Looking for advice for my first trip (May 2013)

[jackc1027]

Hey everyone! I came across this forum while searching cross country motorcycle trips, and so glad I did. Looks like a lot of people have done so much more than just crossing the US on two wheels.

I am looking for advice on how to prepare for a long journey on a bike. I bought my first bike in May 2012, and put lots of work into it since I purchased it, in order to make it run properly. It is a 2005 Honda Shadow 750DC. I have wanted to travel the country for several years now, and I have made the decision that in April/May 2013 I will take off, and what better way than on a bike. I am planning on traveling the country for a month or two, then getting a temporary/seasonal position at a resort/tourist attraction (already working on/speaking with people who do these types of jobs now), then after that is up, move on to the next place, via motorcycle, staying up in the northern US in the summer, and headed down south for the winters.

A majority, if not all of my journey will be done via bike, and couch surfing for a place to stay, or camping. I did notice a tent thread on here, so I will have to check that out.

I know money will be tight for this trip, however I have wanted to leave my home for years now to travel, and I figure if I don't do this now, I may not do it ever. I will be 26 years old when I start this trip, and I am waiting until May so I can give myself some time to pay off some debts and save up some money in my current position before resigning. I don't have a final destination as of now; it really depends on what position I am offered to start in June/July 2013.

Any advice on what to bring, how to prepare, any advice at all would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[Walterxr650l]

Originally Posted by jackc1027

Hey everyone! I came across this forum while searching cross country motorcycle trips, and so glad I did. Looks like a lot of people have done so much more than just crossing the US on two wheels.

I am looking for advice on how to prepare for a long journey on a bike. I bought my first bike in May 2012, and put lots of work into it since I purchased it, in order to make it run properly. It is a 2005 Honda Shadow 750DC. I have wanted to travel the country for several years now, and I have made the decision that in April/May 2013 I will take off, and what better way than on a bike. I am planning on traveling the country for a month or two, then getting a temporary/seasonal position at a resort/tourist attraction (already working on/speaking with people who do these types of jobs now), then after that is up, move on to the next place, via motorcycle, staying up in the northern US in the summer, and headed down south for the winters.

A majority, if not all of my journey will be done via bike, and couch surfing for a place to stay, or camping. I did notice a tent thread on here, so I will have to check that out.

I know money will be tight for this trip, however I have wanted to leave my home for years now to travel, and I figure if I don't do this now, I may not do it ever. I will be 26 years old when I start this trip, and I am waiting until May so I can give myself some time to pay off some debts and save up some money in my current position before resigning. I don't have a final destination as of now; it really depends on what position I am offered to start in June/July 2013.

Any advice on what to bring, how to prepare, any advice at all would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Start your trip with new tires, new brake pads, fresh fluids including rear end, and brake fluids. Keep the wight as low and centered as possible. Strap a tent, sleeping bag (in waterproof stuff sack), and pad on the rear seat, get a tankbag and some small soft luggage for a couple changes of clothes and other essentials. Then go have fun. A shot test run or two before hand to test your packing system is a good idea.

Here is how I loaded my CX on my first cross country trip in 83.



Walter

[jackc1027]

Thans for the reply! When you did your first trip (and I guess the following trips also), did you mostly camp out, or have you been getting hotels/motels along the way. I know I will not be able to afford the luxury of a bed every night, so I am really trying to get some feedback on camping out.

[jesionowski]

Great bike for what you want to do. Load it up and go. Mine is a 2002.

[jackc1027]

Originally Posted by jesionowski

Great bike for what you want to do. Load it up and go. Mine is a 2002.

AWESOME!! Nice bike ya got there too. Where are you at in Chicago, I'm in the far Northwest side of the city.

Where have you brought your bike so far?

[Walterxr650l]

Originally Posted by jackc1027

Thans for the reply! When you did your first trip (and I guess the following trips also), did you mostly camp out, or have you been getting hotels/motels along the way. I know I will not be able to afford the luxury of a bed every night, so I am really trying to get some feedback on camping out.

When I was young and poor, I camped all the time. Unless I was near a relative or friend I could stay with. Now that I am older and not quite as poor.I still camp but will spring for a motel every few days. Dispersed camping on most federal land (Nat. Forest, BLM) is legal unless posted otherwise.

Spend $5 and get this little book from aerostich.



