Topic: Looking for general trip planning advice

[grcamna2]

I hope you enjoy this planning and the trip sangyo 
Those are nice Drybags flybox1,how long do they keep their waterproof coating intact ?

[andy750]

Emergency bike repair stuff:
Clutch cable
Throttle cable
Tire irons
Tire pump w/pressure gauge
Tubes
Chain
Tool kit that comes with the bike
Feeler gauges
Small files
Emery cloth
Pliers
Adjustable wrench
Fuses
Plugs (which reminds me, I need to write down equivalents to the D8EA for other brands in case I need to buy on the trip)
Points plate
Coils
Regulator
JB Weld
Allen wrenches
Various jets
Mallet
Fuel tubes, various diameters
Electric wire
Electric tape
17 & 18 mm sockets with breaker bar
Voltmeter
Paint brush (small, for oiling chain)
1-gallon gas can
Siphon - (I figure in an emergency I can leave $5 under someone's windshield wiper with a note)
Owner's manual

Personal and misc. stuff:
Earplugs
Map of the U.S. & road atlas
Compass
Toothbrush & paste
Soap & deodorant
Eyedrops
Toilet paper
First aid stuff
(2) 20-oz water bottles
Food
Spoon & fork
Trash bags (big ones, poor man's rain gear) 
Ziplock bags
Zip ties
Tarp
Sleeping bag
Flashlight
Lighter
Knife
Rope
Small notebook w/pen
Change of pants (loose, so I can put them both on if needed)
Long Johns, pants and shirts
Socks (old tube socks, so I can flip them upside down and pretend they're fresh) 
Hat
Hooded sweatshirt
Poncho
Leather jacket
Military ACU jacket (fits either under or over the leather jacket, and has handy pockets)
Gloves

I have crossed country 5 times on a 1974 CB750K4 including around Mexico and toured around Europe (6000 miles, 3 weeks) and never had coils fail. Same with regulator/rectifier as long as current ones are in good working condition. Extra jets? Why? Ive taken my K4 up to 11,000 feet passes with no issues. I wouldnt take them if I were you. Chain will last you 12,000 miles if an o-ring (which you should have anyway). Fuel tubes? Again why? Never needed them. Extra gas isnt really necessary as Ive never come across gas stations >140 miles apart in the US even in Wyoming - although admittedly I had a few leaning-on-the-tank close calls  . Toilet paper - all gas stations have it - taking your own just adds bulk and it gets wet anyway at some point. Forget the trash bags and get some cheap decent waterproof bags - I prefer Ortilieb but same as SeaSummit -waterproofing lasts for years. Get the large and it will fit all your gear over the passenger seat (best for weight  unless you have good waterproof saddlebags).

Get a good tank bag - magnetic is best for taking it on/off when going away from bike. One with a clear map pocket on top is best. I have the Motoluggage one - GT-Mini -perfect size.

Rain gear - ponchos are no good as they have a hood that if riding will blow up like a balloon and tear at your neck pushing you backwards. Get some cheap but good waterproofs from some outdoor store or online - Hely Hansen used to have $20 rain trousers (PVC) which were great for riding and very durable. They had a jacket to match at cheap price as well. But as usual you get what you pay for - do NOT buy Wal Mart rain gear its relaly really bad and will tear and blow away.

Mileage per day - as already been mentioned 300-400 miles is very doable with the odd 500-600 mile day (this is good for a CB750) to get some mileage.

Tires - check pressure every now and again but one set of tires will make this no problem. There are some great roads out there and the passes in the Rockies are spectacular. I found the plains of Kansas just as interesting but then I had never seen them before coming from Scotland.

Definitely recommend Devils Tower, Needles Highway and Crazy Horse more than Mount Rushmore. Also Cody, Wyoming is a great little town with an old-style main street complete with old-style saloon (much more authentic than Deadwood which is nice but touristy).

Luggage for a 2-week trip - all fits in the backpack -waterproof SW Motech bag



Needles Highway, South Dakota



Monument Valley is a must do!





New Mexico has some great straight roads



Red Mountain Pass, 11, 000 ft - all SOHC bikes made it ok!



more




Sounds like a great trip! Looking forward to the ride report
cheers
Andy

 

[sangyo soichiro]

Flatlander, that is awesome that a fellow rider from the Netherlands can tell me about Death Valley!  Just goes to show that we all share this place called Earth.     Well, it helps out a lot just to know sleeping in Death Valley is doable, even if it's going to be miserable.    

