Evaluating the list
Intro: This got to be quite a project, but I wanted from the start for this equipment summary to be here. The stuff you take on a trip can and will make/break a circumstance. I like being as prepared as I can be as it allows me to be more carefree knowing I can handle most any situation. I’ve posted this at this point because it has been a few days and I haven’t thought of any thing else to add to it, but I am sure I’ll think of something to add later on. Eventually I’ll move the story to my homepage that I’m rebuilding, where the more complete story will develop.
#321 Industrial O-Ring – other wise known at the Cat-O-Ring. This is a very effective and cheap throttle lock. It holds well enough to give the hand a break for miles although it will slip a bit once is gets dirty, so cleaning it becomes necessary. It also allows you to use the throttle normally when it is engaged, it just takes more effort to twist it, so you can instantly change throttle without having to disengage anything. The O-Ring slips over the bar end and wedges between the rotational grip and the metal of the bar end. The 3 in the 321 designation indicates the thickness of the rubber cord and the 21 is the diameter. I can’t imagine making a trip without this device and for the cost of a few bucks, it takes the value award on this trip. I used this majority of the time on sections of road that were not residential or technical. In town or on twisty sections I’d roll it off and have full control. Any long distance trip really needs something to assist with the throttle.
GPS- Garmin 2610 –
http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2610/
This is a good product. The only wish would be a small rechargeable battery built-in that could run it for 10 minutes. I used it constantly throughout the trip. The auto-routing feature is great, just pick a general spot on the map and say “go there”. I used it this way a couple of times on the way down with awesome results, ending up on roads I would have never found on my own. I didn’t have the inclination to download track points, but I wished I had. There wasn’t a point on the trip where I felt the GPS couldn’t bail me out. Occasionally the stupid thing would have me jumping off and then back on an Interstate section, not sure what that was about, but I learned to ignore it. When running back roads care needs to be taken to not trust it 100%, but I didn’t find a road that wasn’t really there until this fall running around home. Memory storage ability makes this unit a good choice. The touch screen was great and usable with summer gloves on. So I got bullet proof operation over thousands of miles and no issues with rain. I did manage to hit the power switch way too many times by accident.
Sirius Star Mate Satellite Radio & AudioBoss AB-1 from Motocomm
http://www.abtelectronics.com/script...urce=rkggoogle
https://www.rflimited.com/ShowProduc...D=26&NodeID=c2
One of the better choices I made for the trip. The AB-1 unit has more hookups than I needed. I used the cell phone and radar detector setups, both of which worked great. I was never able to get both the GPS and the radar detector to work at the same time, but I found I didn’t need or want the voice from the GPS anyway. I used the Radar Detector some but that went home early, so I ended up using the radio portion of the unit to play the Sirius radio through.
I mounted the AB-1 in the inside pocket on the tank bag. This gave me quick and easy access to the controls. I used Velcro to secure it in place. It was touch cumbersome having the unit in the top flap of the tank bag, but then it also meant it wasn’t in the way when diving into the tank bag for stuff.
Using a direct plug in to the Audio in jack of the AB-1, the Sirius radio wasn’t anywhere near as loud as it was using the FM. So for most of the trip I listened to all sorts of tunes. I used the helmet speakers included with the kit and found that the best results were to use new earplugs.
Amazingly the stupid suction cup rig that came with the Starmate, designed for a car, held up quite well. However the bracket that snapped into the back of the radio let go repeatedly and eventually was lost to the highway along with all those other bits and pieces. The power and antenna cords saved the radio several times. The radio ended up living on the tank bag next to the cell phone. Both the cell phone and the radio used the strips of Velcro I had with me to stay on the bag. Good Stuff, that Velcro! When it rained, I’d just deploy the Tank Bags rain cover of the tank bag over the phone and radio.
The only issue I had with the AB-1 unit was the sensitivity of the mike would cut out the radio in the wind. There should be a push to talk button that must be used to activate the mic. I ended up not using that side of the unit due to the constant cut outs of the radio.
