improvement in brake feel. Also, they look good.
  • Givi Crash Bars. ($180) Along with the Givi saddlebags, these protected the bike when I fell. I also mounted driving lights on them.
  • Denali PowerHub2 Fuse Box. ($130) Mounted in frunk; frunk no longer fits my medium size modular helmet, but that’s okay because I use it to store everything else.
  • 2’ 12mm Combination Cable Lock. ($20) Keep this locked to rear bike handles, and lock my helmet to the bike with it. Most convenient helmet locking solution I’ve found.
  • 6’ 8mm Combination Cable Lock. ($20) For locking my jacket to the bike.
  • Denali Sound Bomb Compact Dual-Tone Motorcycle Air Horn and Harness. ($75) A safety essential. Although I don’t use it often, just knowing it’s there makes me feel safer.
  • Sargent Seat. ($350) Works okay for me; better than stock. After about two hours, if it’s uncomfortable, I can shift a cheek off the seat, keep riding on the other cheek, and in five minutes I can shift back and be good for another hour of riding. I had one 14 hour riding day, with 12 hours of it actually in the saddle. For my next long trip, I’ll try out the Airhawk air seat.
  • Clearwater Glendina Driving Lights with Yellow Lens Covers. ($280) These are the smallest of the Clearwater line. Another safety essential; fabulous for being seen day and night. They don’t throw much useful additional light down the road at night, but they make me, and make me feel, much safer.
  • Clearwater Voltage Sentry. ($49) Discovered that it’s not necessary on my NC. Even with the bike’s stock electrical draw, plus full heated gear, driving lights, LED taillights, iPhone charging, Garmin, the Voltage Sentry always blinked green when the engine was running, telling me I was fine.
  • Skene P3 LED Rear Lights with Turn Signal Option. ($181) Like Hyper-Lites, but bigger and better. LEDs, much brighter/quicker than stock taillight. Makes me really visible from rear, night or day. With these P# lights, the Clearwater driving lights, and my Hi-Viz yellow helmet (my conspicuity trifecta), it’s hard for drivers to not see me.
  • Westone Defender Style 4RT Motosport Custom Earplugs. ($180) An absolute necessity for longer trips. especially with the stock screen. Great product, great fit. Purchased from Earplug Superstore. (Also bought Etymotic Research Earplugs; $30 with shipping. Next to useless; threw them out.)
  • Puig Touring Windscreen. ($130) Not much improvement over the stock, and more buffeting. I had brought the stock windshield with me to Baja, and near the beginning of the trip, I reinstalled the stock windscreen, and purposely left the Puig behind in a motel room. I have since purchased a Madstad 20” screen ($250), plus a Puig clip-on visor ($115). These two screens solve the buffeting problem nicely, and with these plus the earplugs, I feel like I can ride forever.
  • Garmin 595LM GPS. ($700) Near useless in Mexico because it didn’t recognize most of the Mexican addresses I plugged into it. Also, a common complaint, you can’t see the screen in sunlight. I am very disappointed in this product, especially since it cost so much. I also purchased the Garmin Tire Pressure Caps ($140); not impressed. I will never buy another Garmin product.
  • Ram X Mount for iPhone. ($60) This (along with the iPhone) saved me in Mexico because the Garmin was so useless. No screen is great in direct sunlight, but the screen on my iPhone was much better than the Garmin. Also, Google Maps consistently recognized Mexican addresses that I input.
  • Formotion Air Temperature Gauge. ($50) Not terribly accurate, especially when it heats up in direct sunlight and gives inaccurate readings, but better than nothing. At least it looks good on the dash.
  • Coaxial Female Outlet. ($25) For plugging in my heated gear, installed in plastic bodywork below my left leg.
  • Givi Dolomiti 36 Liter Sidecases ($611 plus $148 for mounting brackets) and Givi 30 Liter Topcase ($340 plus $111 for mounting bracket). Not cheap, but a very sturdy product, as my multiple falls can attest to. I also purchased the Givi topcase liner bag, and one Givi sidecase liner bag, both of which are quality products and very useful.
  • Front Fenda Extenda. ($35) This, plus a radiator guard, meant no need (for me at least) to install a full skid plate.
  • Evotech Radiator Guard. (70 Euros) From France, liked the way it looked.
  • Motowerk Mirror Extenders. ($40) Simple install; much improved rear view.
  • Triumph Fork Gators. ($45) Many compliments. Gaitor Kit P/N A9638018; 41millimeter.
  • SPOT Gen3 Tracker ($150) plus SPOT Gen3 Basic Service Plan. ($199/Year). Instructions not well written, but eventually got it to work. A comfort knowing my family could track me (and thus know where to send in Seal Team Six to rescue me when I got kidnapped by a drug cartel.) Also fun for my family and friends to be able to follow me on the SPOT online map as I travelled. Note that both products are currently (August 2019), 50% off, which brings the combined price for both down from $350 to $175.
  • Continental TKC70 Tires. ($340 / Pair) These tires were great on pavement, light gravel, and some serious rock/dirt roads. They made the bike feel very planted, and were very confidence inspiring. I got 7,000 miles out of the rear, and probably could have gone another thousand miles more except for a large nail. The front tire did the same 7,000 miles as the rear, and looked like it could go another 7,000 miles. They are technically 60% road/40% off-road. They did not do well for me in heavier sand, heavier gravel, or in deep mud (thus, the falls). But to be fair, for a rider with better off-road skills than me (a low hurdle), they may do just fine in these conditions. For my next long off-road trip, I’ll install some 50/50 tires.

