Getting ready for a longer trip

Getting ready for a longer trip - done with 1st part

Hi all, I'm getting ready to take around a 10 hour trip (one way, spend a few days and ride back) I've read through previous posts about long rides, and just thought I'd post up to make sure I'm on the right road:smile:
Current mods on my 2004 are Arrow exhaust, PCIIIusb with O2 Elims, hard bags, Bagster tank bag.

I've got an appointment in a few days to replace my worn down Pilot Powers with Pilot Road2's, oil change and bike checkout and the recall for the ground wiring done. Also should have my Throttlemeister and a power plug for my gps and charging a cellphone installed by the weekend.

So I think I need to add a tire kit, ear plugs, and since I can't afford a new seat maybe some bicycle shorts or something since it seems after about 2 hours my sit bones freaking hurt.

So what am I missing? and those who have the taller windshield is it worth it? did you need to change to the Helibars after the windshield change due to the wind not helping hold you up on the highway?
Thanks

 

Well, A good rain suit comes to mind. I rode 3000 miles in 9 days on a 20 year old bike without so much as a cell phone (nobody had them back then). I guess a tire kit would be nice to have, but I've never needed one. Don't forget a good pair of wrap-around sunglasses. Your butt will be numb after the first 4 hours no matter what you wear, so I wouldn't worry about the bike shorts, just plenty of "Anti-Monkey Butt Powder".

 

OK put on a Throttlemeister and a Powerlet Steering head kit tonight. Can't wait to try it out tomorrow :smile:

 

Possibly chain lube, disposable gloves and a couple of paper towels.

 

The ole Honda polish and a rag is a good idea. It's kinda hard using those gas station squeegees on your shield and that water - yuck. I've ridden through some couple mile stretches were the front of the bike and face shield are so covered you can barely see.

Screw carrying chain lube, clean your chain and lube it before you leave. The lighter the load the better.

And what's with all this GPS? Whatever happened to putting a fast-map in the window of your tank bag? I'd personally rather use that juice on a radar detector!

 

I second the rain gear,very small micro fiber towel and small spay bottle of cleaner for your face shield. possibly a small tire guage(keychain size), Aspirin and butt powder.
I second the Map. I hate the GPS stuff.

I know you are probably taking a cell phone But carry a few important umbers in your wallet in case you lose your cell.

 

Cool, thanks for the input. The gps is more for proper speed, I didn't think the previous owner changed the gearing, but the speedo seemed off to me, so the other day I rode with the gps reading 65 and my speedo around 73. So I guess I need to check my gearing. I've already got some rain gear and Plexus with a micro fibre packed just need to get the other goodies mentioned. Thanks again.

 

I borrowed my dad's TomTom when they were her for a visit to check my speedo too. My speedo is 5 over pretty much at all the regular speeds I ride. Sure is good to know.

 

I'd say your gearing is stock. They're all off about that much. BTW, I love my GPS and rarely leave home without it.

 

for long trips i use the beads from beadrider.com for my seat.....looks kinda oldmanish....but you wont care went you are on the bike....only 40$ so try em and if you dont like give em away......saved my butt on the 650 run from carolina to sw florida... lets air circulate under your rear ...no monkey butt.

 

More power to the GPS users. I guess I am just old. But then again my Father in law loves'em too. May have to give'em a second look.

Question? it was mentioned here that the GPS was being used to check the speed. Which do you guys consider to be more accurate? I would think the GPS in more of an approximate speed Vs the Speedo connected to your bike. Is that wrong?
Also, It was my understanding that commecial GPS is limited in its accuracy. That Comercial products are not allowed to use military specs on their products and that Comercial GPS is limited to being close in the range of 32' where military is 8' or under. Which while 32' is close, I would think not close enough to be accurate enough to tell actual speed.

What are you guys finding?

 

Just on a note- Using microfiber towels on your face shield or windscreen is self sabotage. Micro fiber towels are made of polyester base. Polyester is plastic. you don't rub plastic on plastic objects you prefer to see through. In the Military we have found this out and the verdict is Terry cloth or flannel is the only way to go if you want your gear to last. cheap terry towels aren't good either, you want the softest you can find. For touch up after cleaning, a chamois is used by pilots on their face shield, it removes finger prints well. just remember, even if you are using the best that money can buy- you will do harm if your cloth/chamois is dirty to begin with.

 

Commercial GPS on a modern receiver should be accurate to 1/10th MPH in a steady state- in other words, way more accurate for speed than any on-vehicle speedo. GPS will lag about 1 second behind the actual speed during acceleration but will be right on at a steady rate.


"Selective availability", the military method of inducing an error to the civilian portion of the satellite signal in order to deny enemy troops use of accurate GPS coordinates, has not been in use since 2000, and as of last year replacement GPS sats have not even been capable of it, effectively rendering it permanently obsolete. This is because the military has devised other means to deny access to GPS for specific areas, presumably some kind of ground-deployed jamming.

Because so many civilian applications now depend on accurate GPS signals it is unlikely that SA will ever be reintroduced.

 

Terrycloth on the right, polyester-nylon split microfiber on the left, rubbed on a freshly painted surface.

Don't overgeneralize- some microfiber cloth is indeed junk, and some- the good stuiff- is way better than terrycloth.

 

Baby Wipes, never leave home without them.

 

Good bicycle shorts are a must.The gel and microfiber crotch type,$110 or so but they are so worth it after the 5th hour.I have Pearl Izumi 'Ultra's,I used to spend long hours on uncomfortable bicycle seats.My ass hurts just thinking about it!

 

Thanks a lot for the explination. I think I will take a second look. Is there a betst spot on these bikes to make a power connection.

 

Who's freshly painted boobs were these?

 

So my trip took me 12 hours :hangme: I made my gas stops around every 60 to 70 miles just to take a break. My gas mileage went up from 36 in town to 44 on the road. I really liked having the Throttlemeister it really helped. I made some mods to my factory seat before I left following this website Seat Mods I'll post up some pics when I get back, I used a large gel seat from a bicycle and inserted it and some new foam under the stock cover. It seemed to work ok, but my butt is sure it's not as nice as an aftermarket seat though. I used a soft terry cloth and Plexus to clean my visor as needed. Now for the worst part - at the end of the trip my hands were and getting better but still a day later are partially numb from a high vibration in my handlebars that I really didn't notice until the last few hundred miles. It has probably been there all along but just didn't notice until the long ride. I was really hoping the heavy weighted Throttlemeister would help subdue any vibrations, and in town and some short rides it hadn't been a problem. Any thoughts?