I played with foam rings trying to isolate more road noise but it didn’t work well, although the concept bears playing with. Think of a Balaklava with foam rings from headsets built in and the speakers built into the head sock itself.
Radar Detector- Valentine One
It never made most of the trip. I had just gotten a new unit on a trade up program and I thought it was tossing an error message, but it was a normal display that I didn’t recognize. I sent it home in a box from Florida after the convention. It has worked fine at home since. Going and figuring.
Pro-Oiler –
http://www.pro-oiler.com/
I made the choice to go with an oiler. The Pro-Oiler applies oil based on rotations. It also allows on the fly adjustment of the application rate. There is a 1 pint touring bottle that fit nicely under the seat, along with the pump unit and junction box. Install was a bit intensive, what with tapping into the signal cable running form the ECU up to the dash cluster. The unit did a great job throughout the trip and for thousands of miles since. I have 17k on the bike now and the oiler has been doing its job well. I really like the ability to up the application rate n the fly in rain on gravel roads. There is a trade off of the added grime on the left side of the bike. The underside of that left hard bag was a source of black smears on a variety of surfaces throught out the trip, and the rear of my left leg had a spattering of oil spots, although they didn’t seem to mark anything I noticed on the trip.
Givi Top Box-
http://www.giviusa.com/index.cfm?fus...24&prodid=e460
About a month out from departure, I knew I really had to get a top box. I needed the extra space to take with me all the stuff I wanted to. I Triumph box was out of the question due to the userous price. I did find a Triumph tail rack, with the full mounting kit with all the bracing, for around $100 on ebay. Give makes a universal adaptor plate for attaching their hard bags to about any tail rack and theirs worked well for me. The E52 is cavernous as hard cases go and I used every inch of available space. The case functioned extremely well, with no leaks, and it goes on and off the rack in a snap.
Triumph Hard Cases (panniers) – These came with the bike. Not assembled, but perhaps that was a good thing. My friend Jim and I assembled the cases and we both saw how a slam it together attitude would result in case that would never seal properly. We made sure we did a good job and I’ve only had very minor leaks in driving rain. After cleaning the area with solvent, the triumph labels stuck onto the bags and have stayed there. So the two big complaints I had read about the bags I didn’t experience and I think that it goes back to assembly. Care need to be taken when opening the cases with a load in them. I snapped the lightweight cord that holds the case open about half way when mounted on the bike. The are easy to mount and remove and while other found dealing with another key a pain, it didn’t bother me, and I had another for the Give too. When I dumped the bike in the parking lot on the Skyline, the left side bag took quite a hit, yet the bag and frame came through with only minor scars. The bag is scrapped from the impact and the mount is a little loose. However, the bag and rack held in the fall and the trip continued unaffected.
Eureka Timberline4 Tent –
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226
Having given up on the vestibule idea, I was semi dreading the drawback on a slightly larger tent arrangement. I needn’t have bother as the tent performed extremely well. Always dry and stable, it was easy to pack up and put up. In my fire drill move at the campsite I had the tent down in about 2 minutes, mind you it wasn’t packed to well, but it was good enough. Spacious is the word for it, as I was able to bring all the gear into the tent easily with enough room to setup for dinner and unpacking and sorting, not to mention sleeping. The frame uses two a-frames joined by a ridge pole. It packs in 24” and is very rugged. The inner tent uses a mesh and the fly creates the rain barrier. It has a tub floor and a full window on both ends, with one also opening fully for the door. The windows open from the top down with a zipper running from the point down each side. It ventilates as much as you need it to. The tub of the floor comes up 4” or so at the entrance so care needs to be taken to step over and otherwise not mess up the zipper. I did get it mucked up inside a couple of times by tracking slime in off the bottom of the left hard bag from chain oil fling. Excellent Tent!
LLBean Extra Tall Sleeping Pad- The pad operformed well. If were lighter I would fair better, but considering I am 230#’s, it did well to get me acceptable sleep. It packs small enough and sets up easy. It also serves well for a general sitting /kneeling surface inside the tent. It did the job well.
