Before I start, I would like to disclose that the following ride report has been assembled from a running blog during the trip itself, which was hosted on another website.

I have subsequently edited as appropriate those original posts made at the time (while endeavouring to retain the feel of the daily diary format) and added new and alternative photographs into what I trust will be a more succinct and entertaining ride report for you to enjoy here on the HUBB.




Setting the scene...

In 2008 I was lucky enough to get my hands on what was then the brand-new Yamaha XT660Z Tenere, and immediately shipped it from the UK to the USA where I travelled extensively for the next six months - criss-crossing the country and taking in as many of those 'must ride' dual-sport destinations as I could, bound only by the weather and my own (albeit limited) sense of self-preservation.

Together with exploring deeper in to the desert south west than I had before, fundamentally my intention was to ride as much of the Trans-Am Trail (TAT) as I could during the fall and spring of the following year, which inevitably meant chopping the route into more bite-sized and manageable sections.

I immediately headed to Colorado and was fortunate to ride the key high passes before too much snow had arrived, culminating with a spirited gravel-run to the top of Pikes Peak - that like Paradise, has now been paved of course. I then endeavoured to ride as much of the western TAT as El Nino would allow; and in the new year - after an entertaining and enlightening road-trip through the gulf-coast states - I eventually picked up the eastern end of the TAT and did my best to join up the dots...

It really was an epic trip - not only from the pure enjoyment of riding through such a huge variety of terrain, but that choosing to travel off the beaten track had in turn offered me what I considered was a unique insight (or at least a snap-shot) into more rural and small-town America.

For me it defined everything that an 'Adventure' ride should be - it's not just about the bike, or the scenery, or even the people you meet... but how it makes you feel. There is an overwhelming sense of freedom, a piquancy in not knowing exactly where you might stay that night... and when travelling alone, an overriding appreciation of your own self-reliance.


Itchy feet.

Since then I have been rather distracted by real life. Of course there have been compensations - plenty of dual-sport riding and the odd rally race - and certainly the opportunity to work with Rally-Raid Products over the past couple of years (initially on the LC4-50 Dakar bike project, and most recently the CB500X Adventure bike conversion) has allowed me to expand my riding horizons even further - but ultimately there is nowhere I'd rather be than out there somewhere, on two wheels...

Last summer, when John and I drew up the outline specification for a new kind of bike from Rally-Raid, I had just come back from a month in the US where I'd spent a lot of time onboard a new Honda CB500X. Despite an obvious road-going bias, I immediately saw the potential in the bike - not as an out-and-out off-roader or racer as such, rather more of a genuine 'all-road' all-rounder - something you could ride hundreds of miles if required, then confidently take on dirt-roads and Jeep-trails; and ultimately capable enough to tackle terrain that might otherwise cause you to think twice onboard a larger, heavier machine?

Certainly in comparison to my 660 Tenere, the Honda's parallel-twin cylinder 471cc engine is an absolute peach - smooth and lively, offering similar bhp and even better economy - which ought to make any highway miles far more relaxing (not that the Tenere was bad by any means). The CB500X's (comparatively) low seat height and compact dimensions means it immediately feels far more lithe and nimble, while a similar OEM spec to the Yamaha includes a 250+ mile fuel range, small faring and strong subframe makes it an excellent long-distance travelling companion.

When it comes to the dirt, our CB500X Adventure upgrades have been designed to offer similar capabilities (albeit with around an inch less travel and ground clearance that the Yamaha), and certainly ought to handle anything you might want to ride a 200Kg machine (plus luggage!) over on your own.

Having drawn these parallels, we both felt there would be no better way to comprehensively prove the capabilities of the new bike by embarking on a similar trip to that which I'd made back in 2008/09.

Of course from a personal perspective, it would also be an excellent opportunity to perhaps revisit some areas I may have quickly passed though before, find new and exciting trails that I'd had to inevitably forfeit in the past, and not least endeavour to ride the whole length of the TAT consecutively.


Introducing the 'Trans-Am 500' cross-country trail ride.

The idea is to try and visit as many of those 'must-ride' dual-sport and adventure riding destinations as I can within predefined time-frame.

