I got a bit rusty, bike probably too.
What should I check, before leaving, in addition to:

- charge the tank
- fill up the battery
- put some grease on the exhaust bearings

In all seriousness, all tips are greatly appreciated!
Thank you

Bike:
Oil Level
Tyres - tread & pressure
Brakes
Depending how long since you last used the bike you way want to drain the fuel and refill - fuel goes "off" after a while, making it harder to start and run
Suspension - quick check that forks work ok and dont leak, same with rear shock
Chain - condition, tension and lubed
Lights - do they all work

Yourself:
Go for a 25mile ride first for practice
Then 50mile
Then another 50mile (If you have time)

On the 200mile trek:
Take breaks often. Every half hr or so - even a quick 5min stop for a drink of water and a stretch will help.
Take your time, leave early, dont rush. It doesnt matter if you get there LATE, as long as you get there.

*You might need some elbow grease, and a left handed ratchet for some of this*

Thanks Vinny.
I will go over your list on Saturday and do everything except for the longer test rides. No time for that as my ride is on Sunday.

Oh I realized that I rode twice in the past year Both times to pick up a package from UPS which is less than 2 miles away.
I topped off the tank with fresh fuel then (about 4 months ago). Hopefully it will be all right.

I will go for a short ride on Saturday to ensure that bike is working properly.

Thanks again!

Stay hydrated and take breaks often.

Yeah, I will definitely take at least a couple bottles of water to my tank bag.

What vinny said.

Know your limits and if you need to stop, stop.  Arrive safe and have fun.

I am going with a group so we will be stopping predetermined locations.
I have ridden with them before though so I know they are all good guys and ride with good manners.

I can't wait. Riding always feel incredible after few month long break 

Some sea foam in the fuel couldn't hurt.

So I checked the bike today and it is in mostly good shape

Oil Level -> on the low mark, will refill first thing in the morning
Tires -> pressure corrected, tread good. Only couple thousand miles on them
Brakes -> front brake pads were changed only few hundred miles ago. Back is still sufficient.
Fuel -> bike started just fine after only about 10-15 spins which is great considering it wasn't fired for few months. Tomorrow I have to go get an inspection so I will monitor if there are any signs of old fuel.
Suspension - quick check that forks work ok and dont leak, same with rear shock -> rear suspension is rock solid. Comes from R6. Front is shitty as always has been. NO leaks but will have to recheck after short ride.
Chain -> Tension is fine. Was lubed but I added some more. You can never have too much of that stuff
Lights - do they all work -> all works
Battery -> voltage was 12.3 which is freakin' awesome considering that bike has been as stand still for almost a year. GEL batteries rock!!
My charging system on the other hand is very weak. I have to look into that. It puts little over 13V up to about 3000 RPMs then drops to about 12.5 over 3000 RPMs. I knew about it before but never got to fixing it.

Generally bike is in good condition. I just have to refill on oil and she will be ready for the trip around the world

Quote from: kml.krk on August 17, 2012, 09:28:31 PM
So I checked the bike today and it is in mostly good shape

Oil Level -> on the low mark, will refill first thing in the morning
Chain -> Tension is fine. Was lubed but I added some more. You can never have too much of that stuff
Battery -> voltage was 12.3 which is freakin' awesome considering that bike has been as stand still for almost a year. GEL batteries rock!!
My charging system on the other hand is very weak. I have to look into that. It puts little over 13V up to about 3000 RPMs then drops to about 12.5 over 3000 RPMs. I knew about it before but never got to fixing it.

Oil check - Make sure you check the oil when the bike is on the center stand (Or being held level if you dont have a center stand)
Chain - Yes, you CAN have too much lube (Wow, never thought id say that  ) Too much lube can make the "O"rings in the chain swell and create tight sections. Not good.
Battery - Sounds fine
Charging system - What is the battery voltage at 5000rpm+? I had similar symptoms, turned out to be a dodgy wire coming from the stator. Which i realized AFTER replacing the reg/rec and removing the stator, oops!
If you get the same volts over 5k, id say charge the battery the night before, try and keep the revs around 4k and charge it again when you get to the destination. You dont want to get stranded because the battery dies. - You should be good for a couple hundred miles before it dies on you though - (ymmv)

Quote from: vinny on August 18, 2012, 12:15:53 PM
You dont want to get stranded because the battery dies.

You can always push start in an emergency..

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on August 18, 2012, 01:28:28 PMYou can always push start in an emergency..

If the battery fails, push starting is fine. If the charging system fails, push starting wont get you far.

Quote from: RossLH on August 18, 2012, 01:34:43 PM

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on August 18, 2012, 01:28:28 PMYou can always push start in an emergency..

If the battery fails, push starting is fine. If the charging system fails, push starting wont get you far.

Very true. Good thing we're talking about the battery...

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on August 19, 2012, 06:38:03 AM

Quote from: RossLH on August 18, 2012, 01:34:43 PM

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on August 18, 2012, 01:28:28 PMYou can always push start in an emergency..

If the battery fails, push starting is fine. If the charging system fails, push starting wont get you far.

Very true. Good thing we're talking about the battery...

Actually, in the OP's situation - which is the one we are currently discussing - the battery would die due to the charging system not delivering enough charge. So push starting would be pointless.

Quote from: vinny on August 19, 2012, 07:40:19 AM
Actually, in the OP's situation - which is the one we are currently discussing - the battery would die due to the charging system not delivering enough charge. So push starting would be pointless.

Aha. I recon I was just grasping onto this statement of yours..

Quote from: vinny on August 18, 2012, 12:15:53 PM
You dont want to get stranded because the battery dies.

Thread Jack over.

Oh, it is a bit late reply but what the heck

The trip went fine and we had a great time. GS was the smallest bike... again... NOT the slowest though riding experience always wins with pure horsepower.
All kidding aside it was safe and generally well paced ride. At one point the group was unintentionally split into 2 groups because we lost the lead at the stop lights. We used alternate route and ended up meeting them in final destination. So all was good.

As to the charging system: it produces enough juice to maintain battery charge and even charges it slightly, but in the winter, riding in the city with a lot of stop and go traffic + heated grips it is just not enough.

I know that charging system in GS is generally weak so I don't expect miracles, but I am sure that mine has a weak link somewhere. I just need to find where.
By the way. That trip in the summer was the last time I rode my GS I don't commute on my bike any more and it is just sitting all alone in the garage collecting dust.

Hopefully this will change in the summer as my buddy just got motorcycle and we plan to make many fun, safe trips.

Stay warm and ride safe!