2018 Fall Streaming Dongle Choices

Of late, I've gotten into streaming devices.  At this point, I think I own one of everything.  Figured I might as well collect my thoughts.

I'm on the road a lot.  After a while, I'm tired of watching random push entertainment, and long to do some on-demand video.  In other words, I want to get caught up on Doctor Who, or I want to watch The Martian.  However, these two random examples illustrate the challenges I have.  Is there one streaming option that lets me do both, while remaining trivially portable?

My travel tends to circle around flying or motorcycling, or both together.  Portability is critically important to me.  I want it small enough that even if I don't bother to use it, I never compromised on space from carrying something else.

I have streaming subscriptions and purchased content across several services.

Streaming Services

1. Netflix
• Useful around the world
2. Crave (nee. Crave TV) 
• Home to TV series including The Expanse and past seasons of Doctor Who
• Only useful in Canada 
• They're talking about creating a premium service, and are only doubling the monthly subscription price.  Only.  I don't know if some current content will become premium-only content.
3. Amazon Prime
• Home to TV series including The Grand Tour 
• Useful in Canada and the US (apparently off my Amazon Canada account), at least.
• Awesome, because it also includes free shipping.  Nice add-on that!
4. The Roku Channel
• A late entry.  So far, unless you're an old western buff, not a lot of content.  Except they have ReGenesis!  
• Roku only.
5. Tubi TV
• Another late entry.  Long Way Round and Long Way Down, free!
• Roku, Sony TV, Apple TV.

Purchased Content providers (with a couple examples each) 

1. Apple iTunes
• National Geographic content including Mars (currently in seasonal broadcast) and Genius (Einstein season)
• Babylon 5 series
• lots of movies including The Martian and The Big Short
2. Google Play Video
• Doctor Who season 11 (the female doctor, currently in seasonal broadcast) 
• Chosen to test Google Play Video in my life.

 Other Content

1. Plex app
2. sideloading Android apps 
• I used to run a streaming TV app on a cheap Android STB, briefly on my Sony TV, and very briefly on my Amazon stick.  Then that service went away.  Not important to me now, but the sideloading option does speak to its flexibility.

Why not just plug my laptop into my hotel TV?

While this would be a great option, I've tried and I find it cumbersome.

On the motorcycle, carrying around long thick HDMI cables is a pain.  I've tried the Redmere thin HDMI cables, but compatibility is too often a showstopper, as is cable quality; I've gone through several.

Devices in Play

I've included all the streaming options I have, including my TV (for illustrative purposes).  As you can see, nothing is 100%, but the Apple TV comes the closest in functionality, but doesn't meet my portability desires.

Sorry, this table will be infantile; I'm not a web developer, and I have no interest to figure out if I can stuff pretty CCS into this, whatever CSS is.

Device	Form Factor	Vol	iTunes	Netflix	Amazon Prime	Crave	Plex	Google Play Video	Tubi TV	Chrome Cast	Sideload Android Apps
Roku 4k Stick - Canada	Stick	Y	n	Y	Y	n	Y	Y	Y	n	n
Amazon Fire TV stick - Canada	Stick	n	n	Y	Y	Y	Y	n	Y	n	Y
Apple TV 4k	STB	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	n	Y	n	n
ChromeCast	Dongle	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Y	n
Sony X900F TV, Android TV	TV	Y	n	Y	Y	n	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

Roku 4k Stick

Everyone loves the Roku stick.  Easy to use, lots of options.  I'd use it more, except Crave has yet to come out with an app for it.

There might be a way to get Crave onto the Roku, using VMedia.  However, it seems it needs you to sign up with Crave from your VMedia account, and pay Crave's fee through VMedia.  Not sure I entirely understand how that works, and it isn't something I can just *try* with my current Crave account.

Does 4k, not that I need that often.  I also have the older not-4k stick, but its lack of volume control makes it uninteresting to me.

Usually worked when powered from a TV's USB port, though it does urge you to feed it 1A over USB.

Amazon Fire TV stick

My current go-to travel stick.  Lacks volume controls, not 4k, no Alexa.  As a travel stick, it is okay.  I'm tempted to upgrade to the new Fire TV 4k stick, if it goes on sale.

It really needs more than 500mA, and I've never had it properly function running off a TV's USB port; usually starts to boot, then restarts its boot, ad infinitum.

It is likely the new 4k Stick would end up becoming my best travel streamer, if I picked it up.

Apple TV 4k

This is my secondary streamer at home, usually reserved for all Apple content at home and Crave.  (My X900F TV is my primary streamer.)

Its remote is pretty full function, and can even control the TV's volume.

Nifty-neat comment; I can control this through my TV's remote.  I can even seem to power it on by switching my TV to the Apple TV HDMI input.

But this does not meet my portability requirement.  Apple, please, for the love of all that's holy, release an Apple TV Stick!

ChromeCast

Then there's ChromeCast.  It doesn't have any local content itself; it relies on some computing device like a laptop or a handheld device to feed it content.  And it favours not-Apple platforms.

As a Mac user, ChromeCast is a bit of a problem as many apps and streaming sites didn't seem to support it through a Mac, and the Mac OS itself doesn't have direct support for ChromeCast. 

There is another personal problem with ChromeCast, Airplay, and other wireless screen-mirroring options; my laptop is almost always on my corporate VPN, and as such, it cannot connect to local network devices like the ChromeCast.  So wired HDMI or bust.

It is possible that Mac support is better now and if I can find my ChromeCast, I will try to reevaluate it.

Sony X900F TV

I recently got this TV, and it is awesome.  Of course, it isn't portable, but I added it for colour, as my streaming woes don't stop when I get home.

The Sony does lots of things well, but of course it doesn't handle my iTunes media, and it doesn't have a Crave app.  The Apple TV rounds out all my needs giving me 100% coverage, when I'm at home.

Wrap-up

I'm not really going into detail about audio and video support, beyond 4k, as these are typically not a big deal when you're on the road and subject to whatever random TV is in your room.

Vancouver to Toronto, aka First long tour on the R1200RS

For September 2018, I managed to squeak in a cross-Canada (or mostly so) ride, from Vancouver to Toronto.

It was broken into two chapters:  4 days Vancouver to Calgary (could be done in 1 day), and 4 days Calgary to Toronto (suppose it could be done in 2-3 days).

I was somewhat nervous about this ride, because this was the first long ride I'd done with my R1200RS, specifically because of my grief with its seat and seating position.

13 years ago or so, I was rear-ended on my 1992 Katana 750, which had the effect of damaging my tailbone.  Within the year, I went down in a heavy snow storm, landing on that damaged tailbone.  And I never had it looked at.  Heck, I never even told my doctor until this past May, 13 years later.  He laughed at how stupid I am.  Seriously, he laughed.  Then he told me to find a convenient physiotherapist.

Physio has been helping, but I've built up enough scar tissue over the years that I am by no means fixed.  And here I was doing what became a 7000km September ride, on the bike that was excruciating to ride over 2 hours mere weeks beforehand when I finally started physio.

Chapter 1, Vancouver to Calgary, Thursday Sept 28 - Tuesday Sept 4

I committed an extended long weekend to get from Vancouver to Calgary.  A direct ride is as little as 1000km across the TransCanada, so I knew I could have lots of time to go off the usual route, if the BC wildfires let me.

I started off on Thursday after work, heading north to Whistler.  From there, I aimed for 100 Mile House, but ran out of sunshine as I hit Lillooet, so I stopped at the first hotel I found, the Reynolds Hotel.  In retrospect, I'm really glad I did.  But first..

I'd only ever been between Vancouver and Whistler, never beyond on BC-99 up to 100 Mile House.  Beautiful road, beautiful scenery, no traffic.  Incredible.  I had no idea!

Anyway, Lillooet.  The Reynolds was a fine hotel.  Not plush like the Hiltons I usually stay in, but more than acceptable.  Variety store by the lobby, restaurant next door (with stupid early close at night, but food across the road) but handy for breakfast.  Nice.

But it was the morning where I realized where I was.  Lillooet is in the middle of the mountains, mountains on all sides.  Breathtaking.  Hit the link to read about the history of this town.  Highest recorded temperature in BC, lowest rainfall, couple hours from Vancouver.  Awesome.  I want a cottage on a lake up there, where I can land a float plane.  Mmmm.

On Friday, from Lillooet, I continued up BC-99 and BC-97 to 100 Mile House, then BC-24 and BC-5 to Valemount BC for the night.  Stayed at a pretty disappointing Super 8.  Expensive, miserable breakfast.  Nice dinner at the Caribou Grill though.

Saturday had me cruising through Jasper towards Banff by BC-16, AB-16, AB-93 (the Icefields Parkway) to the TransCanada.  I think the fee to ride through the parks was around $10.  Amazing ride, though chilly; temps down around 4c along this stretch.

Once I got down to the TransCanada, I turned west, hoping to sleep in Revelstoke for the night.  My favourite part of the TransCanada has always been the stretch between Revelstoke and, let's say, Canmore, basically the east end of the Rockies before you hit Calgary.

The entire time I was in Alberta this day, the skies were clear, mountains perfect, but the temps were down around 5c.

Stayed at the Revelstoke Lodge.  It was okay.  Good sleep.  No breakfast, but I had leftover pizza from dinner at Emo's. 

Sunday was my day to get into Calgary, backtracking a bit on the TransCanada and through Banff.  Nice day, but the sky was largely obscured by smoke.  :(

Came to rest at my Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Airport.  This had the huge benefit of both being near the airport, has free parking and a free shuttle to the airport, and is a 3 minute walk from Sentinel Calgary North, the storage facility I was storing my motorcycle at for the next 1.5 weeks.

I had Monday "off", in that I got to Calgary a day earlier than I needed to, in order to avoid a lot of spirit-dampening rain.  Dabbled with the bike, sorted my clothes, did laundry (I was leaving a bunch of closed behind for my eventual return), and relaxed.  Flew home Tuesday, went back to work.

Chapter 2, Calgary and around.  Friday Sept 14 to Thursday Sept 27

I flew back to Calgary from Toronto after work on Friday, Sept 14.  Bee-lined to the Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Airport again, and despite the rain, I retrieved my motorcycle from storage and left the locker unlocked.

Spent Saturday and Sunday riding around the area.  Went to Lethbridge, to sleep in Medicine Hat, then Sunday slept in Lethbridge.  Monday, went to work and stayed at the Homewood Suites Calgary Downtown for the rest of the week.

