Setting the Stage

A week away and I'm getting anxious about getting on the road. I got a new Ducati Multistrada 1200S Touring last winter intending to ride it to Canada. This will be my fourth motorcycle tour to Canada, but the first to take me off paved roads.

Trigger, the beautiful steed taking me to the Great White North on roads less traveled.

I have been adapting Trigger for the trip for several months. First I added stone guards to the radiator and oil cooler. The header guard was a headache. Although it only involved removing one screw, that screw was Excalibur. Shout out to Vampliers for making a fine product for removing stripped screws. I then moved on to adapting my older Garmin car GPS for the motorcycle. It was easy to find GPS mounts for the handlebars, but getting power to it was tricky. But quickly solved by tapping into the power outlets intended for heated clothing. Given the triple-digit temperatures we are suffering of late, I doubt I'll need them to keep warm. I had one waterproof bag and got another from Aerostich (http://www.aerostich.com/), along with straps to keep them secured to the back of Trigger, and a new pair of elkskin ropers to keep my hands safe and dry. My final purchase for this adventure is the way I will document it. I got a ContourROAM video camera that mounts to my helmet. I'll be posting my videos as I progress on my sojourn.

One July 10, 2013, I will leave Andrews, TX. My first stop is Albuquerque to spend the night. It also affords me to catch up with my cousin Ricky. I am limiting my daily rides to about 350 miles to afford for pictures and recirculating the blood pooling in my butt. Don't get me wrong. Trigger has a great saddle, but it does not allow for moving around. Besides, he's a vain mount that wants to be in nearly every picture. And I will attempt to accommodate.