Essentially I am allowing a month each way to cross the country and back again, using a mix of highways and byways, dirt-roads and trails. This won't be all about dirt, indeed the very nature of this bike means you ought to be able to enjoy the paved highway just as much as the trails, and choose your route accordingly.

Starting in May on the west coast in San Francisco, highlights during the initial west-east leg will include crossing through Death Valley off-road, and after a night in Las Vegas, taking part of old Route 66 in Arizona on my way to the Overland Expo in Flagstaff - for the official 'debut' of the CB500X Adventure in conjunction with our US distributor Giant Loop Moto.

From there I'll spend a few days in and around Moab in an effort to really put the bike through it's paces, before heading through Colorado on any passes that are open towards the end of May (possibly precious few if I'm honest, but fortunately I'll be back this way again a month later). I will also endeavour to complete an Iron-Butt Association '1000 mile in 24 hours' Saddle-Sore challenge en route for the east coast, where ultimately I will dip my metaphorical toe in the Atlantic Ocean at Virginia Beach VA.


The West - East leg (outbound): San Francisco CA to Virginia Beach VA.
(note. this is a very rough outline, particularly as Google maps tends to snap to major roads).



All being well, I intend to start the return leg around the 1st June - initially riding the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway and a visit to Deals Gap, before picking up the Trans-Am Trail in it's entirety all the way back to the Pacific coast.


The 'new' TAT.

As a number of you will be aware, over the years, Sam Correro (originator of the Trans-America Trail) has embarked on a series of updates and revisions to the original TAT route, typically where sections have either been paved or washed away, in an effort to provide a suitable alternative that remains true to the original conception of an off-highway crossing of the entire country.

What is particularly exciting for me is that my trip this year coincides with his most comprehensive re-working of the 'Trail so far, with a brand new western route between Moab UT, that now heads north via Idaho, before turning west again and connects with the original route through Northern Nevada, and ultimately the official end point at Port Orford, Oregon.


The East - West leg (return): Virginia Beach VA to Port Orford OR.
(similarly to above, this map is only a very rough indication of the proposed route, but hopefully indicates the new western TAT route).



This new route is not scheduled for release until later in 2015, so I am delighted, and indeed honoured that Sam has given me the opportunity to be one of the first people to actually ride the newly-revised Trans-Am Trail. Perhaps even more enthralling is that there is currently a sector of 'no-mans land' in Idaho that I may well need to pioneer myself, which ought to further add to the excitement!



A time line...

In exactly a week from today I'll be flying over to the west coast to pick up the very first production CB500X Adventure from the Giant Loop HQ in Oregon, together with some of their minimalist luggage of which I'm a great fan. Certainly my plan is to travel simply and light for the duration - which reflects the whole ethos of the CB500X Adventure project in general, and suitably echoes Giant Loop's motto: Go light. Go fast. Go far.

A more detailed separate post with my packing list will follow, but suffice to say that I intend to fit everything I'll need (including a basic camp) into a Coyote bag behind me, together with just a small tail-pack for my tools and puncture repair kit.

My official departure is scheduled for the 10th of May, when I'll be heading south from San Francisco for the first leg to Flagstaff AZ for the Overland Expo, where we will officially debut the bike to the press and the public over the weekend of 15-17th May.

Throughout the trip I will endeavour to update you all as regularly as I can, with plenty of photographs too of course! Certainly a significant change over the past seven years has been the almost universal introduction of WiFi in even the most remote restaurants, coffee shops and gas stations, although as you might imagine there will still be periods when I'll be out of range and have to be my own barista...


Follow me!

While this is very much a solo endeavour for me, it is reassuring to have the support of both Rally-Raid Products and Giant Loop - and indeed a key part of this marathon journey is to provide them with essential feedback that in-turn can be passed on to their customers.

In that regard, they both intend to keep an eye on me! - and I'll be using a SPOT tracker each day that I'm on (and off) the road, which means you'll also be able to log-in and track my progress across the country and back - oh the wonders of technology!

I'd be delighted if you'd join me on this new and exciting adventure - so please do subscribe to this thread for regular updates, and of course you'll also be able to follow my progress through the SPOT tracker... and I hope that I might even get the opportunity to meet some of you in person as well!

Oh, and finally, what about the little pink fella you might ask? - Piglet!

