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Note: This ride never took place as an official MTF event. However there is a lot of good information and links available within these pages and they have been left inplace as a resource for anyone considering this type of ride.
The Purpose of this Website
This website is designed to provide a convenient reference to support
the discussions of the Motorcycle Tourer's Forum in planning this trip. A
list of past and current forum discussions is listed below.
Much of the initial research for this ride was done by Tony Higgins and Dave
Nelson. Tony developed the initial website which has been taken down.
Unfortunately, due to work and health related issues Tony was unable to continue
management of the ride; although he still hope to participate.
We will be updating this website periodically. However, many discussion are
currently on going on the forum in the Adventure riding folder
http://forums.delphiforums.com/MCTourer/messages See the trip research
section below for a list of past or on going discussions. If you wait until you
see it here, you will likely have missed the opportunity to participate in the
decision making.
While Alan Leduc is managing this ride, the DreamCatchers are participants in
making decisions. You are encouraged to post your questions to the forum for
open comment, rather than communicating directly with Alan as many folks have
assumed research responsibilities and may better be able to answer your
questions.
Priorities and Notes from the Ride Manager
Priorities:
Route Verification and Time Range
- Tony and Dave did a great job of putting together a base
route. This route is documented in the Route & Maps Link above.
- It is important that those are assigned to Country Research,
evaluate the suggested route. Proposed changes should be
indicated in the individual country research threads indicated
below.
- Attention Country Researchers: Due 1/31/2006
- Tie down the base route through the country for which
you are responsible.
- If you want to change the entrance or exit to a country,
coordinate that with the researcher responsible for the
adjacent country.
- Provide the mileage for the base route.
- Provide an estimated time range for the stay in the
country you are researching. The range will extend from no
site seeing aggressive riders to flower sniffers that want to
smell the roses. This is a ballpark number. So don't stress
about it. Just give us something to work with.
Set date for Panama
- We will use the Route Verification and Time Range
information for proposing a set date for Panama. Even if we
decide not to allow a flexible start and finish, we will work
from Panama to establish start and end times.
- We will have a window for discussion from January
31 to February 15,
2005
- Dreamcatchers will voting will open for one
week beginning February 16, 2005
- Update the website and Forum Threads
- A major update was made to the website 12/11/2004.
- It was moved back to the Motorcycle Tourers
Fourm server. If you are reading this you found it.
- A message archive was added to the website and it has
been reorganized.
- Many of the Threads on the forum were old and inactive.
Others had such thread drift that they had become useless.
- Inactive and disrupted threads were closed and archived.
You can see the message archives from the link above.
Active Discussions
Below are links to numerous threads on the MTF for discussion on specific topics being researched in preparation for the trip.
Adventure Riding - 2006 Americas Ride -
Flexible Start/End? The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13680.1
Adventure Riding - 2006 Americas Ride
Pre-Registration
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13259.1
Adventure Riding - 2006 Americas Ride
Research Signup
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13317.1
- If you have signed up for this ride and do not
have a research assignment. You need to sign up for a research assignment in this thread.
- If you are unable to participate in the ride but
would like to dream with us by participating in the research you can sign up for
a research assignment in
this thread.
2006 AR Medical Research - Tim Yow (Rydnfool)
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13329.1
- Medical Evacuation Insurance
- Vaccinations
- First Aid Training
2006 AR Communications - Bill Wade (wadewg)
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13371.1
- Satellite Phones
- Satellite Trackers
- Calling Cards
- Establish a US Manager
Banquet and Jump Frog Jump
- Paul Kieffer (PaulK36)
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #14100.1
- Logistics for the banquet in Panama
- Options for getting over Columbia
Start/Canada/US
- Alan Leduc (Link to be assigned)
- Logistics for Optional Banquet in Fairbanks
- Lodging at Coldfoot/Deadhorse
- Haul Road Emergency Crew (will not follow the group but will be on call in Fairbanks for pickup) There are some trucking companies based out of Deadhorse that might do this for a fee.
Finish
(We need someone to volunteer for this assignment)
- Logistics for Optional Ending Banquet
- Options for return of bike to US
- Air Transportation Home
Antarctica Side Excursion - Larry Scalzitti (Scalzitti)
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #14013.1
Post Americas Ride Latin America Iron Butt Rides - Jason Jonas
(Link to be assigned)
2006 AR Entry/Exit Info - John Hargis (Bigtexrider)
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13975.1
Country Research
(See List of Countries Below)
- Verification of the route (Due January 31, 2005)
- Evaluate Tony and Dave's route which is provided under the
Routes and Maps Button above
- Make recommendations for changes
- If you change the border entry/exit you must coordinate with the
adjacent country researcher
- Mileage and time estimates (Due January 31, 2005)
- What is the mileage for the suggested route
- How much time is estimated for an aggressive rider to complete the
direct route?
- How much time is estimated for a casual rider to complete the direct
route?
- How many extra days would you recommend for site seeing?
- Road conditions
- Establish English speaking contacts (preferable 2) Louis (Santhos) can help.
- Gas validation about every 100 miles
- Hotel recommendations
- Recommendation of key sightseeing opportunities
- Maps
- Motorcycle shops
2006 Americas Ride - Registered Riders
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13706.1
- This is a thread started by John Langan proposing a meet of registered
riders at either the IBA Omaha or Daytona meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How long will this ride take?
- See the priority list above. We are discussing whether or not we
will allow flexible start and end times which would provide flexibility
in the time required to complete the ride. We are also working on a time
range for traveling through each country. We hope to have this decision
made by February 6, 2005.
