Testing for longer rides

I am planning a two week trip later this spring and being a complete newb to motorcycling camping and touring. I figured we needed to make a trip to try things out. Cathy is on a CB500X and my riding partner for the last 44 years, as well as being my wife. We have been working on our packing for the last week or two and believe we had figured it out. It was time to put it to the test. New Mexico is a bit warmer than Colorado right now so a trip south was in order. Colorado/New Mexico in March means wind but I was trying to time the best conditions. Yeah that will work, not.

First leg would be from Centennial, Colorado to Cochiti Lake campground. I had planned to take the bikes out of Walsenburg west and then south through Taos to Santa Fe. it did not work out that way and when we saw the ice warnings backtracked to Walsenburg and continued down the 25.

First stop on the way.


We stopped for fuel in Walsenburg before we headed west. Once we turned back we just kept going and would not stop again for fuel until Wagon Mound. We did stop however at a rest stop in NM.


We did hit wind from Colorado Springs all the way to Cochiti. It was little problem except for one stretch between Las Vegas and Santa Fe. It was strong and the direction changed every few hundred yards. Other than that the wind was consistent and very easy to maintain 70+ mph. The 700 just ate up the miles (as did the 500) and it was a good thing because it was going to be hard to make the campground before dark.

But make it we did and got camp set up just as light was failing.


First day 460 miles and 9hrs and 41 minutes. I wish we had not lost the hour when we had to backtrack. But all was good. The Fieldsheer riding gear kept us warm and the bike set up with the larger windshields make a big difference in comfort and fatigue. The frunk has been put to good use and I am able to carry all of the bike tools, 12v air compressor, two Kindles, my 9mm with room let to put the two GPS units and the Spot when we stop to eat. The Saddlebags carry all of my clothes in one and all of the electronics I carry in the other. In the ATV bag I have the tarps, kelty poles, tent, pillows, rigging, cinch straps, extra ridding gloves as well as misc. stuff. I will have to lay it out one day to show all of the stuff I carry, which most would probably find unnecessary. Cathy carries the rest of the camping gear and all her personal stuff on her bike. Two bikes for a couple is a lot easier than two up packing.

More to follow..





The next day is a short ride from Cochiti to Joey's house in Albuquerque where will take it easy and talk about bikes and rides. Slojoe as he is known will take us south for some riding around T or C for a couple of days.

Nice Honda team !

Very nice thread. There is nothing as good as traveling on bikes with your wife.

Nice start to the trip. I look forward to the rest of the story.

Oh, and by the way, you just think you've got the camping and packing thing figured out. I've been doing it for years and still tweak/change/alter/adjust, etc.... That's why I'm selling a tent (listed on this forum). My wife said "no more" until I unload something.
Mike

I'm jealous already. Thanks for posting.

Bug Dr. said:

Nice start to the trip. I look forward to the rest of the story.

Oh, and by the way, you just think you've got the camping and packing thing figured out. I've been doing it for years and still tweak/change/alter/adjust, etc.... That's why I'm selling a tent (listed on this forum). My wife said "no more" until I unload something.
Mike

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This is the beginning of the report. I have not got to the part where we learned from the trip. And I am sure we will be making changes as we go. I was just hoping to survive this one. For a couple of early sixty year old newbs it was not too bad. It is different than traveling in our travel trailer and hauling dirt bikes with us. But this is fun being able to enjoy the drive/ride to the destination.

Heading South

After making camp in Cochiti we got started on dinner. I only brought a small alcohol stove and it did not do the job. I will bring my dual fuel stove next trip. It is much bigger but it will do the job very well and has the benefit of adjustable flame. When we get up the next morning to make coffee it is the same problem and I heated smaller amounts of water to make coffee and oatmeal.

We also found out that we need a lot of practice packing to leave. It took us about and hour to get everything back into the bags and on the bikes. I was glad it was only forty miles down the 25 to get to Joey's house.


There was plenty of room for our two bikes in his garage for a total of 10 bikes and a van.

Couldn't ask for a better place to spend the night. the guest room is a master suite.


I did over pack on purpose to see if it would work out. I had even brought a 7" DVD player and some movies which I connected to Joey's TV and we watched Hancock that night. Joey went over where he wanted to take us the next two days. Joey and cold do not mix and cold is anything under 80 degrees. The start time the next morning was based on temperature and we did not leave until after 9:00 am. Which was fine since it was only 160 mile ride.

We stopped several times along the way and many DS ride starting points were shown to us.

I have been on several DS rides with Joey and he can plan the rides around lunch stops better than anyone. The timing is always good and the places he picks are always excellent. The Roadrunner Truck stop was not disappointing. We had three cameras on the table and did not get one food shot.

A quick stop to stretch or legs, not really it was a butt rest stop.


Just outside of town we stop at the T or C airport to check out the trainer. Joey's father flew in the air force and his mother also was ferrying planes from the manufacturer to the bases. This model was the model that Joey's father flew cross country with his wife. Against the rules his father turned the controls over to his mom and she flew it to its destination.


