Ok guys, let's try it again. First time i have been dumb anough to put a direct link (it's not gonna happen again, i promise)

What am i doing with this topic? I'd like to create a thing in which we talk about our habits. This little article comes from my trips experience and i would love to know what is yours.
so here it is:

Back in the days, bikers used to travel with just a toothbrush and a bedroll. Today, we all take more stuff on tour, and packing it right takes some planning. Let's dive into the essential items to consider when packing for a motorcycle trip.

What kind of luggage do I have?

I personally use a Tankbag and a leather saddlebag. Let's dive into my packing routine.

Tank bag

These days tank bags are so undervalued. In reality, this tank bag is one of the best gadgets I have purchased since I started riding. I always store my motorcycle documents, my wallet and my cellphone in it. No more need to take my gloves off and reach for wallet or documents when stopping at a toll or being pulled over.

Saddlebag

Road trips are simply the best thing in the world but if not planned right, your ride can turn into hell really quickly, really soon.

Learn to prioritize

When packing for a motorcycle trip, make sure you have a couple of tools, and be ready for any weather condition. Make sure to pack your rain suit, waterproof boot covers, thermal and, if you get cold easily, foul-weather gear—heated stuff. Tools and cold weather equipment are space hoggers, so is important to carefully plan the personal stuff to carry. Keeping in mind that nowadays is possible to find a laundromat everywhere, here is a list of what I pack:

- 3 pairs of underwear
- 3 pairs of socks
- 1 sleeping shirt
- 1 toiletries pouch (1 toothbrush, 1 toothpaste, 1 mouthwash)
- 3 shirts
- 1 hoodie
- 1 spare pair of biker jeans (yup, they have protections)
- tablet
- headset

It is important to put all your clothes in a bag, or inside liners. You do not want all your clean stuff to get dirty for no reason and, above all, if something happens, you do not want to dig for tools into socks and underwear. Everything needs to be well organized and easy to reach.

Balance is the key

Position the heavy stuff low and as far forward as you can. If you have a couple of saddlebags, try to balance the load left and right, too. My own habit is to put my rain vest and gloves, and a jacket liner, at the top where their light weight won’t affect handling much and where I can get them in a hurry if the weather changes. I keep my headset and tablet there, too, for security and weather protection. Heavier stuff always goes at the bottom of my saddlebag.

Traveling with a pillion

First of all, packing for two requires some compromises. The rule of thumb for couples is to take half the clothes and twice the money you think you’ll need. Leave the hairdryer and the beard trimmer at home, too. I do not have a bag for my bike right-hand side, therefore I use a sissy bar bag. Considering what we previously said about balance, it is rather important to follow the "heavy stuff at the bottom" rule in order to avoid bad balance. Considering the sissy bar bag extra space, we can fill the saddlebag with all our personal stuff and leave out the light stuff. Packing for two when riding on a tourer with two saddlebags is way easier. As long as all heavy stuff is placed at the bottom of the saddlebags, it is possible to have a bag for each rider.

In conclusion, road trips are a wonderful way to travel the world and the way you pack your stuff makes a huge difference. Therefore I firmly believe in packing smart and having fun!
What about you? How do you usually pack?

 

 

That is actually smart. Clothes are the biggest problem i have. i usually take advantage of hotels laundry rooms or, if desperate, laundromats. Fun fact: last summer, while on our way to north cape, after 3 days of riding and not finding any landry room in hotels and any laundromat we had to wash our stuff in the sink with body soap and dry it on the hotels radiators. It sucked so bad cause in the morning most of the stuff wasn't completely dry, and of course the cold ourside did not help at all. The more you travel north in Europe, the more challenging it gets.

 

make room for a blow up doll they never bitch

 

If you buy the sports type wicking material t-shirts, compression underwear, and wool blend socks you can wash/rinse in a hotel sink and they are dry by morning. They pack a lot smaller than cotton and are fairly wrinkle free. They will free up space for other things you may want to bring.

 

Probably a lot more info in the Road Trips forum but have a couple set ups depending on if I'm going to be camping or staying in hotels.

When I traveled on my Wide Glide, I generally just used that backpack strapped down on the pylon. Though for one trip I bought some cheap throw over Jaffrum saddlebags. They barely lasted the trip (about 2500 miles) as both bags had bottom seams let go because I over stuffed them.



