Part 2: Me, a blonde, 2 Ducati's....4,000 miles (and then some)

lol, good luck towing this thing with a subaru. Engine-wise, we clearly have no issues. But, as for the Subaru.....The Airstream we have weighs 4,500 lbs with water and gear in it and has a hitch weight of 550 lbs. Add 800+ lbs of payload for the 2 bikes. (plus two 14 gallon water jugs and 2-gallon rotopax with fuel we carry in the bed) and you're right around 1,500 lbs. That's well over the 920 lb payload capacity of the Raptor (which as I'm sure you can imagine, that lower number is due mainly to the suspension). The weight distribution hitch cuts the hitch weight of the Airstream roughly in half. That, along with the airbags makes everything work just the way we need it to

Hi Gus, I don't write many replies to threads, but I really admire your posts/treads, always fun and interesting to read, seems like the two of you have a good time most of the time...

The reason for my reply is a question about why do you run such a heavy tongue weight on your trailer, here in Europe we try to keep it to around about 160-180 pounds no matter what you tow..?

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Thank you very much SevenFifty. I appreciate the feedback. It always makes it easier to sit down and write this stiff when you hear from people that are enjoying it.

The tongue/hitch weight is unfortunately something one has no control over. It is simply a matter of how heavy the trailer itself is. It is the amount of pressure (weight) on the hitch-ball. The tongue/hitch weight is typically 10%-15% of the weight of the trailer. In this case, the trailer is right around 4,500 lbs. So using that rule of thumb, the tongue weight of ours is right around 12% of the weight of the trailer. We (briefly) had a 16' Airstream which was about 1,000 lbs lighter than this one and the tongue/hitch weight was right around 350 lbs. obviously something bigger and heavier altogether would be heavier up front. Hope that all makes sense.


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What sort of gasoline mileage are you suffering with that rig?

Thanks for sharing this and your other ride reports.

No that much suffering really....considering what people get in some RV's. for the entire trip we were getting right around 11 mpg. We get about 13 mpg on the highway, but the mountain passes take more on the way up than they give back on the way down. Overall I thought it was pretty good.





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Awesome start man! Now lets see them Ducks in action

Gotcha. Just feeling the cringe you must feel when turning and hearing that noise, especially late at night... having experienced it in a buddy's rig - monster toy hauler with our track bikes in the front garage... seems as long as the axle can handle the weight, the suspension is the limiting factor, built for high speed bumps, not hauling pounds. You've addressed that with air shocks, essentially taking the weight of the bikes out of the payload capacity? 550 tongue no worries for the truck, unhook the leveler bars and give it a try...

Love the ride reports, and this conversation is far from the mission, anxious for the start of the ride!

It should be a breeze then. If even a fraction of ADV'ers are like me, and I suspect they are, we've been waiting for months for this to get underway and are checking daily for updates. Keep them coming as you can. Don't get me wrong I love the round the world stuff but going out across the US with an up for adventure Mrs and 2 great bikes is about as good as it gets and a much more realistic goal for most folks. I make my Mrs read all your trip updates hoping she'll get the bug

Morning came and we wake up to an extremely sunny day. Sure, the sun here is no different than anywhere else, but I figure that a sun like this in August is a pretty good sign of things to come. The sun and anything else outside would have to wait until I got done calling the dealers I had noted the previous night. I was pretty determined to find those sleeves that would quiet the hitch so let the hunting begin.

The first of the 3 calls was to a shop that had 2 locations in town. Surely one of the 2 would have it. The first place……nothing. I call the other location:
Me: "Hi, I'm calling to find out if you carry the "bracket-jacket" for the weight distribution hitch??"
Clueless parts guy: "the what??"
Me: "it's a sleeve that makes it so there is no metal on metal screeching sound"
Clueless parts guy: "and it goes where??"
Me: "hmmmm…..let's back up a second. Can you search by product number?"
Clueless parts guy: "yeah, what is it"
Anyway, you get the point. I gave him the number and he said they'd have to special order it. I obviously won't be around for that, so I pass. Every call so far is getting me that much closer to that Hazmat suit or dying.

I call the 3rd place and when I'm done the only thing I accomplished, aside from already performing some early morning product instruction to the clueless guy, is me ACTUALLY getting older. On to plan "B".


Today we will head out towards St. George, UT, where we had originally planned to leave the truck and trailer in Storage. The plan now was to push on a bit further with the truck and trailer and leave them a little further down the road.

