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After looking around CA for a thread that would help me plan a route, I came up short and decided to make this thread. I've got a potential upcoming trip from Austin, TX to Moab, UT but I couldn't find anything covering general touring/trip information. My current situation:I've never done a trip longer than 3 hours before, so I'm a little nervous. I think my biggest road block is sticking to scenic/interesting roads. The absolute last thing I want is to be riding in a straight line, wedged between traffic, on a major highway for 17 hours. I've seen this site: http://www.motorcycleroads.com/ but it doesn't offer much in the way of trip planning as it just shows a bunch of isolated roads that may or may not connect to each other. I've also done the "Google Maps: ATX > MOAB, ✓ avoid highways" but I don't know if that'll get me a decent ride or if it'll take me through neighborhood roads. Gear I was considering picking up: Wolfman medium duffel, Wolfman tankbag, tent, sleeping bag, bed roll, beaded seat cover, foam earplugs/headphones. Gear I've got: Jacket, gloves, fullfaced helmet, boots, Leatherman Wave, aux device charger, devices, spare fuses. Any help planning this route/trip would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Jul 13, 2016 00:47
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 01:13 |
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Don't do the same route twice just in different directions, and if you're going through Utah you MUST go through Zion, Bryce, Staircase-Escalante either on your way to or from Moab. It's literally some of the most gorgeous scenery on planet Earth. Maybe check out the Grand Canyon (North Rim?) if it's not too far out of your way. e: What are you riding? slidebite fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Jul 13, 2016 |
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Jul 13, 2016 01:51
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Do you have time to do a long weekend trip before this? If your longest trip is only 3 hours, it might be a good experience to see what longer distances on the bike is like for a few days.
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Jul 13, 2016 02:58
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slidebite posted:Don't do the same route twice just in different directions, and if you're going through Utah you MUST go through Zion, Bryce, Staircase-Escalante either on your way to or from Moab. It's literally some of the most gorgeous scenery on planet Earth. I believe we're hitting spots all around Moab. If I'm remembering the itinerary correctly both of those spots are on our list. I'll be taking a '07 Bonneville T100 (carbs). Love that bike to death. hot sauce posted:Do you have time to do a long weekend trip before this? If your longest trip is only 3 hours, it might be a good experience to see what longer distances on the bike is like for a few days. I do! And actually that was something I wanted to plan. There's a nice little landmark ~100 miles out of Austin that I'd like to ride to, camp at and ride back from. I think I'd learn a lot about what I want/need for a trip like that. I think my biggest hurdle is mapping out my route. It is easier to find small towns/stops and plan the trip from point to point? Or should I just find the most interesting roads and attempt to piece them together in the general direction I want to go?
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Jul 13, 2016 16:33
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That's 3 solid days on the saddle just to get out there. "Highways" out in that part of the country are often a nice mostly empty 2-lane you can cruise like 85 past some incredible scenery, so I wouldn't worry about avoiding highways. Avoid interstates. Scenery from Austin to about Lubbock or Amarillo will be mostly the same old crap. It gets less hilly as you get further from Austin. I've done the Lubbock run. It's hot and flat and smelly all day. Brace for that. Past that into NM it starts getting scenic. Cross NM in the north if you don't prefer desert but I personally liked every mile of NM I rode through. Durango, CO is a nice town but a little expensive. Farmington and Cortez in NM are cheaper but less nice. Four Corners is skippable. Do it if you have to but it's pretty lame I thought. Seconding other stuff in Utah and AZ if you can fit it in: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley The first trip longer than 3 hours I ever took was a 3000 mile round trip for Sturgis. End of day-1 after about 8-10 hours riding you will think to yourself "what have I don't I can't do this this is crazy". By the end of the next day you will be in a groove and probably willing to ride further. By the time you get home it will feel weird to be off the bike. So just do it. Bring a tire repair kit and some extra oil. Put roadside assistance on your insurance policy. Pack light, just changes of undies and t-shirts and basic toiletries. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Jul 13, 2016 |
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Jul 13, 2016 16:40
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clutchpuck posted:That's 3 solid days on the saddle just to get out there. Thanks! Great advice. I think I was a intimidated by Highways as most of them in Texas are flat and straight for hours. Upon looking at highways out of the state, they get a lot more interesting.
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Jul 18, 2016 17:48
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DevCore posted:Thanks! Great advice. I think I was a intimidated by Highways as most of them in Texas are flat and straight for hours. Upon looking at highways out of the state, they get a lot more interesting. Up in/around the panhandle, ALL roads are flat and straight for hours. The payoff in NM is worth it for sure though. You actually keep climbing as you head NW across TX but never really notice since it's so gradual. By the time you're in Lubbock from Austin you've gained like 3000' elevation.
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Jul 18, 2016 18:51
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Topographical view in Google Maps is your friend. A great way to find vistas. I use furkot.com to plan my routes. It can be a little bit of a hurdle to get used to it, but it's the best I've tried.
