| Author | Message | ||
     Rd350 |
When going the distance on a Buell 1500 miles one way. What tools do you need? What clothing do you need this time of year in the midwest? What about getting flats (does fix a flat work on bikes)? What gear is needed for driving in the rain (cheap ideas)? Need some advice from someone who travels long distance on a bike!! | ||
| Spiderman |
Tools... Bring tools that you will use for a tune up. Spark plug wrench, T27 torq bit, various allen keys and wrenches. Clothing... Jacket and jeans what use common sense here, what you would wear for a day or night out. Cheap rain gear... there is no substitute for good rain gear, NONE. Just do like i do saddle soap you leather and go without this way you do not have to stop at the rest area if you know what i mean  Flat Tire... Fix a flat will work BUT only as a temporary solution. If you do get a flat tail it to a dealer right away. Even some Jap dealers will do tires for a Buell. A little extra advice bring some extra plugs and pack all your clothes in a large garbage bag or a plastic bag so your clothes stay dry (learned that one from my old man) nothing like fresh socks. Good luck and have fun. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | ||
| Blake |
RD, If you are camping check out my list of stuff. | ||
| Mikej |
My last long trip I took along 20Lbs of tools "just in case". Never used a single one of them. Tires plugs and a small bicycle pump will get you to the next town if the hole isn't too big. Rain gear sometimes gets you wetter from sweat and condensation than the rain would have got you. Short showers just ride and air dry when out of it, long showers pull off under cover, put on the gear, go ride. Wind is just something you'll have to learn to deal with. For some reason hanging a knee way out sideways into the wind (windward side) seems to help control the bike. Weird but it works. But I don't think anything works in 70mph cross winds in Wyoming, which were thankfully non-existant when I rode thru there. There's more, like the Lobster gloves from Aerostich that go over your riding gloves, but most will have to be learned by doing. | ||
| Spiderman |
I'm heading to the Pocono Mt adventure in the WEEEE hours of the morning an eight hour + trip. I will give you a list of what i am taking. My Joe Rocket leather jacket. Full fingered puck glove, fingerless gloves. A pair of rain pants. A tool kit with almost everything i stated above. Personel hygene stuff. Pants, shorts, shirts underwear and plenty of clean socks. (some wierd thing i picked up from Boy-Scouts no bad jokes please) All the BRAG stuff they sent me. And to top it off a Stuffed Spidey on the back so if you see me wave. | ||
| Blake |
Those fingerless gloves provide pretty good protection if you have fingerless hands.  | ||
| Court |
"fingerless" gloves.......that like a topless helmet? Each and every time I have part company with a motorcycle...guess what gets damaged? From the moment we took our first steps we were all imbued with the instinctive reaction to put our hands out to break a fall. Ante up the $150 and buy Held gloves. Less is a mistake. | ||
| Leeaw |
Spidey did not say he was using the fingerless gloves to ride. Some people wear them as a fashion statement. | ||
| V2win |
Rd350, I see you ride a Blast. I ride a S3T so my list may exceed you bikes capacity, but here is a list of things I have carried when on long trips. Some are obvious but I use this list to check off all items just before I walk out the door to ride. extra helmet shield, socks, underwear, shirts, pants, wallet, sweatshirt, sunglasses, regular glasses, gloves, rain mits, shoes, medications, tooth brush, fingerclips, razor, camera, film, maps, notepad, pencil, earplugs, candy, water, contact info, list of Buell/HD dealers on the way there and back, bungies, net, 2 small flashlights (one on a lanyard so it may hang around your neck while working on your bike in the dark), airguage, lock, tent, pegs, rope, footprint, sleeping bag, knife, gun, and last but not least, tools. I carry more tools than most because I have found that is the way I feel most comfortable. I dont have a list of them made up but I would be happy to make one if anyone is interested. Because you ride a blast it would not do you much good. I wear a Buell Adventurer suit now, but have worn Belstaff, etc. There is no substitute for a good riding suit. Rain gear? If you ride in heavy rain for an extended time you WILL be wet no matter what suit you wear. I keep a rain suit in my saddle bags for short rides in the rain. I wear Sidi boots, the waterproof ones. Hope this list helps. Click on my name to see a picture of my bike with all this stuff packed on it. Then click on my homepage for a story about a ride I did just after 9 11 01 | ||