My opinion of the Homewood Suites is mixed.  No free parking, only valet, and $36/day at that.  Remarkable.  I talked them down to $25/day (their weekend valet rate), but having to go inside every time I wanted to park to beg a valet to open the garage was a PITA.  The valets only met me outside once without me having to go inside.  Meh.

The room was okay, functional.  Fully fitted kitchen though, which was nice; real stove, microwave, full fridge, full set of dishes and silverware, etc.

For the second weekend, the weather around Calgary was turning miserable, wet and cold, so I went down to Lethbridge again, if only to get a nice ride.  It was, like 10c warmer and dry in Lethbridge for the weekend.

Spent the next week to Thursday at the Homewood Suites again.  Nicer room (top floor has big windows). 

Curiously, my door cards never could open the coin laundry facility; had to beg a steward to open the laundry for me.  Some random occupant verified that their cards could indeed open the laundry, just mine couldn't.  It was annoying. 

On Wednesday, I boxed up one collection of things I wouldn't need for the ride home (old tank bag, clothes) and shipped them home using Canada Post, for about $36 with a bit of insurance.

Chapter 3, Calgary to Toronto.  Thursday night Sept 27 through Monday Oct 1

After the class finally let out around 17:30 on Thursday, I got into my riding suit, boxed up the rest of my clothes that I wouldn't need for the ride, shipped it all using CP again (about $42 I think), then got on the road.

Throughout the previous two weeks, I'd been watching the weather reports pretty closely, trying to figure out my route options.  I really wanted to ride through Canada, but that really depended on the weather.  Though the Fall had just started, Calgary's weather was decidedly approaching Winter conditions, and by the end of the week, I knew the rest of central Canada was not going to be great.  In particular, mornings starting at -4c, which would necessitate late starts and early ends each day, which my schedule could not support.  Through the US!

It was raining and as low as 2c as I left Calgary.  I bee-lined for Great Falls, Montana, through Lethbridge and down I-15.  Rolled into there nearly 23:00 or something.  Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. 

Rained the whole ride.  It wasn't a wonderful ride, but I was generally comfortable.  Curiously, I was unconvinced that my gloves were heating properly, but my heated grips on full kept my hands content.

Of note; I stopped just north of Great Falls on the side of the road, to book the hotel room.  In the 30 seconds I was stopped, someone stopped on the highway (like, didn't even try to pull over), to see if I was okay.  I didn't stick around, waved, said I was fine, rode around him and hit the hotel.

While I was in the hotel room, I discovered that my right glove lead from my heated jacket liner was broken and shorting out.  That would explain why my gloves weren't heating, as they share the one controller lead, and I have to assume the controller shut the entire circuit down to save itself.

On Friday, just after I left the hotel, I decided I wanted to find somewhere to buy bits to fix my glove lead.  Pulled over to search my phone for auto parts or a Radio Shack or something.  Within 30 seconds, a guy pulled over to check if I was okay!  Twice in one stop in Great Falls.  Very nice town, very motorcycle-conscious.

Anyway, I aimed for Gillette, Wyoming for the night.  However, as I neared Gillette, I discovered I still had lots of life in my day, and pushed to Rapid City, South Dakota.  Turned into a 1000km day!  First long day on the R1200RS!  I was very happy to be doing long days on this bike, and my tailbone really wasn't giving me grief, at least while I was on the bike.  Stayed at the Hampton Inn.

As for scenery, yeah, no.  There's really no scenery along this entire route.  Yeah.

Saturday, I started the morning by fixing my heated glove lead, then did Rapid City to Waterloo, Iowa.  An 1100km day!  I wanted to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, but the rate jumped while I rode, so I cheaped out and stayed at the Hampton Inn.

Sunday was a shorter day, taking me to the Hilton Garden Inn, Detroit Metro Airport, for about 900km.  For note, it was almost non-stop tire shrapnell on the highway, with several trucks and cars on the shoulder with destroyed tires.  It was weird!

Monday had me rolling into Canada, visiting mom near Chatham, then getting home, a day early!  Cancelled my extra vacation day, saving it for some better-weather ride.

Reflections

This was my first long ride on the R1200RS, and it was a huge success.

I LOVE its cruise control.  It was comfortable enough.  It doesn't leave me in a passionate heat like my K1300S, but it performed its role flawlessly.

The segment from Vancouver to Calgary was incredible, even despite the overcast-like smoke.  I'd love to do that a dozen more times.

Calgary to Toronto was a long uninteresting push, but it went by fine.  Listened to several audiobooks through the ride, some new books I'd never heard before. 

The Bike Thread

Over the years, I've done a lot of motorcycle touring.  Figured I should get some thoughts down.

Those that know me know that I'm a fan of the sportier side of touring.  I ride sport-touring bikes, and find them comfortable for 12+ hour days if my schedule demands it.

So far, these are the bikes I've ridden over decent distances:

1992 Suzuki Katana 750 (deceased)

The '92 Katana 750 was my first bike.  I think I got it around July 2004 I think, had it for about 2 years.

It is a pretty heavy beast, but it was cheap, and widely available in the used market.  I got mine for a steal, and it was the perfect bike to learn on.  Maybe a little fast, but it was stable, fit me perfectly, and it could take a beating.

I commuted with this bike constantly from Oakville.  I would often get up at 05:30 to check the weather, to decide if I wanted to get on the road before 06:45 and beat the traffic.  I could just barely stuff the work laptop into my Joe Rocket Blaster tank bag, but this gave me the freedom of not having to wear a backpack.

Besides provincial rides, my first big ride was to Winnipeg for a week.  Soft tail bags, tank bag.  Perhaps about 4500km or so, no rain.  The ride went excellently and in the end, I was hooked.  

The Katana used a maintenance-required battery, and I had never experienced one of those before.  When I got on the bike on the second morning in Bruce Mines, the bike refused to start.  Nothing.  Not even a rrrr-sound or a clicky from the starter.  Oh crap.

It didn't take long to decide the battery was dead.  Then it hit me, the battery had little screwtops over each cell, meaning it needed to be occasionally topped up with distilled water.  I figured I had cooked the battery, but I happened to have a bit of distilled water in my tank bag.  Poured a bit into the battery and it started!  It worked fine for the rest of the ride.

One negative experience; I had a little electronic clock stuck to the bike's dash, and someone took it while I slept in Ignace (I believe).  Left me a bit miffed.

Unfortunately, that bike didn't last long; I put about 40000km on it before I finally blew its engine.  Not bad for my first 1.5 years though.  Katanae are known to have soft cams.  Also, it is air/oil cooled, and doesn't have an engine temperature meter.  After a couple of oil boilovers that left the engine starved for oil, the cams were shot, the pistons were hitting the valves and one day, *bang*, a valve broke off, jammed the piston head, causing the connecting rod to explode out the side of the engine block.  I still have the valve head on my keyboard at home, after pulling it from where it got embedded in my fairings after the explosion.  :)

I also drained its battery a handful of times.  I understand that motorcycles often don't generate enough amperage at idle to charge the battery, Toronto's rush-hour traffic causes a lot of idling, and my GPS is always playing something.  I became quite intimate with bump-starting bikes.

GPS:  Garmin Vista (useless), Garmin Quest (destroyed 3 through vibrations), Garmin Zumo 550.

Soft saddle bags:  First Gear

Tank bag:  Joe Rocket Blaster

Tires: 

• Bridgestone BT020

1998 Suzuki Katana 750 (deceased)

I went without a bike for most of a season, then got a beater Katana from a friend of mine around July 2006.  It really was a beater; he had previously ridden it into a guardrail and had reassembled it.

I put maybe 8000km on the bike in the year I had it, and no really noteworthy trips.

The bike was never very reliable.  I always had a fluctuating power delivery problem that drove me nuts.  I kept pouring more and more money into it, but finally had to give up on it when I realized I couldn't trust it for long trips.  I saw an opportunity for a ride to Winnipeg (and with vacation time, perhaps more) and had to sort that out.  And thus:

2000 Honda VFR800FI (putt-putt) (deceased)

This bike changed everything.  Fuel injected, water cooled, modern, good aftermarket support (including hard luggage options), excellent power (for me, at the time), etc.  I picked it up in June 2007.  It had about 14000km on it, and was about twice the price of my Katanae, but so worth it.

Within weeks of buying the bike, I did my first road trip.  It was utterly random; I had little idea where I was going or what I was doing.  I was still sporting soft bags, I didn't bring any rain gear, I was just "going east".

I ran into a couple friends at a couple service stations around Cornwall, and ended up following them on a "Chowdah Ride" to Bangor, Maine.  Twice a day, Chiller, the lead rider, would ask "Are you going to stay with us or go off on your own?", to which I would smile and shrug.  Stuck with them through the whole ride, though I admit part of that was because their route happened to miss a lot of rain through Eastern Canada.

The passion I felt for this bike was beyond anything I was prepared for.  I HAD to ride. Every waking minute, I felt like I was letting myself down by not riding.  

The big ride came in August; I lit out of home on August 24th, bound for Winnipeg.  I had hard luggage by now.  I was feeling a financial pinch, so I camped out roughly 50% of the time.

After a week of work in Winnipeg, I took a couple west-coast friends up on their offers for places to stay.  Rode across Canada along the Yellowhead highway, up through Grand Prairie AB, over to Mackenzie BC, then down through Hope BC and onto Vancouver.  

After a couple days at one friend's place, I took the ferry from Tsawwassen to Victoria, then rode west to the Pacific Rim National Park and Tofino.  Camped out in the park for a night, then headed back to Vancouver.

After staying at another friend's place in Vancouver, I took the Trans-Canada highway back home.  Met with some cold weather through the Prairies and then some drizzling rain, and had to don the rain gear just to cut the wind.

I had a lot of things on my mind for that ride; though I had 4 weeks vacation available, I only took 3 weeks.  I suspected I was going to quit my job soon after getting back, and knew with pro-rated vacation days and only 3/4rs through the year, I didn't really have the full 4 weeks to consume.  

I got to think a lot about leaving my job during the ride, and the entire ride was an expression of selfishness; if I found myself thinking about my book while I rode, I pulled over and read my book (always handy in my tank bag).  Then when I found my thoughts wandering to the open road while reading, I'd put the book away and got back to the ride.  

By time I arrived home, I felt like I had achieved something significant.  I had a spectacular ride, I saw things I had never dreamed of (Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Prairies, etc etc etc) and I didn't feel like I NEEDED to ride again for a week.  I felt completely calm and centered.  

