Planning a Long Road Trip on my MKII....What do I need to pack and prepare?

Yes. At the bottom of the Devils Highway.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=108980

Thanks for the confirmation.

Awesome ride. I hope to return but do it N to S and camp at Hannagan Meadow. The last time I stayed in Silver City at a KOA Kabin.

Thanks for the confirmation.

 

Awesome ride. I hope to return but do it N to S and camp at Hannagan Meadow. The last time I stayed in Silver City at a KOA Kabin.

That's what we did. North to South. Harder that way as gravity is not your friend. Thankfully, Hannagan Meadow is near the top so you can ride across the state on 60/260 or wherever...get onto 191 and then camp at HM. Wake up fresh and go for the downhill run!

Silver City is interesting, for sure!

Nice ride on map below. Follow I 17 north to Camp Verde. Begin trip there and head east on 260. Follow that all the way to Eager on east side of state. Then 191 South. Go all the way to Safford. Clifton/Morenci is where the open pit mine is.

When you do the ride left me know. Maybe we can meet afterwards....

WOWZY WOW WOW WOW - yet another OUTSTANDING thread to be back alive for (caught a bug on an already weak immune system - been out for a couple weeks - THIS IS AWESOME to come back to brother!!!!!!! :thumbsup::dancefool:

Unfortunately,, all the good stuff is aready taken so I got nothin to add,,,,,, yeah,,, right:Laugh:

Tank bag:

Get some chap stick type sunscreen - KEEP IT ON YOUR LIPS!! Go to Walgreens and get the good stuff! Dont use the tube type liguidy stuff - USE THE CHAP STICK TYPE OF WAXY STUFF. Use it above your eyes (want sweat off and burn your eyes), ear tips even top of the bean of you still dont got no hair growing up there.

Get a cheapy digital camera with an SD Card - one that uses AA batteries. AA's are everywhere - make sure its video capible. Been buying those little Nikons n using em for years - have dropped em off the bike at speed - go back n pull the SD - pick up another for a few bucks and keep on going.

Carry a couple of those little self contained Marine launchable flares - pull the little chain and they go flying.. Cheap and good for lots of stuff - even for protection from Bears and Hells Angels. Carry in your tank bag, will pass thru Customs easily.

Bag of sunflower seeds to spit shells in air pocket while riding across Nebraska - amazing how long those shells can go round and round.

Put your wallet in the tank bag so it dont fall out of your pocket. Have some extra keys made and hide em under the mat in the bottom of the tank bag - you wont loose your keys if ya have extras. Good tire pressure gauge - check those tires daily!! Also, if you get in the habit of purposely hitting small humps in the roadway and listen to your tire tones - you can actually keep real good track of your tire pressures just by knowing what they are suppose to sound like when hitting road way cracks - has saved my hide numerous times.

Dont forget your little New Testament with a picture of your family between its pages..

Right Saddle Bag, Maintenance Department:

Complete stock tool kit. Full set of 1/4 drive deep well impact sockets - including 18mm plug socket. ratchet with extentions and 1/4-3/8th adapter. Hand held impact driver with removeable 3/8th drive bit holder and full set of bits. 16 inch Channel Locks (my favorite tool - good for LOTS of stuff including removing those antlers from Mule Deer/Antelope you might find dead on roadway), short handled hammer, large GOOD Cresent wrench, long reach screw drivers - wrap electrical under one handle - duc tape under another, $5 harbor ohm meter, 10 feet of 14 gauge THHN, electrical pliers and small selection of crimp on terminals, 5 feet of 1/4 inch clear fuel line = good for lots of stuff BUT, if your fuel pump fails in the middle of no where you remove the right side cover - unplug the vent line at the one way valve, put pressure in the tank and hold it there with your mouth and you can maintain ample fuel supply to your carbs and run for miles!! Little air compressor as mentioned - I use a 4 dollar harbor freight special - had it for years and still works good - make sure the nozzle will work on your scoot what ever ya get. Handfull of tie wraps - I like the long black ones. Few bungee cords and two ratchet straps in case the guy who stops to rescue you has the trailer but no straps. Few feet of rope. Couple shop rags and small tube of waterless hand cleaner.

I like carrying a few hooded sweat shirts in the trunk so I can do the layer thing as the day cools. Also carry gloves, Balacalva and daily use stuff in there cause its easiest to get into. Save the left bag for xtra pants, socks, shirts, and room left for road treasures like rocks and stuff along the way.. Always carry rain gear but very seldom have used for anything more than xtra warmth.. Speed up in the rain - stay dry.

