If you've ever met me, you probably have a pretty good idea how I feel about organized religion...
NOT a fan.
That said, I LOVE this video and think that everyone should take five minutes out of their lives to watch it. It is NOT a slam on organized religion...
For those who do not understand the reference to "Freaknik in Atlanta", click here.
28 July 2015
22 July 2015
Hodge-podge
As promised in the last post, more photos are coming...
Soon...
Today's post is a hodge-podge. How long has it been since you've heard THAT term? If your answer is "all my life", ask your parents... but only if you can't figure it out before the end of the post.
Click here for ANOTHER reason to stop eating beef:
"Giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars, says expert.
"Study shows red meat dwarfs others for environmental impact, using 28 times more land and 11 times water (than) for pork or chicken."
Video: Hanoi police hunt man for allowing dog to drive motorbike
Why am I unsurprised?
"Some places remain unknown because no one has ever ventured forth.
Others remain so because no one has ever come back."—unattributed
"Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before"—Mae West
I wrote, in a number of previous posts, about my challenges with the Vietnamese language. I met a guy the other day who's only been here a couple months longer than I and his Vietnamese is impressive. He told me that he has a gift for languages, but don't ask him to do math. I'm really good at math and don't need that gift anymore... who do I see about swapping my math chip out for a language chip?
Most of you readers probably have little familiarity trying to learn a tonal language, so I'll give you a few examples. These are only some examples (and I'm sure there are others) of, depending on how you pronounce it:
1) tam could mean
I know I've more than once asked the waitress for a shower. They've never said yes, though occasionally I'll get a toothpick.
I'm unsure if the colloquialism is the same here, but if I ever get slapped asking for a strawberry, I'll know why.
Five years is "năm năm" if talking about a length of time. If you're talking about five years old, that is "năm tuổi".
Just kill me now!
My says that my attempts to speak Vietnamese are "same same baby". At least when the baby speaks, people don't hold their hands vertically and rotate them rapidly (what I call the WTF)! LOL
Funny video:
"There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't."
Click here for an incredible motorcycle drifting video
This is a very moving video poem:
A few weeks ago, My and I flew to Đà Nẵng for a long weekend. One of the things we like to do, wherever we are is "di gau" (ride around—that's MY way of writing what I hear her say when she wants to do it).
As we were riding around Đà Nẵng, we stopped for a light and a Vietnamese man rode up and stopped next to us; about four feet away. Normally, I won't look around if someone stops out of grabbing range, though this time I did look over and I have no idea why. I'm very glad I looked, though, because as soon as he came to a complete stop, the man fell wobbled and fell over... in slow motion.
Fcuking drunks!
He was trapped under his bike and, as he tried to get out from under it, started flopping like a landed trout. A few people left their bikes in the middle of the street and ran to help him. My started to get off the bike to help and I stopped her. I said that he didn't deserve her help and that as soon as he got upright, he'd be off and riding again, possibly right at us. We got way out of there and out of his future.
Drunks on motorbikes are a problem here. Virtually every evening I ride, I get passed by someone on a fast scooter who's either wobbling or bobbing and weaving when going straight is a better option. The biggest problem I have is that they come up from behind so fast that they're hardly visible in the mirrors and even if they were, any evasive move on my part might put me in their addled path.
This ingenuity popped up on my radar last week and it is now how I fold my t-shirts (video):
The title of my next blog may be... "Not all those who wander are lost."—J.K.K. Tolkien
Speaking of blog names, thank you for your numerous suggestions for my possibly upcoming "Riding the World" adventure blog. At this point, the leading contender is Global Hopscotch. Unfortunately, www.globalhopscotch.com is taken by one of those squatting companies that makes money while not contributing anything to society—though that won't keep me from using the name.
This last quote I saved 'til now 'cause I'll lose a couple of you... I also took one word out of the last line to mitigate the losses. I have no idea who wrote it; I just agree with it.
Religion is like a penis.
It's okay to have one;
It's fine to be proud of it;
But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around;
And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my throat.
Have you ever had a Buddhist preach to you about how you're going to hell?
I haven't and I'll bet I've encountered more of them than most westerners...
Soon...