This trip was just the beginning.  

1. August 2007 - Winnipeg and west coast (as mentioned above)
2. June 2008 - Orlando for my first Cisco Networkers
3. August 2008 - James Bay Hydro Electric Project in Quebec
4. September 2008 - PEI and Halifax
5. June 2009 - 
1. San Francisco for Cisco Networkers Live, 
2. up to Fort Bragg and then down to Santa Maria, 
3. over to Arkansas, then home
6. August 2009 - PEI and St. Johns Newfoundland
7. June 2010 - Cisco Live ride
1. Las Vegas for Cisco Live
2. down to San Diego
3. every inch that I could of coastal highways (1, 101, etc) up to Vancouver
4. Vancouver Island, then the Sunshine Coast
5. back across Canada
8. September 2010 - Chowdah and then random ride
1. Bar Harbor Maine, 
2. down along coast, then the Blue Ridge Parkway, Deals Gap,
3. Atlanta, then home.
9. July 2011 - Cisco Live ride
1. Las Vegas for Cisco Live
2. beeline up to Hyder Alaska,
3. back down into the US, finish off my 49 States
4. visited Aerostich in Duluth Minnesota
5. home through Michigan

At this point, I knew the VFR was getting a big old; it now had over 160000km on it, and I expected its maintenance was going to start hurting.

It should also be mentioned that I had countless drained batteries with the VFR as well.  

I had always felt an attraction to the Honda CBR1100xx Blackbird, and I found one for a good price out in Cobourg Ontario.  Once I brought that home though, the VFR was just collecting dust, so at the end of 5.5 years, I parked the VFR at a logistics joint in Orlando in February 2012 to get it ready for my European love affair.

Now things start to get complicated, as I have two bikes on two continents.

GPS:  Zumo 550, quickly replaced with the Zumo 660.
Luggage:

• Givi Wingrack II,
• 2 x Givi 21l cruiser side boxes,
• Givi 33l Trekker side boxes, (final)
• Givi 45l E45 top box,
• Givi 46l Trekker top box, (final)
• Joe Rocket Blaster tank bag (worn out)
• Rapid Transit Big City magnetic tank bag (final)

Tires:

• Bridgestone BT020 I think, didn't like them.
• Metzeler Z6 for touring
• Metzeler M3 for sporting it up

2003 Honda CBR1100xx Blackbird (deprecated)

In late 2011, I bought a used Blackbird.  I lusted over this bike for years, and my driving record was finally clean enough that I could afford insurance on one.

One of my first trips was probably a Deals Gap run for the May 24 weekend 2012.  The ride back was brutal; my seat broke my butt.  I promptly bought a noname "touring seat" online, and it made a world of difference.

Then the problems started with the bike.  There is an electrical fault somewhere on the bike that was causing the engine to cut out and the battery to drain all the time.  I never really figured it out.

I was faced with dead batteries so often on the Blackbird that I resorted to carrying a spare fully-charged battery in my top box.

On one ride down to Deals Gap, the bike completely died in the middle of nowhere in Virginia.  Whatever electrical fault I'd been having, it was now completely killing the bike to the point that it couldn't even start.  My GPS searched for nearby shops with "Honda" in the name and their phone numbers, and the first one I called dispatched a pickup to come and rescue me.

The lead technician at the shop checked things out, and discovered a bad wiring job by the previous owner; when he cut the old rear signal leads to put on the Givi Wingrack, he did a pretty bad re-splicing job.  Whenever the brake and/or signal lights were used a lot, it would warm up the wires, cause a break, corrupt the ground, and that caused the engine's tilt sensor to believe the bike was upside down, thus shutting down the engine.  He resoldered the connections and ran a clean ground back to the lights, and I was on the road again.

Throughout, the Blackbird has enjoyed lighting up its FI (fuel injection) fault light.  That has not gone away.  It might take 4 hours before it comes on, or it might take as little as 2 minutes.  Restarting the engine might make it go away for 4 hours or 2 minutes.  Every minute that light is on, I expect the bike to die miserably.

This was no way to live.

Then one fateful December 2012 day, I rode the Blackbird to the manufacturer motorcycle show once hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  Of course, I had to swap batteries before that ride.  Then, in the last 2km or so to the show, the bike died.  Once on the Spadina off-ramp, once along Lakeshore, and once just as I was turning left into the ringed driveway in front of MTCC South, with hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts taking note of the Winter rider with the dying bike.  I was angry.

Walking into the show, just a little to the right of the entrance, was a new 2013 black BMW K1300S.  I threw a leg over it, and the bike felt just like my Blackbird.  It was wonderful.  It was a sign.  It was hurting my wallet.

I wandered in a somewhat zombie state for about 30 minutes until it hit me; I didn't remember hooking the custom ground wire for my rear signals when I put the battery back in.  That was very likely the reason the Blackbird was so miserable.  Whew, I was saved from a spontaneous purchase!  For a while, anyway; bought that K1300S 8 months later in July 2013, because I never forgot how good it felt to sit on that BMW with a warranty.

In November 2013, I rode the Blackbird down to Orlando as the next European bike. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself, because the VFR story was far from over.

GPS:  Zumo 660
Luggage:

• Givi Wingrack II
• 2 x 46l E460N boxes (rarely use, came with the bike)
• often used the 21l cruiser boxes
• 1 x 52l E52 Tech top box

Tires:

• Metzeler Z6, didn't feel right
• Michelin Pilot Road 3
• Michelin Pilot Road 4 (current)
• Continental TKC80 (winter)

2000 Honda VFR800FI, the continuing saga (deceased)

The place I worked has a cool policy; after every 4th year with the company, you get an extra 4 week "sabbatical" to use.  I banked all the regular vacation I could, and planned a 7 week vacation of riding around Europe.  Then I had to sort out my ride.  Do I rent, buy, or ship a bike over?

For note, buying a bike in Europe is very difficult.  In general, you need insurance to buy a bike, and insurance requires a permanent address.  Wheatwhacker from Ireland can help buy a bike for you, if you like.  

However, I found a company called Knopftours in Germany.  Many people on online forums had raved about Stefan Knopf.  They take care of shipping, storage, maintenance, shuttle bus service from Frankfurt airport, insurance, roadside assistance, bed&breakfast, and everything else motorrad.  My VFR was collecting dust, and this seemed utterly perfect.

Over the 2012 family day long weekend, I rode the VFR down to Orlando Florida to have it floated to Europe in April by Stefan.  Flew back to Toronto, and waited for my vacation to start.

Stefan has a shipping container in Orlando that he fills with bikes every spring and floats over to Heidelberg around April, then floats it back in October.  His rates are excellent, about USD1300, as long as you understand you aren't getting your bike back any time soon.  In my case, I was going to leave the VFR over there until it finally died.  He then charges a piddling USD300/year for storing your bike.

(edit. as of 2018, his rates are USD350/y for bikes under .. 1200cc I think, and USD400/y for larger bikes)

(kit, fitment summarized in putt-putt description above)

So in July 2012, I flew to Germany to give my VFR some more love.  And much love was given.  

In approximate order:

• Germany
• Switzerland
• Germany
• Switzerland
• France
• Switzerland (to visit CERN, got into an above-ground tour)
• France
• UK (went for a group ride with Charley Boorman, visited Misha and Basia)
• France
• Belgium
• Luxembourg
• Germany
• Austria (visited Michael)
• Italy (little ride through the Alps)
• Austria
• Germany
• flew back to Ontario for a family reunion weekend, 2 days
• Germany
• Denmark
• Sweden (visited Jorgen)
• Norway
• Denmark
• Germany
• Czech Republic
• Austria
• Slovakia
• Austria (visited Michael again)
• Hungary (visited Barna)
• Croatia
• Slovenia
• Austria
• France
• Spain
• Andorra
• France
• Germany
• and after about 16000 km, flew back home in September 2012.

In the following year, I managed to accrue another 7 weeks of time off.  Off to Europe I went again!

• July 2013 - 
• Germany, 
• France, 
• England, 
• Scotland, 
• Wales, 
• England, 
• France, 
• Belgium, 
• Germany, 
• 2 weeks
• Sept 2013 - 
• France, Spain, Portugal, 2 weeks
• Germany, Oktoberfest
• Germany.  VFR died, put to rest.  Rented a 2008 BMW R1200GS
• Switzerland, France, CERN OpenDays 
• Germany.  GS died.  Rented a 2013 BMW 318D Diesel.
• 4 weeks total
• December 2013 - rented a 2013 F800GT from IMTbike.com
• Spain
• Portugal
• Gibraltar
• Spain
• 1 week.

2013 BMW K1300S (Raven) (now in Europe)

In July 2013, I took delivery of a new black 2013 BMW K1300S from Budd's Motorrad in Oakville.  It only took about 6 weeks to come in, and that was because it was already booked to land at a Canada dealership.

Due to my self-inflicted unemployment, I hadn't had the time or the finances to do many big trips in Canada.  The only epic trip I did was San Francisco in May 2014 for Cisco Live, though I did a couple runs of the Blue Ridge Parkway, once through Deals Gap, and once to RTP, on which the return ride earned me a charge of a Class 1 Misdemeanor (on par with a DUI) for doing 82mph in a 70 zone.  (I sent a lawyer to successfully fight that charge).

The K1300S is a wonderful bike.  Powerful, stable, smooth.  

The stock front wheel is really soft, and quickly developed a couple flat spots.  And when I had new rubber put on the bike at 10000km, Rider's Choice forgot to balance the rear (being so distracted by the flat spotted front), causing my 10000km San Francisco ride to be 7500km of ridiculous vibrations,  I had Woody's Wheelworks in Denver tend first to the front wheel, then to the rear when they discovered the misbalancing.

I can't say my experiences with the typical BMW service agency in Canada has been spectacular either; Budd's Motorrad was seriously under-staffed and under-spaced; when I called in for my 20000km mandatory maintenance in May 2014, they told me they were taking bookings for end of July at that point.  Since I was already over 20000km, they were basically telling me not to ride the bike for 2 months through the summer.  Fortunately, Wolfs BMW in London Ontario only had a 1 month wait on bookings, so I had the bike taken care of there.

Otherwise, I've been using the bike for commuting, and lots of runs around Ontario.  It loves getting tickets.