Before we leave though…..one of the perks of being in this TajMajal type RV resort is that they have a laundry right there on site and right there near our spot. And although we only have a few days worth of clothes to wash so far, I figure we take it when we can get it. we leave the clothes washing and I set towards the lobby and their little supply store to see what they had that I could use to lube this thing up. Luckily, the guy that helped us isn't there when I walk passed the front desk this morning and I avoid the temptation of going to give him a special thanks for taking such good care in giving us an "out of the way" spot. Which, btw I figured I'd give you this illustration of where we ended up, as opposed to where we could have been. Being that this RV resort is the last place I wanted to end up it would have been nice to not be jammed into a spot amongst other RV's if I could avoid it.



The shop had a decent supply of RV essentials. RV toilet paper…check. Spare flush valves….check. Super Squeeky hitch lube……XXX. So yeah, there was a lot of what I already have and didn't need. Guess I'll have to find a place down the road.

Back at the AIrstream I start getting everything ready to head out. Outside I notice a few bikes parked around some of the RV's here. Mostly there are Harley's around but behind us there's a couple of BMW's. I saw them last night but they had a tarp over them. Last night I didn't bother with disconnecting the trailer from the truck so there's not a lot to do. I'd have to disconnect the water/sewer and the power I'll disconnect last so Stephanie doesn't cook inside. I know this night might be spent somewhere without water hookup so I'll also fill the water holding tank, just in case.

Ready to fill up with water, I open the small access door on the side with the key but am distracted with something else that comes to mind. Don't remember now what it was, but probably something I wanted to make sure I didn't forget later. When I suddenly need the key to open the "trunk", I can't find the key. After 5 minutes of looking around I realize I used and left keys on the water access door. And there they were, hanging right there as they were each of the last 15 times I walked by looking for them. Must be the heat.

After a short and very warm conversation with an elderly gentlemen on a bicycle whom came over to ask about the truck, motorcycle and camper, I was pretty much ready to go. I backed the truck up with Stephanie's help (towing with tailgate down so no rear-view camera) and hitched the Airstream up. Next stop….LUBE baby!!!!

We don't waste too much time getting on the highway. And why should we with all that traffic waiting for us on there? I guess it gave us a chance to look at the strip from there, at least. I'm from Miami so it's not like i'm from Saintsville. But this place is something else. The entire city revolves around nothing but pure entertainment. Driving through there is like driving through Orlando except the billboards are aimed at the parents instead of the kids.

The traffic altogether didn't' last too long and we were soon out of downtown Las Vegas. About 15 miles down the road from where we got on I-15 was another pilot gas station. Not only was I in search of lube, but I also now needed a first aid kit for the split skin on my thumb. I think it's from when I was loading everything and tying down the bikes.

I pull in and find a spot among the other rigs:



Inside I bypass the hoola-hoop section and and not surprised to find too much of a selection of grease, lubes, you name it. I now don't know which lube to buy. I settle on buying some good old fashion "grease" and some "fifth wheel grease". One's got to work. Surprisingly I couldn't find an ACTUAL thumb to buy and had to settle for a small first aid kit instead. But, WE HAVE LUBE!!. As much as I want to have at the hitch with the stuff, I think I'll wait to I unhook in order to do it. Did I mention that it's freaking hot outside?? Incredible what a wimp one becomes when traveling sans-motorcycle, in a truck and with AC!!

Back on the road there's not a whole lot of anything going on. The road is straight and it's still freakin hot. I'm somewhat entertained by a dust devil in the distance. (Was bigger than it looks in the pictures and picked up and was throwing a good bit of debris around it):



Down the road as you approach Utah things get a bit more colorful….



After a long stretch of hot, boring road, it was time to eat. We decided against pushing ahead and eating in St. George and stopped in Mesquite, NV. We will soon be crossing through the NW corner of Arizona and Mesquite is the last town before the border (into AZ).

We pull in to the strip-mall parking lot and it's only half full. The temp readout in the truck is showing 106 degrees outside and I'm guessing that's why they have all the shades drawn inside of Los Lupes Mexican restaurant that day. We're shown to our table and after downing an iced tea the waitress comes back to take our order. This place has one of those dizzying menus with what seems like 200+ items on it, so I order simple and just get a plate of tacos.

While we were there Stephanie managed to call and get info on our next stop, a State Park in St. George. Looks like we'll have no problem getting spot there. Perfect

The food here was good and the waitress was also very nice. Nothing spectacular, but it worked. Nothing much more to report here. Kind of quiet. Time to get back on the road.

