Transcontinental ride (July 1, 2011)

[Vlad]

I am planning to do a trip down south into the mountains next year not sure when and don't care where as long as it's on my bike.

That's the right attitude. Pick a direction and go - destination is the trip itself.

I would like to ask if I may. How much do you think the trip cost you? Even if you just want to ball park it no problem. If you would rather not answer that's ok too I understand.

Believe it or not, I never did a tally of how much I spent. I've had some unexpected and relatively big expenses and the regular expenses varied greatly. For example, I slept and ate for free for about a week or so, but also spent $190 for a night stay in Death Valley (no breakfast, but an awesome air conditioned bungalow and outdoor pool) and had a $40 meal here and there. I think about $100 per day on average would be realistic, not including gas or any other bike maintenance. It can be more or less than that, depending primarily on how much time and comfort you want or are willing to sacrifice.

Thanks for the story pics and videos.

You are welcome. Thank you for looking and commenting

 

[bluerider]

That's the right attitude. Pick a direction and go - destination is the trip itself.



Believe it or not, I never did a tally of how much I spent. I've had some unexpected and relatively big expenses and the regular expenses varied greatly. For example, I slept and ate for free for about a week or so, but also spent $190 for a night stay in Death Valley (no breakfast, but an awesome air conditioned bungalow and outdoor pool) and had a $40 meal here and there. I think about $100 per day on average would be realistic, not including gas or any other bike maintenance. It can be more or less than that, depending primarily on how much time and comfort you want or are willing to sacrifice.



You are welcome. Thank you for looking and commenting

Ok thats about what i was exspecting $100 a day with out gas and repairs.

When I do go it will be my first trip and not sure how it will go or how much I will pack on my 2003 R6 SS. I am mocking up a top box for it over the winter and I am looking at some soft side bags. Knowing what you just went through would you pack all the same things again or would you change what you took along?

Again you did a great job, made the work day go by a lot faster thinking about where I could go and end up.

Thanks

 

[Vlad]

Knowing what you just went through would you pack all the same things again or would you change what you took along?

I wouldn't change much, but here it is off the top of my head:

- I would probably skip all the camping gear. Setting up camp at sundown and breaking it in the morning is not for me if I want to enjoy a good long day of riding. Camping and riding can be mixed very well, but only if I set up base somewhere for a few days and ride in the area. It's just my preference, of course.

- There were a few pieces of clothing I didn't use for the entire trip, so they'd be gone next time. Shoes are a pain to pack, so I'll pick them more carefully. Also, a pair of jeans to replace my Carhartts at the end of the day are enough - no need for another pair. Shorts that can serve as swimwear.

- I didn't bring any underwear or t shirts made of cotton and that was a good decision. CoolMax, microfiber and other fine artificial materials rule. They wick moisture well, are very comfortable and warm in colder weather, dry fast and are easy to wash. No leather except for boots and gloves.

- Speaking of gloves, gauntlets are a pain to take off and put on when they are sweaty. I ended up wearing my short gloves the entire trip. I always tighten the Velcro on my jacket sleeves well, so I consider it an acceptable safety tradeoff.

- I'd upgrade my tool kit a little. I was more than well equipped, but still ended up having to buy a couple of wrenches.

- I'll definitely come better equipped for recording next time. Bike or helmet mounted photo camera with GPS and a remote trigger is a must. A way to do voice recording while riding is next. I missed so many beautiful vistas and forgot too many interesting events. Descriptions I was coming up with while riding beat anything I wrote by memory and after the fact.

- I'll plan a little better. Not too extensively, but just to make sure I don't pass by something interesting because I didn't know it was there. A small-ish laptop with info on good motorcycle roads, places to stay, etc.

- I was fine with Sena communicator and Verizon prepaid phone, but there's room for improvement there.

- I'll pay more attention to chain maintenance. Or buy a shaft drive bike .

- Maybe upgrade my tank bag. It proved he most important of all luggage I had because it is most versatile. It held my hydration pack, snacks and visor cleaning microfiber sponge among other things. I'd like one that's easier to put on/off and move when putting gas in, but the one I have did a very good job.

Since you'll be riding solo on an SS maybe you can consider something like a waterproof gym/hockey bag to stretch over your rear seat. Tank bag is very important too. I'd forget about backpacks - too clumsy to put on/off all the time. Soft side bags are OK, but make sure they are mounted securely. Most of all, make sure you can take a long ride on a bike that's not really designed for sport touring or shorten your days accordingly.

