big trip next summer, advice required

[Church6360]

ok, i'm planing a tip for this upcoming summer, exact date undecided, but i'm planning on riding from around columbus ohio to ankorage alaska, and back. i have a 93 gs with a mystery motor (odometer says 15 k ). what should i replace or check before embarking on such a hideously long journey? i plan on tearing the bike a part this winter to square away any mechanical problems. i also would like to get the biek into the mid 40's in hp. so i'm thinking vance and hines exhaust, k and n filters, jet kit. i'm also plannig on replacing my rounded out tach and old speedo with one of the veypor units http://www.veypor.com/

i just replaced my chain (d.i.d.) and clutch, so they should be ok, but i know my from forks are shot, what shoudl i do with them? replace or rebuild?

i also have the clymer manual for my bike, plus several large tool chests full of tools, so i just wanted a few informed opinions to steer my to the correct path so i don't have to walk home from some place like kansas.

sorry bout the long post
thanks for the advice
-Matt

[Adam R]

so i'm thinking vance and hines -Matt

I would strongly recomend NOT fitting the Vance and Hines pipe to your GS as it is very loud and it will invariably become tiresome and annoying on such a long trip.  

If you must change the exhaust, then perhaps a F1 slip-on?

Comfort will be your most important concern, so you will want some sort of windscreen.  You might consider looking into fiting heated grips and/or getting an electric jacket if the weather drops off and you're at higher altitude.  Riding gear in general will be very important.

As for your forks, you say they are shot ... in what sense?  Most likely you just need to replace the seals.  Also, you could take the chance to fit slightly heavier oil and better springs while you're at it.  

Working on the bike this winter is a great idea as it will help prepare you for potential roadside repairs (knock on wood!)

Sounds like a great trip.  Wish I could ride along!  

[Dom]

Those are cool, but if you read the install on the R6 it shows them epoxying the sensor to the rear sprocket nut...Hmm...ok so what do I do when I want to remove the nut?  

This might be the solution...pricy solution... to using a '03+ gsxr front end on the street.

[callmelenny]

ok, i'm planing a tip for this upcoming summer, exact date undecided, but i'm planning on riding from around columbus ohio to ankorage alaska, and back. ...

sorry bout the long post
thanks for the advice
-Matt

I'm jealous of your trip plans.

On the comfort front, you might consider upgrading the seat. Corbin makes a nice seat that fits the GS.

[treybrad]

What's the longest ride you've been on to date? The longest I've been on the bike in a day is about 6hrs and my bum gets pretty sore. Biggest thing is having a small but capable set of tools to travel with. Doesn't matter what you do, it's pretty much inevitable that something will break on you during a trip of that length. I don't know how loud the VH pipe is, but I know the wind drowns out my F1s slipon almost completely above 55mph.

On a sidenote.. that Veypor thing might be the coolest thing I have ever seen. Wow. I should've never seen that... I'm already justifying to myself b/c I could transfer it to the next bike....

trey

[Dom]

I rode 1200 miles around North Vietnam.  Sometimes we would ride eight hours in a day but it wasn't too bad...just took a rest every couple of hours.

[luke1645]

if you want real knowledge on this subject do a search about long distance travel. kerry is also very knowledgable on this stuff too.

about the v&h...i rode from minnesota to washington state this past summer and it wasnt all that bad. if you can get ear plugs to block out noise, mainly wind noise, it would be a good idea.

your bum will get sore. no matter what you do. if you plan on riding for extended period of times as in 15 or so hours a day you will get sore. baby powder helped me....keeps ya from chafing

one last thing...if you can or have any inkling about doing this mod for the trip i would highly recommend it. a throttle stop or some form of cruise control. when i got to washington and when i returned home my right hand wasnt right for a few hours and it hurt for at least a day after. when droning down the freeway it would have been awsome to have one...my biggest regret.

do a search on this topic and you will find pages upon pages of great info

good luck with your trip!

