Starting to plan a HUGE Road trip ALL advice welcome.

Here is how the story goes. My wife and I live in Ontario beside lake huron, my In-Laws retired to Prince Edward Island. The have been bugging us about coming to visit in the summer.

So far the rough plan we have hashed up is that in August of this year my wife and daughter will fly to the east coast. I will leave one day earlier on the seca and Meet them there.

we will be there for a week close to my daughters first birthday before we ride/ fly home.

at some point my wife and I will take the bike for two trips around each half of PEI being as the In-laws live roughly in the middle.

These are the stats.... to ride there and back including the tour around the island is 4000 Kilometers or roughly 2500 miles. I have 6 months to prepare the bike and myself for the trip.

im looking for advice on things I should have equipped on the bike, or pack for while on the road.

I know there is alot more to be planned at this point as far as stops on way and where to sleep. ect .... the gas bone is connected to the ..stops bone... the stops bone is connected to the .. Route bone... you get the picture.

oh and I should ad one of the reasons for the trip is I just hate flying.

 

Get familiar with your common services, and before you head out...DO ALL OF THEM, and set aside only the tools it required to do the job. Nothing else. That is your new tool kit for the road. Just in case.

Bring warm clothing, but not too much. It's better to smell bad than to have too much gear.

Use loctite on everything.

New tires, and a good tire repair kit, just in case.

Bring plenty of water.

If you want to carry extra gas, maybe use an MSR fuel bottle (about 20 extra kilometers), or a Rotopax (about 60k).

At 2500 miles, you could push the oil change, but its up to you. Probably better to do one during that time.

Go slow. Wrecking is going to be way worse than any possible breakdown.

Enjoy the ride!

 

If you want to push the oil change; you can easily get away with it with this: http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiong ... Id=7079437

I've been running it (20W40) in my 550 for three seasons now with not only ZERO issues, it has benefits like zero oil consumption and I tend to run 80mph a lot.

Take the above advice; if the bike is in-spec tuned, it will have no problems. But you can't have ignored valve clearances, float levels and other rudimentary steps to bringing it up to spec. I'd have absolutely no trepidations about jumping on my 550 Seca and riding it to Georgia, Oregon or Maine. (OK, not when it's -4F out like right now.) I took more than a couple of 3000 mile+ trips on my Norton when it was of a similar age and if your equipment is in "good nick" then all you have to do is experience the adventure. (We can talk about Manitoulin Island and the mosquitoes and moose another time.)

Just make sure the bike is truly solid. Take a couple of 200 or 300 mile "weekenders" on it beforehand to be sure. Do an oil and filter change, top up the battery, maybe even re-check the valve clearances right before you shove off. Then take a 40-mile ride to be sure you didn't miss something.

Oh, and traveling in Canada, you can bring water if you want. I tend to carry beer because it's much harder to find.

 

Good luck and......WE LIKE PICTURES!

Ps be careful...the last half hour of the day is the most dangerous in my humble

 

When getting ready for a trip it's easy to focus on the equipment and forget to prepare the mind. It's really easy to allow stumbles and delays ruin a trip. Focus on the journey and embrace the obstiacles as just being another part of the adventure. Live in the moment.

 

for right now I am setting up to install my new clutch friction plates and springs along with a fresh batch of oil for the spring. I have to address a minor oil leak from the oil filter gasket then the bike should be ready for spring riding. Ill probably be due for another oil change by august anyway so ill start the trip on fresh oil.

I know the brakes and carbs are at 100% since the work done last summer but ill check the brakes this spring and before the trip again. For now Im looking to track down any bugs that need working out as well as locating a good sized tank bag for a good price.

I should have an update on the clutch job sometime over the weekend.
thanks for the advice so far

Krafty

 

Are you planning to go through Quebec on Highway 20 to go from Ontario to PEI? If so, it would be funny to ride together for a while. I live one hour East of Montreal and I have relatives in Quebec City.

I'll have my summer holidays end of July -beginning of August so maybe the timing won't be good? Anyhow, let me know if you'd like someone to ride with for a while.

 

My wife and I take a 10-12 day trip each year. All the bike advice is good. I pack light--everything I need for the complete trip in one bag that sits behind me attached to the sissy bar. One extra pair of pants, one pair of short pants, swim shorts, a shirt, underwear and socks for each day. Everything is sorted and packed in plastic grocery bags and stuffed in the bike bag. As the trip progresses dirty stuff goes on the bottom and the bags of clean stuff on top. I also carry a pair of krocs, sun screen, camera, hygiene items, and extra keys. Minimum tools for chain adjustment, chain lube, and rain suit go in the saddlebags. I always travel with a GPS.

Of course my wife packs more, but still gets everything she needs in one bike bag and a small extra bag on the back plus the saddle bags.

Can't dress for every occasion but we do have fresh clean clothes for each day.

