rookie tourer/ dragon slayer in need of help.

[Tuga008]

hey bud, my buddy and me were planning on going to ride the Dragon in the spring. Thing is we have never toured with our bikes before and we both have superbikes.

Can you give some pointers on: luggage, gear, riding the dragon, where to stay in NC and lastly scenic routes to our destination along the east coast (we are trying to take as many country roads as possible)?

BTW we are riding from NYC so its about 750 miles each way on this trip.

Thanks in advance.

[JimC]

I will have some time later today for a more detailed post with some great suggestions, but the easiest one is take the Skyline/BRP all the way down.

[Ironbutt270]

A long distance question...right up my alley! Ok, a few thoughts, and this goes whether you ride a Vespa or a Goldwing;

1) Lay out everything you need, and cut the amount at least in half. Serously, you don't need that much crap.

2) Don't bring anything made from cotton that goes against your skin. No t-shirts, socks or underwear. It traps moisture and that's bad or your comfort.

3) Don't go overboard on taking tools. If it's too serious to fix with the tool kit PLUS a good patch kit and small electric compressor, you probably can't pack the right tools anyway. Bring a credit card.

4) A couple of products that work well:

Motofizz bags from Aerostich (www.riderwarehouse.com)
LD Riding Shorts (www.ldcomfort.com)


Get the mid-sized MotoFizz bag. I know it's a little pricey, but these bags come with the soft ties, soft bag bottom so it's grippy but won't scratch your paint.

5) Take a pain reliever everyday. Before you need it. It'll help drastically.

6) If you don't already, wear earplugs.

7) Have a freakin' blast!

[Desmo_Demon]

Originally Posted by Tuga008

hey bud, my buddy and me were planning on going to ride the Dragon in the spring. Thing is we have never toured with our bikes before and we both have superbikes.

Can you give some pointers on: luggage, gear, riding the dragon, where to stay in NC and lastly scenic routes to our destination along the east coast (we are trying to take as many country roads as possible)?

My wife and I will often log 1000+ mile, three to five day weekends while I'm on the 748 and she is on her R1. The key to the whole thing is that we pack light. We generally only take the essentials for personal hygiene and pack the bare minimum. Usually, for a five day trip, I'll only have a tankbag with toothbrush, deodorant, and a few other things, but for clothes I only pack 2-3 pairs of socks, 2-3 T-shirts, 2-3 briefs. I wear my leathers with a T-shirt and shorts under them. In the evenings and if necessary, I will wash whatever clothes I may need cleaned and let them hang dry until morning. The material of the shorts I wear dries really quickly, so I wash them every night.

My wife and I have actually been teased when at the US Desmo rallys that we've gone to. Every where we go, we are wearing our leathers and riding boots.....it's simply because we didn't pack any other boots nor a change of clothes. We're out to ride, not impress the locals with our snazzy clothes.

For routes in the area......drop me a PM when the time gets closer. Not only can I probably recommend some interesting routes, but with how often we ride in SC/NC/TN, I may be able to give you an up-date on road conditions and police hiding spots.

[Bill_Anderson]

Originally Posted by Desmo_Demon

The key to the whole thing is that we pack light. We generally only take the essentials for personal hygiene and pack the bare minimum. Usually, for a five day trip, I'll only have a tankbag with toothbrush, deodorant, and a few other things, but for clothes I only pack 2-3 pairs of socks, 2-3 T-shirts, 2-3 briefs. I wear my leathers with a T-shirt and shorts under them. In the evenings and if necessary, I will wash whatever clothes I may need cleaned and let them hang dry until morning. The material of the shorts I wear dries really quickly, so I wash them every night.

Ditto. I pack 2-3 days worth of socks and underwear made of synthetic fabrics. After the riding day is over I wash the day's underwear and socks as I am taking a bath or shower and hang them out to dry overnight. I then put on fresh underwear and socks to go out to dinner and wear them the following day as well. Repeat the cycle as necessary.

[Gow]

Asheville is a great town to stay in NC, its a bit far from the dragon but awesome scenery and bars check out the Mellow Mushroom for pizza and beer and barleys taproom for beer and single malt. Theres a good ducati shop and plenty of great roads if your gonna hang out for a little while and exlore. There is a Value Place extended stay in west Asheville that costs around 200 bucks for a week and has a little kitchen. Other than that there are a few KOAs and state campgrounds. As for riding the dragon stay in your lane, watch for trucks and cops. and go during the week. Good luck

[roadrashed]

Originally Posted by Gow

Asheville is a great town to stay in NC, its a bit far from the dragon but awesome scenery and bars check out the Mellow Mushroom for pizza and beer and barleys taproom for beer and single malt. Theres a good ducati shop and plenty of great roads if your gonna hang out for a little while and exlore. There is a Value Place extended stay in west Asheville that costs around 200 bucks for a week and has a little kitchen. Other than that there are a few KOAs and state campgrounds. As for riding the dragon stay in your lane, watch for trucks and cops. and go during the week. Good luck

+1 I will be glad to hook up with you and show you some great places to ride around Asheville and the gap!

