Am I forgetting anything??

[Dangerous Dave]

D D : you have done what is needed. Your bike is ready to go I would not worry to much. Stuff happens on the road and
that is where the things that mentioned are a must. You can not predict a flat tire, lost key , a break down and need a

tow.hole on your radiator or run over an alligator on the road. The things that the members mentioned are from "EXPERIENCE". So at least take a second look and see if you have some of the stuff mentioned.

And have one beautiful safe trip weekend rider

Thanks WR, I actually am a reasonably experienced LD rider. I may not have done any Iron-Butts, but I have done more than a handful of 600 - 700 mile days in the saddle. And I was a Boy Scout...you know the motto..."Be prepared!". I ALWAYS carry things like flashlight, tools, flat repair kit, spare keys, ziplock bags, visor cleaner, etc, whenever I'm going on a long trip. I have my own list that I keep saved on my PC that I've honed over the years. You're right, they are all good suggestions and I haven't discounted them, it's just that most of them are already on my list. Like I said, I was looking more for bike preparation tips than anything else. My air filter is new, Penske shock and Traxxion Dynamics forks are just over a year old. Steering head bearings are less than a year old and I tensioned them last week. I may do the clutch and brake fluids again, just because it's quick and easy. I may also bump that front tire pressure to 38 or 40 since we will be fairly well loaded. I've been riding the bike to work everyday this week just to make sure I didn't screw anything up. With the wife on board, I don't plan on doing more than 550 or 600 miles in a day. I personally think more than that is pushing it 2-up. Less room to move around than riding solo and the wife gets fatigued a bit easier than I do and I want her to enjoy the ride too. She wouldn't complain, but I know when she's reaching her limit. I doubt I'll have time to do a TB sync as I just have too much else to do. I shouldn't even be sitting here typing now, but I'm just freakin' tired from being so busy. I NEED a vacation!! The wife's parents said they left us a bottle of wine at the condo...I think by the time we get there we'll be ready for it. I do hope the weather doesn't suck the whole time we're down there. Weather.com is forecasting rain, rain, rain all next week for the Clearwater area, but I don't think you can ever discount the chance of a shower on the gulf there this time of year. In fact, it looks like a dry ride...all the way until we get into FL. Screw it...we've got rain gear.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

 

[FjrVfr]

Thanks WR, I actually am a reasonably experienced LD rider. I may not have done any Iron-Butts, but I have done more than a handful of 600 - 700 mile days in the saddle. ...I ALWAYS carry things like flashlight, tools, flat repair kit, spare keys, ziplock bags, visor cleaner, etc, whenever I'm going on a long trip. I have my own list that I keep saved on my PC that I've honed over the years.

Dang. Sounds like we were born under the same stars (RMH in Columbus). I was just back your way visiting my Mom (Newark) and went through the same checklist. You've got it covered.

The wife's parents said they left us a bottle of wine at the condo... I think by the time we get there we'll be ready for it.

Yup, we share DNA. Take care of that nice lady you're traveling with. If she does 500 mile days, you've got a keeper. Any chance she has a sister?

Have a great trip.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Dang. Sounds like we were born under the same stars (RMH in Columbus). I was just back your way visiting my Mom (Newark) and went through the same checklist. You've got it covered.

The wife's parents said they left us a bottle of wine at the condo... I think by the time we get there we'll be ready for it.

Yup, we share DNA. Take care of that nice lady you're traveling with. If she does 500 mile days, you've got a keeper. Any chance she has a sister?

Have a great trip.

No sister, but take over the payments and you can have this one.

Joking.

 

[dbvolfan]

I know my fork oil needs to be changed (19k on my 2005) but unfortunately I dont want to mess with that just prior to EOM. Figure I'll hit that when I get home, along with some other stuff. My oil isnt due for another 1k miles, hydraulic fluid just changed, TBS, tires and differential fluid 3k miles ago along with coolant. Guess I am going to just wing it.

 

[CRMH Eagle]

Let's see what else you need:

* toilet paper

* duck tape (half the cars in Mississippi still on the road thanks to the miracle novelty)

* digital camera

* 9 mm or 45 (the 45 will do the job in one shot)

* Oprah's latest book-of-the-month. (U should stay informed with all the lazy American women)

* cool-looking gloves

* wipey's

* dental floss

* cell phone & charger

* change of undies

wait...what is it again that you asked for? B)

 

[painman]

While I appreciate all the suggestions on what to pack, I was really looking for suggestions on any maintenance type items I might be forgetting about for the bike. Anybody got anything else??

Dave the only thing else I could think of was to lube the pivot points on the bike especially the clutch and brake lever and possibly lube the throttle and cable if this was not already mentioned or done. Be safe for sure since all the incidents happening around here and really just enjoy the ride. PM. <><

 

[TriggerT]

Great timing on this thread, since I am getting ready to head out to CFO next week. Haven't seen anything I haven't changed or checked yet, so it looks like I am good to go. Thanks to everyone for contributing.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

All these great suggestions for what to take along and NOBODY reminded me to pack a pair of swim trunks!! Yes, I had to buy some down there, but I guess it's ok...the wife said I really needed a pair from this millenium anyway. :blink:

It should come as no surprise to anyone here that the bike performed flawlessly the entire trip. The weather was pretty good to us as we never had to drag out the rain gear. We got caught in two very brief downpours, one on the way down and one on the way back. But both were actually quite welcome since it was so freakin' hot, it made for a nice cooldown. I don't know which was worse there on the Gulf coast...the heat or the love bugs, but the only way to get away from either one was to just sit inside in the air conditioning. As such, we decided to leave FL a day early and spend an extra day in the Smokies on the way home. That was definately the best part of the whole trip. Someday I'm gonna move there! The E-spec Strada rear DEFINATELY faired better than the "off-the-rack" Strada I ran on the same trip last year. This one still looks darn good for having done waaaaay too much super-slabbing down I-75 (997 miles one way...alllllll highway!). I took alot more backroads on the return trip as I'd had about as much of I-75 as I could stand. XM, Chatterbox, and Camelback made the trip much more enjoyable and the Garmin was absolutely indispensible.

Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions which helped to make the trip a success.

Footnote: The FJR gets noticeably better fuel economy at "wife-approved" speeds. About 4mpg better at 75 than at 85. And I can still maintain my position that a nice Cerulean FJR with bags on and 2-up is INVISIBLE to LEOs at anything below a hundred. :assassin:

 

[Dan23]

Thanks WR, I actually am a reasonably experienced LD rider. I may not have done any Iron-Butts, but I have done more than a handful of 600 - 700 mile days in the saddle. And I was a Boy Scout...you know the motto..."Be prepared!". I ALWAYS carry things like flashlight, tools, flat repair kit, spare keys, ziplock bags, visor cleaner, etc, whenever I'm going on a long trip.

Sounds like you forgot to have any fun.

 

[JimLor]

Tire pressure? have oil? Have fuel? Clean your lights and get on the road.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Sounds like you forgot to have any fun.

We didn't forget...we just found lots more of it in the Smokies than we did in Florida. Even the wife said that next time she'd rather just spend the week at Deal's Gap. We had fun-O-plenty there.

 

[red2kcbr]

Gunny on the tire pressure. When loaded heavy I run 44 PSI rear and 42 front. When light I run 42 PSI rear and 41 front.

 

[VanHarlan]

Tire pressure? have oil? Have fuel? Clean your lights and get on the road.

Gunny! Get on her and ride - ummmmm your bike that is.