Road trip... what do you bring?

[jptechnical]

The wife and I are heading out on a road trip this Saturday. I thought I would see what everyone considers necessities on a road trip... that is aside from the universal cycle roadside tools, cell phone and credit card ;-)

I will be riding the 97 KZ1000P and the wife on her 99 VFR (It was mine... then she rode it and it became hers till I get another one). We will be gone 10 days. The things I am most concerned about would be flat repairs, like plugs and compressor and possibly 'fix a flat' or slime. Also, any other must haves.

Thanks, hope you all got to do some riding on your holiday weekend!

[Lgn001]

Chain lube, with disposable gloves and paper towels to apply it. Or use the credit card to have a shop do it every 500 - 600 miles. I'll stop here, because I know that many replies will follow.

Have fun!

[ewryly]

With two of you it is easier to carry spare keys for each other. I put a spare set in my hard bags and carry a loose spare key for the bags on me.

I also carry a card with key phone numbers and credit card numbers (slightly scrambled--say add one to each of the last four numbers) insurance numbers, etc. just in case I lose my wallet. A couple of years ago I had one my credit cards denied because the company thought someone had stolen it. Apprently buying small amounts of gas to test if the card works is something thieves do. So there I was tooling across the country using my card in an atypical way and that set off some alarm at the credit card company. Now I call the company before I go to let them know I'll be taking a trip.

I have the KOA RV Roadhelp roadside service. It is administered by Allstate, and though I have not used it, it gets good reviews. They will tow anything on wheels and deliver gas, among other services. It covers my bike and my car, but, like I said, I haven't had to use it.

I lubed my chain every night after I landed somewhere but before I got too settled in. I carried some paper towels, but I would just grab a few extra at any gas station. Most hotels are glad to give you rags to clean off your bikes.

I carried my lube, bottle of plastic cleaner (though water works just fine), paper towles, water bottle, and a New Guardian Ultralite Plus Motorcycle Cover (medium) in my tail bag. The cover is light and stuffs into a built-in pocket on the cover. It fits perfectly and hides the bike from the curious. I put anything in the tailbag that I was willing to have stolen given that it was not secure.

My next addition will be some water proof mits from aerostitch. They have some light ones that would be easy to store with my rainsuit. Cold wet hands are not only miserable, they make it hard to respond well. I think being able to stay dry really makes a difference. My Matrix GTX II Touring Boots kept my feet completely dry.

For tire repair I carry the procket tire plugger with CO2 cartridges. I use the same cartridges for my bicycle, so I have spares. A compressor is probably safer, but the other fits under my seat.

[reg71]

Advice for long trip