Long trips

[Biker]

Don't think we've touched on this before, so here's a small list of things I ALWAYS carry. Not too critical for short jaunts, but an absolute MUST if you're going to hit the open road for any length of time.

1. Small tool kit. The kit should contain, as a minimum, screwdrivers, wrenches, hammer, chain breaker (if you have a chain), hex keys, tire breaker, tire plugs, pocket knife and tire gauge.

2. Spark plugs. Nothing worse than being in the middle of no where and fouling a plug. Not so critical with the newer bikes, but they're still an awfully handy item to have. Hard to replace when you're 120 miles from the nearest dealership!

3. Air compressor. This is a MUST HAVE ITEM! If you pick up a nail, how do you put air in your tire after you've patched it? If you have a dresser, most likely you have a cigarette lighter on it. Otherwise, many compressors have clips to attach directly to the battery.

4. A couple of old rags and some baby wipes.

Now, before you look at the list and say "Where the hell am I going to put this stuff??!!", the tool kit is not that large. In fact, the air compressor will be larger than your tool kit. Took kit can fit in a bike pouch that attaches to fairing or frame. Besides, if you're gonna be on the road like that, saddle bags are a must and the above list takes up very little room in 'em.

I've broken down in the middle of nowhere before. It ain't fun. Plan ahead. But always remember, even with the best plans, doo-doo still happens.

[MNeedham73]

Good tips, Tom. I already carry rags, tire gauge, and some tools that aren't in the weak kit that came with the bike. Also have a bike cover, the clear visor for my helmet, should I need it, and two other pairs of gloves to go along with the ones I normally wear.

Still need to pick up some rain gear though. That is the highest item on my priority list right now.

[Biker]

Forgot one.. Vice Grips!!! Can substitute as a brake pedal, shifter, etc. should the unthinkable happen.

[ethics]

I ride with a tire gauge all the time. Tools are under the seat. Rags, wipes, check. I don't think I need a spark plug yet.

[Biker]

I've had new plugs foul on a trip... They don't take up space and if you need one, it doesn't do you any good when the dealership is 2 hours away.

[ethics]

Dude, I am so out of the mechanics that even if I did need one, I wouldn't know it. I presume you need it for starting the bike?

[Biker]

:rofl: Yeah, you could say that. It's what provides the spark into the cylinder. They're easy to replace...

[tke711]

Tom...I can't believe you left off turn signal fluid and muffler bearings from Leon's list. He should definitely carry those as well! :)

[Brazbit]

1. Small tool kit. - As long as you have even minimal mechanical ability this is a no brainer. In my expierience many bikes have rudimentary kits built in that have everything you should need. These are often under the seat or somewhere else unexpected, RTFM and find yours. Of course the built in kits are primitive so if you have room they should always be suplimented with proper tools but it is nice to know where they are if needed.

2. Spark plugs. - As you have said they take hardly any space so keeping some around should not be an issue. Most of the toolkits have a plug extractor chances are you could stick a spare plug or two in the same storage space.

3. Air compressor. - I never carried one and my dad's bike had one built in. I did however have a tire gauge in my toolkit and a foot pump that worked better than a compressor for maintaining the air shocks on my bike. If you are carrying one for your tires be sure to have tire patches or you are just wasting space.

4. A couple of old rags and some baby wipes. - Grease happens.

5. Spare fuses, small spool of wire, and electrical tape. - Riding a Gold Wing mechanical issues were few and far between but electrical issues could be a real problem. The trailer was notorius for having issues and frankly it is annoying if the espresso maker stops working.

6. Communications - Back when this was a CB but now you can just toss a cell phone in your jacket pocket.

7. Rain Gear - if you have no storage on your bike get one of those ponchos that fold down and fit in your pocket, stuff it somewhere because sooner or later the powers that be will decide to open up the heavens when you are 100 miles from the nearest tree to hide under let alone a town or rest stop. Amazing how hard it can rain in the middle of a desert.

Don't forget all the normal guidelines apply as well as far as water, food, etc goes. On a bike you are fully exposed to the elements and often wearing leather to boot so keeping yourself hydrated is important. The onset of dehydration in a car is bad enough on a bike you have a lot more to go wrong. When we took ou 4000-4500 mile trip through the southwest our biggest expense was keeping ourselves hydrated.

Also be sure to take regular breaks. It is easy to get on a roll and ride until the tank is dry but after a few days of that even on the most comfortable of bike you can find you pull into a gas station and your leg has seized up and refuses to unbend to support the bike. Or you suddenly find you barely have the strength left to support the bike at a stop. Not to mention highway hypnosis.

