Planning a cross-country trip on my XS. Any suggestions?

[MaximPhil]

For Snakedriver,
This is what I have and she will go anywhere and carry what I need.


Start with New Tires and look at them regularly (even measure the tread depth) I have found all tires wear faster as they approach the tread wear bars.
Phil

[Courtney]

I take a credit card and a cell phone with a charger the holiday inn is camping

hell yeah! I'm about to turn the clock to 60, so comfort is becoming a big plus. Having said that though, I have a bivvy the size of a coffin, an air mattress that just fits in it, and a sleeping bag that rolls up to 8" x 12". A stove that fits inside my cooking pot (about 6" diameter and 4" high with a lid) and that's about it for gear, other than a First Gear Kilimanjaro Jacket and matching pants for ALL weather. A CRKT M-16 tanto knife for eating/cutting/fighting off grizzlies, a Mastercard, and a Cellphone like Jim. Works for me.

Of course I didn't include the obligatory clutch cable, throttle cable, brainbox, spare levers, and 30ft of electrical wire, connectors, and tool kit. Oh yeah, and mickey of Lemonhart or Myers, preferably Myers.

[trbig]

I've taken a few longer distance rides and had even planned on camping a couple times, but many campgrounds charge a fee to get in as well as a fee for a tent on a site. By the time I paid these, I was dang near at a cheap mom and pop motel price with air conditioning and a hot shower. That doesn't even start to take into account all the added weight and space hogging of enough gear to actually get by with camping, nor the setting up/take down time involved. There are maybe some places you could just pull off the road and pitch a tent, but I didn't like the whole trespassing thing.

Just something to think about. Don't forget a few spare parts like clutch cable/handle and throttle cable and a spare set of keys.

[RUSH]

packing and prepping

I did a couple of long rides on my XS11 (4 corners of the USA and Deadhorse Alaska). I would hope you have the stock saddle bags. I used the space bags to compress as much as possible, kept all my clothes in a drybag strapped to the tail. I brought the biggest duffel bag I could find and would unpack the saddle bags at each motel/hotel stay. Do all the oil changes and gearbox changes, change your fork oil, flush your brake fluids, change plugs, pull wire harness connectors apart and add dielectric grease to all, do a tire change, and sync your carbs. Keep track of all the tools used for this work and pack them with you. Good rain gear and gloves. Rainx for the windscreen. Spare bulbs. Buy a map book of the USA and a tank bag. GPS is good but being able to look ahead on a map and see the route is easier on a map, plus it doesnt need batteries or a clear view of the sky. Write contact names and numbers inside the map book. Always keep a $20 in your wallet incase of toll roads. I like the tank bag with a hydration bladder and bite value I can pull to me. Get one with a big fill cap so you can put ice in.
Always stop when you feel your mind drifting. Avoid riding at night. Check your tire pressure daily. Take tylonal before pains start. Bring earplugs. If you use headphones find the in ear buds that block the most external noise. Extra batteries or chargeable. Heated jacket and controller. Auxiluary running lights. Kickstarter or jumper cables. Camera with spare flash card.
Enjoy the ride and post pics.!

[CaptonZap]

Another option for camping on the cheap is what the US government calls dispersed camping. Bing it and get the facts from their website.
Penny pinchers-R-us, CZ

Here, I'll make it easy,
http://www.bing.com/search?q=US+disp...0-13&sp=-1&sk=

[Courtney]

I did a couple of long rides on my XS11 (4 corners of the USA and Deadhorse Alaska). I would hope you have the stock saddle bags. I used the space bags to compress as much as possible, kept all my clothes in a drybag strapped to the tail. I brought the biggest duffel bag I could find and would unpack the saddle bags at each motel/hotel stay. Do all the oil changes and gearbox changes, change your fork oil, flush your brake fluids, change plugs, pull wire harness connectors apart and add dielectric grease to all, do a tire change, and sync your carbs. Keep track of all the tools used for this work and pack them with you. Good rain gear and gloves. Rainx for the windscreen. Spare bulbs. Buy a map book of the USA and a tank bag. GPS is good but being able to look ahead on a map and see the route is easier on a map, plus it doesnt need batteries or a clear view of the sky. Write contact names and numbers inside the map book. Always keep a $20 in your wallet incase of toll roads. I like the tank bag with a hydration bladder and bite value I can pull to me. Get one with a big fill cap so you can put ice in.
Always stop when you feel your mind drifting. Avoid riding at night. Check your tire pressure daily. Take tylonal before pains start. Bring earplugs. If you use headphones find the in ear buds that block the most external noise. Extra batteries or chargeable. Heated jacket and controller. Auxiluary running lights. Kickstarter or jumper cables. Camera with spare flash card.
Enjoy the ride and post pics.!

Well written Rush! Hide a spare key inside the clutch cover too with Gorilla tape on the inside of the lid.

