Gear

Bikes

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike” – John F. Kennedy.

One of the greatest sources of happiness in my life is riding on two wheels. It combines the satisfaction of physical exertion with the joy of coasting along, not a care in the world. The fear of falling with the freedom to take the road less travelled. The smell of sweat and taste of dirt, with the aromas and flavours of nature.

Bikes.

I have a few of them.

• Apple – A 2013 BMW F700GS.
• Boobs – A Norco Bigfoot Fatbike.
• Sassy – A Specialized Safire All Mountain – Mountain Bike.
• Ms. Mako – A Specialized roadbike.

And with bikes comes gear.

BMW F700GS

Tears of joy. That about sums up my feelings when I bought this bike. I had only been riding a few years, but after seeing the movies Long Way Around and Long Way Down (very cliché, I know), I knew Adventure motorcycling was the style of riding I wanted to do. It was also the style of riding my husband and his friends did, and I was tired of them having to do a “pavement ride” (eye roll) every time I joined the Sunday group ride on my Ninja 650R. There are the other reasons I went with the BMW F700GS well. The upright seating position on an adventure bike is far more comfortable for long rides than a sport bike or cruiser style bike, it can handle rough roads (whether you go looking for them or not), the bike is lighter and lower than its counterparts (the BMW F800GS, BMW R1200 GS, Triumph Tiger, KLR, KTM Adventure, etc.), good safety features (ABS, traction control, dual disc front break), and it’s pretty (umm, yeah that matters).

I have now had Apple for 4 years. She has seen a lot of dirt, gravel, potholes, streams, rock and a few logs. For info on great Adventure riding routes in Canada, visit my Travel pages.

 

Review

My only complaint with my BMW F700GS to date are the weak wheels. I am 135 lbs and not an overly aggressive rider. I have bent my front rim once (cattle guard at 100 km/hr), and cracked it once (pothole, 70 km/hr). To hear how much FUN it was when I cracked my rim and to see some great pics, check out my blog.

Outerwear

My husband and I both wear Klim outerwear. It is expensive, but it is worth it! The weather in Canada is unpredictable and can change several times in one day. The saying “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes” can be annoyingly accurate. If you don’t like stopping in the pouring rain to put on your baggy rain suit over muddy boots and already drenched outerwear, or worse – stop to put on the near useless waterproof inner lining of your jacket, that allows your jacket to continue to get soaked, the Goretex is the way to go. It also breaths, so you don’t feel like you are wearing a garbage bag.

Does it get too hot? We have ridden in 38 degree heat (that’s Celsius, in case you were wondering). With the vents open and on the open road, you will be hot, but manageable. When you are stopped and lose the airflow, you might hate life. If not life itself, then me. Yes, you might hate me. It gets hot. But hey, why are you stopped in the first place? Unless you are in the drive through for an ice cream sundae – keep moving.

That being said, if you are a pillion passenger I imagine you won’t get much benefit from the vents, something to consider.

How do you clean your Klim?

Easy. Put it on, and have your spouse hose you down with the garden hose.