We arrived at Joey's favorite place to stay and they were booked. We went down the road about a mile and tried a place that had burned down some years ago and has been rebuilt since. The place was motorcycle friendly and provided us with a discount. The owner was very interested in all of the bikes and came by often to talk about them. The place was clean and at $50 a night would work just fine.


We had two beds in our room, one for us and one for all of the gear.


We walked up the street to eat here. It was good food and the people were great. Cathy and Joey.


I stopped to buy beer on the way back but was about 17th in line to pay. I decide I was not that thirsty and whiskey would have to do again.

We ride to Monticello, Winston and Chloride the next day.

Day ride.

After a good nights sleep we packed the bags light with just the saddle bags. I sure like being able to mount the bike by throwing a leg over it instead of threaded my leg over the seat to miss the packing on the rear seat. It is windy this morning but we have ridden in it everyday and we have become very comfortable in it. One of the good things with this trip, because I was a little unsure of the bike in the wind before this trip.

Our first stop was Monticello. On the way Joey pointed out the cross country route which passes a nice remote campground.

Monticello is a very small community back in a little canyon.

I like the SW-Motech Saddle bags. They are just right for day rides when not expanded and are easily removed and put back on. The frunk is really handy for storage and putting items like the GPS units and Spot when we stop and leave the bikes.


Winston General Store is cool. It is the store for that community and they have a little of everything. They have a help yourself lunch and you can get a shower for a few bucks if needed. I knew it was my kind of place when I saw this raffle.

They even have a gas pimp which Joey has to make use of. He came into town on reserve.

We did our part to support the place. Bought or lunch and hat for me and two rubber band guns for the grandsons. Very friendly people and a pleasure to visit with them. Yours truly and my wife Cathy.


It is a short trip down the road to Chloride. Right at the end of town through that gate is the road to Chloride Canyon. Kind of a famous trail that many ride reports have been made at ADVrider. It is part of the "Curse of the Captain Ride" and later named the "Rubber Chicken". The curse became to much of a real curse and the ride was renamed, I am told.

They have a nice little rest stop there.

I never read this stuff but always take a picture. I read it later when I get back home. I have no idea what this says, maybe I will read it tomorrow.


We leave and head back towards T or C. It is now a pretty warm day, at least for the riding gear with the liners in. We make a detour to Elephant Butte Lake to take a look. When we stop we get a few pictures and Joey is ready to explore every part of this dam. Joey must be over 100 degrees in his gear and for him that is just right. I am pretty much done and ready for a cold one. We tell Joey we will catch him back at the motel and leave to fine gas and beer.

We stop and get gas and I head in to buy a six pack. Cathy stays with the bikes but we continue our conversation over the intercom. I am getting funny looks inside because it looks like I am talking to myself. The lady at the counter seems relieved when I tell her I am not talking to her and point to Cathy through the window. I am very happy I brought the collapsible cooler and with ice on top we sit outside and enjoy our beer.

You know gas is expensive when...

"They even have a gas pimp which Joey has to make use of."

L.B.S. said:

You know gas is expensive when...

"They even have a gas pimp which Joey has to make use of."

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If that is the only error, I am doing better than mist of the time.

North

That night we rode the bikes up to the grill but it was closed. Funny that they are not open everyday. Pizza Hut was near by and that was good enough.

We had been checking the weather trying to make sure the weather would not be bad in Colorado. Friday was showing snow for that evening. That means it could be snowing Friday morning or there would be no snow at all for a week. Those Rocky Mountains make it impossible to predict the weather. I had thought we might leave T or C and start heading north and make it half way. But instead we took the day to get back to Joey's house. We pretty much followed the same route north that we rode to get to T or C. I am pretty sure that butt fatigue is accumulative. It seems everyday we ride we need relief a little sooner.

One of our stops is at a road side monument. Joey refers to it as the bird crapper. Many tax payer dollars spent on this thing.




We did stop at this place and are told that this place is the place motorcyclist stop to eat when they are out this way. It was not very good when we were there. I guess in days gone by it was pretty good.


Stopped again about an hour later to get off the bikes again.


I was glad to get to Joey's and start to figure out what we will do tomorrow. Joey wanted to ride part of the way north with us but I told him we would be out early and it would be too cold for him. He agreed but was up early to see us off. We were on the bikes and on the road by 7:00 am. Once north of Santa Fe the traffic was gone and we set our sights on Las Vega for breakfast. We stopped at neat little place after topping off.


The bikes put the miles behind us with ease. A stop at just over the sate line for gas. Seeing the sign that said 214 miles to Denver was encouraging. We have been in the wind all the way and is a non issue. The bikes don't care and we are over 70 mph without notice. Once we are through Colorado Springs the wind picks up and the temperature drops. After the fuel in Monument it is a very cold and windy ride the last forty miles.