Now most any trip over 500 miles is on the Street Glide. This was a set up for a trip where I was camping. Heaviest items and stuff like my tech went in the saddle bags so it would stay dry. The green flight bag had my tent, a camping chair, an air matress, sleeping bag and few other odds and ends for camping. The backback had mostly cloths and food and probably some more camping stuff. I've done three 5000ish trips on the SGS and a couple 2000 ish trips on it. Though on the 2000ish trips I wasn't camping so just a roll bag with clothes was all the extra luggage.

 

I have taken a couple of solo trips and never had any issues with packing. I have a Road King with a Tour Pack so I can get everything I need and some luxury items onboard easily. When the little lady tags along its another story.
Last year we went on an over night trip to the Poconos, literally one night and one day and only about 100 miles from the house.
Before we left I told her to lay out everything she planned to take on the bed. When she had it all laid out I told her she could take half of it. She pissed and moaned but begrudgingly put half her stuff back. We still ended up having to strap another bag on top of the Tour Pack to bring it all.

 

Here's a checklist I've put together over time from own experiences and others:

Here's stuff I've learned on road trips. Adjust to fit your trip (trip length, expected weather, etc). Hope you find it useful. Let me know if you have anything to add.

Scooter prep
- Check for loose stuff – bolts, nuts
- Check/clean electrical connectors that you can reach easily especially the ignition switch
- Check/clean battery connections
- Check/clean that cluster of ground wires next to the battery
- Check spark plugs, clean/gap or replace
- Check tires for cuts or bad spots and pressure
- Check wheels for loose spokes or other problems
- Check brake pads
- Check drive belt tension and condition
- Change all fluids and engine oil filter
- Clean/change air filter
- Clean/change external breather filter (if so equipped)
- Check/fix any oil/gas leaks
- Clean/treat leather stuff
- Check all lights
- Check/adjust headlight and passing light aim
- Wash and polish that Sweet Heritage Springer. Nothing like a clean scooter to start off a trip!

Packing stuff for the bike
Take tools to tighten stuff that might get loose, needs adjusting, or stuff that breaks you can fix on the side of the road such as: drive belt tension, clutch and clutch cable, throttle cables, highway pegs, saddle bags, mufflers, burned out light bulbs, etc.

- Tools
phillips and flat screwdrivers
combination wrenches as needed – 1/2, 9/16, 3/4, 15/16 (axle nut), 10mm (battery), two 5/16 or 8mm (throttle cable adjust)
offset box end wrenches as needed – 1/2 x 9/16 and 5/8 x 11/16 (clutch adjust)
ratchet – 3/8, 1/2 drive (axle nut)
sockets as needed – hex, torx, allen - All of these can be put on a socket rail.
allen wrenches – as needed
slip joint pliers
small vise grips
diagonal cutters
utility knife
electrical tape
tie wraps – small and large
small can of WD40
Q-tips (clean electrical connectors)
spare light bulbs – 1156, 1157 in clear and/or amber (wrap in paper towels for padding)
spare 15 amp fuses (fuse box will hold 2-3 spares)
small spool of wire 10-20ft – 18ga (yes - needed this once, wire bundle to turn signal fell down against tire, chewed up the wire)
mini jumper cables
length of fuel line and a couple of small hose clamps
loctite blue
spare spark plugs
spark plug gauge/gapper tool
anti-seize (spark plugs)
tire gauge
flashlights and batteries
The smaller items like allen wrenches, tie wraps, etc., can be stored in small ziploc bags.

- Bag for tools
This bag from Harbor Freight works well and is cheap. It will stand on end in the back of a saddlebag.
http://www.harborfreight.com/15-inch...bag-32282.html

Packing personal stuff
- Cell phone with emergency contact info obvious in the directory. Call periodically to let people know where you are and if you will be where there is no cell service.
- Leave your loved ones an itinerary of your trip with contact info. Yes, it will change but it gives an idea of where you are and who to call if they haven't heard from you in a while.
- Use a credit card for gas and food. The charges trail on the statement can also tell your loved ones where you were.
- Spare cash stored somewhere not on you. Not wise to carry hundreds of dollars in your wallet or purse.
- Emergency contact info written down (in case you can't respond)
- Registration papers and insurance card
- Insurance company contact info
- Passport if needed

- Four days clothes – one on, three in the bags
- Heavy socks
- Insulated underwear
- T-shirts, long sleeve/sweatshirt
- Leathers – jacket, chaps
- Boot straps to keep pants/chaps from riding up your legs
- Pair of sneakers
- Neck gaiter and/or balaclava
- Bandana
- doo rag
- Rain gear – jacket, pants, boot gaiters, gloves
- Gloves – light, heavy
- water (lots if riding in hot weather)
- hand towel to wet down and wrap around your neck in hot weather (really helps to keep you cool) -or- this product http://www.missionathletecare.com/collections/multi-cool - plus keeping the sun off your neck and face.