 

[bluerider]

I wouldn't change much, but here it is off the top of my head:

- I would probably skip all the camping gear. Setting up camp at sundown and breaking it in the morning is not for me if I want to enjoy a good long day of riding. Camping and riding can be mixed very well, but only if I set up base somewhere for a few days and ride in the area. It's just my preference, of course.

- There were a few pieces of clothing I didn't use for the entire trip, so they'd be gone next time. Shoes are a pain to pack, so I'll pick them more carefully. Also, a pair of jeans to replace my Carhartts at the end of the day are enough - no need for another pair. Shorts that can serve as swimwear.

- I didn't bring any underwear or t shirts made of cotton and that was a good decision. CoolMax, microfiber and other fine artificial materials rule. They wick moisture well, are very comfortable and warm in colder weather, dry fast and are easy to wash. No leather except for boots and gloves.

- Speaking of gloves, gauntlets are a pain to take off and put on when they are sweaty. I ended up wearing my short gloves the entire trip. I always tighten the Velcro on my jacket sleeves well, so I consider it an acceptable safety tradeoff.

- I'd upgrade my tool kit a little. I was more than well equipped, but still ended up having to buy a couple of wrenches.

- I'll definitely come better equipped for recording next time. Bike or helmet mounted photo camera with GPS and a remote trigger is a must. A way to do voice recording while riding is next. I missed so many beautiful vistas and forgot too many interesting events. Descriptions I was coming up with while riding beat anything I wrote by memory and after the fact.

- I'll plan a little better. Not too extensively, but just to make sure I don't pass by something interesting because I didn't know it was there. A small-ish laptop with info on good motorcycle roads, places to stay, etc.

- I was fine with Sena communicator and Verizon prepaid phone, but there's room for improvement there.

- I'll pay more attention to chain maintenance. Or buy a shaft drive bike .

- Maybe upgrade my tank bag. It proved he most important of all luggage I had because it is most versatile. It held my hydration pack, snacks and visor cleaning microfiber sponge among other things. I'd like one that's easier to put on/off and move when putting gas in, but the one I have did a very good job.

Since you'll be riding solo on an SS maybe you can consider something like a waterproof gym/hockey bag to stretch over your rear seat. Tank bag is very important too. I'd forget about backpacks - too clumsy to put on/off all the time. Soft side bags are OK, but make sure they are mounted securely. Most of all, make sure you can take a long ride on a bike that's not really designed for sport touring or shorten your days accordingly.

Thank you for for the your thoughts on packing. I am buying a top box like a Givi box and will be carrying most of my stuff in there, I am surely getiign a tank bag and then I will throw some stuff in the bags and go for a 6 or 7 hour tour just to see how things stay on the bike and see how I feel after a long ride on the SS. My biggest concern being my wrist, thats a long time on the throtle. How did your wrist feel after the long treks?

 

[Vlad]

Thank you for for the your thoughts on packing. I am buying a top box like a Givi box and will be carrying most of my stuff in there...

Hard top box rules for it's waterproofing and easy access (you don't have to take it off or spill half of it's contents every time you open it). BTW, ignore those that are concerned about raising the center of gravity or increasing drag - they have no clue and you won't be riding it on the track. Beware of one thing though - once you get used to the convenience and extra space it will be hard to take it off. My top case dismounts only when I wash the bike.

Side cases/bags are for big and heavy items only, stuff you won't need until you stop for the night. Hard ones double as an extra set of crash bars

My biggest concern being my wrist, thats a long time on the throtle. How did your wrist feel after the long treks?

My bike is pretty heavily modded towards better riding position and comfort, so there was not much strain on my wrists. I had a little pain between my shoulder blades, mostly due from pulling the heavily loaded bike on the center stand a few times a day, but that was taken care of with some warming cream every night. Other than that, no joint or muscle pain whatsoever - even my but didn't get sore much. Your mileage will wary and you won't know what you can take until you try it. If someone told me that I can take a 12 hour 1,000+Km ride in 45 degree heat with stopping only for gas and without the helmet I would say no way . The big part of the fun is exploring your limits and learning how to listen to your body. I learned to take 15 minute power naps when I get sleepy from the heat. They did wonders to my endurance.

Speaking of mods, I have 1" up and 1" back handlebar riser, Corbin seat and throttle rocker. I could do with a better handlebar, but the seat is unbeatable.