GPS:  Garmin Zumo 660, replaced by Zumo 590LM, replaced by Zumo 595LM

Power Distribution Module:  PDM60

Luggage:

• SW-Motech top box mount and Givi adapter aluminum plate
• Givi removable tubular sidebox mounting kit
• Givi 52l E52 Tech top box
• 2 x Givi 21l cruiser boxes
• Givi E22 22l side boxes, would suit the bike better.
• BMW large fitted tank bag (not what I wanted, Budds screwed me.)
• added an electrification kit
• Bags-Connection Electric Quick-Lock EVO Daypack tankbag, excellent (final)
• electrical mount for tank bag, not so excellent.

Tires:

• Michelin Pilot Road 4's (nice)
• Metzeler RoadTec 01's (current, best)

In 2016, I flew the K1300S to Dublin, and it started its European indoctrination.

• Chapter 1
• Ireland (started in Dublin)
• Northern Ireland
• UK (Wales, England)
• France
• Belgium
• Germany
• Poland
• France
• Italy (stored in Milan)
• 1.5 weeks I think
• went home for family reunion
• Chapter 2
• Italy (all over the boot)
• Austria
• Germany (stored in Heidelberg)
• 1.5 weeks I think

In 2017, I reintroduced it to Germany, Belgium, France, UK, and Ireland.  Glorious.  2.5 weeks, last week of June, first week of July.

2007 Suzuki DL650 (Snowball) (winter beater GTA)

I used my K1300S for the 2013winter2014 season, much to the dismay of my BMW Motorrad service department.  I also noted how rubbish the K1300S is on snow, which in my mind is due to the non-linear rotation of the universal joint in the shaft drive.  So I needed a winter solution.

I briefly looked at KLR650's, but they're all carburated (or were, anyway), and I swore off carburated engines for winter.  Too bad, really, because I found the balance on a KLR650 to be astoundingly perfect.

The DL650 seemed like a decent next option.  Found a high mileage 2007 on Kijiji that came with a good number of options already.  It was pretty "experienced" and had plenty of character-building dents and scratches, perfect as my couple-of-winter-seasons winter beater (not that I told the seller that before the sale).

Bought in November 2014.

The bike survived its first winter, but it didn't survive its first heavy spring rain; huuuge short that allowed the bike to stay running even without the key in the ignition.  I kinda left the bike at Rider's Choice for the summer while I made love to my K1300S.

Rider's Choice offered to do me a deal; I supplied a used wiring harness, and they offered to swap the harness for a decent flat rate.  But after that, the problem is still there, though not terribly (yet).  (I now think the problem is really in the left bar control wiring harness, due to the raised bars stretching the stock cables too far.)

No epic rides, but plenty of runs around Ontario and a bit around NY state.

As of fall 2018, the DL650 is still running, though it seems like the short is starting to rear its head again.  One more winter, maybe two please!

GPS:  Zumo 595LM (shared with K1300S)
Power Distribution Module:  Eastern Beaver 3CS

Luggage:

• SW-Motech top box Givi aluminum plate
• Givi tubular sidebox mounting kit
• Givi 52l E52 Tech top box (shared with R1200RS)
• Givi 33l black Trekker side boxes 

 Tires:

• Heidenau K60 Sport M+S
• They weren't bad, long lived, but not aggressively snow-digging.
• Anlas Winter Grip Plus, the only winter-certified (mountain with snowflake) tires
• Meh.  80% road tread, not confidence-setting on snow, front felt loose in snow
• Continental TKC80 (current)
• Fantastic even on black ice, bites into snow too.  Never let me down.  They might not live that long, but best for winter unless you REQUIRE winter certification (like Quebec or BC Interior)

2001 Honda VFR800FI (Angel) (west coast North America)

Once I got a taste for having multiple bikes, I came to appreciate "spare" bikes.  And I found that though I was LOVING my K1300S, I thought there was room in my life for my beloved gen5 VFR.  In early May 2015, I started looking.  2000-2001 VFR800 (the best years), and I had my price I was looking for.

I had just started at Cisco in Feb 2015.  In May 2015, I went to our internal product update conference in San Jose, and ran into a Cisco friend from Ottawa.  Started talking bikes, and found out he was selling his old bike, now that he spends all his discretionary funds on flying.  VFR800.  2001.  Blue.  Wingrack II (which was impossible to buy at that point).  Two weeks later, I hopped on the train to Ottawa, bought it, and rode it home.

The VFR800 geometry is pretty close to the K1300S, close enough that if I'm not paying attention, I forget which bike I'm on until I twist the throttle.

GPS:  Zumo 595LM, shared with DL650 and K1300S.
Luggage:

• Givi Wingrack II,
• 2 x Givi 21l cruiser side boxes,
• Givi 46l E460 top box,
• Bags-Connection Yukon 9l Fluo Yellow waterproof tank bag, shared with Bessie

Angel has seen some great trips.

• Flew with Air Canada Cargo to Calgary,
• rode up to Whitehorse, Yukon,
• down to Vancouver,
• stored with a lifetime friend of my mother's.

• rode from Vancouver to Las Vegas for Cisco Live
• Vegas to Toronto 
• battery died during the ride, a lot of bumpstarting, sigh.

• Flew with ACC to Vancouver, 
• rode down to San Jose for work stuff
• stored in Belmont, California
• still seeing several San Jose and Las Vegas trips
• Still stored in Belmont, CA

Tires:

• Michelin Pilot Road 4 
• (next: Metzeler RoadTec 01)

2017 BMW R1200RS (Bessie) (main North America ride)

Having rented a couple R1200RT's from Barcelona IMTbike over a couple NYE breaks, I realized how awesome a true cruise control is; lock in a legal speed and relax, maybe look around a bit now that your shoulder muscles aren't tense with speedlimit-fright.

In mid-2017, I bought a new RS.  Where the K1300S' electronics are dated, the RS was leading-edge, including the all important cruise control.  I have a lengthy discussion at http://planet-dosadi.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-new-bike.html.  Suffice it to say, it is a great bike, but it isn't a K1300S.

I haven't done anything really epic with the RS yet, though I did fly it to Vancouver for an extended Labour Day weekend, 2018, ending in Calgary.  Now I'm doing two weeks of work in Calgary, and I expect to be riding to Toronto over an extended Sept 28 weekend, leveraging my birthday for some extra time.

GPS:  BMW Navigator VI
Power Distribution Module:  Neutrino Black Box Aurora

Luggage:

• SW-Motech top box Givi aluminum plate
• BMW integrated side boxes
• Givi 52l E52 Tech top box (shared with DL650)
• Bags-Connection Yukon 9l Fluo Yellow waterproof tank bag, shared with Angel

Tires:

• Michelin Pilot Road 4 (OEM) 
• (next: Metzeler RoadTec 01)

Traveling things I love, Sept 2018 (updated)

Purely my opinions here.

2013 BMW K1300S

Besides its lack of cruise control, this is an incredible bike.  I have an R1200RS now too, but it is not the KS.

The bike's fit, function, power, stability, geometry, curves, and edges, were near perfection.  Upgraded to a Sargent seat, and it went from being great to being insanely great.

However.

While the electronics on the K1200S were basically 5 years ahead of their time when they debuted in 2004, and minimally updated when they updated to the K1300S in 2009, the world moved on.  BMW has been building their current bikes with modern electronic functions like cruise control and GPS integration with the bike's computer systems, and they discontinued the K1300S instead of updating it.  Sigh.

Cruise control is particularly important to me; the K1300S wants to be ridden fast, and has gotten me into trouble once or twice.  So I'm storing it in Heidelberg, Germany for this year and the next, perhaps to bring it back later next year so I can install an MCCruise kit.  Oh, what a bike it will be then!

Part of me knows I will want to buy another K1300S in a few years, to ensure I always have one.

2001 Honda VFR800

The updated release of the 5th gen Honda VFR800, representing years 2000-2001, was incredible.  I had a 2000, more or less wore it out after 187,000km, and though I replaced it with a 2003 CBR1100XX and the 2013 K1300S (above), I found I missed the VFR and managed to find another one, a 2001 this time.

I currently store it in California as my West Coast bike.  I'm toying with the idea of riding it back to Ontario next year once I'm sure I'm done with head office visits for the riding season.  Got a list of things I'd like to update and install on it.

Schuberth C3 Pro

I've owned several Shoei full-faced helmets, and they're nice.  I jumped to Schuberth when I wanted to try out modular helmets (meaning I haven't tried the Shoei Neotec or whatever modulars).

I've had two C3's, just had a C3 Pro stolen, and just got the newly-released C4.  I was disappointed enough with the C4 that I ran out and bought another C3 Pro.  Incredible helmet, assuming it fits your skull.

In particular, I LOVE my fluro yellow Europe graphics C3 Pro.  It is only available from Europe (if at all now), so it is only ECE R 22.05 certified, not US DOT, so while it is legal throughout Canada (or most of it), this specific graphics model is technically not legal in the US.

Sena 10C helmet camera/communicator

One reason I'm underwhelmed by the C4 is its built-in speakers and microphone cannot easily be integrated with the Sena 10C, as far as I know anyway.  The optional SC1 comm system for the C4 is swell, but integrating a camera into that kit had no good solutions that didn't require serious compromises to the way I operate.

My requirements require multi-ride battery life with camera on.  No camera can do this, so you're looking at some kind of off-board battery.  I have a decent system with an Anker battery pack in my jacket pocket, and a cable that runs up and into the camera to keep it charged.  Basically lets me record all my riding for the archives, and doubles as a "dashcam".  

Also, the camera can be manually twisted to be level.  My OCD permits nothing less.

The communicator in the 10C is basically a Sena 10U.

The 10C Pro is announced but continuously delayed.  I'd like to dream that they'd include the 20S Evo communicator in it, but its numbering suggests otherwise.  (The 20S Evo does bluetooth source mixing, so you can listen to multiple sources at once, instead of having one input muting out other inputs.)  My Pro is on order, but it has been again delayed from "late October" to "late December".

That said, there can be some issues with the camera, but I'm not convinced that they weren't the fault of overheating microSD cards.  The jury is still out on that.

Dainese Latitour motorcycle boots

Discontinued.  Bought a second set out of desperation!

Goretex mid-height touring/commuting boots.  Modest amount of ankle protection, suitable for all-day wear.  46's fit my feet perfectly.  Zippers have survived over a year now.

My fallback is the Dainese TRQ-Tour; Goretex, etc.  I've gone through 3 pairs of these, with the rear zippers failing at a fold point, fortunately not until after they've had considerable use.  Otherwise an excellent boot.

