Getting Ready for Baja…

She's looking ready for the desert...

I knew I was heading south this winter on my KLR. I wasn’t sure where I would end up. My GF has less holidays than me so I let her pick what she wants to do and make my trips work around her time off. She was considering either kitesurfing in Baja or surfing in Costa Rica. I go to Baja most winters, but haven’t been there on a bike in nearly 10yrs. I’ve been going down in a 4×4 pick up truck the last while. I’ve never been to Central America so that would be all new for me as well. I have been farckling the bike knowing a big trip was coming up and she’d need to be ready for some adventures south of the border.

Well the GF has decided to go to La Ventana which is 45mins south of La Paz in Baja. Although this means less total mileage and less new ground to cover it’s probably for the best. I know my way around Baja really well which means no stress. I can get down to La Ventana on paved roads and setup my camp there. I’ll throw some 50/50 DS tires on the KLR [Michelin T63] and the stock 15T sprocket for lower gearing. Than I’ll be splitting my time between kiteboarding when it’s windy and riding in the desert when it’s not.

I’ve never had a serious motorcycle crash in all my years of riding, but I also know that not having had a bike for a while I can’t be too cocky. This trip to Baja means that I can head out into the dirt whenever I feel like it to work on my skills without any pressure to ride far or fast. I’ve got a GPS and 1:50,000 scale topo maps of the whole Baja so it will just be a lot of exploring between taco/beer stops and lots of kiteboarding to keep me fit. By the time I come back from Baja my KLR will be caked in well earned dust and I’ll be a competent dirt rider.

You can check out what I have done to my KLR so far at this link. The items below are what I still want to do before I leave in late November:

• inspect OEM wiring and fix any rubbing issues
• wire in heated vest & grips
• wire in GPS & spare 12V socket on dash
• T-mod
• add Happy Trail centerstand
• headlight guard
• swap in low profile Barkbuster bar end weights
• tank bag
• by-pass sidestand and clutch safety switches
• DIY tool tube
• buy a one piece rain suit
• change oil just before I leave

After all that my KLR650 will be fully adventure ready!…=-)

Baja Off Road Adventure

This is 4×4 video not a bike video, but I love Baja [my favourite place on Earth!] and getting to see some of the off road ADV travel potential of this part of Mexico is a good thing in my books!

Baja Kiteboarding…

I’m hoping to head down to Baja this winter for a couple months to kiteboard and camp on the beach. I found these videos of some folks who did just that.

ADV Rider Magazine [Sept/Oct 2010 issue] has an article about these folks and their trip which you can buy online.

My Previous KLR650 Life…

Salt flats south of Guerro Nergo, Baja Mexico...

I had a 1997 KLR650 that I loved. It was versatile and inexpensive. It took me all over Canada, USA and Mexico without complaint. Then a bunch of changes happened in my life and I got away from motorcycles so I sold my KLR to a friend. Now that I am settled in Victoria, British Columbia on the beautiful and underpopulated Vancouver Island it seems like the right time to get a KLR650 and get back on the road…=-)

Why not spend Y2K in Baja on my KLR?

These photos are from my Y2K KLR tour of Baja Mexico. Not only did I have a blast riding my bike around Baja, but I discovered a ton of cool spots that I have continued to visit just about every winter since then. It seems only fitting that I come full circle and get back on a KLR for more adventures in Mexico.

Why I love Baja..so many unpaved roads...

I was a bit torn between the KLR and my dream bike, a BMW F800GS, but once I got down to the nitty gritty it became obvious that the KLR was a better choice for me. I’ll explain why that was in future posts and I’ll also explain why decided on a new 2011 KLR rather than a used pre-’07 KLR.