My Riding Gear:

  • Schuberth C3 Helmet. ($740) Hi-Viz yellow. Great helmet, very comfortable, quiet, will purchase again.
  • Thin Cotton Baclava. ($20) Warm, comfortable, made helmet a little quieter.
  • First Gear Kilamanjaro Adventure Jacket. ($400) Great jacket at a great price; waterproof (mostly), tons of pockets, D30 armor, and makes you look the part of the adventure rider.
  • Klim K Fifty 1 Jeans. ($280) Pricey, but well worth it. Sturdy, comfortable, D30 armor in the knees, hips, and tailbone. Like them so much I just purchased a second pair.
  • TCX Explorer EVO GoreTex Boots. ($210). Good boot, waterproof, very sturdy and comfortable. Not an off-bike hiking boot, but I sized up a full size and that may be part of the reason.
  • Aerostich Ultralight Waterproof Rain Overpants. ($97) They roll up very small when stored, and get the job done when worn over my riding jeans.
  • Rev-It 2 Summer Gloves. ($110) My go-to warm-weather gloves. Comfortable, good armor, my second pair.
  • Warm and Safe Heated Gear. ($435) I have the Ultimate Touring Heated Gloves, the 12V Heated Layer Shirt, and the Dual Remote Controller. All three items together cost $435; this included my $100 AMA discount. Heated gear was absolutely indispensable. I used it in the early part of the trip, February/March, in the northern part of Baja, especially in the mountains. It worked perfectly.


Some Final (Finally) Thoughts:

The NC is a great bike. I’m 5’ 10”, with a 30” inseam, and 175 lbs. I’ve been riding for 40+ years, and I’ve owned 20 bikes. The ergonomics on the NC are perfect for me. I’ve installed lowering links, and raised the forks a bit, and so now my heals are firmly on the pavement. Also, it’s a light bike (I discovered, the hard way, that I could pick it up by myself when I dropped it while riding off-road alone), and I wanted a light-weight touring bike after owning multiple ST1300s, an FJR1300, and a BMW R1000RT (1980?). With the Madstad windshield, and some 50/50 tires, I feel like I could ride this bike around the world.

Is the NC an off-road bike? Technically no. Even with the suspension upgrades I did, and the TKC70 tires, it can’t match the BMWs and KTMs, which are purpose-built for off-road riding. That said, this was only my second off-road riding experience in my life, and I was able to keep up with the big boys on the NC on some pretty rough Baja roads, for miles and miles. While it’s not a true go-anywhere bike, it is a go-mostly-anywhere-bike. It’s great around-town, with the Madstad windshield it’s an excellent light-weight touring bike, and with the right tires you can even do a little off-road riding. It’s just so darn useful. Even though I know I’ll own more bikes during my life, I don’t think I ’ll ever sell this NC.

NC complaints? Only one. As others have commented, in my opinion the NC could use another 10hp (or 20?). For 90% of the riding I do, it’s just fine, if not thrilling. The real problem is passing at highway speeds, especially fully loaded. That’s when it pretty much runs out of gas. I had to plan my passes, and leave myself a larger safety margin than I otherwise would on a more powerful bike. I have two thoughts in this regard; first, having a relatively lower horsepower bike keeps me out of trouble in those moments when I forget how precious life is, and I’m tempted to do things I probably shouldn’t be doing. This is the main reason I sold my FJR1300 years ago. Secondly, I view the lower horsepower as a very reasonable trade-off for all of the other wonderful features the bike has. I mean, really, you can’t have everything in life? (Mm, or can you; did somebody say Tiger 800XRt?)

