Motorcycle Touring Tips and Suggestions

MCg — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:02:51 +0000

WHAT ARE YOUR MOTORCYCLE TOURING SUGGESTIONS?

A friend of mine just bought a new motorcycle (he’s been riding off and on for many years) and will be taking a trip with his wife and asked my advice regarding motorcycle security on the road; best gear for touring through mountains with variable temperatures and unpredictable rain; tips on gear storage while traveling; and “anything else” I might want to suggest as touring advice.

Below are my responses, and you probably have some thoughtful suggestions for such questions, so please add them below!

1) MOTORCYCLE SECURITY ON THE ROAD: A motorcycle cover, a lock (that attaches to a sign or pole), an alarm, and Lojack are the best security options available that I’m aware of. However, I don’t use any of them. I just park right outside the motel/hotel lobby entrance and ask the night clerk to keep an eye on my bike. (I have a bike cover and big lock, but I don’t like to carry them because mine take up too much storage space. However, there are much lighter-weight covers specifically for touring and lighter locks, too). Of course, when I’m camping, the motorcycle is right outside my tent.

2) TOURING GEAR: I utilize a variety of different options as I’m not aware of any one perfect solution. I have a heavy, one-piece, thermal-lined, waterproof motorcycle suit that I wear with an electric vest, along with waterproof boots and gloves, as my ultimate protection against everything. But I rarely use the big suit in the summer because it’s too warm to wear and too bulky to carry. Hence, I have lighter, waterproof jackets that I use for summer trips and I only use my non-waterproof leather for local travel. I also have lightweight, waterproof overpants that I carry when I’m not bringing the suit. In fact, I also have waterproof overboots, that I’ll wear when I’m riding for extended periods in the rain, since my leather, waterproof boots will get saturated. In other words, I have a variety of different types of gear. Oh, And I have more gloves than I can count. Currently I have three different motorcycle jackets and one motorcycle suit.

However, based upon my experience, if I was doing a summer trip though the Rocky Mountains that you will be doing, I’d wear a comfortable, waterproof, summer-weight jacket with armor, and carry an electric vest (in case it gets too chilly at higher altitudes), as well as rain pants, all in addition to waterproof gloves and waterproof boots.

The following link offers a more complete overview of rain gear:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/motorbike-rain-riding/330/

Here’s more info on motorcycle boots:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/tips-best-motorcycle-boots/913/

There’s more to know about motorcycle gloves, if you’re interested:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/motorcycle-riding-gloves/181/

Finally, if you are inclined towards heated motorcycle gear, you might find this of interest:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/motorcycle-heated-clothing/32/

3) TOURING STORAGE AND WHAT TO TAKE: Many years ago I would probably have just presented my list of what to carry, but I seem to like to change it routinely. However, what I can offer is my viewpoint: Bring as little as possible in order to be comfortable.

A more general touring adage is “Carry less stuff, but more money and credit cards.”

With my current, purpose-built, sport-touring bike, I have the capacity to carry more than I need. In fact, it has served me well for carrying two persons cross-country with motorcycle camping gear. Hence, because of the load capacity, I’ve found more times than not, that I’ve brought more stuff than I really needed for any give trip, and I continue to refine how “little” to carry.

Having said that, what any two different riders consider to be necessary accouterments for a week on the road can vary. My main criteria is simply to stay warm and dry. From my perspective, anything else is a personal consideration.

Oh! I also like to bring tools as a sort of assurance that nothing mechanical will go wrong. But “which” tools is a subject of lengthier discussion, especially since, in my experience, any kind of mechanical problem is such a rarity.

Since your bike has two saddlebags and a luggage rack, the primary storage option I would offer for consideration is the notion of a tankbag. Personally, I have always used them, but there are reasons not to, which I note in this article on tankbags:

http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/tankbags/43/

4) OTHER: As a point of general advice, I would attach all your touring gear and ride around for a week or two prior to the actual trip. In fact, as a point of additional safety, I would suggest packing and storing your full complement of touring gear to ride around fully loaded for a week before you go, so that you are fully adjusted to the handling characteristics.

