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Well, I am headed out on another trip. I leave May 13th and will get back sometime around the 25th or after. This time I’m headed to the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and I’ll tour some of Arizona, Utah, and southern Colorado on my way home. I’ll be riding solo this whole trip unless I meet someone along the way going the same direction. I have to be in Phoenix for a conference so I’m riding the Strom out there. I had originally planned to leave on a Thursday and take my time getting out there too but as it turns out I have to be at our state convention on Saturday in Hot Springs, AR because I am running for a delegate position to the national convention. So that puts me kind of rushing out to the Grand Canyon to meet my wife (who is flying out and renting a car with some of our employees). After a day at the Grand Canyon we’ll attend the work conference in Phoenix for 3 days and then I’ll head to Death Valley, CA and take the scenic way home afterwards. My wife will fly home. On this trip I’ll stay in some hotels and camp a fair amount too. This should be about a 4,000 mile trip.
A little about me the rider because I think that helps for reference. I’m a 38 year old married man with no kids. I’m in decent shape and I have camped off the bike a lot. I’ve been on a few longer distance road trips on the bike. I did the Alaska ride a couple years ago and had a great time. Since then I haven’t been riding the strom that much… I bought a WR250R for riding dual sport and a KDX 200 bike for riding single track in the woods here in AR. I’ve been riding those bikes for the most part lately. On the AK trip we did somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 miles of dirt road and I didn’t have that much experience at the time but now I am a fairly decent off road rider although I doubt I’ll hit much dirt on this trip. My longest day on the bike ever was 17 hours when my friend David and I rode from Coldfoot, AK to Dead Horse, AK and back again to Coldfoot. (for those that have made the trip and are thinking we went slowly… it was because of the nasty weather and road conditions we hit) The 24 hour daylight made that long of a ride much easier. I’ve had several days of 12+ hour riding but I’m not one of the iron butt guys that enjoy that kind of thing. I just do what I have to do sometimes to get where I want to be when there is a time crunch.
I did a write up for the AK trip http://www.stromtrooper.com/ride-reports-route-sheets/209777-ar-ak-2014-a.html#post2481777 and also started a AK tips thread as well as posted a packing list for that trip. Reading other ride reports really helped inspire me the make the AK trip and I picked up a ton of good information. So I wanted to do the same for other riders when I got back. Since that ride report was well received I figured I’d do another write up for this trip.
Here is my packing list. This is a complete list for this trip. This list also counts the clothing I am wearing. For the clothing non motorcycle trip related like the clothing I am wearing to the conference I am not going to detail.
Packing list
Tool Kit (this tool kit is about the size of a football, I like to pack the tools I might need.. overkill… whatever… you might see some tools you never use and that’s likely because of some accessory I have on my bike)
1. Tire repair kit
2. Air pump
3. Air pressure gauge
4. End snips
5. Chain Lube
6. Extra fuses
7. Zip ties
8. Duct tape
9. Super glue
10. Quick set JB weld
11. Multi tool
12. Knife
13. 2 crescent wrench (5” & 8”)
14. Oil filter wrench
15. Large Allen wrench tool for font axle
16. 3/8” socket wrench, 8” extension, spark plug socket, 17mm, 12mm, 8mm, 9/16, 15/16, 6 mm Allen wrench sockets
17. Electrical tape
18. 10 and 12mm wrenches
19. Allen wrench and Star tool sets
20. Multi bit screw driver
21. Precision flat head screwdriver
22. Slip ring pliers
23. Paper disposable funnels
24. Extra headlight bulb and turn signal bulb.
25. Extra straps and bungee cords
26. Owner’s manual
27. Quart of oil
Camping gear (a lot of this is backpacking gear)
1. Sleeping bag
2. Ground pad
3. Light tarp
4. Tent
5. Cook set: cooking/eating utensils, cup, stove, fuel cans, dish soap, and hand soap, a few brillo pads
6. Headlamp, flashlight, and extra batteries
7. Lighter
8. Bug spray
9. 50’ light rope/cord
10. Collapsible lunchbox/beer cooler
11. Small trash bags
12. Extension cord
Clothing
1. Sunglasses
2. Rain Gear
3. Riding jacket, pants, gloves, helmet
4. Heated gear
5. Sandals, hiking boots (I wear hiking boots riding on these types of trips)
6. 3 pair underwear, 3 pair socks, 1 pair warm socks
7. 2 pair pants that convert to shorts
8. 2 t shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts (no cotton)
9. Sock cap
10. Baseball cap
11. Nice clothing for the state convention and work conference.
12. Laundry detergent and quarters
Toiletries
1. Toothbrush and paste
2. Shampoo
3. Soap
4. Towel
5. Razor and shaving cream
6. Deodorant
7. Toilet paper
Food
1. Oatmeal
2. 2 dehydrated food meals.
3. Hot chocolate mix
Misc. Gear
1. First Aid kit and eye drops
2. Camel back
3. Camera, charger, gorilla pod, extra battery, and extra memory cards.
4. Go pro and extra batteries
5. Maps, and trip notes
6. Cell phone and charger
7. Headset that allows me to make and receive calls from the bike.
8. Ear plugs
9. Sunblock
10. Pills/medication
11. Spare keys for bike
12. Extra zip lock bags
13. Sewing/repair kit
14. Lap top (needed for conference)
15. Handgun (I have a CCW permit and carry everyday but I won’t take this to California because of their crazy laws)
16. national parks pass
Aside from some small changes to my packing list from the AK trip the one thing I am going to add is the ability to charge electrical devices on the bike while riding. I missed out on some pictures a couple days on the AK trip because my camera had no charge and on this trip I’ll have cell signal nearly every day so I’ll want to charge that too.
