Guest fjrvfr Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Don't forget a cell phone. I would also strongly recommend towing service such as Motow through AMA. You may not need it but it is some peace of mind to know that if you have a breakdown anywhere you can get picked up. There are other service beside Motow but I have heard good things about them. I got stranded with a flat once. It cost me $65 just to have someone come a fix it. That will never happen again. Leave the leather jacket at home and get a good textile jacket with air flow. It will be hot at that time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted April 16, 2006 Author Share Posted April 16, 2006 Don't forget a cell phone. I would also strongly recommend towing service such as Motow through AMA. You may not need it but it is some peace of mind to know that if you have a breakdown anywhere you can get picked up. There are other service beside Motow but I have heard good things about them. I got stranded with a flat once. It cost me $65 just to have someone come a fix it. That will never happen again. Leave the leather jacket at home and get a good textile jacket with air flow. It will be hot at that time of year. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am looking at prepaid phones now, and have the HRCA membership that covers towing/rental, etc. Also just purchased a Magellan Roadmate 300 brand new on ebay for $250! I just have to get a couple extra SD cards, because the memory is limited in the unit, but I'd rather carry the tiny SD cards instead of paper maps! Fixer, Phantom, thanks for keeping the thread alive guys :thumbsup: :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 There are cooling vests available that you soak in water before putting on. They are supposed to keep you cool by evaporation. In theory, it sounds reasonable, at least when the RH is low, but I've had no experience with them. Has anyone used a cooling vest? If so, was it helpful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted April 16, 2006 Author Share Posted April 16, 2006 There are cooling vests available that you soak in water before putting on. They are supposed to keep you cool by evaporation. In theory, it sounds reasonable, at least when the RH is low, but I've had no experience with them.Has anyone used a cooling vest? If so, was it helpful? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can also soak a long sleeve tee in water, and wear it under your jacket. It's the evaporative effect that keeps you cool. The vest may hold more water(in doing so have a longer lasting effect), but the tee is easier to pack :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rdfrantz Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Sebastian, I hope for a wonderful and fulfilling trip for you. And depending upon your gear and other preparation, that's what I'd expect. I live in the Southern California desert and ride across the Southwest in Summer and regularly cross the US. I'm feeling a bit anxious because I know the dangers to health and the challenges to well-being and happiness that face a traveler out here. Very few people can grasp how severe such a ride can be without having first-hand experience with it. On a cross-country ride I only ever use textile clothing that's fully waterproof, light in color for Summer, and that opens for ventilation that is slow enough to allow cooling to take place from evaporation of sweat and/or other water souces like a Cool Vest or a Hoon Cooler (bag that deposits water through a loop of plastic tubing around the neck). My boots are top class Gore-Tex as well. I have several pair of gloves, usually three, one of which is WARM and waterproof, and I use Aerostich Gore-Tex covers for the cooler ones. I often carry a mesh jacket, like a Joe Rocket Phoenix, or Cortek Air if temps are going to be MODERATELY HIGH (78F - 95F) and/or humid. HOT WEATHER (95+) IS BETTER MET COVERED UP. If I'm headed across The Rockies, or Sierra Nevadas I also carry Gerbing heated clothing, at least a heated full under-jacket and, these days, heated glove liners. On an AUGUST day, it is possible to visit temps out here - in the same day - that range from 10F to 119F!!!! KNOW YOUR ROUTE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING. I ALWAY carry 2 litres of water, and food things like Power Bars, beef jerky, cheese crackers to feed me for at least one day. I ALWAYS carry at least 1 can of Penzoil aerosol flat fixer, and usually carry a 12V air pump. Flat tires in the desert are rare, but not fun. They can be fatal for the unprepared. Most of my SW friends us a Camelback. Myself, my physical system is atuned to absorbing and shedding between 1 and 2 litres of fluid at and between hourly stops. Every other stop that fluid is at least 1/2 Gatorade or similar electrolitic sports dring. ALL my rides out here are of about 1 hour segements ONLY. Not only does that stave off fatigue of 10 to 12 hour days, day-after-600-miie-day, it keeps me mentally fit, and HYDRATED!!!! As far as GPS goes, I use a Garmin 276C because it is fully waterproof, and its screen gets BRIGHTER in then intense sunlight out here rather than dimmer. With a spare 256mb card, I can load detail maps alongside my route, and for at least 2 major areas like The Rockies, or The East Coast. I power mine from a BMW-style outlet in the VFR dash, but find it's charger doesn't take up much space and the unit will run fine for my longest days. Sebastian, I strongly suggest you don't screw around about your health on this trip. Get some Smarts. The folks at BMW Sport Touring dot Com ( www.bmwst.com ) have lots of info in their archives on the subject of Summer Travel in the Southwest, and they'd be happy to discuss the matter with you on their "Ride Discussion" forum. I think you'd find their help to be invaluable. Best wishes on your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 When I took the MSF course in August 2005, the instructor told us that she had ridden across the desert in Califonia. She said it was so hot that she did most of her riding at night. What bike she used I don't know, but she rode a Honda Shadow to the classes and it had neither fairing nor windshield. That was before I knew about soakable vests. She said that she had soaked her clothes in water but that they had dried so fast that it wasn't very helpful. That's