The Final Shakedown Run

This final shakedown run was part of a larger trip that involved multiple plane flights, buses and trains. It took me from Brooklyn, NY to Nantucket, Ma to Rockland Me, to Boston, Ma and then back to Brooklyn. The KLR took me to Boston and back. Two modifications tested on this run were the tall windshield, Storm top box and the newly painted diamond plate aluminum dashboard. Additionally, it was the first run I made wearing ear plugs. For comfort, the taller windshield made a nice difference. Instead of hitting me straight in the chest, the wind is now redirected to hit me in the top of the helmet. On long trips I'll need to use a lot less energy bracing myself against the wind blast. The only downside is that the taller windscreen gets a little floppy at higher speeds but I got used to that pretty quickly. I don't have too much to report on the dash and that's a good thing. The only thing I was worried about was wind getting caught up behind the dash and lifting it off the gauges. Fortunately that was not a problem as the stock fairing did a great job of directing the wind out of the way. On the last shakedown run there were two items that fell off the bike due to engine vibrations. I replaced the missing exhaust baffle and the new one stayed in place. The other item was a cap for the PVC tool tube. The replacement cap vibrated out once again. Today I bought a new cap, the third, and installed pins on both tube caps to keep them from spinning on their own. I'm confident that the pins will solve the problem. On the ear plug front, they were a major improvement in comfort. Thanks go to my friend Jeremy, a firearms enthusiast, who showed me the proper way to install ear plugs. Thanks to the windshield, ear plugs, modified seat and extra large gas tank, I can ride the bike all day long. I am declaring the bike officially ready to go. With two days to go before I leave, preparations are in the final stages. During my New England trip I made a stop in Boston to visit my old friend Jon. As the manager of the REI in Boston, Jon was extremely helpful when it came to picking out gear and providing camping and survival advice. With camping and survival gear taken care of, I stopped by CVS and picked up medical supplies and toiletries. These next two days I'll be taking care of all the last minute details. The bike's inspection runs out at the end of August so I'm going to get it inspected tomorrow. I'm waiting on a new jacket from Aerostitch which should arrive tomorrow. I need to make a trip to the grocery store for traveling food as well. After that I think I'm going to spend all of Tuesday figuring out how the heck everything is going fit on the bike!