Ride across west texas - Advice for a n00b

[blimp]

Hello all,

I am going to embark on my first long mc ride ever on MLK day, this coming Monday.  Going from Austin -> El Paso, about 600 miles.  I would love some advice from some veterans of long rides to help me on my way.   

I have had the vision less than a year, but have done most of the req'd maintenance.  Just finished up the starter clutch repair, and have dipped the carbs and she is running great.  Have new tires on her and have changed all the fluids except the coolant, which i plan on doing this weekend.

I am planning on bringing a metric socket set, metric wrenches, an extra liter or two of oil, extra spark plugs, spark plug wrench, warm/rain gear, caps for the YICS ports in case my recently repaired YICS box goes bad, carb cleaner, filed down flat head screwdriver for messing with carbs, 1-2 gallon gas container, and I'm sure some other stuff too.

I don't have any luggage, but have been strapping a medium size backpack to the back of the seat, and was planning on doing the same with a bag on the tank.  Any advice for best way to strap a bag to the tank?  I have no faring so it will be my wind blocking too.

600 miles (and back the following week) on a 26 year old bike should be exciting to say the least.   Let me know if I'm forgetting anything big or have any other advice.

Thanks!

[Brian Moffet]

Yes, bring a credit card and don't be afraid to use it.

;D  :o  ::)

[QBS]

I'm in Houston and over the last 25 years have done many LD rides in all parts of West Texas on my '83.  Email your phone # and we'll talk.  I have a wealth of information for you that would take hours of posting to just to scratch the surface.  1qbs@sbcglobal.net  Cheers.

[vadasz1]

And don't forget the PreparationH ointment for those long wet soggy days........ ;)  ::)

[inanecathode]

And don't forget the PreparationH ointment for those long wet soggy days........ ;)  ::)

Seriously, gold bond powder or monkey butt powder.

Dont ask me how i know, but avoid the BLUE gold bond powder.

[don_vanecek]

It is hard to know how your long ride on your V will effect you. May I suggest you take your V for about an hour ride at highway speeds somewhere in the area you live, if it will not cause you any problems then, I would think you should be OK for the longer ride. The Vision should go all day at 65-70, however you need to map your journey out for gas stops at perhaps no more then 100 miles apart. Be sure you bring a cloth and cleaner for your face shield. I will get a pain in the back of my neck when I ride my V for hours on end, you may want to have some sort of aspirin type medicine with you. I have many times bungecorded a bag on the tank and another bag behind me. I doubt you will need extra oil or a can of gas but then again how remote an area are you going to? Plan your trip for 40 mpg but high speeds could reduce that into the mid 30's, hopefully you will do better then that.  Have fun, Visions love it out on the highway-I swear mine never runs as good as when I take it for a long trip!

[Kenny]

  These Machines :D love the open road, when I head out west from Trenton I'm putting on at least 600 mi a day,the first day kind off gets all the kinks out.
   I would recomend picking up a sheepskin pad for your butt although I managed from Trenton to Duluth without one (about 735 mi.).
A suggestion would be to do up a trip-tic or mark on your map where each gas stop should be & leave the container at home. I bring a length of compatible gas hose(3') with me in case the inevitable happens.I ran out of gas once with my first Vision when I had the Petcock set to reserve!
  Another item I would take with me is a 5 ohm spark plug cap- you could delete one of your two plugs as it is unlikely you will need    both.
    I always travel with a tank bag,I would opt for one of them as they are made to stay in place(magnetic or strap)- I'm not concerned with protection as mine has a 3/4 fairing. Another item I don't worry about is the charging system, (a voltmeter is a must though) these bikes will run all day with the headlight disconnected & or you can pickup a small solar charger $20. bucks up north of the 49th.
      Depending on  your speed and the extra weight you will have, you will need to adjust your tire pressure and rear shock spring,(28 front & 32 rear) is a good starting point.
                    Thats about all I can think of right now.  ;)
                                   Cheers Ken S.

[Tiger]

 :) Your Vision will love you for this ride... 8) She will run far better as you will blow all the crap out of her running at constant temps for long periods of time... 8)

I find a sheepskin cover on the seat is very helpfulllllllllll ;)

Make sure you have done all your scheduled maintenance...oil/oil filter/air filter/in-line gas filter change, new spark plugs/wires/caps, change the rear drive oil, flush the coolant system and refill (and don't forget to "burp" the system!!), tire inspection and pressures, inspect the front and rear brakes for wear of the pads/shoes!!!...check all lights/indicators, etc

I carry: A new set of spark plugs/plug wrench, spare fuses (10 & 30 amp), #1156 (indicator) & #1157 (brake/tail light) bulbs, a multi-bit screw driver as well as a long thin one for the carbs, an adjustable wrench, pliers and a small set of metric sockets...

Bon Voyage...and a full report with pictures when you get back please 8)
                 8).......TIGER....... 8)

[joevacc]

I have never had to use too many tools while touring but some things I always have are a leatherman with needle nose pliers some electrical tape, extra fuses as Tiger said, and a length of wire.

See what I am getting at here?  the only things that have ever kept from starting the bike were electrical gremlins.

The most common problem is dirty connections.  I would go through every connection on the bike - clean it and put a good coat of electrical cleaner on all of them.
It only takes about an hour and it it well worth the time.

I let mine go for a couple of years recently and on an 800 mile trip the bike died 6 times!  On my way up to Tigers last year it died, I found the offending connector made it to his place and went through all the connections with Night Vision while drinking Canadian beer.
That is really the way to do it you know... Beer helps...   8)  All of Tigers tools and chemicals didn't hurt either!   ;D  8)

Good luck and ride safely!!