Personally I think your really missing it if ya dont go down to Menards, grab a $25 one man tent - the type with snap together fish pole like poles that make the tent self supporting by sliding those fish poles thru the little hoops - dont even need stakes. Get a one person bag and grab your one piece insulated car harts. Set up tent on the driveway, place the carharts on the floor, put complete set of xtra clothes on top of carharts, put sleeping bag with small pillow inside on top of clothes, collapse tent and fold in half length wise with stuff in tent, roll up with screened doorway at beginning of roll, end up with flooring of tent exterior of bed roll, roll as tight as possible - slide two bungees under bed roll and make a wrap. Place bed roll with folded bottom edge facing up on riders seat, take one bungee - wrap around bedroll and attach to trunk rack. Bed roll is now PERFECT back rest - sealed from rain PLUS - when you get into the US and start crossing places like Montana, the Badlands, the Utah desert,The Rocky Mountains and on and on and you want to just drop your tent and sleep in the perfect tranquility that only a man alone on a motorcycle can know - you can!! Besides brother - you NEVER know what kind of adventure those touring cross winds may force you into.. Telling ya,, I bumped into a US Ranger who was a Major home on leave out there doing what your doing one time.. We bivouacked out in the Black Hills, camped in Ghost Towns, slept behind Devils Tower and then under a water tower in Rapid City one year.. He was gonna Motel it all the way on his new Harley too but once we got started campin - he was WAYY glad he grabbed his ruck sack stuff.. You get my point.

By the way,, if it starts to snow out there or just gets nippy like it can do,, you will be REALLY glad to have those Carharts..

Leave out with new tires, know how to remove those rear bags as easily as possible (have been told that they can all come off at once with just a few bolts?) so if you do need tire work - you can pull into a bike shop and remove the rear wheel.. Most shops will drop what there doing and do a quick tire change if your able to just hand em wheel.. Make sure ya got new pads on the brakes and they arent stickin. Learn to balance the bike against your hand while ya lean down to glance the oil window - little practice and its easy to keep an eye on. Have a good battery in it and, if you do happen to loose your stator - you can pick up a little battery charger cheap enough - unplug some fuses and run her off a good fully charged battery a couple hours at a time. Actually, I have done this cross country with a car battery wired up and sitting on the passenger seat - blown stator dont mean much unless you happen to get rescued by someone like Biker John and Squidley when it happens - then a blown stator can be the most exciting - life changing - friend adding adventure possible!!!

Hey Riv,, something else just occured to me.. I still that 20 bucks for ice cream ya sent me stuck to my forehead.. Plus,, way things are looking,, if you do this trip before July (we are planning on heading west ourselves this July:fingers-crossed-emo) - how bout stopping in Michigan for a Hot Dog Meet n Greet (give ya Star Billing) on your way thru? Been talking to our staff here and things are looking REALLY good for some EXCELLENT Puc's Meet - Greet and Eat Meats this year!! Dont tell nobody but it looks like we may actually be having our first one starting in early May.. If all goes well,, should have a bunch of em in by the time July rolls around.. Tell ya what,, make a MGnEM and I'll settle up with ya on the Ice Cream PLUS fill your tummy with the best all Beef 1/4 pound dogs known to man (varifiable by the likes of @Drews , @mirider , @bluestar99 , @Carbon_One , @ragtop69gs , @dogman , @Marcarl , @stanG , @billmac and many many others) PLUS - I could fill any extra space you may have on your bike so you could eat Hot Dogs all the way to AZZI's house and then sell the remaining Dogs to @videoarizona for 20 bucks (cause he aint never gonna get here to taste em) and end up having your Ice Cream and your 20 bucks too

GO FOR IT BROTHER - HOPE YOU AND WALT HAVE NOTHING BUT THE GREATEST JOURNEY EVER OUT THERE!!

Puc

Hey Divey, thanks for the mention!

Ok guys, here is what I can tell you about cooling vests and especially about the Techniche International brand which I used to sell: they work. These folks design cooling and heating apparel for the armed forces, sports people of all kinds and animals.

