| Author | Message | ||
     Jb2607 |
This question may help a lot of us. I am planning a road trip (08 Uly) NC to CA then up to Idaho/Montana back thru Colo then back home. I am requesting suggestions/advice for specific "things" that are a "must" take, space savers, specific tools "just in case", etc.? I have already got the KOYO bearings for the rear, and AVON Distanzias because I am going to do at least 2 long distance off/dirt/gravel side trips (100+miles), but I am sure some of you guys have learned from experience that there are some things you do not want to leave home without. I also have the hard luggages (all 3), inserts for the sides, the 3/tail back pack, and the underseat case. Thanks... Joe | ||
| Gsilvernale |
Tire plug and Airpump. Credit Card. Don't sweat the rest of it. | ||
| Packdog |
In the space saving department (and I know this will sound a bit silly) there are microfiber pants that roll up in 1/3 the space of regular jeans, and also underwear that you can wash in your hotel room and dry overnight (saving space by taking fewer pairs). The microfiber pants aren't riding gear, they are for after the ride. Poking around one of the web sites that caters to long distance tourers should give you some ideas and give some insight into things you might not have thought of on your own (at least not until you are already on the road!). The Aerostitch web site might give you some ideas, it is well organized and has useful descriptions. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Can opener ( http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/page52.shtml ) and utensils. Flashlight. | ||
| Adrian_8 |
camelpack..fill with ice then water/gatoraid..sunscreen | ||
| Flynuly |
EAR PLUGS....yes I'm shouting.  Tinnitus is no laughing matter so please seriously consider riding with plugs on your LD ride. Wish I would have started wearing them 25 years ago. Tim | ||
| Bienhoabob |
Cell phone, towing insurance card and all of the above. | ||
| Bigkuri |
A Leatherman, and +1 for earplugs. Sun cream - or a heavily tinted visor (UV proof). Less is more - put all your stuff out, then try to half it. Taking more will make your trip a pain, as that extra thing "just in case" could ruin your trip. My best trips have been when taken the absolute least possible. Enjoy! And don't think about it too much, just do it! (otherwise more thinking = more things "just in case"....) (Message edited by bigkuri on May 17, 2008) | ||
| Dick_stilton |
Phone, credit card, ear plugs (Essential) and cash, lots and lots of cash. If you are only going for a couple of weeks one t shirt and one pair of underpants should be fine..... oh and a big roll of gaffa tape.  | ||
| Ulynut |
Bigkuri is right. Less is more. That being said, I like to take as little as possible as far as clothing goes. There are laundramats all over this beautiful country. What I like to do is pack my stuff in 1 gallon ziplock bags to keep things organized and dry. Socks and underwear in a bag, T-shirts in another, and so on. Dont forget your camera like I always do. | ||
| Jwnsc |
Although not absolutely necessary, I find a throttle lock of some sort is a great pain-reducing piece of equipment on long trips, especially those all-day drones on the super slab. On long trips it's all about riding comfort. What you consider a minor annoyance for a couple of hours of riding can become a major demotivator if endured for 8+ hours a day, day after day. | ||
| Dynasport |
I think alot of what you take is a personal decision. I am no mechanic, so taking a tool box full of tools would be a waste of space. I can do minor stuff, so I take just a few wrenches, a socket set, a small air compressor, and some tire plugs. I take one extra pair of pants and a couple of shirts, underwear and socks. I wash on the road when necessary. I also take a rain suit. Oh, and for me a camera is very important. And maps. Finally, as has been said, a credit card and cell phone can be your best friends. I don't have either of these, but I would like a GPS and web enabled smart phone. I would also like a way to listen to tunes easier on the bike. I have tried a couple of simple inexpensive methods, with totally unsatisfactory results. Maybe one of those nice Zumo GPS's that I can download music to with a nicer set of earphones that work well under my helmet would fix that. Most importantly, have fun. I am jealous. | ||
| California |