why I am wondering about soakable vests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Here is a link to a web site in Norway; it shows what Norway is doing and plans to do to improve road safety. It makes our road safety programs, to the extent that they even exist, look totally inadequate by comparison: http://odin.dep.no/odin/norsk/dok/andre_do...0Speed%20limits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted April 16, 2006 Author Share Posted April 16, 2006 Sebastian, I hope for a wonderful and fulfilling trip for you. Thank you rdfrantz, let assure you that I have many items/situations on my mind that have not yet been touched upon in this discussion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted April 16, 2006 Author Share Posted April 16, 2006 When I took the MSF course in August 2005, the instructor told us that she had ridden across the desert in Califonia. She said it was so hot that she did most of her riding at night. What bike she used I don't know, but she rode a Honda Shadow to the classes and it had neither fairing nor windshield. That was before I knew about soakable vests. She said that she had soaked her clothes in water but that they had dried so fast that it wasn't very helpful. That's why I am wondering about soakable vests. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Did she happen to mention what kind of riding apparel she was using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dr.toto Posted April 16, 2006 Member Contributer Share Posted April 16, 2006 The only thing I want to add is about animals. In my part of the world, at sunrise and sunset, the deer and small animals are very common and very dangerous. If you limit your travel to daytime hours, you'll have 1 less thing to worry about. Good luck and be safe. Ps. If you feel tired, pull over. Don't take chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Did she happen to mention what kind of riding apparel she was using? She didn't, and at that time I didn't know enough to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted April 18, 2006 Author Share Posted April 18, 2006 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Seeker Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 If I'm headed across The Rockies, or Sierra Nevadas I also carry Gerbing heated clothing, at least a heated full under-jacket and, these days, heated glove liners. On an AUGUST day, it is possible to visit temps out here - in the same day - that range from 10F to 119F!!!! KNOW YOUR ROUTE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Easily. During a tour this past August in the southwest, I saw temps range from 114F mid day to a low of 35F at night in the mountain passes. I ALWAY carry 2 litres of water, and food things like Power Bars, beef jerky, cheese crackers to feed me for at least one day. Very prudent. Bruno Montreal, Canada CBR 929 Gerbing Cascade Extreme jacket review : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Smola67 Posted January 24, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2007 Talked to a riding buddy of mine and he always throws a small block of wood in his tank bag. He uses it under the kick stand just in case he is parking in grass or soft soil. I think I will start doing this. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLO97VFR Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Hey when you get everything together .... get us a weigh in on total weight of your gear ... Im interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soichiro Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Talked to a riding buddy of mine and he always throws a small block of wood in his tank bag. He uses it under the kick stand just in case he is parking in grass or soft soil. I think I will start doing this. :thumbsup: They make plastic ones that are flat and will fit in the tank bag or a pocket no problem. I got mine free. I would definetly go with a full textile gear set. It is far more versatile and usually waterproof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tooslow Posted January 25, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hello, I am planning a trip to Tucson, Arizona this summer, leaving from New York around the end of May/early June. So far my gear collection includes:Icon Mainframe helmet Icon Daytona leather jacket Icon Super Duty boots Icon Timax and Tarmac gloves Fleece neckie Alpinestars DryStar gloves(for cold and wet) Leather chaps Tinted visor for said helmet Cheapo two-piece rain suit ------ OEM hardbags Icon tankbag Tent 40* sleeping bag I am considering a GPS unit, so I don't have to carry/read maps, but I want to make sure I get all my personal gear taken care of first. I am thinking of getting a water proof textile jacket/pant combo and leaving the leather jacket at home. Any suggestions/advice(related to gear) are welcomed and greatly appreciated!! Thank you! An antivenom snakebite kit if you travel the wild,wild,west; and watch out for scorpions in your boots and black widdow spiders in your jacket!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 25, 2007 Author Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hey when you get everything together .... get us a weigh in on total weight of your gear ... Im interested. Unfortunately, this trip already came and went, I'm actually surprised that this thread is back up! I would have to guess that everything I packed added up to around 75 pounds, with most of that weight spread evenly in the side cases, as I only had my sleeping bag, tent, water, and atlas in the duffel across the back of the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted January 25, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hey when you get everything together .... get us a weigh in on total weight of your gear ... Im interested. Unfortunately, this trip already came and went, I'm actually surprised that this thread is back up! I would have to guess that everything I packed added up to around 75 pounds, with most of that weight spread evenly in the side cases, as I only had my sleeping bag, tent, water, and atlas in the duffel across the back of the bike. Ok Seb gives us a review of what worked and did not. When I went to AZ after your trip I packed way toooo much. But you first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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