Today's post is a hodge-podge. How long has it been since you've heard THAT term? If your answer is "all my life", ask your parents... but only if you can't figure it out before the end of the post.
Click here for ANOTHER reason to stop eating beef:
"Giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars, says expert.
"Study shows red meat dwarfs others for environmental impact, using 28 times more land and 11 times water (than) for pork or chicken."
Video: Hanoi police hunt man for allowing dog to drive motorbike
Why am I unsurprised?
"Some places remain unknown because no one has ever ventured forth.
Others remain so because no one has ever come back."—unattributed
"Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before"—Mae West
I wrote, in a number of previous posts, about my challenges with the Vietnamese language. I met a guy the other day who's only been here a couple months longer than I and his Vietnamese is impressive. He told me that he has a gift for languages, but don't ask him to do math. I'm really good at math and don't need that gift anymore... who do I see about swapping my math chip out for a language chip?
Most of you readers probably have little familiarity trying to learn a tonal language, so I'll give you a few examples. These are only some examples (and I'm sure there are others) of, depending on how you pronounce it:
1) tam could mean
- a shower (tấm)
- a toothpick (tăm)
- sheets (tấm)
- garlic (tỏi)
- I or me (tôi)
- sin (tội)
- head (đầu)
- strawberry (dâu)
- pain (đau)
- where (đâu)
- sugar (đường)
- street (đường)
- male (năm)
- 5 (năm)
- year (năm)
I know I've more than once asked the waitress for a shower. They've never said yes, though occasionally I'll get a toothpick.
I'm unsure if the colloquialism is the same here, but if I ever get slapped asking for a strawberry, I'll know why.
Five years is "năm năm" if talking about a length of time. If you're talking about five years old, that is "năm tuổi".
Just kill me now!
My says that my attempts to speak Vietnamese are "same same baby". At least when the baby speaks, people don't hold their hands vertically and rotate them rapidly (what I call the WTF)! LOL
Funny video:
"There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't."
Click here for an incredible motorcycle drifting video
This is a very moving video poem:
A few weeks ago, My and I flew to Đà Nẵng for a long weekend. One of the things we like to do, wherever we are is "di gau" (ride around—that's MY way of writing what I hear her say when she wants to do it).
As we were riding around Đà Nẵng, we stopped for a light and a Vietnamese man rode up and stopped next to us; about four feet away. Normally, I won't look around if someone stops out of grabbing range, though this time I did look over and I have no idea why. I'm very glad I looked, though, because as soon as he came to a complete stop, the man fell wobbled and fell over... in slow motion.
Fcuking drunks!
He was trapped under his bike and, as he tried to get out from under it, started flopping like a landed trout. A few people left their bikes in the middle of the street and ran to help him. My started to get off the bike to help and I stopped her. I said that he didn't deserve her help and that as soon as he got upright, he'd be off and riding again, possibly right at us. We got way out of there and out of his future.
Drunks on motorbikes are a problem here. Virtually every evening I ride, I get passed by someone on a fast scooter who's either wobbling or bobbing and weaving when going straight is a better option. The biggest problem I have is that they come up from behind so fast that they're hardly visible in the mirrors and even if they were, any evasive move on my part might put me in their addled path.
This ingenuity popped up on my radar last week and it is now how I fold my t-shirts (video):
The title of my next blog may be... "Not all those who wander are lost."—J.K.K. Tolkien
Speaking of blog names, thank you for your numerous suggestions for my possibly upcoming "Riding the World" adventure blog. At this point, the leading contender is Global Hopscotch. Unfortunately, www.globalhopscotch.com is taken by one of those squatting companies that makes money while not contributing anything to society—though that won't keep me from using the name.
This last quote I saved 'til now 'cause I'll lose a couple of you... I also took one word out of the last line to mitigate the losses. I have no idea who wrote it; I just agree with it.
Religion is like a penis.
It's okay to have one;
It's fine to be proud of it;
But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around;
And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my throat.
Have you ever had a Buddhist preach to you about how you're going to hell?
I haven't and I'll bet I've encountered more of them than most westerners...
