Trip Planning

[easyrider12]

I just looked it up, 10 business days unless you pay an extra $70 and show you want to cross over in the next few business days (bus,flight) haaa!  get me outta here, Florida here i come

[cdaiscool]

Half-Caf-

I may just take you up on that! Always nice to meet people off the forum. We'll see where I am towards the end of the trip, and go from there. If you're up to it, perhaps spend New Year's Eve out there. I bet Chicago is amazing at that time.

Easyrider-

Come on out! I'm not making this trip for another 6, 7 weeks. So just get the normal one, and let's do it. Its looking like I'll be on the other side of the state the day before to have Christmas with my dad so we just need to leave from Jenison instead of Ann Arbor, but meet me there the 22nd of December and let's ride!

In other news, just had a lady here at work that lives across the street from me, almost literally, tell me she's ridden a lot but new to the area. So we may start riding together. Plus, she's organizing a spring Route 66 trip. She's planning Chicago to New Mexico and back, total time gone of 2 weeks. Depending how this trip goes, I may have to ride along with her. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to actually go on that since I'll only have 1, 1.5 weeks of vacation at that point and probably can't get away from work. Especially considering I support the dorms, and Spring means students beating the crap out of our network.

[shinyribs]

Jobs always ruin the best parts of life. Especially if you own a bike

[cdaiscool]

I know! It absolutely sucks.

In other news regarding the trip, I'm considering camping as much as possible. Motels can get pricey, and not being prepared for camping means I may be sleeping on the ground if I can't find a motel. A bad situation, most definitely. Hence, I am looking to buy a sleeping pad and bag. I'll probably motel it while in the cold (maybe; we'll see once I get the bag and pad what its good down to. I'll test it before the trip) and use a tarp for a tent.

Also, I found a much longer check list that some people use. I'm going to link it, and we can as a group decide what would probably help or hinder.

http://www.motocampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6

I'm not planning to bring food above/beyond high-calorie energy bars, for when I just cannot find an open Burger King...

Also, could use advice for how to find a good camping spot. Just squat until morning? Find back side of building? Go with a church parking lot?

[sgtslag]

One of the biggest mistakes is over-packing!  Your are on a bike, not a motorhome.  Take only what you absolutely need.  Luxory items, such as music need to be minimized (an Ipod takes little room, however).

The other thing, is under-gaments:  purchase some UnderArmor-type clothing, as well as hi-tech long john's.  Mills Fleet Farm sells their own brand of UnderArmor type products, at 1/2 of the UA cost, works just as well, too.  With these products, you can wash them in the sink, at night, with regular hand soap; air dry them overnight, and wear them the next day.  This minimizes the volume of undergarments needed, freeing up valuable space for other items.  I recommend two pairs (boxer briefs, and T-shirts, long-sleeved and short, as needed), to give you extra drying time, as mine don't always dry completely, by morning.  Cheers!

[cdaiscool]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm going to either order stuff from them, or try finding a similar store locally and see if they have similar stuff - I'd prefer to try it on before I buy.

As for the bags mentioned earlier, I'm going to have to get some of the mounts and try out the bags again; I would prefer to use saddle bags as then I can put some weight down, versus all on top where a passenger would go. I think saddle bags, a tank bag, and the thing the previous owner made (a rack that goes off the back) may just solve all my storage issues. Going to give that a shot and see what happens.

Another rider on a forum my dad recommended mentioned these: http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?store_code=CST&screen=PROD&product_code=16025

Thoughts on those?

[sgtslag]

Try searching for reviews on this type of grip warmer.  I've read some reviews, giving mixed reviews.  Can't comment further.  Cheers!

[Piute]

sgtslag wrote

Try searching for reviews on this type of grip warmer.  I've read some reviews, giving mixed reviews.  Can't comment further.  Cheers!

    Myself never used either, Havn't known anyone that has,I've seen the one's that are tube shape that slide inside of bars(end),Had to drill a hole in bars to bring up wires and power end went down the bar(another hole).Was a While back, only seen instruction form / info (swap-meet).