Yep, despite essentially retiring from traveling (he has a distinctly wonky neck now and a nose that is about to burst at the seams I fear), he will of course be joining me on this new, and hopefully 'most excellent' adventure. Let's just hope its not a bogus journey!

Toot toot for now!

Jenny xx

Thursday 7th May: Day -3

So after a couple of fraught days packing back home, I had a very pleasant flight over on a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 yesterday (a nice new plane compared to the 747 that usually flies this route earlier in the day), and it was barely half full too - which meant there was plenty of room to spread out over a couple of seats and try and get some rest...



I got a fabulous view of the bay and San Francisco itself as I came in early evening - you can just make out the new section of the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge which I shall be crossing in a couple of days time to kick off the coast to coast journey east - after a stop on the Marin peninsular for the ubiquitous photo of the bridge with the city in the background of course! ;o)


Nerdy tech in Silicone Valley

I've spent today going through my cameras and other tech (photos and a more detailed description to follow shortly) - the plan is to try and travel as light as possible, with minimalist kit to reduce weight and general liability...

Certainly a significant change from the last time I undertook a similar journey (back in 2009) is not only one extra cylinder on the bike, but the availability of far more compact and modern tech...

I'll be using an iPad air to keep in touch with you all (rather than the clunky old Dell Mini 9, that while having the same size footprint, was 6 times as thick and 10 times as heavy it would seem!), and I'll be exclusively using my Panasonic Lumix LX7 which can produce excellent results from a compact camera, with far more creative control than the simple Fuji compact I used before (and ultimately lost somewhere in the Moroccan desert, during the Heroes-Legend Rally later that year).

I have also added another gadget to my arsenal this time - or rather John has - in the form of a Garmin VIRB video camera. This is Garmin's equivalent of the GoPro type of fixed lens rugged digital camera, but has a few nice additional touches - the battery offers up to 3h of recording time, and is actually the same type as fits the Garmin Montana GPS I'll be using - which means that there should always be a fully charged battery available for the camera, as the GPS will be hardwired to the bike (allowing continual charging) of course.

Not only can you select between filming in either wide-angle or a range of zoom levels, but together with a range of mounting options (including a neat RAM ball adaptor), the physical shape of VIRB also makes it far simpler to place on a rock or glove to get a nice stable ride-by shot.

It will also sync to my Garmin Montana GPS so I can take video and still photos remotely - when the camera is mounted on the bike or helmet for example - and it even has enough range (around 20ft) so that I can set it up as still camera and be in the shot on the bike without resorting to the self timer and running back and forth!

Maps and GPS.

The other significant difference is the GPS I'll be using. I'm still old school in that I prefer a dedicated GPS unit rather than software on a smartphone - and for years was very happy with my aged Garmin 2610 that saw me all over the USA (twice) and around Europe and Morocco. It was the perfect on-bike device in my opinion, other than the fact it had no built-in battery, so had to be hardwired to the bike and meant using (and therefore carrying) a mains adaptor if you wanted to programme it in a hotel room for example... it was also unkindly referred to by friends as 'a brick'.

While the Garmin Montana is still a physically large device, it offers the option of a dedicated Li-ion battery pack (that can be shared with the VIRB camera) or using AA batteries in an emergency. Ultimately, perhaps the nicest thing about the Montana is not only it's rugged construction, but the large touch screen and customisable menu/home page that works really well on a bike.

I bought the version that includes the built-in US TOPO maps in 100K scale, and have supplemented it with their City Navigator mapping for the whole of the country - allowing me to navigate in the traditional routing manner when hunt for hotels, food and fuel as required; while it still has a huge amount of dirt-road data which can also be routed along in exactly the same way. Alternatively I can switch to the TOPO maps for additional detail, and of course the TAT route maps that I have are a simple track log, that will work with either mapping set.

In addition to the Garmin which I'll be using for day-to-day navigation, I have a series of digital maps in my iPad to aid with route planning, although I admit I still prefer a paper map of each state, and a handful of highlighter pens for working out my initial route.

Therefore I'll be taking some key paper maps (Utah and Colorado particularly) with me, can buy additional ones on the road, and will post any back home any I no longer require - helping to keep weight and clutter to a minimum.