[baltimorenick]

I did about 10,000 miles last summer on my SF. I basically rode in a big circle around the continental US. No fairing or windshield. Next time I would definitely use at least a windshield. I camped most of the time. You might want to consider using a bivy sack instead of a tent. They take up way less space. I brought a crap load of tools with me. One of my saddle bags was mostly filled with tools, an extra set of spark plugs, a bunch of butt end connectors, etc. You might want to consider wiring up a 12v cigarette lighter power adaptor (not sure if fairings already have this).

I used the GPS on my android phone, but honestly I ended up looking at a small road atlas way more often than I used GPS.

For music, I brought along one of these:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...n-R234-MC.html

I couldn't hear anything from my MP3 player without boosting the signal with the little pre-amp.

I didn't bring rain gear. I really regretted that when it rained on me the entire way from Austin, TX to Baltimore, MD. I think I would definitely bring at least some waterproof overpants next time. When you hit rain it makes way more sense to just keep riding on rather than hiding from it.

Have fun! Last summer was definitely one of the best times I've ever had and I am basically just saving up money right now so I can do it again.

[kevxs]

sounds like a cool trip nick, did you encounter any mechanical problems along the way?

[scalded dog]

You may won't to join my club, it is a riding club, we are nationwide, we also have a help/rescue program, called "Eagle Rescue" in every state we have people on a list that you can call if you need assistance, no dues, no time constraints, all brand bikes welcome- We are the "Southern cruisers riding club". Later 'Dog

[Pain]

I have some experience with long trips. Sleeping pads are a good idea, I use big Agnes Primaloft, it has more insulation (insulation from the ground is the big reason for pads, comfort is a bonus) and Big Agnes 15f bag. I don't really like bivvys, only because I occasional stay in one place for a while and a 'real' tent is more comfortable. Free camping is pretty easy to find in the USA and Canada.

Don't leave a town with something broken on the bike without trying to fix it. Take time every day to go over the bike and find problems. Check tires, oil, look for leaks, check the nuts and bolts. Don't rush.

Don't try to ride too far every day. On my XS I usually plan on 400 miles a day when camping, 600 for hotel nights (I try to do one hotel every 7-10 days). For comparison on my 250 I do 300/400. My actual miles are usually more, but I wander a lot and stop to look at things, over a whole trip it averages out.

Oh, and make sure you can carry extra fuel out west. Man, but those stations are far apart sometimes.

[baltimorenick]

sounds like a cool trip nick, did you encounter any mechanical problems along the way?

I had a few minor issues. I wired up a 12v cig lighter adaptor while in a walmart parking lot. I still had the original fuse block and one of the metal tabs holding the main fuse broke. Got some ATC fuse holders from a NAPA 1/2 mile down the road and re-wired the whole fuse block right there in the parking lot. I had butt connectors and wire strippers with me so I think it cost me about $8 to fix and maybe 45 minutes worth of walking and repairing.

My other issue was the crappy aftermarket 4-1 I had on there up until a few days ago. I had to remove it everytime I changed the oil and filter. The lips at the end of some of the header pipes cracked and I needed to weld some extra steel on them and grind them back into shape. Also, the baffle fell outta my muffler somewhere in the middle of the Mojave desert. After a very deafending 1400 miles later, I ended up finding another megaphone style muffler that a guy sold me in Austin, TX. Cut the end of it off and crammed it into my muffler. MIG welded the seam.

As most of you already know, these bikes are pretty rock solid if you take care of them. If I had money right now/didn't need to hold onto my job, I wouldn't hesitate to jump on and do it all over again.

[baltimorenick]

Oh, and make sure you can carry extra fuel out west. Man, but those stations are far apart sometimes.

Yeah, West Texas is VAST.

[CaptonZap]

Being an old Luddite, I use maps for navigation. When refueling, I look at the map and pick places no more than 150 miles apart, which is what I can get, with a little reserve left. (80G with stock 5 gal tank).
You can look at a map and tell if there is a problem getting to the next town. And some of the smaller towns may have a gas station that is out of business, so never pass up a chance to get gas if your tank is over half empty. YMMV, literally.

CZ

[jwhughes3]

I hate pushing 600+ lb bikes

So extra fuel is a must have.

My boys and I plan to camp light this summer on "the epic journey" . This means sleeping pads and bedrolls only - no tents in order to keep things light.

I had a tentmaker stitch us some waxed canvas cowboy style bedrolls to withstand the weather with Hudson Bay 4 pt wool blankets.

No cooking gear as we plan to use diners or sandwiches...

I have the plans and tentmakers info in case anyone is interested. I will post a pic when I get home from Cuba.

John

[snakedriver]

Maximphil, that is a sweet-looking ride. I just ordered a Windjammer off of ebay and I want my scoot to look similar to yours. I don't have the hard bags though, so I think I'm going with leather saddlebags instead. I'm working on a custom rear rack to hold my waterproof bag, and I'll post some pics when it is done.

The fairing that I bought comes with a Goldwing bracket. Has anyone out there modified a GW bracket to fit an XS?

I'm a little concerned about fuel capacity. My bike is a '79 standard with a special tank. My standard tank was rusted beyond repair when I got it. If the XS only gets 30 mpg I may want to carry some supplemental fuel.

Thanks for the great ideas, fellas!