Finally, a big shout-out and thank you to Jim Hamlin, the owner of Jim Hamlin Cycles in Bethel, Connecticut, and his tech, Matt Feldman. They did all of the farkle work and installations on my bike, and were an invaluable resource to me as I planned my trip, and prepared the bike for it. This is the kind of local bike shop we all want near us. No kids (sorry kids), but instead, lifetime riders who bring a lifetime of experience to their work, with great expertise, and a great customer service ethic. Jim has been working on my bikes for decades. The shop is an authorized dealer for both Moto Guzzi (I have a V7III Stone), and Aprilia, but they can service any bike. If you’re within riding distance of Bethel, I highly recommend them.

I hope this write-up was enjoyable or useful, or both. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

All the best.

Greg Thompson

 

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Great review! Very helpful tips. Muchas gracias! (See what I did there?)


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Overall Thoughts on Trip: This was great trip, with dramatic scenery, and a feeling in the remote areas of being the only human being in the world, which was wonderful. The food was good and cheap (I won’t be eating tacos for a while), the hotels were cheap, the weather was great, and the people were friendly. I visited Catholic missions, I petted the massive heads of grey whales and their pups, I snorkeled with huge whale sharks, and actually touched one (not risky, they only eat plankton), and met some wonderful people, including my new fiancé, Aldonza, who I met in Todos Santos, pictured below. (She's not much of a dancer). My only regret is that because I didn’t speak Spanish, I couldn’t engage in more meaningful conversations with the Mexicans I met along the way, to learn more about their lives. Mexico is a poor country; travelling through it makes you realize how much we take for granted here in the USA. I did have few mishaps on the trip; almost running out of money, the projectile vomiting, and two hard falls when I was off-road and alone that severely bruised my ribs, which in turn forced me to ride much more carefully than I wanted to for the balance of the trip. But the mishaps were all part of the adventure. I will definitely go back, this time with one or more other riders. If you’re thinking about a Baja trip on your NC (or any other bike), I would strongly encourage you to go.


I have been to many countries and hope to go to many more. I try to go outside my comfort zone and experience things I would not normally be exposed to. Each trip I come back with a different experience and a deeper appreciation for existence.

Thanks for taking the time to articulate your experience. Hopefully this is just the first of many more :)
 
Well done Greg, and to echo what others have already said.. Thank you for taking the time to write up such a great RR and sharing it with all of us! In the 80's i lived in Tucson and went down to Rocky Point several times, though never on a bike. I saw many of the same things and was always treated the same way. Once you get down into the country, you find many hard working, regular, honest, and very helpful folks. I always enjoyed my vacations down there. I look forward to meeting up with others and making the ride down to Rocky Point again, though this time on my NC! Hope to meet up on the road sometime. Enjoy the Ride! :{)
 
Great writing Greg. Glad you had fun.
Few more pics wouldn't hurt though... :D
 
This write up was fantastic. I really appreciate the farkle breakdown. I am planning a road trip and knowing what does and doesn't hold up is exceptionally helpful.
 
Baha.........

GregT,

Thanks for sharing your trip and thoughts with us. You and the shop you mentioned have kitted the bike out nicely.

I noticed you didn't mention accommodations so I thought i would pass along something I found on YT.

There is a young lady from the Netherlands that I follow who is riding on a Royal Enfield Himalayan, which is a 500cc with only about 25HP. The reason I mention her is that she stays in places that are only 2 star accommodations. This sounds counter intuitive but she thinks it allows her to get off the gringo trail a bit more. She seldom uses google translate but says they work through things....eventually.

Her name is 'Noraly' and here is a link to her channel. Should you travel in the future it might offer some ideas and suggestions. If nothing else, she is a bright, positive rider, who has done some interesting rides.

YouTube


Slo_Rider
 
Great write up. You will be cleaning the sand out of your ears for years!

Did you pet the whales or go across the Sea of Cortez? Across the Sea of Cortez is Copper Canyon, it is about 4 to 5 times bigger than the Grand Canyon. I do love riding Mexico, since 1969 and never any real problems with the people or the police... When you do brake down, the Mexican folks will stop and do their best to aid you...
 
Great write up, thanks for the report about the trip and the review of the equipment.

BTW, I also have a FirstGear Kilimanjaro Jacket and love it. Although I don't use it during most of the summer as I find it too warm, with inadequate venting for humid weather we get in my local. I use it in mainly on days when the temps will be 75 (F) or below. Great jacket and great value.

Totally agree with you about Rev'it and Klim gear. Great stuff.