The short stretch of highway through Arizona was actually pretty nice. Not too long after that and we make it to the Utah border…


Turns out we would pull off the same exit as the hotel we had since cancelled (now that we are traveling with the Airstream). I got gas off that exit and drove a few blocks down the road to see where the Cracker Barrel is. As you already know, we like our restaurants. Cracker Barrel is one of our favorite stops when traveling. Back east we would count them when traveling North or south along I-95. I think we counted 60+ in a span at one point. California is void of any Cracker Barrel's so if we see one we'll definitely stop.

We just ate, but we'll be back before we leave:


11 miles down the road is where we'd be spending the night. We head that way and once we arrive we pull into the park and find a spot…….and take WAY too long parking. Seems we weren't sure how close we wanted to be to the small gazebo that's right next to the trailer, but we eventually we get it right:


This place has water and electric hookups, so after taking care of that we go for a walk/climb up the rocks we later find out we weren't supposed to climb. Oops.









The place was pretty empty except for a few other RV's (one of which definitely could use some airbags and looked as though he was about to pop a wheelie) and some tent campers in a separate designated tent area. As you can see in the pictures though, really cool place!!

It was getting dark, so time to eat and get some rest. We had minimal cell service so before going to sleep I was able to get a few emails out for work. I also went outside to loosen the tie-downs on the bikes and when I did so, I managed to snap a turn signal off of Stephanie's bike…..Another oops for today. Now that I have lube it looks like I now need to go in search of silicone adhesive. Guess i'll do that tomorrow after I lube the hitch For now…..sleep….

I'm with you. There's a LOT to see here in the U.S. And it IS definitely realistic and within reach. People tend to get way to comfortable where they are. They'll put off a trip of a lifetime for this reason or the other. It's easy to make excuses. Maybe it's, "it's just too long a distance" or maybe it's "I don't have the right bike for it". Whatever the reason, they don't realize that doing a trip, whether for a weekend or a month, is not that hard to plan no matter what the distance or the bike. The trips we've done on our bikes could be done on any bike. Our bikes certainly aren't touring bikes. As far as the distance is concerned, you don't do it all in one day. If your bike will make it through a full weekend of riding around your hometown, it'll make it through a good long trip far far away from home. Like I've said here many times.....stop every 50 miles and you'll be fine. You'll see just how much more enjoyable a trip on a motorcycle can be. Imagine giving excuses to this guy that rode a 50cc scooter all around the US (18,000 miles).

I've always found that these trips put me in this state of perpetual, un-hurried motion. You're really happy when you get to where you're going, but you're happy knowing you're going to keep moving soon. It's great. You just want to keep going to keep seeing what's next.

And it might sound like a bit of a cliche, but the saying "it's about the journey, not the destination" is very true. Usually some of the best parts of our trips are the places we go through on our way TO somewhere. Sometimes it's a small town or a restaurant you went to along the way. Or maybe a conversation you had with a total stranger. It's just a great experience that everyone should have.

I can't tell you how to travel to middle of nowhere africa, but if anyone wants tips on how to pack for or get around to places within reach, I'll be happy to help however I can. Not to toot our own horn, but we've gotten pretty good at it. Here's a reminder of everything we carry on the bikes (plus a small/slim backpack with minimal things inside). There's nothing we're missing either. We have tools, tire repair kit, compressor, clothes, shoes, camera with lens, iPad, batteries, cables, etc, etc. I could literally keep going for a year with what I have here:



Oh and with regards to this trip in particular; I know it was supposed to be much more bike-intensive, but it did go changing a bit along the way (you'll read why soon enough). I just didn't want to not do the rest of the ride report. Guess as long as I keep the bikes in the back of the truck I'm still technically traveling with the bikes, right?

Awesome trip, like always you guys impressing us; it's funny because every picture that you post all of us are watching each new thing that you install in that truck or on the Bikes, something like you use the ultimate in tech; enjoy the trip be careful. greetings from Costa Rica.

Let it roll......

While Cracker Barrel is my all-time favorite breakfast place, St George has the Black Bear diner, exit 6, the Bluff street exit and then west a block or so. They have got the best food in town, 3 meals a day, and great pies to boot!!

Sounds like you're pretty packed for the trip, but if you need a great place to stay near Bryce, check out the Stone Canyon Inn. It is a true bed and breakfast, with only about 6 rooms, but it's very comfortable and homey.