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Jul 18, 2016 21:13
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If you have a tank bag, put a camelbak bladder in it so you can stay hydrated while riding. Get a map app that uses pre-downloaded maps so you have a map when there's no reception or don't use up all your data. I've been using OsmAnd+ the pay version, the free one allows 5 state maps at a time. Bring a bottle of Advil, your rear end will thank you. Sunglasses or a helmet with a flip down sun visor. Maybe a bug deflector/small windscreen to reduce buffeting & fatigue. No alcohol until the day's riding is done. Pace yourself and take a 10 minute break & stretch every hour or 100 miles.
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Jul 22, 2016 00:47
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You can follow all of that good advice or you can just repeat lines from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance or your favorite Harley promo video, they're basically of the same value.
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Jul 22, 2016 04:38
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Retarded Pimp posted:HOT Trip Tipz! Was thinking of getting a Garmin 62 or something that will also work for bicycle touring (planning a bicycle tour next year) and loading it up with pre-made routes. The camelback bladder is a good idea, I was just going to bring a hydroflask but I won't be able to drink from that unless I'm at a complete stop and have my helmet off.
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Jul 22, 2016 17:46
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Seconding all that stuff about Utah - it's needlessly awe inspiring. Like, Bryce Canyon, Zion etc are about 40% more jaw dropping than they need to be to cross the "religious experience" threshold. The road from Zion to the north rim of the Grand Canyon was nearly deserted when I went and also the last 50 miles are fast sweeper after fast sweeper with some risk of stray bison. Who are you to resist? All of these tips are great and the only thing I'd add is pack high protein density snacks. I find the mental effort of forcing my attention back to the road on long stretches of highway extremely exhausting, and as soon as my blood sugar* starts to drop my ability to concentrate falls off a cliff. I've often found a couple of mouthfuls of beef jerky or whatever the vegetarian equivalent is more revitalising than a long break. * blood sugar or whatever truckstops put in their finest, cheapest dried animal products. I don't really want to know.
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Jul 23, 2016 08:35
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Well, I packed up and headed out. Should've done all the packing the day before ended up leaving four hours later than I wanted to. Left Austin at 3, got into Sweetwater, TX by 9. Ran into a bat doing 90 while drafting behind a truck. Hotel was swampy, got about two hours of restless sleep. Got to Lubbock by 4, realized I was going to be doing mostly night riding to get to Taos. Plus it'd have been 10+ hours of solid traveling (riding + gas/food stops). Decided to tap out of this trip and come back. Got back to Austin the next day after some better routes through nice little TX towns and country. Learned a couple valuable lessons. 1) Pack a lot less 2) Pack more painkillers 3) Don't pack a firearm, nervousness of liability outweighed the piece of mind 4) Pack up the night before and be rubber down by at least 9-10am 5) The Triumph T100 is great for a townie bike, but for long cross country trips it starts to show its limitations. A 6th gear would've been a life saver. Most of the roads, even back roads were 70mph and I was parked in the 4-5k rpm range, highly inefficient. 6) Be cognizant of my straps. I was shorting out my bike ever hour or so on this trip. Most of the time it was while I was cruising at 70. The engine would just shut off and I'd have to fire it back up. It happened once an hour away from home in 2nd doing 25-30. Hopefully I can get another trip like this going sometime soon. If I do, I'll try to go with someone else and be more cognizant of departure/arrival times. DevCore fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Sep 2, 2016 |
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Sep 2, 2016 02:56
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DevCore posted:
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Sep 2, 2016 03:46
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I guess I forgot to recommend getting up and out early as possible in the mornings. How do you get into Lubbock at 4 from sweetwater? You'd be surprised how efficient your bike can be when it's revving. I know I don't get the best mileage when I'm loping it along, it needs to be up at 4000 (redlines at 7100 so I'm definitely spinning it) to get the best mileage. ...straps? Shorting out? clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Sep 2, 2016 |
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Sep 2, 2016 04:26
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clutchpuck posted:I guess I forgot to recommend getting up and out early as possible in the mornings. How do you get into Lubbock at 4 from sweetwater? Left super late. The two hours of sleep I got were at around 9-10am. After packing/eating I wasn't on the road until 12-1.
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Sep 2, 2016 19:01
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That's your big hurdle. The engine speed and amount you pack is small potatos. You absolutely need to align your days with the sun on these kinds of trips. Especially late in the season where we get less sunlight. When I hit the road, we put our kickstands up at 7-8AM. That way 8-12 hours of riding gets you in town at a reasonable time. Austin to Lubbock should be about 8 hours on a motorcycle, allowing for a popsicle stop around Abilene to cool off.
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Sep 2, 2016 19:09
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DevCore posted:
Wait, what's going on here? Is there something fucky going on with your battery?
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Sep 2, 2016 19:10
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As Nero Danced posted:Wait, what's going on here? Is there something fucky going on with your battery? Need to figure it out. Hasn't happened since I've unpacked the bike. I really think it was just a strap that was ill-placed.
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Sep 2, 2016 20:53
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 01:13 |
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The Bonnie family has the CDI box directly under the pillion part of the seat. More than one report of heavy loads, from gear or people, causing the bike to stall when they hit a bump and the connections are jostled. The Triumphrat solution seemed to be to shave some of the seat plastic off the bottom or move the box.
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Sep 4, 2016 17:28
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