This past Saturday I started out on my first long journey on my 650NK. To this point, my longest trips had been the few taken to Moganshan and Wuzhen. On this trip, I had no solid plan, but from MotoKais post in 2010 I had decided Jiuhuashan looked interesting.

Because, for a while now, I had been saying I would go to Thousand Island Lake, that was on the list as well.

Ultimately, I went from Shanghai to Huzhou, then on to Jiuhuashan, through Yellow Mountain area, then down to Thousand Island Lake.

The trip was a great experience, but one that reminded me that I need to continuously work on both my riding skills and my mechanical ability. That, and I need to get better at brushing off the selfishness of other drivers.

The route is here:
http://ditu.google.cn/maps?saddr=%E4...,5,6,7&t=m&z=9

Things I Would Now Like to Change
  • Bike tubes around the straps of the Great Basin bag, to help protect them from wear.
  • Better fit for Straps on the Back
  • New brake levers have been installed since the ride, but I also need new bars. The sweep of the current bars puts my wrists at an odd angle that results in extreme pain after hours on the road.



What I Carried
Just a short while ago, I had shipped some Giant Loop bags from the states. These included a Fandango Tank bag, with 10L capacity, and a Great Basin saddlebag with a 50L capacity. The former I had successfully taken on a weekend trip with a pillion, the later I had only brought on a trip to Moganshan once.


Tank Bag
  • Camera
  • Toothbrush
  • Chargers
  • Disc Lock
  • Wallet
  • Phone
  • License
  • Registration


Great Basin Bag
  • Clothes
  • Sandals
  • Extra Pair of Boots (Thought I might do some hiking)
  • Tools
  • Fuel Pump
  • Air Compressor
  • Towel
  • Bike Cover


Along with these things, I carried nearly two years of frustration with Chinese driving habits and a limited understanding of automotive mechanics from dealing with a series of unreliable cars.