Moto Blabber

I have been flying s toy quadcopters for a while now. The type of photo opportunities a quadcopter opens up is stunning if you haven't had one of these. There is plenty of footage on youtube, that's just staggering. If I am doing this trip, I want to carry a drone with me. Therein lies a problem that I'll get to in a moment.
If you are totally new to the sport, I highly recommend buying a toy quadcopter first. These toy quad copters are available for anywhere starting from 20 bucks to 50+ for something with a 720p camera. I started off with a Syma X11C, but there are plenty to choose from. They require little to no setup, and are surprisingly robust (mine have taken a lot of crashing, and I am yet to replace props). More importantly, you get to know whether it is for you, and to gauge whether the butt hurt of your custom setup is worth it.

I am past that stage, I think I know I want a photography drone for my travels. Since I am on a motorcycle, I want this to pack up compact. I also want to mount my POV camera on it for footage, and I also want some stabilized footage. Since we are talking about what I want, it should do 20+ minutes of flight times, be resilient to winds - which the Syma 11C sucks at. and should also be fairly field repairable. I am happy to buy something off the shelf if it exists, but one week of googling later, I realized no one makes anything like this, in my price range (500-600 dollars total excluding camera). The DJI Phantom is the closest, but that darn thing can't be packed up into my top case. So, I am on the quest to rig something up.

Planning

It only takes a couple of hours to see that there is a huge amount of disorganized information out there. A lot of it is confusing and daunting. When I get on with the build, I'll try to add some documentation to make this a little more cleared to the next person attempting this. As a noob at the custom quad scene, I am tackling this project in three milestones. This allows me to make progress and not get swamped by the jargon or the large number of confusing steps. Each one of these is independent of each other, and it's important to complete these in order. At the end of each step, I will have a functioning unit, albeit missing some functionality.

1. Base quadcopter build
2. First Person Video (FPV)
3. Gimbal/Stabilization

A word of caution, going down this path requires that you are familiar with electronics, and at the least know how to solder and crimp connections. There is help available online, but you should know what the hell you are doing.

Base quadcopter setup

There are several parts that make up a quadcopter. Essentially, you need to think of these components:

1. Quad base/frame: Every design starts somewhere, and the frame is a good starting point because the rest of the components fall into place once you decide on a frame. Frames are rated in mm, by the distance of the wings across their diagonal. See this photo from rcgroups of a 450mm frame for reference:
   
   
   

   Feature	Small Quad (Mini, <250mm)	Large Quad (400mm+)
   Smaller Battery Size (easier to recharge and carry)
   Portability
   Less likely to attract attention
   Less Dangerous in a crash situation
   Easier to Fly
   Wind Resistance/Stability
   Additional Payload (Camera, gimbal etc...)
   Longer Flight times (~20-25 minutes)

   I really wanted to go as small as possible, but reading up made me realize I have to go to around 400mm for the main goals I had. Once that was sorted, my mission was to look for a portable frame. I saw one called an HJ-H4 Alien 450mm (wtf? who comes up with these names?) on amazon, and decided to go for it. I don't see any frame packing smaller than that, so why not. One look at this image on amazon of the frame with arms folded, and I was sold:
   
2. Propeller Size: Remember how I said start with the frame, and everything starts falling together? Once you have decided on the frame size, the propeller size is an easier choice. A larger prop makes the quad more stable, more efficient, allowing bigger payloads. The downside is agility - a large prop makes it harder for a quad to go quick turns. I want stability, and slower turns are a plus for videography - quick movements cause motion blur, headaches. Plus I am in no hurry if I am filming. And if the footage is too slow, I can always speed it up in post processing. Basically, I wanted to go as large as I can without cross turbulence, but for for instance, in a racing setup you have opposite goals.
3. Motor size: This is easy once you have the prop size figured out. There are calculators for this kind of stuff.
4. Motor ESC: Again, once you have the motor size
5. Flight Controller: There is no shortage of options here, but narrowing down on a choice became remarkably easy. DJI is the 800 pound gorilla in this industry, and their products are by and large idiot proof and geared towards the video crowd. And this is a good thing in my book. Other honorable mentions include 3dr pixhawk and openpilot in a long tail of choices, but the DJI makes setup simple, and is considered one of the most stable in the rc crowd. After looking through the variants that DJI sells, I decided on the DJI Nazsa v2.
6. Battery: The bigger the better, but no bigger than I can carry.

