First Cross Country Trip

[Goodbrush]

So, my buddy is getting married in August and I want to make the trip from my current locale of San Francisco all the way to Simpsonville, South Carolina to get in a little bit of debauchery before he throws his life away.  I'll be riding my 2002 M750 with 40,000 miles on it. 

I've never attempted a trip of this magnitude and I'm looking for advice, tips, stories from anyone with experience.  I haven't even started planning my route yet but I know I want to hit a few national parks and other natural wonders of the great US. 

I've also only been riding for about 6 months now and am pretty inept towards the mechanics and anatomy of my machine.  Advice on spare parts to keep on my person, tuneups and service that needs to be done before I leave, and snags to watch out for along the way would be much appreciated.

Once I make it to the east coast my dad will be riding down on his Triumph speed triple from New York to meet me up.  We will probably ride the blue ridge parkway and explore the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia. 

So yeah feel free to share any advice on routes to take, places to see, gear to use (I will be camping out at night), or just stories about your own trips. 

below, my faithful steed

[pennyrobber]

Soloing that many miles, you will really want to make sure the bike is in good running order. A valve check, oil change, new belts maybe, make sure your chain and sprockets are in good shape, also your battery. You will likely need new tires before you leave or sometime during the trip.

Take a first aid kit, a tire plug kit, a small bicycle pump, warm clothes, small can of chain lube, zip ties, a basic tool kit to be able to check spark plugs and the sort. A throttle lock or cramp buster would be good to have as well.

Get in riding shape. By this I mean, do some longer day rides to get your body used to being on the bike for such a long time.

Plan your route and then plan alternative routes making sure you have gas stops plotted out.

Have fun.

[seevtsaab]

Get in riding shape. By this I mean, do some longer day rides to get your body used to being on the bike for such a long time.



Have fun.

Make sure you can do a ride as long as your plan requires each day. Especially if you plan to see some sights, you don't want to find out you can't do 300-600mi days with a week of them ahead of you.
Tires will require some planning.

[Cloner]

Go get some Pilot Road or similar sport touring tires that might last the trip, or nearly so.  Plan stops in advance when practical, and don't go the full tank of gas between stops (unless you do it on an MH900e like I did last time....only 90 miles per tank), but rather plan to stop every hour or hour and a half...it'll extend your riding day significantly.  Also, wear ear plugs and take a few extra sets if you use disposables.  Earplugs significantly reduce fatigue.  If you're going through areas with sparse fuel stops, there's no replacement for a reserve.  I used white fuel bottles designed for camping stoves...like these:

http://www.backcountry.com/msr-fuel-bottles

They don't leak and they beat the hell out of walking.  I used mine three times between Georgia and New Mexico last trip. (The MH900e that I was promised would get 100 miles per tank can be run dry in 89 miles at my typical highway speeds.)

Carry good rain gear, or wear watertight gear daily (as it saves space).  First Gear's rain tight stuff is excellent in my experience and is light enough to wear daily without its liners, so that's the way I roll.  Don't trust cheap rain gear (like Frog Togs or similar) as it's not suitable for a day riding in the rain.  Cheap stuff is OK for a light sprinkle, but it soaks through pretty fast in real rain, and nothing shortens a riding day like cold and wet!  Don't forget your hands and feet, either.  Held's watertight gloves work wonders, and Sidi's watertight boots really are watertight.  I also wore watertight socks on my last trip.  They're available at most camping stores and help when water comes in over the tops of your boots.  Nothing is 100% waterproof, but the gear above is about as close as I've seen.

A big tank bag to "lay" on helps sometimes.  Maybe not as big a deal on a Monster, but I've never ridden one too long, so I can't say.

Don't forget to lube your chain at the end of each day, as pennyrobber mentioned.  Check the air in your tires every morning, along with chain tension, and oil level.  It's the small things that bite you, so don't let 'em.

Don't plan more than you KNOW you can handle in a day, except MAYBE in the last day each way.  That distance varys for each of us, but you know what your tolerance for saddle time is.  Don't think it'll change because you need to get somewhere, 'cause it won't!  The last thing you want is to dread saddling up each morning, so take time and enjoy yourself. 

Few of us get the chance to undertake what you're planning, so make the most of it and leave room to get off the beaten path and see the country!  I envy you...even though I've done it before.   

