okay i dont know if anybody still pays attention to this or not. i have neglected it because i have the trip planned down to the day and its just under 7000 miles. my girlfriend is planning on going i think. just one thing we have a minor/medium setback...friday i was going to work and i dozed off at the wheel and rear ended a broke down pickup on the side of the interstate and spent 2 days in the ICU and now have a broken ankle and jaw. the hood came thru the windshield and i believe thats what cut my right arm from wrist to elbow to the bone and i have some glass cuts on my neck. sounds nasty and i know theres those that are gonna think you fell asleep driving and you want to take a trip with these kind of miles. well the answer is yes...i was going to work pulling over for a nap wasnt an option lol im the type thats NEVER late for work. vacation will be all within the realms of sanity. pulling over for naps or stretches. no deadlines. if we get halfway and decide to find a nice spot and chill out there for the rest of the vacation then so be it. but the cross country and back is a GOAL not a life or death thing..im going to push it though just not when it comes to being tired. im going to work tomorrow to talk with my boss about coming back light duty. i might opt out of the short term disability because it doesnt kick in until vacation and sick days are used up. i have sick days through tomorrow if i need to go without a paycheck or 2 in order to save my vacation i can do so. im not that financially strapped and if i start seeing hospital bills or whatever ill tell them to put me on a payment plan. right now the goal is to get these bones healed up and these casts off and start building strength again. i have a suzuki that i can practice tooling around on 2 wheels until im confident enough to mount the street glide again. like i said before this post is probably long since buried and nobody checks it out anymore but thats whats going on. in case it interests anybody. hope everyone is enjoying the beginning weeks of riding season (except you spoiled southerners lol)

 

Came on here to offer a few practical suggestions and then read this. Very sorry to hear of your wreck and of course glad it wasn't worse. Wishing you the best in your recovery. Don't have to tell you how that sucks, especially this time of year.

The change you talk about in your riding plan is a good one. As an old greybeard who has been fortunate to ride all over the US and Canada, especially the American West, I can tell you that I've had many enjoyable times just taking a day off and hanging out by the pool, reading or whatever. Your riding partner will like those times too.

As for practical suggestions...don't know if it's been mentioned but pack a good tire repair kit. Flat tires and dying batteries are about the most common problems out there. I know you've got a fine new Street Glide but I'd add a 10mm combination wrench to your tool kit just in case your battery goes TU. I also carry one of those small Slime compressors...most tubeless tire problems can be fixed on the road. The other thing is towing insurance. Since you have a new bike you probably got a 1-year HOG membership in the deal. Take a look at their $19.95 deluxe upgrade which gives you towing to the nearest town with a H-D dealership regardless of miles and no out of pocket $ to be reimbursed later. Keep posting on how your ride is coming together. Who knows, maybe see you out there this summer.

One other thing...just remembered you mentioned in your original post about possibly looking for work. With your diesel mechanic skills and experience I think you can be pretty selective. You just might find some nice places out there that really suit you.

 

thanks mtgriz. good practical suggestions. nothing wrong with old gray beards. ill probably have a few grays in my own beard after this week haha
someone did mention the tire repair kit. luckily i have some experience from work with short term and long term tire repairs. will be adding the 10mm wrench to the list. and thanks for the reminder its almost time to renew the hog subscription. havent found my wallet yet but maybe ill get a new card anyways.
what kindof bike do you have mtgriz? sounds like you do some serious riding. it would be cool to run into some people from this site out in the real world haha

 

Those are brutal pics 11street. Reminds us again that those seat belts and airbags are pretty good things....otherwise looks like you'd have been toast.

I've got an '01 Electra Glide Std....sort of the precursor to your bike. Anyway, it's nothing fancy but it's set up the way I like it: simple carb, 95", 26 cam, heads and 2-1 exhaust. Most retired guys like me are out of the new bike every few years routine. Anyway, she runs great and like yours I can add a tourpak and ultra lowers when I want to head out with all my camping gear for a trip. Probably head to Red Lodge in about 6 weeks to ride the Beartooth when it opens. Again, good luck with the recovery and getting that summer trip going.

