First Long Distance Ride

[VanHarlan]

Wowser! Great stuff and a lot of things I would have never thought about - as much as I'm loving my FJR +1 to this forum for the amount of information, help, and humor that are available.

 

[boogahboogah]

Some other folks have mentioned, but this stuff is on my list:

Foam ear plugs, 3-4-5-6 pair depending on the ride. Jumbo box at Home Despot makes them awful cheap.

Camera, extra batteries, big 1GB memory card

Small wire notepad fits in shirt pocket - notes, to do, stops, mileage, etc. Good record for later

Waterproof cover for the tank bag

Aspirin/ibuprofin for the aches/sores

Tire patch stuff (two types), tire pump, wrenches, hex key set, duct tape, electrical tape

Two quart bottles of water, one in tank bag, one in Givi, refill as necessary

Wicking underwear - no cotton !

VistaCruise mounted & checked

IAudio X5 Ogg/MP3 player, Etymotics ER-6i's, cell phone, both AC adapters

Good shades, riding boots, ATGATT

When riding, every so often I stand on the pegs, to get some exercise, change the viewpoint, also to dry out the nether regions...

Have fun, it'll be a good ride !

 

[Fencer]

It just depends on HOW preped you want to be

tire inflator

tool kit

"Deer Whistlers"

The list is endless - Literally

20 - 50 miles is all you did, seriously? Hell, I can't even get downtown in 20 miles. This bike ain't warmed up till 100 (take that however )

 

[jcolman]

To be honest I don't think you need to worry about extra water bottles, hydration system, snacks, etc. You're not going all THAT far. You can always stop and refresh yourself whenever you like. It's good to take a five minute break every hour or so anyway.

I did 700 miles the second day I owned my bike and only carried one water bottle...and I was riding thru 100 + heat in Arizona.

 

[zorkler]

rain gear , sunscreen , music , night glasses

 

[VanHarlan]

20 - 50 miles is all you did, seriously? Hell, I can't even get downtown in 20 miles. This bike ain't warmed up till 100 (take that however )

I've had a couple days when I've done 100, or so, miles. When I had my crusiers it was always around town & I think my longest stretch was 140 mile day.

I'm looking forward to my 1st big trip - I just don't want to get down the road and go "Oh Shizit!" - "I should have brought . . . ." I at least want to have the "common sense" provisions. I'm planning on stopping fairly regularly - every 1 1/2 or so.

 

[temp357]

The FJR is my 3rd bike. My previous two have been cruisers which I've always stuck close to home with. I now have about 2,200 miles racked up on my '07 FJR and am ready for my first ever "Big Trip". I'm going from Rochester NY to Cleveland OH on 8/3 and back home on 8/5. It's only 365 miles one way - but that's Huge compared to my 20-50 mile afternoon outings.
I do have a Shad sh46 topcase if I need it. And heres what I've got onboard now . . .

Slime Kit with mini compressor under the seat and tire pressure guage.

3-4 Bottles of water.

1st aid kit.

Extra helmet sheild (clear for night riding)

Extra gloves

Waterproof liners for my pants & jacket in case it rains

Ram mount for my TomTom

IPod

The only mods I've made are a V-Stream sheild, and grip puppies. Still waiting on my delrin sliders from Skyway.

Any thoughts on what I should have on board? I know it sounds like a noob question - but I'd rather not learn the hard way.

Thanks

All State RV Roadside Assitance

Cell Phone/GPS all in one

Credit Card

Ear Plugs

Helmet Shield

Duck Tape

Fix a flat

Tshirts

Talcum Powder

Socks

Toothbrush

that'll just about do it.

 

[porthios]

'I just don't want to get down the road and go "Oh Shizit!" - "I should have brought . . .'

honestly, that's pretty likely to happen anyway..

we all have our quirks and preferences for how we like to get our ride on. you won't really learn yours til you're out there in the wind for a bit. ime, it's usually something i can grab at a convenience store in the next town anyway..

 

[bvail]

The FJR is my 3rd bike. My previous two have been cruisers which I've always stuck close to home with. I now have about 2,200 miles racked up on my '07 FJR and am ready for my first ever "Big Trip". I'm going from Rochester NY to Cleveland OH on 8/3 and back home on 8/5. It's only 365 miles one way - but that's Huge compared to my 20-50 mile afternoon outings.
I do have a Shad sh46 topcase if I need it. And heres what I've got onboard now . . .

Slime Kit with mini compressor under the seat and tire pressure guage.

3-4 Bottles of water.

1st aid kit.

