Brian A. Hopkins
Adventure Bumpkin

Bahlobo y los Gringos:
"South of the Border"
(Copper Canyon, Mexico) 13 - 22 April 2007

PREPARATION: I can't speak to specifics for the other guys (though I imagine they went through a similar procedure with their bikes), but I performed the following maintenance a week or so before we departed to prepare my BMW F650GS Dakar for our Copper Canyon adventure:

• Mounted a new set of Dunlop 606 tires (knobbies!)

• Changed the engine oil and filter

• Checked the entire bike for loose fittings, screws, nuts, etc.

• Cleaned out the air box and installed a new air filter

• Installed new spark plugs (though it's a thumper, it's a Rotax dual spark engine)

• Gave the bike a thorough cleaning (there is no better inspection process!)

• Cleaned, lubed, and checked the adjustment of the chain

• Cleaned and inspected the brake pads and rotors

• Lubed the throttle and clutch cables

• Checked brake fluid and coolant reservoirs

• Topped off the battery with distilled water

• Removed the Department of Defense decal from the left fork

I had ordered a new maintenance-free battery to replace the stock lead-acid battery which had already boiled over once (making a nice acid-etched mess of the top of my engine in the process!), but it had been backordered and failed to arrive in time. In two years, the bike had never failed to start, but I really didn't trust the original battery anymore. Unfortunately, because of its unusual size and reversed poles, a replacement wasn't as easy as walking into the nearest Walmart. I would have to go to Mexico with the questionable battery.

I had also ordered a few trick components from Touratech (a German company specializing in custom components and gear for adventure motorcycles) for the Beemer: an offroad-type chain guide (normally found on true dirtbikes), an oil-type air filter (to replace the BMW's stock paper cartridge type), and a folding brake lever (I'd already replaced the shift lever with a folding type). Unfortunately, these items were also backordered (seems to happen every time I order something from Touratech). They actually arrived at my doorstep a few days after we departed for Mexico. Grrrrr...

It goes without saying that a carefully prepared machine is the key to enjoying (perhaps even surviving) an adventure such as this. We would be hundreds of miles from anything resembling a motorcycle repair shop. We were carrying tools, spare parts, and whatever we needed to handle anything short of a catastrophic mechanical failure. All of us know our bikes inside and out and are competent at fixing flats and whatnot. We were also carrying two first aid kits, just in case, and in our planning had agreed that we needed a minimum of three riders for the trip (one to go get help and one to remain with an injured rider in an emergency situation). We studied maps and read dozens of ride reports from other adventure riders who had toured the area. We talked and planned and coordinated what everyone would be carrying ad infinitum. In other words, we were as prepared as we could possibly be.

A week before we left, we did a test loading at my house to make sure we could fit all four bikes on Chris's trailer. Then, Thursday night, the 12th of April, we loaded them for real. We would be driving Rich's van, which not only had plenty of room for the gear but had bench seats just right for snoozing. The plan was to hit the road around noon on Friday the 13th (gulp!), driving straight through to the border at Presidio, TX where we would get a few hours shut-eye at a hotel, then cross into Mexico on the bikes first thing Saturday morning.

The fat lady is singing now, buddy ... Time to get the hell outta Dodge!

One trailer, four motorcycles, and a shitload of tie-downs. The bikes are ready ... are we?

Click the Dancing Sombrero to Continue the Adventure