 

I too am and old graybeard and I've done several long haul trips (from Michigan).
Back when I was still working, I'd plan these long trips and basically, due to short vacation time, I opted to trailer to a specified location, park the rig, and my wife would fly into the largest airport and we'd leave from there and do a huge "loop" and she'd fly back home, leaving me to drive back by myself.

I've ridden across the "plains" before in 100+ degree weather and this is a very good description of those states and the scenery!

IMHO, riding from East to West, there's not too much worth seeing until you get to Rapid City, SD (I-90), or Denver, CO (I-76/I-80), or Albuquerque, NM (I-40).

If it was me, I'd fly my wife to and from the closest airport(s) and make it easy on both of us.

Also, I'd recommed a quick disconnect luggage rack and T-Bag for luggage.
Finally, always take your leather, light and medium weight leather gloves and a good rain suit.

 

Im an old fart so im going to come at this like you're my son.
A cross country trip is outstanding, but not in the short time you have to do it.
In my opinion, your bigest issue is your lady on the back of a streetglide for 5000 plus miles.
I would not subject my wife to this long of a trip without a tour pak and a touring seat. The tour pak allows her to have a place to support her back and arms and it provides a lot of mental security. The normal touring seat (electra glide, etc) is a lot more comfortable than the smaller seat on the Glides. In addition, a seat back for you also is very helpful to her as it gives her a place to put her hands and stabilize. Sometimes I dont think we men realize how much harder it is for our lady to ride than for us. We get to hold onto the handle bars and that is huge.

But if you're going to do it, then be careful. If you can, get the names of a lot of HD forum members who live along the way. some people you can contact if you have issues.
Again, bext of luck to you.

 

mtgriz its funny you should mention seatbelts and airbags...it was an R title car...kinda half *** fixed and it had no airbag. and due to my own stupidity wasnt wearing a seatbelt they estimate between 70 and 80 mph i agree with you the physics of it just dont make sense. i should not be sitting here a week later posting plans for my vacation thats for damn sure.
mustang your right thats a huge worry of mine is how she will hold up on that seat, if you can call it a seat. its more of a pad haha. considering buying a tourpack used and selling it after the trip. you know any good outlets for something like that? craigslist is a useless in this area for parts for the bigger harleys. everybody has softails and dynas. nobody selling anything for the glides around here.
2am guy, we've batted that idea around too. picking her up at an airport and having her do half the ride. ill give her a pat on the back right now cuz i know she reads this sometimes but vacation just isnt vacation without her and that other week would suck. also i tend to make bad decisions by myself. hell i make bad decisions with her but at least i have somebody to yank me out of that bar where im about to get my *** kicked. (thanks hun ) although sometimes i think shed like to sit back and see it unfold like everybody else LOL just kidding. but if it gets to be too much the cross country idea gets scrapped and we can hang out anywhere in between. shes tough tho we are gonna set off with full confidence in making it to cali haha.

 

check out this website for used harley stuff

61harley-parts

 

more specifically

http://stores.ebay.com/61harley-parts

 

streetglide103, all excellent suggestions, and congratulations to you for asking, most people wouldn't be man enough to ask. Riding with a partner is difficult, but with the right partner can be fun. I would suggest scaling back you mileage estimates a lot, I can usually do 500 to 700 miles a day by myself, but more like 200 a day with my wife on board. Most people really can't sit on the back of any motorcyle for 10 to 12 hours a day, I wouldn't want to do it myself. Packing for a week for two can be problematic, but if you are staying with friends along the way just wash clothes. Lay out what both of you want to take then start cutting out stuff, try to wind up with about half of what you "want" to take.
As far as the route, it has already been suggested, don't worry about Route 66, it is really just a memory now, and going across Oklahoma and north Texas until you get well into New Mexico will simply bore you to tears, plus it can be pretty hot that time of the year, I am talking in the 100's. Drink water, and lots of its while you travel the wind will really take it out of you.
My wife and I have done the, I ride to some place, and she flies the airline thing several times. It works great for us. I can get a couple of solo days on the road and then a few days with her, then a few solo days on the road going home. It is really a great way to go.