| Chainsaw |
Rd350: Longest jaunt on my firebolt has been 900 miles, but I've ridden my Sporty in 13 states, Canada, and Mexico. My tool kit consistes of allen and torx wrenchs, and my belt mounted multitool. I have used a radial tire plug in my rear firebolt tire for about 1500 miles, including extended triple digit speeds. Kit is about 4 bucks and can fit in a jacket pocket. For luggage I use waterproof gearbags. Made for kayaking and white water river rafting, they keep stuff DRY! If your jacket is waterproof, you're in good shape. Bring the liner too, it's always colder than you think (55 in denver right now). If you have leather gloves, waterproof them with mink oil or equivalent. First gear makes cheap rain gear pants. $20 bucks, pack to the size of a coke can, not fashionable but effective. Hundreds of miles in mine and haven't failed yet. Bring a map and calculator to work out your mileage and fuel stops. After running out of gas in BFE New Mexico I now carry a 350ml fuel bottle with me (MSR, good for gas and camping fuel). It gives me another 20-25 miles of range, just in case! For every rally shirt I plan on buying at my destination, that's one less shirt I pack on the trip there. Oh yeah, bring an extra bungee net or cords. When your luggage starts sliding around, or when you find that raccoon carcass on the road that you just have to have! Good Luck! | ||
| Mikej |
"...or when you find that raccoon carcass on the road that you just have to have! " I think I saw you on the road last year. Or else there's someone else in the world looking for road-fixin's for a hat and evening stew.  | ||
| Henrik |
One way of packing light and still have what you need is to ship some of your stuff ahead. Mail it Poste Restante to a town you know you're going to pass; get package take out fresh clothes, drop in dirty clothes, tape closed and attach pre-written address label that you packed as well. Return to counter and send package home. Also, go through the closet. Pick out old shirts and odd socks, holed underwear etc. Wear and throw out as you go. Included in my (long) list of tools are; full set of metric and SAE Allen keys, torx and screwdriver( one of these actually and a few 1/4' bits for the small stuff; shorty combination wrenches. Short 3/8' ratchet with extension and deep socket for header nuts and various exhaust system fasteners. Tire pressure gauge, electrical multi-meter, tire plug kit with CO2. Loctite (red & Blue), safety wire, wire ties, hose clamps, metal weld putty, electrical tape, gaffers tape, super tape (will supposedly seal a leaking oil or fuel hose). Assortment of commonly lost nuts & bolts (exhaust system). Timing rotor cup, XL hose clamp for muffler. Leatherman multi-tool, flashlight, spare light bulbs for head- & tail-light. For longer trips I also bring heated vest (my grips are heated already) and clothes to accommodate various weather. Also, always pack water/Gatorade and some food; Powerbars/granola etc. It can be a life-saver (literally) when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere feeling faint/tired. Ride safe, lean hard, and keep two fingers on the brake Henrik (In case you were wondering, yes, I was a boy scout too  ) Henrik | ||
| Andrew |
"(my grips are heated already) and clothes to accommodate ....Also, always pack water/Gatorade and some food; Powerbars/granola etc. It can be a life-saver (literally) ... " Henrik, Whose heated grips are you using? I am leaning towards HotGrips. RD350, Drink alot of fluids, water or gatorade. About gatorade, take a waterbottle (20oz)and add gatorade powder and water until it's thick, really syrupy. Then when you make gas stops, you can buy water, drink a bit and add your concentrated gatorade to it. Goes alot further, for less $$ and you can make yours a double if you want/need it. | ||
| Andrew |
Another quick thought, not to get personal... But swap out your bvd's, joc's or boxers for bicycle pants under your regular gear. It'll keep the seams from tearing into your backside, and you can drop 'em anywhere to cool off or take a swim. | ||