Extra helmet sheild (clear for night riding)

Extra gloves

Waterproof liners for my pants & jacket in case it rains

Ram mount for my TomTom

IPod

The only mods I've made are a V-Stream sheild, and grip puppies. Still waiting on my delrin sliders from Skyway.

Any thoughts on what I should have on board? I know it sounds like a noob question - but I'd rather not learn the hard way.

Thanks

Big trip, eh? Of course, everything is relative, but I can strongly recommend Long Distance Comfort shorts LDCOMFORT. My last ride was 11,700 miles and no monkey butt. I also used generous amounts of Gold Bond Medicated powder. SOKz are real nice, especially the ones with the silver stuff inside. Google SOKz for website. This stuff is on the pricey side, as is the synthetic underwear. You can use 100% polyester tee shirts with good results. Underarmor and other high end underwear probably works better, but is 2 or 3 times the price. Mesh riding suits are very good for keeping comfortable. The best mesh riding suit out there (IMHO) is the CyclePort Ultra Mesh Kevlar riding suit MOTOPORT It's an all weather riding suit and from what I've read, best thing you can have on if you are asphalt surfing h34r:

I forgot to bring a thermos on my recent adventure, but riding mostly tank to tank, it was a nice break to go into the station a get a bottle of Gatoraid or just plain water.

Although I have 3 different roadside service plans, I don't really want to call on a wrecker and the biggest reason that one would be out of action would be tire failure, so I use RIDE-ON in my tires. It will usually keep a tire from going flat and many times the tire will be self repairing. Pull the offending nail out and ride the bike to the nearest source of air (I usually carry a small compressor on long trips, along with a good pressure gage, so I would be able to air up right then). I would avoid Green Slime like the plague and I surely would not depend on Fix-a-Flat.

Many riders swear by wet vests, especially when it gets really HOT! You can find a nice wet vest and SOKz at SOUND RIDER They are located around Bellingham WA I believe. I have purchased a few things from them and they have good internet service and prices. Also check out their E-zine. You can subscribe for free.

As for other things, big three are Money, C Cards, and cell phone. Inform your CC companies that you are taking an extended trip on a motorcycle or you may find that they have cut you off for security reasons. If you forget something, never fear, as there is usually a Wally Mart nearby.

 

[VanHarlan]

BVAIL - Hey Thanks for the info and especially the links - that's great stuff. Yeah, I know not a HUGE trip compared to some I've read about - but it's a start and the priamary reason I picked up the FJR and got rid of my crusier. My next trip this fall will be to Vermont/New Hampshire/ and hopefull Maine. I thought the trip to Cleveland would be a good "test run" before taking off on a 1500 mile jaunt. Thanks again Bro!

 

[onlyblue]

The FJR is my 3rd bike. My previous two have been cruisers which I've always stuck close to home with. I now have about 2,200 miles racked up on my '07 FJR and am ready for my first ever "Big Trip". I'm going from Rochester NY to Cleveland OH on 8/3 and back home on 8/5. It's only 365 miles one way - but that's Huge compared to my 20-50 mile afternoon outings.
I do have a Shad sh46 topcase if I need it. And heres what I've got onboard now . . .

Slime Kit with mini compressor under the seat and tire pressure guage.

3-4 Bottles of water.

1st aid kit.

Extra helmet sheild (clear for night riding)

Extra gloves

Waterproof liners for my pants & jacket in case it rains

Ram mount for my TomTom

IPod

The only mods I've made are a V-Stream sheild, and grip puppies. Still waiting on my delrin sliders from Skyway.

Any thoughts on what I should have on board? I know it sounds like a noob question - but I'd rather not learn the hard way.

Thanks

Aspirin or some other over the counter pain killer. I've made some longish rides over the years. But my more recent one was a single day 570 mile ride from Memphis to the other side of Oklahoma city. I made 3 short stops for fuel/stretch and at the first and third stops I took two 300mg. aspirins. It made a world of difference.

 

[S76]

I have learned you can totally support life with convenience stores. If a convenience store doesn't have it you can proboably do without. Did anyone mention some type of visor cleaner spray and a soft rag or micro fibre cloth? You will need that more often than most things.

I personaly wouldn't carry 3 bottles of water. Carry one for emergencies and buy COLD ones in the convenience store or gas station.

Have fun.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Tape a picture of odot on his scoot to your mirror. Screw thirst or anything else, you won't stop till the tanks empty or your bladder bursts :lol:

:jester:

 

[joeR6]

Vicegrips and/or crescent wrench.