Jarrow Helmet –
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...t-p-17524.html
I really like my helmet. For the money it does what I need and it works. The metal latches work consistently. The single hand opening system works every time. I rode through some serious heat but my head never felt hot. I put the new plastic on about half way through the trip and that was, of course, just wonderful. There is nothing like new plastic. The flip down sun shield is something that every helmet should have. I like not having to add something or restrict my vision any more than wearing glasses and a helmet do already. The flip up makes wearing glasses easier. No need to take them off to get the helmet off. Also the flip up is good when making quick stops. It allows you to be seen and heard without having to take it off. You can also eat and drink a bit without taking it off. And when it does come off it is just plain easier with a flip up. I installed speakers in the helmet for the AB-1 as well as a mike. It all worked well, although the mike snapped off in the wind on day. It was dangling by a wire, and I euthanized it. I nned to go try on a few of the other flip ups in my size someday, so I can get a better idea of what the others are like in comparison to the Jarrow/Justisimo.
Black Diamond head band light –
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...t-p-16268.html
This is a great light that runs forever of a set of batteries. I was home for 5 months before I changed the batteries. The three levels brightness are a great option, although I never did use the blinking function, but it would still be a good warning light of sorts, or perhaps a great way to confuse a bear. The 4 led’s are bright and are not pleasant to look into. It is a bit bulky but it also does a great job and is stable to wear on your head or over a ball cap.
Stich Stuff Sacks
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...s-p-17172.html
I packed the Electrics in one, the bath kit in the second and food in the third. They held well, stayed dry and did just what they were supposed to with ease. They were invaluable in keeping me organized and packing efficiently. I also used a waterproof zip bag for my pillow and sweater.
Suit
I made the choice after the test pack that I was not going to bring my leather jacket, so I lived in my Aerostich suit the entire trip. I have the overall bib option that zips on, as well as the gusset that lengthens the suit. I did the tech wash before I left and that paid off well when I finally hit rain coming into Florida. It rained HARD! The pocket that holds the water pouch was awesome. I used the wet T-shirt cooling system during hot days. When I got the suit the right side pants pocket zipper was stuck half way. The day before I left I yanked on it one last time and it not only freed up, it worked well for the rest of the trip. I did damage the pants. I somehow forgot to re-zip my left leg of the suit and not too much farther down the road the whipping separated the liner from the shell along the zipper seam. It was a foolish mistake that only resulted messing up the suit, when it could have messed me up. The suit remained functional the remainder of the trip. I used the bib most of the time, and the jacket almost all the time. I only hit heavy rain twice in the whole trip and the suit handled it very well, and of course showers and the like were considered good to rinse off the road grime.
AeroStich Rain Gloves.
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...r-p-16447.html
Ultra light and small, they deploy and slip on over your gloves with a thumb/two finger arrangement that I call the vulcan rain glove. I could easily don them on straight sections of road, and they go on super quick if you need to stop first. I wrote to Aerostich about the oddness of them not having a wiper on the glove, to which they responded they were going to work on it again. I hope to see that soon! Meanwhile they sent me instructions on how to modify my pair for the trip. I never did get around to doing it, but I also didn’t have too much rain travel to deal with… next year?
Evapodana-
http://www.aerostich.com/product.php...cat=319&page=1
This thing really works well to keep you cool. I could rewet on the fly with the water pouch/sip tube. In non humid areas my guess is that it would need re-soaking every 100 miles or so. A serious issue is wind whip induced fraying of the edges. There needs to be a tighter set of stitching on the edges to prevent the edges from splitting open. I eventually lost the Evapodana somewhere on the BRP. It was likely gone days before I noticed
Temp Gauge –
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...r-p-16330.html
the little round thing is cute, but that is about it. It is inaccurate and I think the vibration of a motorcycle makes this item loose it’s cool.