18 July 2015
Beautiful Việt Nam in Photos, Part One
I took a lot of photos over the past six months and they're just sitting on my laptop. It's long overdue to share some of them...
 |
| The only fresher sugar cane is un-cut in the field |
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| "Tourist Police" are tasked with protecting tourists. |
 |
| This "regular" police officer is not peeing in the street. |
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| The yellow-uniformed traffic police usually ride two-up on their 150 Hondas |
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| Buddhist alter with food offerings--found in many homes and businesses |
  Two of the pro-helmet billboards on Hwy 20 that I think are paid for by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation |
  |
| My first motorcycle flat tire happened out of my cell carrier's coverage area; two kids riding by stopped and, using another carrier, called a guy with a service truck for me. |
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| One of the Prenn Waterfall elephants foraging by the side of the road |
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| The view from my balcony at Villa Pink House, Đà Lạt |
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| The waiting room at the Saigon Dermatological Hospital |
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| Everything I brought to Đà Lạt except one bag and the motorcycles--delivered by bus. |
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| This is the decal guy I use in Đà Lạt. I love how he holds the blow drier while manipulating the decals with both hands. |
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| Some scooters are more beautiful than others... |
 |
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| Orchid vendors at Đà Lạt Market |
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| I wonder if the kid knows he's wearing road kill on his head? |
 |
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| If you ever see the guy above in a restaurant with greens on the table, eat somewhere else. Both he and his female friend picked up a branch, rubbed it under their noses, and then PUT IT BACK ON THE PLATE which would be put in front of the next customer. I walked over, threw the greens in the trash, and told them how disgusting they are. |
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| My friend Nhi's son Thịnh loves riding on the DRZ. His mom, not so much... |
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| The great new highway into Đà Lạt from the south is closed to motorcycles :-( |
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| Đà Lạt Twilight (sans vampires) |
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| The bridge heading toward the Đà Lạt Market from the east (iPhone photo) |
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| Dropped the DRZ on the street and the gear shifter penetrated the clutch housing |
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| When the mechanic saw I had a dirty air filter (Steed), he ripped out the filtering baffles and replaced them with a piece of open-cell foam before I could stop him. It now has a cleanable, 100,000 mile K&N air filter. |
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| Bahn Xeo, A Vietnamese rice pancake and one of my favorites... even though it's fried in oil. Eating them the VN way is NOT intuitive. |
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| Cut the pancake with (provided) scissors, Pick some greens and lay them on the rice wrap. Use chopsticks to add a slice of rice pancake |
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| Roll tightly and dip in the rice vinegar (I now add hot chilies to it) and enjoy! |
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| Đà Lạt Market at night |
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| It's a good thing that the hydrant is too far from a structure to be of any use. |
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| This is a fish that apparently divides itself into segments when fried and was neither oily or greasy--very delicious! The red fruit at upper right is what they call a plum, though it's nothing like Western plums. |
More to follow...
16 July 2015
Mũ bảo hiểm này bảo vệ tương lai của tôi
"This helmet protects my future"
We are finally ready to meet with pre-schools and ask if they will allow us to have a meeting with children and parents to talk about why children need to wear a motorbike helmet... and to give each child from 3 to 5 years old a free motorbike helmet.
This is the business card I designed:
It has the phrase that will be on every helmet, "This helmet protects my future" at the top. Then it says, "Free motorbike helmets for the young children of Dalat" with the phone number and email address I set up. The email translates to "Love Your Children"@gmail.com.
The photo is of the three year old daughter of a friend and she is wearing the helmet I bought her the first time we met. When I saw that she rode on her mother's motorbike sans helmet, I asked Mom if she would let me buy a helmet for her. Mom agreed, and as soon as we put it on her, she LOVED it!
On my first visit to Vietnam almost two years ago, I noticed that a number of adults and 99+% of the children did NOT wear a helmet when on a motorbike. I understand that many adults either think they're bulletproof (WRONG!) or that the government shouldn't tell them that they have to protect that thin boney cover over their brain. Whatever your thoughts on that, children CANNOT make fully-informed, rational decisions and parents should make them wear a helmet.
Period.
I was greatly troubled by seeing so many children in daily danger. Upon my return to the U.S., I started researching ways that I might help and read about AIPF and their current work with elementary schools in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City. I emailed them and asked if they have any plans to branch out to Dalat; they said they did not. My next question was, will you sell me helmets and literature you've developed? They said yes, so the next step was figuring out where to get the money.
