Baja stuff…

I thought I would add a few comments to the blog today on things you might consider bringing with you to Baja.  Folks, this is an adventure ride, and not everything is going to go perfectly.   Right now we have 16 folks (including me) riding with us.   There are going to be some things go wrong.   Hey, that’s when the adventure begins, so don’t get all wound up thinking about what might happen.

One of my buddies at the plant asked me a day or two ago what are we going to do if someone gets bit by a rattlesnake.   The question immediately reminded me of that old joke with a punchline that goes “the doc said you’re gonna die…”

I can’t put that joke on the blog, but on the off chance you’re one of the three people in the world who hasn’t heard it, I might be tempted to tell the story on our Baja ride.   But the question is a serious one…and the answer is this.   That rattlesnake you see above is the only one I’ve ever seen in Baja in 20+ years of riding the peninsula.   It’s not like they’re all over.   If we happen to see one, just don’t mess with it.   They say they’re more afraid of us than we are of them.   I guess that could be true, but when I saw that Mexican diamondback in the photo above a few weeks ago, I’ll confess:   I was plenty scared.   I mean, look at that thing!

On to other stuff.   With 16 bikes, it’s possible one of us might pick up a nail or something and get a flat.   We stock the tubes you’ll need if that happens, and you might want to pick up a pair before we leave….

A more real concern is the motorcycle phenomenon called monkey butt.   If you spend hours and hours in the saddle on any motorcycle, you’re going to get a sore butt.   It doesn’t matter what kind of motorcycle you ride.   I’ve struggled with it on Harleys, Triumphs, the KLR (particularly bad), my CBX, my TL1000S, and a bunch of other bikes.   The RX3 is no exception.   My answer is a sheepskin seat cover.   We’ve got them in stock and I would advise you to get one.  It’s the first thing I added to my bike…

If you’re going to change your oil in Baja, you’ll want oil (10W-40 weight), the tools you need for the oil change, a filter, and a drip tray and funnel.   We’ve got all of that, too.   Just give us a call.

Make sure you bring raingear.   Like I said earlier, I’ve never been through Baja without seeing some rain.   It’s raining here today, by the way.

And one last thing…if you think you need a new helmet, Ryan brought in a bunch of really nice HJC full-face helmets in red, blue, orange, and black.   And get this:  They’re just $99!  I’m tempted to buy one myself, but I’ll probably stick with my old HJC.   HJC makes good helmets.   It’s what I wear, and I’ve been wearing HJC helmets for years.   I’ve gone through three of them (you should replace a helmet every few years).

That’s it for now…more to follow on Baja and all of the other exciting things we’re doing here at CSC!