What's the one thing you always forget or wish you'd brought on long trip on 2 wheels?

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PrivatePilot

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Working on my packing list for our trip out west in a few weeks. I have a lot of packing lists from previous trips but each trip tends to be a little different, and this one is no different in that once I get out west on my solo leg, I'll be meeting my wife in Edmonton and we'll be riding 2up for our BC adventure before I drop her off again in either Edmonton or Calgary, and then I cannonball home solo again.

We will be primarily doing hotels/motels and not doing any of our own food prep (unlike most other trips with my usual riding buddies) so there will be no cooking gear needed this time, and I'm only bringing absolute minimal emergency camping gear just in case we get into a pickle somewhere as we are going totally without reservations. It'll be a cold day in hell before my wife will willingly climb into a tent on the ground lol, but it beats sitting on the bike in a parking lot all night because there was no rooms available somewhere or whatever. I might camp myself for a few nights on the to/from depending on weather as well.

So, thought I'd throw it out there, as per the title - what's the one thing you always forget or wish you'd brought on a long trip on 2 wheels?
 
PrivatePilot said:
… So, thought I'd throw it out there, as per the title - what's the one thing you always forget or wish you'd brought on a long trip on 2 wheels?
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More money.
 
With thousands of hours as PIC, I know the advantage of check lists and have a few based on where I am going.

Better weather at times which I cannot change.
 
Not going over the bike thoroughly enough before a long trip.
 
Large safety pins or bulldog paper clips to close the annoying bright gap in the motel curtains.

A small damp microfiber cloth attached to a retractable badge reel to wipe the bugs off the helmet visor on the fly.
 
If you're tenting, always pack a toque, no matter what time of year. I learned this the hard way.
 
Thermos type container for morning coffee and afternoon ice water hydration. For me way better than Camel type water bladders. Doesn’t have to be big
 
Jayell said:
If you're tenting, always pack a toque, no matter what time of year. I learned this the hard way.
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Agreed. I like to roll the cuff down over my eyes to block out light and let me sleep a bit later.
 
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We've developed a checklist for different kinds of trips:

- day trip? leave the sleeping bag and tent at home
- overnight or longer trip? We typically carry the same stuff for both a 3 day trip and a 3-year trip
- bike rental abroad? grab the throttle rockers off the bikes and stuff'em in the drybags along with the RokStraps
- dirt bike or big bike? different tools required.
- trailering? If so, then we pack the huge, comfy double air mattress for glamping. Real cutlery instead of the combination spork + multitool knife :D

If we forget something, it gets added on to the checklist for the next time. We've pretty much dialed in the checklist after many, many moto trips.

One thing that got added onto the list early on is a bathing suit, for a quick dip if we pass by a lake on those hot riding days.
 
Thx all, some good suggestions added to my list. Not sure how much of it I’ll have room for as I expect to be busting at the seams to fit 2 weeks of stuff for 2 people solely on the bike lol.

New belt installed yesterday and all well it seems so one step closer.
 
Lightcycle said:
One thing that got added onto the list early on is a bathing suit, for a quick dip if we pass by a lake on those hot riding days.
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One guy we ride with seems to know all the great swimming holes. That said we'd just strip to our gitch and head in.
 
Not something I wish I brought, but something I was VERY glad one of the other guys on the ride brought was some silicone self-sealing tape.

Was doing an Eastern Oregon tour on a borrowed FZ-1 that had been geared to the moon as a wheelie special prior to the current owner. As this was killing the mileage, and with the happy blessing of the owner (he hated the low gearing), I took it to a small local shop to get a chain and sprockets to take it back to stock gearing.

Turns out said local shop (a Yamaha dealer no less) somehow pinched a coolant hose in the swap and it was rubbing the chain at the sprocket. We're about four hours from anywhere when I get waved to stop because the bike is puking coolant. After puzzling out the issue, one of the guys produces a roll of Rescue Tape, gives the hose a quick wrap, we add some water from a Camelbak, and off we go. Ended up lasting the rest of the trip with no issues, despite some serious heat (Eastern Oregon is very desert-like). Magical stuff, and I bring a small roll with me in my travel tool kit every time I'm more than a few hours from home...
 
Yeah, you can go down quite the rabbit hole on which tools to bring.

I think the basics are fastening and lubricating. 100mph tape, heavy duty zipties and a small can of WD40 are the minimum, IMO. I add JB Weld to the list, but that may be overkill for a lot of folks on road rides. I also carry a small ziplock bag full of miscellaneous nuts, bolts and washers of differing sizes.

This is our basic kit for the big bikes (chain lube, engine oil, WD-40 in another bag)

tools.jpg
 
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