Labor Day Weekend 2014 I had an Estate Sale to offload my accumulations and I decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from that three-day sale toward buying helmet for the children of my new home.
I had some nice stuff and never hesitated to ask a fair price. Between sales and a couple small donations, I collected $7535.28 and every penny is still sitting, untouched, in its own bank account.
In addition to the helmet shown in the Estate Sale flyer and the one on the card above, I've used my own funds (NOT those set aside for helmets) to purchase three adult full-face helmets for Vietnamese adult friends, two adult-size helmets for other Vietnamese friends (as in the rest of the world, some people object to wearing a full-face helmet), and nine child-size helmets either for children of friends. None of the children had ever before had a motorbike helmet and all wear them 100% of the time they're riding. It's a start...
A law went into effect very recently in Vietnam requiring all children six years old and older to wear a motorbike helmet. Since the effective date of that law, nearly every six-plus year old child I see on a motorbike is wearing a helmet, so it is helping greatly. Helmet-wearing children under six are more prevalent than prior to the law's implementation, though my unscientific visual survey puts the overall number at less than 10%.
Last Friday I met with a Ho Chi Minh representative of Protec about purchasing the helmets I want to give away. Protec is a non-profit project of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, who is doing a great job of promoting the wearing of motorbike helmets by children. AIPF was instrumental in getting the various helmet laws passed throughout SE Asia, including the one covering 6-plus year olds here in Vietnam. They have given away thousands (more likely tens of thousands) of Protec motorbike helmets in the ASEAN countries.
From the Protec web site:
"Protec Tropical Helmets are specifically designed for the hot and wet climates of ASEAN countries. Protec safety experts have measured over 5,000 Vietnamese heads throughout the country to guarantee that these helmets will fit your head perfectly at any age. Protec helmets keep your head safe and are suitable for Vietnam’s chaotic traffic patterns.
"The Protec helmet is designed to be lightweight and well-ventilated, with a fit-band that is adjustable to any head size."
The funds currently earmarked will purchase helmets with face shield for about 500 children. There are quite a few schools and each has from 250 to 400 children, so I am working on setting up a way for anyone wishing to donate money to help us buy more helmets.
My friend My (Mee) and I are both working on this project without compensation. Vy (Vee), the one other person working with me volunteered to work gratis, though because of her personal situation I insisted on paying her US$5 per hour—a living wage here for full-time work. Vy and I met on my first trip to Đà Lạt and she is pretty much fluent in English, so 98+% of our communication is a breeze. We've brainstormed a few times about this project and she is making cold calls to local schools trying to get us face time with the principal.
Vy met with the first school on her own and they were VERY skeptical; apparently unable to believe that a foreigner would give away 300 quality helmets to children he does not know. She suggested that we go to the next school together and this morning we did just that.
I spoke, Vy translated, and we were very well-received. The school administration is quite excited about our proposal and assured us that the parents will be receptive. The Head Mistress even beat me to one of my planned suggestions—that they require the children to wear their helmets to and from school and promised to do so. I added that I am considering offering 20,000VND (~US$1) to any kids I see wearing one of our helmets on motorbike, to which she replied that both the kids and the parents would love that idea.
We agreed that this would be our first school and discussed some of the logistics. Lead time on the helmets is 3-4 weeks, so they would arrive too late for us to distribute them before I leave on my trip to the U.S. The tentative dates for the presentation are 14-15 September. We decided to have two presentations on consecutive nights because each will have up to 300 people, students and parents, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, the Vietnamese people are extremely challenged at queuing up patiently. Two main groups with further sorting into seven classrooms should help things run more smoothly.
In addition to 270 or so helmets for the children of this school, we offered to give an adult-size helmet to each of the 26 staff members. Our thought is that when the children and parents see the school staff wearing helmets of the same design, it will reinforce the value of the children's helmets and help foster an additional sense of community. The bright smile on their faces told us that they were hoping for such an offer.
When I got home after the meeting, I found an email waiting for me from Protec. It contained the graphic design for the helmets:
If you'd like to weigh in, I welcome your comments and/or emails. After placing the order, I'll post the final design.