+1 on the throttle lock/cruise control. I have the Kaoko throttle control, which I got from http://www.adventurersworkshop.com/kaokothrottleco ntrols.htm $150. I'm not sure what model number, but I called them to order, they new exactly which, based on it being for a Ulysses, and i wouldn't go anywhere without it. Sort of funny! As if i could ride without it now that it's installed. The reason I got this particular one, is that it retains the factory handguards. quality is outstanding, very nice! Yes it's a little pricey, but, i love the ability to let one hand rest while the other does the steering. The longer the slab ride, the more i like it! | ||
| Bearly |
All good suggestions indeed. For the Great plains, I would install a throttle lock of some sort. On a long trip, I end up draped over my Uly about in a about 50 different positions. The throttle lock adds another 10.  | ||
| V2win |
I do a lot of long rides. Here is a list I work from and add to or subtract from as the ride dictates. There are a few items I keep on the bike all the time so they are not included here.The list is a work in progress and not complete by any means but is a source to remind me of something I may have forgot when packing Motorcycle trip –items to take Visor cleaner Sweater Gloves, regular Gloves, rain Gloves, Gerbing Visor, dark Visor, clear T shirts, Microfiber shirt Pants, two Microfiber underwear, three Shoes Socks, Reading glasses Finger clippers Toothbrush Toothpaste Razor Meds Chapstick Swimtrunks Rivershoes Small towel Toilet paper Money Wallet Lighter Checks Air guage Jacket Shirt, blue vented Pullover long sleeve shirt Hat Tools Light 2 Knife Camera Maps Notepad Pencil Earplugs H2O bottle Contact info, phone numbers Bungees Net Microfiber long underwear Tent, pegs, rope Footprint Sleeping bag Air mattress Gun Neck warmer Aerostich fleece pants Aerostich tie downs Belt Wee Willy | ||
| Jwnsc |
V2win, your're a braver man than me by listing that last item.  (I've carry one too, the shield cleaner, that is!) | ||
| Jphish |
+10 on the Kaoko throttle control - it also comes with 5 or 6 oz bar ends & allows you to secure the handguards with the screw. The factory snap on versions wouldnt hold up well after you ground off the plastic nipple on the first touch down. Nothing I've tried works as well. @ $150 - it's a penny a mile for the first 15,000 miles...after that it's free. Don't leave home (on a long trip) without 'em | ||
| Jphish |
Your getting plenty of sage advice Joe - any more stuff...and you'll have to get a side car or trailer. This may have already been covered but...1 thing I would absolutly include is a tire plug kit with a way to inflate 'em. I carry a microflate & two 25gm CO2 bottles. My riding buddy carries a slime 12v air pump...and unfortunatly, we've had to use them. I ride the NW US alot (hell - makes sense - I live here) & with the distances to service, sometimes a flat can be a real inconvenience!! Particularly off the beaten path. Sounds like a great ride. Leaving for NWT & Yukon next month. Bon Voyage | ||
| Lunarmax |
I've done a number of long riding/camping trips on my Ulysses. I also do a lot of trail and fire road riding minus the bags. After puncturing a tire and getting totally stranded (at night) in the middle of a trail ride I spent some time trying to figure out what essential tools could I cram under the Ulysses seat. Not much space there, but this is what I now keep at all times under the seat. It's saved me in several instances. Gerber Radius Multi-Tool Flashlight (Stanley Mini Tripod) Airchamp Tire Puncture Repair Kit, w/ 4 CO2 cartridges 10oz. water/container 2 light sticks mini roll of duck tape I know, you are wondering, 10oz. of water? Well when I had my second tire puncture I had everything on the list, but the water. For the life of me I could not see, hear or find where the air was leaking out of the tire. Fortunately a mud puddle was nearby and I was able to pour some water on the tire and find the leak from the air bubbles. So there you go. V2win has a good list. If you are camping, one great (and compact) thing to add would be the JetBoil with some freeze dried camping food. Very compact and you'll have boiling water in under 2 minutes. I also have the Zumo 550 gps w/XM Radio which is great for long rides. You can also load up some audio books to the Zumo as well. The Zumo has Bluetooth so I have the Scala (Bluetooth) Headset which allows me to sync my phone through the Zumo to the helmet. You can check out some of my bike trip photos here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/maximusphotos/sets/72 157600031772383/ | ||