If you're in the area (and you will be), don't forget to see the Cherohala Skyway.  If you'll post dates and a rough idea of your intended route I'm sure there will be several suggestions coming your way as to the coolest roads to ride in the areas you'll traverse.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your trip!

[Slide Panda]

There's a couple threads on long rides.

From personal experience:
Start now with core exercises. A strong core with more endurance will help you a lot.
No back pack. OR a very small one. Even with it being a moto specific back pack, I so wanted to be rid of my back pack.
Bring some food and water. keeping your calories up and staying hydrated is very important.

There's also some threads on tool kits. Obviously Monsters are not cargo haulers, so expecting to carry spare parts is a bit un realistic. But good things to have:
Fuses - Including the main (30-40 amp)
Safety wire
Zip ties
Duct tape
Crescent wrench
Allen key set
Mini flashlight - I've got one of the keychain LED light in my underseat. Nice, bright and can be held easily in the teeth if needed.

I'll ponder more...

[pitbull]

staying warm, dry, hydrated and prepared is the order of things.

so: warm underclothes ( ie. fleece and/or marion wool) and a good neck warmer and gloves.

good rain gear and waterproof boots

spare water and/or a camel back. I always made sure to drink at least 2 litres of water at each gas stop on a long trip. By the next stop I barely have to squirt.......the wind sucks a lot of water out of you. The wind + heat will dehydrate you very, very fast.

many have already mentioned the tools, first aid equipment and good tires you need. The only extra tool I would add is a small set of vice grips. They make excellent foot brake or gear shift levers if you happen to snap one off.

The last thing I would suggest, if you can swing it, is to replace your stock seat with a sargent. I've done a lot of miles touring on the stock seat and a lot of miles touring on the sargent, and the difference is hugely significant. I've heard good things about the dp touring seat as well. Avoid the corbin, it's a giant hard, brick turd for touring.

most of all............have a blast!

[Mike Qube]

A pair of padded cycling shorts to wear under your riding pants will save you from some soreness.

[JBubble]

I would recommend telling someone your route as well. Keep in contact with this person and update them on your position. Maybe have a check in time with them each day? If something drastic happened, its really helpful that someone know what general area you're in.

[akmnstr]

Buy good lightweight camping gear.  My moto has been cheap gear will fail you when you need it most.  REI or some other local outfitter will fix you up.  At REI the store brand will work fine for your trip.  Avoid Walmart gear.  It is nice to have a little room in your tent.  My wife and I use a 3 person tent.  When I go solo I use a 2 person tent.  Use a cook stove rather than building fires.  On your monster you will need to buy food nearly every day due to the limited storage space.  Camping will cut down on your miles per day but the trip will be more fun. 

[justinrhenry]

+1 earplugs

[He Man]

when are you leaving? i am making my way down to New Orleans in a month, maybe we can meet up!

[Buckethead]

A pair of padded cycling shorts to wear under your riding pants will save you from some soreness.

+infinity

The touring seat (DP or Sargent) will help keep your ass from going completely numb, but if your thighs start chafing where they rub on the seat/tank, you're going to hate life. Some Gold Bond is a good idea, too, especially if your "waterproof" gear turns out to only be "water resistant."

Moto specific textile pants (Tourmaster or First Gear or the like) would also be a wise choice. Protection, ventilation options, and water resistance characteristics all make them superior to denim for long multi-day rides.

[jc.cyberdemon]

when are you leaving? i am making my way down to New Orleans in a month, maybe we can meet up!

another good idea. ask around on local club boards of the states you are going through and see if any one wants to ride with you, riding with someone else is more fun.

[Slide Panda]

In the comfort vien - I like having a long sleeved/legged base layer. If it's warm it keeps pants and jackets from getting stuck to you. Of course in the warm we're not talking long johns to keep you warm, things like Under Armours 'heat gear' or products made by Dainse, alpinestars, Rev'it or others

If you'll be dealing with varied temps I'd look at a balaclava or neck gator. An exposed neck in the cold will rob you of a lot if heat

[Jarvicious]

If you're not already planning on going around it, hit Kansas at night.  Nothing worse than getting on I-70 first thing in the morning and having to ride the flattest road in the history of flat roads.  If you're coming through Missouri, I can get you from one end of the state to the other on nothing but curves