Its been ages...too much going on

Well I guess it looks like I dropped off the planet.
I did.

Way back in September I was home in good old Blighty and we actually had some nice weather. Our local Fire Brigade in Haslemere threw a bikers day to emphasize safety and Michelin tyres, amongst others, had a stand. I mention them because I must write their PR dept. about the longevity of these fantastic Michelin Pilot Road tyres. I had worn the old rear tyre to the carcass by St. Petersburg Florida and the chap at a dealer there recommended the Pilot Road for long distance. I've popped in a photo of the bugger after it's done more than 15,000 miles and there is still tread left! And roads in the USA are often pretty rough. Anyway, hundreds of bikers turned up over the course of the day. I think the free burgers and cups of tea were the real draw. That and the sight of so many great bikes. Safety chats were hardly going to be top billing now were they?

I was given a little room to show slides and explain to small groups of British bikers how to enjoy touring the States. I had to laugh at the old 2-stroke James Barnet bikes. I had forgotten that back then nearly all the British right-foot gear-change bikes had a gear indicator at the base of the lever. Try reading that at 60mph in pouring filthy rain. I used to try on my Norton 650 Dominator. Duffer I was.

I was only home a few weeks and did a bit of sightseeing to beautiful Clovelly in Devon http://www.devon-online.com/towns/clovelly and started more jobs around my tiny 1876 terraced house. I think I'll never finish. Then it was back to Phoenix and just in time for the Victory BMW Oktoberfest where I finally got to ride the BMW F800GS. That'll be the next blog.

German sausages and more...

I was rooting around the web and reading stuff on www.southwestrides.com (after reading about my ride online they let me join) when I saw that they meet on Wednesdays in Mesa AZ at a German restaurant called Zur Kate. The menu had Sauerbraten, spaetzle, REAL beer, and Bratwurst etc etc. I was pig sick that a meeting kept me from joining them so last night I rode out there to sample the fare. It was very quiet but the food was great and the beer more so. I learned that some Irish chap had visited on the Wednesday night and that he was riding all the way down to Tierra Del Fuego! I would like to have met him, especilly as I have 3 kids living in Ireland. The Manager is a BMW rider and recommended Victory BMW so I was looking forward to this mornings test of the R1200GS. (See test of R1200GS already posted - this is older by 1 day - doh!)
I'll be back in Phoenix mid October and I'll be sure to visit the South West Rides group at Zur Kate and I want to test that F800GS at Victory's Octoberfest. Now how will I find the motivation to renovate my little house in England's rain when I want to be riding in the sun full of German food? Photos are Haslemere UK sunset vs Phoenix AZ sunset. AZ sunsets usually win...

I test the BMW R1200GS

Well I do feel like a twit. I rode my R1 the 5 miles to the dealership and after a fair bit of time and some simple paperwork I climbed aboard QE2, pulled the lanyard to signal we were about to leave port and pottered off. Unfortunately I was only allowed a brief low-mileage ride because the test BMW had failed headlamps so I was on a used one that was for sale. Used for just 1080 miles. I rode through traffic, road works and on the "freeway" to our offices, had Mark Hammer snap some pics and rode back. Sans my backpack...and my Yamaha keys and phone. I had to have Kristen our temp telesales girl come out with the keys to rescue me! I met 2 cops who were BMW fans and they were stunned at my riding 15000 miles on the R1. They said they get stopped for speeding all the time! Fun lads. Impressions? Well this is BMW's biggest seller and EVERYONE and his dog is buying one thanks to Ewan and Boorman. Not this boy. I'll take the KTM 990 Adventure any day...with a thick fur and gel seat added of course. I did appreciate the friendliness of Victory BMW in Chandler AZ. I will be there in October to try the F800GS. The Good the Bad and the Ugly on the Beemer is below.
Good: Gearchange is very slick. I LOVED the gear indicator. Light clutch. Smooth underway (but only from 1000-6000 rpm) and comfortable. Turns well and handles ok. Brakes were superb but less feel than my R1. Centrestand is easy to use in spite of the bikes size and weight.
Bad: Incredible wind noise around my helmet at just 40mph from the angular, tall windscreen. 5 times as noisey as my R1 and NO WAY could I live with that for 99 days! High and Heavy...and I mean SCAREY heavy. See the small rise of the drive in the photo? 3/4". I couldn't pick the bike up off the side stand due to that extra height! I am long legged but even I was tippy-toe at the lights. I HAD to push it to level ground to get on it and to get it upright to ride away. How do they go on on some sandy hillside?
Ugly: The instrument cluster is ugly and chaotic. Looks like Rainer's plastic bedside alarm clock. (Sorry Rainer...time for a new one eh?) The switchgear is infamous for it's odd layout. I guess one gets used to it so no biggy but the supposed self-cancelling indicators never once self cancelled. I never did get used to the odd lift of the front end as one departs the scene in an unhurried fashion (after the R1 this boat is not wickedly quick - trust me). The motor was slightly harsh above 5000rpm and the sideways shaking at tickover was odd but I suppose it's all a part of "the BMW experience". Acceleration to switch lanes in traffic to survive mobile-phone using SUV drivers and grannies was feeble. But again, the R1 has spoiled me rotten and saved my neck many times. I am a BIG believer in fast, furious acceleration potential. Don't always use it but have it on tap.
Overall: Too big and lardy for my tastes. The KTM felt light and nimble by comparison and has a much nicer engine/gearbox/clutch/controls and instruments. The BMW's only great asset seemed to be comfort of the posterior and that can be fixed on almost any bike for 30 quid or so. ($60)
Want to Try Before I Buy: BMW F800GS, KTM 990 Duke, KTM RC8 and the Kawasaki KLR650. Stay posted folks!