Flybox, great tip on the bags.  I will look into them.  Definitely better than my trash bag idea!   

Grcamna, thanks for the well wishes.  You know, it is kind of fun planning this trip, now that you mention it!  Just looking at the map and thinking of all the possibilities, all the new parts of the country that I will see for the first time and perhaps the only time.  And what makes this kind of trip better than other types of vacations is that I'm not stuck anywhere, I will have my own transportation, and I can go wherever I want, whenever I want.  To me, this beats the other kinds of vacations where you're stuck in a hotel for a week and need to use public transportation if you want to go anywhere. 

Andy, hey, that is some great info!  It's nice to know that you've rode the exact same bike I will be taking (5 times!) and never needed those things you crossed off my list (thank you for that, by the way!).  Also good to know that you've had your bike up in elevation without jet issues (that was the very reason I was worrying about the extra jets).  Also good to know that gas stations are everywhere (I was worried about that too).  Thanks also for the specifics on rain gear vs. a poncho; I'm going to check out the sporting goods stores and see what they have.  Thanks for all the other good info, and great photos!

As for the toilet paper, well... I didn't want to say it, but I was planning on swinging by TwoTired's house late at night and TPing him; make his tree look like a pod filter.    (Just kidding, TT!)   

[flybox1]

I hope you enjoy this planning and the trip sangyo 
Those are nice Drybags flybox1,how long do they keep their waterproof coating intact ?

Dry bags are the isht!  I have a few.
My 1gal OR (outdoor research) dry bag i've had for 10+ years, and id still trust it whitewater rafting, but we hope to never run into rain like that when riding    when stuffed with munchies or clothing layers, it fits on the back of my seat and under my stretchy cargo net thing...  Even when I dont think Ill need it, i usually have it under my seat. it folds up to 4"x4"x2"  they usually have nylon webbing sewn along the sides to allow it to be strapped to something.

[sangyo soichiro]

Hmmm... got me thinking now about that dinosaur museum!  I might have to adjust some things in order to see that!  I like vintage stuff, especially vintage dinosaurs!   

I'm glad you guys mentioned the badlands.  I was going to go through there (singing Bruce Springsteen's, "Badlands" of course  ), but until I just now googled it, I only thought it was a desert sort of thing.  Now that I see what it is, I'm definitely going to ride through there (if all goes to plan).

It kind of saddens me to hear that Deadwood is just a gaming mecca, but I guess that's to be expected.  I like history though, and even if I just stop there for an hour and see the town, that would be cool to me.  Maybe play a game of cards with my back to the door, like Hickok (aces and eights!).   

[flatlander]

Flatlander, that is awesome that a fellow rider from the Netherlands can tell me about Death Valley!  Just goes to show that we all share this place called Earth.     Well, it helps out a lot just to know sleeping in Death Valley is doable, even if it's going to be miserable.    

we share the place and share the passion
that was an awesome trip. 5 or 6 weeks roaming the area between yosemite and mexico, the pacific and grand canyon. really liked the deserts, something you don't see over here. and don't get me wrong, death valley was great and having spent the night there, while not exactly pleasant, was still some experience.

[Stev-o]

Andy gave you some great info.  I took a 30 day trip to the West (primarily NM, CO and WY) with minimal planning and had a great time, it will be something you never forget.  Issues will pop up, it was low fuel and a bald rear tire for me, how you deal with them will make or break your trip. 

When is the big day?

[sangyo soichiro]

The hot spring in the photo is not at Thermopolis....just in case you go looking for it.   It's just south of Gardiner MT.

Dinosaurs is at the science museum in St Paul through the summer.  Just went a few weeks ago. They have Giganotosaurus on display next to T Rex.  It's the South American version of T Rex.  They had a lot of dinosaurs from Argentina which seems to be the new hot spot for the latest finds.   Not dinosaurs but same time period....I found these this summer on my sailing trip to lake Huron.  Might be heteromorphs....not sure, I am going to take them to a fossil guy here in town when he comes back from the field.  Going back again this summer....armed with some local knowledge to a different, seldom visited island...with tools.