First Person Video (FPV)

Some kind person has already done the research and showed that it is possible to get component video out from the Sony. This is a huge plus when it comes to using the Sony as the FPV.

Camera Stabilization

GoPro is the kind of the land when it comes to action cameras. There are myriads of gimbal options for a GoPro, but none of that helps when I have a Sony Action Camera for my regular use.

Cameras are like motorcycles. There is always some more bling and some more niceties to add to make them work better. I have been culling some of these down, and thrown away some of the rarely used stuff that I have. This the final list of all the glorious stuff that made the cut. As a bonus, here is a shot of all them in my tankbag. 

• AmazonBasics Travel Tripod: A good tripod is essential for night shots, and for good panorama photos. It's light weight, fits into the panniers, is tall enough, and the whole rig looks sturdy enough to me. What more can I say?
• Neewer Intervalometer: An Intervalometer is a must for taking timelapses. One of the ways that Sony did cost cutting on the A6000 is to charge extra for software that in my opinion should have been standard on the camera. Sony has a timelapse app for $10 in the camera's app store. The problem with the app is that it is restrictive in it's shooting options, and some users claim it's buggy. I decided to go with a hardware intervalometer. They are cheap enough on amazon, have the full gamut of options to choose from, and allow me to set any shooting mode I prefer and it is satisfying to click on a few buttons before starting the shoot. This also fits nicely into my tripod bag.
• Fotga Variable ND filters: Works as a lens protector, works as a decent ND filter, and since it's a polarizer, it can be made to work in that application. Not the best optically, but I can't complain for 15 bucks.
• JJC IR Remote: This one has a lot of bells and whistles that I don't really need. But, it allows for a remote shutter, and timed shutters as well. It's also simple to use, and IR on the camera doesn't drain the battery as much as the wifi.
• Lens pouches: Lens pouches are just lens pouches. I go with the cheapest I can find. That said, I am also experimenting with these right now, and they seem much better for a little extra space. The Sony adapters came with hamburger bun pouches, which I really like. I don't use a dedicated camera bag, so I would rather not skimp on this part.
• DSLR Sleeve for padding: I keep the a6k with the 18-105 in one of these. Not sure if it adds any significant protection, but it doesn't take much extra room and gives me a piece of mind.
• Extra Batteries: The a6000 eats batteries like crazy. Always good to have a backup. Or two, in my case.
• Dual Charger: Do yourself a favor and get one of these instead of the wasabi charger. This charges two batteries at a time, and needs only microusb. You already have several microusb cables at this point, so this blends in very well. I have found that this can charge the batteries in around 3 hours from fully empty. It can also do solo battery charging.
• JJC Wrist strap: More compact in the tankbag than with the shoulder straps, and still really comfortable to hike with, even with a big lens. Added bonus - doesn't interfere with the tripod setup, and is quick detach, even though I don't know why.
• Nissin i40 Flash: I haven't made up my mind yet, but I might probably pick up one of these before I start. The problem is that I am already running out of space, and I think I can get by with the amount of gear I have.
• Aftermarket DC coupler: This is for when I want to take extended timelapses. I have a 12V->9V DC converter as well, which plugs into my jumpstart battery and gives 4x the number of shots from the camera. This setup is nothing fancy, I have a DC step down transformer that converts 12V into 7.5V, with DC 5.5mm pins to connect to the jumpstart battery.

POV Camera

It isn't a riding video if there are not videos of the riding. Go Pro is the king of this market and for good reason. I don't have anything against Go Pro, but I went for the Sony AS100V Action Cam. Similar feature set, usually more cheaper. When compared to the Go Pros, these are the pros (ha!) and cons:

Action Cam Advantages:

• Built-in stabilization. It is electronic, but it can at times go a decent job.
• The form factor is more aerodynamic than the Gopro
• The microphones on the action cam are far better. They are better than even most DSLR mics.
• Uses standard camera 1/4 inch screw mount, makes it easier to reuse my tripod
• Has the slight edge in image quality
• The battery lasts slightly longer ( 2 hrs vs 1.5 hrs)