Before I leave for the official start on Monday, I'll endeavour to post up some detailed photos of the gear I'll be carrying before and after it's loaded onto the bike...

This will include my tools and spares, camping, comms and camera equipment, and those few personal effects I can cram into whatever space is left in my luggage system.

Piglet of course get's his own papoose ;o)

More soon!

Jenny xx

Friday 8th May: Day -2

It's been a couple of hectic days up in Oregon!

For me it started with a bit more of this:


photo. leaving San Jose for Portland OR

Swiftly followed by some of this:


photo. flying over the Three Sisters on the way into Redmond/Bend.

... Although there was a slight delay at Portland while president Obama took off in Airforce One after a visit, causing the airport to lock-down for half an hour... Unfortunately I'd already boarded my plane, which meant I was denied another Starbucks while waiting!


Right, that is probably enough about planes for a while now - I hope not to have to see another until at least the end of June and the end of my trip, and am now free to travel with a washbag full of liquids, scissors, and not least a tool kit - having had to forefeit all of these during my transfer up to Oregon; and I have to say it is rather nerve-wracking riding a newly assembled bike over 500 miles with not so much as an allen key in my possession, but hey, I'm getting a little ahead of myself already...

Harold met me at the airport and I was soon introduced to the rest of the Giant Loop crew over a couple of huge pizzas for lunch, and later a few beers too - well, we had a big task ahead of us that afternoon!



Yes, there was still a little work to do shall we say, before I would be able to ride away the following morning en route for the official start point on the west coast, San Francisco.

cont.

Saturday 9th May: Day -1

Mileage today: 0 - 286.4

So to cut a long story short, Harold and I completely assembled the bike over the next 24 hours (pausing for precious few to catch a little sleep) from my memory, calculated guesswork and only a couple of phone calls to John - rest assured this process is all part of helping to produce the step-by-step instructions that will be dispatched with the customer kits - and once the finishing touches of graphics were applied, we were all set to go by lunchtime on Saturday 9th May...



I have to say, I really like how the stripe kit works on the all-black bike:



Of course we couldn't sign off until project manager Piglet had also given his approval - and he particularly liked his new papoose!



So with a cheery goodbye and the well-intentioned promise to take good care of the bike, I finally hit the road around 1.30pm this afternoon, to embark on an initial appraisal and shakedown run prior to the start of the west-east leg of the coast to coast trip, on Monday (11th May).

Of course I'd barely gone 100 miles south on hwy 97 (initially rather dull if I'm honest, although it was lovely and warm and sunny, which makes any journey immediately more tolerable of course...) before the temptation to get some dirt under the tyres overtook me ;o)

I had originally planned to ride via the rim road around the west side of Crater Lake on my way south, but unfortunately the gates were still closed until next weekend (at the earliest) because of snow. Still, I know I'll be back this way again as the last section of the TAT passes close by, so fingers crossed I'll get another bright and sunny day to make the most of the surreal scenery up there...

Recalling there was an easy dirt road that ran parallel to the highway a few miles to the west, I poked around with the GPS on the fly and plotted an interesting alternative that would allow me appraise the new suspension over some fast sandy and washboard gravel.


photo. Yep, turn right Clyde!

Everything was going swimmingly, and the bike was comfortable at 30 and even 40 mph (I didn't consider it prudent to try and go much faster, especially with not tools or puncture kit with me), until I noticed the headlight and fairing seemed to be vibrating rather more than it ought to over the washboard surface...



Sure enough, when I stopped to look it dawned on my that I had forgotten to torque up the two bolts that hold the support frame to the headstock, and the nuts had worked loose and together with both the bolts now, had disappeared.

I rather sheepishly limped a few miles further until I could eventually pick up a smoother dirt road back the main highway - still, it meant I got a fantastic view of Mount Scott (a volcano on the edge of Crater Lake) in my mirrors!



I ultimately hit the highway for another hundred and fifty miles before passing by the spectacular Mount Shasta once I'd entered northern California (at over 11,000ft above the surrounding plateau, you can see the peak from around 100 miles away - And I have to say when it initially appeared on the horizon while I was still in Oregon it was breathtaking...) This photo was taken from much closer, as I descended towards the junction with the interstate and decided it was time for a comfort break at the comically and appropriately named town of Weed. And I did!