| Jlnance |
I did the reverse trip, NC to the pacific NW, down to CA and back to NC. Details here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/681 7/312289.html?1194140873 I didn't take an ipod. I'd suggest one, it will save your sanity. Cell phones are spotty out west. Just be prepared for that. Take two credit cards. For some reason, gas pumps would occasionally reject one or the other of mine. | ||
| Jkelly |
I just went to the Dayton, OH Hamvention from Sea Girt NJ (600 miles) and back, and have some feedback on equipment based on my experience. I did the ride back in 12 hours on Sunday so had some good seat time. 1. GPS with mp3 player and ER6i headphones There is nothing like having directions read to you while you are driving - you don't even have to look at the screen. Having podcasts and music from the built-in player makes the miles go fast. The ER6i headphones fit in the ear fine and didn't hurt with the helmet on. 2. Tank bag with electrification kit Having juice in the bag for charging the phone and other things was great. 3. Spencer Modded seat. The stock seat would always have me sliding into the tank. I was also starting to have pain down there from pressure on the prostate. The Spencer mod for $75 leveled the seat do I don't slide into the tank, even on braking and actually lowered the seat about a 1/2". With the gel pad, I swear that my teeth don't rattle at idle anymore. 4. Air Hawk Medium. This on top of the Spencer modded seat took butt burn away. I am really sensitive to this and being able to drive 600 miles at 100 mile clips is proof of the comfort of this combo. 4A. (edit) Forgot to mention the Under Armor Boxer Briefs - super comfy and now SOP for me. 5. BMW heated vest plugged into battery tender SAE. I had this from my BMW days and got an adapter to run it off the SAE connector on the battery tender. This was really appreciated when driving through western PA. Kept me warm and toasty and I was singing the praises of this the whole trip. 6. SAE to Cigarette lighter adapter for charging. On the battery tender cable (direct to battery 7.5 amp fuse) get a SAE to cigarette lighter adapter and you can charge your phone without turning the bike on. 7. BMW Storm hood - Neck warmer. Not sure what this is called but the thing that covers your whole head and down to your shoulders. This kept my face and neck warm with added sound insulation from the wind. 8. Pelican 1400 on triple tail locked. I added a 1400 case to the triple tail, not across it but in-line with the tail so I could use the existing 4 holes on the tail. Very convenient to have a lockable box. 9. Motorola Bluetooth 830 with Blackberry. The Blackberry with phone, email, and weather was terrific to have on the trip. The Motorola 830 headset is a little low on volume. Good to about 40 mph. I will try to change the speaker to a more sensitive one. 10. Short shield - perfect. 11. Hams - APRS. If you are a ham add APRS to the bike which will let your family know where you are on the trip and make it easy to communicate location while on phone. I also had a friend looking out for me with weather etc. because he could see where I was. 12. Helen roll top bag with straps. Old stuff that keeps on working. BTW I averaged about 50 MPG on the trip. Hope this gives you some ideas. Jeff (Message edited by jkelly on May 19, 2008) (Message edited by jkelly on May 19, 2008) | ||
| Sanchez |
You need two items: 1) Spandex bicycle shorts 2) A bottle of Ibuprofen Put on the shorts and take a couple of preemptive pain pills before you start out each day, and you'll be good to ride for hours. Oh, and I also found the Buell traction grips and HVMP bar ends great for my hands. | ||
| Pso |
What I have found for two week trips is over the previous year I have collected all my worn out socks underwear etc. and as I wear it I leave it that night, thus the trip gets lighter and I stay reasonable clean. Also I use tee shirts, socks and shorts of that stuff that dries almost immediatly, thus I wash out the stuff every few days and it is dry by the next morning. This new material wicks mosture away from the body very well, packs very light (old Navy trick roll it up tightly)and it does not carry odor. Again cuts down greatly on storage needs. Have a great trip | ||
| Madduck |