Action Cam Disadvantages:

• Gopro has accessories like no other. The action cam is a distant second here.
• Gopro can connect to a Sena headset for audio. This is a huge feature missing on the Sony
• You can go to any corner of the world and get parts and extra batteries for the Gopro. Good luck doing that with the Sony system

Overall, I think the Go pro might be better buy here, mostly for the ecosystem. I have the Sony so that is what I will be using. I also have the following accessories from the Sony ecosystem, for helmet and bike mounting:

• Tilt mount
• Helmet side mount adapter
• Handlebar/crashbar mount 
• Dual charger that takes in a microusb cable
• Two Spare batteries

Sound

• Tascam DR-22WL sound recorder: A video is as good as the sound it has. I guess since the dawn of time, cameras have sucked for recording good sound. An external sound recorder works wonders. The Tascam DR-22WL is the new best cheap/entry level sound recorder, in 2015. It is regularly part of bundles with other pro gear, so if you check ebay or your local craigslist, you can see that it can be had for much less. The sound is really good, both with it's built in mics and using an external mic, it supports wifi, with remote recording controls, and can be powered by usb as well.
• Cheap Lapel mics (One is taped permanently to near the exhaust). I carry three or four of them, to use with the Tascam. They are good enough for the price. I won't record concerts with them, but for interviews and general microphone use, they can't be beat.

In all honestly, I see myself gutting some of these lens when I actually start the trip. But these are the lens I have, and right now, all of them fit into my tankbag without having to mess around. There are far better reviews of all these lens made by real photographers, so I'll just add my cliff notes for each lens.

Not my collection, but something I can relate to very much. Original author

1. Sony 16-50 F3.5-5.6 kit lens (SELP1650): This is the camera kit lens, but it is impressive as far as kit lens go. It's tiny, it's compact, is quick to autofocus and takes good images for a slow lens kit. Also, the 16-50 is a more usable range compared to the usual fare 18-55. I don't use it as much, but it takes next to nothing in space, and is a good lens to have as a backup.
2. Sony 16mm/2.8 prime (SEL16F28): A much maligned lens, this one is horrible for corner sharpness wide open. I wouldn't pay what Sony asks for a new one, but you can find them used for $ 100. Which isn't bad. I like shooting wide angle, so this is the only prime worth getting in it's focal range. (There is also the fully manual Rokinon 12mm, but I prefer this with the adapter combo for it's versatility.
3. 12mm wide angle converter (VCL-ECU1): This adapter for the 16mm adds fresh life to it. The focal range is truly wide angle, and for some reason I don't understand, this is an adapter that adds corner sharpness to the original lens. I have been happy shooting landscapes with it, and this is one of walkaround combos that I have when out riding.
4. 10mm fish eye converter (VCL-ECF1): Not as useful as the 12mm, this one is even wider, equaling about 9.9mm. The problem at this focal length is that this becomes a rectilinear fish eye. Makes for some good shots, but this lens has limited utility. Also, I still haven't figured out how to frame a shot properly with a 180° field of view.
5. 30mm F1.7 CCTV lens. This lens costs $25 brand new with the adapter, macro tubes (why would someone want frikking macro tubes?), and lens caps. Yes it's meant for a CCTV, and has just about the amount of sophistication that you would expect in that application - it has every sort of optical flaws that you would find in a 19th century lens - spherical focus planes, vignetting, softness, and what I can best describe as astigmatism. But it's compact, takes good photos, and there is something about this lens that I just love.
6. Sony 18-105 F4 G lens (SELP18105G): One of the most versatile lens in the E mount lineup. This has a very real world useable wide-ish focal length on one end, and a medium telephoto on the other. It has it's quirks - it makes the camera look bigger, it's the heaviest lens I have, it has both pin cushion and barrel distortion, everytime the camera turns on, it resets to 18mm, it eats the ridiculously tiny battery of the A6000. But, the range beats everything else in the lens lineup (there aren't that many), it's affordable, has amazing contrast and resolution, and it is awesome for any kind of video work. 

