TuDiabetes & Honda News

Hello all

So, shortly (we hope) we will have affiliate pages up on TuDiabetes and the Diabetes Hands Network. We're looking to join forces with these sites. I am a member of the community, which is an incredible support and information tool for diabetics who don't know other diabetics (or not many), which is common. TuDiabetes is also in affiliation with the Canadian Diabetes Association. Over time, we hope to be able to both learn and address information and questions regarding managing diabetes on the road, when you're largely unable to prepare your own food.

This is a limiting disease that needs constant attention and strict timing, but we're determined to prove that it can be managed even in most extreme environments. Although The Long Way... team is not travelling around the world on dual-purpose bikes, the road across Canada can take you a long way from civilization and medical care. The hope is that we can minimize the concern about that if we are able to fund the support vehicle to come with us.

 In other news, we've been hearing whispers about a possible 400CC Honda CBR.This will be some major competition for Kawasaki, but also broadens our options. The last time a 400CC Honda motorcycle was available to buy or sell in Canada was 1989. But a lot of the starter riders who bought the 125 are upgrading and not buying Honda products because of the insurance penalty. They can comfortably upgrade to a 250CC street bike with Kawasaki without having to consider moving from a street bike to a cruiser (Honda has a 250CC Rebel-- which, for the record, has the most comfortable riding seat I've ever put my ass on).

The major difference (and concern) between a 400CC Kawasaki and a 400CC Honda CBR is that the Kawasaki sits their rider a little more upright (in a sport-touring position) as possibly opposed to the CBR, which has you leaning over quite a bit. That stance on a long-distance ride is pretty backbreaking. Though, Honda puts some serious competition into the mix, because they have great prices, great package deals, and exceptional customer service- not to knock Kawasaki. We've never dealt business with them.

Anyhow, no word back yet from Big Earth, but no rush. We're still just launching this idea off the ground, and realistically, there is no guarantee the ride won't be an additional year away. But this is our goal, and we're ambitious. Ride safe and enjoy the last days of summer!

Read more...

New Bikes

So, John is currently on a Honda CBR 125. It's an appropriate ride for a guy his size in the city, and he's managed to make it efficient for 2-4 hour highway rides. He has been planning to upgrade. The bike is officially paid off next month, but now it's time to move up to something a little bigger, that is more practical for highway travel.

Image used courtesy of Honda Motorsports

The 2009 Honda CBR 125R. $3,599 *MSRP.

Comes in Metallic Black and Flat Red,
Metallic Black and Pewter,

White and Metallic Black,
and White and Motocross Blue and Red.

The rub, for anyone who doesn't know about motorcycle laws in Canada, is that if you move above 400cc, you're going to pay a huge insurance premium for it. I'm 5'11", so the idea of getting a 125cc bike was just never realistic. So, after trying out several bikes for size, I'd decided that the Kawasaki Ninja (Ninjette) 250RR was the best size for price value. However, a motorcycle manufacturer in Canada finally had the brains to bring in a 400cc bike: yep- Kawasaki. The price difference is about 50% more, but you get the power for it, and it's dual headlight setup is a lot nicer to look at.


Welcome to the Kawasaki Ninja 400R.

Image used courtesy of Canadian Kawasaki Motors Inc.

It comes in Metallic Spark and Flat Black or Kawasaki Green and Flat Black. It will be going for $7,499 *MSRP at the top of 2011. And yes: it has a trunk. This is way more realistic for a long-distance ride, and a lot more realistic for someone my height- I easily hold up a 125, and a 250. I can hold up a 650 with little effort, and despite the price tag, I've comfortably held up a liter bike. The 400 looks like the bike for me. I don't see the point in starting off with a 250 as a starter bike, only to have to upgrade to a 400 a year later and have to suck up the $5000 price tag on the 250. My only concern with diving right into the 400 is that Kawasaki loves to market the 250 as its starter bike- which is part of what makes advertising it so lucrative. Then again, the 400 hits the market just months before our trip. So? We shall see what kind of funding we can get, or how good a deal I can swing with the dealer. ;)

Some people get really stuck in the sport bike vs cruiser debate. I do really like the Honda line of baby cruisers (the CMX250C Rebel is a seriously comfortable ride), and if you wanted to do an in-between bike and go with a sport touring, the DN-01 and the Goldwing are both viable options- but they're horribly expensive, and not worth the price tag if you want to ride separate bikes. I'm looking for something I can use as a commuter bike, too. And while both sport bikes and cruisers have their own brand of badass, I just prefer sport bikes. If I had the money, though, I think I'd be investing in a Rebel. I don't think I will ever want to exceed 400CC, nobody really needs the extra power if they're keeping their rides street legal, and I really hate noisy bikes.

