Hi all,

I am currently planning my first adventure ride which will be from California to TDF leaving from Australia in October and I have a couple of questions, hopefully some of you kind people will help me! I have searched some things but have not found entirely clear answers to my problems. My bike of choice will be a KLR650 or DRZ400.

First of all is it hard for me to fly into the USA, buy a bike, change the title so that it is under my name and then ride away? If I have to wait for the process to go through then are there cheap backpackers in the states? How much is a cheap motel room? What would the recommended process of purchasing a foreign bike be? Should I buy it before I leave? There are many on Craigslist so I think it should be OK but not sure if it's a good idea because I might get ripped off.

I know some borders require insurance and I read you just need a piece of paper with the registration ID and insurance written all over it, so which would be the best method to obtain a cheap insurance paper used to cross borders?

Which immunisations would you recommend? So far I have yellow fever and rabies on my hitlist. I am a keen off-road / enduro rider and plan to go deep into some areas.

Will I require thermal or electric riding gear from USA to Panama? I was thinking I may save some space if I buy that stuff once I arrive in the colder climate areas rather than lug it around and not need it.

Also a question about the KLR650, does it have a cigarette lighter? If not is there a universal travel adapter which will convert all countries from USA to Argentina? I will need to charge my eeePC and GPS phone often.


Umm last but not least, any ideas of a good name for my blog! I am hopeless at this :confused1: ... how about 'el camino largo casero' (the long road home in Spanish, joke lol)

Cheers in advance!
Adam