Taking a trip, help?

[Big Lou]

So sometime in Nov Ill be taking the GS from Louisiana to SOCAL (orange county).  Figure I got some down time coming and the Army will survive a coupla weeks without me.  Haven't figured out a route yet, or what I should/shouldn't take.  Would like some advice from you other riders that have taken long trips before.  In a cage I make the trip in about 27-30 hrs, how long should I plan for this time? No saddle bags or tank bags either, so any suggestions on which I should buy, or is it just as easy to do without?  I'm not too concerned about the bike being able to make it.  It's freakin brand new (more or less), so I doubt it'll be much trouble.  Comments? Suggestions?

[ohgood]

So sometime in Nov Ill be taking the GS from Louisiana to SOCAL (orange county).  Figure I got some down time coming and the Army will survive a coupla weeks without me.  Haven't figured out a route yet, or what I should/shouldn't take.  Would like some advice from you other riders that have taken long trips before.  In a cage I make the trip in about 27-30 hrs, how long should I plan for this time?1) No saddle bags or tank bags either, so any suggestions on which I should buy, or is it just as easy to do without?  I'm not too concerned about the bike being able to make it.  2) It's freakin brand new (more or less), so I doubt it'll be much trouble.  Comments? Suggestions?

1) dude, you HAVE to have a tank bag and saddlebags for that long of a trip. you simply will kill your back if you try to use a backpack. i promise. you may want to invest in a trunk also.

2) don't count on that brand new bit. have you had your valves adjusted, head retorqued, wheels aligned, chain adjusted (it will wear/stretch a bunch the first few miles), etc  ?


what would i take on a trip that long ? an extra shield,
sunglasses,
flares,
gun,
toilet paper,
tire plug kit with 3x what you think you need for CO2 carts,
couple o quarts of oil,
ca$h,
2-3 credit cards (ok, debit, i don't do credit)
2-3 oil filter cover o-rings and black RTV,
vice grips
duct tape
2 cellphones
2 chargers
distilled water
camera( s )
tons more, and this is why you -need- saddle bags, tank bag, and possibly a trunk.

murphy's law loves me

[scottpA_GS]

gun,

You cant Carry a concealed weapon into Orange county from Louisiana 

[ohgood]

gun,

You cant Carry a concealed weapon into Orange county from Louisiana 

really ? i thought that was one of my constitutional rights as a U.S. citizen. :|

[langhorne047]

California doesn't believe in the 2nd Amendment - one reason it's known as the land of fruits and nuts!

[makenzie71]

But California honors the laws of other states.  If he's packing and has a CHL and it's legal to ride armed in Louisiana, then it's legal for a Louisianan with a Louisianan driver's license to be packing while riding in California.

[fred]

But California honors the laws of other states.  If he's packing and has a CHL and it's legal to ride armed in Louisiana, then it's legal for a Louisianan with a Louisianan driver's license to be packing while riding in California.

Uhh, no, not how it works here. California does not recognize the concealed carry permits of any other states. See for yourself here:

http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs.php#29

There are some states that honor the CCW permits of other states, but California is not one of them...

[Big Lou]

Muchas gracias ohgood.  I bought saddlebags, a tank bag, AND a tail bag (or trunk, whichever you prefer).  I rode about 2 hours with a backpack with less than half the s#$! I would need and you were right,  a backpack.  I figure I can make about 700-800 miles a day, so sbout 3 days should do it.  Any suggestions on a good ride once I get into cali?  I figure I'll make the pacific coast highway run, and try to find some canyons while Im there, but don't know anything specific.

[Big Lou]

p.s. Im not takin a friggin gun anyway.  1) Im not from Louisiana, Im from Texas, Im just stationed here, and because Im in the army, IF i were to carry, the state to which I was traveling would have to recognize the  TEXAS concealed weapon statute, because that's my home of record.  It's the same thing with drivers liscenses and plates.  Just because I am stationed in LA, I still have to get my car/bike registered and inspected in Texas, and Louisiana HAS to honor it, regardless of how long I live here. But like I said, Im not carrying anyway, so....

[trickniner]

I just did slightly over 1000 miles in 2 1/2 days.  CT to Indianapolis.

Like has been mentioned before you will definitely want Saddle Bags and a Tank Bag.  I did the ride with saddle bags and my backpack bungied to the tail like a tail bag.  While I had plenty of room I think a tank bag would have been better since I could keep maps, wallet, cameras etc. more easily accessible.  But I was glad I had the backpack because when I got to my destination I had something to carry things around when on foot.  You might want to do both especially since you trip is probably twice as long as what I did, you might want all that storage.

I don't know what kind of ride you where planning but definitely factor in the kind of roads you are riding and the mileage you expect to cover.  My buddy and I took the scenic route out to Indy with as many twisty sections of roads we could find.  Because of that we only got around 350 miles done each day which isn't that much but it took us around 9 hours to cover that including stops for food and pictures.  Also because of the style of roads we where pretty worn out at the end of the day too.  So keep that kind of stuff in mind when planning the route.

As far as what to bring, ohgood had it about right.  Some of the stuff might be overkill but it depends on the kind of person you are.  We where fairly well prepared and we didn't need any of the stuff, we where lucky.  But obviously you'll want to bring the basics for a bike roadtrip.  Tool kit, oil, chain wax/lube, tire repair kit, first aid kit.

Also you might want to invest in dedicated rain gear, we where stuck riding in a full day of rain, and it sucked hard.  I had textile pants that had a good rain liner that worked well however my Joe Rocket Jacket which said it was "Waterproof" didn't hold up the entire day, it lasted about 2 hours or so and then the water started to make it's way in, although I never got totally soaked.  The worst was my boots and gloves, my hands looked like super prunes at the end of the day and my boots where so wet they they took 3 full days to dry out after some help from a hairdryer.