For those of you Iron Ass riders...

[Aracheon]

... any gems about the sport you'd like to share?

Not that it's a terrifically long ride compared to what Carl will be doing here soon, but I will potentially be riding my new bike home from Tucson here shortly. Any things I should consider taking with me outside of what I normally carry in my tankbag? Or other pieces of priceless advice?

- Kleenex
- Water
- Eye drops
- Sunglasses and protective glasses
- Second faceshield
- Glass cleaner
- Terry towel
- Map
- Light snacks (trail mix type stuff)
- Cell phone
- Garmin Nuvi
- I.C.E. information inside the clear map slot
- AAA card

[pilot]

• Small cans of soda/drink
  
  • On a recent trip I found those 1/2 sized cans of soda really paid off. I could down one while filling the tank. It was just enough to help me feel refreshed without feeling like I had to waste it or force down four more gulps. Nor did I have a big bottle of soda to carry round. They became a marker of time and distance--at each stop I crushed another
• Camera
  
  • And the download cables so you can store off your pictures
  • Power supply
• Hydro pack
  
  • You can get a great deal on those at Sam's and CostCo
  • The ones with the extra storage are very helpful
  • I freeze two bottles of water and place them inside the pack next to the 2 liter water bag
  • This keeps the water cold all day--even on an 90 degree day
  • Then you still have two more bottles of water
• Rain Gear
  
  • Even a cheap set will get you by in a pinch
• Lip Balm
• Small bottle of lotion-UV rated-with bug repellent
• Note pad and pen
• Clear package strapping tape
  
  • This fixes lots of things from broken body panels to cracked headlights
• Small tool kit
• Tire repair
• Cool vest
  
  • On a 95 degree day I feel like it is 75--a huge difference in hot weather

I think Carl or someone had a good list posted up a time or two.

[denver_whitest185]

a cheap throttle lock will let you stretch out your right hand and loosen up your shoulder every once in awhile while your riding

http://www.newenoughhp.com/parts/cru...e_control.html

[Aracheon]

• Small cans of soda/drink
  
  • On a recent trip I found those 1/2 sized cans of soda really paid off. I could down one while filling the tank. It was just enough to help me feel refreshed without feeling like I had to waste it or force down four more gulps. Nor did I have a big bottle of soda to carry round. They became a marker of time and distance--at each stop I crushed another
  
  
• Camera
  
  • And the download cables so you can store off your pictures
  • Power supply
  
  
• Hydro pack
  
  • You can get a great deal on those at Sam's and CostCo
  • The ones with the extra storage are very helpful
  • I freeze two bottles of water and place them inside the pack next to the 2 liter water bag
  • This keeps the water cold all day--even on an 90 degree day
  • Then you still have two more bottles of water
  
  
• Rain Gear
  
  • Even a cheap set will get you by in a pinch
  
  
• Lip Balm
• Small bottle of lotion-UV rated-with bug repellent
• Note pad and pen
• Clear package strapping tape
  
  • This fixes lots of things from broken body panels to cracked headlights
  
  
• Small tool kit
• Tire repair
• Cool vest
  
  • On a 95 degree day I feel like it is 75--a huge difference in hot weather
  
  

I think Carl or someone had a good list posted up a time or two.

Excellent!

a cheap throttle lock will let you stretch out your right hand and loosen up your shoulder every once in awhile while your riding

http://www.newenoughhp.com/parts/cru...e_control.html

I've owned a throttle lock since my F3. Just never bothered transferring it to any other machine since then due to my bar end sliders. Good thought... into the backpack it goes.

[dm_gsxr]

I have my general trip checklist. While it's pretty optimized, it is pretty inclusive. I do add things as I find something better and drop things that I don't need. I'm in the middle of updating it now getting ready for Friday so it's not as current as it can be

http://www.schelin.org/planning/preride/checklist.html

Have fun. This was my trip home from Tuscon:



Watch out for the Arizona Cops though.



Carl

[Aracheon]

Holy crap. That's a hell of a tour! I don't think I'll be riding QUITE that far, but I will be taking a scenic route on my way home.

Awesome checklist too! Thanks Carl.

[Jeffro]

I rode my busa from Pensacola to Colorado Springs in two days in 2006. Looks like the above list covers most everything. I can't state enough the importance of a throttle lock for that long of a trip........

[dm_gsxr]

I rode my busa from Pensacola to Colorado Springs in two days in 2006. Looks like the above list covers most everything. I can't state enough the importance of a throttle lock for that long of a trip........