Will this ever end?

Probably not.

I am planning a DesignR1 Full Circle UK/Ireland tour in the near future. There are interviews and articles about this ride to get done and I am certain that I will revisit many of the people and places I saw on this Full Circle USA tour. So....

I will from time to time place photos and updates on things. After all, this blog is now a familiar place for me.

I returned to LA to visit Richard Clark and Rak at Mediaworld logistics on Arbor Vitae near LAX airport. I met Richard at The Wheelie School just north of London. It snowed that morning so we were generously offered another go by Paul the owner/trainer. Richard, like myself, has a UK and USA business and curiously I just learned on this visit that they use ACT! software. We are hoping to do some dirt biking together here in California. He has experience, I have never ridden off-road so perhaps I'll get back to Phoenix and chat with T.E.A.M. Arizona riding school about a little training in that sport. What the heck, I haven't broken a bone in over 3 years!

Thanks to all who followed the ride and I wish you a prosperous, happy future. Don't forget the kids.

Some Statistics and many thanks

I must thank Jacqueline Zimmermann an ACC in Riverside California who has been a great support throughout the whole tour. Jax has handled phone calls, made appointments, visited camps, ridden in some of the toughest conditions and all in support of me, this tour and the children who benefit. She is an extremely capable ACT! consultant and a wonderful person. Thanks a million Jax.

I also want to say a huge thanks to Bob and Dan Ogden of Swiftpage for their sponsorship and featuring my tour on their exhibition stand in Washington DC. I use Swiftpage and they are the most helpful company one can imagine. Thanks again guys.

