revised map: 4/20/09

View Larger Map

Motorcycle trip planning - 7

I got my tank bag and revised the mount for GPS.

pics here: http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=34646#post34646

Tires and other parts will be here either tomorrow or friday.

I messaged my buddies in Texas, Arizona, and California to let them know I will be coming around and asked them if I could spend a night.
They all said, "of course!" which is relieving.



I could definitely use more room than this, but Can't afford saddlebags right now. I shall try to cram more stuff in the backpack!

Almost ready to go...Time will tell.(and funds...)

Motorcycle trip planning - 6

I put some stuff on my bike!

1.

I almost got hit by a SUV again, so I put these adjustable spot mirrors I picked up at Wal-mart for $1. It works great!

2.

I used the auxiliary out on the ninja to wire up a weatherized 12 volt cigarette lighter power outlet. Plugged in is the cord for GPS.

3.

Used the suction cup mount just to test it out. This won't be permanent but it holds!

4.

My friend Paul testing out the GPS after helping me out with the wiring.

5.

♫ Comin' round to meet you, The long way round. ♪♫

Motorcycle trip planning - 5

Great! I found couple more rips on my 3 year old mesh gloves. Oh look, it's still raining outside!




So, off we go out in the rain to ride to my nearest bike accessory shop to buy a set of gloves, but I knew I needed other things...

Only decent one I liked was $69.99 which I didn't want to pay so I didn't. I bought an oil filter(Fram part # CH6012) and made an order for the front brake pads(EBC part # FA129HH). They're prices were same as an online company I was looking at earlier. I said, same price, same amount of days to get it, but store front to return to? I'll order them.

While there, I asked the older gentleman who was helping me with the order if he knew any product that works on foggy face shield. He looked at my helmet and and knew exactly what model it was and showed me a little feature which I did not know about...

The little knob on the left side of the helmet which is used to lock the shield, when turned the opposite way, opens the shield half click. Then he showed me a little spray he uses, but suggested I try the half click method first. I felt embarrassed for not even knowing my own gear's features. I smiled and thanked him.

Wal-mart is evil...
I originally went in to pick up some motor oil(Rotella synthetic 5W-40), but ended up spending about 20 bucks more. I also almost bought some rain-X, but I remembered a little tip I've read about using car wax on another forum, so I decided not to buy them. Also, upon reading the fine print, I learned that it is not safe to use on plastic. Good find.

Checking newenough again, I found a set of gloves for 17 bucks...

I want to keep the cost down on this trip, but I also don't want to break down or hurt myself by not wearing enough gear...

P.S. I'm starting to like riding in the rain. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Motorcycle trip planning - Day 4

Rain Gear.

Having ridden the 250 60 miles today to and from work in the rain definitely sucked. It was an adventure.
I had my normal motorcycle gear plus Army Gore Tex Gear on top of that, but it was bulky and my army issue boots aren't waterproof. Oh, going to buy some Rain-X wipes and something for fog.

I now know the importance of good rain gear.

My almost bald stock Dunlop rear wasn't giving me any confidence at all either. It's still lot skinnier than a car tire and I did feel slightly better than my beater VW Cabriolet that needs alignment among other things.

Also, I think I was dehydrating. My legs were cramping up just a bit on the way back, 5 minutes from the house.

Note to self and others: Please drink plenty of water! I'd rather stop at a gas station to go to the men's room then dehydrate.

I'm going to try my best to plan this trip on a sunny week, but who knows how the weather's going to change mid trip.



inside was dry, but outside seemed to soak up the water a little but weighing it down.

Summer gloves: completely soaked, but I had waterproof tactical gloves underneath.

Feet/boots: wet. :(

Motorcycle trip planning - Day 3

I started spending money...

1. Tank bag. I found one for 15 bucks @ newenough. It's a strap on that was on closeout, but can't beat it for that price!
link
I'm probably going to pick up some magnets from a hardware store to put it on the bottom of the bag.

2. Rear tire. I've decided to go with the touring tire given that round trip will be around 5,000 miles. Upon research, I've decided to go with Kenda K671 which I found @ americanmototire.com for $55 and change.
tire link

3. Stretchy net. to hold my backpack in place behind me. 10 bucks at a local bike shop.

4. non cotton tshirt/underwear. I read about this on ninja250.org. makes sense. 20 bucks for a tshirt and 1 pair of boxershorts.

5. LED head mounted flashlight, bungee cords, 12v cigarette light power outlet. First two are self explanatory. power outlet is for GPS/phone charging.

6. GPS! Well, not quite. My good friend Matt offered to let me borrow his GPS unit. This is a saving around $100 as I was about to buy a cheapie unit. Decided not to spend money on a mount. It will be in the tank bag clear map pocket. I have to ask him what model it is. I hope it's not hard drive based...

7. Blind spot mirrors. This was on clearance at Walmart for ONE whole dollar! A pair! and it's adjustable. There are two parts to the mirror and it swivels 360 degrees. I couldn't pass it up for a buck.

Motorcycle trip planning - Day 2

Luggage:


picture from ninja250.org

There are tank bags, tail bags, seat bags, saddle bags, all kinds of bags!!!
I started looking at bags and I think got carried away.
Although a long trip, it will be a short one.
So, I have decided.
I will just have a tank bag with tools, first aid kit, map, etc.; and my backpack with clothes, toiletries, camera bag tied under a net in the back seat.

Reminder to myself: You have a small budget and you should stick to it.