[Tuga008]

thanks everyone for their replies. the trip itself will be our first roadtrip which will entail a east coast romp highlighted with the dragon trip. I will take everyone's advise. I will pack light probly two extra pairs of under close and some jeans an t shirts for hanging out at night. I will wear my one piece race suit w/bck prtctr. We are going to buy the mad map books for suggestions to roads along the way.
I am still open to any pieces of advice y,all may have.

[748girl]

Tuga,

Have no idea where the Dragon is - so that bit will leave to those who know it. Packing. We each have one of these http://www.ventura-bike.com/fitments.aspx?manu=Ducati and mount it so that the bag is over where a pillon would sit. Please note these are not waterproof, so we use a garbage bag to line ours - keeps the clothes dry!

We have just returned from a trip three days, two nights and I like to get out of leathers so jeans, t-shirt - one long sleeve, one short sleeve and a jumper is good. We do what Bill does with the sock thing and I also wash out our skins http://www.skins.net/au/en/default.aspx which are great under leathers and yes you can notice the difference between not wearing them and wearing them - you get far less tired. We keep a list of what to take on the computer and mark it off as we are packing. It helps us not overlook things - yes we are getting old. I recommend the following items:

Tools, a few
Cable ties (a small bunch)
Some elastic type straps with velcro - always useful in an emergency
Chain Lube (although we run scottoilers and just fill them up before we leave)
Puncture Repair Kit
Tyre Pressure Gauge (your own is always better than the service station!)
Bottle Opener (we use a waiter's friend, has corkscrew and knife)
Sunblock (your neck will get blasted with sun and wind, put some on)
Stubby Holders (australian for neoprene sleeve to hold small bottle of cleansing ale)
Maps - GPS
Insect Repellent
Caps/Hat for being off the bike in our hot sun. We have a hole in the Ozone layer down here.
Lip salve
Earplugs - a couple of spares are good too.
Mobile Phone Charger
Vitamin C (if you are feeling tired and run down - just take a few tablets)
Laundry Powder - just a bit in a snap lock bag to wash your clothes out at night) should keep the authorities amused if they do a search.
Magnesium salt mix for rehydration helps those muscles feel better after a long day
Pain killer of some kind - we take half a blister sheet of Neurofen or Advil
Hay fever medication - non drowsy (as it is an anti-histamine will also help with other allergic reactions) - half a foil blister sheet will do.
Rain jacket and overpants - it always rains when we go away!!

It sounds like a lot, but it isn't. Feel free to add or delete as you see fit. Have a good time

[Bill_Anderson]

Originally Posted by Tuga008

thanks everyone for their replies. the trip itself will be our first roadtrip which will entail a east coast romp highlighted with the dragon trip. I will take everyone's advise. I will pack light probly two extra pairs of under close and some jeans an t shirts for hanging out at night.

Leave the jeans at home. They are too thick and heavy to pack. They also take forever to dry should you need to wash them.

I bought two pairs of convertible pants at REI. They are thin, light, and are made of a material that dries overnight. You can pack two pair in the space you would need to pack one pair of jeans. Mine are Columbia brand, but other brands are available. I like the loose fit and the cargo type pockets.
http://www.rei.com/category/4501397

I pack a short sleeve shirt or two similar to the one in this link to wear to dinner after the ride. They are thin, light, loose, dressy enough to wear to a nice restaurant, and are made of a quick drying material. Do you see a pattern?
http://www.rei.com/product/782409

I wear silk sock liners under light wool socks, also available at REI. The combination wicks away perspiration to keep your feet dry and warm. They too dry quickly overnight. The trick to getting all of these wash & wear clothes to dry out over night is to wring them out after washing, wrap them in a bath towel, and wring them out again. The bath towel will absorb much of the water.

You not only need a tire patching kit, you also need a means of inflating the tire. Dennis was lucky that Randy and I had both when he got a flat while we were lost in the Oregon Cascades last September. As Randy said, "Otherwise, Dennis would be FRACKED!"
http://www.nwbikers.com/VID_Lost2.html