Most of the lens here have minimal overlap. The 16mm and the converters cover the ultra/hyper wide angle side of things. The 18-105 is a good walkaround lens, reasonably fast, wide angle on one end to medium telephoto on the other. The CCTV lens and the kit lens pack really small, and can serve as great backups, one is fast with great color reproduction, the kit lens is stabilized, light, and pancake. All the lens and some small accessories fit into my tankbag, it's hard to argue with that convenience.

This is a once in a lifetime trip for me. I want to capture as much of this as possible, at least so that I can watch it later, 10-20 years afterwards. I am a half decent photographer, and I take great pride in blaming the camera for the inadequacies of me as a photographer. This list is the camera gear that I will be taking with me. I have been using this gear for a while now, and familiarity is part of the reason why I am continuing with them. Also, I think they are the best tools for this job, in 2015. This is a pretty big list, and yes, it takes a huge amount of space on my already cramped bike.

Main Camera

The goal  of a main camera is to pack the nicest one you can afford and take with you. For some, this is a point and shoot, either a compact or a bridge style camera. These days, even cell phones take very decent photos. I had a Nikon D7000 earlier, which I bought mainly for the weather resistance and the large number of hardware buttons and dials. It is a lovely camera, but it was bulky and huge. It didn't help that my walkaround lens was a 18-105 kit lens which was stupidly large. The whole combo was pushing the 1.2kg mark (3 pounds or so), and would take up almost all the space in my tankbag. It was weather sealed and rugged, but I found myself not taking it out at all for road trips. A year into my camera purchase, I looked at the exif data for all the shots I had taken - 1500 in total, and 180 keepers. This is the lowest I have had for any camera - my cell phone finds more action than this. I decided this camera had to go. One month of listing and renewing craigslist ads, that happened. I took a $500 loss on it, but it had to be done.

For my next camera, the goal was to have something that was not the D7000. An APS-C sensor, since I liked the shallow DoF it can give, but something lighter, compact and more versatile. This meant mirror-less, so my options were micro four-thirds, Sony E-Mount, and the Fujis. Fujis were immediately out. I fell in love with the looks, the dials and the menu system of the Fuji. The people who make it love making cameras and it shows. The lens are top notch, and every time I handle one in a store, I want to get one for the pure joy of it. There is only one thing putting me away from the system and that's the cost. I wish they came out with inexpensive lens in their lineup, while preserving that magic. Oh, and the autofocus system is very slow on the Fujis. And videos suck too.

Ignoring niches like Samsung NX, my choice was basically E-Mount vs M4/3. M4/3 has a stupidly large lens selection. Seriously, Olympus and Panasonic have complete lineups of their own, and combined, there is a lens for every occasion and mood. There are some cheap lens too, but when you compare their equivalent aperture (for DoF) in APS-C terms, Sony's lens cost roughly the same. The bodies aren't cheaper either. Sony's bargain price on a6000 killed the value of the M4/3 bodies. Some of the higher end ones have niceties like a Magnesium construction, and weather sealing. But I can get two a6000s for the price of one Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. At that big of a difference, I'd rather eschew the weather sealing, and replace the a6k body when it dies with another a6k. The Olympus may have in body stabilization, but all the sony lens I am interested in have them, which levels that playing field.

By now, you know which camera I ended up with. It's a Sony a6000. It's small. It's lovely. It had wifi, can post to facebook, do tons of post processing that it makes the Nikon I had look like a dinosaur. The D7000 has the edge when it comes to usability, low light autofocus, and still autofocus in general. But the Sony wins by a country mile in everything else. Even with the faster Sony 18-105 G lens, the camera kit is diminutive when compared to the D7000 with it's kit 18-105.
 I have had it for a while now, and the menus and strange settings take a bit of getting used to, but I love this camera. I can't say that about the D7000.

This step has carried on gradually over the years. The way I have my bike prepped, I am confident on hopping on it to carry on this trip any day. This didn't happen overnight, so let me try to break this down on the bits and pieces I have on it. I bought mine brand new, a bone stock grey 2012 F800GS, on what was befittingly a grey overcast day, sometime in March 2012.

The bike as I had when I got it

Protection

Face it. Adventure bikes are meant to be dropped. They also are fragile, so when they fall they tend to cause expensive damage. Everything I have on the bike is off the shelf. I am a clumsy oaf on the bike, so I can attest to the fact that these things work.

