Interstate Travel

[stua1959]

 " Amazing how good it feels to let go and feel the blood flow freely back into your hand."


Just what exactly are you trying to say Bean    

[ribbert]

.......a length of rope for towing (or being towed)

Being towed on a bike is asking for trouble, even if you are are a seasoned rider.  Have you ever tried it with regular rope and a driver who knows nothing about towing?
You'd be lucky to get 5 feet.

Noel

[Bones]

.......a length of rope for towing (or being towed)

Being towed on a bike is asking for trouble, even if you are are a seasoned rider.  Have you ever tried it with regular rope and a driver who knows nothing about towing?
You'd be lucky to get 5 feet.

Noel

Or a person having a tow forgets about the rope after the motor starts and tries to overtake.

[ribbert]

An innocuous discussion conducted in a light hearted and good natured manner..... blah, blah, blah

.......because of shit like this......... because of crap like this........ 

Geez, you're a tough audience Bean. You call my post shit and crap when all I did was comply with yours and Monkeys wishes and withhold the already written post I was about to submit on the subject. I added an opinion on the process and then dropped the whole thing. How much more compliant can I be?

To atone for my sins I will add a couple of suggestions. Enough things to take and do en route have already been suggested that you may need to end up trailering it and taking a PA with you, but they are all good.
Someone mentioned getting a new visor, great idea, but if you are likely to encounter rain I would suggest getting a Pinlock ready one. They are made for most of the major brand helmets. This is double glazing for your visor that is impossible to fog up. As was universally agreed (a rare thing) here recently, they are fantastic.

Many of the suggestions already made are precautionary and apply to circumstances that may not (hope don't) happen. One thing you are almost certainly going to encounter though if not familiar with long distance riding is fatigue. Riding is far more tiring that driving and fatigue on a bike presents itself differently and you may not recognise the early signs. Other than the obvious of riding too long, it is also contributed to by being cold or hot or wet and wind noise. Ear plugs are a must, no exceptions.

There are no prizes for how far you can ride without a break or how far you can travel in a day. The whole idea of motorbike road trips is fun. Take plenty of stops of whatever duration you want and when you feel you've had enough for the day, call it quits, don't push on.

You can get away with a lot of things driving a car when you are too tired, you will get away with none of them on a bike.

Noel

[Dan Filetti]

I need to go and recalibrate my TPMS, damn thing shows my tyres holding pressure.

Noel

Anyone ever used anything like the below?  Do they work?  Are they accurate?  Do they need recalibration?  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TireGard-Motorcycle-TPMS-/231148895135?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35d18c3b9f&vxp=mtr

I saw Mark post something similar out the other day and it got me thinking.  In my goal to make the Gixxer more like a sport-tourer, I find myself looking more and more at such niceties. On long distances, such a thing could be useful, so it's not completely irrelevant to the topic at hand...  

Dan

[Dan Filetti]

Anyone ever used anything like the below?  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TireGard-Motorcycle-TPMS-/231148895135?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35d18c3b9f&vxp=mtr

Oops, never-mind, I just read an Amazon review, below, where the guy points out that using these will (and did for him) fatigue rubber valve stems to the point of premature (potentially catastrophic), valve stem failure. 

http://www.amazon.com/review/R25VM2T3RXDQXJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R25VM2T3RXDQXJ

if you have any interest....

Anyway, I'll think I'll refrain, and do it manually.


Dan

[FJmonkey]

Dan, Noel posted up his TPMS, it installs inside the wheel with a steel band. It looks like a good system and has no affect on the valve stems. Maybe Noel would repost it or give us a link to it.

[Dan Filetti]

Dan, Noel posted up his TPMS, it installs inside the wheel with a steel band. It looks like a good system and has no affect on the valve stems. Maybe Noel would repost it or give us a link to it.

Yeah, I just went and found that, seems like a robust system, although fairly involved.  I wonder about the units that also fit from inside the wheel that have no band.  This would make tire changing less problematic.  Many cars use this style to good effect, even high performance cars, so I'm thinking the band may be belt and suspenders?

Dan

[magge52]

.......a length of rope for towing (or being towed)

Being towed on a bike is asking for trouble, even if you are are a seasoned rider.  Have you ever tried it with regular rope and a driver who knows nothing about towing?
You'd be lucky to get 5 feet.

Noel

Or a person having a tow forgets about the rope after the motor starts and tries to overtake.

Nope haven't had the pleasure but if I were in the middle of nowhere and my bike or a buddy's quit I'd be willing to give it a try rather than leave the bike.

[FeralRdr]

Oops, never-mind, I just read an Amazon review, below, where the guy points out that using these will (and did for him) fatigue rubber valve stems to the point of premature (potentially catastrophic), valve stem failure. 

http://www.amazon.com/review/R25VM2T3RXDQXJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R25VM2T3RXDQXJ

if you have any interest....

Anyway, I'll think I'll refrain, and do it manually.


Dan

The manufacturer states in their user manual: http://www.bigbikeparts.com/catalog/documents/13-/13-315U.pdf

PRECAUTIONS

1.    Sensors will work with all valve stems – However, rubber 90° valve stems do not last as long as
      metal and depending on the age and quality of your rubber 90° valve stem you need to make sure
      they are in good shape. We do recommend the use of metal valve stems for better durability. Please
      verify clearance when used with a 90 degree valve stem (Softail, etc.) to clear any and all calipers
      or other components before use.