I do wonder why you chose a 20" Madstad windscreen. My 5'8" wife has a 16" on her NC700x and at 6' tall I have an 18" on my NC750x. Decided on the heights after trading a couple emails with Madstad and I'm wondering if the buffeting you are getting is because you screen is too tall?

What are the Motowerks mirror extenders???
 
I too love my Kilimanjaro for cooler/cold weather. Much too warm for the Southeast from around April through September. I used to wear a FirstGear mesh, but grew concerned about abrasion resistance since I ride in warm/hot weather 6+ months. So I broke down and bought a Klim Induction mesh. Really like that, tons of airflow, and hopefully their unique mesh will survive the slide better.


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I too love my Kilimanjaro for cooler/cold weather. Much too warm for the Southeast from around April through September. I used to wear a FirstGear mesh, but grew concerned about abrasion resistance since I ride in warm/hot weather 6+ months. So I broke down and bought a Klim Induction mesh. Really like that, tons of airflow, and hopefully their unique mesh will survive the slide better.


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The biggest shortcoming of the First Gear Kilimanjaro is in hot/humid air, especially at modest or low speeds. Just not enough airflow. I can see how it would be a big problem in the Southeast. It is here in the humid midwest too. But in the right conditions my Kilimanjaro jacket shines as a great jacket!

I also have a Klim Apex Air which is a partial mesh jacket with zippers that close the mesh. Even with all the mesh vents open I tend to bake at stop lights and in city traffic. Over 35mph and I'm fine. Its a great jacket but I'm looking at adding a full mesh and the Klim Induction is on my short list of jackets to consider. Klim's mesh is supposed to be very good at abrasion resistance. I know the mesh panel on the back of my Apex Air jacket will scratch your hand if you rub up against it, not sure if that translates into protection against an asphalt slide.
 
I did a trip like yours in 2015, minus the offroading part. I did learn that if there is a gap between gas stations like from El Rosaria to Guerrero Negro the fuel solution is to nurse the throttle. I ran between 50-55 mph and arrived on fumes in Guerrero Negro. I still carry 4 liters of fuel in bottles. The photo is a little misleading because I am using Dolomiti cases now.
 

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Here is a better depiction of the extra fuel setup. Again, I am using Dolomiti cases now but the idea is the same. I have a plastic bridge to enable me to mount the bottles on the side of the topcase. I figure that the 4 liters will give me 55-60 more miles before I am pushing the bike.
 
I did a trip like yours in 2015, minus the offroading part. I did learn that if there is a gap between gas stations like from El Rosaria to Guerrero Negro the fuel solution is to nurse the throttle. I ran between 50-55 mph and arrived on fumes in Guerrero Negro. I still carry 4 liters of fuel in bottles. The photo is a little misleading because I am using Dolomiti cases now.

I can nurse it into Jesus Maria, first gas stationjust a few miles north of Guerra Negro if I fill up at El Rosario (after eating at mama espinoza’s). New gas pumps have been setup in Catavina for 2 or 3 years but not on yet as far as I know.
 
I did a trip like yours in 2015, minus the offroading part. I did learn that if there is a gap between gas stations like from El Rosaria to Guerrero Negro the fuel solution is to nurse the throttle. I ran between 50-55 mph and arrived on fumes in Guerrero Negro. I still carry 4 liters of fuel in bottles. The photo is a little misleading because I am using Dolomiti cases now.
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Here's a link to the Motowerks website, where I purchased the mirror extenders.

Honda Mirror Extenders – Moto Werk

Also, I tried the 18" Madstad, but that didn't work for me. The 20" Madstad with the Puig lip work just fine.



Great write up, thanks for the report about the trip and the review of the equipment.

BTW, I also have a FirstGear Kilimanjaro Jacket and love it. Although I don't use it during most of the summer as I find it too warm, with inadequate venting for humid weather we get in my local. I use it in mainly on days when the temps will be 75 (F) or below. Great jacket and great value.

Totally agree with you about Rev'it and Klim gear. Great stuff.

I do wonder why you chose a 20" Madstad windscreen. My 5'8" wife has a 16" on her NC700x and at 6' tall I have an 18" on my NC750x. Decided on the heights after trading a couple emails with Madstad and I'm wondering if the buffeting you are getting is because you screen is too tall?

What are the Motowerks mirror extenders???
 
Great write up. This is a trip I'll try in the fall if all goes well. Have a pal who is a no s#@t adventure guy who want to go. He did 12 weeks in Viet Nam and came back raving about the villages and especially the people. I believe this is what makes the trip complete.
 
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