| Author | Message | ||
     Oddjobb |
Hey guys. Well I am pretty new here, but have been poking around a little bit. My good friend has a Buell xb12xt and talked me into getting a Uly myself. I ended up buying a 2006 with 14,000 miles that needed some work on the charging system. . . that is currently being done at a shop and the bike will be ready to ride upon my return. I am returning from deployment in a week or two and am going to pick up my bike in North Carolina. I am stationed in San Diego, CA. The plan is to get the bike, ride down to Georgia and have Randy Hawkin put on his HAWK pipe, kn filter etc and reprogram the ECM. Then I am going to ride up to the DC area and check out DC. Visit family in Jersey and Philly. Visit some friends in Virginia and most likely Florida then ride back through Texas to stop and visit some other friends, ultimately ending up in San Diego. I am also looking to get into some things on the way between stops. The plan is to buy a small tent, sleeping bag and pack light. Camping along the way and just meeting whoever it is I meet. I think it will be a great time. Any suggestions of places to hit on the East coast during my trip? Also, I am putting together a roadside kit. . . I have a tool kit, 12v compressor, plug kit, flashlight, flares, etc. Hoping to get some input on what others use for long distance kits. This is my first touring trip. I have been riding sport bikes for 10 years and am exited to do something of a longer nature. I can't wait to get back and ride the Buell! I will be taking pictures along the way and will be sure to post them. Hope to get some replies! Thanks. Jimmy | ||
| Flynuly |
Jimmy, THANKS for your service!  2 things that I wouldn't leave home on a tour without. EAR PLUGS whatever type are comfortable enough for you to wear everyday all day while riding. Camelbak or some way to carry/dispense water while riding. Of course goes without saying ATGATT and your brain, one is no good without the other. Welcome home and enjoy the ride! | ||
| Oddjobb |
Hey. Thanks for the input. I will definitely be bringing some earplugs! I think I will also bring my camelback or something like that, I have a couple of them. I usually ride with an alpinestars leather jacket, but I am looking into some kind of summer riding gear right now. I do always wear boots, gloves, jacket helmet etc. . . I am also going to get some armored riding pants. | ||
| Oddjobb |
Oh, another thing. Anyone have and preference on GPS systems? I was thinking of just getting a handlebar mount for my Nuvi 660. . .put a plastic bag over it if it starts raining haha. | ||
| Rotorhead |
At least you picked up the faster black 06 model.  From the cities listed I would ride the Skyline parkway and the Blue ridge parkway. good camp areas for $10 bucks a night in both parks if I remember right. Then hit the Dragon and the Cherohala skyway rt 68 to rt 60 into Suches GA. Also good camping in the area and badwebbers too. That is riding the eastern spine of the Appalachian. If you haven't ridden in the east well that will hit all the well know roads. Make sure you get a BRAN list here http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/boar d-auth.cgi?file=/42/42.html&lm=1302086031 and don't hesitate to use it. If you want a gps route I have one when I did that route. I like any Garmin product | ||
| Oddjobb |
Haha, you must have seen the for sale add for the bike on here? Or are all 2006 Uly's black? Sorry, like I said. New to the Buells  Thanks for the suggestions on ride spots. I had been told about the Dragon Tail before and that I have to ride it while I am out there. I will look into them all! I had no idea about the BRAN list, that will be extremely helpful if needed I am sure. Hopefully it won't be needed haha. I can't wait to get out of here and be able to cruise the states and see some actual scenery again. . . I am so tired of sand and rock, lol. I would love to get your GPS route to check out. Thanks for all the input! | ||
| Oddjobb |
Anyone know anything about the "2 wheels only motorcycle resort and campground" that is near Suches, Georgia? I was just looking around on the map and looks like it would be cool to ride through the Chattahoochee National Forest and stop there for a night or something. Maybe do some swimming! | ||
| Froggy |
It has saved my bacon before. Hopefully you will never have to use it.