Stuff to bring, Good attitude, this is supposed to be fun Comfort clothing, ride in whatever weather. GPS, find something new to see. Plans, plan on coming back with different stuff than you started out with. Cash and credit. Buy stuff and ship home. Knowing you have new stuff waiting makes the trip easier. Phone, call loved ones from exotic places just to see if cell has signal. Camera, shoot away knowing that we here would like to see what you found interesting. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
This is mucho importante. Drink plenty of fluids and eat a lot of roughage. You'll stay lighter, brighter, and the Uly won't be hauling unnecessary shi.t.  | ||
| Fast_eddie_1956 |
I've used beads on the seat to create an airflow under my butt. The thing you need to avoid are seams along your butt that will become painful after a long riding day. Jeans are not good! Some running shorts under some riding pants will do the job. I second the camelpak with ice which will keep your back cool and when it melts you can drink it. A throttle lock is OK. I don't like them but a palm rocker helps to keep from getting the death grip. Some type of flashlight that mounts to your head or where you can be hands free. JB Weld, locktite, zip ties, and duc tape. Don't need a lot but it comes in handy. IB profun Sunscreen and keep hydrated. Have a lot of fun. I've done several IBA (iron butt) and LD (long distance) events and believe me I've learned the hard way. You should have seen the trucker's face as I was cutting my underwear off in the bathroom coming back from a ride to Nova Scotia on a 900 mile day because they were that painful. | ||
| Old_mil |
+1 on the earplugs. If you plan on listening to music enroute, you can get earplugs that will plug in to your music source and block wind noise as well. You have to have a good GPS for a trip like this - both to plan routes, and to plan gas stops or find hotels. They also allow you to hook up XM radio, and that's the best option for motorcycle music that I've found. The 400 series Garmins also display weather radar so you know if you're going to ride into a tornado. In addition to your luggage, I'd add a good tank bag. It's very useful to haul all those little things that it's hard to find a place for. A credit card with an ample limit, a cellphone and charger, a tire plug kit and a battery powered air pump are important as well. Good stuff for packing here: http://www.helen2wheels.com/ Enjoy your trip! | ||
| 1st47 |
Maybe I missed it but, how about a copy of the R.A.N. ? | ||
| Dick_stilton |
"Drink plenty of fluids and eat a lot of roughage. You'll stay lighter, brighter, and the Uly won't be hauling unnecessary shi.t." Funny and so, so true!  | ||
| Jb2607 |
I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. The initial part of the trip is NC to LV, then a week loop up 395 (Lone Pine, Whitney Portal, Bishop, Bristle Cone, Mammoth, hot springs, Bodie, couple of days in Carson City and the filet mignon buffet up in Tahoe, then US 50 to Ely (ride the train), Great Bashin NP) around NV and then back to LV. My wife will fly home and I will head up to Idaho to do the 115 mile Nez Perce trail to Darby MT., and then down to Silverton, CO and then up and over CO 110 that become rough dirt/gravel (12000 ft. pass) to Lake City. Hopefully the one act play in Leadville (Baby Doe--- I got to be the no-good first husband the first time I seen the play) will be available when I go thru... then to Iowa to see "Mom" (she will be in LV just prior to my wife flying in) and then by the factory and one more leg back home. I just got the 3/tail pack... lap top and camera have a very comfortable home now (great bag). If you don't have one, St.Paul HD/Buell has great prices and are a pleasure to deal with. They do a lot of eBay selling too. They (Amanda) deserve the "plug". If I don't mess up photos they will be shared. All comments are appreciated and with the hundreds of thousands of experienced miles on this site, I should be well prepared. Joe | ||
| Buellrider11960 |
when do you plan on being in cali? if you're in n. ca and need help i might be able to help | ||
| Jb2607 |
Should be in CA 6-22, then LV 24-26, Laughlin over the weekend, head up to Bishop on 7-1. Mammoth 2 days, Carson City 2 days, probably 2 days around Ely, then wife flies out of LV on 7-9. Then up to Idaho/MT... | ||
| Jwnsc |
Joe, I was in Vegas last year during the middle of June (100+ every day) and judging by the high temp records they are already setting this year, it doesn't look it's gotten any cooler. Are you planning to do the desert riding at night? Astride a Uly and caught in gridlock Vegas traffic on a 100+ degree summer day would not be my idea of fun. |