 

Get your bike prep done early and then don't worry about it so much. Stop every time you see something that looks interesting and enjoy the sights. I always try too hard to ride too many miles and don't stop to "smell the roses" but am always glad I did when I do let me stop. You won't make as many miles as the first day and if you are not a big miles sort of fellow you will be amazed at how exhausted you are at the end of each day. Take some Tylenol and/or motrin with you and don't be afraid to use it. If not a big miles guy you will be using lots of muscles in positions you had forgotten about. Mostly HAVE FUN! Good luck, be safe and HAVE FUN!

 

Always nice to start with new or near new tyres (tires) if the budget permits! Nothing worse than having to "look over your shoulder" all the way home :cry:

 

I'd invest in a windshield, no matter how goofy you might think it looks your neck may thank you.

Out east is not quite the same as southwestern Ontario, be prepared for some long stretches with no gas stations. An extra gas can is a must.

 

I went on a 6000 mile trip that the only prep/planning was done the day before. I'll add to this later, it's a blast.

 

Home made or after market hi-way pegs, for long stretches in the saddle just being able to move your feet around will make a ton of difference.

 

I'm going to go on a cross country motorcycle trip soon as I get my bike put together and from what I've read:

-Highway riding will take less of a toll on your bike than city riding. You will want to make sure your bike is in tip top shape because of the distance, but it's not like you have to do anything particularly special. Go over the whole bike and make sure everything is in good condition. Tires, fluids, brakes, cables, lines, bolts, carbs, electrical, etc. One should have a routine anyway.

-Highway pegs and a windscreen are recommended to reduce fatigue and be more comfortable.

-Go on a few longer rides to get a feel for it. You might plan beforehand how many miles you want to ride a day on your trip. I've read that about 300/day is good for starters but you probably can go more. It just depends on how many stops you want and how tired you get. Don't ride sleepy.

-Take tools and know how to do use them on your bike! I've changed the oil, cleaned the carbs and taken the whole bike apart to paint the frame, all with a Haynes manual and this forum. I know a lot more about how the bike works now and which tools are needed for what.

-Pack what you need, but don't overpack. Take energy bars, some water, clothes, tools, rain gear, hygiene stuff, and that's about it I think.

On my trip I'm planning on going minimal, but I will be camping so I'm taking a sleeping bag and tent.

 

So the new clutch is in and the bike has fresh oil for spring. now if only the snow would go away then we'll be laughing.

the clutch was much easier than I anticipated and the whole job I got done in roughly an hour. I have pics if anyone is interested. I made a "warm room" in my garage by hanging blankets and comforters I use as drop cloths in an area around the bike where the ceiling is stuffed with insulation. then employed the use of a space heater and an led work light. managed to stay warm while it was -10c out on Saturday night.

going to be picking up a tank bag by the end of the month for $20 along with my trusty back pack that should be enough storage for me for the trip.
I just need to pack for my time on the road because my wife will bring a bag for me on the plane for our time in PEI.

thanks for your support so far. quebecois59 I am interested in riding with you if the timing works out so we'll see what happens.

Thanks again.
Krafty

 

OK let me know when your schedule is set up. I also offer a bed for one night if it suits you to stop in Waterloo, Qc.

 

That would be amazing. it works out nicely to being roughly the half way point of the trip. Of course I don't want to intrude, if you change your mind or whatever the case my be i can always just stay in a hotel for the night.

Now that has got me thinking about maps and/or a gps.
I have a gps for my wifes car but I would have to find a way to mount it to the bike and find a way to charge it.
or should I just stick with the ontario road atlas and do it the old fashioned way

thoughts?

 

I'm an old fashion guy when it comes to travelling with maps or GPSs, I prefer maps. Even if they can be inaccurate for street riding in new developments, they use to be accurate enough for roads.

What I like to do is go on Google maps and print close-ups of tricky sections of the trip.

 

The only thing i could say for the moment is that we'll be out three weeks for our summer holidays. PM me as soon as you know a bit more about your planning, so we can see if your schedule suits ours.

 

for now we are looking at booking the flight for my wife for the 1st or 2nd of August which means I would be riding either the 31st of july or the 1st of august. Once we confirm with the in-laws then we will be booking the flight.

 

Hummmm, it will be in the middle of our holidays...I won't be at home, too bad!

 

Here's what I did on my Bandit for a power source:
Picture #1 is a dual 12 volt source that I picked up at Crappy Tire, it had a little green LED on it to show that it's hot (seen better in #5). GPS plugs straight in to it.
Picture #2 is how I spliced the black leads into the connection for my battery tender.
Picture #3 is one of those little thumb roll on/off switches that you can put in-line for a table lamp. This way I don't have to have it on all the time.
Picture #4 is an in-line 10 amp blade fuse to protect my battery.
Picture #5 is a 12 volt inverter with a 110 plug so that I can charge my cell with "clean" hydro.
I do have room to store this under the seat on the Bandit, but you could wire it so that it runs up to a tank bag.
If you need more info or pics just ask. Hope this helps.