It is also interesting to note that Garmin has a similar system for use with their newer GPS units, and they specifically state that metal valve stems are required.

Personally, at a cost of over $150.00 USD, the cost to benefits ratio is way below my acceptable level.  I manually check my tire pressures each day before I ride, and don't worry about it the rest of the day.  If something feels wrong or 'off' during the ride, then I'll stop and check the tires again to see if something is amiss.     Others may feel differently, and if so, I say go for it.  There is something to be said about having a system that can give you real time info on your tire pressures, and if that is of value to you, I would advise looking into a system that has a display that not only mounts somewhere easily observable, but also has some sort of alert mechanism that will get your attention quickly (alarm. flashing colored light, etc.).  That way you can get the most out of the system.  To be clear, I'm not saying that I would never get such a system.  Only that the current offerings are above a price point I find acceptable, and don't provide the minimum benefits that I would personally want.

[krusty]

.......a length of rope for towing (or being towed)

Being towed on a bike is asking for trouble, even if you are are a seasoned rider.  Have you ever tried it with regular rope and a driver who knows nothing about towing?
You'd be lucky to get 5 feet.

Noel

It can be done and I have done it but it would be very difficult to do for an FJ due to the fairing. The rope would need to fed somewhere between the front forks up to the clutch grip where it is wound around the grip a few times, not crossed over itself. The clutch hand then holds the rope to the grip. In case of a problem the clutch hand can immediately release the rope which can then slip away. NEVER TIE A TOW ROPE TO A BIKE.


Or a person having a tow forgets about the rope after the motor starts and tries to overtake.

Nope haven't had the pleasure but if I were in the middle of nowhere and my bike or a buddy's quit I'd be willing to give it a try rather than leave the bike.

[FJ1100mjk]

Nope haven't had the pleasure but if I were in the middle of nowhere and my bike or a buddy's quit I'd be willing to give it a try rather than leave the bike.

magge52, you are spot-on^^^

I carry a set of nylon web tie-downs in my long travels abroad. Other than their intended use, I figure that they can also be used as towing straps too. I never used them until...

This past summer, I was riding to the back to the Twin Cities through the hills and dales of SW WI. I left with someone that I had met for the first time at a rally, and he was riding one of those Kawasaki Z1000s. I was chasing him mile after mile, and keeping him within sight, on twisty country two-lane roads that had sand in their corners from recent hard rains. We came over a rise, then down into a tight right hander. He caught some of the sand in the corner, got squirrely, and shot off the road into a wide ditch that was five feet below the level of the road. He was extremely lucky to only have a bruised shoulder.

There was no way in hell we could get his bike unstuck from the knee-deep muck, let alone force the bike up the steep bank of the ditch, and onto the road. In one more stroke of luck, a farmer who lived down the road (and that road was really sparely-populated), happened upon us. The farmer was a kindly person, who drove to his farm, and returned with his tractor. The tractor had some kind of elevating hitch arrangement on it. We looped the tie-down (towing strap) around the rear wheel (no scratches due to nylon webbing). The farmer raised the hitch, lifting the Kawasaki's rear wheel high in the air, and towed the bike out of the deep ditch, while we guided the front end with a hand on each side of the handlebars.

We thanked the farmer up and down for his kindness.

The bike was bent a little, but rideable, and we made it back to the Twin Cities all right. Those tie-downs (tow straps) sure came in handy. 

[magge52]

I wasn't a boy scout but I try to be prepared for the unexpected. 

[Capn Ron]

It can be done and I have done it but it would be very difficult to do for an FJ due to the fairing. The rope would need to fed somewhere between the front forks up to the clutch grip where it is wound around the grip a few times, not crossed over itself. The clutch hand then holds the rope to the grip. In case of a problem the clutch hand can immediately release the rope which can then slip away. NEVER TIE A TOW ROPE TO A BIKE.


Or a person having a tow forgets about the rope after the motor starts and tries to overtake.

I have carried a motorcycle-specific tow strap since I bought the FJ 17 years ago...I've never needed it or had anyone else need it.

That being said, I was talking with some ADV guys last year who had more than one occasion to tow a buddy out of the wilderness from either fuel or mechanical issues.  They said they would attach the strap to the tow bike on its starboard-side at the foot-peg level.  They would then put two wraps of the other end around the port-side foot peg (Shifter foot) of the towed bike.  This served two purposes:  1.  It forced the bikes into a staggered formation and   2.  If things started to get hairy, the guy on the towed bike could just lift his shifter foot and the strap would release.

[Firehawk068]

I did this in 2010 in Willits..............
Erich V, and I rode our FJs from Phoenix AZ. Along the way Erich's 1100 developed an electrical gremlin which prevented the bike from starting at random times. It left us on the side of the road a couple times, but we soldiered-on into the night. In the wee hours of the morning, just as we arrived in Willits at a gas station, it failed to fire and would no longer.
We waited until first-light, and decided I would tow him the last few miles to the KOA.
One of us had a long enough piece of rope (I can't remember which one of us) and I tied it to the right side of my FJ. He wrapped it twice around the front of the lower part of his frame on the left, and held on to the end of it with his left hand.
It worked pretty well, and in no-time we arrived at the KOA and checked in for a long morning nap.

The next day, I remember Garth (Mr. Bean) ended up finding his electrical issue. It was traced to his kill switch I believe. (Erich's FJ started/ran fine the rest of the journey)