[Penthis]

I am starting to plan out one of my life-to-do's (infamous bucket list) which is to take the next 3-4 months to travel from Vancouver, BC down through the West coast of the US, across the souther states and up the East coast, see the Maritimes and then back across the top of Canada. I have my trusty 04 Goldwing prepped and ready and now is the time to plan the trip.

For those of you whom might have done such deeds, I would be very appreciative of any and all advice (big or small) that should be considered.

Jim
White Rock, BC

 

[Matt]

Awsome

All I can say is man do I ENVY you! sounds like a heck of a trip. That's on my bucket list as well, but quite a few years away I'm afraid. fossil92 is going on a long trip this summer maybe you guys can compare notes. Good luck

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

Take what you will need for riding (air compressor, tire repair kit, rain gear, jackets, sweatshirt, etc) and less of other clothing. (there is always a Walmart somewhere). Stuff to stay in touch (cell phone, laptop, GPS). Cash/credit cards and a camera for memories.

 

[Penthis]

Take what you will need for riding (air compressor, tire repair kit, rain gear, jackets, sweatshirt, etc) and less of other clothing. (there is always a Walmart somewhere). Stuff to stay in touch (cell phone, laptop, GPS). Cash/credit cards and a camera for memories.

Thanks TWW. So start to make the preverable list with:

Things for the bike:

Full tool kit (don't like the additional weight but there is always something that needs tightening.
Air Compressor (always carry one)
Tire Repair kit (never used one - will check out)
GPS (have one in the car - rarely used it, recommendations on models?)
What about some sort of tire pressure monitor. Any thoughts on those?

Things for the me:

Rain gear (have a full Rocket outfit for the winters here, possibly a light one for southern portion?).
Cell phone - have one. Look into a plan to cover off calls from stateside.
laptop - have an older Toshisba Satelite (kinda big)
Camera - have a Panasonic HD that mounts (RAM mount) on the bars for video and Nikon D200 with all the lenses for those stills (also kinda big to take) and a Lumix LX3 which is perfect (almost pocket size).

Questions about camping. I hope and prefer to camp and currently have a 6 man tent - should replace for pup? Sleeping bag good to -20'C. What about cooking paraphenalia. All my camping forays on the bike has been with a partner and I carried all the gear and she carried her cloths and shoes and makeup and ... .

Budgeting? My time will be my own and no destination is written in stone so I am hoping for lotsa of side tracks, distractions and layups.

I expect to cover an average of 2-4 hundrend miles a day. I love my long trips and have done many hard ass trips with 1200klm in 15hours (stops for gas and food included) being my most memorable late last year. At about $25 per fill up (Cdn) , and worst case 4-5 fillups a day, a gas budget of $100 a day should cover this aspect.

Food, (l love to eat), at $30-50 with the frequent stop for a bottle of wine for the end of a days ride celebration.

Accomodations: I thinking every 2nd or 4th day to grab a motel for the prerequisite serious clean up, catch my bearings and take time to put some memories down on the keyboard (or paper). Recharge the battery so to speak. Budget $50-100 per effort.

Thoughts on trailering. I was to the motorcyle show in Abbotsford, BC this winter and saw a great trailer that turned into a full size pop-up tent trailer. I have never tried towing anything behind the bike and sensitive to cross winds (don't like them - never have). Storage would be great but .... thoughts on these?

Jim

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

If you traveling alone (1 up) then you have the seat behind you for some storage items, like the camping stuff. If you don't have to take a trailer your mileage will be better. If you take a trailer you will find stuff to fill it that's for sure.

Small camera's are pretty cheap and if you get a large SD card you can take video and a lot of stills. You can then download to a harddrive on laptop and clear the card and use again. Kodak and Cannon make some nice cameras with a reasonable price.

GPS units like Garmin Nuvi and Tom Tom work on the M/C. You need to get a Ram mount for them and a plastic bag will keep them dry in case of rain. I have a Garmin Nuvi 680 I bought refurbed off of eBay. Mine has a lot of bells but you only need a basic unit like a 255W or something like that.

Rain gear, I have Frogg Toggs that fold up into a small bag and do a good job in most rain storms. If you want to cover the bike at night, get a half cover like Tour King. A full cover takes up too much room.

 

[fossil92]

Penthis, Actually all the things you guys have talked about fall into the scheme. I'm planning a month long trip with the little lady as Matt said. I have a list of things I've put together. I'll Private message you with it when I get a chance. We're going opposite direction of you heading South 1st then across the top.

 

[Carl334]

Trip resource

http://www.motorcycle-touring-made-easy.com/index.html

 

[oldsmores]

Thanks TWW. So start to make the preverable list with:

Things for the bike:
...
GPS (have one in the car - rarely used it, recommendations on models?)
What about some sort of tire pressure monitor. Any thoughts on those?

Things for the me:
...
Cell phone - have one. Look into a plan to cover off calls from stateside.
laptop - have an older Toshisba Satelite (kinda big)
...

Questions about camping. I hope and prefer to camp and currently have a 6 man tent - should replace for pup? Sleeping bag good to -20'C. ...
Jim

Consider an iPhone or Blackberry or droid in place of the cell phone/GPS/laptop. It won't do everything as well as all three boxes, but will do enough in a much smaller space, plus you'll only need one power supply.
6 man tent is way overkill. Get a decent 2 man tent and you'll have plenty of room in a much smaller package. The sleeping bag may also be overkill, especially once you get south a bit.

 

[The Red Zepplin]

Rain Suit

I agree with the suggestion of a Frogg Toggs rainsuit. I bought one last fall and it was one of the best purchases I have made. So far, it is the only rainsuit I have had that will keep me totally dry during a Penn State football game and also on the road.

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

Make sure you take lots of pics/video and post it for all of us to enjoy. Ride safe and have a great trip..

 

[Chopin]

Preparation -H.

 

[Matt]

Preparation -H.

He's baaaack

 

[BladeRunner]

One other issue you may consider; It sounds like you will have the trip of a lifetime...GREAT,
I hope it's all that it can be. Oh ya, that one other thing, plan out where and when you will need to replace the rear tire!

With a fully loaded bike the tire won't probably go beyond 5~6K km; It sounds like this trip might be pushing into that kind of mileage.

It might be a good idea to find dealers/shops along the route so you know approximately where you will get that done and what the cost will be. Ride safe, have a BLAST!
I'm in Ontario and was in BC a l-o-n-g time ago, have always wanted to ride out there....maybe soon...

 

[Taco Bender]

Toilet paper...

 

[billcarr_]

Rain Gear ... its hard to beat Frogg Toggs and don't forget to cover your footware in the rain. Don't kill yourself staring at a GPS. Have a great ride! Excellent cycle museum in Birmingham, Ala. and see Warners American Art Museum in Tuscalossa, Ala. Dali Art Museum in Tampa / St Petes.

 

[Carl334]

I'm planning my first long trip for this summer, and here is the number one tip I've found: Put stuff in clear bags or clear boxes so you can see what is inside them.

 

[Chopin]

Roll your packed pants and shirts up like a newspaper and rubber band them. Pack them in there like egg rolls.