Good day to own a GS

It was a heartbreaking day for both of us. Mitch is faced with going home, and I with continuing alone. After everything we have done, and dreamed about it doesn’t seem fair.

It was however a good day to own a BMW GS. Broken down on the side of the busy hot freeway, we finally decided that attempting to tow Mitch’s bike was the best option. So with a few strands of 550 (Parachute Cord) we made a tow strap. I tied it off to the frame holding my Jesse Luggage, worrying that the extra weight would cause problems.

Slowly we started out down the shoulder of the road, weaving between all the normal debris bits of tires, and trash. With busy traffic zooming past us on the left it made for a nerve-racking operation. Things were going well when I noticed up ahead a bridge crossing a dry riverbed. The long bridge had no shoulder! I beeped my horn to signal Mitch I was going for it. Pointing like a charging Calvary Rider with sword drawn I down shifted and let all 100 horse’s loose. Traffic was whizzing by and we had to be up to speed to merge safely before the shoulder ran out. With Mitch, his bike, and all his luggage 600 pounds is a low guess as to the extra weight the GS was pulling. She got us up to 75 mph without complaint and safely across the bridge.

After asking directions at a gas station we began a 10 mile trip down a small road to a hotel. I kept a close eye on my temperature gauge afraid that the GS would start to over heat towing Mitch through the 100 degree plus Arizona weather. She performed like a champ though never missing a beat. The only problem we had on the way to the hotel was one strand of 550 slid under Mitch’s front wheel, jerking his steering hard to the left and nearly sending the both of us crashing to the pavement.

We have to wait out Memorial Day before we can take his bike into a shop. Only then can we know if this is the end of the road for Mitch.

--Ryan

Broken Down

We have been in Arizona 2 days and the Heritage Special has broken down twice. The guardian bell that Brady gave me must not like the heat as much as I do. The first time was on Saturday the 26th Ryan and I had just made it over the pass into Flagstaff when my bike suddenly died. I was able to push her into the parking lot of a Del Taco, the problem was easy to find a dead battery the fix was a bit troublesome I removed the battery and sent Ryan on a mission into unknown territory to try and find a new one. As I waited every person that passed seemed to have the answer on how to fix my bike. The first asked if I had checked the breathers I not knowing what those were informed him that of course I had. The next parking lot mechanic told me that if I was having trouble keeping it running that it must be the alternator. None of the five people that stopped to tell me how to fix my bike seemed to notice the apparent gap in the area where my battery used to be. After 20 minutes of evading every possible weekend wrench Ryan returned with the needed part a new battery. After a quick install we noticed that the positive and negative terminals were switched so I sent Ryan once again to find a longer positive cable when he returned we wired it up temporarily to get on our way to Sedona and Jerome.

Sunday the 27th we were on our way to Tucson everything was going well until we were just out side of Phoenix and suddenly my bike loses a tremendous amount of power Ryan and I pull over on the side of the highway to assess the problem. It starts fine has fuel but doesn’t run with the power that it once had so with a modified tow-strap made from 5-50 cord I have Ryan tow me to the next gas station. We call a few mechanics and realize that due to the Holliday that they are probably out riding their bikes or enjoying some air-conditioning. We find the nearest hotel and I have Ryan tow me there we are still trying to fix the bike but will probably have to wait until Tuesday to have a shop look at it. I hope and pray that this is not the end of the road for me.

--Mitch

Deseret News Article about us!