• SW Motech crash guards. Crash tested several times, this has held so far. No plans to change a good thing.
• Ricochet skid plate. One of the most budget friendly skid plates for the F800GS. Made out of one hefty slab of Al, I have had a good experience with it. Mine is not tired yet, so I am continuing to rock this one.  

Comfort

I realized soon enough with this bike that it takes a lot to make it comfortable enough for me. This combination took a lot of trial and error, but I am comfortable enough on 500 mile days

• Bar risers/lowered foot pegs: The stock ergos are cramped, these subtle changes make it much more bearable, at the expense of a little sportiness. I chose the pre-eng ones, but several others are available.
• Saddlemen Adventure seat. Everyone's butt has a preference. Mine after trying four seats said Saddlemen is the best. Yours might disagree. I can do 600 mile freeway days comfortably on this, and have a seat that allows me to move around in the dirt.
• Puig windshield spoiler. An extra inch can make a world of difference. This plus the stock screen does it for me.
• $0.50 Catterpillar throttle lock. More expensive solutions exist for throttle lock cruise controls, but this is the cheapest and works good enough.
• Wunderlich extended brake pedal. I am not a fan of it, but it does the job. If I were to do it again, I would probably just weld a plate underneath the pedal.
• Extended side stand base. Some call it cheap Chinese stuff. It works, it's a hunk of Aluminium that does the job.

Luggage

I am a fan of hard luggage. They do not weigh much over the soft counterparts all things considered,  are usually by design are fully waterproof. They also present a bigger illusion of security and deter casual thieves. There are downsides too: you could fracture your legs if they gets trapped under them when you have an off. They are also not trail side repairable if you have a bad crash and they get damaged.

• MOD tail rack. One of the more brilliant pieces of kit designed for the F800GS. Add the optional givi adapter and you have all it takes to mount givi luggage.
• Kappa Garda 42 liter top box. Like the givi trekker but cheaper and without the frills. It works for me. Buy from Europe for more cheaper deals.
• SW Motech side racks. This is what I have, but something I don't recommend because of the damage this did to my tank.
• Nelson Rigg CL-1050 tankbag. At less than 65 bucks, this doesn't break the bank. Fits the F800GS faux tank nicely, and is a convenient place to store camera gear. There are nicer looking options out there, but I have been happy with this tankbag for the last 5k kms.

Electrical

• Series Rectifier. There are a few options to chose from for the F800GS, I went with a Shindengen SH775 because the company has mostly made quality RRs. This is OEM spec for a few polaris models, so they are cheap both new and old. Why do you need a series RR? See the links in the alternator section. They are cheap insurance against a stator failure and make for a more reliable electrical system.
• Redesigned alternator. Read the entire backstory on advrider. I had this done under warranty, and this improves the life of the stator from every 30k miles to probably the life of the motorcycle. Useful!
• Voltmeter. The first thing you do after recovering from a stator failure is to take steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. A voltmeter is a useful indicator if things are going south. If you start losing voltage, it means that the stator will die in another 3k kms. Cheap early indicator.
• Lithium Battery. Dropped 3 kilos of weight fairly high up, while adding enough space for electrical doodads and a fuse block. I got the Ballistic EVO2, but if I were to do it again, I would get an ebike battery pack with integrated BMS and 20% more amperage.
• 12V cigarette lighter socket. This is part of the essentials package.
• A pair of usb chargers. I have 9 things that need charging and accept USB. Enough said.
• H7 LED bulbs. There are different ways to skin the anemic lighting problem. Adding aux lights is a way, but it adds more wiring and more opportunities for things to go wrong. These pair of lights almost gets the beam pattern right. It's good enough for me, doesn't blind other drivers on the road, and adds enough lumens to make night riding not suck.
• Fusebox. There are ghetto ways to wire everything up. They work, except for when they don't and need an hour of troubleshooting to figure out what went wrong. A fuseblock helps to make the wiring cleaner, with a clean line and a fuse to protect the charging circuit from shorts. This is one of the more low tech simpler ones. I like my fuseblock that way.

