Hey Dane,
 We all can't be DrBlackbird!

I knew there must be a reason that my ears were ringing..........
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Let me first address my traveling partners question......"To Trailer or Not".....Well that depends on where you live. Let me explain. Some lucky 690 owners on here, live in Colorado, Montana, Calif, Australia, Germany...etc....where there are mountains, and less populated areas, so ripe for open exploration. These Blokes can leave their garage and in a few miles or Hrs, be off the asphalt and deep in the thick of things......Now don't get me wrong, I Love my 690 and think it's the best Dual-Sport machine money can buy. True, this is only my opinion....but I base my opinion on many Adventure trips...Canada-to-Mexico (CDR), most of the (TAT), deep travel into Mexico, Utah BDR, Colorado BDR....and all of these trips were trailered to the start point.
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Now where Dane, Myself, and this "Shovel" that needs some "WD-40" live, is deep in south Texas, Flat, Hot and Boring.....Yes, Texas does have mountains (10hrs) away.......If you wanted to get out of Texas in any direction, you're looking at a full days ride on hot asphalt. You should have bought a KTM 1290 Adv, GS1200, Yam Tenere, Triumph Tiger......etc
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The 690R can do it, sure....But if you have access to a trailer, WHY NOT ?.......The 690 = A Small narrow seat, not so great wind protection, some vibrations at speeds, the wind blows you around, Soft knobby tires wear right before your eyes, the Wear n tear on a single cylinder thumper motor at freeway speeds........
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The Alternative....You hop up in the comfy truck, put some tunes on, watch the sun come up over the "Flat Texas Countryside"...Drone on in comfort across Texas to the start of a great adventure, Fresh and ready to ride.......And here's the most important point....After a week of hard core Exploring,..... you must turn your dirty, tired self south and head home, all the while thinking about work on Monday, bills, unpacking, cleaning the bike, and the nagging thought keeps popping in your head..." Why didn't we Trailer"...??
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By the Way, I own a Trailer Rental company..............
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Not Trailering is so,....GAY......
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