Road trip question

[Gunslinger]

For those of you that have taken long road trips on your motorcycle, how do you handle breakdowns? Say you're planning a trip, would it be smart to look up bike shops along the route before heading out or do you just gas up and go? I'm trying to avoid getting stuck in the middle of nowhere on my trip and am wondering how some of the more experienced riders plan for emergencies. Broken chain, broken clutch cable, blown tire, things like that.

[slimcolo]

Well I carry a xtra master (if bike is chained) Spare clutch, brake and throttle cable. Xtra bulbs, plugs and fuses. (I also carry xtra points and cond. and advance springs) My factory tool kit came with tyre patch kit and irons. (It also came with inflation kit that I have never used)

The most likely breakdown is electrical so I carry a meter and tape.

Also I carry duct tape, zip ties and bailing wire. Also first aid kit inc. sunburn ointment and snake bite kit.

As a back up I always have a long distance card. (most of my riding is in areas with NO cell coverage-- about 80% of Colorado, 90% Wyo and 90% SD have no bars)

[king robb]

Slim covered it.... +1000 on the zip ties.

complete and thorough mantenaince before you leave is worth its weight in gold too.

[squirts]

BOTH of the suggestions above are spot on.... I ride a tubeless tire on back and a tubed tire up front.... Spare front tube is a must with 2 decent tire irons (don't have to be long, just sturdy, and practice your tire removal and installation technique if you've never done it before... Nothin' worse than pinchin' a new tube if the old one can't be patched). Also, I carry a ten dollar plug kit for the rear (tubeless) tire... People moan and groan about pluggin' a motorcycle tire, but as long as it's not on the extreme outer edge of the face and you don't plug it and ride like Ricky Racer through the corners, the plug will get you home. If you're using Co2 cartridges as a part of a tire inflater kit, get a couple extra cartridges from Wal Mart or somewhere... They're cheap and I've found out that the 2 cartridges (amount usually included in the kit) aren't enough to inflate a touring bike's tire. I also keep a small 12 volt glovebox bulb which I have soldered two wires to for use as a make-it-yourself circuit tester. I'm cheap so what can I say?
Happy trails

[Lion_Lady]

If you've taken care of regular maintenance on your bike and know its in good repair before you leave, the most likely "problem" is going to be a tire.

The CO2 canisters are a royal PITA and it can take a lot of them to fill a tire to ride able pressure. Get yourself a patch kit (Stop n Go is one) and check out a bike powered air compressor. The slime pump is a good compact one. Familiarize yourself with how it works at home, before you need it.

Beyond that, sign up for a towing service... AAA RV Plus covers motorcycles. AMA has MoTow... But keep in mind, if you have a problem at 4pm on a Friday, you're likely to have to wait a while for a tow.

P

[Gunslinger]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I do have a question though about changing a tire on the side of the road. My bike doesn't have a centerstand, what are my options for fixing the tire other than getting it towed into town?

[squirts]

Funny you asked about changin' a flat on the side of a road without a center stand.... I found myself in the same position a few years back in the middle of "Nowheresville Montana".
I strained my cajones off gettin' the bike into the shade and then, with the kickstand down, stacked wood UNDER the bike until the front wheel was off the ground. An easy way to get the wheels up is to push against the front of the bike (if the front wheel is flat) or the back of the bike (for a flat rear tire) and use the kickstand as your "jack" or "pivot" point... If you're careful, you can push against the bike hard enough that the front/ rear will lift up as the weight of the bike shifts to the side stand. In my situation, I kicked some big pieces of wood under the frame of the bike and then gently let the bike down to rest on top of the wood. Probably won't work as well if you have a stubby sidestand (sportbike, etc.) but it actually worked well for me when I needed it to.

[Lion_Lady]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I do have a question though about changing a tire on the side of the road. My bike doesn't have a centerstand, what are my options for fixing the tire other than getting it towed into town?

You aren't gonna "change" the tire, but plug it on the bike. No lies, it won't be easy without a centerstand, but not impossible. Plan to improvise as best you can.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself with a flat after 5pm, and hours from a tow. May as well be prepared to fix it yourself.

P

[MZ33]

Has anyone here used Ride-On? http://www.ride-on.com/prod_mot.asp
It has gotten good reviews over on the Versys forum, whereas Slime has not. I've purchased some, but since I think I'll be getting new tires before the trip to Colorado, I'm waiting to put it in that set.

[RC DAVE]

best thing ya can do for maintenance items other than tires is buy a honda!