Others:

• Camel Tank: Adding another 7 litre range preserving the same dimensions is god sent. This tank has saved my skin in Baja and Death Valley. I have a total range of 450-550 kms (depends on the monkey wielding the throttle), which is a bare minimum for overland touring.
• Marzocchi Shiver front fork swap with revalve for my weight. Not needed for 2013+ bikes, but almost in the essential list for the older ones. Details available on advrider.
• In the pipe: Elka stage 4 rear shock. My stock unit is in need of a rebuild. Looking at the cost, a new better shock looks appealing.

That's a pretty big list, but it is the price of trying to get a motorcycle prepped for overland travel. For completeness' sake, here are some photos of the heavy pig, with all the lipstick on. Ain't she pretty?

Somewhere in Mendocino National Forest. Shot with Sony A6000/SEL16F28 + VCL-ECU1

India is a great country. It has a lot to offer, in the tiny space it takes in this planet. The terrain is diverse, the cultures from one corner is vastly different from another, there are all sorts of things that India has to offer. As an Indian, I can't help feel proud of this. However, there are some ugly aspects to being an Indian.

One of these that works against me is that very few countries are willing to accept me as a tourist without a visa in advance. Normally this isn't a problem. Plan the trip in advance, get the visas,  fly into the destination, have a good time and fly out. This works very well when you have a day job and you are vacationing for a few weeks in a year. While on the road, this doesn't really work out without a set destination, a set itinerary etc.. There are very few countries that accept Indians with a visa on arrival. Very few. Let me quote the excellent wikipedia article on this topic. A picture says a thousand words, so it's easier to link to the image from there. The shades of green are where I am readily welcome.

"Visa requirements for Indian citizens" by Twofortnights - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

As you can see, this isn't much to begin with, most of the green is just third word countries. the vast majority of the world is still off limits to me. Thankfully, I can start slicing the world into certain categories:

North America

I am planning to ride till Alaska, and then ride down to Argentina, passing through all the countries in Mainland NA. I only have visas for USA and Canada till now. This actually helps my cause a lot because a lot of Latin countries accept visas for either of these nations as a valid entry visa. Let's summarize North America with this added detail:

Country	Visa Status	Duration	Moto Carnet
USA	Already have a B1/H1	Not a problem	Bike registered in US
Canada	Already have a visitor visa	6 months?	US registration and insurance OK
Mexico	On arrival with US/Canada Visa	60 days	60 days, refundable $400 deposit
Guatemala	On arrival with US/Canada Visa	90 days	~ $9
Belize	Probable with US/Canada Visa*	TDB	<$20
Honduras	On arrival with US/Canada Visa	90 days	~ $60
El Salvador	On arrival (no conditions)	90 days	$3 extra
Nicaragua	On arrival with US/Canada Visa	90 days	~ $30
Costa Rica	On arrival with US/Canada Visa	30 days	~$40 with insurance
Panama	On arrival with US/Canada Visa	90 days	~$20 with insurance

_{At this point, the only country left out in continental Northern America is Belize. A lovely place from what I read, but the entry into there from any South Asian country is a refundable deposit of ~$600. Which could potentially be waived if I show my visa to them. I'll have to make that decision when I cross that bridge. Or rather, when I enter El Salvador.}

Summary: With the exception of Belize, I can enter all of North America.

Green = Visa/Visa on Arrival. Blue = Visa on Arrival, but not in my itinerary. Red = visa needed prior to entry

South America

 Most  of South America is lax when it comes to visa requirements. The continent is largely corruption free and paper work is minimal. My entry point into South America is Columbia, so let's start from there.

Country	Visa Status	Duration	Moto Carnet
Columbia	On Arrival with US Visa	90 days	~$50
Venezuela	Visa needed, Feb 2015	90 days	Free
Guyana	No road from Venezuela Needs sponsor?	30 days	TBD
Suriname	Visa: $45	60 days	30 days, no fees
French Guiana	Visa free	90 days	€5
Brazil	Visa needed	90 days	90 days CdP? Brazil uses E30 fuel!
Peru	Visa needed	6 months	90 days, no CdP (free)
Equador	Visa free	90 days	90 days, no CdP (free)
Bolivia	Visa on arrival	90 days	90 days, no CdP (free)
Paraguay	Visa needed	90 days	90 days. CdP nice to have
Chile	Visa needed	90 days	90 days, no CDP $5
Argentina	Visa needed	90 days	8 months CdP nice to have
Uruguay	Visa needed	1 year?	90 days, no CdP