So, yes if you get them to the "sopping wet" stage and don't GENTLY squeeze some of the water out they will get your shirt and the top of your jeans wet. (If you guys are traveling with the little lady, a wet shirt can be a source of "entertainment".) Also, if you're like me and don't take if off a bit before you climb in altitude you WILL get cold! Give yourself time to dry off if your clothes are wet. A big down side is that they do not work in humid climates Man its like adding insult to injury; add more dampness to dampness AND heat!

The up swing is that when it is really hot a wet shirt is a good thing to have and even more so a cool body core that will allow you send cool blood to your extremities allowing for a fast recovery when you stop. Do you still feel the heat? Of course you're on a bike in the sun no less! The vests are lined with a water repellant material so that when hydrated properly the inside material does not get wet and this really helps to keep you dry and cool. Even if the vest dries out, if your skin under the vest is cool that means its working!

Can a cooling vest save your life? You bet! I have had customers who wrote me back and thanked me for saving their lives having ridden through extreme temps:scorched:....aw garsh "yer welcome":bighug:

Easy Peasy: keep them clean by following the washing instructions, do not let them dry in the sun, make sure they dry out daily and don't wring them out (squeeze them dry or drip dry them).

So yes, they are a good investment that you don't have to hydrate until you need it and like rain gear, can remain tucked in your saddlebag "just in case". Ride on!

That's what we did. North to South. Harder that way as gravity is not your friend. Thankfully, Hannagan Meadow is near the top so you can ride across the state on 60/260 or wherever...get onto 191 and then camp at HM. Wake up fresh and go for the downhill run!

 

Silver City is interesting, for sure!

 

 

Nice ride on map below. Follow I 17 north to Camp Verde. Begin trip there and head east on 260. Follow that all the way to Eager on east side of state. Then 191 South. Go all the way to Safford. Clifton/Morenci is where the open pit mine is.

 

 

When you do the ride left me know. Maybe we can meet afterwards....

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=108982

Forget it @VanRiver - I just decided to hand deliver those left over Hot Dogs to David my own self..

That's what we did. North to South. Harder that way as gravity is not your friend. Thankfully, Hannagan Meadow is near the top so you can ride across the state on 60/260 or wherever...get onto 191 and then camp at HM. Wake up fresh and go for the downhill run!

 

Silver City is interesting, for sure!

 

 

Nice ride on map below. Follow I 17 north to Camp Verde. Begin trip there and head east on 260. Follow that all the way to Eager on east side of state. Then 191 South. Go all the way to Safford. Clifton/Morenci is where the open pit mine is.

 

 

When you do the ride left me know. Maybe we can meet afterwards....

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=108982

Thanks for the map.

Hey Max,

 

When you say you ran NM, AR, and CA, do you mean Arizona, or Arkansas? Just a note, us folks who live in Arkansas (AR), and the folks that live in Arizona (AZ), on a consistent basis have to deal with our mail being routed to the wrong state because folks get the AR, AZ wrong. LOL. It kinda drives us nuts. And, in Arkansas, we have the added frustration that our mail gets mixed up with peoples mail in Alaska (AK). LOL!

Sorry for the confusion BigLenny, it usually has a way of following me around lol. That correction should read Arizona (AZ). Which btw was one part of our more memorable 2 day tours including Grand Canyon.

I like Arizona - A LOT!! ,,,, take that back,,,,,, I LOVE ARIZONA!!!!

It has that endless,, timeless out west "feel" to it that just beckons any adventurous type of biker to go splorin... Only a couple things I dont care for about it:

1. Goat Heads - little pickers - about the size of a pea - that are built,,,,, in the shape of Goats head.. Got two barbs stickin up like horns and one barb stickin down like a chin - get it? Goat head.. Problem with these nasty things is they are solid enough that they can penetrate rubber tires so if your rear tire is 3/4 gone from the 150 degree pavement that'll melt your tenner shoes and ya head off across the desert to see if there's a ghost town on the other side of that ridge 6 or 8 miles out there - ya could have a flat... Also,, they have no problem reckin the floor of a Menards $20 tent..

2. I ALWAYS struggle with heading back east after I have headed west and CTFW in AZ proves no different.. Of course,, it's logical that fixing this ailment would be a whole lot easier than #1 above.. Just stay out west!! Not sure that gathering up Goat Heads to get rid of em would be practical..

PS = I always wondered what would happen if a person planted those Goad Heads and watered em - is there a great big beautiful desert flower in there? Or,, maybe thats where the new Yamaha Venture is hiding!!!!

PS - PS = LOVE that @Max!! THANK YOU!!!