Long ride coming up. Does my bike need anything?

[CasperVTX]

Long ride coming up, 700 miles or so in the first day. Does my bike need anything?

I'm getting it's 8000 mile service (2000 miles late of course :oops: ), but is there anything in particular you worry about on a long trip through nowhere?

Some people worry about clutch cables snapping, but what's more likely to go wrong?

I'm going with a bunch of Harley's so I won't have any help in the tool department.

[jeburnside]

I'd bring a cell phone for the HD's in case they need a tow vehicle. :D I've done over 600 in one day on my X, no sweat. The HD's will likely have to stop more frequently.

Jimmy

[Todd2]

Spare gas. Many Harleys will be able to 'out-cruise' you in that regard (at least compared to the 1800 Cs). Other than that, you ought to be able to run just fine with them. Have fun!

Todd

[XRiderChuck]

cell phone to call for road service for those poor HD riders... a book to read while waiting for them to repair... :lol:
Take some water, even a 1 liter flat flask will help if you get dry. I'm going with a camelback system this season. :D

[legup]

you're not gonna have any problems!... did a trip to Gettysburg, PA from Columbus, OH and back with no problems... the gas idea from Todd2 is a good idea - almost got stuck in the mountains of PA... have fun!

[michael7276]

You are ridin an "S" model with aftermarket pipes and air kit. I have the HK 3's and an Ultra-Flow. Just did 1691 miles through Ky., WV, VA, NC, TN with no problems at all. I got between 31 and 49 mpg (most often the MPG was around 38 ) depending on a number of things. Your fuel usage may be a little less than the Harley's you are ridin' with. If the Harley guys have any smarts ( :P ), they won't push that enevlope too far.

You shouldn't have any mechanical problems (but of course there is always a chance). I would guess that the most likely thing to happen would be tire problems. Carry a small 12V air compressor and a tire repair kit.

[Todd2]

Since this came up again, I'll comment again. We (G/F on her V-Star 1100 and me on my VTX 1800-C) rode ~5400 miles on a Strugis trip a while back with a group of Harleys (Fatboys and Dynas??). They consistently out ran our gas. (Of course, I could out run them passing trucks on the road.) They claimed pretty good mileage and a 200 - 250 mile range. All I know for sure is they never worried about gas and we had to listen to them bitch about stopping to fill our tanks so soon, and so often. Once, we almost ran out (gas station closed) and were on fumes getting to the next one - they could have cared less about their remaining fuel.

Just my experiences. BTW - look at my avatar - carry extra gas with you. :wink: The X doesn't push well. Don't ask how I know (or how many times I found out). :oops: (I do a lot of cross country rides.) Good luck and have fun!

Todd

[doc_cj]

Long ride coming up, 700 miles or so in the first day. Does my bike need anything? [snip]

I've taken several long trips on my 1800R, and the bike has done well on all of them. General maintenance is a must, though. Don't neglect the bike, and make sure you know how to do small things that can make a difference on the road.

I pack a small tire repair kit, which I have not had to use so far. It only takes up a few inches in the saddle bags but it gives me miles of relief if ever needed.

I've only taken extra gas on one trip. Normally I ride solo, so I stop when I want to stop. Hearing your story of the HD riders complain about having to stop only reminds me of why I ride solo. :P

As for the extra gas, a friend of mine bought a Gas Caddy brand plastic tank (2.5 gal) that he uses primarily on his ATV. I used that on my trip, and it did help a bit. The only real problem is that I still had to stop to put that gas in the tank, so I was stopping either way.

As for anything else you'd need, I guess that depends on where you're going. If you're coming to the mountains then bring along proper clothing for altitude riding. At this time of year the temperatures will drop fast when you go high. I'm at 6000 feet and we're in the low 40s at night. At 8000 to 10000 feet they are still hitting freezing on some nights. Layer your clothes and be prepared to change as you hit different temperature zones.

As suggested, bring some water if you're on the road for awhile. That's especially important in dry areas of the west and southwest. We get LOTS of bikers every year who dehydrate quickly when the temperature is high and the humidity is low. One of the worst cases I saw was a fellow from Louisiana last year who actually had his eyeballs dryout so bad his eyelids would not close. He was in some heavy duty pain, and his whole body suffered.

Know the helmet laws for each state you'll visit. It really sux to hit the state line and find that trooper waiting for motorcyclist who haven't put on the helmet when required. That happens all the time running from Arizona to Mesquite, NV (I-15 to Las Vegas). I've got a friend that's a cop in Mesquite and he gets a kick out of writing bikers who forget Nevada is a helmet required state. Personally, I hope he gets a flat tire ... but then again he's a "friend." :o

SUNSCREEN!

Chapstick.

Extra sunglasses (it never fails, at least 1 trip a year I'll either have a pair get stolen, lost, or broke).

Rainsuit and boots.

[ldrjim]

I've made a lot of LD rides and have always found the packing list offered here really helpful:

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Packing.html

I especially liked this bit about local conditions:

If you're east of the Mississippi and it starts to rain, pull over at the nearest cover. It will pass in half an hour. If you're west of the Rockies and it starts to rain, you have a big problem: it's going to rain for the next five days. If you're in Ohio, you will get rained on. If you're in Wyoming or Montana, watch out for snow. Maybe in July and August you can slack off just a little. Not in June or September though. If you're going to cross Texas, bring a book, lock your throttle, and lock your handlebars. You only need to look up at the highway about once an hour. If you're in Nebraska and the wind stops or you see a tree, pull over immediately and take a nap. You're having road hallucinations.

Jim

BTW: I agree with Todd2. Carry some extra fuel. The MSR fuel cells are durable and cheap enough. One liter might be enough. http://www.msrcorp.com/