I am charting out all the countries in South America. I don't think I'll get to all of them. I probably might put the Guiana triplets on the chopping block - the visa requirements are tricky (I need a sponsor in the country to let me in?), most of it is jungle, with confusion about entry and exit points. Uruguay is also too far out.The America part of the trip ends in Patagonia. From one tip of America, next to the Arctic Ocean (Deadhorse AK) to the end of the world, at the other side. From there, I ship the bike to South Africa - that is the easiest way out, and lands me right into another beautiful continent.

My Visa Status. Green = Visa on arrival. Yellow = Visa needed prior to entry. Red = impossible to get visa

Africa

My entry point into Africa will most probably be South Africa, from Argentina. I am going to start this section as a placeholder, but it will most likely be incomplete until a year into my trip.

Country	Visa Status	Duration	Moto Carnet
South Africa	Needs Visa, apply from Argentina	90 days	no extra charge

Europe

Most of Europe is covered by a Schengen visa. If I reach there, it is one single visa for three months. I can't plan this ahead right now, I'll get to it when I get to it. This is too far ahead in my trip to contemplate at the moment. If this happens, my crossing into europe will either be through  Turkey from Egypt, or Spain from Morocco.

Asia

This is too big a  continent to even start listing. I will be traversing at least the pat that lies in between India and Africa. In my list is parts of Middle East, and the *Stans. Maybe Siberia. I want to really add China, Japan and South East Asia to that list, but I just don't see it happening.

Australia

I totally want to tour Australia and New Zealand, but I have a suspicion that this will be a fly in and a rental motorcycle out there. I need visas for both these countries, but the big plus is that the process is very streamlined.

Related Reading:

1. http://www.drivetheamericas.com/
2. http://wikioverland.org/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Indian_citizens

I am so glad to get this started. Where do I begin? I have a lot of things to go in terms of explaining what this is all about.

I am probably what you would call someone with a midlife crisis that started early on. I have had a very comfortable life so far. Nerdy in school, got into a decent college, started working right after it, and have been working since then. For 12 straight years in fact. I have a condo all payed for back home, I have enough cash to last me a while, a stable job, and a rhythmic smooth life. Before I bore you any more with more random details, this is a close up shot of how I look

When in México, wear a local helmet!

As a side note, this is probably the most presentable I have been in a very long time. Anyway, back to the topic on hand. I have what most people would consider to be a comfortable job. And at a very financially stable place. I am not trying to brag here, but if you look at the median income of the average human being, I am very well off. No, I am not rich by any means, but I am content with where I am financially. That brings me to the other part of this puzzle. I feel like I have been stuck in this endless churn of life. Everyday has been the same old routine. Wake up, go to work, come back from work, read some worthless crap on advrider, read all my rss feeds, watch the odd motogp game during the weekend, go on a motorcycle ride during some other weekend, and get drunk every one in a while. It's gone from something that I used to enjoy to an endless series of routines that I can't break free of. At first I just brushed it aside, but like everyone stuck with no purpose in life, I have eventually come to the realization that I have to move on. This can't go on forever, and I have already stretched the limits of how much I can do this.

So I am in my mid thirties, but mid life crisis has set in early. Oh well. I guess since I don't have kids, or a stable relationship at the moment, I guess it contributes to the process. There is research that suggests that people who live the longest are in a committed relationship. By that definition, I'll die in my forties. And again, by that definition, I am in my mid life right now. No better time to get into panic mode.

This brings me to my quest at hand. The most fun I have had over the last several years was when I was on motorcycle trips. The best ones were the 3000k km+ ones spanning weeks. I used to feel alive, enjoy the different cultures, and the different places that I have been on. This is where I plan to go back to. I am going home to friends and family. I am in California, the rest are in south India. It's a long way from here, and the only way to do it is to ride down all till there, striking off every continent from my bucket list. And there is no better time than now. My visa expires in 2 years, I have no long term commitments in america, I am in good health right now, and I have the beloved motorcycle that I want to take on this journey. What am I waiting for? Let's get to that in the next post.