Special thanks to Jon, Micah and Ed at AF1 Racing for their infinite wisdom in all things moto, This bike and trip would not have come together without the help of my close friends and family.
What better way to see the most remote and unreachable places in Mexico and Central America than on the back of a 650cc, 4 stroke, single cylinder dirtbike? Especially one that was purpose-built for the infamous Baja 1000? Of course, it is probably not the wisest choice, nor the most prudent, but by god is it going to be the most exciting!
In August of 2005 I purchased a stock '01 Honda XR650R, and over the course of 2 months I malisciously transformed that humble machine into a rip snorting beast of an adventure motorcycle. Now, if I enjoyed doing things the easy way I could have certainly chosen the Kawasaki KLR650 -- undoubtedly a more appropriate bike for 7,000 miles of adventure riding. Or if I lived in the lap of luxury I would have chosen the BMW FS650 and bounced down to the Panama Canal astride a gas-powered barcalounger. But I am not concerned with convenience, nor comfort. I sincerely want this trip to be an affront to my over-inflated sense of self confidence. I want to be challenged! My decision in motorcycles was the first in the chain of many that will predetermine the course of this adventure.
When I first looked at the bike, I didn't think too much about adapting such a narrow focus machine to the grandiose feat that I expected the bike to endure. At the time, I had done some preliminary research on adventure riding at Horizons Unlimited and Adventure Rider and all signs pointed to any other bike than the XR650R. Motorcycles like the Kawi KLR650, BMW FS650, and KTM 640 are all capable and excellent adventure bikes. But getting spare parts for these bikes in Mexico and C.A. is near impossible at best, unlike Honda dirtbikes which are rather ubiquitous down there. I also had other concerns. I wanted a bike that would blaze through the worst conditions possible and ask for more. The XR650R has proven itself year after year in the grueling Baja 1000, and mine will probably scoff at me with a contemptuous yawn at what I attempt to throw at it. The overall deciding factor was that I wanted a bike that would be unbelievably fun to ride, and those other choices just didn't do it for me. The XR just has a way of putting a dirt eating grin on my face every time. So, choosing the XR650R was a natural one for me, albeit a crazy one to those that have done similar trips.
Now that I had the bike, I had to prep it for a 3 month, solo excursion into 3rd world countries. My preliminary goals were to get the bike street-legal and titled, add luggage for clothes and spare parts, and most importantly make it reliably bullet-proof.
After the basics were taken care of, I had to go after the creature comforts like:
Making the bike comfortable
After a mere 15 minutes on a stock XR650R the rider begins to notice what is known as "monkey butt". The factory installed seat is wafer thin and does little to comfort you. I expect that a gringo on a bright red dirtbike is going to draw enough attention in any small Mexican village. My goal is to avoid the inevitable laughter that would result from the sight of me walking around like a bow-legged hunchback. The solution to this problem was a quick internet order to Gutz Racing. Their tall and soft seat foam plus their cushioned seat cover made a world of difference in the XR's overall comfort. It's no barcalounger, but I should be able to do about 200-300 miles a day without crying.
Navigation
The stock odometer is rather useless for long trips because it only counts up to 100 miles and then rolls over like a useless dog. To keep track of my endless miles I added the Trail Tech Speedometer. I also mounted my Magellan Meridian GPS which draws power from custom dash board featuring 2 cigarette power adaptors and switches for the grip heaters and cooling fan.
Electrical System Improvements
Of course, the stock stator only puts out 80 watts, which is barely enough to provide a weak spark and a flickering headlight at idle. The good folks at Baja Designs were happy to solve this rewinding my stator for me. Their work modifies the stock stator to output 2 channels of 125 watts each. Now I have ample power to run a 65/65 watt headlamp, GPS, grip heaters, an electric cooling fan, and whatever else I can plug into the cigarette adaptors. Best of all, this mod will allow me the relative luxury of a powered iPod and an emergency tire pump!