It has a lot of good information on how to do a motorcycle trip on the cheep. The prices of stuff listed will be dated. Some of the hangouts listed will be out of business I'm sure. It has good information on sources of cheep gear, suggestions on how to pack, what to eat, when and where to look for camp, ect. Don't be afraid to adapt and improvise.

Walter

[jetjackson]

How much camping out have you done?

Being on the road at the moment and camping about 1 night our of 3 I can tell you it is not for everyone.

I would like to camp more and save some pennies and I am a big camper back home, going hiking every second weekend. But when you are riding long days and you are living skimp then it can wear on you after a while if you are trying to camp every night.

I mean its not so much the camping as it is the making/breaking camp every day. If you can simplify that process as much as possible it will be a lot easier. Also make sure you have a really comfortable mattress. I have one of these

http://www.basegear.com/thermarest-n...-mattress.html

It wasn't cheap but it was the best investment I made, I can get a good nights sleep now with camping, as good as I would get at home, mostly because I don't sleep on my back, I sleep on my side or on my stomach and this gives enough padding that none of my body touches the ground.

[klaviator]

I would highly recommend reading this ride report. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203720

It's written by a guy who quit his job to go for a little ride. At over 1.8 million views it's one of the most popular ride reports ever. It really shows what is possible on limited funds.

[devo2002]

Search for the light camping thread, free tent space thread, ride reports, and trip planning for all you need. Most planning is plain old trial and error so take whatever you got and go away for a few weekends to get a feel for what you need, because two month trip is just multiple weekends tied together and I've found that whatever you need for a week is what you need for a year.

Have fun and post a ride report when done.

[ThirdBestFriend]

If you can swing it, get this pass and you can camp in any National Park. It won't cover camp site fees, but as someone mentioned above, you can always camp dispersed.

That same pass also works for BLM, USDA Forest, Reclamation, and Fish & Wildlife spots as well. At $80 it is a good bargain.

On an unrelated note, stay in contact on this site. Then post when you are looking for a camping spot in someone's yard, a place to store your bike, tools, etc. People generally come through here, especially for nomads on "epic" adventures. Keeping an updated ride report makes people more likely to help you as well.

[traindriver]

As said before make sure bike is in good working order. It sucks to do repairs on the side of the road. Pack light. I use a Cabelas ultralite 2 man back packing tent, pocket rocket butane stove, get food at grocerey stores along the way. Use small mess kit for cooking (MSR). If money is that tight you can always stealth camp. I went to Alaska 2 years ago on a KLR was gone a month took 1600 dollars. When I got to the house I still had 150 left. And always remember one thing. No matter what the road throws at ya your having the time of your life.

[mogwai]

If it hasn't been said before, you should take a few long weekend trips this summer to get familiar with your stuff, and learn what you can live with and without. YOu'll also learn to set realistic expectations for continuous travel.

[jesionowski]

Originally Posted by jackc1027

AWESOME!! Nice bike ya got there too. Where are you at in Chicago, I'm in the far Northwest side of the city.

Where have you brought your bike so far?

I am in the western burbs. I have taken the Honda on several overnight trips up to Wisconsin. And in I think it was in 2006 I did a 960miles in 20 Hours around Lake Michigan. I have been out to the Mississippi and back on day trips many times. It was my first bike and ended up putting over 20k miles on it before I sold it about three months ago. I bought a 2007 Burgman two years ago and just wasnt putting the miles on it so I sold it to a coworker who was just starting to ride. I just came back from a trip up to the Porcupine mountains on the Burgman. That was 460 miles up in about nine hours. The Burgman and the Honda both have their strengths, if space and money were no options I would still have the honda. I never had a problem with it.

[max384]

A lot of good advice has already been given, but one thing I will add is to leave some extra room when you pack. What I mean is that you shouldn't pack your luggage completely full. The first time that you pack your bags while home will be your most efficient. On the road, you will roll your tent a bit looser, maybe you won't cinch down one of your stuff sacks as tight, etc. EVERY trip I've done, small or large (okay, I've never really done any really big trips), I've always found that my gear takes up more room after the first night. It's also nice to have some extra room for souvenirs, food, etc.

[Thanantos]

Originally Posted by mogwai

If it hasn't been said before, you should take a few long weekend trips this summer to get familiar with your stuff, and learn what you can live with and without. YOu'll also learn to set realistic expectations for continuous travel.

This, this, this.

As a recent convert to moto-camping I can say this helped A LOT.
Research and theory is great, but you don't want to have to put it in practice for the first time hundreds of miles from home.