One last thing, if your schedule has you getting up at 3am after only a couple hours of sleep don't let your passenger plug in their electric suit while having to navigat mountain roads. Fighting falling asleep due to the warmth on your back while going down a steep slope with switchbacks, rock walls on one side, couple hundred foot dropp off on the other is one of the more frightening things I have ever done.

[Brazbit]

Dude, I am so out of the mechanics that even if I did need one, I wouldn't know it. I presume you need it for starting the bike?This needs to be corrected before you leave sight of a town dude. I always kept the shop manual for my Wing in my trunk. Learning to work on your own bike is far more critical than learning to work on your own car. With a car you have a nice safe metal box to wait for a tow or to be discovered, on a bike you are totally exposed to the elements and to the wildlife. The ability to at least get the bike moving well enough to reach civilization again is vital. You don't have to be a master mechanic but the ability to make minor repairs I would consider vital to any trip that takes you off of well travled roads.

[ethics]

This needs to be corrected before you leave sight of a town dude.

Ok, how do I get started? Is the basic toolkit enough or should I expand a little? Hell, I don't even know where the hell the batter is. :)

[Brazbit]

Best place to start would be with the service manual for your bike. A good bike shop should be able to order that for you. Start small like changing your own oil. The shop manual will tell you exactly what tools you need for what task. Good ones will have a troubleshooting flowcart as well. There is probably a Dummies book that could help as well.

It might even be worth the time to take an introductory motorcycle or small engine repair course through a local community college. It is worth the effort in my book. You might even find you enjoy it. You strike me as the type of person who enjoys learning new things.





Hell, I don't even know where the hell the batter is. :)
The batter is the guy standing beside home plate (the five sided one) with the stick in his hand.

[Biker]

Go to your dealership and ask the mechanic to point out the more critical areas that you need to know about. Basic tool kit usually sucks.. Add a couple of wrenches that match the majority of the bolts on your bike. Set of allen keys is also a must. Good pair of pliers (needle nose and channel lock), as well as a crescent wrench.

[ethics]

Thanks guys... I was actually looking around for some courses on motorcycle repair. What kept me from them is that I may enjoy them too much. ;)

[BigDeputyDog]

Nothing wrong with enjoying working on your bike! I knew my 900 Kaw inside and out and if something major went wrong, I knew I wasn't going to get taken at a bike shop.

Also, since you ride with a group, nothing promotes friendship faster than lending a wrench (and a hand) to a fellow rider... ;)

BDD... :{)

[Kluge]

I would agree with bringing a Cell Phone and add Cash to the list. It's nice to be free to buy anything you might need if you can find a place that is selling it.

Things are different here where megalopolis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopolis_%28city_type%29) is a fact of life. If I were planning a trip I might want to bring a list of dealerships that sell my brand of bike. Things are also different when you're riding something new (mine is an 06, nearly new). I don't expect breakdowns and I haven't had any, although it is starting to miss a little at low speed/low throttle conditions.

One thing I'm trying to figure out is how to carry more gas. Zig-zagging across the Delaware river one night between NJ and PA I found there isn't much in the way of gas stations on the PA side, at least not where I was, and I really wanted to keep going west, it just would have been a crap-shoot. My range tops out at 160 miles per tank, maybe. I am hoping I can get a custom shop to make me a quiet 2-into-1 exhaust on the right, and a fake muffler on the left that is actually a portable gas can, (lockable). We'll see about that some day, maybe.

Just as an evolutionary process, in my small saddlebags I usually have:
1. spare beanie helmet.
2. one or more pairs of workman's gloves.
3. 10-speed type hand air pump, never used this one yet.
4. 8-way box wrenches, 1 metric & 1 standard, never used yet.
5. Wool hat (that means 'took', Swampy)
6. A good book, currently Roadside Geology of NY State
7. Air pressure gage.
8. mesh jacket liner
9. Interior & Exterior kinds of Rain-X. This stuff needs to be applied when it can dry, doesn't work if you apply it while it's raining. My 'exterior' dried out over the winter.
10. Multi-bit screwdriver with multi-bits. Works better than bike's tool kit screwdriver(s).
11. Small box of kleenex.
12. At least 4 medium length bungee cords with hooks on the ends. Mostly used for cargo.
13. Aluminum plate to keep kickstand from sinking into hot asphalt. At home I have a ceramic tile glued to the right place in my parking space.
14. Tiny 'leatherman' tool from sharper image. It's in there somewhere, at the bottom, not a great tool but has a knife blade, wirecutters, plier, small screwdrivers. Used to be my bike keychain ornament.

I think that covers it, and BTW, I have shaft drive, so no chain oil, etc.

[MNeedham73]

Just an FYI, Rain-X isn't good for polycarbonate/Lexan plastics (motorcycle windshields, visors, etc.)

[ethics]

Many are recommending its use though.