- Spare pair of eyeglasses, clip on sunglasses
- Spare pair of sunglasses
- Spare contact lenses and solution
- Spare pair of goggles if you wear those
- Ear plugs
- Medications
- Ibuprophen or Tylenol
Leave all medications prescription and OTC in their original containers to avoid a discussion with a peace officer.
- Eye drops
- Chapstick
- Sunscreen
- Neosporin
- Band Aids
- Small roll of gauze and medical tape
- Ace bandage- SuperGlue to close bad cuts
- Personal hygiene stuff
deodorant (please!)
toothpaste
toothbrush
floss
shampoo instead of soap bars
nail clippers w/nail file
shaving stuff (if you feel the need)
comb or brush
- Roll of toilet paper
- Two towels (double as a pillow when camping)mosquito repellant - DEET

- Camping gear (ultralight camping)
tent
tarp or footprint as the camping stores call it
sleeping bag
sleeping pad
stuff sack to hold camping gear

- Spare bungee cords to tie stuff on bike
- 12 volt charger socket somewhere on bike
- Charger for cellphone – 12 volt
- Camera (take LOTS of pics!)
- Rechargeable batteries and charger for camera – 12 volt (Radio Shack)
- Compass
- Road atlas, maps, or GPS - Highlight your planned route on the atlas or maps
- Print map pages from Ride Planner, Google, Mapquest, etc. for details/directions for points of interest.
- Make a list of sights to see along the way. It's easy to forget.
- Make an itinerary for overnight stops, places to stay and do laundry, and people to see with contact info.
- Notebook for journal, pens
- Extra zip lock bags- SuperGlue - fix broken stuff

Packing tips
- Put clothes in water resistant plastic bags. These bags from JP Cycles work great and are cheap
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/8400085 Roll the top closed then fasten the latch. Just saw this product is no longer listed. A large zip lock bag could work.
- Roll clothes instead of folding – takes less space
- Use zip lock bags to organize stuff and keep it dry
- Put anything that can leak into it's own zip lock bag (like shampoo bottle)
- If you are tent camping set up your gear before the trip to refamiliarize yourself with the gear, make sure everything is there, and that the tent doesn't leak.

- Distribute weight evenly side to side in saddle bags
- Distribute weight on racks and tour paks as low as possible and closer to the center of the bike. That is, heavier stuff on the passenger seat instead of a luggage rack.

After everything is loaded on the bike, take a test ride to make sure you know how the bike feels and where it balances and that nothing falls off. Check your loads often when traveling.

- Drink plenty of water particularly in hot weather.
- Cover up in the sun and use 50+ sunblock on exposed areas. Sunburn on a trip is no fun and sun on bare skin at 65mph for a couple of hours can dry you out pretty quick.

Other personal stuff
- Check with your health insurance provider on what they will cover and what they won't when you are out of your network. Most should cover emergency stuff but will not cover non-emergency.
- Check with your cell phone provider on service coverage and additional costs if you are traveling outside the US (Yes, Canada is international). Roaming, data, extra charges for using a foreign provider. Also, some models of phones may not work on foreign provider networks - Depends on the service your phone uses - GSM, LTE, etc.
- Contact your credit card companies to let them know when and where you will be traveling so that charges won't be declined.

Just so you know, all of the stuff listed above fits easily. See these pics: Stuff Packed
I've changed tour paks since (Saddlemen BR3400) but the same stuff still fits.

 

Yep ... that's how I wound up with a Bushtec :<(

 

I've got to say , you guys above deserve a really big applaud ! I've been riding for a number of years and finally got to a point in my life that I'm finally able to take longer trips ( 1 week or so ) not just over nighters . I can appreciate all the effort it took to post these up , so guys like me can learn from the experienced riders like you ... Thank you !!!

This should be a Sticky !!