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New motorcycle and center stand install

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I decided to get a Kawasaki KLR 650. The cheapest powerful enough dual sport bike on the market. As you can imagine it’s balance between power, quality and cost. But it does what it is supposed to do and has proven itself over the past two decades during which this model has only gone through one major update which to a large degree was a cosmetic one. Never change a running system Kawasaki probably though. It’s the most popular dual sport bike in North America.

My brother (who also lived in Canada until recently) had a KLR and since he happened to move I was in luck and ‘inherited’ his bike.

Motorcycle insurance is stupidly expensive in British Columbia. It’s so expensive that if you were to get full comprehensive coverage for two years you’d be better off buying a new (used) bike every two years. The cost drop by 80% (!!!) if you have had your car drivers license for 10 years (I still need 3 more years). Yes, don’t ask me how that makes sense.

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My brother had bought old (empty!) ammunition cans from the US and mounted them to the bike as panniers. They are just the right dimensions, surprisingly sturdy and even water sealed. Just a lock is missing but there’s a solution for that too.

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To get the bike ready for adventures I installed the SW Motech center stand he had gotten but not yet mounted. Having a center stand is crucial for maintenance work on the road like changing tires, changing the oil, adjusting/changing chain and sprockets,…

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The procedure was simple. I took off the foot pegs on both sides to put two mounting plates between them and the frame which would serve as attachment points for the stand.

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This was quickly done and the only thing left was to attach the two springs which keep the stand off the ground when the bike is not currently sitting on it.

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To lift up the weight of the bike there is a leaver on the stand on which you can place your foot and put your whole body weight on it while simultaneously yanking the bike up and backwards with your right hand.

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With the necessary force and leverage the bike slides back lifting the rear wheel off the ground. And because the stand is almost exactly in the middle it is also possible to easily tip the bike to the back to access the front wheel allowing maintenance on both wheels.

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Welcome to beautiful British Columbia

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This is the undeniably true tourism slogan of the most western Canadian Province bordering the USA, British Columbia. After a few months of working in Germany I signed a contract with Image Engine, in Canada. I decided it was best to leave my BMW at home in Vienna and look for an alternative in Canada.

 

Like most major Canadian cities Vancouver borders the US in the South. The city is know for it’s rainy climate during fall and winter. There is no such thing as London weather once you have experienced Vancouver during this period. Spring and summer however make up for it big time.

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The ‘little’ green peninsula on the center right on the image above is Stanley Park. It’s one of the biggest city parks in the world and unlike most parks it is not perfectly cultivated. It’s the same kind of rain forest you can find anywhere else in B.C. The park is named after Lord Stanley who was one of the first kind of prime ministers of Canada. He is also name giver to the Stanley Cup, the big final tournament of each season of the (North American) National Hockey League (NHL).

 

The look of the Vancouver skyline is dominated by apartment buildings of which each floor has balconies, surprisingly all the way to the top.

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Vancouver is ideal for any kind of outdoors sports. Lot’s of biking routes and hiking opportunities. Kayaking and rowing are also very popular. Some people even play hockey!

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While Vancouver globally speaking is a very new city it is astounding to find out that tall buildings like this brick building below can be up to a century old.

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The city has one of the biggest China Towns which is often used for movie shoots to double as Asia.

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Because the the city faces the sea in the west there are no mountains to block the sunset which is often very colorful.

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Fishing is also big in Vancouver and naturally all along the coast like in the little fishing village of Steveston just a few dozen km south of metro Vancouver. Surprisingly in Vancouver fish is quite expensive. However here in Steveston the prices are very competitive. Freshly caught salmon is just a tad more expensive than chicken by the pound. (Unlike the US Canada seems to be on the fence about whether to use imperial or metric units so they use a bit of both..)

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Moving to Germany

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After two years of London I decided it was time for a new adventure and move to Germany to work there. Being Austrian I had visited Germany before but living there would be new. The language barrier hopefully wouldn’t be too big and my plan was to follow a friends invitation to work on the next Season of Game of Thrones. So on a warm Saturday afternoon after packing my bags I set off to Dover to cross to France by ferry.

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I didn’t have much time to reach the ferry. In fact I knew it was going to be close. Luckily the roads were empty except for that huge huge traffic jam I encountered half way.

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With a car I would not have made the ferry. While everybody was waiting and people were getting out of their cars I was going slow and steady between them. I reached the ferry terminal twenty minutes before the closing of the terminal.

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It was a short trip and after 45 min the ferry reached Dunkirk, France around midnight. I didn’t waste any time and kept pushing on to Bruges, Belgium right away.

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At 2AM I reached a hostel where I had made a reservation once more using the hostelworld app.

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Bruges is famous for it’s medieval architecture and it’s Venetian canal city center layout. I knew Bruges mostly from the very entertaining and dark movie “In Bruges” which shows the city in winter covered in snow.

Finding my room at the BAUHAUS hostel proved a bit difficult but I did get some much needed sleep and a rudimentary but included breakfast the next morning after which I drove to the city centre for some sightseeing.

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No wonder this place was used for movies. It looked like straight from a fairy tale.

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This little tavern really was as little as it looks.

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The bike

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My first motorcycle. A second hand, 2011 BMW F650GS. Contrary to what the name suggests it’s not 650ccm but 800ccm. I don’t know what went through BMWs minds when they came up with this genius name since there also is a true 650ccm (also -correctly- called 650GS) in their lineup. But they have since corrected the name and later versions of this bike are now called F700GS. No joke. Anyway this will be my (hopefully) reliable donkey for my trips.