My bike is fairly decked out for trips. I have a comfortable Sargent heated seat, heated grips, 2 hookups for heated gear and I have a full suit, hwy pegs, bar risers, and several other things..
One thing I am debating on is changing the front tire. The back tire is good but my front likely won’t make the whole trip. As of right now I am just planning on stopping someplace along the way and getting a new one put on but I might go ahead and change it beforehand I fit looks like I’ll hit rain.
A little about me the rider because I think that helps for reference. I’m a 38 year old married man with no kids. I’m in decent shape and I have camped off the bike a lot. I’ve been on a few longer distance road trips on the bike. I did the Alaska ride a couple years ago and had a great time. Since then I haven’t been riding the strom that much… I bought a WR250R for riding dual sport and a KDX 200 bike for riding single track in the woods here in AR. I’ve been riding those bikes for the most part lately. On the AK trip we did somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 miles of dirt road and I didn’t have that much experience at the time but now I am a fairly decent off road rider although I doubt I’ll hit much dirt on this trip. My longest day on the bike ever was 17 hours when my friend David and I rode from Coldfoot, AK to Dead Horse, AK and back again to Coldfoot. (for those that have made the trip and are thinking we went slowly… it was because of the nasty weather and road conditions we hit) The 24 hour daylight made that long of a ride much easier. I’ve had several days of 12+ hour riding but I’m not one of the iron butt guys that enjoy that kind of thing. I just do what I have to do sometimes to get where I want to be when there is a time crunch.
I did a write up for the AK trip http://www.stromtrooper.com/ride-reports-route-sheets/209777-ar-ak-2014-a.html#post2481777 and also started a AK tips thread as well as posted a packing list for that trip. Reading other ride reports really helped inspire me the make the AK trip and I picked up a ton of good information. So I wanted to do the same for other riders when I got back. Since that ride report was well received I figured I’d do another write up for this trip.
Here is my packing list. This is a complete list for this trip. This list also counts the clothing I am wearing. For the clothing non motorcycle trip related like the clothing I am wearing to the conference I am not going to detail.
Packing list
Tool Kit (this tool kit is about the size of a football, I like to pack the tools I might need.. overkill… whatever… you might see some tools you never use and that’s likely because of some accessory I have on my bike)
1. Tire repair kit
2. Air pump
3. Air pressure gauge
4. End snips
5. Chain Lube
6. Extra fuses
7. Zip ties
8. Duct tape
9. Super glue
10. Quick set JB weld
11. Multi tool
12. Knife
13. 2 crescent wrench (5” & 8”)
14. Oil filter wrench
15. Large Allen wrench tool for font axle
16. 3/8” socket wrench, 8” extension, spark plug socket, 17mm, 12mm, 8mm, 9/16, 15/16, 6 mm Allen wrench sockets
17. Electrical tape
18. 10 and 12mm wrenches
19. Allen wrench and Star tool sets
20. Multi bit screw driver
21. Precision flat head screwdriver
22. Slip ring pliers
23. Paper disposable funnels
24. Extra headlight bulb and turn signal bulb.
25. Extra straps and bungee cords
26. Owner’s manual
27. Quart of oil
Camping gear (a lot of this is backpacking gear)
1. Sleeping bag
2. Ground pad
3. Light tarp
4. Tent
5. Cook set: cooking/eating utensils, cup, stove, fuel cans, dish soap, and hand soap, a few brillo pads
6. Headlamp, flashlight, and extra batteries
7. Lighter
8. Bug spray
9. 50’ light rope/cord
10. Collapsible lunchbox/beer cooler
11. Small trash bags
12. Extension cord
Clothing
1. Sunglasses
2. Rain Gear
3. Riding jacket, pants, gloves, helmet
4. Heated gear
5. Sandals, hiking boots (I wear hiking boots riding on these types of trips)
6. 3 pair underwear, 3 pair socks, 1 pair warm socks
7. 2 pair pants that convert to shorts
8. 2 t shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts (no cotton)
9. Sock cap
10. Baseball cap
11. Nice clothing for the state convention and work conference.
12. Laundry detergent and quarters
Toiletries
1. Toothbrush and paste
2. Shampoo
3. Soap
4. Towel
5. Razor and shaving cream
6. Deodorant
7. Toilet paper
Food
1. Oatmeal
2. 2 dehydrated food meals.
3. Hot chocolate mix
Misc. Gear
1. First Aid kit and eye drops
2. Camel back
3. Camera, charger, gorilla pod, extra battery, and extra memory cards.
4. Go pro and extra batteries
5. Maps, and trip notes
6. Cell phone and charger
7. Headset that allows me to make and receive calls from the bike.
8. Ear plugs
9. Sunblock
10. Pills/medication
11. Spare keys for bike
12. Extra zip lock bags
13. Sewing/repair kit
14. Lap top (needed for conference)
15. Handgun (I have a CCW permit and carry everyday but I won’t take this to California because of their crazy laws)
16. national parks pass
Aside from some small changes to my packing list from the AK trip the one thing I am going to add is the ability to charge electrical devices on the bike while riding. I missed out on some pictures a couple days on the AK trip because my camera had no charge and on this trip I’ll have cell signal nearly every day so I’ll want to charge that too.
My bike is fairly decked out for trips. I have a comfortable Sargent heated seat, heated grips, 2 hookups for heated gear and I have a full suit, hwy pegs, bar risers, and several other things..
One thing I am debating on is changing the front tire. The back tire is good but my front likely won’t make the whole trip. As of right now I am just planning on stopping someplace along the way and getting a new one put on but I might go ahead and change it beforehand I fit looks like I’ll hit rain.