[cdaiscool]

That's kind of what these are. Grips come off, these go on, grip goes over, and you can have warm hands!

Wonder what sort of effect it will have with winter mittens for gloves. Hmm.

[Piute]

cdaiscool wrote

That's kind of what these are. Grips come off, these go on, grip goes over, and you can have warm hands!

Wonder what sort of effect it will have with winter mittens for gloves. Hmm.

    Good point
  IT's the Lil guy that gets COLD ,schedule lots of good stops and if you stay under 70mph ,So 55-60 there is lots of deferents in the cold ,stay in the sun as much as possible (sun going down ? ride East or west),Bigg temp diff, When you take off in morning and are warm ,I would think (iI Do)that you will stay warm,but hangout in hot Cafe ,will hurt ya In the long run.(
 My faring & lowers keep me dry I have yet to get cold ,but dress for it & haven't been in less the 40 YET,I do know that wind chill has been in 30's cause rain drops freezes on shield.Hands start to get cold (only latex glov. & Mechanic type on)havn't got winter leather gloves,"O" Speaking of LEATHER "Leather is not warm "at all what it does is keep the wind off the rest of your cloths,can save yo skin too, Are we having fun yet..

[cdaiscool]

I am having tons of fun! I am 10 miles from home, leaving in a couple hours, and current temp says its 27 deg. And dropping.

I am actually looking forward to the ride anyways. Have my gloves, helmet, and jacket for warmth. Regular jeans and normal boots, no special socks.

If I can survive this, I can survive this upcoming ride.

On Nov 6, 2012 10:14 PM, "Piute [via Honda CB750'S]" <[hidden email]> wrote:

cdaiscool wrote

That's kind of what these are. Grips come off, these go on, grip goes over, and you can have warm hands!

Wonder what sort of effect it will have with winter mittens for gloves. Hmm.

    Good point
  IT's the Lil guy that gets COLD ,schedule lots of good stops and if you stay under 70mph ,So 55-60 there is lots of deferents in the cold ,stay in the sun as much as possible (sun going down ? ride East or west),Bigg temp diff, When you take off in morning and are warm ,I would think (iI Do)that you will stay warm,but hangout in hot Cafe ,will hurt ya In the long run.(
 My faring & lowers keep me dry I have yet to get cold ,but dress for it & haven't been in less the 40 YET,I do know that wind chill has been in 30's cause rain drops freezes on shield.Hands start to get cold (latex glov. & Mechanic type)but not even leather gloves,"O" Speaking of LEATHER "Leather is not warm "at all what it does is keep the wind off the rest of your cloths, Are we having fun yet..

                            1977 CB750 F2 Super Sport
<LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE><RIDE TO LIVE-LIVE FOR JESUS> 
Native American from central Cal,  Kickstand down in S.W.Missouri,
                                       
 

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[cdaiscool]

So, I just realized that I haven't updated this in a while. Updates:

-Today my sleeping bag and 3 pairs of thermal base layer pants came in. Synthetic stuff, the polypropylene pants. Should be quite nice and warm.
-My -15 sleeping bag showed up. I'm expecting to camp in the teens because I'm young, dumb, and want an adventure. So I'm going to do it. I've got a 30" x 77" x 3" self-inflating pad that's insulated. Not sure what the R-value is, but reviews of it said its kept people warm in quite low temps.
-Sleeping pad arrived last week.
-Merino wool socks and these covers for my boots' toes came in last week as well. Haven't gotten to test 'em as I was busy all weekend preparing the bike. According to reviews on these covers, they block the wind from entering the boot. Skiers and hardcore cyclists wear 'em; I wore 'em to work because I was going to ride, and a biker guy I work with recognized them immediately.
-Tested out a tracking app today (Glympse) for tracking where I am. Since I'm riding alone, I have to keep safety in mind. For this, it will give friends and family (and you strangers) a way to see where I am in real-time, and if something tragic happens you will know where to direct police. Okay, so not YOU directly, but my friends.

