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Traveling this heavy: not recommended. On my Road Star, got 27mpg at the low end, 36mpg at the high end. Wind sucks when you've got this much weight on your bike. Badlands National Park, SD.  Devils Tower, WY. That monster bag on the bottom? 45 pounds of camera gear, food, ill-considered air mattress which I threw away the second day of my trip. Go with the pads like everyone else has said. Awesome trip, nonetheless.
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Feb 17, 2013 11:51
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:02 |
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nsaP posted:Yeah, one of the nicer spots of KY imo, the Red River Gorge. Beautiful. Just beautiful.
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Feb 17, 2013 11:52
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devians posted:Wow, thats an incredible load. May I ask for a rundown on what you could possibly be hauling? I struggle to fill my jesse luggage and I do crazy things like pack 2 tents. That trip was a 2-week trip; I carried food, a stove (really just a burner) and tools in the side bags, camera gear in the big middle bag, my sleeping bag is in the garbage bag (low-class but effective), the bag on the back has my clothing, tent, and tripod. I camped the entire trip, and wanted to have flexibility in eating because the trip was for landscape and animal photography .. I took way too much clothing, but it's nice to feel clean rather than "sticky". The load was well-balanced, but it stuck way out side to side, which gave a lot of wind resistance. One day the weather sucked pretty bad (Bighorn Canyon in October), and my riding was angled pretty good because of a stiff crosswind; quite entertaining. The worst thing you can do is stop at a gas station after around 18 hours of being up and running around, and when you pick the bike up off its kickstand, have it just keep going. I dropped the bike because the gas station area was sloped and I was too tired to notice; picking up a bike with a load like that, against a slope, isn't fun.
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Feb 17, 2013 19:30
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I was just glad to have the Roadie. A lighter bike would have really struggled; the Roadie is heavy enough and low enough to feel stable even with that load, in heavy wind. Heck, I actually had to go down a few dirt (clay) roads when they were wet, and the Roadie let me keep my confidence. Can't say enough about that bike, although it was really too heavy for my 5'4" frame. Sadly, the Roadie died when a hit-n-run accident took it and our parked car out, right in front of our home two nights after my mom died. When it rains it pours.
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Feb 18, 2013 04:30
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These guys are right, 500+ mile rides SUCK. Scenery can make a bit of difference, and so can the anticipation of seeing what you want to see ... but it wears you down. It is real work. At the end of the day, you'll feel like a real man ... a worn out man. I totally understand time limits, etc. It's hard to get time off from work or school, but seriously it's worth the two or three extra days, riding maybe 250 or 300 miles, pulling into a hotel, and relaxing, maybe watch a little TV. Taking it a little easy will make your trip unbelievably more enjoyable.
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Feb 27, 2013 03:32
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Safety Dance posted:
Hell with the pros, you're doing it the right way.
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Apr 14, 2013 20:57
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Pope Mobile posted:We all discussed it and settled on a campsite that's still on the east side but north rather than south: Lost Lake Group Unit Campground, Washington. Sick with jealousy here.
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May 3, 2013 02:15
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thylacine posted:Well, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna bail to Colorado on Wednesday for tent campin' and motorcyclin'. Tylenol and your prescription meds, if any.
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Jul 15, 2013 01:58
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So ... heading out to the Yellowstone region this Saturday (from Minnesota). We've been blessed with 95+ degree weather, and plenty of humidity ... weather people say that's gonna go away sometime Thursday night / Friday morning, so yay. I'm keeping it to 400 miles or less per day. I'm over 50 and have some health issues, so keeping the mileage lower will help. It's been 3 years since my last motorcycle camping trip. I can hardly wait.
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Jul 18, 2013 02:30
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:02 |
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One thing you do not want to forget on your Bear Tooth Pass ride is bug spray, DEET or no. I really didn't figure the bugs would be so bad, but just about 1000 feet below the pass, they were out in force, and serious about eating me for lunch. I'm not used to that, have never tasted all that good to all those Minnesota mosquitos but the ones in Wyoming really wanted my blood. Badly.
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Jul 30, 2013 23:55
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