All very good advice. Tourpak luggage rack for sure and make sure whatever bag you put on it has a rigid bottom to avoid any drooping and rubbing on your tourpak. Have fun!

 

great ideas guys - Im headed to the dragon in early june.

 

All good advice ... also suggest you put both rainsuits (and anything else you may need at the side of the road) in the right side bag. If you get caught in a storm and have to stop below an underpass to pull on the suits you don't want your **** out toward traffic while you try fishing that thing out of the left side bag. DAMHIK.
Aloha ... Robert

 

Just got back from a trip to Key West. A good tool kit is essential if you know how to work on your bike. If not, get a membership in a tow plan and a credit card with a good limit.
We ran into some record cold temps in your area, which you should recall from very recently. You have to get good weather gear and plan for rain, cold, and heat regardless of the calendar.
By sheer luck I found a great way to save space when choosing clothes. I picked up some Under Armour because I didn't want my travel clothes to get wet and stay wet. Cotton is well known to cause problems with survival conditions, but my experience with this product came from wanting to stay dry while playing golf in changing conditions. What I discovered about this stuff was that it not only helped keep you dry, it was extremely easy to keep clean and dry. At the end of each day I took some hotel supplied shampoo and soaked the Under Armour in the sink in it. I then took it in the shower with me and rinsed it. Rang it out and set it out on some towels. Placed near the room heater/air conditioner fan (but doesn't have to be in the direct flow of air) the stuff dried out quickly. You could actually wear the same undershirt and underwear each day! I wore the compression fit so wrinkles were not a problem, but I doubt if any style would be. It performed well, keeping me dry and not bunching up like cotton does when cotton gets wet. Wet underwear can easily rub your butt raw. Now if I locate some similar stuff for socks I can greatly reduce both my luggage load and the need to wash clothes at a Laundromat!
There also is no bulk in packing Under Armour, so with 2 or 3 sets you really reduce your luggage needs to almost nothing.
I used Harley luggage which employed belts and a piece that slips over the back rest. Very simple and reliable system. Easy on and easy off. I also had the removable liners for my saddle bags, but kept only stuff that didn't need to be taken in each night in the bags. So I just wrapped a cable-alarm lock around the bags and seat each night for security and only took in the luggage. I employed a net type of bun gee system to hold any gear not in the bags. This included a half helmet for local riding and a "stuff bag" (from a hiking shop) for dirty clothes, and a nylon laundry bag (which was a very open weave, which allowed wet stuff to dry out simply by exposing it to the air flow over the luggage.)
With riding gear, including rain and some cold weather stuff, and Under Armour, and with the saddle bags and a piece of luggage you should be able to do very well. Shorts and sandals with some type of light vest with lots of pockets should do the rest for clothing.
I strongly recommend a full face helmet, modular flip up if possible, as it makes long days at freeway speeds easy.
By the way, I have no interest in Under Armour other than just the experience related here.
I have a fairly complete list of stuff I made for the trip I'll send you if you e-mail me.
Finally, I'd suggest you make a detailed packing list now, and as you go through each day you'll find stuff to add each day as you go through your normal day. Also, you can decide where you want to pack each item, based on frequency of use, if possible and make that part of the list. If you need something this greatly reduces the searching and unpacking.
Best of luck with your ride.

 

where you go makes a big difference on what you may need I live .in south ga and went to Minn in sept hot here when I left and sub 32 degree when I got there as to packing frog togs take very little room you need to have room for two to three days of cloths does the wife need hair driers, tons of make up and female do dads? keep the weight low in your bags, the day long drive is easy,gas every two hours pee stop water and go. I avaraged 70 miles for every hour on the road on my road trip cross country the 1000 mile iron butt is easly in reach for both of you have fun

 

Credit card, cell phone, and a pistol.
Wash undies and jeans as needed. Buy new T shirts and socks along the way. When shirts are dirty, mail them home. Throw socks away as needed.
If you have 6 weeks, you really don't need to get too carried away with an intinerary.
Have a great trip. I wish I had that kind of time!

 

jeffbarb17:

Awesome link; thanks!

 

What I have learned thru many trips "Take half the clothes, and Twice the money"

 

Like bagger said, get a headlamp if you don't have one.

I have thrown out the 10 other flashlights I owned after getting a few of these. At a minimum, I keep one in my truck, one in the house, one in the bike. Veryfunctional for just about any lights-out situation.

 

An easy thing to overlook, and might really come in handy- roll of toilet paper.