This was a test and I am happy with what we did. The amount of clothes we need to bring has to be increased. I was concerned about being to cold and that was not a problem. I brought heavy polypropylene thermals that were not needed. The lighter thermals would have been fine. By leaving this out in creates much more room for other clothing which I could have used. The alcohol stove does not cut it and will be replaced with a better stove I have. Setting up the tent is a peace of cake and see no problem tenting it. We did bring Mountain House food and it was great. That and the homemade beef jerky is all the food we would ever need to carry. It is definitely the hot ticket to eat out every chance you get and makes the travel very easy. The use of the ATV bags seemed to work great and we had no problems with them while riding. I got faster as time went on removing the ATV bag to refuel. The frunk is very handy and it is nice having the 9mm locked up in it and relatively easy to get to.

We are going to make another run down to Bents Fort for an overnighter. I think we will try a cabin at the KOA this time. I think that would cover our options as to where we may chose to stay on the trip planned for sometime in May.

Thanks for letting me share.

Cheers,

Mike

Really enjoyed reading about your travels. It's always nice when there's no equipment failure too! Is that a VStar 250 your friend rides?

Cyclerosis said:

Really enjoyed reading about your travels. It's always nice when there's no equipment failure too! Is that a VStar 250 your friend rides?

Click to expand...

250cc Yamaha Virago. Joey is vertically challenged and the low seat height is very important to him. The bike will do 70 mph easily but Joey complains of too much vibration through the seat at sustained highway speeds.

I would not expect anything less from a Honda Motorcycle. The only thing I am a little leery about is getting a flat and fixing it on a tubeless tire. I have fixed many a flat on a tubed tire which is a piece of cake for me. I am told the tubeless are easier. I have all the stuff to do it on the bike. I just hope I don't need to.

Thanks for the write up.. I enjoyed reading about your adventure.

RiderCoach said:

Thanks for the write up.. I enjoyed reading about your adventure.

Click to expand...

Thank you for reading it.

I am very happy with this bike. It does exactly what I bought it for.

Cathy is pretty fond of her Honda also.


Cheers,

Mike

After Action Report

Our riding gear.

I bought us some Fieldsheer riding gear right after I bought the FJR. The gear we use for off road riding did not have armor and since asphalt is not as forgiving as dirt it seemed like a good idea. The Fieldsheer gear is waterproof and has very good liners for warmth. I like that the liners can be used as a light jacket once we are in camp. I bought the gear at Motorcycle Closeouts for a good price. The gear weighs a ton but offers good protection.

Moose foam hand guards. I read a RR of a father and son trip to Alaska and with their heated grips they reported their hands stayed comfortable. I do not plan on riding when it is that cold but it looked like it would work well with our cold weather riding gloves. They do cut down on the wind and make a difference in the hands staying warm. I did not like the zip tie attachment that they have, so I sowed some Velcro strips at that location so that I could quickly install or remove as needed.


SW-Motech Saddlebags.
They seem to work out nicely. They are only 14 liters but can be expanded to 21 liters, each. They are not waterproof but have a dry bag for each bag that has a roll top with buckle. I was looking for bags that did not break the budget. I like the easy install of the brackets needed to support the bags and the removal of them when not in use.

The only thing left on the bike is the bracket located at the rear foot peg.

ATV Bags.
I was going to use just some dry bags on the seat of both bikes. I remembered I had bought the ATV bags to use in similar fashion on the DS bikes. They worked well and I was able to put those same dry bags in the ATV bags and then had plenty of extra space to carry everything else we needed and then some. Mounting the bags to the bike was a bit of work but I figured out a way for them to stay on. I have bulk 1" strapping and connectors so with a little bit of work using the hand rails as connection points they are attached. When not in use I store the straps under the passenger seat.

Cathy suggested I put some cargo nets on top of the ATV bags to stick additional items we may want to bring. it was a great idea and simple to connect. I provided a place to carry the collapsible cooler and a three legged chair and the Thermo-rest. With the addition of a couple of straps to the passenger peg brackets to stabilize the bags, it is good.

I ended up with this. I like the weight over the passenger seat and it rides very well there and I don't notice the additional weight while riding.


Taller Windshield. I like the CeeBailey shield but have nothing to compare it to other than the stock shield. The larger shield is a big improvement over the stock shield. It removes a lot of the pressure that is on your chest and takes the buffeting off the helmet. I like wearing the DS helmet with the bill and with the taller shield the wind does not catch the bill making it comfortable and quiet. So quiet that it is strange to hear the road noise from the tires. Helped intercom communication also.

Comparing the CeeBailey to the stock shield.


Sena SMH10. Not much to say other than they work great. They stay charged through a full day of riding. They are Bluetooth capable. We can receive and make phone calls. Connect to the GPS. It also can be hardwired to the MP3. I would not want to ride without them. Being able to talk to Cathy while riding is fun and much safer. We each can point out things that otherwise one of us would miss seeing

I would like to add the center stand but I have not decided if I will make it myself or buy one. I have a made hundreds of stand for other bikes. I just have to decide how lazy I want to be.


Thanks for reading,

Mike

You are lucky one that you are going to be testing ride and make plans for long trip with the wife also along I want to know about the history of this jet any one have an idea?

Thanks for the bump, Kasi.
I missed this thread initially. I like your RR's Mike! Lots of pics and 'splainations. You're a fortunate man with your wife being a willing accomplice in your escapades!