California bound on an FJR1300 in April | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

California bound on an FJR1300 in April

djez said:
I ran heated jacket, pants gloves on a cbr125, just remember to turn your heated gears off 5-10 mins before stopping. A lithium car-booster battery pack is a good insurance.
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That's an excellent idea Djez. I will have to remember to do that so that I give the alternator a chance to recharge the battery before I shut it down for the night. I plan to do a load test on the charging system this weekend to find out exactly how much of a draw my accessories are on my system. Btw, I road out to Dual Sport Plus today and found a connector even better than the one I was seeking. It is a Bmw plug to micro usb cord. This eliminates the need for an automotive 12v socket. What's more, the micro usb end can be used to charge my phone or tablet. It's a win, win, situation. The only down side is that it didn't come cheap. The Canadian distributor for "Powerlet adapter cords" was at their open house and he spent a lot of time with me. I told him he needs a better distributon network as product is hard to find. He said there is a store in Toronto called "Radio World" on Steeles ave. that sells his products. Any ways, I am a happy camper now that I have found my elusive cord. It's all good.
 
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Yeah that's a great idea and they are small and light - I have a lithium in my KLR and it's like 1/5 of the weight and tiny and a 3 year warranty ( also 3x the price )

You best bet is to carry a trickle charger to top up if you can and running a few minutes will not do that.
But then you have to deal with an extension cable.
The Lithium booster seems ideal solution

Radio World is a place NOT to go to with your credit cards. :D

WHen are you leaving?

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You won't regret getting "better than Chinese knockoff" gear. USB can be very fussy. Every time I use one of the cheap cables my iPhone gets stupid about charging....or I use one of the small USB / 12 volt inserts and it won't charge it..... ( the Burgman has the stupidest location for the power outlet ever - requires the low profile adapters :(

h142USB12-f_mt2.jpeg
 
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Did a load test on the battery today. Turned the heated grips, and jacket liner on max and turned on GPS. Bike was generating 14 volts while running and 12.8 with engine shut off. When I applied a maximum load bike only generated 12.8 while running. That is not good. I then turned the heated grips and Jacket to 75% and bike produced 13.3 while running. The latter number is acceptable. I turned on only the GPS with bike running and system was unfazed with an output of 14 volts. The heated grips and jacket are the bad boys. I will try to run these at 50% to be on the safe side and it should all be fine. I am bringing my trickle charger and cord any ways for back up. I know my jacket draws 70 watts. I think those grips must draw 50w at max, leaving virtually no margin for error.

Took the FJR for a ride today to familiarize my self with it. I new it would be fast and comfortable, however I did not expect it to handle better than my Bandit 1200 despite a 100 pound handicap. The bike's fuel injection is so seamless with no low speed surging at all. The over sized windshield is but ugly but I think I'll appreciate it on a long trip. I'm sure I'l grow to like it even more once I rack up some miles and become familiar with it. I am planning on leaving either Wed or Thursday, depending on weather and my schedule. I'm looking at long term forcast and hoping I can hit a nice high pressure zone as I make my way south west towards my destination. I'm also comtemplating adding Vancouver and Alberta if I am up to it and weather is good. Time is not a problem.
 
Got your earplugs/earphones?
I always tend to lose my earplugs and always take a spare set of earphones and lots of earphone tips.
Really tiring if that noise is not damped.

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Got offline maps?
 
MacDoc said:
Got your earplugs/earphones?
I always tend to lose my earplugs and always take a spare set of earphones and lots of earphone tips.
Really tiring if that noise is not damped.

••

Got offline maps?
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Thanks for the reminders. This time I have it all covered. Bike is already packed.

I am leaving Wednesday morning.

Adios for now!
 
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Thanks to every one for their help. I am in Arkansas now.
 
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MacDoc said:
Looks like you got decent weather....where's the pics? :D
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Weather has been glorious since Charleston WV. However, I rode for three hours in heavy rain crossing Texas today. Sun is shiny now though. I am enjoying a cold one outside my motel room as I write this. I am in a town called Eastland (about a hundred miles west of Dallas). I expect to hit that heat wave that has enveloped the south west by tomorrow afternoon. Elpaso is 450 miles west of here. BTW, I have noticed that there seem to be more pick-up trucks than cars here in Texas.
 
Pics or it didn't happen.

:)
 
Rain and some hail here in Michigan . I second the motion - We need Pics!!!!
 
I am trying to figure out how to post pics from Photo Bucket to Tapatalk from my tablet. Just woke up to cooler temps today. If its only reaching 16 here it will probably be 5 in Toronto today.

Sent from my A1-810 using Tapatalk
 
Actually they're calling for a high of 18c. Changing to freezing rain tonight, with snow in the am. Wonder if I can ride the bike if I get called in to plow/salt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Carmen said:
I am trying to figure out how to post pics from Photo Bucket to Tapatalk from my tablet. Just woke up to cooler temps today. If its only reaching 16 here it will probably be 5 in Toronto today.

Sent from my A1-810 using Tapatalk
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That's why heated gear is a tourer's best friend :) Even when I went to Arizona in June a few years back, most mornings I at least started off with heat on for gloves, if nothing else - then down to the mesh jacket by the afternoons.

Posting pictures from the road is a pain. You would think travelling solo it would be a good way to pass the evenings, but I found most evenings I was just too beat - really only wanted to chill, not try to figure out how to paste this url there, etc. etc. Look forward to seeing the pictures when you get around to it!
 
Amen to that Beastie Girl. I don't want to stress over posting picks. I am west Abilene Texas now and the cold wind is blowing my bike all over the road.
 
Carmen all I need is a link to your Photobucket
I can post up whatever you want in this thread. Trying to post from a tablet is a pain.
Let me know if that's useful or we can wait.
I find it's useful at least to get text in while it's fresh.
Stay safe, new bike n'all.
Any issues at all with gear?
 
Photobucket is not my favourite because when I click on a pic it tears me out of the app and to a webpage in the browser. I like inline posting of images better. I've been using Dropbox for my own, but I know how to do it.
 
Hi guys. I'm sorry for my stupidity regarding posting pics, however I can update you via text. I am in Phoenix Arizona tonight. Weather is 33 degrees and sunny. These people don't have a clue how good they have it. Tomorrow I ride to beautiful Palm Springs California. The new bike is not a problem. She is rock solid and very user friendly. I highly recommend the FJR1300. She is a dream bike for me. Bike has performed flawlessly. My heated grips and heated jacket are great. However, my rain suit jacket was ripped to shreds by high winds while riding through Dallas area. I visited a Harley dealer in Las Cruces New Mexico but all they had was official Harley gear at inflated prices. Rain is not a concern here in the South West but I will have to find a new rain jacket in the near future.
 
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