Hey Guys (and Gals)
I'm getting ready to make my first long ride on my '92 GS. I want to know the things to check before I take off. Obviously I'm gonna check oil level, brake fluid level, tire inflation levels, chain tension and lube.
The bike has sat in my dad's garage all winter with the battery disconnected and stored inside the house. So I would assume it still has a charge. Otherwise I'll just jump it from a car battery.
I also want to know what tools I should take with me just in case I should brake down. I don't have the factory kit that came with the bike. I'll be wearing a backpack that I can put my things in. I'll be including my Clymer's manual as well. My wife will be travelling ahead of me so if I do break down she can pick me up if needed.
For those interested I'm picking it up from McCordsville, IN, which is Northeast of Indianapolis and riding it to Bentonville, AR. It's close to 600 miles one way. I plan on stopping every 125 miles or so.
Any other thoughts or ideas.
Thanks,
DLW
WOW....24 views and no comments.
Thanks Guys!!!
DLW
Sadly, I've never been on a long tour myself, so I have no direct advice to offer. :(
The following threads may be of interest to you:
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=9431.0
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=35211.0
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40760.0
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41686.0
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41740.0
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=34674.0
- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=42133.0
Also, this site provides a beginner's guide to motorcycle touring:
http://www.visi.com/~dalebor/index.html#contents
Have fun! :)
Quote from: DLW on June 24, 2008, 06:28:07 PM
Hey Guys (and Gals)
I'm getting ready to make my first long ride on my '92 GS. I want to know the things to check before I take off. Obviously I'm gonna check oil level, brake fluid level, tire inflation levels, chain tension and lube.
The bike has sat in my dad's garage all winter with the battery disconnected and stored inside the house. So I would assume it still has a charge. Otherwise I'll just jump it from a car battery.
I also want to know what tools I should take with me just in case I should brake down. I don't have the factory kit that came with the bike. I'll be wearing a backpack that I can put my things in. I'll be including my Clymer's manual as well. My wife will be travelling ahead of me so if I do break down she can pick me up if needed.
For those interested I'm picking it up from McCordsville, IN, which is Northeast of Indianapolis and riding it to Bentonville, AR. It's close to 600 miles one way. I plan on stopping every 125 miles or so.
Any other thoughts or ideas.
Thanks,
DLW
Carry a pistol if you know the laws of the states involved.... :thumb: Thats the first thing I pack. ;)
Quote from: DLW on June 24, 2008, 06:28:07 PM
Hey Guys (and Gals)
I'm getting ready to make my first long ride on my '92 GS. I want to know the things to check before I take off. Obviously I'm gonna check oil level, brake fluid level, tire inflation levels, chain tension and lube.
The bike has sat in my dad's garage all winter with the battery disconnected and stored inside the house. So I would assume it still has a charge. Otherwise I'll just jump it from a car battery.
I also want to know what tools I should take with me just in case I should brake down. I don't have the factory kit that came with the bike. I'll be wearing a backpack that I can put my things in. I'll be including my Clymer's manual as well. My wife will be travelling ahead of me so if I do break down she can pick me up if needed.
For those interested I'm picking it up from McCordsville, IN, which is Northeast of Indianapolis and riding it to Bentonville, AR. It's close to 600 miles one way. I plan on stopping every 125 miles or so.
Any other thoughts or ideas.
Thanks,
DLW
Do you know the proper way to check your engine oil level ? Cool, do it at every gas up.
Do you know about the fuel starvation issues ? Cool, run on PRIME if you encounter it. Running on PRIME means you have no reserve when it sputters.
Do you have ICE (in case of emergency) information on your helmet/jacket/bag/wallet ? Cool, it's a good thing to be donor too.
Put sunscreen on the back of your neck, drink at every stop, stretch, check tire pressures and oil. Your bike will consume more oil with high speed riding.
Lean into the wind.
Relax.
You'll do fine. I rode my 98 gs from Chunky, MS to Tampa, FL (roughly 700 miles) 5 days after riding it 400 miles from Douglasville, GA to Chunky, MS.
Your ass and back will hurt. Your neck will hurt.