I am in!

It's all about the journey. Loving the diversity of this RR. Hope you guys are having fun.

On a side note, I was coming down I 80 from Truckee yesterday and I saw a Raptor towing an Airstream. I thought it might be you guys, but alas, no Ducatis and wrong Airstream...

Hope you are having fun. Keep the updates coming.

JG

We have a Black Bear Diner right down the street from us. We like it also, but I personally prefer the cracker barrels. It's not fine dining, but for comfort food it's pretty damn good. Different strokes for different folks I guess

We actually saw a Black Raptor towing an airstream when we were driving through Utah. Guys had a dual sport in the truck bed. He was going other way and I'm sure he was wondering how the hell we were able to haul 2 bikes in the back of ours

Oh and we were on the road this weekend, but I should have an update tomorrow.

Oh yeah that's right….today was my birthday. Couldn't have asked for a better day to wake up to:



Aside from the view, what better treat than a nice, non-squeaky hitch. Unfortunately that was a gift I was going to have to give myself so I got to it. The grease I bought makes for an absolute mess. One drop of this stuff on your hands and you're scrubbing it pretty good to get it off. But who cares, it worked like a charm as far as getting rid of the squeak goes so that's a huge plus!! Also need to tighten down the bikes (without breaking any mirrors this time).




They have this type of water spigot, which I always think are pretty neat:



Time to go. I hitched up to our now squeak-free hitch and after a quick stop at the dump-station we're off.

(Road on the way out)


If you remember, I also still need to have those lug-nuts checked so I stop at a tire shop I saw along the way. This is a legit tire shop. These guys actually looked like mechanics, not farmers. I pulled up to one of the bays and asked one of the mechanics if he could check it out for me. He was nice enough to stop what he was doing and came over with an ACTUAL torque wrench and tightened everything down for me (they were ok btw). I thanked him and left him $5 richer than when I got there.

It had been a little while since we woke up already and I was hungry. My birthday breakfast would be at Cracker Barrel, a plan I am very pleased with. Along the way there I get calls from some members of the family which is always nice.

When we pull into the Cracker Barrel lot I notice that there are some longer RV spots towards the end and grab one of those, right next to the guy that neither has an RV nor is he pulling anything other than maybe his own dead weight. Oh well.

I like to be able to see the truck and everything we're towing so once inside the hostess obliges when I ask her for a table by the window. Our waitress was nice but was one of those waitresses that was a lot more frantic than the traffic she was handling would merit. Oh and not to be politically incorrect, but there seemed to be a lot of heavy people here in St. George, Utah. I mentioned it to Stephanie and she laughed when I gave her my immediate theory on why it probably is that people get this way here……."it's too damn hot for most people to want to do anything outside!!!". And as I sat there and watched the young, 250 lb lady stuff her face with the biscuits she just lathered up with a few packets of butter I could definitely imagine her preferring a nice air conditioned living room to a 100 degree hiking trail. In all seriousness, it's a shame. It's a beautiful part of the country and it's too bad that not everyone enjoy what awaits them when they step outside their door.

One of the things I enjoy the most when I go to Cracker Barrel is the cornbread and the apple sauce. I usually eat these together once I'm done with my meal. This of course made it ok that the waitress kept forgetting to bring them. Once I was done with my meal though, still no biscuits. Hey at least the lady was nice. She eventually remembered and brought them out (worth the wait too ).

("Why the guilty look?? Those aren't my muffins are they??")



All fueled up….time to go. Oh wait, I forgot to buy the adhesive to re-attach Stephanie's mirror so BACK over the overpass to the autozone. it's only about 1 mile and a half down the road so no big deal. I'm the only customer when I walk in. The guy behind the counter helps me find the silicone I just asked him for and leads me to what must have been 8 or 9 different variations of silicone adhesive. I get the one that seems the most "generic" in purpose and also pick up a few things to eventually wash the trailer and the bikes. Yeah the bikes are clean but if you read the last ride report you know I'll end up washing all this stuff more than a few times down the road.

Ok so we're greased up and now also have the silicone we need for that mirror. I think we're good to get on the road and cover some actual miles. Next up, Zion National Park…….

Nice touch, that Ducati sticker looks great on the side of the Raptor.

Thanks. It's actually all one decal. The one from Ford is ridiculously expensive so I found a company that does the same graphic and can customize it however you want (in my case, the Ducati logo ghosted onto it). At less than half the price of the factory one, it was a no-brainer.