Oh, so many vehicles…
Details on each one are below, but first a listing of which trip used which vehicles
- Westward Ho (September 2016)
- 2016 Subaru Outback
- Random Interim Ramblings
- A 1982 VW Vanagon diesel camper van
- Nova Scotia (August 2013)
- A Ural Patrol & One of our BMW F650 GSs
- Colorado Ho (July 2012)
- A Ural Patrol & One of our BMW F650 GSs
- Usuaia Ho (December 2010)
- Two BMW F650 GSs
Vehicle Details
2008 Ford E-450 Ambulance
A 6.0L Power Stroke® V8 Turbo Diesel behemoth weighing in at ~11,500 lbs (5,216 kg). There’s a lot to be said for why we chose an ambulance, but the short version is we missed many of the creature comforts we had in our Vanagon, but wanted something that could hold up to rough roads, pull itself up a mountain, and had replacement parts available.
Ambulance Build Thread
- Build Post 1 Cleaning
- Build Post 2 Counter Prep
- Build Post 3 Cutting Counters
- Build Post 4 Lighting And More Counters
- Build Post 5 Cutting, Drilling, Switches, and the Head Unit
- Build Post 6 Fridge And Lights
- Build Post 7 Exploration
- Build Post 8 Routing Toxic Materials, Counters, Oven, and more
- Build Post 9 Holes And Formica
- Build Post 10 Flooring And More Holes.
2016 Subaru Outback
Sam is a 2016 2.5i Premium Subaru Outback. Kay and Dachary were lured in by the Outback’s reputed reliability, reasonably competent offroad AWD, high ground clearance and impressive carrying capacity.
To date, Sam the Outback has remained essentially stock, with only the following mods/upgrades:
Further updates are being considered, such as roof tent and potential suspension upgrades, if the Outback remains in the stable and becomes a true overland travel vehicle.
Nargo
Nargo is Dachary’s company vehicle. Nargo is a black 2007 BMW F650GS. Dachary has made many modifications to prepare Nargo for travel, including:
- ZTechnik V-Stream medium touring screen;
- Wunderlich Wind Deflector;
- BeadRider beaded motorcycle seat;
- Touratech fairing guards;
- Touratech engine guards;
- Touratech fork guards;
- BarkBusters hand guards;
Touratech large sidestand footCustom sidestand foot welded on in Colombia;- Fastway F3 Footpegs;
Loobman chain oiler– bit the dust;- Touratech chain guard;
- Touratech rear brake master cylinder guard;
- SW-Motech Evo Quick-Lock Side Carrier;
- SW-Motech Alu-Rack Toprack;
- TraX 37-Liter ALU-BOX Cases;
Scotts Performance reusable Oil Filter– alas, a dealer stole it;- K&N reusable Air Filter;
5-Function Digital MeterComplete and Utter POS;- Odyssey PC310 Drycell Battery;
- Wolfman Rainier Tank Bag;
- Ohlins Custom Rear Shock;
- Race Tech front fork springs.
Horse
Horse is Kay’s company vehicle; a yellow 2003 BMW F650GS with similar modifications:
- BeadRider beaded motorcycle seat
- Touratech fairing guards
- Touratech engine guards
- Touratech large sidestand foot
- Touratech chain guard
- Touratech Radiator Guard
- Touratech fork guards
- BarkBusters hand guards
- Fastway F3 Footpegs
- Loobman chain oiler
- Happy-Trail 38L Teton Panniers
- Modified with Carry handles, Touratech 2 Bottle holder (MSR Bottle and Fire Extinguisher), and Touratech 2 liter Canister holder (emergency emergency fuel).
- Happy-Trail SU Side Racks
- Wolfman Rainier Tank Bag
- Oxford Heaterz Heated Motorcycle Grips
Scotts Performance reusable Oil Filter- K&N reusable Air Filter
5-Function Digital Meter- Odyssey PC310 Drycell Battery
- Denali LED Lighting Kit
- FuzeBlocks FZ-1 Fuze Block
Stravinsky
aka Dog Mobile
Stravinsky is a 2013 Ural Patrol, purchased explicitly to carry our canine interns. To add to the comfort of our interns (and riders), Stravinsky currently has the following mods:
- Bar risers
- Givi Windscreen
- RotopaX Gasoline and Water Packs (1 Gallon Each)
- Twisted Throttle DrySpec D38 Rigid Waterproof Motorcycle Dry Bag
- Twisted Throttle DrySpec D28 Dual-End Waterproof Motorcycle Dry Bag
- Outdoor Carpeting to Insulate the Sidecar
- Custom Sidecar Cover for the Interns
- Custom Memory Foam Cushion for the Interns by Riddle’s Custom Upholstry
- Sidecar Door
do you think they still make the enclosed roof for the sidecar?
Ack! Sorry for the slow reply, Fred – I didn’t get a notification about your message. I was just telling someone else that the sailmaker that did this cover for us did it as a custom one-off – they indicated that they weren’t interested in making and selling these as a product – and I’ve just discovered that they’re no longer in business. So it’s not possible to get one from them, but a sailmaker would be a good place to try if you’re thinking about having your own custom cover made.