TAKE YOUR WALLET OUT OF YOUR BACK POCKET ! (and anything else you normally carry back there)
Drop the backpack in your wife's trunk. It's going to kill your back after a few hours. Trust me on this.
Good luck, like I said, you'll be fine.
ps - Clean/oil your chain before you go.
Now that's much better!! much obliged!!...
I'll definitely take it all in....
Thank you to all who have commented.
I'll let you know how the ride goes!!! Maybe even take some photos....
DLW
Well it looks like my long ride is off. The wife doesn't think I've been riding long enough to make such a long ride by myself. Besides not sure if the bike is mechanically sound to make the trip.
If anyone has any other ideas, besides forking over $500+ to have it shipped please feel free to drop me a line. As I said I'm trying to get it from NE Indianapolis to Bentonville, AR.
Thanks,
DLW
********* whip *********
Any chance the follow vehicle has a tow hitch? they can be relatively cheap to get installed (or install yourself) then you can rent a u-haul pretty cheaply. I did that when I first started riding and needed to bring my bike from Ohio to Illinois.
Also, while I've never done a trip as long as that, I did do a ~350 mi round trip in a day and I still feel that riding on the highway somewhat easier than if it was a comparable trip just locally. You'll be sore, but I find it less stressful than on local.
Definitely check the oil regularly though, I noticed a significant drop after I got back. Maybe make sure the bike is running well with a nice weekend of riding to see if she's running smoothly before you go?
600 is a haul, but quite do-able - Don't try it all in one day would be my advice, particularly given not riding all winter. Two 300-ish mile days are going to be a lot more relaxed than one god-awful 600 miler. I spent a good long while travelling 200+ frequently - it will also help if you can be flexible for weather and not do 300 miles in the rain. If you can, take 3 days and do it on blue highways, enjoying the trip. Got any friends who ride? Ride up double and come back on two bikes - then you are not by yourself, without having your wife fretting in the car. In that case take cell phone, and sign up for some roadside assistance plan that actually covers motorcycles (good idea anyway - I think I used AAA+RV or some such to get the bike covered as well as the truck, or there are bike-only plans).
As for the bike:
Drop some gumout or the like in the gas tank.
If you have a charger, charge the battery (they slowly discharge while sitting, and giving it a slow charge is better than whacking it with a jump).
You can toss it in the back of a pickup, but then it might want to start leaking oil to mark its spot. Have adequate strong help - it's easy to drop while loading/unloading. A level loading dock is much easier than a ramp if you can find one to use. Tie down with ratchet straps, compressing the suspension about halfway or so. Recheck after 10 miles, then every 100 or so. A tiny trailer that's low to the ground is another option. Renting a truck is an option if you have no truck and can't tow with your car.
If it wasn't mechanically unsound going into storage, it's probably fine, other than itching to be ridden and clear the snot out. Take it out for a 20 mile or so spin before starting off for the long haul - look carefully for any signs of trouble when you get back (leaking fork oil, etc).
You want a spark plug wrench and spare plugs. Metric wrenches and sockets from 8-12 or 14mm, a set of metric allen wrenches, a good Philips screwdriver, and a can of PB Blaster/Kroil/your preferred snake oil. A leatherman is good, but I'd avoid the overly fat ones. Small LED flashlight. Perhaps some spare bulbs/fuses. Spark plug wrench is the most use.
Might change the oil, unless you changed it when putting it away. Do keep checking it when riding at high speed for long stretches. Perhaps look up and write down motorcycle shops along the way, so you have an idea where the next one is if you think anything is funky. The internet has some useful abilities, sometimes. If I could only get it to tell me where the next diner with a decent hunk of pie was at...
As for you:
Is your gear in good shape? Got raingear in case you do need to ride in the wet? Some sort of antifog on the facesheild (fog-city fog shield works well for me), and some means of wiping it (I have both a fuzzy strip on one set of rain gloves, and a "wiper" that goes on a left-hand finger).
Two more things:
You're "pending fenderectomy" according to your signature - I'd be happy to swap one (1990, I assume) that's already "ectomized" for a whole one (I do ride in the rain).
If your chain has a masterlink, take a spare masterlink. They are small, but when you need one, you _really_ need one.