When I begin my journey many years ago, my 2005 BMW F650GS had barely 1,500 miles on it. I picked up the bike at the now defunct BMW Motorcycles of Santa Cruz County in Watsonville, and for my first ride, I rode it back to my home in Newport Beach via the legendary California Route 1 — through Big Sur—I camped in Cambria and finally home.
A week later, I did my own version of an Iron Butt when in one day I rode from Newport Beach to Glendale, Arizona and the world headquarters of Jesse Luggage Systems, where Al Jesse personally fit my new Jesse Bags to the bike that would take me around the world.
The rest is history. Today, I’ve logged about 100,000 miles on the bike, and ridden it through some 65 countries. Even better, this in the Fall of 2018, soon it will be featured in an upcoming adventure travel television show.
Oh, and people would always ask, do you have a name for your bike? Not truly wanting to personify my machine, I did resolve to call my bike “Doc” — and like a good friend, “Doc” has led me down some good paths, and some dangerous ones. My BMW F650 Dakar is “DOC”— See you on the road!
Here you can see the before and after pictures.
BEFORE
AFTER
“Doc” at Long Beach Convention Center Travel & Adventure Show March 2016
Click here to see and read my original post from the first travel blog website with complete information on initial modifications. Things changed as I rode the world. A complete list of bike modifications and maintenance and parts needs over the three years can be found in the back of my book “FORKS: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection” available on Amazon.
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