So to end the day, I now find myself holed up in a Motel 6 near Redding - with some reasonable wifi, strange noises coming from upstairs, and a little over 200 miles left to San Francisco in the morning...

Then it will be time to pack properly, and for the cross-country leg of trip to officially start at 8am on Monday, from Alice's Restaurant - where Skyline Boulevard crosses, most appropriately, La Honda road...

That is where the fun really begins!

Toot toot for now ;o)

Jenny xx

Sunday 10th May: Day Zero!

Mileage today: 291.3*

*66.9 miles of which is my Trans-Am 500 route, from the overlook of the Golden Gate Bridge, to San Jose, CA.


So just a quick update as I haven't stopped all day today...

Spent the night in a Motel 6 in Redding last night, and ploughed on early this morning, well after the requisite stop for a morning brew of course ;o)


photo. It must be a genuine 'adventure' bike, look how seamlessly it bends into it's natural habitat...

Then it was a long shlep down the I5 towards San Francisco... fortunately the weather wasn't too bad on the coast and I was able to get the rather hackneyed but at the same time 'essential' west coast shot of the bike, and piglet of course - at the official start of the Trans-Am 500 today, 1.30pm on the 10th May 2015.





So a few observations from today... the bike storms along on the freeway, although personally I'm happier at around 70mph rather than pushing 80+, as it seems to start drinking fuel at higher speeds - not helped by strong headwinds all day unfortunately.

It also feels rock solid in sweeping high speed bends, and carving around the on and off ramp slip roads at intersections - I can't wait to get it up on Skyline Boulevard tomorrow, and later hwy 198 which is an absolute corker in the area ;o)

The suspension really is a dramatic improvement over stock - not that that was particularly bad, it's just now everything feels so much more controlled and stable - aided by the 19" front wheel over rough sections of road, and the general gyroscopic effect. Honestly, it feels just like a factory adventure bike now!

I was also really pleased with how well the Giant Loop Coyote fits onto the rear seat, and the 'solo' luggage brackets are the perfect location for the lower strap clips, while the forward straps work really well around the subframe tube just above the pillion peg hangers. I've ridden the best part of 600 miles so far on the bike, and the luggage is totally unobtrusive - so I'm really going to enjoy the next few weeks in that regard I feel.

So after the 'official' start today, I rode the grand total of 66.9 miles back to San Jose where I'll be staying overnight, before meeting Dave at Alice's for breakfast tomorrow morning - my preferred route is actually up Page Mill Road, rather than the usual Woodside (hwy 84), especially at that time of the morning, and the ride there ought to be great warm up to the day!

I have also managed to cram all the personal belongings I wish to take with me on the trip (including a complete camping set-up) into my Coyote bag, while my tools, first aid, a spare tube and even a small can of tyre lube all fit neatly in the Klamath tail pack.

To complete the 'three bag' system - essential snacks, Piglet and my iPad will stay safe in my Camelbak Blowfish backpack; while various pockets in my jacket provide safe stowage of regularly used items such as my camera/s, ipod, wallet and pocket journal book (yes, I'm still a bit old school in that regard ;o)

I'm sure things will shake themselves down over the next few days, as is always the nature of a trip like this, but I really trust that this time I've brought nothing unnecessary, while at the same time allowing for unforeseen circumstances, and having the where-with-all to effect any repairs (albeit temporary) to keep me going on my way...

I apologise I've not yet had time to photograph and put together a detailed inventory of what I'll be carrying with me - that will follow once I get some free-time* either at the Expo, or the following week in Moab...

(*unlikely I admit.)


One thing I am keen to appraise (and the initial feeling is good) is my new riding gear for this trip. Traditionally I have always worn Alpinestars boots and enduro gear, and exclusively Arai dual-sport and off-road helmets... However, I thought I would give various items from the Icon range a go this time, particularly as I like their new Raiden DKR jacket, and feel their Patrol boots could prove to be more appropriate for life on and off the bike, especially as I only have room in my luggage for one pair of sandals!