Note, Dainese warranty coverage sucks in Canada.  I just keep buying new, because they're the best boots I've owned, and I tend to wear them all day long while at work.

Rev'It Fly motorcycle gloves

Extinct.  I'm freaking out.  No other glove makes me as happy or has fit my hand as well, and I've tried a LOT of gloves.  Of course, you have to try on 5 pairs to find one that fits.  They seem to have changed their fit for the Fly 2 and they're a bit longer which conflicts with my watch and coat sleeves.

I think I'm down to my last pair, and I'm screaming inside.

The Fly 2 gloves aren't terrible.  Slightly different fit, and I had to go up a size (from L to XL), but close enough to stop me freaking out.  The primary fingers are touch-screen enabled, but not perfect for triggering a failed touchID auth on my iPhone 8 so I can bring up the login keypad.

Anyglove for Leather

I use this on all my leather gloves, to touch-screen enable them.  I even use it on my Fly 2's (with touch-screen enabled fingers already) so the finger can be sensed by the touchID sensor.

I love this stuff.  I have to re-apply it often enough, but it really solves a huge usability problem with my phone mounted on my bars.

Anker USB products

I threw a lot of money away on cheap cables, cheap battery packs, and cheap USB chargers.  Then Benson Leung from Google started doing USB-C cable and charger tests looking for good manufacturers that follow standards.  This lead me to Anker, and through experience, I have never bought something from Anker that wasn't top quality.

I have a stupid collection of USB batteries, but in summary, the PowerCore+ series is heavy and excellent quality, the PowerLine+ cables can double as automotive tiedowns, and the PowerPort+ 5 USB-C is my standard carry charger for all my toys, MacBooks, etc.

Garmin Zumo 595 motorcycle GPS

Excellent GPS, relatively.  One of my bigger likes about it is actually on its motorcycle mount; the wired headphone jack, and the USB charging port is nice too.  Once you come to terms with having wired headphones, it is trivial to plug in.  

I listen to audiobooks while I ride (when things aren't blowing up around me, like traffic).  Audio is important to me.

This is not to say the Zumo 595 is flawless.  Garmin failed to bring their Audible audiobook player forward from the Zumo 660, I'm often having a problem where the Zumo takes over 30 minutes to make a route (sometimes longer than it actually takes to ride that route), is unable to draw the map on the screen, crashes and reboots if there's a loss of bike power (despite its internal battery), Bluetooth, etc etc etc.  However, I've largely found acceptable workarounds and I understand its routing personality; I usually know when it is leading me astray!  

Bluetooth pisses me off; every single motorcycle ride starts with me pulling over within a block to fight with bluetooth issues.  Every single ride.  Hell, last night, middle of a ride, my GPS and phone forgot who each other was at a gas stop; had to delete the pairings and re-pair, then do the usual wrestling to get things working how I like.  And this morning, my phone's BT decided that while I had a bluetooth headset paired and on, it felt I would much rather use the handset for a phone call, so people were listening to traffic instead of listening to me talk.  I hate bluetooth.

Merino Wool longjohn/longtop layers

I almost always wear Merino Wool underwear when I'm riding.  Microweight (or T1 from MEC) in summer, T2 on cold days or in the fall, and T3 in the winter.  Excellent for temperature regulation, wicking away sweat, etc.  Fragile though, especially the microweight stuff.  Find I'm buying several sets a season to replace the broken stuff, and they ain't cheap.

The cheaper underwear is usually some form of polyester, and after wearing the material for hours a day, days at a time (yes, clean stuff every day), my skin starts getting VERY itchy.  Perhaps an allergic reaction?  My body does not react that way to the wool or the spandex in the wool, so wool is where I'm at.

And you don't wear cotton; it just collects moisture and glues itself to your flesh between the seat and your bones.  *shudder*

Anyway, there'll be more, but that's top of mind!  Two people asked my opinion on things this morning, and this got the synapsis firing.

Quad Lock phone case and mounts

This is a very clean phone case solution when you want to be able to mount your phone securely to a motorcycle, a bicycle, your car windshield, etc.  The motorcycle and bicycle mounts even lock, so they won't accidently detach.

I use the scooter mounts on my DL650 and my R1200RS motorcycles, as it supports like a 12mm bar (like the handlebar crossbar on my DL650), though I leveraged the arm from the motorcycle mount on my R1200RS to raise its profile.

Quad Lock also recently released a RAM ball to locking mount unit.  This might be a gamechanger.  I expect I'll be changing my R1200RS to it, and this opens up my mount options for my K1300S.  I also just picked up another one of these as an emergency answer for my VFR800; flew out without my Zumo, so this lets me use my phone conveniently as my primary GPS.

Neutrino Black Box

The Black Box is a power distribution module, similar to the PDM60, but so much more.  In particular, it is managed from an app on your phone over bluetooth, unlike the PDM60.

The PDM60 requires physical access with a custom serial cable to change its config, and it does not have a low-battery shutdown, both of which are issues for me. 

I use the Neutrino Black Box on two of my bikes so far (R1200RS and VFR800).  I have a PDM60 on my K1300S still, but as that bike's config is largely static now, I'm not sure I'll be bothering to upgrade it.

An issue with the Black Box is its price.  Gosh.  However, they've since tweaked their product line to have two Black Boxes; the Element, and the Aurora.  The Element is really just a PDM, while the Aurora adds automation functions (like speed and temperature triggers).  The original BB is now the Aurura.  The Element is about USD100 less than the USD380 Aurora, at least using today's Neutrino site's pricing.

GL.iNet GL-AR720S-Ext WISP portable router

I'm a geek.  When I inhabit a hotel room, I tend to unpack enough electronics to run a small country.  phone, tablet, one or two laptops, some kind of media streaming stick (think Amazon Fire Stick or Roku), possibly a smart speaker, possibly some Arduinos, possibly some Raspberry Pies.

Many hotels tap out at 2 or 3 devices on wifi.  Many devices (like smart speakers) don't work on wifi with authentication portals.  Sometimes, I want to experiment, especially when it comes to micro-devices.  And sometimes, I think it would just be easier if my home wifi SSID followed me around.

A WISP is a Wireless Internet Service Provider device; it joins an existing network (be it wired or as a wifi client), then creates a new wifi network behind it that you connect all your devices to.

The AR720S has a decent CPU, lots of internal and speedy flash, and runs OpenWRT (offering a great package ecosystem).  The -Ext model adds two external antennae, for better range.

Knowroaming roaming SIM 

When I started traveling through Europe, I was stopping in each country to buy a SIM.  In many countries, the SIMs had a price (usually around €5), plus the pay-as-you-go plan.  It also involved checking several carriers to find a decent deal.  It worked, but it was a pain.  I used to carry around well over a dozen SIMs.

Then I heard about Knowroaming.  They have a slick "SIM sticker" that sticks to the contact-side of your existing SIM, nearly making your phone into a dual-SIM phone.  Through a SIM app, I can switch from my home SIM to my roaming SIM, without ever pulling out the SIM tray.

Their rates are good.  Worst pricing is about USD8/day unlimited data, but they started offering some bundles, like multiple unlimited data days for a discount, or a 5GB plan over 14 days for a great discount, etc.

One really nice aspect is when you buy a European plan (like USD8/day), that isn't country-specific; you can roll between lots of European countries on that one deal. This contrasts well, to, say, the Apple SIM that offers roaming agreements but those are country-specific; you buy your plan in Germany, it won't help you if you cross into France.

Calgary Motorcycle Parking

Just a quick post.
There are a number of motorcycle-only streetside (or sometimes sidewalk) parking spots scattered around downtown Calgary.  It is not free.

However, while all-day streetside parking for cars can be exorbitant, motorcycles appear to be $2.50/hour, to a max of $8.00 a day.  Not terrible.

I'll likely be parking at 3 Ave SW and 3 St SW (lot 6002), to the east of the Devon Tower (where Cisco has an office on the 3rd floor), next to the Spaghetti Factory.

You can find occupancy and rate information from the map at https://www.calgaryparking.com/findparking/onstreet.  

I'm staying at the Homewood Suites Calgary Downtown (also attached to a Hilton Garden Inn) at 7 Ave SE and 4 St SE.  They have ONLY valet parking, at something like $36/day.  Since they can't valet motorcycles, I managed to talk them down to $25/day, which is still absurd.  However, judging by some of the people I've seen walking the street around the hotel, I'm glad to have my motorcycle in secured underground parking.  And my company is paying for the parking, so I care a little less.

Green Card insurance

I'm always fielding questions around the green card insurance.

There are several colours, but Green Card is for Europe.  Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Motor_Insurance_Card_System for the various colour options.

I've also heard that the countries that your green card insurance covers may vary based on where you bought it from.  Mine came, I believe, ultimately from ADAC.

A handy interactive map is at http://cobx.org/content/default.asp?PageID=7

It would seem just about everyone is participating, even Russia, Morocco, and Tunisia, except for Kosovo.

2017 Summer Epic part 1, arrival

In my last post, I discussed the process and some stresses around booking the bike's flight to Ireland.

Again, worst case was that I'd forget some piece of documentation that could only be retrieved by me from back in Canada.  I had my passport, my booking numbers, hotel address in Dublin (required for the motorcycle shipment documentation), travel insurance, stacks of foreign currency.

The flight over was reasonably uneventful.  I only had my laptop bag and my nearly-empty small waterproof duffel (with one change of clothing in it), so I kept them as carry-on.  Spent some quality time in the Air Canada Lounge as usual.  The flight was delayed almost an hour, but I was in no rush.  The flight was originally due to land in Dublin around 11:30 or so, and I couldn't check into my hotel until 15:00, so any delay was welcome!

The flight was a bit bumpy though.  I kept imagining how my K1300S, Raven, was handling the turbulence.  😟

When we landed, I started trying to get my iPad and iPhone online.  Switched out SIMs, etc, and noticed that knowroaming's relationship with 3 seems to SUCK over here.  No packets were flowing!

DUB doesn't have much of a border clearance area.  The entire airport felt small, after the time I've spent in YYZ, SFO, LAS, MUC, FRA, LHR, BCN, etc.  But immigration was anything but small-time.  Most airports barely glance at your face while they distractedly ask one or two questions and stamp your passport.  At DUB, every flier got an in-depth conversation.

"Where are you from?"  "Why did you come to Ireland?"  "What are your plans?"  "When do you leave?"  "Leaving so soon?" (rain predicted!)