It closed down last month due the land owner being a douche. We lost a great place  | ||
| Oddjobb |
well that sucks. I am guessing there is still some good camping within the national forest there. Would be a cool way to start out my trip. Are the campgrounds usually pretty busy around the late spring? I would guess so probably. Hoping to meet some cool people along the way on this trip. | ||
| Andymnelson |
don't forget rear wheel bearings and spacer, as well as photo copies of the pages of the service manual discussing install. | ||
| Oddjobb |
Both the front and rear wheel bearings have been done recently and were upgraded to the better bearings. Should I still need to worry about them? | ||
| Ulynut |
Jimmy, if you're coming to the New Jersey area and feel like taking the trip into NYC, try to post up about a week ahead of time, I'm sure we can get some Badwebbers out to the Dinosaur BBQ for lunch. There's also a pretty active group of Buell owners in New Jersey who would love to meet up and show you some nice roads. http://njbuellowners.com/ | ||
| Someday |
Dan, I'd be up for that! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Don't pack too small of a tent. I always pack a 10X13ft and it is way more comfortable to sleep in than smaller tent. You don't want your head or feet to be touching the side or ends of the tent for at least a couple of good reasons. Touching the tent from the inside while it's raining will allow water to enter and if it's windy the flapping will whack you and keep you awake. A 10X13 packed sideways on your seat is less wide than the Buell hard bags and the weight differential isn't worth worrying about. Also the larger tent provides plenty of space to throw all your gear in for security during the night WITH plenty of space left to sleep. | ||
| Oddjobb |
Ulynut, getting some lunch or something would be awesome. I have never been to NYC, but need to figure out my timeline here in the next few weeks. I still do not know how much leave my command will allow me. Electraglider. I will look into the tent, it would definitely be nice to be able to have my gear in th tent at night and not have to worry about theft etc. All good points! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I think Walmart has them for about 70 bucks. | ||
| Andymnelson |
if I were planning a month long trip on my Uly, I would carry the following (or have them sitting at home with someone prepped to overnight them at moments notice): front bearings rear bearings rear bearing spacer belt brake pads I would pre-identify a place to have tires installed, so as to avoid the need to wait for them to get ordered. Also, make sure steering head bearings are good and torqued properly, as well as clutch adjustment and primary chain adj. | ||
| Od_cleaver |
Jimmy, Welcome home. A few random thoughts... 1. I have a Zumo 660 GPS. When it first came out I was highly disappointed with it, but after multiple software updates I am only slightly disappointed with it. The maps do not show enough detail, such as, when the paved road ends. 2. Add campgrounds to your GPS >>> http://www.poi-factory.com/node/17657 3. LED headlamp is more convenient than a hand held flashlight 4. Drive in the daylight and leave the flares at home 5. Towing insurance, AAA or HOG, it helps to take the sting out of a break down 6. Do a search on advrider for all sorts of gear advice >>> http://www.advrider.com/forums/ 7. Continue with your pack light idea and avoid adding crap just because the bike can carry it 8. Good rain gear a. I use these for rain gloves, they look stupid and are expensive, but work >>> http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-triple-digit-ra in-covers.html b. Gore tex lined boots, one less thing to throw on when it starts to rain 9. And if stuff happens, it has been my experience Harley/Buell dealers will go out of their way to help a traveler | ||
| Maximum |
I'm doing a similar thing Oddjobb. I return from Iraq in about four weeks...and plan to pick up my Uly (from my brother) in New Jersey and make my way back to Colorado. I'm going to try to time my trip in order to attend homecoming in Wisconsin! Maybe I can connect with some east coast guys heading that way. | ||
| 7873jake |
To add to Od_cleaver's #5 suggestion, I think an AMA membership now has a towing/roadside assistance package in it for anything you operate (car, truck, bike, golf cart, unicycle). | ||
| Etennuly |
If you have the time and are near Charleston WV at any point, get on rt 16, anywhere in Northern WV. Ride that thing to Marion Va. at a fast comfortable pace. Then tell us how your Uly rides and let us know if your face hurts from grinning!  | ||
| Oddjobb |
So do the wheel bearings have a tendency to fail on these bikes? The bearings were done recently, both front and back. The belts are supposed to last for the life of the bike is that correct? I will try to get those parts to take with me, how much room would they take up? Any suggestions for a tool kit? The bike I purchased does not have one so I am going to put one together myself. I have all the tools I would need I am sure, but just dont know which ones to put in a kit for the road. I will definitely be using my Nuvi 660. It is not waterproof or anything, but think it should work ok. I will be updating the maps and adding the campgrounds for sure! I have an LED headlamp I will take with me. Towing insurance is an awesome idea. I will be looking into that. I already have waterproof gloves and boots and I have patagonia rain gear that I will take with me. For riding pants I am going to use heavy double front carhartt's with shin/knee guards like they use for motocross. I dont really care for textile pants. Packing light is a must and I am pretty good at it, I am going to check out my buddies XB12XT cases and see how big they are. I think I will do fine. Gotta go shopping for a tent and a small sleeping bag. I am open to any and all ride ideas. I will check out RT16 and see if it will be nearby. That sounds like a blast! | ||
| Etennuly |