I live on a corner that has constant bike traffic, and nothing is more irritating. A lot of people, unfortunately, have their pipes straightened aftermarket, to make their bikes obscenely loud. There's some claim that noisy pipes save lives. Personally, I think that noisy bikes just cause unnecessary deafness and need to be taken off of the road. True, drivers are particularly blind when it comes to bikes, but a lot of those bikers put themselves in blindspots, ride the line and sometimes the shoulder- they ride where they shouldn't. I've seen that way more than I've seen incompetent car drivers interact with bikes, and I've nearly been flattened on the road 'more than once. All I can say is that those bikes don't come that way, there is a noise restriction on bikes, and these people are all breaking the law. I hate it as much as you do. Anyway--

If you're a subscriber, and you're interested in supporting us, please use our banner, gratis, on your site, or on forum sigs. Thanks!

'Ta for now!

Read more...

Shopping For Sponsors

"I know just which buttons to press and how to press them. 

One has to be in the right mood, though it's not difficult to get there.

Standing back and admiring the view,

looking at those curves gets my heart pumping.

It actually takes a bit of mental preparation, because I know that when I start,

I probably won't be done for at least an hour.

Of course the right protection is necessary,

so it takes a moment to slip it on, which only builds the anticipation.

After some, umm, preliminaries,

a gentle thumbing of the button elicits a bit of a high pitched sound as a surge of air is inhaled,

but quickly replaced by a low purr.

My grip tightens and the piston pumps faster and faster, building to a crescendo...

I kick the shifter down, let go of the clutch and I'm off!"
-J.S. Boyes

Image used courtesy of Google Maps

Hey everyone and welcome to the official Long Way Across blog! Right now, we're just in kick-off mode. We're trying to get in contact with Big Earth, and the Long Way Crew (Russ Malkin, Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman and Claudio Von Planta).

We've just pulled out our maps, and are writing down possible sponsors and affiliates to contact. We know that our starting off point is the prelim ride from Tofino to Nanaimo. We'll be starting off our prelim trip from the Schooner in Tofino, after a good breakfast, back over to Nanaimo, where we will take a night to rest, and trim down our supplies.

We are hoping to raise money for donation to The Canadian Diabetes Association and Unicef. Kassi is a type 1 diabetic and has been dealing with inadequate treatment and funding for many years. We're hoping that this trip will help raise awareness for how it is to live with type 1 diabetes. She does not yet ride her own motorcycle, but has ridden on the back of John's a lot in the last two years. Our show begins with her and Todd learning how to ride. They're both getting onto Kawasaki Ninja 250Rs. Now, we need to post a disclaimer; we aren't officially affiliated with either Unicef or CDA yet, though we are working towards doing so. We will be getting boxes/cans in which to collect donations to put towards both charities, that will be sent for deposit to those charities. We are also hoping to be able to host a page on TuDiabetes, the world's premiere diabetes social network.


John is currently on a Honda CBR 125, which is a nice starter bike, but he is hoping to upgrade before the trip. He's put just under 27,000km on his bike since 2008, and currently needs a new back tire in a bad way. He's currently sporting standard IRC tires for the 125 but is looking to upgrade to Pirelli tires.


So right now we're mapping (thanks to Google Maps and Google Earth) and searching for assisted funding. We still need:


-At least 2 Kawasaki Ninja 250RRs
-3 lipstick cams (helmet)
-At least 1 handheld camera w/ shotgun mic
-Two sets of all-weather riding leathers
-Three sets of sport saddlebags
-60 days of Lantus and Humalog insulin
-An emergency supply of Glucerna and Powerbar meal replacements
-A bike-friendly GPS system (an iPhone would be perfect- to tap right into our Google Maps)
-3 bike radios
-1 single man tent and 1 two-person tent
-3 Camelbaks
-3 mummy sleeping bags
-Fuel (3 bikes and 1 support vehicle)
-Accommodation (RV sites are fine)
-Food
-1 Full-Face Helmet
-3 portable first-aid kits and 1 full first-aid kit for support vehicle


This list will likely grow a great deal before we kick off. But at the moment, these are huge priority. Stay with us, drop us a line, send us your pics and ask us your questions! Until next time...

Read more...