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Cream of the Crop 21
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Cream of the Crop 21 (Terry Blount) (October 1996).iso
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PACKBIKE.TXT
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1996-09-10
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-= Packing For Motorcycle Travel =-
Planning your motorcycle trip is extremely important, and how well you
prepare strongly effects the enjoyment and safety of your journey. In
the past few years I have made probably every fundimental mistake you
can imagine, and one area I have found to be critical in setting the
foundation for your travels is packing...WHAT you pack and HOW you pack
it.
Things to Take
I'm not one of those people who believes in preparing for every possible
need... you can't! Their simply is not enough storage space on a motor-
cycle to prepare for every situation, even if your ride-of-choice is a
Goldwing or Tour Glide. But by carefully selecting certain items you
can cover MOST of the needs you are likely to encounter, minimizing the
number of things that can delay, or even cancel, your trip.
I have divided everything into two areas:
SECURITY ITEMS (this includes personal safety, motorcycle security,
and tools to use for motorcycle maintenance/
repairs)
PERSONAL ITEMS (at least as important as the previous category,
and if you've ever forgotten the sunblock you
know what I mean)
Before I begin to list the suggested items I need to point out that,
unless otherwise noted, these things are chosen with a 1 week trip in
mind. A week is a common incriment of time that the average person can
can get away from their job. If you don't have to operate under the
constraints of work or school, then you need to be writing a text such
as this one about packing for some serious long-distance touring! I've
also found that I can travel most anywhere in the country and back in a
weeks time, and after seven days of 400+ mile days, my butt is in need
of a rest.
Well, here's the list... (in no particular order)
SECURITY ITEMS:
Cycle Locks- Don't assume that just because you ride a '76 Honda CB360
with 140,000 miles that no one will steal it. And don't
put all your trust in a single form of lock. Two or more
are preferred, even over a single lock that is supposedly
"theft-proof". A disc-brake lock is an excellent addition
to a chain or Kryptonite-type U-lock. Remember, ALL security
devices can be defeated. The idea is to make stealing your
bike too risky or too much trouble.
Tools- Unfortunately tools are heavy, so you need to put a bit of
thought into their selection. Do you have a wrench big
enough to loosen the axle nuts? Flat tires and loose chains
are a couple of the most common rodeside repairs. A roll
of bailing wire is recommended to hold something together
until a proper fix can be made. And while you should use
loc-tite on vibration prone parts before you leave, be sure
to take it with you! (Harley owners, are you listening?)
Look your bike over and determine what the common sizes of
screws and bolts are. A medium sized phillips screwdriver
is always needed, as is a crescent wrench. And above all,
you MUST have a repair kit for flats. The best type comes
in a small zipper bag, and contains plugs for tubeless tires,
patches for tubes, and Co2 cartridges to inflate the repaired
tire. These can be found at bike shops, but maybe not at
the first one you go to. They aren't a high demand item,
and many shops aren't prompt about re-ordering. You can
also get them from one of the major mail-order houses, such
as Dennis Kirk or Competition Accessories. And while we're
getting our hands dirty, do you know the oil consumption
of your bike at prolonged highway speeds? While bulky, a
quart of oil is priceless when needed.
Weapons- Ah, now HERE'S a delicate subject! People vary wildly in
their moral/political views on weaponry. I haven't brought
up this subject to instruct trouble-makers, but to inform
the traveler of their options. The easiest way to increase
your safety is to have one or more people join you on your
trip. Their is no substitute for the safety of numbers.
I suggest that NO ONE pack a gun of any type. I'm armed to
the teeth in my own home, but on the road a handgun can get
you into way more trouble than you can handle...'nuff said!
Mace is an option to consider. Be sure you are aware of
the legality of any defense item you carry. Laws on such
things vary from state-to-state and can change frequently.
PERSONAL ITEMS:
Clothing- I learned on my first week-long trip how many different
weather conditions can be encountered in seven days. My
maiden voyage to Sturgis, South Dakota presented me with
temperatures varying from 45 to 102 degrees F, and at 65
mph in a drizzling rain, I soon realized just how cold
45 degrees can be! Needless to say, I was better prepared
for the 100+ degree temperatures I left behind in Texas.
(Hell, isn't everyone over 100 degrees in August?) The
warming, wind-blocking properties of leather can't be
over-stated. Leather jackets are both comfortable and
stylish, and chaps drive women wild. (really!) Actually,
my primary reason for preferring chaps over traditional
leather pants is that chaps can be quickly removed on the
road as the temperature rises.
T-shirts and jeans are my favorites when the weather gets
hot. Long-sleeved T-shirts are great, as they give your
arms protection from the sun's rays. An important thing
to remember about T-shirts... wear a size that is a bit
on the small side. A loose fitting shirt will flap around
in the wind at freeway speeds, and can cause considerable
discomfort (pain!) over a period of time. While I always
have a T-shirt packed for each day of the trip, I wear blue-
jeans 2 or 3 days. They simply take up too much room,
and I don't want to spend my vacation going from one
laundromat to another. A couple of notes on T-shirts...
if your destination is a place where you'll feel the urge
to get souvenir shirts, short the number of shirts you
pack by the number of shirts you plan to purchase. And
if you have some T-shirts that you need to retire, then
why not wear them and pitch them at the end of the day?
Dirty clothes and souvenirs take up a lot of space on
return trips! And while they usually look pretty goofy,
rainsuits make a BIG difference when you don't have time
to wait for the weather to clear. I normally have a
schedule that doesn't permit me to kill time waiting for
a storm that may or may not blow over in the next few
minutes. Wear boots! Only imbeciles wear sneakers on
a cross-country trip. (I know, I've done it!) Be sure
to treat all your leather items with as