Not far from where I live a farmer, I think in 1964 or 68 was digging on his land and found a wooly mammoth.  It is now at a museum at a small university, less than two miles from where it was found.  I remember going there on a school field trip when I was very young and thought it was the coolest thing.  I've gone to see it several times since.  I love that stuff!

we share the place and share the passion
that was an awesome trip. 5 or 6 weeks roaming the area between yosemite and mexico, the pacific and grand canyon. really liked the deserts, something you don't see over here. and don't get me wrong, death valley was great and having spent the night there, while not exactly pleasant, was still some experience.

Indeed!  I'm glad you had a nice time in the States, and I hope you didn't run into any knuckleheads that may have left a bad taste in your mouth for the people here (but hey, sometimes I run into knuckleheads here!).   

Andy gave you some great info.  I took a 30 day trip to the West (primarily NM, CO and WY) with minimal planning and had a great time, it will be something you never forget.  Issues will pop up, it was low fuel and a bald rear tire for me, how you deal with them will make or break your trip. 

When is the big day?

Yes, so far everyone has given great advice!  I'm glad you had a great time on your trip, and I look forward to seeing different parts of the States myself!  Going to try to do this sometime in May.

[dave500]

I went to see that wooly mammoth and its a rip off!no wool at all its just bones!

[flatlander]

Indeed!  I'm glad you had a nice time in the States, and I hope you didn't run into any knuckleheads that may have left a bad taste in your mouth for the people here (but hey, sometimes I run into knuckleheads here!).   

knuckleheads you can find anywhere. just as good people. my girlfriend's from chicago so i know there are at least some good americans 

i'm off tomorrow for a trip through belgium, luxembourg, north of france. nothing big, just 4 days on the road but i really look forward to it!

[sangyo soichiro]

Guess where I've been...   

[BeSeeingYou]

Is that your bike parked in front of that building in Flint MI that has a mural of the Golden Gate Bridge painted on it.

Congratulations on getting to San Francisco.  I will be curious to hear about your trip and how the weather was.

[sangyo soichiro]

The weather forced me to change my return northern route to a southern route.  But other than a little rain and a few chilly times, the weather where I was riding was tolerable.  HOT in California though!  Saw a lot of great things on the way.  I'll make a trip report thread, but it will be a few days before I can devote some serious time to it. 

I'd say the highlight of the trip was a toss up between the Valley of the Gods cliff road, Hite's Canyon, or Yosemite.  The low spot was definitely the 80 miles of bumper-to-bumper stop and go traffic out of San Francisco. 

Rode past a rattle snake sunning himself on the side of the road in Nevada.  Started riding in the center of the road after that!   

[grcamna2]

Drink plenty of thirst quencher/water,etc. sangyo,even if you think you don't need it 

[Stev-o]

Drink plenty of thirst quencher/water,  beer/liqueur sangyo,even if you think you don't need it  And cheers to a good trip!

Fixed

[grcamna2]

   LoL 

[sangyo soichiro]

Drink plenty of thirst quencher/water,etc. sangyo,even if you think you don't need it 

This is true!  I didn't feel thirsty, but the first few days I had terrible headaches, and once I started drinking more water I never got the headaches again.  I think I was dehydrated and that was causing the headaches.

[grcamna2]

That's happened to me a few times & when I was dehydrated I started getting drowsy at the wheel  ,I still have to remind myself;the airflow 'breezing' you on the trip pulls the moisture right out of your body whether it's hot or cold out & the less clothes you have on the worse it gets.

[faux fiddy]

There's also Dinosaur National Monument near the Utah Colorado border, there is a three story wall carved out with the bones [that Jesus put there to test the unbelievers] in releif.  And just north of that is Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Green  River, the whole place has awesome scenery, especiall on the Manilla side.

[saltcitycafe]

There's also Dinosaur National Monument near the Utah Colorado border, there is a three story wall carved out with the bones [that Jesus put there to test the unbelievers] in releif.  And just north of that is Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Green  River, the whole place has awesome scenery, especiall on the Manilla side.

Agreed come to Utah, ride the whole state. East to west, north to south. You will never be sorry that you did

[Stev-o]

The trip is over. 

[sangyo soichiro]

There's also Dinosaur National Monument near the Utah Colorado border, there is a three story wall carved out with the bones [that Jesus put there to test the unbelievers] in releif.  And just north of that is Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Green  River, the whole place has awesome scenery, especiall on the Manilla side.

Agreed come to Utah, ride the whole state. East to west, north to south. You will never be sorry that you did

I did!  And yes, I think Utah was probably the most scenic of all the states.  Missed the dinosaur monument though.     But the Valley of the Gods and Hite's Canyon were awesome!