Weirdly enough I haven't been using a throttle lock. Although I did pick up an o-ring when we were up in Wyoming and it was pretty useful. I'll be using that for the trip to Alaska but being able to lean on the tank bag for longer trips is what I've been doing. Then I can just relax the arms. Still, riding with the o-ring did make the trip a bunch more comfortable.

Carl

[dm_gsxr]

Holy crap. That's a hell of a tour! I don't think I'll be riding QUITE that far, but I will be taking a scenic route on my way home.

Awesome checklist too! Thanks Carl.

Well that was going down and coming back. I made a conscious decision to _tour_ vs my normal ride which is to _ride_ So I spent a bunch of time looking at maps and making turns when I saw something I liked. I was going to go farther north but Rita was telling me about an incoming snow storm so I hauled butt home. I cruised at 100mph through eastern Utah



Carl

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Awesome route Carl! Man, I'm jealous!

In light of recent events (long ride/need to get to a stall QUICK!) you guys fogot the 2 most important things:
1. Toilet paper!
2. Hand-sanitizer and/or disinfectant wipes! (unless you just want to be gross....

[dm_gsxr]

Awesome route Carl! Man, I'm jealous!

In light of recent events (long ride/need to get to a stall QUICK!) you guys fogot the 2 most important things:
1. Toilet paper!
2. Hand-sanitizer and/or disinfectant wipes! (unless you just want to be gross....

Actually that's one of the things I added to this ride, the disinfectant wipes.

When I was going to do my first trip, I snagged several ride references to gear lists. Some of them would need a big assed trailer to carry it all But most of it was pitched. There were several things that I hadn't thought of, though. One of them was a roll of TP. I found I never needed to use it so it got taken off the list.

Carl

[denver_whitest185]

Well that was going down and coming back. I made a conscious decision to _tour_ vs my normal ride which is to _ride_ So I spent a bunch of time looking at maps and making turns when I saw something I liked. I was going to go farther north but Rita was telling me about an incoming snow storm so I hauled butt home. I cruised at 100mph through eastern Utah



Carl

i remember that

chris, make sure you ride all of highway 12. its absolutly beautiful. i drove it in the late afternoon/evening, and the sun set everything off. if your planning on camping, there are some good roadside camping spots between Boulder and grover near the end of highway 12.

my route:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...227/route1.jpg

some photos of what to expect:

[Jaydoc]

a cheap throttle lock will let you stretch out your right hand and loosen up your shoulder every once in awhile while your riding

http://www.newenoughhp.com/parts/cru...e_control.html

I tried fitting one of those on my GSX-R 600 but couldn't get enough room to make it work. Will one fit on a 'Busa?

[denver_whitest185]

these are a little more expensive, but they are a little more application specific so that you don't have to mess with anything to make them fit, and they look a lot cleaner

http://www.throttlemeister.com/tm.html

they list the busa

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Actually that's one of the things I added to this ride, the disinfectant wipes.

When I was going to do my first trip, I snagged several ride references to gear lists. Some of them would need a big assed trailer to carry it all But most of it was pitched. There were several things that I hadn't thought of, though. One of them was a roll of TP. I found I never needed to use it so it got taken off the list.

Carl

Yeah, but what's the penalty for NOT having a roll with you and NEEDING it? Luckily for me, I was able to find a restroom, one where I could even detatch my leather jacket from the pants. I gotta say this, the park service restroom at the junction of 125 and 40 (2mi W of Granby) is clean, didn't stink, had a locking door, a table to put my jacket on, had plenty of TP, a sink with soap&running water, and a few magazines even! MAJOR props.

[Jaydoc]

these are a little more expensive, but they are a little more application specific so that you don't have to mess with anything to make them fit, and they look a lot cleaner

http://www.throttlemeister.com/tm.html

they list the busa

Thanks. Forgot all about the Throttlemeisters.

[pilot]

• List of repair shops along the way. A rider can easily go on-line and select their type of bike, say Honda, on the Honda website there is a section to "Find a Dealer". Just by plugging in some towns along your route you will easily be able to find a service center--usually within less than 75 miles, which is well within emergency towing distances by say, AAA or the Honda towing plan.
• Repair shops are closed on Sunday (and sometimes Saturday, too). Limit your travel, if you can, to weekdays and Saturdays when traveling long distances. If you break down on a Sunday and the mechanic and parts counter aren't open for 24 hours, well, either you McGuyver it or wait.
• Have a throw down wallet. You never know when you might get hijacked or robbed. A cheap wallet with a few bucks a fake driver's license and some voided credit cards can save you a lot of time and headache. Thieves are usually in a hurry and don't want to spend time investigating the goods.
• Carry copies of important documentation, such as driver's license, insurance and credit card information. Never carry your SSN, Date of Birth and home address information in the same place as your credit cards.