If you are going to have any mechanical trouble it'd most likely be a flat tire so a tire kit and compressor would be a good idea. Everything else that was mentioned previously I would take as well - shit happens every day and you never know when its going to happen to you!

Have fun on your ride - remember to move around and stretch once in a while.

 

[Bull]

good luck on your ride VH!

I like to have some candies or mints closeby in the tank bag - partially unwrapped so getting them from bag to mouth is easy. I also like to have an audio book (as well as music) for longer rides. Gunny on the disposable ear plugs too.

and ..... ATGATT!

 

[RonBB]

I have learned you can totally support life with convenience stores.

I would add Wal-Mart to that. You can buy underwear, socks, etc cheaper than you can get clothes washed at many motels/hotels & also save wasting time at the laundry. I have been known to wear/take the older stuff & pitch it as it gets used. Then replace as necessary-saves space & I've read that others sometimes do this. Ride safe & have fun.

 

[DRHall]

I have learned you can totally support life with convenience stores.

I would add Wal-Mart to that. You can buy underwear, socks, etc cheaper than you can get clothes washed at many motels/hotels & also save wasting time at the laundry. I have been known to wear/take the older stuff & pitch it as it gets used. Then replace as necessary-saves space & I've read that others sometimes do this. Ride safe & have fun.

I agree with this too.

I just got back from a 4k mile ride on my FJR. I took a long time, and didn't have many big mile days ( a couple 500+ miles). Even so, I found what these guys are saying to be true. I have a Russel seat and was glad of it on the long sections, not so much in the twisties, it's not made for hanging off!

Gold Bond powder is a must! I carried a couple bottles of water, but it was really nice to stop for gas, get off the bike and grab a cold drink.

Some way to rest the right hand is priceless. I have an audiovox CC, but your throttle rocker will work too.

The voices in my head are intertaining, but it is nice to drown them out with some tunes at times. Make sure you have in-the-ear head phones you are comfortable with if you go this route. Those type of phones also reduce wind noise.

The rain thing: I rode a lot in rain the last 4 days or so. I have a Joe Rocket mesh jacket with rain liner. It works well, but that sytem has some issues. If you wear your liner under a mesh jacket in rain the jacket stays wet for quite a while. Most (mine anyway) liners don't breathe and you want to get them off ASAP. A wet jacket can be less than comfortable after you take off the liner. I used a set of Frogg Togg rain gear, and highly recommend it. They breathe but don't let an appreciable amount of mousture through even in heavy rain (yeah I checked!). It is nice to through them on over your protective gear and not have it get wet. Make sure you buy F Ts big enough to fit over your jacket and pants.

Good, water proof, comfortable boots and gloves are on my list now. I made do with wet mesh gloves, and boot covers that only sort of worked, at times.

Have fun! You will love the roads in NH and VT when you make that trip!

 

[VanHarlan]

Well, I'm making my cargo list - my Skyway sliders showed up today and I installed my VistaCruise last night (I've yet to test it out because it rained today). I also got my Ram mount put on and verified that my TomTom One works in the cradle - the screen angle isn't so hot, but I shouldn't have to use it until the last 20-30 miles of the trip into Cleveland. When I get back I'll probably address the angle issue.

Once I get my cargo together I will decide wehter to use my SHAD 46 topcase, or if it's possible to get by with just my Nelson Rigs tailbag (Ilike the looks and aerodynamics of the tailbag a little better than the topcase)

If you can believe a 10 day out weather forecast it looks like I'll be rigding high & dry (but I'll have my rain gear stowed onboard just in case).

I've got my route mapped iout and Googled pictures of the different roads and highways to get some idea of the terrain and looks of the road.

I'm really getting jazzed up about my first "big" ride - ine thing that would make it HUGE would be another FJR to tandem up with.

 

[RonBB]

but I'll have my rain gear stowed

Be sure to stow it in an easy to get to place, along with other things you are likely to need on the road. Best of luck.

 

[Kevin Daly]

Its true that you can live at mini marts and gas stations but you know what I hate takin a break to eat there, makes me feel like i am in a hurry; so i pack food. little bit of fruit, some snack/protein bars a thermous of coffee if it cold some gatorade if hot. If you freeze a 24 Oz gatorade and wrap it in a towel ( i carry a hand towel in case i need to do some work anyway). it will stay frozen all the first day. man its great when you out in the boonies, its 90 degrees and you are the only one with an ice cold drink!

Oh and PS, if you going to get all the stuff ppl suggest, better get yourself a trailer to pack it in