Planning continues...

Well, it's been an expensive week, but I now have a GPS device that I'm still trying to figure out how to operate, and a rather natty Dainese jacket and trouser set. New Arai Tour X should arrive mid-week, which should make me the best dressed rider in SE Asia... The panniers have been ordered from Touratech Australia and should be with me by the end of the week - thankfully they don't need to be shipped from Germany, which means I can see how much space I have for kit.

Other than that, the trip plan is really taking shape, with lots of checklists, maps and addresses contained in a (client-ready, zero-defect) powerpoint presentation. Still four weeks left at work, but I'm increasingly finding my attention in meetings wandering to critical issues such as how to carry an extra 10 litres of fuel across the Northern Territory...

Trip planning

It's hard to say when the trip really begins, but I picked up the Transalp from Pete at Everything Two Wheels this afternoon, so it seems like an appropriate time to celebrate. We successfully navigated the bureaucrats at VicRoads in Carlton to get it registered - hopefully the paperwork for the rest of the trip will be as straightforward.

The bike currently looks a bit soft in commuter mode (but who knew that a top-box was so practical?). Next step is to order all the fun bits from Touratech to create a machine that will carry me across continents (or at least look the part...)

By the way, Everything Two Wheels can be found at http://www.everythingtwowheels.com.au/. If you own a bike in Melbourne, get them to service it for you! I'll be taking advantage of their 'Gold Service' support option on my trip - any issues with the bike and Pete will come out to fix it within 24 hours...