 

[bluerider]

Hard top box rules for it's waterproofing and easy access (you don't have to take it off or spill half of it's contents every time you open it). BTW, ignore those that are concerned about raising the center of gravity or increasing drag - they have no clue and you won't be riding it on the track. Beware of one thing though - once you get used to the convenience and extra space it will be hard to take it off. My top case dismounts only when I wash the bike.


Side cases/bags are for big and heavy items only, stuff you won't need until you stop for the night. Hard ones double as an extra set of crash bars


My bike is pretty heavily modded towards better riding position and comfort, so there was not much strain on my wrists. I had a little pain between my shoulder blades, mostly due from pulling the heavily loaded bike on the center stand a few times a day, but that was taken care of with some warming cream every night. Other than that, no joint or muscle pain whatsoever - even my but didn't get sore much. Your mileage will wary and you won't know what you can take until you try it. If someone told me that I can take a 12 hour 1,000+Km ride in 45 degree heat with stopping only for gas and without the helmet I would say no way . The big part of the fun is exploring your limits and learning how to listen to your body. I learned to take 15 minute power naps when I get sleepy from the heat. They did wonders to my endurance.

Speaking of mods, I have 1" up and 1" back handlebar riser, Corbin seat and throttle rocker. I could do with a better handlebar, but the seat is unbeatable.

I will be getting an extra rear seat and will be mounting the top box on there. I have worked in maintenace for a pretty much my whole life so I am pretty handy when it comes to mounting stuff or fabricating a mounting system.

I was thinking of hard bags as well for sidecases but for now can't really justify the cost. If i could get a decently priced pair I would consider it, but I think I can do with out for now.

I hear a lot of people talking about seats, what did you do to yours?


Yes I think the naps are a great idea. Fatigue can do some really weird stuff to ones mind.
Were you not worried about something happening when you were having one of your naps? Any scarey or uneasy encounters with people?

 

[valter071]

Great ride Vlad.I hope so I will do something similar one day.Thank you for lots of nice pictures and info about your trip.All the best ...

 

[Vlad]

I was thinking of hard bags as well for sidecases but for now can't really justify the cost. If i could get a decently priced pair I would consider it, but I think I can do with out for now.

They are unjustifiably pricey, IMO. However, if you keep your eye on the adds over the winter you may get lucky like I did. Also, since you can fabricate your own mounts maybe you can consider non bike specific cases, like Pelican for example. Believe it or not, I've even seen people use toilet reservoirs and they looked good too.

I hear a lot of people talking about seats, what did you do to yours?

Nothing. I bought a barely used Corbin on the cheap. I don't think modifying stock seat can yield good results, but other people have done it. Good aftermarket seats are damn expensive new and stock seats are easy to source, so playing with memory foam or gel may not be such a bad idea. If cheap, easy and effective solution is needed I always suggest sheepskin or beads. Sheepskin is great in any weather except heavy rain and many serious long distance riders use beads. The only down side of both is that they raise the seat height a little.

Were you not worried about something happening when you were having one of your naps? Any scarey or uneasy encounters with people?

No. I encountered only one unpleasant person on this trip and that one couldn't do me any harm if he was armed with a howitzer . Everyone else I met was very pleasant and helpful. I remember the cop who waved at me in Taos N.M. (I was briefly stopped in a no-stopping-or-parking, yellow line checkered zone, but I guess he saw my license plate...). I never even had a feeling that I may get mugged or harmed in any way. I usually took my naps in highway rest areas and even had my earplugs in a couple of times where it was noisy. Really, my personal safety or the safety of my possessions (including the bike parked outside at night) was never a concern. I don't ride a HarDley, after all .

Great ride Vlad.I hope so I will do something similar one day.Thank you for lots of nice picures and info about your trip.All the best ...

You are welcome Valter, thank you for reading. You'll do what you dream of sooner than you think.

 

[djez]

I used the gel seat foam from canadian tire that i bought for 9 bucks. It worked for me, I just strap it over the seat and it did add comfort to all day riding. Other option is sheep skin, beads. There are some neat bullet container ( plastic and metal) that i found in Le Baron that can be mounted as side cases for cheap.

 

[Vlad]

One more thing, where did you find that nifty Bios thermometer?

Saw a few yesterday at Dufferin Mall Wal-Mart (automotive section), $8 a pop. Exactly the same as the one I used on this trip (quite a bit more durable than the CT sourced units I had before).