[manofthefield]

Before a really long trip, you should do all the major and minor maintenace; especially checking valves, having fresh tires, replacing rubber parts, check and fix all leaks, etc. My other big advice is once you get it all back together, put as many miles on the bike as you can for reliability testing and endurance training for you.

[Church6360]

i was thinking the vance and hines exhaust simply because it was chap and readily avaliable on bike bandit.com. but i was wondering about other exhaust systems, i've heard yosh makes one ( for a high price i bet) and i read a few posts about remus and akrapovik, but i didn't see too much concrete info there.

it should be a crazy trip, a high school friend of mine who lives in anchorage in having his 02 kawa 600cc ninja shipped back here and then we are both riding out together. then i'm riding back alone.

i will deffinently invest in a nice riding suit and a better helmet ( my 99 dollar bell is not to comfortable)

my front forks need new seal for sure, i just wasn't sure if there were relatively cheap aftermarket ones that would work better ( i am a hefty guy and even before they started leaking they felt too soft.

yeah, the veypor seems like the coolest use of 275 dollars i've seen lately, it is really small and has all sorts of crazy features that i'm sure i'll hardly ever use, but it looks so cool!

does anybody make a reduild kit for the whole engine? liek all gaskets and seals and piston rings ect?

and what kind of exhaust is a good compromise between price, power and noise level?

thanks for all the posts!
-Matt

[davipu]

loud pipes keep you awake, so just cut them off, and install a beer holder.  and the most important thing  bring extra socks some good warm ones.   have fun

[davipu]

http://www.danielcohen.org/2alaska/2wheelstoalaska.htm  one of the best  online rescorces for riding to alaska.
http://www.ironbutt.com/about/default.cfm  the best site for long distance riding.

[Tiggerfoot]

The movers trashed both of my odom and tac...  Thanks for the great idea!!!

[dgyver]

At speed the sound of the pipes really do not make much difference. Wind noise will be greater and more annoying. Wear ear plugs. They will also make you less fatigued.

Yosh systems are not made for the GS anymore. You may be able to find a used one, but expect to pay premium. Akra does not and has not made a system for the GS.

[Von Vester]

The most important tool to take with you is a crdeit card. No matter how many mechanic's tools you take you still won't have the gasket/bearing/tire you need to get going again.

The seat on this motorcycle is an abomination. The furthest I've ridden my GS in one day was 550 miles, and that gave me major cramps in my gluteus maximus. I could not have done that same mileage the following day. I agree with 'callmelenny', get a Corbin seat or suffer greatly.

Have a good time on your journey and be sure to update us when you get back. I am green with envy that you have the time and opportunity for such a great adventure.

[chbix]

There is a kit with the gaskets for an engine rebuild, I think there is one on EBAY and I think that bike bandit has one ass well not %100 sure if that was the site I found it on.  That tach thing is pretty cool.  If not that I would invest in that thing that mounts to your helemt and shows the speed and rpms, theres a topic on here about it.  Id think bringing a mp3 player oir something to listen to while you ride, but it in only 1 ear so you can still hear the engine or play it low enough to hear what is going on.

[Kerry]

PartsNMore has a complete gasket set for $63.  (Free shipping!)

[Hi-T]

I would definately look into getting more power out of your bike- the V&H will sound loud at 6 in the morning but otherwise it's not obnoxious.

Get some luggage.  I would recommend a good tank bag and something for the back of the seat or saddle bags.  I used my tank bag as a pillow... but you really don't want to have to carry too much on your person.

A windscreen will make your life happy.  Anything is better than nothing.  Wind blast will fatigue you.

Wear earplugs-  after 1500 miles, my ears were ringing-and that was with plugs...

Treat advil like candy... seriously, don't wait for the pain to set in- You will be sore, no way around it.  Your butt, back and head will thank you.

Start your trip with fresh tires.  

Good luck