Hand Protection
It would be incredibly frustrating to dump the bike and cut my trip short because I broke off a $7 clutch or brake lever. These Acerbis barkbusters will hopefully prevent that. Of course I'll be taking spare levers anyway, along with spare clutch and throttle cables. And because I'll be travelling in all weather conditions, from stifling coastal humidity to frigid 9,000 foot mountain passes, I want to further baby my girly hands with the comfort of gel grips, complete with grip heaters.
Extending Gas Mileage
The stock tank is a pathetic 2.6 gallon milk jug. It may be fine for riding around the backyard, but I need distance. This Acerbis monstrosity holds over 6 gallons and nets me 300+ miles on a tankfull. With it comes the peace of mind of not worrying too much whether the next Pemex station on the map actually has gas or not.
To protect the underbelly of the beast, I added a 3/8" aluminum skid plate -- a vast improvement over the flimsy plastic stocker. Now, I will simply crush any rock or stump that attempts to spill the XR's guts.
When I bought the bike it had 13/48 teeth on the front/rear sprockets. This meant it was a delicate affair keeping the front wheel on the ground in any gear. An absolute blast, yes, but I really didn't want to get pulled over constantly for wheelying everywhere I went, not to mention it was terrifying at highway speeds. My friend, Jon at AF1 Racing, hooked me up with some trick steel sprockets all the way from Germany (I don't know exactly where or from whom, it's one of his most guarded secrets) to be coupled with a blingin' new DID chain. Gearing is now 16/42 and the bike behaves more like a sportbike. It's actually relaxing to cruise at 80mph and the bike still has plenty of grunt to loft the front wheel in first.
Making Sure the Bike Runs Cool
The XR is a liquid cooled 4 stroke which is a huge advantage over its air-cooled brethren. However, that's not to say it can't be improved on. I'm not really worried about temps on the highway, because at speed there should be enough air moving through the tiny radiators to ensure cool runnings. What I am worried about is sitting for hours at border crossings and crawling along in city traffic. To keep tabs on the bike's feverish nature, I added a thermometer dipstick from Summers Racing Components. Yes, I know it's upside down, and no, I don't know how to change that. It's still very readable and will give me a headsup before the XR decides to spit up any coolant.
Because the bike is designed to run flat out at 100mph for hours at a time, the designers didn't see the need for a cooling fan. I am not going to spend any time at 100mph, so I need a cooling fan. This is the result of too much free time, some spare aluminum stock, a rivet gun and a 6 pack of Pacifico. Actually, I'm rather proud of this contraption. A 94cfm computer fan tied to a switch on the dash should keep enough air moving over the right radiator to prevent overheating while the bike idles for hours. This fan will be an absolute necessity to cool the bike if I ever have to use my emergency tire pump to air up a flat.
Theoretically, the header routing causes the bike to run hotter. What happens is some of the exhaust heat re-radiates back into the cylinder head as it passes through the headers. Not to mention, after an hour or so of riding my mouth waters from the delicious smell of roasted turkey leg wafting up from my right calf. Wrapping the headers in fiberglass forces the heat out the tailpipe where it belongs, and it also prevents my calf from becoming a reluctant dinner when I'm out in the middle of nowhere.
The stock muffler had been drilled out and was obnoxiously loud and raspy at any RPM. This new FMF muffler is quiet enough so as to not draw too much attention from the Federalies and will go a long way to preserving what's left of my hearing. Of course, there's always my iPod to counteract that.
Offroad Handling
In order to get the bike inspected and street legal, I had to put on a set of DOT legal doughnuts. For the trip I will swap those rubber bands out for these meaty Continental TKC-80's. From everything I've heard, these knobbies should be good for at least 5,000 miles and handle superbly both on and off-road. I'm also going to run with Ride-On in heavy duty Moose tubes to avoid flat tires. The tire sealant also works to dynamically balance those fat knobbies, so highway speeds should be even more enjoyable.