| Blake |
Hey, I never thought of that. I could lighten my road trip camping load if I took advantage of all the free protein available on the side of the road.  | ||
| Henrik |
Andrew; I'm using the Kimpex Grip Heaters, ASB sells them. They are a thin sheet of plastic with a heating element in them. They wrap around the bar/throttle tube, and you put the standard grips on top. Advantage; inexpensive, and you don't have to go with the thicker grips (Hot Grips). You can use any aftermarket grip style. I used ProGrip Rally Gel grips on the S3. Disadvantage: you have wires sticking out from under the grips. No problem on the left side, but on the throttle grip, you need to make sure the wires are looped right to avoid flexing=breaking and/or abrasion. A friend of mine is using snowmobile grip heaters; plastic rods that go inside the bar - wiring snakes through the bar. You'll need to drill a good size hole in the center of your tube bars for the wiring. I haven't used them since my Throttlemeister bar ends would get in the way. If you're not using bar ends, this is a good and cheap option. Henrik | ||
| Andrew |
Thanks Henrik, more to think about. Blake, don't you carry PAM in your tank bag? Just peel a strip off your favorite roadkill and fry it up on your exhaust pipe. MMMM MMM | ||
| Blake |
Every once in a while I've happened across fresh road meat...  Click on Pic for the whole story. I hear it tastes like chicken. | ||
| Henrik |
Oh, oh  : a new trick I learned recently; I now carry a small pack of "Wet Ones" (you can get them in flat packs of 15) along with a clean, soft rag in a zip-lock bag. Makes it a snap to clean your visor during stops. Henrik | ||
| V2win |
When it comes to tools we all seem to have our personal combination that we like to carry. One that I have not seen mentioned so far that I seem to have had to use lately, is a 3/4" crows foot. It makes taking off the air cleaner support bracket much easier than trying to use a regular wrench. You dont have to worry about rounding the nut or scratching the frame. Another couple of items I always have on my bike are a set of extra throttle cables and clutch cable. Tools can usually be bought or borrowed from someone when on the road, but our cables are specific to the Buells and if broken, your SOL. About flat tires.... Those little CO2 bottles dont work worth a shit. You would have to carry a multitude of them to properly inflate a tire. A small bicycle pump is the ticket. That and a good tire plug will usually get you to a place where you can properly plug the tire with an "umbrella" style plug. As long as the hole is not huge and not in the side wall, a properly repaired tire will last until its worn out. | ||
| Leeaw |
Henrik, Having changed diapers for the past five years non stop, I learned how baby wipes can clean anything; visors, bug splatter, you name it. | ||
| Henrik |
VTwin: good point about the Crows foot. I swapped out my breather bolts with banjo style, and run an aftermarket AC - no need for crows foot. With 3-4 CO2 cartridges, you'll get enough air in a tire to gently/slowly limp to somewhere with an air pump. MCN ran a neat article about plug kits and modes of inflation. They recommended a hose that screws into the front cylinder and uses the piston/cylinder as a pump for full inflation. Plugs: good point about the mushroom style plug. I had a flat, and the local shop didn't have plugs at all. Neither did the local auto fix-a-flat place. I need to buy a pack and bring one or two along on trips. Henrik | ||
| Road_Thing |
Blake: I still can't believe you carry 4 Crescent wrenches but left the BFH at home! r-t | ||
| V2win |
One item that I forgot is my Wee Willy. It was not on my list because I never take it out of the tankbag. It is the single most used item on the bike. Henrik, What brand of banjo bolts? I saw some from S&S that I like but they want $35 for a pair. I had some from Drag Specialties but the quality was poor. They look nice until you have to tighten them a little more than normal, then they break. I am thinking I might just have to make a couple myself from two regular stainless bolts and a little machine work. I still have the bangos from the Drag Specialties set-up. I picked up some 1/2" crush washer from the local NAPA store the other day. That's what I was doing when my bike caught on fire! That story is over in the SLAB section the Storm Fronts. | ||
