Of course I was planning on changing the oil before I left on this long trip, so I am thinking maybe I should just check and adjust the valves while I am at it. After all I have done my fair share of shade tree mechanic work. But being a "Jack of all Trades, Master of None" has its disadvantages. I soon discovered that this job was going to entail more work and trouble than I was willing to take just a few days before the trip. So down to the motorcycle shop I went.
Now I have been to Snake River Yamaha many times to dream and drool over the beautiful machines there. (BTW - I already have my next bike all picked out.) Any how, $145 seemed like a deal to have the valves professionally adjusted, and for another $75 they changed the oil and did a full tune and service. Small price to pay for peace of mind 600 miles from home. However this definitely set my trip budget back a few notches.
I was planning on purchasing some Olympia mesh pants for $220. They are very versatile with mesh zones on the outside, a wind and water-proof liner on the inside, armored knees and hip padding, and a nice feature is the zipper stops short of the hem so you can have the hem custom fitted to you. Unless the Olympia gods see fit to reimburse me for this fine endorsement, I will be without them for this trip. Back to the old stand-by, my snowboarding pants. They will be fine if its cold or raining, but I won't be wearing them other than that (too hot). I am having a friend sew some extra Velcro on the ankle cuff so that I can cinch them down a little tighter since I won't be wearing snowboarding boots on my motorcycle.
Now, what to pack? And how am I going to fit all my stuff in my saddle bags? I'm not. I bought a medium sized Bilt gear bag at Cycle Gear that should be more than sufficient to hold all my crap, and hopefully wont look too bad strapped over the top of my saddle bags. I can't really afford "motorcycle" luggage at this point. I am considering a small tank bag to put my mp3 player, a bottle of water and a map in. We will see.
This will be my first long trip on the motorcycle so I am sharing this list of stuff to pack for all the other first timers out there. Remember the Boy Scouts moto "be prepared"? Well I am my father's son and he packs everything but the kitchen sink "just in case". No doubt my list doesn't fall far from the tree:
Emergency Stuff
- Tool kit + some better Allen wrenches and a Leatherman multi-tool on my belt.
- LED flashlights (head band and hand held) + batteries.
- Printed maps and information about hotels, restaurants and gas stations along the route (no GPS)
- Cell phone + charger.
- Roll of toilet paper.
- Hand sanitizer or wipes.
- Hand warmers.
- 2 refillable water bottles with spouts that let you open and close with one hand.
- Jerky and some trail mix.
Gear
- Helmet + ear covers.
- Sun glasses (polarized) and riding goggles + cords.
- Gloves - insulated gloves for cold weather, full leather gloves for cool riding, and thin leather (bicycle style) gloves for warm weather.
- Riding Jacket (mesh + wind/rain liner + quilted liner).
- Cold weather pants (snowboard pants in this case).
- Riding boots.
- Bungee cords.
- IMPORTANT post trip edit: sunscreen and lip balm (found out the hard way)
Clothing
- 2-3 tee shirts.
- 1 pair jeans.
- 1-2 pair shorts.
- 4 pairs of underwear.
- 4-5 pairs of socks - 1 extra warm, 2 long, 2 short.
- Sleep shorts.
- Swim trunks.
- Long sleeve over shirt.
- Warmer pull over or hoodie.
- Walking shoes.
- Belt.
- Bathroom Kit (tooth paste + brush, deodorant, razor, medicine, etc.)
- Travel towel.
- Stuff sack for dirty or wet clothes, etc.
Fun Stuff
- Mp3 player + headphones + USB cable.
- Camera + batteries + USB cable.
- Notebook or tablet computer + charger.
- Pen and paper notepad.
- Day pack for short excursions.
I will add more later if I think of anything else.
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