Strangers to guide traveling duo
By David Rasmussen
Deseret Morning News
SPRINGVILLE — Two friends traveling to see the world is one thing. Letting a third party decide exactly where they go is a new twist.
Mitch Curwen and Ryan Grassley, both Utah National Guardsmen, embarked Wednesday on a journey of epic proportions.
On a motorcycle trip covering nine countries and nearly 8,000 miles, the pair's daily route will be decided by an Internet poll voted on by strangers. The two men will follow the chosen-by-vote route until they reach the Panama Canal. After creating a Web site for their trip — www.half-throttle.com — Curwen and Grassley decided to map out their preferred routes for each leg of the journey.
Each day, visitors to the Web site can vote on two proposed routes, saving the duo any unwelcome confrontation.
"On our first trip together we got in disagreements about places we wanted to go — if we wanted to go by the beach, through the forest, things like that," said Grassley, 28, an electrician from Springville. "So this time, to make it more interesting, and to save us some arguing with each other, on all of our traveling days we'll put it up to a vote."
Born out of an idea hatched in an all-but-empty discotheque in El Salvador, the two- to three-month journey began Wednesday at Grassley's Springville home.
With plans to stay with friends when possible and camping when necessary, the duo set out with only the things they could pack on their bikes — a 2005 BMW R1200GS for Grassley and a 1982 XS650 Yamaha Heritage Special for Curwen.
"My ride will be a little harder, but it will work for me," said Curwen, 27, a native of Ophir and currently studying at Dixie State College. "I'd rather go with some discomfort than not go at all."
Throughout the trip the duo will work out of Internet cafes to update the Web site, posting video blogs and reports on sites such as MySpace.com, Youtube.com and others. Additionally, they will map out their route and discover where friends, family and strangers will send them. After publishing the site May 18, within days Curwen and Grassley had already received more than 500 votes from people around the world regarding the route they'd travel from Springville to St. George.
The route Wednesday, as picked by voters, was Highway 12.
They arrived safely in St. George but got a speeding ticket in Garfield County.
Because the two are active members of the National Guard and the possibility of being called up to Iraq is always present, they felt a need to "live it up" and take the motorcycle trip they'd been planning for years.
Additionally, however, Grassley described himself as an "advocate for travel."
"I've traveled a lot, and I felt like a lot of Americans don't realize how great the rest of the world is. They are just stuck in America," he said."I hope a lot of people tune in and see the world's got a lot to offer."
And what should happen if they are activated for duty during their trek?
"Then we drive as fast as we possibly can," Curwen said, "and do whatever we need to do to get back."

E-mail: davidr@desnews.com

Freezing on Highway 12

Freezing on Highway 12

Our first day of riding was rough. Highway 12 sent us up into the clouds with its high altitude and froze us to the bone. Even though Mitch and I pulled over to put extra clothes on the 40 degree temperature plus 60-70 mph wind chill made for a very cold ride.

The only reason that I kept riding through the cold was knowing Mitch’s apartment had a hot tub in St. George. When we arrived at 11:30pm Mitch told me it was broken. So I climbed into my sleeping bag on Mitch’s couch and shivered myself to sleep.

Just outside of Escalante both of us got a speeding ticket. I’ll be happy to cross the border soon, where a traffic violation can be solved with a few pesos on the spot, or buying the officer a beer will get you a friend that can give you a police escort to the next town.

We came through Zion National Park after dark. And it made for a really cool ride. Cutting through the night with a narrow beam of light from your headlight down the twisty road, and glancing up at the towering cliffs above was an adventure.

The bikes have been doing great so far. Mitch gets a little annoyed at having to fill up twice as often as I, but I don’t mind taking a break every 100 miles or so. We will get there, eventually.

--Ryan

Getting out of town

Getting out of town

To get ready for a trip like this takes a lot of work. So I wanted to drop a quick thank you to everybody who helped us.

The guys at Motorcycle R and R in Midvale were great, they are the only place to go if you drive a BMW. They spent a whole day going over every inch of my bike. Making sure everything was up to date and in working order. They even let me hang out in the shop and look over the mechanics shoulder while he worked, so maybe I learned a little while I was there. When I asked what tools and extra parts I should take on the trip. They said, “You drive a GS, just enjoy the ride.” Is it possible to drive 8000 miles and have nothing break? We shall see.

Partyland in Springville was a huge help preparing the “Get Lost” party we had. It was a big success and I was surprised at how many people came to see us off. So many goodbyes are in order when leaving for so long and the party made it easier on everybody.

Thanks to all our friends that helped us prepare, set up the party, and gave us treats for the road.

But a big frowny face goes to the guys at MotoXoutlet in Orem. Mitch bought a tire from them and they gave us the constant run around. Told us it would be done in two days and it took 5 so Mitch has his bike with no front tire just sitting there. It was frustrating because we needed to be out filming more video and taking pictures for the trip. If Orem is over run by aliens and the only way out is by motorcycle, and you don’t have tire. You would be better off letting yourself be captured, at least save yourself the stress of trying to buy something from MotoXoutlet.

--Ryan

Hi

Week one has been a trial. I've been up until 2:00am almost every day in an attempt to finish the website. It is now 90% complete and I can rest a little easier this weekend. I am looking forward to getting on the road and heading south our first stop will be in St. George UT I live at Canyonlands and our apartment is being renovated so I have to move all of my stuff from one apartment to the other. Mitch