| Spiderman |
Blake, Have you ever wrecked with fingerless gloves? Well I have and not a scratch on my fingers. Now the only time i wear my fingerless gloves for is around town excursions cause after i did crash i said hey lets use these guys sparingly. | ||
| Blake |
Spidy, Glad you were lucky and as a result have adopted a more serious attitude wrt riding gear. A couple of my CMRA racer compadrés are missing half or more of a digit here or there. They were wearing racing gloves when they went down. Some are missing parts of toes. We find them ground into the track's asphalt in a thin line 50 feet long or so. | ||
| Spiderman |
Same thing happened to my buddy but normal street riding is a little less agresive than that. | ||
| Blake |
RT, I give up, what is a "BHF"? Spidy, Dude, I've heard about how you ride.  Besides, one of these guys was doing well under triple digits. He tucked the front end coming into turn 7 at Oak Hill Raceway. He was probably doing about 70 mph. | ||
| Road_Thing |
Blake- in your case, it's a Big Dyslexic Hammer...  r-t | ||
| Spiderman |
All ready a legend huh ![:]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) Well they did have a Q&A sesion with Spidy at the Pocono Mt Adventure Saturday night after the farewell dinner. | ||
| Rick_A |
On my ride from NY to FL I brought a full compliment of screwdrivers, wrenches, allen wrenches, torque bits, a wire cutter, channel lock pliers, and one smallish crescent wrench. I also brought a CO2 inflater with several cartridges. On a whim I stuffed my tank bag full of tools, and ended up using most of them! I wore leather pants, a leather jacket, hard armored race gloves (that started falling apart), and steel toed leather work boots for the ride. I was roastin' at times but I replenished my own fluids at every gas stop. For the rain...I found 90mph dries you pretty quick. | ||
| Mavinwy |
Mike, Now you know the wind never blows in Wyoming   Anyway, one thing I throw in, just because it doesn't take a whole lot of space, is one of those "fit all" sockets. (Gatorgrip or whatever) It has never been needed on my bike, but I ride with som UJM riders, and then my SAE wrenches just won't fit Also electrical tape, a plug kit, first aid kit, small bike pump, basic wrenches, a screwdriver with various tips (including torx), a knife, penlight and phone numbers. Also a cell phone. (you can leave it off) I also ride distance with a camelback (water carrier) which I fill with Ice Water if it is hot out, or just water if it is cool. Now here in Wyoming, we don't worry about rain much (especially this year)...now if it starts to SNOW..... | ||
| Oz666 |
When I made my "break-in" ride (first time on a Buell) from Tampa -> Buffalo, all I had with me were: spare helmet, spare eyeglasses (photo-gray - use the photo-suns for daytime riding), Abus 1000+ cable lock and a disc lock, camera, tire gauge, maps, binoculars (the small folding kind), mini mag light with spare batteries, the usual jeans and T-shirts, Flannel Shirt (for florida/georgia) Heavy insulated flannel jacket (for further north) leather jacket used in combination with the above two at appropriate temperatures (sorry guys, I just can't wear a leather when it's 95 degrees. I did wear the helmet, long sleeve shirt and gloves all the time), leatherman pocket tool (NEVER leave home without that), roll of electrical tape, spare lighter, the usual razor, toothbrush etc..., pain meds, allergy meds, an allen wrench set that I bought less than 20 miles out of tampa 'cuz the bars were so far forward, (the knob on the front of the '97 seat on my '98 S3T was giving me an atomic wedgie) It's a good thing I hadn't done a lot of reading on this web site before I made the trip because, since the bike and I didn't know that it was supposed to break down/spew oil every 500 miles, it ran flawlessly for the entire trip. (50+ mpg @ 65-85 mph) Click on my name to see a picture of the packed bike the day after I found out that I had ACCIDENTALLY ridden the Dragon with less than 600 miles experience on the bike (and in the rain no less) I LOVE my S3T, Going to keep it forever!! Don That Buell Guy In Buffalo | ||
| Rick_A |
I did over 400 miles the other day and nothing came loose or fell off. Amazing! |
