I have a 9 day vacation from work coming up, planning on a roadtrip and most likely heading to the east coast. bike is a 2009 GSXR 600, a few questions for the all knowing GTAM members.
what pre trip maintenance is needed?
what are the don't leave home without it items?
maybe Wheelieboy can share some thoughts given his recent trip.
The last time I went to the East Coast was a long long time ago so I dont remember much about distance/time/roads there.
Pretrip maintenance:
-oil change
-make sure you have enough tire to last you the trip
-make sure your chain/sprockets/bearings are in good shape
Items to bring:
This is the list of items I brought
A lot of people asked about the Jerry can...I didnt actually use it but it was a backup. It didnt interfere with leaning the bike over (I even scraped the peg on that side) but thinking back, it could get a little dangerous in the case of a crash.
Get a drysack to store your stuff and if you're tieing down with bungee cords, put masking tape on your fairings. I dont know what fender you have on but the stock fender provides a lot of anchor points.
Flat tire repair kit is something that you should have...I used it on my trip.
Packing List:
Clothes/Gear:
1 textile jacket
1 textile pants
2 riding gloves
1 winter gloves
1 pair of mittens
1 riding boots
1 helmet + helmet bag
5 t-shirts
5 socks
1 pair of pants
1 pair of shorts
1 hoodie
1 windbreaker
1 rain suit
1 pair of shoes
5 Pairs of earplugs
I used my GPS to find motels/gas stations. It doesnt list all of the motels/gas stations and sometimes it will point you to the middle of no where...like that one night in South Dakota when I was riding through a storm. I had 2 GPS's incase my main one broke, luckily I didnt have to use my 2nd. Also had paper maps but didnt have to use those either.
This is actually the last think I worry about, and I have never had an issue finding a motel in the middle of nowhere at all sorts of bad hours. Though I have had to ride maybe another 100km that I wanted to, or that one time Front Royal, VA had some sort of festival and every last hotel room was taken so I had to doubleback 50km to the next town. If you're in the middle of nowhere, just try to locate the nearest town with more than five people and you'll likely find a motel there. I remember finding Shamrock, Texas late at night, in the middle of Texas, whole town has a population of maybe 2k people, but has six or seven hotels/motels.
I'd add, bring some paper maps in case your GPS dies. Kinda like mine did 500km into a 7k km trip. If you have a CAA membership, they give out proper maps for free, stock up.
Also zip ties and a good multi-tool (I like my Leatherman) can save your butt when unexpected situations come up. That, a roll of electrical tape, and you'll likely be able to fix whatever comes your way
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