Miles = 15,004.5

33 States, 4 Provinces, Mexico

2 Speeding tickets

6 Hole in the Wall camps visited

22 different donators listed (so far) $2,175 raised

14 weeks +1 day = 99 days

Approx 350 gallons of fuel, I oil change + ¼ litre of oil

Best Fuel = 52.3mpg (USA) =62.8mpg (UK) = 4.5L per 100Km

2 rear tyres, 1 front tyre

1 chain and sprockets

75 nights in motels

15lbs lost

Top speed = 189mph indicated

Full Circle comes full circle

Words and photos by JK

Tuesday July 22nd The final day. I had agreed to meet the Sage folks about noon to pop some bubbly and celebrate the DesignR1 Full Circle USA charity ride. Before that official ending I wanted to see the newest stretch of Phoenix road. The Loop 202 had only opened on Monday and I was keen to see the desert views on the east side of town. It was a smooth, quick and easy ride as I headed east, swung south then west and scooted up the I10 and 101 to Scottsdale and the original starting point. I arrived at 12:15pm on Tuesday July 22nd 2008 with exactly 15,004.5 miles on the clock. I saw a huge clock/temp gauge that read 110 degrees at 11:30am on my ride. At Sage it was much hotter. Believe me.
I went inside where Ryan Zuk, media contact for Sage, found me wandering like a lost soul. He grabbed an office and brought me water as David van Toor walked in to shake my hand. David is SVP, General Manager CRM Solutions at Sage Software and he is the man that made my journey possible. Without the support of Sage I wonder how far I would have ridden. He teased me about being able to stand upright and then we had a brief conference call with reporter Jane Larson at The Arizona Republic newspaper. I’ll be visiting Jane next week for an interview and to go over photos from the trip. Ryan also informed me that the Scottsdale based photographer Jean-Louis Husson (www.feathertech.com) was planning to have me do his Black Chair interview for the Scottsdale Airpark News business magazine. I felt very privileged and we arranged to visit Jean-Louis the next day to plan the article. Jean-Louis has the finest French accent (it really makes English sound exotic) and his Black Chair interviews are done for charitable causes. His artwork (which inspired his website name) is amazing for its crisp ingenuity and detailed finesse. His immaculate studio reminded me of my dreamy art school days when I would have died for such a place to work.
After a tasty, pasta lunch with Alex and Ryan I popped some undrinkable cheap bubbly and threatened the others with it in plastic USA flag tumblers. The flag tumblers were to tease Garrett Fulton mending in Minnesota. Debbie Cates, Senior Director of Strategic Marketing, Alex Taylor, ACT! National Channel Manager, Jeff Gregorec, Vice President of Sales for SageCRM North America, and yours truly gagged on the awful jungle juice and posed for Ryan as he snapped away with my camera.
Thank goodness I have so many follow-up jobs from the trip or I would wander the halls in a stupor. I just expect to swing a leg over “old faithful” and ride on forever. Never mind…my business partner Rainer will find a never-ending supply of work for me…it’s his special talent.
I would like to thank my business partners Rainer Hoffmueller (CEO) and Mark Hammer (Worldwide Technical Director) for their patience and support. I want to thank all the DesignR1 team too. Larissa Urutia and her sister Gwendolin, Cindy Sturdevant, Michael Kadlub in Cleveland (that bad boy always teases me), Greg Ferber and Kevin Ryan our super programmers in Salem OR and James Burlew our friendly tech support man in world famous Sutherlin OR. I also hope that the awareness raised about Sage and ACT! will, directly or indirectly, bring work to all the skilled ACCs and in particular to all those ACCs that showed such kindness and enthusiasm and support. And, of course, the biggest thanks to all the thousands of workers at Hole in the Wall Gang camps and offices and to all of you that donated towards the children. Any suggestions for lunacy on a bike will be considered with all seriousness by me for next year’s ride.

Camp Soaring Eagle in Sedona AZ

Words and photos by JK

Monday July 21. An early start on coffee and leftover spaghetti bolognaise is not ideal but who cares at this point in the journey. The end was very much in sight with all the mixed feelings that ending could conjure. We had arranged to meet the Camp Soaring Eagle builder, Mark Morris, at 9am, at a scenic overlook on Hwy 89A called Oak Creek Canyon Vista. As I looked at all the pine trees I doubted the romantic name. Wrong again Kingstone. There really were oak trees in the canyon and the views are spectacular. What a beautiful place this part of Arizona is. Sedona is deservedly famous for its beauty and as Mark led the way on his Yamaha Star 1100 cruiser through the twists and turns downhill I actually felt that this area may very well be the prettiest place in the whole of the USA. 21/2 hours ride from my office and I had never seen it! What a duffer I am! I’ll be riding here again and that’s a promise. We took Hwy 179 through the huge road works in Sedona and to my joy I noted that roundabouts are proving ever more popular. Great for motorcycles, far smoother and more traffic friendly than those horrid 4-way stops, roundabouts also allow for many roads to converge without chaos and queues. The R1 is OK in roundabouts but I wished I was on the KTM 990 Adventure I had test ridden from Bernies in Mesa AZ. Now THAT bike is FUN in roundabouts! Just a note, Sedona is an artist town and apparently McDonalds have turquoise arches here to fit the local traditional colour schemes!
We arrived to a warm welcome from the staff at Camp Soaring Eagle, the latest camp to join the Hole in the Wall Gang organization and in my opinion the camp with the most spectacular setting of all with its huge red bluffs and rock formations. I kept looking for Indian smoke signals from the top of the cliffs! Jennifer Perry, Rick James, Pronto Parenteau, Mark Morris and Juan Morales, Director of Facilities, happily listened to my stories and gave me my medicine… coffee. Rick James is the son of the founder Max James and is the Director of Community Outreach. He and Pronto, the Camp Director, drove me around the site and explained the plans and designs. A lot of experience and thought has been poured into this camp and both parents and children will see the benefits of considering all their needs and desires, not just their medical needs. I liked the sound of the entranceway with 60 foot bluffs to imitate the entrance to the original Hole in the Wall and the feeling that here they could leave all their cares and fears behind and enter a world of safety and seclusion. I want to visit again in a few months to see the progress. All our best wishes and serious praise to the James family for using their business success to the benefit of children less fortunate. The millions of dollars they are spending to bring joy and health benefits to these kids is an example to all. Boy do I wish I could have raised more money.
After an hour or so we dashed off to Phoenix airport and the more familiar hot, flat, raked-gravel landscape I have come to view as home away from home. Tomorrow was the conclusion of my tour and I wanted to do a ride around Phoenix to finish off since I had not done so at the start.