In answer to my motorcycle plans:  "You flew with a motorcycle?  What are you plans for that?" and "When do you leave with the motorcycle?"

All in all, it was fine, just way more questions than I usually have to answer, but I had answers!  I don't normally have more than "fly in on this day, fly out on that day." planned, but knowing I might have problems with the cargo customs office, I did a little more this time.

Walked out, and had to get directions to the cargo terminals since I couldn't pull up gmaps (no packets flowing!).  Customs was in Cargo Terminal 1, and Swissport and my motorcycle would (eventually) be in Cargo terminal 2.

It was about a 15 minute walk to Cargo Terminal 1.  I wasn't sure if I'd need anything from the motorcycle to provide to customs, but since I was passing by Customs on the way to the bike, might as well ask.

Hey, the outlets I'm seeing are UK sockets, not EU sockets.  I'm in the Republic of Ireland, aren't I, a member of the EU?  I'm confused.

This is when I realized that the only documentation I might have for the bike was the receipt I had been handed back at ACC and had so casually handled during my prep.  Uhh, oh good, laptop bag.  Holy crap, holy crap, probably one of the more important documents I had to have!  Whew!

Anyway, the conversation went well.  The customs agent asked similar questions to the immigration people, and was pleased that I already had my ferry booked as evidence that the bike would be leaving Ireland.  He did ask if I had proof of my bike's flight back to Canada.  I did not; can't book it until 28 days before, and I'm not flying back from part 2 until about 6 weeks later.  He said "Okay, that's fine, I don't need that."

Handed over my Ontario driver's license (still wasn't sure where my IDP was.  hrm, brb.  nope, can't find it again!), Green Card insurance paper, ownership papers, shipping receipt, and waited about 5 minutes while he made copies.  Then he handed me my customs clearance paper and I left.

Walked next door to Cargo Terminal 2.  Talked to one of the crew, and they told me the bike wasn't there yet, but would likely show up in 30 minutes or so.  Went over to the office at the side, paid the dock handling charge (based on mass, was about EUR140 for the 290KG bike), and continued to beat on my knowroaming SIM to see if I could make something happen.  25 minutes later, I was directed to return to the terminal, where I saw two workers pushing the bike out the gate for me!

That was it!  No drama, no impossible questions (prove you're flying home with the bike), had all my paperwork, done done done!

Of course, it started to rain.  One of the forklift drivers yelled over as it started to shower "Enjoy your rain, welcome to Ireland!  *hahaha!*"  I didn't care much about the rain though; it wasn't cold, it wasn't a crushing downpour, and I had been drenched with sweat about 6 times since I put these clothes on before flying over anyway.

Loaded the laptop and duffel on the bike, got my helmet and jacket out, fed the hotel address into the GPS, and got on the road.

Oh, the Republic of Ireland drives on the left side, like the UK?  I am in the Republic of Ireland, yes?  Isn't this the EU?  I'm confused.   Rain stopped for a couple minutes.  Oh goody, showers are back!  Jumpin' into the deep end of the pool here, with all the airport traffic, jetlag, other-side driving, roundabouts, motorway between me and the hotel.  Certainly a brisk start to things.

The ride was short and uneventful.  I had enough gas to not worry about filling up, so I just focused on driving where the locals drive (other side, ramps, roundabouts) on the way to the hotel.  The room was ready, so I parked, occupied, and got ready to start my 8 hour remote work day (9-5 in Toronto is 14-22 local).

Work went okay.  Internet in the hotel sucks, but I finally got my knowroaming SIM sorted out; it often defaults to using 3, but 3 seems to be very broken.  I forced it to use Meteor, and that's been pretty good.

I use KnowRoaming a lot.  It is a SIM sticker, thin enough to piggyback on your regular SIM, and you can switch back and forth using a "SIM Application", then running their app to change your APN back and forth between knowroaming and your regular SIM's settings.

I'm on a 7 day unlimited data package right now in the iPad, and knowroaming allows for tethering.  Whew!

I switched my iPhone's SIM to a 3 SIM.  They have an interesting 12GB roam-like-home option when you sign up for their All-In-One 20 plan, allowing me to roam across Europe within that 12G so I'm trying it out.  Too bad 3 is SUCKING here.  Sigh.

2017 Summer Epic part 1, prelude

This year's Summer Epic tour is broken into two parts; 2 weeks starting tonight, return for 2 weeks of work-related stuff, then back to Europe for two more weeks as part 2.

Since I bought a new main bike for North America, my old main bike, my devastatingly spectacular 2013 BMW K1300S, Raven, flew with me to Dublin, Ireland yesterday.  I'm working remotely yesterday and today, and start my vacation in earnest tomorrow.

Getting the motorcycle over here was stressful at times, because I wasn't sure of the process, any forgotten paperwork would have ended the adventure before it began, etc.  But first thing was, let's plan the meatbody and bike flights.

Air Canada Cargo has been doing motorcycle shipment sales for the past 4 years or so.  As an example, shipping my 290kg K1300S (with some luggage) hit me for CA$950 (one way) taxes included!, YYZ to DUB.  Regular price on that journey is CA$3324.07.  Screamin' deal.

They only offer this deal on certain destinations, depending on how much emotional effort it takes at the other end to deplane the bike.  This year, they've pretty much limited it to several Europe destinations and within Canada.  They don't do South America anymore because of difficulties with customs, they won't do the US because it is an administrative nightmare flying "dangerous goods" into the US these days.  And they can only fit bikes into "wide body jets".

Dublin was on ACC's sale list, and I figured Dublin, being on an island, and being somewhat remote from Europe, would be a good place to start or end a tour.  Dublin it was!  Booked both my meatbody and bike on the same redeye Wednesday night Rouge flight.  I actually booked my meatbody flight months before, but I couldn't book the bike's flight until 28 days before departure.  Had to do my own research to ensure this was a widebody plane, etc.  It all worked out.

You also need insurance.  For Europe, you want Green Card visitor's insurance.  It is good for a huge list of Western Europe countries and then some.  I got mine from knopftours.com as soon as I booked my meatbody flights; he mailed me the green papers ages ago.  I put them in a ziplock bag in my wallet for safe keeping.

Then work got busy, and I barely had time to think about any of this.  July is our fiscal year end.  *busy*  Plus my credit card got skimmed 10 days before the trip, and I had to factor in retrieving the new card from my local RBC (takes 7-10 business days to be shipped to your home, 2-4 to an RBC branch).

Did manage to get my International Driver's Permit (IDP) while retrieving my new CC.  CAA handles that, it costs $25/year, and CAA also takes care of the photos required. 

On Monday, I started researching what to expect when I fly over on Wednesday, and ran into several comments that you can't import a bike with a lien on it.  And I had a lien on my K1300S.

When I signed the financing contract for the K1300S, it specifically stated that I could not take the bike out of the country for longer than a month.  The sales manager added "But seriously, what do we care?  As long as you keep making your payments, I wouldn't worry."  Seemed cool, and I had no intention on hurting my credit rating by screwing over BMW.

But then I read in a few places that the importer might run a search for liens on the bike.  I don't know how easy that is or isn't for them, so I started to panic; this was now the day before my flight after all.  My sales manager was on vacation, so I called BMW Finance.

The first agent I talked to said it was next to impossible to pay off the financing on Tuesday, and have all the paperwork processed and in my hands by sooner than Thursday (I was flying Wednesday), and then I'd still need to get this paperwork to the ministry to clear the lien.  She said there might be faster way to clear this up, by getting some waiver on the lien from my dealership.  She went off to research that option, and 5 minutes later, I lost the call.  *stress*

I called back in, and got a new agent.  He was less than helpful.  "I've been doing this for 12 years, and you will not get that lien sorted out before Thursday, or more likely Friday."  He had some other golden bits of knowledge to pass along too:

• "Are you sure you can even bring your bike into Ireland?  You know it is impossible to bring a non-Canadian-spec bike into Canada, period, right?  Impossible.  I bet it is impossible in Ireland too."
• "There is no way to waive a lien."
• "No, you cannot talk to the agent you talked to before."
• "BMW will never allow you to take your bike to Europe with a lien on it."
• "That 30 day out-of-country implies taking it to the United States, not overseas.  You will not be allowed to take it off the continent."
• "No, you cannot talk to the agent you talked to before."
• etc.  There were a few other nuggets, but I've wiped them from my mind.

*stress*

I calmed down for a few minutes, unfortunately not until after a coworker called to get me to do some work.  Sorry George; that could not have been a pleasant experience for you.  ;)

I called back in, and got a new new agent.  He was a bit more reasonable about things, but he still agreed with the crux of the issue; paying off the lien on Tuesday would not likely resolve anything until Friday.  He did however point out that I didn't need to provide anything to the ministry myself.  He thinks the process the first agent described was specific to leases, where the title holder is actually the leasing company.  In my case, with a standard loan, the title is in my name so there's nothing to change there.  *slight reduction in stress*

With that last conversation, things got better.  Even if Swissport holds my bike at the terminal until the lien clears, I should be able to manage all that from Ireland, assuming I get the lien paid off immediately.  

The lien still had $10k outstanding, but the stars aligned, $8300 in expenses got reimbursed literally 1 hour before I first called BMW on Tuesday, and I scraped together the rest in an hour.  I raced off to the bank, got a bank draft, then hauled butt to BMW Finance near Major Mac and the 404 in Richmond Hill, and got that taken care of.

I stopped by Air Canada Cargo on the way home and talked with them too.  Further destressing ensued; ACC themselves have no way to check for liens.  When I asked what the likelyhood was that Ireland would check, they said "it is random, at best".  Okay, I figure that's gotta be 50/50 that I'd either get my bike immediately or have to wait for Friday.

I also stopped at RBC on the way home, to get personal travel insurance.  I thought I got that through my work, but all the documentation I could find specified that it was only for business trips.  Got the uber 1-year contract for about $175.  Covered!

