Milton - Vancouver on R6 - July 2012

[tiborgh]

Those are some awesome pictures and looked like a wicked trip.
Devil's tower looks like an interesting sight... is there a decent town to stay in between black hills and Yellow Stone if I go through Big Horn. or a place to camp?

Gillette, Buffalo, Greybull are all fairly large towns (for Wyoming). Greybull has a very good KOA where I stayed for one night, but my rest was ruined by heavy activity at the nearby train yard.

Finding accomodation in Wyoming (especially when camping is an option) was easy, the only place where I had trouble was inside Yellowstone NP, however calling ahead to book a spot at one of the campgrounds could solve the problem. Traffic in Yellowstone is horrible, the distances are huge and most I could do in an hour was 30-40 km.

Yeah definitely keepin' the lid on, that's just crazy! :O ahah

Keep an open mind .

[MacDoc]

Since I'm travelling solo and some in pretty remote areas ( at least for these old bones to walk out of ) I've been looking at tire sealants and the choice seems this

http://www.ride-onshop.com/Motorcycl...es_Bottle.html

over Slime big time.

Gonna be in the Burgman as soon as I get home and in the KLR as soon as I can find some here in Aus.
The off road crowd quite positive about it while they have negative reports about Slime.

I've not had a flat in decades - more by luck than good management but Ride-On is going in the tires asap.
Very cheap insurance for your cross country venture.

[stevie t]

[QUOTE=MacDoc;1729489]Gonna be in the Burgman as soon as I get home and in the KLR as soon as I can find some here in Aus.
The off road crowd quite positive about it while they have negative reports about Slime.
QUOTE]

Will that work in the tubed tires on the KLR?

[MacDoc]

Yup

[zrxter]

Yes...the Badlands National Park & Rushmore area are must do rides in the area you're travelling ...2 other favourites of mine near where you are going are the Beartooth HW http://www.beartoothhighway.com/roadMaps/index.html
and Glacier Nat'l Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana. http://visitmt.com/categories/morein...=9646&SiteID=1

[gjones4487]

Thanks for the suggestions. I believe I am already visiting both. a couple other people mentioned those roads too. Take a look i believe they are on this map.
http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=2...99626,9.459229

[zrxter]

Thanks for the suggestions. I believe I am already visiting both. a couple other people mentioned those roads too. Take a look i believe they are on this map.
http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=2...99626,9.459229

Oops!..Yes...you are going on both roads...You will be impressed!! Here's a photo of me (on black Z1) on the "Going To The Sun Road" in Glacier Nat'l Park, in 1976. I was last on it 2.5 years by car, I plan on doing it this summer by bike.

[taiga]

Electrical tape huh! I'll try that next time. I used duct tape and it worked great but it left a lot of residue to clean up when I took it off. Thanks for the tip.

If you're looking to protect your bike from scratches / rubbing caused by luggage, I've had very good success with black electrical tape. It's cheap, it's soft, it's easy to apply exactly how you want it, it can be layered if you want, and it comes off easily with no residue.

Here's are some pics from last July .. the part going through Glacier National Park starts here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1612298...57627265760782

[zrxter]

Electrical tape huh! I'll try that next time. I used duct tape and it worked great but it left a lot of residue to clean up when I took it off. Thanks for the tip.

Here's are some pics from last July .. the part going through Glacier National Park starts here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1612298...57627265760782

Great photos!! Looks like it was an awesome adventure.

[gjones4487]

Great Pix! Looks like a great journey. looking at other peoples photos like this makes me want to go just that much more! again July can't come fast enough!
The riding season is almost here and hopefully we get some decent weather in the spring!

[AF4iK]

I'm planning to take a road trip to Vancouver in July as well. I'm only taking 2 weeks off though and trailering the bike so I can hop on and off (traveling with friends who don't ride). Who knows, maybe we'll see each other at some point on the road. I'll keep my eyes peeled for an R6 with ON plates. Be safe and have fun!

[matthew]

Electrical tape huh! I'll try that next time. I used duct tape and it worked great but it left a lot of residue to clean up when I took it off. Thanks for the tip.



Here's are some pics from last July .. the part going through Glacier National Park starts here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1612298...57627265760782

A better method than using electrical tape is to use the green painters tape agains the fairing, then putting duct tape on top of the painters tape. The painters tape comes off extremely easy, but can sometimes be rubbed through from the luggage; the duct tape on top prevents this.