- At what time of year will the ride take place?
- The ride is fixed for 2006 and we hope to make this decision with
regard to the time window by February 6, 2005. One concern is that
winter and summer are opposite in Alaska and Argentina. So we will have
a narrow window that will control the dates for the ride. A review of
previous discussions indicates a window from August to November. Too
late of a start means dealing with winter in Alaska. Too early of a
start means dealing with winter in Argentina.
- Will riders be staying in hotels or camping?
- A poll indicated that most riders desired to stay primarily in
hotels, while some riders are more budget conscious and desire to camp.
We will be riding in groups of 3-4. This should bring down the cost of
staying in hotels. This seems like a much safer option. If one or more
groups of riders decide that they want to camp. We will establish a
research committee to identify camp locations.
- What about riding through Columbia or other countries that have civil
unrest?
- A poll indicated that a large majority of the riders wished to avoid
Columbia and countries that may have civil unrest. Obviously conditions
can change at any time. For now, our plan is to fly over Columbia.
- How much of the roads will be dirt and gravel.
- A poll indicated that a large majority of riders preferred to
minimize the amount of dirt and gravel road. We have consider this in
our route planning but we are still estimating 500-800 miles of
unimproved roads. Much of this is in Alaska on the route to Deadhorse.
- What are DreamCatchers and DreamSnatchers?
- We established the terms DreamCatchers to identify riders that moved
the dream of this ride into action by pre-registering and coughing up
the $100.00 pre-registration fee. The reason for pre-registration is
discussed above. Thought was given to trying to break the current world
record, which is 35 days. We were going to call the folks that signed up
the record attempt were going to be called DreamSnatchers. After some
thought, we have decided that there is know way to attempt the world
record ride without making it a race which would be against the MTF
culture. We have dropped the idea of doing a record ride and thus there
will be no DreamSnatchers.
- Who is doing the research for this ride and what research needs to be
done?
- It is the responsibility for each ride participant to help with the
research. Assignments are being made as DreamCatchers pre-register. We
also have volunteers that will only be able to participate in part of
the ride and volunteers that just want to help that will be
participating with research.. Current Research and the chair of the
particular research committee is identified in the Active Discussions
above. If you want to help with research, sign up in this thread:
Adventure Riding - 2006 Americas Ride
Research Signup
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #13317.1Tony Higgins outlined the tasks in
The
Motorcycle Tourer's Forum #12778.1 This message is in the Message
Archives and will be used as a basis for determining continuing
research:
- Route planning
- Establish routes.
- Identify waypoints.
- Identify target dates for each waypoint.
- Ride organization
- Determine if and how we will divide up the group.
- Timing between groups.
- Language skills
- Identify all participants that have some command of
Spanish.
- Point out any suggestions for training.
- Motorcycles
- Selection
- Identify all suggested bikes to make the trip.
- Establish recommended list (preferably no more
than three).
- Develop a matrix of the attributes of each bike.
- Research reliability of each and include
availability of dealers.
- Parts and repair preparation
- Recommendations for purchase, including
quantities.
- Include any extra tools that might be needed.
- Develop strategy for maintenance points en
route.
- Contact dealers where maintenance may be
performed.
- Develop recommendations including punch list of
paperwork required.
- Carnet de Passage and how and when to obtain
(see Insurance and Safety)
- Recommended vaccinations for each country.
- Passports, visas, and travel requirements
- Communications
- Develop guidelines for communicating.
- Investigate satellite phones, etc.
- Recommend bike to bike solution
- Develop recommendations for equipment,
quantity and where to purchase/rent
- What government restrictions will we
encounter?
- Navigation planning
- Assure we have sufficient maps.
- Identify any GPS capabilities we
have/need.
- Verify fuel availability vs route
- Maintenance
- Assure we have sufficient
skills.
- Identify maintenance stops in
route.
- Sponsorship
- Develop suggestions.
- Poll local dealers and
clubs.
- Identify opportunities from
manufacturers, others
- Shipping
- Based on previous
experience develop suggested
shippers list.
- Verify shippers'
viability (periodic)
- Negotiate multiple bike
deals
- Insurance and Safety
- Identify insurance
requirements for each
country
- Investigate and
negotiate air evac
insurance
- Identify any medical
expertise participating
in the ride.
- Develop medical
first aid kit (probably
much more extensive than
we would normally
carry).
- How much is this ride
going to cost?
- There are a lot of
variables here. Some
riders will be shipping
their bike back and
other will be riding
back. Some of the
estimates have been that
once you get out of the
U.S., you should plan on
$50-75 per day, which
includes gas, tolls,
food, lodging (2 to a
room), border crossing
fees, etc. but doesn't
include bike repairs,
tires, shipping, etc.
- With a three month
window (90 days)
expenses would be
between $4500 and $6750.
- You must also
consider the airfreight
to ship your bike over
Columbia.
- How are rider
communicating with
regard to this ride?
- This ride is
sponsored by the MTF
so the primary means
of communication
will be done through
the forum. Some of
the riders find the
forum an awkward
means of
communication and do
not participate
regularly. We hope
that for this ride
that they will use
the forum as the
primary means of
communication.
However,
acknowledging that
some will be
reluctant to use the
forum extensively,
we will announce
voting and critical
issues through email
to the DreamCatchers.
We will also update
the website as
decisions are made.
However, if you wait
to see it here, you
will have missed the
opportunity to have
fully participated.
Please visit the
forum, specifically
the active links
listed above
regularly if you are
a DreamCatcher.
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