I'll endeavour to profile my current choice of riding gear over the coming weeks for anyone who's interested... one thing I will say is the Icon Variant helmet feels very comfortable and quiet (well it did when I was back home on my road bike). However, on the CB500X it appears that I am suffering a fair degree of wind-noise, and while I never thought the OEM screen was particularly noisy with an open face helmet, wearing a dual-sport helmet with a peak (such as the Variant) seemingly creates a huge roar over 70mph... I tried standing up and the noise immediately disappeared, so I might experiment with the screen height or even an add on lip before my 1000 mile Iron-Butt attempt towards the end of this month.

Stay tuned - it all kicks off tomorrow at 9am sharp!

Toot toot!

Jenny (and Piglet) xx

Trans-Am 500, Day 1: San Jose to Ridgecrest CA.

Mileage today: 418.7

While yesterday afternoon marked the official start point of the west to east coast to coast leg, the Trans-Am 500 ride really got underway today at 10.10am this morning, after an overlong breakfast at Alice's Restaurant south of San Francisco, with my riding partner for the next couple of days Dave Lin from Bay Area apparel company ADVaddicts.com




Joining us for breakfast, and indeed very generously buying for us too - thank you! - was ADVrider inmate Sparky831 who had ridden up on his own CB500X to see the Adventure conversion, chew the fat in general, and ultimately see us off by joining us in a spirited ride along hwy 35 (Skyline Boulevard) in and out of the morning fog.

Dave and I then took in more twisty roads via Santa Cruz, Hollister and Colinga where we filmed our spirited on-road antics; before sucking up a few miles of Interstate 5 in a effort to stay on some sort of schedule...


photo. Dave setting up the GoPro, on hwy 25 just before we turned on to 198 - two fabulous and traffic free roads in the region!


photo. Dave's shiny new 2014 model 690 Enduro complete with some choice RRP parts has been enlisted as the photo-mule for these initial couple of days...

Unfortunately, Dave's optimism with regard to the fuel range of his stock tank was ultimately all in vain when he coasted to a halt just a few miles short of the next service station at our turn off... Doh.


photo. I soon realised what must have happened and pulled over to wait...

Thankfully he had seen fit to fill his Rotopax can fitted to the soft-luggage racks, and it wasn't too long before he was on the move again... Phew!



Soon after it was my turn to have an 'issue' when my brand new GPS decided to freeze up as we entered the sprawling metropolis of Bakersfield. Fortunately I am now pretty familiar with the various routes through and around town, so rode on unguided until I was able to reboot it by removing the SD card and refitting it...

The upshot of suffering these various delays was that it was rapidly approaching evening now, so we elected to forfeit the planned Lake Isabella to Jawbone Canyon dirt-road sector today, rather stay on the stunning scenic hwy 178 and head straight for our scheduled stop-over in Ridgecrest - which is the last big town en route for Death Valley and the first big off-road test for the CB500X Adventure tomorrow!

Obviously if I didn't have to absolutely be in Flagstaff on Thursday morning, then we might have elected to camp along the trail and continue in the morning... But needs must for these first few days of the Adventure I'm afraid...

So while today was all about some twisty highway riding (and I have to say how utterly impressed I am with the way the bike now rides) and bagging some bike-to-bike video footage, things are likely to look a little more interesting once I start to travel off-road in the coming days and weeks...

More soon!

Jenny x

Great report. Thx.

Thanks for the ideas!

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

I just came across this ride report. I felt I was also there - brilliant.

Following on from above, if you enjoyed this ride report and/or want to re-live some of the highlights, there is now a condensed video version of the AV seminar I presented last summer at various Overland events in the UK and USA (including the Horizons Unlimited California meeting last September) - here on Rally Raid's sister site: www.CB500XAdventure.com

Grab a coffee (tea, or beer) and enjoy the next 23 minutes!

Jenny x

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the Trans-America Trail (and there is a re-cap about the Rally Raid LEVEL 3 conversion to the CB500X too), I took part in a special feature on Adventure Rider Radio recently…

http://www.adventureriderradio.com/....-gnarly-trails

Jx

A nice summary of the Trans-Am 500 trip above here on the Bennetts BikeSocial online magazine, together with some photos of the Colorado sections of the TAT that I was finally able to ride this summer on my own red bike.

Plus do check out their related features profiling Rally Raid Products, and a dedicated test of the CB500X Adventure conversion.

Jx