We are finally ready to meet with pre-schools and ask if they will allow us to have a meeting with children and parents to talk about why children need to wear a motorbike helmet... and to give each child from 3 to 5 years old a free motorbike helmet.
 |
| First-draft helmet graphics |
This is the business card I designed:
The photo is of the three year old daughter of a friend and she is wearing the helmet I bought her the first time we met. When I saw that she rode on her mother's motorbike sans helmet, I asked Mom if she would let me buy a helmet for her. Mom agreed, and as soon as we put it on her, she LOVED it!
On my first visit to Vietnam almost two years ago, I noticed that a number of adults and 99+% of the children did NOT wear a helmet when on a motorbike. I understand that many adults either think they're bulletproof (WRONG!) or that the government shouldn't tell them that they have to protect that thin boney cover over their brain. Whatever your thoughts on that, children CANNOT make fully-informed, rational decisions and parents should make them wear a helmet.
Period.
I was greatly troubled by seeing so many children in daily danger. Upon my return to the U.S., I started researching ways that I might help and read about AIPF and their current work with elementary schools in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City. I emailed them and asked if they have any plans to branch out to Dalat; they said they did not. My next question was, will you sell me helmets and literature you've developed? They said yes, so the next step was figuring out where to get the money.
Labor Day Weekend 2014 I had an Estate Sale to offload my accumulations and I decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from that three-day sale toward buying helmet for the children of my new home.
In addition to the helmet shown in the Estate Sale flyer and the one on the card above, I've used my own funds (NOT those set aside for helmets) to purchase three adult full-face helmets for Vietnamese adult friends, two adult-size helmets for other Vietnamese friends (as in the rest of the world, some people object to wearing a full-face helmet), and nine child-size helmets either for children of friends. None of the children had ever before had a motorbike helmet and all wear them 100% of the time they're riding. It's a start...
A law went into effect very recently in Vietnam requiring all children six years old and older to wear a motorbike helmet. Since the effective date of that law, nearly every six-plus year old child I see on a motorbike is wearing a helmet, so it is helping greatly. Helmet-wearing children under six are more prevalent than prior to the law's implementation, though my unscientific visual survey puts the overall number at less than 10%.
Last Friday I met with a Ho Chi Minh representative of Protec about purchasing the helmets I want to give away. Protec is a non-profit project of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, who is doing a great job of promoting the wearing of motorbike helmets by children. AIPF was instrumental in getting the various helmet laws passed throughout SE Asia, including the one covering 6-plus year olds here in Vietnam. They have given away thousands (more likely tens of thousands) of Protec motorbike helmets in the ASEAN countries.
From the Protec web site:
"Protec Tropical Helmets are specifically designed for the hot and wet climates of ASEAN countries. Protec safety experts have measured over 5,000 Vietnamese heads throughout the country to guarantee that these helmets will fit your head perfectly at any age. Protec helmets keep your head safe and are suitable for Vietnam’s chaotic traffic patterns.
"The Protec helmet is designed to be lightweight and well-ventilated, with a fit-band that is adjustable to any head size."
The funds currently earmarked will purchase helmets with face shield for about 500 children. There are quite a few schools and each has from 250 to 400 children, so I am working on setting up a way for anyone wishing to donate money to help us buy more helmets.
My friend My (Mee) and I are both working on this project without compensation. Vy (Vee), the one other person working with me volunteered to work gratis, though because of her personal situation I insisted on paying her US$5 per hour—a living wage here for full-time work. Vy and I met on my first trip to Đà Lạt and she is pretty much fluent in English, so 98+% of our communication is a breeze. We've brainstormed a few times about this project and she is making cold calls to local schools trying to get us face time with the principal.
Vy met with the first school on her own and they were VERY skeptical; apparently unable to believe that a foreigner would give away 300 quality helmets to children he does not know. She suggested that we go to the next school together and this morning we did just that.
I spoke, Vy translated, and we were very well-received. The school administration is quite excited about our proposal and assured us that the parents will be receptive. The Head Mistress even beat me to one of my planned suggestions—that they require the children to wear their helmets to and from school and promised to do so. I added that I am considering offering 20,000VND (~US$1) to any kids I see wearing one of our helmets on motorbike, to which she replied that both the kids and the parents would love that idea.