[Biker]

Just an FYI, Rain-X isn't good for polycarbonate/Lexan plastics (motorcycle windshields, visors, etc.)


There's Rain-X for plastics if I recall. Been ages since I bought the stuff. Always bought it at the bike dealership.

[MNeedham73]

*shrug* Harley specifically warns against using it on their windshields. That's good enough for me.

[MNeedham73]

There's Rain-X for plastics if I recall. Been ages since I bought the stuff. Always bought it at the bike dealership.

You might be right...but the regular stuff says "for glass only" I think.

Basically, you shouldn't use anything with ammonia or alcohol in it to clean windshields or visors.

[Biker]

Goes without saying.. Booze has no business on your plastics (alcohol abuse!), and ammonia is best left to making things go boom. :biggrin:

The "marine" Rain-X is safe for plastics IIRC.

[Brazbit]

Never bothered with Rain-X myself. You are not supposed to look through the windshield of a bike anyway, you look over it, even on a Tourer. I am also confused for the need of "interior" Rain-X as a motorcycle has no "interior" as both sides of the glass are exposed to the rain. :blank:

My dad used the stuff on his Wing's windshield when it was new. It turned Yellow after about three years and had to be replaced. It almost looked nicotine stained. Really nasty stuff.

[Biker]

There are times when you need to look through the windshield. Bee swarms, hail storms, etc. :haha:

[MNeedham73]

Or, as I ran through this morning, a huge swarm of gnats. My bike is a mess lol.

[Brazbit]

There are exceptions to every rule. That is why we have them.

[Biker]

Heh.. At least those buggers don't rock you off the back of your bike. But man, they sure leave a bitter, sour taste. :lol:

[MNeedham73]

But man, they sure leave a bitter, sour taste. :lol:

Wouldn't know, I wear a full-face helmet :)

[Biker]

And you call yourself a biker?? There are certain rights of passage that all riders must endure before they can truly join the ranks of the die hard rider. Ingestion of all sorts of flying critters is one. :rofl:

[MNeedham73]

*shrug* safety is the name of the game for me when I'm riding in morning/afternoon commute traffic :)

[ethics]

*shrug* safety is the name of the game for me when I'm riding in morning/afternoon commute traffic :)

Right on!

[Elspeth]

No you can still get hit with bugs in a full face, just ask Braz. Damm sticky bugs

[Kluge]

Recently I got a new face-shield for my full-face, $32.58 including our 8.x % sales tax.
I've put about 30K miles in this helmet and this is the 4th face shield so they last about 10K miles.
They don't get yellow or scratchy in general but seem to accumulate one or more big defects that annoy me too much as I commute towards the sunset/sunrise both ways. The defects are likely from pebbles, gravel, etc, but also from careless handling of the helmet while not wearing it, I think particurlarly when carrying it waist-high and squeezing past whatever gets in the way like a desk or chair. The Rain-X seems to improve optical clarity, and it does smell like the stuff used by my optometrists on my new (plastic) glasses when I get them.

I've been using Rain-X, interior inside the face shield and exterior on the outside.
The interior is ant-fogging, exterior is supposed to shed water.
The packaging does warn against use on some plastics so they suggest testing it on an unused spot or an old part. All my old glasses turn yellow except my photogray lenses that might not be old enough yet. The yellowing of my eyeglasses takes at least 2 years, although it isn't obvious when I wear them every day.



I left my rain pants off my list of stuff in the sadlebags. I've mentioned them before, they're extra large to fit over my regular pants, thin waterproof material so they roll up and fit in a sleeve barely bigger than a totes umbrella, and they came from a sporting goods store, hunting/fishing department. Worn over regular pants, they also add warmth on cold days. I've had problems with leakage while riding, however, if you're really doing the road trip thing some real riding gear might be better. You'll either have to wear them or have some big saddle bags if they have padding.

[Kluge]

I also forgot the black vinyl electrical tape. It's not for emergency repairs, exactly.

I have a cruiser type bike and the full-face helmet is cut for ninja-bike riders, I think. Riding into sunsets & sunrises is nasty and as a commuter, I'm not mellow enough to wait an hour until the sun is at a better angle.

I put 1 and 1/2 strips of black tape across the top of the face shield, by overlapping the 2nd strip 1/2 a width (this is a total of 1-1/8 inches, 3/4+3/8, for those who care). The 1-1/8 inch makes it easier to tip my head down just a little bit to put the sun out of direct view. It also helps a lot a traffic lights where the sun is close to the light.

I don't get the wide-open freedom feeling so much with the reduced view of the sky, but I'm likely safer concentrating on the road. Noonday and midnight riders should never be bothered by the sun, so the tape wouldn't be necessary.