I still have to figure out how all this is going to fit on the bike, but I think I can make it happen. Will just take a little magic, but I'm known for making magic happen, after all!

As for a destination, I'm going to Fort Worth/Dallas right away, and hope to get there Monday night. Going to see a friend, then Tuesday morning (Christmas) ride off again. Wonder what I'll see on Christmas Day.

Almost 2 weeks 'till D-Day!

[seestheday]

If you're looking for some cool elevation changes for your trip you might want to look into doing a topographic overlay over google maps or google earth.

Where I live it's as flat as a pancake, so I use it when doing day trip to find more interesting roads.

[cdaiscool]

That's an excellent idea. If it wasn't winter time, and higher
elevations = much larger risk of snow I'd probably do it. Hmm, perhaps
a summer ride is in order...

On Tue, Dec 4, 2012 at 12:49 PM, seestheday [via Honda CB750'S]
<[hidden email]> wrote:

> If you're looking for some cool elevation changes for your trip you might
> want to look into doing a topographic overlay over google maps or google
> earth.
>
> Where I live it's as flat as a pancake, so I use it when doing day trip to
> find more interesting roads.
> 1981 CB750K
>
>
> ________________________________
> If you reply to this email, your message will be added to the discussion
> below:
> http://honda-cb750-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/Trip-Planning-tp4031593p4033095.html
> To unsubscribe from Trip Planning, click here.
> NAML

[cdaiscool]

So...

I'm willing to bet I know a way to post up the live GPS feed of my trip in this thread. I'm going to have to test this theory tomorrow though. Who wants to see what my route to work in the morning looks like? Lol

[seestheday]

Neat idea, just make sure you have a way to charge a battery.  I'm assuming you're going to use a smartphone, and constant data + gps can kill a bettery quick.

[cdaiscool]

seestheday wrote

Neat idea, just make sure you have a way to charge a battery.  I'm assuming you're going to use a smartphone, and constant data + gps can kill a bettery quick.

May be hard to see, but I have a cigarette lighter on the bike.

[Hoko]

Hey man, give us an update.  You still on schedule to do your road trip?

[cdaiscool]

Went out to my dad's this weekend, and did:

-oil change
-chain replacement
-sissy bar mounted proper
-seat 'fixed' (didn't fit right and would strip bolts when putting on the seat)
-aired up the front shocks, set the rears to setting 5

Also, the oil light had been coming on lately. New oil (Rotella T6!) fixed that right up.

Came home yesterday, in the rain. I wanted to know how it did long-distance in the rain, as well as what my chinks in the armor were. So I rode the ~170 miles from my dad's to home. I discovered:

-After 70 miles, the speedometer light goes out.
-Bags need to go on the inside of the boot, not outside. Also, they get holes for no apparent reason.
-My jacket is not, indeed, waterproof. Also, because of the failed zipper, I'm getting a new one just before I take off. Free from manufacturer.
-Gloves, irrelevant of what the tag on the side says, are also not waterproof.
-Frogg Toggs do leak water after quite a while.
-My helmet indeed does keep water out of my face, and my neck stuff does keep it dry.
-Bike just doesn't stop. However... after around 85 miles, it just loses power. It still runs, but its like something isn't all there. It just goes, but doesn't accelerate past 4k on level ground. On a downhill it'd hit 4.5k and uphill drop to 3.5k.
-Running like that caused it to use a lot more gas than usual. Ran out 15 miles from home, and usually have enough gas to get home and around town for a day coming from Flying J; it used a full tank to dry empty in approximately 75 miles!
-Awesome roommates are awesome.

All in all, yep I'm still on-track for my trip. Going to work my ass off this week to only work 4 days, and Friday leave my place, not to return for the rest of the year*! Going to Fort Worth to see a friend for 10 minutes, then Missouri to ride with Piute to the Route 66 museum in Oklahoma. Then probably backroad it to Shiny's place. I should probably warn him, actually.

*Rain/snow willing. Not doing that rain ride again...

[cdaiscool]

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