The rear wheel bearings seem to be at issue here. It is a crap shoot as to how long they will last. Most have found that they are killed by improper re-torquing of the rear axle, not being "set" and torqued properly from the start, and water intrusion that dilutes the "permanently" greased bearing's grease and causes rust that can get into the bearings. The front ones have not really been an issue. Tool kit should include a ratchet, spark plug socket, a wiggle flopper foot long extension to reach the rear plug, a box open end for the front plug, the 7/8" axle adapter, a socket and breaker bar for the axle, the best 27 torx bit you can get with a 1/4" drive ratchet and 6" extension, needle nose pliers, small visegrips, a good knife, electrical tape, masking tape, an assortment of fuses and small nuts and bolts(most are standard 1/4 -20 or the likes). Tire plug kit, a small compressor, allen wrench set. A note on the GPS. They is sum made for da bikes, sum for da boats, cars, trucks, walking and so on. I found that a GPS made for a car cannot take the vibration provided by a bike, and did not do well with minimal exposure to moisture(I think the zip lock bag held moisture in). I have one now that does the vibe thing and is water proof, also a Nuvi, can't recall the model though. Many of us have found that when you purchase a new belt, put it on. Carry the old one as the spare because it will be MUCH easier to install in a roadside situation. The new ones are tight! The best tool is to carry a phone or lap top capable of communicating with the BadWeB. It is invaluable if you need help. Oh yeah, you can shoot me a PM about your specs on being in or near East Tennessee. Might be able to help with a camping spot.  Could lead to a twisted up ride to get you to the twisted up rides! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Walmart 10X13 is only 54 bucks. Menards 10X12 Wenzel brand tent is 79 bucks. I've got a 25 year old super big Wenzel tent and it is a nice tent. | ||
| Andymnelson |
Yeah they both have failure tendencies. And my thought is this: you could buy all 4 bearings, the rear spacer and a spare belt for less than $300. Fairly cheap insurance against a failure and having to wait possibly a week or 2 because no dealer has them in stock. | ||
| Royintulsa |
Sounds like the trip of a lifetime. Gods speed, and thank you for you service. If you get to Oklahoma and need some company call me. 9182695909, is my cell. The Route 66 Harley dealer is great for Buell service if you need anything. | ||
| Od_cleaver |
For touring, here are a few mods that you could consider if they haven’t been done… 1. Comfort kit (best mod out there): right side scoop, rear pipe shield and under seat dam (or whatever it is called). 2. While you are under the seat, make sure that the seat pan does not contact the computer or its connectors. Look for signs of rubbing. There have been a number of reports of cracked computer connectors resulting in intermittent problems. 3. Both head lights on when switched to high beams. 4. Voltage monitor (nothing like a little warning before the engine doesn’t start): http://www.signaldynamics.com/index.php?page=shop. product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=56& category_id=14&keyword=voltage+monitor&option=com_ virtuemart&Itemid=77 5. Madstad windshield system (2nd best mod – moved the wind turbulence off of my helmet): http://www.madstad.com/ | ||
| Oddjobb |
Well I would like to say that this is by far the most friendly forum I have been a part of. Thank you for all the help everyone! I will definitely be printing out the BRAN list and I will post up my route on here, it would be pretty cool to meet up with some Badwebbers along the way. I plan to visit quite a few family and friends along the way as well! I am looking into tents right now, kinda worried about how big a 10x12 will be packed up, dont want anything too large really, but the extra room for gear and stuff would be great. The wheel bearings I will have to take into consideration. I think I will go ahead and buy a set just in case. Do you really think the belt will be an issue? Seems like that would be a larger item to carry? I should have spare of all of those tools in my garage, I will put together a kit. Thanks for the advice on the tools! I am having a right side scoop installed and may do the rest of the comfort kit as well while I am a it. I will check the computer when we program it to make sure everything looks good to go. As for headlights, I was thinking of doing an HID conversion on the low beam. I did the kit from DDM tuning in San Diego on my Aprilia and it works awesome. I also did the mod to keep the low beam on as well on the same bike and like it a lot. Anyone done the HID on these bikes? should be fairly easy I would think. A voltage monitor is a good idea. I thought there was a warning light for it on these bikes? Perhaps not I am a newbie lol. I may change the windscreen, but dont really like the looks of the large windshields. I will have to think about it. I hope this trip turns out the be everything I am hoping it to be. I will be getting towing coverage and I will have my Iphone and laptop with me for comms. | ||
| 7873jake |
The archives are awash in HID conversion discussions and DDM is a common brand that shows up in the dialogue. There is also a procedure in the archives for the lo- and hi-beam on that you describe. A voltage meter or impending doom light is NOT part of the mix, unfortunately, and worth an extra second or two of consideration. Again, the archives are awash in that topic as well. In fact, I think both topics have been discussed (VMs and HIDs) within the last month so a quick page back through the threads may be enough to get you started. Not knowing your size, the taller windscreen can be hit-or-miss on being worth the $ but your greatest chance of success with either the low or tall screen includes either the Palmer bracket or the Madstad unit. Their adjustability *can* (didn't say 'will') help with wind management. Frankly, I found the inclusion of a tank bag to be the biggest help, breaking up the air flow coming off of the airbox and frame. Some find that no windscreen at all is their quietest ticket to bliss. The belt: some find a way to fit it under the seat (again, a topic with pix in the archives), others seem to find a way to fit it to the rear inside of a side case. It isn't as daunting as it might appear. Didn't mean for this to sound like a "look in the archives, kid" posting...it wasn't intended that way. Just thought I'd kill some time waiting on dinner and answer whatchu axed. (Message edited by 7873jake on April 13, 2011) | ||
| Oddjobb |
I will have to check out the archives when I get back. I like DDM kits and it was pretty easy to install on my Aprilia, so guessing it would be on the buell as well. The light output difference was immense. I will also check for the voltage meter install, that cannot be very hard at all. Even a light would be easy enough. I think I will go ahead and buy the parts and at least have my friend hold onto them for me. |