We agreed that this would be our first school and discussed some of the logistics. Lead time on the helmets is 3-4 weeks, so they would arrive too late for us to distribute them before I leave on my trip to the U.S. The tentative dates for the presentation are 14-15 September. We decided to have two presentations on consecutive nights because each will have up to 300 people, students and parents, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, the Vietnamese people are extremely challenged at queuing up patiently. Two main groups with further sorting into seven classrooms should help things run more smoothly.
 |
| The two school officials with whom we met today |
In addition to 270 or so helmets for the children of this school, we offered to give an adult-size helmet to each of the 26 staff members. Our thought is that when the children and parents see the school staff wearing helmets of the same design, it will reinforce the value of the children's helmets and help foster an additional sense of community. The bright smile on their faces told us that they were hoping for such an offer.
When I got home after the meeting, I found an email waiting for me from Protec. It contained the graphic design for the helmets:
If you'd like to weigh in, I welcome your comments and/or emails. After placing the order, I'll post the final design.
05 July 2015
A new motorcycle... or two
I need to stay off fcuking craigslist!
While planning my upcoming trip to the U.S., I looked into renting a motorcycle for both my three-day off-road and one-day on-road courses. The KLR650s were both booked, so I had to go with a BMW. It's a nice bike and it'd be interesting to ride an F650GS, BUT they wanted over $200 per day for the bike and insurance. I need it for six days because I need to pick it up the day before each class... $1200!!!
I decided that it would be a LOT easier and cheaper if I just buy a bike and then sell it when I'm finished. If I can't sell it before I leave, then friend Liz said she'd store it for me and I'll have a bike to ride when I'm in the U.S.
In reading the forum comments from other adventure bikers, I decided to buy a Suzuki DR650. It's the big brother to the DR-Z400 I ride here in Việt Nam and I love that bike!
The DR650 is also extremely customizable, weighs less than a KLR, and holds its value--a 2000 model will sell for within 10-15% of a 2009 model. Searching the Adventure Rider forums, eBay, and craigslist, I found a number of interesting candidates, some of which were on the East coast. Because I have to pay to ship the bike, I wanted to find something closer. And I did!
This gorgeous 1996 Yamaha Royal Star Deluxe Touring is now sitting in a secure storage facility in Chehalis, Washington, waiting for the transport company to pick it up and take it to Liz's warehouse.
Fcuking craigslist!
Even those of you who don't ride will see that this is NEITHER an off-road bike, NOR is it NOT suitable for the three-day course... though it WILL be sweet for the on-road class! I love its looks and according to the magazines at the time, it was the top-rated cruiser of its day. At 1300cc, it's lighter and easier to handle than the 1700+cc Victory I sold last year with the rest of my stuff. I cannot WAIT to wrap my leg over this beauty!
BUT...
I still didn't have the bike I need, so it was back to ADVRider.com, eBay, and craigslist. There's also a site called BikeFinds.com that gives you every DR650 or KLR or whatever minibike, motocross, trail, enduro, or dual sport bike you want. The best DR for my purpose was a 2003 in Valley Springs, CA that I found on ADVRider (Adventure Rider). It already has hard panniers, skid plate, upgraded carburetor and seat (two separate modifications) and a number of other "farkles" that I like. It also comes with spare parts, off-road tires, and a pair of gloves I can use. I bought it all for $3200... plus $380 for shipping to Tacoma. For another $120, the same truck will pick up the Royal Star on the way.
After the off-road course the DR will go back on ADVRider and craigslist in the hope that I can find a buyer before I leave three weeks later. If I still have it on the 19th, I'll probably ride it to the Horizons Unlimited Traveller's Meeting in Naksup, BC. I say probably because the Royal Star would be more comfortable for the two-day ride each way. It would NOT, however, be any good for any potential off-road riding available during the four-day event. There's also the possibility that someone at the event would be interested in buying the DR.
Either way, my plan is to sell the DR while keeping the panniers to bring back for the DR-Z for my trips to Thailand and north of Hà Nội.
Because the DR650 market is softer in California than in Western Washington, there's a good chance I'll be able to recoup my entire investment. Even if it costs me a little, it will still be less expensive than a $1200 rental.