Additionally, here are three articles that might be of interest:

Rookie Mistakes for Touring Riders:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/rookie-mistakes/573/

I’ve become a fan of earplugs in the past several years:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/ear-plugs-motorcycle/30/

And I consider a kidney belt to be an indispensable touring item:
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/kidney-belt/27/

So, that was my advice. What would be yous?

Add your thoughts and experience below!

Kawasaki Concours14: “Motorcycle of the Year”

MCg — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:03:03 +0000

It’s been about a year since the completely new Kawasaki Concours14 (4 cylinder, 1400cc) was released to the public for the first time — if it seems to you it’s been longer than that, it’s because it was “announced” in 2006.

So how has this Concours14 been received in its first year?

To be concise: quite well.

Rider magazine (July 2008) awarded the Kawasaki C14 as “Best Sport-Touring Bike” for 2008 and then went on to knight it as “Motorcycle of the Year,” which makes it their top choice for all the categories of bikes they awarded. Here’s what Rider mag wrote: “This stylish sport-tourer…has an impressive list of standard features that are both fun and useful, including KIPASS key fob security, a tire pressure monitoring system, electric windscreen, remote rear spring preload adjuster and large, functional, locking side cases.”

Cycle World (July 2008) bestowed the C14 as the “Best Sport-Tourer” of the year. Here’s what Cycle World wrote about the Concours14: “It moves with an athletic confidence and over-powerful ease like nothing else on the road.”

I have ridden three of the 2008 Concours14′s, and in brief, I like ‘em and agree with Cycle World and Rider in their assessments. The C14 is a technical tour de force in the sport-touring world. Oddly enough, as I much as I like the bike, I’m not head over heels over it. Don’t get me wrong, the C14 is by all reckoning a great bike. I’ll probably get one at some point in the future. The thing is, although I appreciate all the different categories of motorbikes, since I’m primarily a sport-touring rider (and perhaps an old-fashioned one at that), you’d think I’d just gush all over this machine.

Alas, I cannot.

There is soooooo much to like about this bike, but I am of the opinion that this bike was manufactured with a greater emphasis on technical and marketing panache than downright sport-touring practicality.

It’s pretty sexy to say that this is the fastest, most powerful, and arguably the most advanced sport-touring bike on the market as of this writing. From a technical perspective, the C14 represents the culmination of the best in what our world’s motorcycle makers can envision for this category of sport-touring motorcycles.

On the other hand, it’s also the heaviest (dry weight = 615 lbs. with ABS) of all the purpose-built sport-touring bikes, and most importantly, it has the smallest gas tank (5.8 gal) — which is a rather basic feature for a “true” sport-touring rider. For a died-in-the-wool, long-time, sport-touring enthusiast, such as myself, that last point lends this bike more towards the “sport” category than the “tourer” world. That’s fine as a Kawasaki business choice, but for a rider, why not just get a sport bike? Heck, the C14 is based on the ZX14, which is one of the two fastest, mass produced sport bikes in the world. (The Suzuki Hayabusa being the other reigning sport-bike champion).

Stated differently, when I want to get away for a weekend, a week, a month, or longer, I am as interested in lacing through scenic twisties as getting across a continent in relative comfort — and I want as big a gas tank as I can get to reduce those fuel stops!

Although I understand I represent the typical demographic for a sport-touring enthusiast (I may be categorized as a “mature” middle-aged rider), I cannot speak for all such riders. But in simple terms, my personal inclinations tend towards function over pizzazz.

In short, the Kawasaki Concours14 is a fantastic motorcycle and quite an inspiring ride. However, it is more performance weighted than cross-country lighted, in comparison to the current BMW K1200GT, BMW R1200RT, Honda ST1300, or Yamaha FJR 1300. I would categorize the C14 more as a “Luxury Sport Bike” with long-distance livery, than the most practical sport-touring bike for a true long hauling motorbike rider.

Motorcycle-Intelligence.com » sport-touring

Motorcycle Touring Tips and Suggestions

WHAT ARE YOUR MOTORCYCLE TOURING SUGGESTIONS?

Add your thoughts and experience below!

Kawasaki Concours14: “Motorcycle of the Year”