Cross Country Ride 9/5/08

[XXFirefighter]

AAA Card.
When i packed for Cross country..
Skipped the tent.. Motel 6...
Clothes.
Chain lube.
U good to go.

[someguy]

If you need to mount a camera, but don't want to spring for the big $$, the Pedco UltraClamp Camera Mount works pretty well. Very well built mount for $24. I do get a bit of vibration at certain RPM.s I mount on the left mirror bracket with the camera above the mount. Alows me to easily switch on/off while riding, or switch to video mode. I carry a ziplock handy in the tank bag to slip over it in case you are in and out of rain, so you don't have to pull cam off mount with every change in the weather.

......... have an awesome time.
i have trip envy.


Pedco UltraClamp Camera Mount from REI.com

j~

[Joey_Dude]

If you're ever in the north georgia area drop me a line and I can show you some fun roads around here. Oh and since you're motorcyce camping check out TWO: Two Wheels Only Motorcycle Resort and Campground

[Scubalong]

Have a save trip, Keep us posted

[Heretic]

Originally Posted by PhatPat33

get some names from www.vfr911.com if you haven't already. It's an assistance signup board for vfr riders.

I might be able to set you up with some shelter and beds if you come through central Massachusetts.

Yes - sleeping on someone's couch is a lot mor comfortable then in a tent on the ground.

If you come up to Calgary, Alberta, Canada - feel free to stay at my house.

I'm planning on one of these next year - but mid west (to El Paso Texas - and maybe even into Mexico) and then up the left coast.

Have fun and ride safe.

[300shooter]

Wow, hope you have a great time!!! Since the CCW laws are different from state to state, try bear spray , works really well on other "varmints" too, you never know. Also , the tire plug kit could be a butt saver as mentioned.

[Stranger]

Sounds awsome, have a really great time and stay safe, sounds like you have every thing sorted.

The only thing I could add is that on the long trips we do, we always pack energy boosters, usually in the shape of vitamins that the long distance runners use. I got caught once by dehydration (and this was in the winter) by wrapping up too warm and not stopping enough for water. Take enough time to rest and recharge and eat properly.

Do enough long trips and you soon learn how and what to pack. My wife puts all her G-strings in her pocket

[thomas lloyd]

someday would love to do what your doing,living here in new england
i would ride all over vt. maine,n.h may be next year have a great time guys
pugmahorn 2000 vfr

[vfr=>]

A Goldwing Would Come In Handy! Have A Great Trip.

[punisher12b]

ditto i got trip envy...
be safe... god bless and cant wait to see the pictures

[i_needit]

Take your time, if your going to be on the road for a month its not a race. It will usually save you time in the long run to stop often, keep the speed down(tickets) and enjoy where you are going. Try not to strap yourself down to a strict schedule.

[modernity]

Our hats off to you from NC. Have fun and be safe and definitly keep us posted while on your trip. I wish I could get enough time off work to do this!!! Oh well, drive safe and enjoy the scenery!!!!

[Gunzer]

No firearm for personal protection? Especially while camping?

[ewryly]

Hotbrakes, sounds like you are going to have a blast. I road out to Spokane and back with my son (two-up) last summer, and bicycled across years (and years) ago. Both trips were extraordinary. It sounds like you have all the right equipment (did anyone mention to bring a couple of blank checks as well?), and you have the time so you can be flexible. I do carry a "road-side assistance" card with me. I used to use have the Honda plan, and I had to use it once when my battery died on my Shadow. They were great. Now I have the "RV Roadhelp" from KOA. (It is actually run by Allstate.) It seemed to get good reviews, and they claim that they will tow or assist with anything that has a motor. AAA out my way won't cover motorcycles.

I just got back from eight days on the road to see my son off to college and to visit friends in Michigan. This is my second tour of the year, just over 5,000 miles all together. I love touring on my VFR. If I could only make a living doing it!

[VA NTCPTR]

Have great time Larkin,post a bunch of pics.We will have to get together once you get back to VA.

[michaelf3]

All good items so far. Here a couple more.

Paper maps (my gps failed on me on my last long trip, paper maps saved me)
Cash under the seat (in case you should lose your wallet)

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

[ILVFR75]

WOW, sounds like an awesome trip. have fun and be safe!

[Stefan]

Now for the pessimestic side of things, there is a company that provides Evacuation insurance MedjetAssist | Medical Evacuation from Anywhere in the World to your Hospital of Choice there are several versions I have found it a good idea both in and out of country.

[ernwilli]

I would want to join you on your trip if it were two years ago... I'm a dad now and a newly wedd...
I rode down to Miami from NYC three years ago. My bike shorts and rain gear wear my best gear. The rain gear kept the cold and moisture out at night, I was dry and warm, and so was my passenger. A tinted visor kept my cooler in the sun and 16oz. of water or gatorade every gas fill up. Try to stay away from red meat and heavy meals until you're ready to call it a night. They then to tire me sooner. I chose to stay at motels cause I didn't have camping gear and I'm a city kid... spare key, condoms, k-y hay chicks dig bikers...
I wish you well and if you are heading to NYC let me know.
Stay safe and remember, "The Angels Can only Fly So Fast".
ernwilli, NYC-MIA

[SLOav8r]

Originally Posted by Hotbrakes

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

I do have textile pants (Joe Rocket Alter Egos), Kevlar jeans, Underarmor undies, and a pair of Scala Rider Q2's. I also have a plug kit and Slime kit with electric pump. I got a 7$ lighter outlet at RadioShack and some other goodies for my buddies bike from Powerlet. The music thing still needs to be sorted out. I can't decide if I want ear plugs connected to an Ipod or my XM which I'm not sure if it has a jack. Or I could load up MP3's on the Garmin and have crappy sound through the headset via Bluetooth.

My buddy Mark's bike will probably need tires once we get to Cali, he's already got a few thousand miles on his Metzelers, but they are in good condition with no slabbing flat spots. I just put on a new Pirelli Diablo on my front wheel this morning and my BT-021 rear is showing no signs of wear with couple thousand on it.

We do plan on going through the Rockies and hopefully finding some fun roads to play on, so I'm still debating on bringing a leather jacket which would serve multiple purposes besides warmth. Leather seems to get rid of a lot of the wind fatigue, and gives better protection against wind dehydration as long as we are moving under 80 degree temps.

Mark is bringing his laptop so I'll be able to get online from time to time. We have no itenerary other than to circle across the north and come back around the south. It would be nice to meet some of yall along the way so if you see a red and silver VFR loaded down, flag us down.

Stick with the textiles, the leather is going to be extra weight and a spacehog. If you're taking a month-long ride, you won't be running that many miles per day so wind fatigue isn't such an issue. I did 1,000 mile days in my textiles with no issues.

However, I also did preventative measures: we both wore camelbacks and we both took 200mg advils with breakfast, lunch and dinner to help prevent joint stiffness. Combo worked out great. Usually refilled the camelbacks every other fuel stop -- 118 degree temps across the desert and they barely made it between fill-ups.

Laptop is a great idea. Even on my "short" trip, it's nice to be able to upload a few pictures here and there. I even took a Canon Selphy CP720 photo printer along. The printer, it's power supply and a cartridge of postcard stock (about 30 sheets) ALL fit in a standard ziplock baggy. A few milestones along the way, I stuck the SD card in it and printed a few postcards to send to friends and family. You can pick them up used for around 40 bucks and get the materials off of ebay (it's a die sublimation printer, so no inks to deal with). So each postcard costs you about 25 cents to print.