[gjones4487]

So I went for a ride on wednesday and it was awesome! And durring and after my ride, I was thinking about how much fun this trip is going to be. And also some other aspects of the trip. One of the questions that popped up was,
How am I going to Lube the chain?
There is no Center Stand on the R6 and I won't have a rear stand with me.
What would I have to do?:s

[tricky]

So I went for a ride on wednesday and it was awesome! And durring and after my ride, I was thinking about how much fun this trip is going to be. And also some other aspects of the trip. One of the questions that popped up was,
How am I going to Lube the chain?
There is no Center Stand on the R6 and I won't have a rear stand with me.
What would I have to do?:s

Just spray the chain, and roll the bike forward.. and repeat

[Ikan]

Just spray the chain, and roll the bike forward.. and repeat

Don't forget to set your helmet on the seat or hang it off a footpeg while doing this. That way you can curse as you forget this during your haste as you watch it roll away when you go to lift the bike up to roll it forward a tad!

Been there done that! . Only once.

[taiga]

thanks guys. looking at other people's trip photos also makes me want to visit a billion other places lol.
and yep, like the others said. roll forward or backward until you have it all lubed up ^^

oooh, green painter tape... that definitely sounds like it would come off easy at the end. thanks, matthew.

[TOTim]

Gjones I saw your post on ADVrider first and have been following with great interest because I am also riding to Victoria to see my daughter in early june. It's great having someone do some of the prep that I can steal. I am going to stay in Canada on the way there with a stop in the Winnipeg area to see family. I am thinking about taking the Crowsnest highway, #3 on the way there. I also want to do the Jasper route but I like the US route you have mapped out. I am going to take 1 month , so no hurry. Keep us posted on your plans.

[gjones4487]

Thanks for the reminder about ADVrider i actually forgot I posted on there, and none of the replies were sent to me.
I am glad the threads have helped you (and possibly others).
A lot of my planning was through this thread, Wheelieboy's thread for his California Trip last year and one titled "looking in to longdistance riding any pointers..."

Updates, I picked up a pair of Alpinestars Web Gore Tex Boots from the bike show this weekend, and a set of Oxford 48x Saddle bags. and the Photon Cruise 2
They didn't have the Gear pants at the Riders Choice booth so I will be going there next week or so to try some on and maybe buy some.
I ordered the Tour Master Sentinel Rain Suit Jacket in Red and Pants Black from Revzilla.

the next issue is what should I put my laptop and misc stuff in, I was thinking a waterproof duffel bag or a duffel bag wrapped in a garbage bag. I will be picking up a Bungee Net (any suggestions on sizes?) to secure eveything on (tent duffel, sleeping bag, jerry can, etc.).

Cheers,
Geoff

Gjones I saw your post on ADVrider first and have been following with great interest because I am also riding to Victoria to see my daughter in early june. It's great having someone do some of the prep that I can steal. I am going to stay in Canada on the way there with a stop in the Winnipeg area to see family. I am thinking about taking the Crowsnest highway, #3 on the way there. I also want to do the Jasper route but I like the US route you have mapped out. I am going to take 1 month , so no hurry. Keep us posted on your plans.

[TOTim]

I went to the show as well but did not buy a thing. I was ready to buy a Klim jacket from Dualsport plus but they didn't have my size. I will have to go elsewhere. I picked up a cruise 2 as well last week and it tested well, takes a little to get used to. I still need tons of gear.I am on a BMW R1150 GS and already have panniers and a top box but want a tank bag as well. Have you thought about a Pelican case for your electronics? They are $$ but amazing protection. I am not going to bring my laptop. I do want a GPS unit. I also need camping gear. My daughter works at MEC in victoria so she gets a good discount. So much for a cheap vacation. I hope this is the first of many, so it's an investment.As for waterproof bags , I saw a post pointing out some cheap waterproof bags that walmart sells. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stansport-...ndingMethod=rr . Something like this.

[MacDoc]

OP since you are on a bike with limited storage I would buy a knapsack with a section specifically for a lappie.

I use a SwissGear down here in Aus - that way all your valuable stuff does not need to be unpacked when you go into eat etc. The lappie fits tight against my back so the weight is kept close to your body and I find the straps easy to get on and off with good adjustments...
I would not however trust it in full rain so pack a few lappie sized ziplocks ( take ziplocks of various sizes - they are superbly useful.
There are so many good pockets all over it's one of the best bits of travelling gear I own and use it as a carryon for international travel.