Cross Country Ride 9/5/08

Discussion in 'Trips & Events' started by Hotbrakes, Aug 21, 2008.

  1. i_needit

    i_needit New Member

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    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.
     
  2. modernity

    modernity New Member

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    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!!!!
     
  3. Gunzer

    Gunzer New Member

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    No firearm for personal protection? Especially while camping?:smile:
     
  4. ewryly

    ewryly New Member

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    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!
     
  5. VA NTCPTR

    VA NTCPTR New Member

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    Have great time Larkin,post a bunch of pics.We will have to get together once you get back to VA.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2008
  6. michaelf3

    michaelf3 New Member

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    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.
     
  7. ILVFR75

    ILVFR75 New Member

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

    Stefan New Member

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  9. ernwilli

    ernwilli New Member

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    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
     
  10. SLOav8r

    SLOav8r New Member

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    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.
     
  11. SLOav8r

    SLOav8r New Member

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    Speaking of Communications:

    A nifty for friends and family (and VFR community) to keep track of your journey is via the net of course. Logging into the forum from your phone is a bit cumbersome.

    If you've got unlimited picture messaging, I'd suggest starting a flickr photostream for the trip. I did one for last week's ride: Flickr: sloav8r's Photostream I just emailed the photos from my phone and they show up. Pretty rudimentary but an easy way to share.

    If you want to get REAL slick about it (and we all voted, and we want you to), start a tumblr page. Goto Tumblr and get it going. Also another service that you can send updates to the blog's email address and it autoposts.

    This took all of 3 minutes to setup and I think I'm going to make it a point to start putting my rides, flights and other various adventures up... Check it: CLICK CLICK CLICK - Vectors to Final
     
  12. EricGDR

    EricGDR New Member

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    another good thing to bring is Gold Bond medicated baby powder- keeps you dry down there.
     
  13. MileHighInterceptor

    MileHighInterceptor New Member

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    Colorado is known for weather that [can] change every ten minutes. I've seen every variable of it in September. My guess would be that you probably won't hit snow this year; more likely to happen in October. Just be aware that in this state, the potential for any kind of weather always exists.
     
  14. bangbang1954

    bangbang1954 New Member

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    Injoy the ride

    THIS is true as we did Start at aug 27th 2007.as Im shure a lot of people have said what you dont what to hear. ok been there done that. we left sacremnto calif headed then north of cource we stoped at burning man in north nevada A must SEE if in area at late sept of corce you must get into reno for the labor day air races. ok It get realy cold at night and hot in the day. as we injoyed the nights and dayes we took the mountain road down to las vagas. the passes are COLD we got snowed on so where you stop best have rest area. local pd does not like us and the court building was in us mail office and only takes CASH. 250 $ for 10 mph over limit on down hill with trucks passing us and honking ? ok we are in azerona how looking at the grand cannon great time then we went south into new mex. something wrong with road down there it was like 40 grit on tires we did what we could but bring tire equpiment the spoons and soon green goop and a tire plug kit. hope you have money for tires set aside as knock on wood but. after stoping in huston and getting back to fort hood we thought our trip was over Two sets of tires twice as much gas as we planed cell phone broken forgot charger gps unit needed cell to connect yep and at&t had no service in area we broke down in. figure that out?... As we made it down to alabama and then down into florida the rain cuts into your skin and the humitey makes your shorts get realy small . Ha we made it to FORT BRAGG North carolina what a trip we watched our sons graduate from airborn jump school and partyed for two days. as we hoped the kids were going to ride back with us. thay got orders and only had 3 days to report to a striker bergade at Schofield barracks IN Hawaii OMG. OK OK injoy your trip PLAN for snow storms at night and heat that will melt your tires bring batterys /charger and wire your bike to keep cell plugged in get all the up dates for gps before you leave and make shure someone at home can wire you money if fait turns a wrong cheak.




    Good luck you can doo IT
     
  15. KC-10 FE

    KC-10 FE New Member

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    You forgot the New Jersey supplement to your travel gear.

    Gold Chains
    Mirrored Sunglasses
    Repair Manual For 1990-1992 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
    Brass Knuckles
    Suit Case Of Un-Marked Non-Sequential $10's & $20's
    Piano Wire
    Concealabe Handgun With Serial # Filed Off (preferably loaded with hollow points)
    Plastic Painter Drop Sheet
    Lime
    Shovel
    Alibi

    Enjoy.

    KC-10 FE out...
    :plane: :usa2:
     
  16. modernity

    modernity New Member

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    And if you need anything while riding through NC, I live just off the I-40 and I-95 juct., so if you need anything just let me know! If anything, I can meet you at the gas station and post some pics and stuff while your passing through.
     
  17. Army86VFR750

    Army86VFR750 New Member

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    road trip goodies

    Pick up a small tire repair kit, with a CO2 inflator and leak sealer. It sucks when you pick up something and wake up in the am to a flat. So, if you have a centerstand, I'd use it overnight, just in case. The only thing that sucks worse, is to find your bike on its side with a flat.

    Also, do you have a disc brake lock? If not, its a good idea. It really deters a thief if they can't roll it.

    -extra sunglasses
    -munchies/water
    -bike cover if you have a small one
    -back-up plan
    -Bike shops along the way, just in case
    -extra oil/small bottle with antifreeze mix
    -anti monkey butt powder :bootyshake2: (web: What does Anti Monkey Butt Powder do? )
    - roll of quarters (never know what will come up; laundry mat, junk food machines, tolls)
    - There is a cool new item called a helmet halo. Its a reflective band the fits on the base of your helmet. Elastic fit, no permanent mount. Niced for night riding. And a reflective belt. With a loaded bike, sometimes they are hard to see at night.

    can't think of anything else.

    Sounds like a blast. A buddy of mine is retired Army, has a great HD, and loves to ride. He'll take off on a Monday, and call his wife on Friday and she'll fly out and meet him on the weenend and ride. On Sunday, she'll jump back on the plane and return to work and he'll return ride home.

    13 more years, I'll be there! If you get through MD, let me know, just off 95!
    443.876.7717

    Good luck, ride safe!

    Bud
     
  18. Webbfire2004

    Webbfire2004 New Member

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    Is it the Canadian in me...?

    Why so many underwear?
     
  19. Webbfire2004

    Webbfire2004 New Member

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    Uhhh yeah, it probably is the Canadian in me but I'd loose two pairs of underwear, trade the flip flops in for a cell phone and upgrade the knives to a litre of maple syrup! Oh and as far as experience talkin... do NOT carry a spare tire around your neck! But perhaps a can of that tire sealer / inflator stuff might be prudent.
     
  20. SLOVFR

    SLOVFR Member

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    Tums, Toilet paper, 5' fuel hose (incase you need to syphon-dont ask), small flexible tripod from Radio Shack, my favorite place. One tent that will sleep both of you makes packing up and setting up easier. Vitimans and Ibuprofen. Ear plugs for sleeping at night. Rapid transit tank bag with water bladder is top notch. And your bikes should look like this: Oh the tripod is great to have sticking out of you tank bag ready to shoot those action shots.

    [​IMG]
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