[blimp]

Thanks so much for the advice!  I have all new fluids as of today, finished up the coolant flush, but the air bleed bold sheared!!  I massaged the coolant hose as i filled the coolant, got as many bubbles out as i could, then ran her for a few minutes, and added a bit more to the radiator.  I am going to take her out for a few hours tomorrow to make sure everything is in working order before the long haul.  I'm going to plan to stop every 100 miles or less to get gas and stretch my soon to be weary legs and nether regions.

I'll go through the electrical connections one more time tomorrow and clean em up.   Good call on the extra lights/indicators.  I'm hopefully going to be doing only daytime driving, but you never know.  Nice tip also about the plug cap, small and good insurance.

I'll check back in a few more times before I leave, I will take pics!

Man i'm excited.

[Tiger]

I have all new fluids as of today, finished up the coolant flush, but the air bleed bold sheared!!  I massaged the coolant hose as i filled the coolant, got as many bubbles out as i could, then ran her for a few minutes, and added a bit more to the radiator.

:) If you remove the rad' cap and fire up your Vision, she will purge the system herself... ;)

                    8).......TIGER....... 8)

[don_vanecek]

You will know within a few miles if you didn't get the cooling system purged as your temperature gauge will go to the red zone as I experienced last year when the shop that adjusted my valves (they moved the radiator to get to the darn things) did not burp mine correctly. The owner did however pick me up as soon as I called him and corrected the problem (and said his mechanic would hear about it first thing Monday morning).

Hey Kenny, where was your three foot siphon hose in Colorado back in 2007???? (or is that little experience why you now carry one??)

[Kenny]

 Hi Don, 8)
    I had the hose with me, but as I was on fumes as well, I thought it wiser to go for Gas Station (luck had it only two miles away),which solved the problem. :-X
    I have used the hose on Dorothy's earlier ride(XV500) during our cross Canada run in 83. I hooked it up to the xv's petcock & my 82's to transfer the fuel. ;) So when are you heading out this way ?! ???
                       Cheers Ken S.

[Rick G]

I rode from Salem  OR to Port Townsend WA.  in a driving rain  in '04 , about 300 miles . Trip was great, other than my inability to get into my rain pants , with out a chair and two helpers . i froze from the waist down. The V however never missed a beat.

In 2007 I rode from Kingman AZ. to Phoenix and back during the same day, about 450 miles. Of course the V never missed  a beat.
I don't have a sheep skin , but it sounds like a great idea . The Vision seat is one of the best I've put my buns on. I have the '83 style fairing and that helps a lot .

My tool kit is so large , I had to remove the cup in the tail to get it in, its never been out in anger!!  I carry only spare fuses  and have never needed them!! In nearly 10 years on this bike (or its predecessor ) it has only failed to get me home once and it still got me back to civilization , before the rod bearing failure stopped the engine.

[Coil Coyle]

n00b,

      As soon as it was running, I test rode Hussein to Rick's and back, 1789 miles, with the screws that hold the top of the front carburetor on loose. Left in the rain so bad that the CHP wouldn't get out of his car to write me up when I caught him in the rain.

Only problem on the whole trip was I couldn't give it full throttle. ;D :P ;D :P :-X Oh, and when your legs get tired, lay on the tank and let them fly behind you in the breeze for a while.

Have fun,
$0.02
;)
Coil

And earplugs!  8)

[Kevin]

This is a lot of good advice from seasoned riders and I agree with everything said. My only addition is foam earplugs. At the end of the say your head will thank you for them. 

[The Prophet of Doom]

This is a lot of good advice from seasoned riders and I agree with everything said. My only addition is foam earplugs. At the end of the say your head will thank you for them. 

I'd agree with wearing earplugs - I never ride on the open road without them.  On the naked vision wind noise is a real problem at motorway speeds.
However, I cannot stand the foam ones.  They hurt my ears after a couple of hours.  I like the more expensive re-usable ones with acoustic filters.  These still allow you to hear cop sirens and bikers coming up your rear.

[Rick G]

I'm not a fan of ear plugs , I LIKE to hear the exhaust at speed. You might try them tho,  Different  strokes for different folks ! :D ;) Different helmets have different wind noise levels , my Nolen N100's were terribly  noisy but my Cyber or M2R  are both very quiet in that respect.

[inanecathode]

I'm not a fan of ear plugs , I LIKE to hear the exhaust at speed. You might try them tho,  Different  strokes for different folks ! :D ;) Different helmets have different wind noise levels , my Nolen N100's were terribly  noisy but my Cyber or M2R  are both very quiet in that respect.

I would have to agree, but at least qualify a little and say that during the 25 year rov meet i wore earplugs across the really long high speed stretches and wouldn't you know it my ears werent ringing at the end of the ride  :D
I wouldn't wear earplugs on my RD though, it makes the coolest formants when riding roads that require a lot of shifting  :D ;D

[Brian Moffet]

I would have to agree, but at least qualify a little and say that during the 25 year rov meet i wore earplugs across the really long high speed stretches and wouldn't you know it my ears werent ringing at the end of the ride  :D

I'm 45, and don't listen to loud rock music, or loud music at all.  I have always worn a headset when flying, noise canceling since I could afford it.
I have permanent hearing loss in my left ear and a constant ringing noise (sounds like an old television whine).

Wear ear protection, if you hear ringing after a ride, it may never go away.

Brian

P.S. The reason I mention this...  I thought I was taking good care of my hearing, and apparently it wasn't enough.  It's made me realize that at least my hearing is tenuous, and the ears are sensitive. I'll get off my soap-box now