A few other things came of the ACC conversation and the later inspection for shipment;

• Though ACC were filling in the motorcycle mass on the Dangerous Goods (DG) document, and even stated not to have the DG consultant (DGC) fill in the weight on ACC's web site, they're not actually allowed by Industry Canada to fill in the weight field; only the DGC can do that, and they don't have a scale.  You're required to weigh it yourself, or stop by ACC to get weighed, then go to the DGC for him to fill out the document including the weight, then return to ACC to ship the bike.
• ACC is only allowed to edit three fields on the DG document; waybill number, source, and destination.  
• They can give you maybe 10KG wiggle room in the mass of the bike vs the DG doc, but anything more means you have to pay for a new DG document to be written.  That happened to a guy an hour before I got there; he estimated his mass to the DGC, and he was 28KG high.
• They let you ship clothes and tools with the bike, but there are limits:
• You can't ship ANY batteries on the motorcycle besides its lead acid battery.  Don't bother packing batteries with your flashlight, because they won't be allowed.  Don't bother packing a Li-Ion jumpstart battery, because it won't be allowed.  etc.
• You DON'T need to disconnect the bike's battery anymore.  You used to have to disconnect the battery and tape the leads to the frame.  Their attitude now is that modern motorcycles are pretty safe, as long as the keys are not in the ignition.  ACC provides a ziptie to attach the keys to the handlebars, but you might have fun trying to remove them without a knife at the other end.
• You can't ship any compressed gas canisters, including shaving cream, CO2 for tire inflation, etc.
• Don't even try to smuggle anything on the bike.  The security guys go over the bike with flashlights, looking between the fairings and engine, underneath, under the seat, etc etc etc.  I felt bad for my motorcycle; she was violated!
• With your permission, they put all the extra stuff (clothes, tank bag, jacket, etc) through an Xray machine.
• 1/4 full gas tank, or less.  Since they often can't see into the tank in many bikes (with unusual tank shapes to maximize capacity), they want to see the meter.

As usual, once you're done, you just walk away.  They have people that will put your bike on a skid, or sometimes in a container, strap it down, and send it on its way.  I absently put the receipt in a bag with refused batteries.

After getting weighed, I zipped over to the DGC, got the paperwork, returned to ACC for the previously-mentioned invasive bike inspection, and *done*.

I took a taxi home, packed some clothes to take with me in case my bike would not be retrievable for a few days, and got ready for my meatflight.  I absently put the receipt for the motorcycle shipment in my laptop bag.

I also found out that to temporarily import the motorcycle into Ireland, they really want to know you are going to leave with the motorcycle too, as opposed to selling it in Ireland I suppose.  I looked at Ireland's weather, figured I'd want to flee Sunday before the real rain began, and booked a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead in the UK, and paid a little extra so I could cancel or change the booking.

Several times over the past 4 days, I've randomly seen my IDP.  It is an extremely inconvenient size, larger than a passport, thick, shouldn't be folded, and made out of moisture-wicking paper that wouldn't handle a rain well.  I "put it away" every time I found it, but the only proper "away" place should be my wallet, which it won't fit into.  So I keep losing it!  It isn't critical as most countries probably wouldn't require it, but I'd like to have it if I get to Poland and beyond.

The new bike

On May 28, 2017, I bought a new motorcycle: the 2017 BMW R1200RS.

Its role in my life is to become my primary North America ride, replacing my 2013 BMW K1300S (Raven).  Raven is still in my life and will remain so as long as I can hope, but it will likely become my Europe bike this summer.

I say that with hesitation, because I still love Raven.  I plan to leave her overseas for a few years, but part of me feels like I'm betraying her.  She is such an incredible bike.  :)

Anyway, over the past week, I put about 1700km on the RS (Bessie), and took Raven out for a long ride afterwards, giving me a good opportunity to compare them.

First off though, Bessie.  Someone reviewed the engine and called it agricultural, and at low RPM, I gotta agree that it reminds me of a tractor.  Plus, there are pictures of the GS (on the same engine) taken head-on that is remarkably similar to a cow.  So for now, Bessie.  I say that very affectionately though!

The KS and RS are similar.

• They're both sport touring; they bridge the gap between a fully-upright touring and torture-rack sport postures.  
• They're both intended to go long distance but also be masterful commuter bikes with a lot of luggage space, though the KS leans so far on the sport side of sport-touring that its luggage options take more of a shoehorn to apply.

And the KS and RS are radically different.

• The KS envelops a phenomenal 1293 cc inline-4, putting down 175hp (128kW) and 103 ft-lbf (140Nm).  
• The RS sits on the incredible water/air cooled BMW 1170 cc opposed twin, the wasserboxer, delivering a bit more reasonable 125hp (93kW) and 93 ft-lbf (125Nm).  
• The KS has a traditional throttle assembly, where the RS is throttle-by-wire with almost no feedback and a much different fueling curve.  
• The KS has the rider in a lower lean while the RS is a bit more upright.  The KS has better fairing wind protection, while the RS is half-naked.  
• The KS has an awesome and rare Hossack-inspired "BMW Duolever" front suspension.  The RS has traditional inverted front forks.
• The KS' electronics were probably cutting edge when the K1200S was designed in 2004, but they didn't see many electronic changes in the KS' 12 year production runs. 
• The RS' electronics borrow heavily from the proven R1200GS and R1200RT lines and is probably one of the more electronically advanced bikes on the road today.
• The KS does not have a cruise control, and really wants you to lose your license.
• The RS has an awesome cruise control, and without it, you'd risk losing your license before you left the parking lot due to its feedback-less throttle-by-wire.  Admittedly though, the RS engine isn't really one that begs you to wring it out at license-losing speeds.

Had the R1200RS existed when I was .. upgrading from the CBR1100XX, I probably would have bought it instead of the K1300S.  The RS is simply a better sport-touring bike, has better electronics (like the cruise control), and is less likely to destroy my driving record.

When I started looking at buying the RS, I talked to the dealership about trading in my KS.  However, after a great year at Cisco, I had enough money to keep the KS, and I realized just how happy I was about that.  I love the KS.  If BMW released a KS with all the new electronics and some touring kit (real hard boxes, etc) but left the ergonomics alone, I'd buy another one as quickly as finances permitted.

Why the urgency to buy the RS?  Cruise control, flat out.  I've wanted a real cruise control for years.  Throttle locks are useless; wind, elevation changes, and slipstreaming all affect your real speed, and place you at risk of either defying the pace of traffic or the law, requiring you to be ever vigilant about your speed.

I've twice rented the R1200RT in Spain, and being able to lock in my speed with a real cruise control and stop worrying about it is an awesome feeling.  I can really relax, redirecting my terror-fueled speed attention to other things like watching traffic, looking at scenery, and relaxing.  

I'm disappointed that the RS doesn't have the Duolever front forks.  I'm not prone to pushing my hardware to its limits, so I'm not immediately able to say Duolever is vastly superior to traditional suspension, but I think I am noticing that the RS has considerably more front dive when I brake than I've come to expect on the KS.  I'll need a few more comparison rides to get a better opinion on that though.

In the end, I love both bikes deeply.  I genuinely think the RS is a better commuter/sporttourer than the KS because of its tamer engine.  But the KS ergos are nearly perfect and its engine is incredible.  I'd rather have the RS in North America specifically to save my driving record, but I long to feel the KS breathing deeply.

Hopefully I can open up Raven on the German Autobahn this summer, and feel the bike stretch its wings in its native habitat.

Tips learned on the road

Europe

• Photo radar is everywhere.
• Some countries have made photo radar GPS alerts illegal, like France.  Some posts suggest if your GPS is found with warnings for ANY COUNTRY, France will clip your wings.  
• Garmin has gotten around at least having GPS speed warnings in France by alerting now on "safety zones", which are expressly legal in France.
• Many countries require having a reflective vest with you on the bike, in case of a breakdown, an accident, or rain.  Makes sense to always have one regardless of what countries you'll be visiting.
• Many countries, with France in particular, require you to have a full complement of spare bulbs for your vehicle.
• Speed signs are round, unlike in North America.

France

• Though they apparently aren't checking much yet, you are required to have 2 breathalizer testers with you.
• Speed limits are often 120km/h on motorways, and 130km/h on the tolled Autoroutes.  They're not fans of speeding.
• All safety zones (speed cameras) are marked, afaik.  The markings on the sign also specify if the cameras are front-facing or rear-facing; if there is a motorcycle on the sign, that's a rear-facing camera that can grab the motorcycle plates.
• Not terribly big fans of credit cards in some restaurants, at least in smaller towns like Saint-Genis-Pouilly near Geneva.  Even the customers are offended if you pull out a credit card.

Germany

• Look up the German signs for right of way; streets that merge from your right have Right of Way by default.
• The Autobahn has lots of unrestricted ("unlimited speed") sections, but there are lots of traffic calming sections especially around population centres.
• Don't hang out in the left lane on the Autobahn; you are not the fastest vehicle on the road anymore.
• It is illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn, as that is a preventable calamity.
• Expect to be seated with strangers in Bavarian beerhalls.  Hope you get both East and West Germans at your table, as the cultural lessons are beyond measure.
• Don't jaywalk.  What kind of example are you setting for the children, you monster?
• Lane Splitting isn't officially accepted.  Some feel you're setting a bad example for the children (see above), but some do it anyway.  It is only really accepted in heavy traffic.  You may run afoul of the law.

Austria

• Vignettes (toll stickers) can be purchased for Autobahn travel in short and long term forms.  Fines are high for being caught without one.
• The Austrian Autobahn has a 130km/h speed limit.

Switzerland

• Vignettes are only sold for the calendar year; If you're riding a motorway from Dec 29 through Jan 2, you'll need two yearly stickers.  Last I bought one, they were 40 Euros per year.  
• Don't seed in Switzerland; their speed cameras are tuned really low.

I'll post more later.

Update on Loyalty Programs

In 2016, I managed to .. invest a lot of money into my loyalty programs;

• Achieved Air Canada Elite 50k
• Achieved Hilton Honors Diamond level
• Achieved Accor Hotels Silver level
• https://secure.accorhotels.com/gb/leclub/program/cards-status-benefits.shtml 

Air Canada kinda crapified part of my interest in their Elite program, by making 1st Class eUpgrades nearly useless; used to cost about 8 eUpgrade points to upgrade flights from Europe, but now it is 21!  With E50k, you can get up to 40 points, but you consume over half of them with a single flight!

They're useful to a point for North American flights (10 points for Toronto to SFO, for instance), but still.  :(  Never the less, I think I'll be confirmed for E50k again for 2018.

HHonors Diamond level is nice, but it isn't critical.  I can sometimes get reserved Diamond member parking by the main doors at Hampton Inns, sometimes get room upgrades (though a lot of hotels tell me they don't have any, or mumble something about already being in a "premium room"), free "premium Internet", and you get more check-in perks like water AND sweets, etc.  

Turns out, I can get HHonors Gold automatically due to my job, but I expect Diamond would still be a big mountain to climb.  I doubt I'll bother with getting Diamond for next year.

