Monday 18 June 2012

And so it begins.....

Today is Tuesday 19 June 2012. Outside it is cold, gray and sleeting. We are gripped in yet another Wellington cold spell. It must be time to go travelling.


                               
                                          This is Ebony, a 2011 BMW R1200GS Tripleblack

For sometime Dick Hubbard and I have been talking about a little pootle through the Americas, essentailly from Pruhoe Bay at the very top of Alaska to Ushuaia at the very bottom of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. In 2010 we travelled together around Australia as a kind of shakedown tour for this - the big one. I wrote a blog here:       http://kenandhelga.blogspot.co.nz/

Dick has also written a blog for this trip:  http://www.ice2icebymotorcycle.blogspot.co.nz/

I leave on Saturday 23 June for Vancouver. Meanwhile Ebony and her friend Mella arrived in Vancouver on Sunday on board the Cap Vilano.


                               Ebony and Mella head for BMW Auckland and the crates

The bikes left about a month ago. I rode Ebony up to Auckland through a delightful southerly storm, met up with Dick and we took our bikes across to BMW Experience for a 10,000km service, new tyres and the crating. BMW Experience provided us with two crates free of charge - crates that had been used to bring BMWs into New Zealand. Much appreciated.




We were pleased not to have to remove the front wheels. Essentially all we have had to do is to remove the windscreens, loosen the handlebar clamps and turn the bars downwards, mirrors and all, to below the level of the dash. My panniers remained on and the topbox was stowed under the front wheel. Then it was onto the Cap Vilano and away!



1 comment:

  1. Have fun, Ken - and keep yourselves safe as you adventure! Looking forward to watching your progress :)

    ReplyDelete