What keeps running through my head is that less than 4-1/2 years ago I bought my first motorcycle, a 2007 Kawasaki KLR650:
Then, on my first trip to Việt Nam, I bought my second, a 1999 Yamaha YBR125:
Upon returning to the U.S., I sold the KLR and bought a 2007 Victory Kingpin:
The Victory went to a nice guy in San Diego; I came to VN and bought a 1999 Honda Steed 400 VLX
and the DR-Z400
As I write this, I have (am about to have) FOUR motorcycles! LMAO
Yes, I know... it's not craigslist, it's my lack of self-control when it comes to motorcycles.
While planning my upcoming trip to the U.S., I looked into renting a motorcycle for both my three-day off-road and one-day on-road courses. The KLR650s were both booked, so I had to go with a BMW. It's a nice bike and it'd be interesting to ride an F650GS, BUT they wanted over $200 per day for the bike and insurance. I need it for six days because I need to pick it up the day before each class... $1200!!!
I decided that it would be a LOT easier and cheaper if I just buy a bike and then sell it when I'm finished. If I can't sell it before I leave, then friend Liz said she'd store it for me and I'll have a bike to ride when I'm in the U.S.
In reading the forum comments from other adventure bikers, I decided to buy a Suzuki DR650. It's the big brother to the DR-Z400 I ride here in Việt Nam and I love that bike!
The DR650 is also extremely customizable, weighs less than a KLR, and holds its value--a 2000 model will sell for within 10-15% of a 2009 model. Searching the Adventure Rider forums, eBay, and craigslist, I found a number of interesting candidates, some of which were on the East coast. Because I have to pay to ship the bike, I wanted to find something closer. And I did!
This gorgeous 1996 Yamaha Royal Star Deluxe Touring is now sitting in a secure storage facility in Chehalis, Washington, waiting for the transport company to pick it up and take it to Liz's warehouse.
Fcuking craigslist!
Even those of you who don't ride will see that this is NEITHER an off-road bike, NOR is it NOT suitable for the three-day course... though it WILL be sweet for the on-road class! I love its looks and according to the magazines at the time, it was the top-rated cruiser of its day. At 1300cc, it's lighter and easier to handle than the 1700+cc Victory I sold last year with the rest of my stuff. I cannot WAIT to wrap my leg over this beauty!
BUT...
I still didn't have the bike I need, so it was back to ADVRider.com, eBay, and craigslist. There's also a site called BikeFinds.com that gives you every DR650 or KLR or whatever minibike, motocross, trail, enduro, or dual sport bike you want. The best DR for my purpose was a 2003 in Valley Springs, CA that I found on ADVRider (Adventure Rider). It already has hard panniers, skid plate, upgraded carburetor and seat (two separate modifications) and a number of other "farkles" that I like. It also comes with spare parts, off-road tires, and a pair of gloves I can use. I bought it all for $3200... plus $380 for shipping to Tacoma. For another $120, the same truck will pick up the Royal Star on the way.
After the off-road course the DR will go back on ADVRider and craigslist in the hope that I can find a buyer before I leave three weeks later. If I still have it on the 19th, I'll probably ride it to the Horizons Unlimited Traveller's Meeting in Naksup, BC. I say probably because the Royal Star would be more comfortable for the two-day ride each way. It would NOT, however, be any good for any potential off-road riding available during the four-day event. There's also the possibility that someone at the event would be interested in buying the DR.
Either way, my plan is to sell the DR while keeping the panniers to bring back for the DR-Z for my trips to Thailand and north of Hà Nội.
What keeps running through my head is that less than 4-1/2 years ago I bought my first motorcycle, a 2007 Kawasaki KLR650:
Then, on my first trip to Việt Nam, I bought my second, a 1999 Yamaha YBR125:
Upon returning to the U.S., I sold the KLR and bought a 2007 Victory Kingpin:
The Victory went to a nice guy in San Diego; I came to VN and bought a 1999 Honda Steed 400 VLX
and the DR-Z400
As I write this, I have (am about to have) FOUR motorcycles! LMAO
Yes, I know... it's not craigslist, it's my lack of self-control when it comes to motorcycles.
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