Accor Silver was unexpectedly nice; late checkout on request and complementary booze at check-in.  I look at Gold and while I'm sure it is nice, I'm pretty happy with Silver's rewards!

My Travel Tips

I've done a bit of travel in recent years, and there are a number of things I do or have discovered to make my life easier.  Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).

Loyalty Programs

I can't say enough good things about loyalty programs; they are directly responsible for my first trip out of North America after all.

RBC Avion
I had an RBC Platinum Visa.  I got it because it had rental car insurance and I liked its colour.  I used it to recover my credit rating by switching all my recurring bills to go directly to the card, and then I only had one bill I needed to remember to pay every month.

8 years later, I discovered it was a points card.  When I called RBC to ask what I could do with those points, they recommended I upgrade the card to their Infinite Avion Visa, and I had enough points for 3 European flights (minus the fees and taxes of course).  I think it was two weeks later when I made my first flight off this rock; visited a couple friends in London, then spent 4 spectacularly enlightening solo days wandering Paris.

Since then, I think I've managed about another 8 or 10 flights out of points, 4 of which I even paid for the taxes and fees out of points.

RBC Avion points do not expire.  You earn 1 point for every dollar spent, and they seem to have some nice accelerators to get even more points.  I now have an Avion Visa Infinite Privilege card, that accrues at 1.25 points per dollar.

Air Canada Altitude / Aeroplan
Back when I started flying, I flew on whatever seemed swell; American Airlines, Delta, United, Air Canada, Westjet, British Airways, KLM, etc.  Some were swell, some were less swell.

A friend of mine in London UK, Misha, mentioned he was inclined to use BA for all his flights.  I looked into BA, but I found they weren't the most useful for a Canadian on Canadian soil.  So I was quickly down to choosing Air Canada and Westjet.  Having flown both, I strongly preferred Air Canada.

One year, I managed to do enough flying to earn their Elite 35k status with Air Canada.  With that, I got things like priority check-in, extra checked bags, and eUpgrade points.  eUpgrade points are fantastic (or they were, rather).  With these points, I managed to get about 5 first class upgrades for free.  After that first upgrade, I was definitely hooked on first class lie-flat long haul berths!

The Altitude program has changed a bit, making first class upgrades pretty harsh; they often require a big cash payment in addition to consuming almost all your eUpgrade points.  However, Air Canada has also created a new seating tier called "Premium Economy"; nicer seats, long legroom, etc.  Not a lie-flat berth, but still very nice.  And with my e35k status, I had one of those upgraded for free from LHR to YYZ due to an overbooked flight, to demonstrate who is likely to get those prized free upgrades first.

Air Canada is a part of the Star Alliance.  The two partners I've also used are Lufthansa in Germany and United in the US.  It is swell knowing I'll get my status miles from them as well.

Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham is a hotel chain that includes Super 8 and Days Inn, two brands of motels that I really like on my motorcycle trips.  Cheap, okay breakfast (usually only cold offerings though they sometimes have waffles), they're nearly everywhere in Canada and the US.  Until this year, I've used them extensively and gotten countless free days out of accrued points.

One thing that drives me bonkers with Wyndham is their booking system; their web site isn't the greatest on a phone, and their iPhone app sucks to the point of uselessness.  When I'm on a road trip, I don't usually book the night's stay until early afternoon after I've been on the road for a while and gotten a feel for how far I'm going that day, so having a crap phone-based booking experience is a daily curse in the middle of my Zen time.

Hilton Honors
I was never a Hilton person.  Hilton seemed to be the last hotel chain to offer wifi, they are expensive, and I never felt like I needed that level of room fixtures.

When I joined Cisco, I was sent to San Jose for a week for on-board training, and a couple coworkers recommended a Hilton Garden Inn near the Cisco campus.  I cheerily booked it, literally not realizing it was a Hilton.  Couple weeks later, I was back in San Jose for product update training, so I booked the same hotel because it was now a "known quantity".  Before I knew it, I was Hilton Honors (HHonors) Silver, with enough points for a couple free nights.

Hilton has partnered with AT&T for their hotel wifi.  It works fairly well, and they generally offer two levels of service; low bandwidth, and premium bandwidth for a cost.  Some Hilton-brand hotels offer the low bandwidth service for free while others require you to be an HHonors member to get it for free.  For 90% of my stays, the free level is more than enough.

I typically stay at three of their brands; Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Suites, and Hampton Inn and Suites.  HGI makes a fresh hot breakfast for you for a cost (until you're Gold, I think).  (Some?) Embassy Suites have a free breakfast buffet and some also seem to have free happy hour drinks.  Hampton Inns have a decent free hot/cold breakfast and are close enough to being affordable that I've started using them a lot on my motorcycle trips.

Their iPhone app is pretty good.  I'm still in my Zen space about 3 out of every 4 times I use it.

I'm a handful of stays away from getting my HHonors Gold status.  Looking forward to seeing what that will do for me.

Accor Hotels
For many European countries, I've been using Accor Hotels.

I usually stay at their Ibis or Ibis Styles brand.  They're an inexpensive chain, with probably the most cookie-cutter experience I could imagine; even their washrooms are cut from only a couple moulds and screwed into place.  Cheap and cheerful.  Usually an okay free breakfast, though often only cold food options.

Historically a complete crap loyalty program though.  Looks like they just changed ownership or something, and there may be a point now; once you get Silver (10 stays or 2500 points), you get free Internet, usually a 3 Euro/day/device additional cost.

Knowing they seem to have a functional loyalty program now actually makes me quite happy.  With all the uncertainty with foreign travel, I love the "known quantity" feeling of staying at my Ibis at night.

Huh, with their recent corporate change, they now seem to have some options in the UK.  Excellent!

Rental Car Programs
For obvious reasons, I really haven't "picked" a rental car loyalty program yet.  While Cisco's primary option is Hertz, I've been the happiest with National; nicer cars than Hertz in San Francisco anyway.

Work Travel and Loyalty Programs
Cisco's travel policy is pretty good in that they allow you to enter your loyalty program memberships into their internal travel site, so you can always get your rewards with Cisco-paid travel.  Quite remarkable, really.

Surviving the Airport

We've all had bad experiences at airports.  Long lineups, checked baggage costs, long waits at the gate.

Check In
Air Canada recommends you check in 2 hours before any US or European flight.

Checking in online is handy, especially if you don't have any bags to check.  I've done this a lot, and there's a chance that when they're looking for whom to give free upgrades to (when overbooked), the earliest check-ins may have an edge.  But I'm wavering on that a bit.

When you check-in, you're sometimes offered a discounted first class upgrade.  I chose that once, but the Air Canada system crashed before it could let me finish the check-in process and forced me to check-in with a human.  The check-in concierge commented that my upgrade had gone through (for like $150 or something), but if I had not done that and simply asked her, she would have given it to me for free.  Huh.

Anyway, if I'm not looking to upgrade and I don't have any checked bags, checking in early is fantastic.  Enter the airport and proceed directly to security.

Note, when you're checking in early, update your passport information to add your Nexus ID (if you have it).

If you have checked bags, you'll need to stand in the lineup for bag dropoff.  That can be a pain.  However, if you're, say, Elite 35k, you might be able to use the Priority Check-in counter for Air Canada flights to solve that.  Elite 50k adds priority check-in for all Star Alliance carriers as well.

Security
If you're in Canada or the US, Nexus is your saviour here.  Yeah, you have to give up a lot of your privacy to get it, so I understand why many don't like it.  But with it, yeah, it can be heaven.

And additionally, if you entered your Nexus ID during check-in, you may get "TSA Pre", which is a godsend.  In participating airports, about all you need to do is take your phone out of your pocket.  It is wonderful.

Lounges
I love having lounge access.  I shell out for the Maple Leaf Worldwide Lounge card.  One year I got a big discount due to my E35k status, this year I paid for it using Aeroplan points.

Many of the airports I use have Maple Leaf Lounges.  If you go near a mealtime, there are usually some good buffet options (their turkey and wild rice soup is addictive) and there are free drinks (though not during the morning).

Comfy chairs, roomy washrooms, snacks, magazines, smiling people, great atmosphere.  I love my lounge access.  Really takes the edge off getting to the airport early.  In fact, I usually show up even earlier than I need to so I can have some quality lounge relaxing time.

Delays / Cancellations 
I've only had one flight in recent memory cancelled on me.  It was at SFO, and it was hell.

The rule of thumb I've heard is, the moment your plane is delayed due to a malfunction, rebook.  Either call someone or make a bee-line for the reservations counter (which seems risky to me).  I think I have access to a priority reservation help line with my Elite 35k status, and I think my Infinite Privilege Visa also has one (if I booked using the Visa).

I didn't know any of this, and it was about a 3 hour experience to get rebooked on a flight the next day.  Nicely, Air Canada threw in a night at a nearby Embassy Suite hotel though.

Anyway, make sure you know what your help options are, just in case.

The Gate
If you are willing to pay extra to get Premium Economy seats, or in some cases just the long legroom premium seats (for an extra fee), you can get into "zone 2" and be one of the first to board.

Elite 35k also gets you priority boarding on Air Canada, while E50k gets adds Star Alliance partners too.

Now, I've met a few people who don't bother to board until the last minute; let everyone jostle and get settled before you take your seat.  Nice idea, but that means you're sitting at the gate longer.  It is ill-advised to hang out in the lounge past the first boarding call because if boarding is quick, you may be holding up the flight even though you're still "on time".

Internet and Phone

I'm a big fan of having an unlocked phone, which allows me to use any carrier I want.  When you're traveling, this can be a huge savings.  My back-of-the-napkin calculations suggested the extra cost of an unsubsidized phone was equal or less than the expected costs of roaming using a Canadian carrier's idea of "roaming charges".

I think it is law that the Canadian carriers must offer an unlock service, typically usable 3 months into your contract.  Bell, Telus, and Rogers charge $50 + tax.

An interesting roaming option for newer Apple devices is the Apple SIM; I've used it in Spain and it worked well enough.  However, note that the Apple SIM roaming contracts are per-country.  If you expect to visit a few countries, you'll need to decide if their rates make sense for your shorter per-country periods.

My go-to roaming option is KnowRoaming.  Their SIM is so thin it gets taped onto your existing SIM, and you use a "SIM Application" to switch between your "Home SIM" and the KnowRoaming SIM.  Their Unlimited Roaming packages aren't cheap, around US$8/day, but they're multi-country.