Elkskin Gauntlet –
http://www.aerostich.com/product.php...cat=301&page=1
Awesome gloves. I modified mine with an additional set of Velcro to hold down the gauntlet. They came with a snap arrangement that I wrote to Aerostich about. I told them it left the cuff loose, and suggested Velcro. They sent me some and I had a friend stitch it on. I took some pics and sent them off to Aerostich. See the pics here Again, they felt so good , but alas somewhere on I-75 just north of Tampa is a perfectly good glove, lost to me.
Basic Radar Mount –
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...t-p-16823.html
I was disappointed with this rig. The Valentine was constantly slipping in the mount as the screw to hold it didn’t seem to bite well.
Ram Mount – Sheesh. Why bother with any other mount system. It works that well. I added it to this equipment list only after while. I used a bar clamp ball on the Helibars, with a 5” extension to the standard Garmin mount kit with a Ram plate attached. Easy to adjust and move out of the way, rock solid under all conditions.
Stickers –
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...e-p-17036.html
these were conversation pieces on many stops. One thing I knew on this trip was that I was unique. I drew attention wherever I was. I think the color of the bike and the barge like appearance with the load I was…
Drink Pouch & Sip Tube –
http://www.aerostich.com/product.php...cat=318&page=1
Bought from Aerostich, this is a plastic bag that fits the right breast pouch pocket. It comes with a screw top with a sip tube and zip up end handy for loading the bag with ice. A great rig. More than once I managed to get the pinch tube between me and the tank and got a bit wet. A must have for long days in the saddle.
Aerostich Ultra Lightweight Bike Cover-
http://www.aerostich.com/product.php...cat=256&page=1
One of the measures taken to secure the bike was to employ the black cover offered by Aerostich. It is beautifully lightweight and when the sun goes down the bike becomes part of the night. I firmly believe that being less visible helps avoid any unwanted attention. I encountered no problems with the cover, although it now has very tiny holes it it that I am not sure how they got there, but they don’t seem to be a source of a leak… go figure.
Alarm unit – Linky here
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...m-p-17040.html
This thing was simple and effective, if only for the weep-weep it makes when you set it. I mounted the bike pc in the tail section up behind the tank for the chain oiler. It was only place I found find that allowed it to be heard well. The only problem I had with it was the last day of the trip. As I stopped on the way up the mountain, the ***** thing was going off and no amount of button pushing on the remote seemed to help. When I got to the top, it was still whining away, but not as loud. In fact, it kept whining all the way home and finally the battery died at around 10 pm that night. Initial investigation showed that the base unit was rather soaked with oil that had leaked from the chain oiler’s tank. My guess is it shorted out the system. A great rig, that lasts a long time on a set of batteries!
Sheepskin Seat Cover –
http://www.sheepyhollow.com/full/default.htm
Prior to leaving I bought a used seat pan on ebay, and played with the foam on it to see if I could get a different shape that was better for me. What I noted in all the messing about was that using the sheepskin added height tot eh seat when put on the stock setup, and that it made it less cramped for my legs. It worked well to keep my butt comfy and aired out. It also cooled quickly once moving too. It repelled water naturally and dried fast, so I give it an A+.
Bike Shorts –
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...s-p-16554.html
These also come from the folks at Stich. No person contemplating a long trip on a bike should go without at least one pair of these butt-saving, chamois lined undies. They do wash and dry easily and just make sitting on your ass all day something that can be tolerated.
Triumph Perforated Gloves – I picked these up at the Triumph dealer along with a clutch lever to replace the half of one I’d been riding on since the Skyline Drive. Other than the heat created from the gloves being black (?) they ventilated well and felt good. Tan would be a better summer color choice.
Widder Electrics – Maine and electric gear go well together. I wasn’t 5 miles into the trip before pulling over to put on the vest. By the time I hit NY, I packed it away and didn’t touch it again for the rest of the trip. Anyone that hasn’t tried warmth on a MC should try it. Everyone I have ever known to use them in the chill comes away thinking they need to have electrics.
[ This message was edited by: JasonS on 2006-02-06 17:54 ]
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