JESSE CAMERON

“This type of travel is not easy, but that is why I find it so rewarding. Always planning and organizing. Reading about routes and borders. Dealing with traffic, bad road conditions, weather. Finding tires, parts, oil or gas. However, I would say the biggest difficulty is not being able to plan for everything. Just being able to go down a road and be prepared to deal with whatever comes your way. Dirt tracks where you thought it was a paved highway or vice versa, a border that is extremely slow and frustrating, a gas station that has no fuel or strong crosswinds on a deep gravel road. Patience and perseverance is a must. I am still learning.” – Jesse Cameron

Jesse is from the Southwest coast of Canada, where his first bike was a rebuilt 1978 Yamaha GT80 he rode in his early teens. “My step-dad and his friend did the work on it, but I wasn’t much for maintenance back then so that bike didn’t last long. In 2005, I got my motorcycle license and bought the “perfect” starter bike, a Yamaha R6. After I was hit twice on that bike, I sold it and bought a 2008 KLR 650. That bike I built up for my overland trip to Nicaragua and back. Now I ride one of my dream bikes; A 2012 KTM 690 with a Kit 690 Rally kit on it.”

“I was working in the oil industry in Northern Alberta. I operated the largest mining trucks in the world for two and a half years, and then I moved into the plant where I worked with a team to upgrade the oil for another two and a half years. I also studied for and received my Power Engineering ticket while I was there. That job gave me the means to make a trip like this possible.” So far Jesse has covered 23 600 mi / 38 000 km across thirteen countries. Next up is Europe, Morocco, Russia, Mongolia and “hopefully” Turkey, Georgia, and some of the Stans.

This current expedition though has been in the making since the day Jesse returned from his first extended ADVtrip to Central America in 2009. On that first international trip ten years ago he managed to cover around 13 600 mi / 22 000 km across seven countries riding a return journey. “I also really got into the idea of ADV riding once I started watching the Dakar rally in the mid-2000s. Then, of course, the Long Way Round came out. After that, I read Ted Simon and Chris Scott’s books and just started planing the trips as if one day I would have the means to make it happen. One of the biggest catalysts though for me pulling the pin on my job and setting a date for this trip was the death of my father shortly before his retirement. I just knew that I needed to start this trip sooner rather than later.”

“Riding solo is great, but it’s also nice to ride with some people you get along with well. I started this trip with a good friend from work, but he only had three weeks to be on the road. After that, I rode solo across the U.S, then down to Panama where I met twenty-one other bikers on the Stahlratte. The ship that took us from Panama to Colombia via the San Blas Islands. Once in Colombia, many of us rode on as a group. Along the way, people parted from the group while some joined back up again down the road. We also rode with a couple of riders that we’d just met while on the road. As of now, I am riding with two guys from the boat trip, an Australian and an Irish man.”

“It’s pretty hard to say what has been the best experience while on this journey. I’ve had so many great times. If I had to pick one right now, I would have to say crossing the Huascaran National Park in Peru. I was just a great, remote ride with all of the scenery you could ask for. You’re riding at an elevation of 15 750 ft / 4800 m on dirt roads through mountains and valleys with a glacier behind you. No traffic, just the occasional Alpaca. Just some extremely big country all to yourself.”

Jesse’s ride is a 2012 KTM 690 with a full Rally Kit fitted from Kit 690. “I choose the 690 specifically for its weight, power, ability to customize, and the relatively little electronics featured on this model. I bought it second hand from a supervisor I used to work with. It was already a couple of years old with about 869 mi / 1400 km on it. Ic came with a couple of extras I was planning to buy for it anyway. After that, I added the Kit 690 Rally kit and built the bike out for my plans from there.” Konflict Motorsports have reworked the suspension with a KM2 re-valve kit. Also installed by the now Texas-based suspension specialists is a rear preload adjuster. Air supply is by a Rottweiler air intake system while a Wings exhaust expels the burnt gasses. A GPR steering stabilizer dampens steering with a Perun tail rack, and heel guards supplying some luggage mounting options. Rally-Raid Products provides the subframe bolt-on upgrade and front sprocket guard. Jesse also installed new valve rockers since the older models are prone to failure. Another remedy for potential mechanical issues is the install of a manual cam chain tensioner unit. Older cam chain tensioners of the 690 are likely to creating engine failures if the power-plant experiences a drop in oil pressure. Lighting upgrades include a Euro-style taillight, and M-Baze pin LED turn signals. KTM aluminum hand guards protect the hands and levers from drops and strikes while bar risers keep everything within easy reach.

“These days I mostly use my Garmin Montana as a trip computer. That is why for navigation I prefer to use iOverlander with Maps.me on my phone. Maps.me have more updated maps than Garmin, and the phone will connect via Bluetooth to my Nexx helmet.” For rubber, Jesse favors using Continental TKC80’s. “It’s a great 50/50 tire, and they are not too expensive in comparison to competing brands. I get about 6200 mi / 10 000 km out of a rear and 12 400 mi / 20 000 km out of a front if I keep my pressures high when on the pavement.” With this trip, Jesse has done almost all of the work on his ride. “Luckily it has only been maintenance work so far. Oil changes, valve shims, etc. I prefer to let a shop put my tires on if it is free or cheap because the Michelin Ultra Heavy Duty tubes are a pain to deal with and I already know how to change a tire.” For future upgrades, Jesse plans to install quick metal disconnects for the fuel lines. “Originally I’d opted to buy extra plastic connections, but for a trip like this I should have bucked up for the more durable connections.”

Jesse runs Mosko Moto soft luggage in the form of the Reckless 80 pannier system, the Scout 25 duffle bag, and the Fatty tool roll. “They are modular, well designed, light and most importantly soft. Mosko seems always to be thinking of new ways to make soft luggage and improve their current designs. Also, they are a relatively small company doing big things, plus they have great customer service. My Enduristan Sandstorm x4 tank bag is great as well, a perfect fit for what I wanted. Waterproof, small, durable, ports for power connections and uses a simple connection system to the bike.”

“You read about a border, or a route that people are saying is very bad, and you get there, and it is a breeze or just not as rough as you’d built it up in your head. For example; we were crossing a section of Ruta 40 that we had been warned was very tough. Extremely strong crosswinds with deep gravel. We were pretty much guaranteed to crash a couple of times. We talked to a couple of people and formed our own opinion with first-hand information and decided to take the chance instead of going another route. While the winds were extreme in many parts, we took our time, found a better track past the worst of the deep gravel, and made it through the section with no crashes and smiles on our faces. We all agreed afterward that not only was it not as bad as we had thought it would be, but it was a lot of fun riding that track. Peoples warnings will make you think things are impossible or impassable. Go see for yourself!”

Follow Jesse’s adventures on his Instagram account. All images copyright Jesse Cameron.