Longhaulpaul's Chasing the Cure

“Junk in the Trunk”

Ok, So today my wife asks me if I’m all set for the World Record attempt next weekend.

I said, “Of course, I am.”

I then ran off into the garage. I realized maybe I’d better start looking at my bike and gear, check the oil and tire pressure, and do some spring cleaning of my saddle bags. I weeded out the junk; wrappers from old sunflower seeds, a tube of JB Weld that had leaked all over some tools, broken pens and maps that had swallowed some water.  It’s also a good time to make sure I have the items I need as the colder weather is coming, and mornings have been quite nippy this last week.  I decided to lay out my gear, starting with the gloves I found on the bike.

I am not Imelda Marcos, there is actually a reason I have all these gloves on the bike. Each serves a purpose!  I also have also-ran gloves scattered around the garage. It’s hard to explain why I an so fussy  about gloves, but when the glove doesn’t fit my hand, or one of the fingers is too long or too bulky, I can’t operate the bike’s controls or my audio and navigation equipment, or grab a pinch of sunflowerseeds while on the road. They have to be just right, or they will never get used.  A good glove is worth it’s money. If the glove don’t fit, you might get away with murder, but your life is gonna really suck afterwards.

Starting with the top left;

1. Aerostich Elk-skin Ropers, two years old,  about $45, great all around glove with special threads in the fingers so I can use my Iphone. Also has a nice wiper built into the thumb to erase the rain drops from my faceshield. The threads are mostly worn away, but they fit like an old pair of socks.
2. These are about 14 years old, Olympia something or others, I tore out the linings and put in my own heated liners, now they are home made heated gloves minus the $150 price tag. They are not perfect, but when it’s 7 degrees out, I hardly complain.
3. These are about four months old, mesh summer gloves with gel and touch pads on the fingers for the iphone as well, except the pads only lasted me one weekend before falling apart. I do like the gel in the palms, so I keep them. They may last 6 months or so for me.
4. BMW Gore Tex gloves, only use in the rain, have had them about ten years, they work great, but you can’t put them back on after you remove them when they are wet, because the linings pull out. Doesn’t do it when they are dry, go figure? I feel like O.J. when I try to get them back on at a gas stop!
5. These are a modified HELD glove. They cost about $200, made from well treated Kangaroos, and are very comfortable. I shortened the gauntlets, because they would not fit over or under  my Aerostich sleeves. I probably cut them a hair to much, they would have been perfect in the fall, but I feel the cold air just a little too much.
6. BMW summer gloves, Kevlar mesh and thin but strong goatskin. These have been worn for the most miles. They are about  12 years old, worn out in the thumbs,  have been stitched and restitched, patched, and repaired.   I think they were about $125 new, and now have seen harsh duty for over 150,000 miles.  These babies really fit like a glove!

 

Next I decided to pool together all my current GPS systems. Having difficulty with short term memory was one of my first symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, and it can be very scary when I lose my ability to remember where I am going, or what roads I am on.  I can get confused and lost very easily. Without a GPS I really do not know if I could go anywhere.  I can tell you a story or two, but I will leave that for a long rainy night when it’s just me, the bike, and my live streaming audio feed to my blog! (you are signed up right?)

Even though I don’t have a real Motorcycle specific GPS working right now, I have modified two Garmin Nuvi models to work in the rain, and with audio out leads to my helmet.  The best GPS’s are Garmin, however, they have discontinued making their best model by far, the Streetpilot series. I have owned 6 Streetpilot’s and about 15 other Garmin units over the years. A GPS built for the motorcycle environment is usually 5 times the cost of a civilian one. Right now the Motorcycle specific Garmin Zumo is about $800.00.  That’s why I have two home-made double dipped in Shoo-Goo, modified $50 eBay specials!  I do own two Streetpilot models, a 2720, and a 2820, but they only work when they want to, and Garmin no longer services them like they used to. I have attempted to fix them myself, but the touchscreens are not dependable. If I can’t depend upon them 100%, I can’t use them. My life depends on them.  Here’s my current set up, and my iPhone also serves as a back-up.

It’s a work in progress. I am not expecting this bike to be the bike I do most of my miles on, so, everything remains temporary, and well, it has been temporary for about 18,000 miles so far this year!

Here is the back of the modified, water-proofed Nuvi’s I bought on Ebay. I cut them open and soldered leads to the internal speakers, so I could mount a jack to my helmet integrated audio system.  Don’t laugh, they have been working so far!

 

And here is the assortment of GPS’s and Audio equipment I have to mess with when I need a new project to work on or spare parts.

 

 

Here’s the Spaghetti under the seat, however, I know where every connection and fuse is, well…… mostly.

 

 

The point is my stuff is worn and old, but I make it work. It is familiar to me and when it breaks, I usually know how to fix it. Everything is bike powered so I do not have to remember to charge all kinds of Bluetooth gadgets and adapters every time I finish a grueling ride.  I have owned 6 Autocom systems over the years, and feel they have a superior product. My Autocom  audio system consists of a central unit wired to the bike and has two helmet leads out, one for me and one for a passenger. They hook to the helmets and provides crystal clear  communications at any speed.  In addition, I have wired in a phone lead, radar detector lead, two GPS voice prompts, and a line for music should I want  to listen to some tunes along the way. I made my own IPhone adapter to split the phone and music, because the phone requires two way communication and is mono, but the music sounds much better in stereo. I also wired in a control button so I can control the phone without touching it.

Being able to hear directions, take a call, hear the radar beep, or listen to a book on tape keeps me safer, informed, and alert during my rides.

 

Now for the Saddlebags, I really haven’t looked through these in a while, and found it funny I still had SAE Allen wrenches in the tool bag from March when I had  the Buell Ulysses. I took those out! What is in the pictures is in addition to the factory tool kit, which is fairly useless on every bike, unless you need something to hold a map from blowing away on a picnic table in a rest area in Kansas!

 

Here’s the right side;

 

And here is the left side,

 

 

Under the seat I store a couple of other things, including a modified mini air compressor and Yosemite Sam, who was given to me by my son Eric when he was 3 or 4, to take with me for luck. Sam has been somewhere on every bike I have owned since, if you look at some of my old pictures, he was more prominently displayed!

 

 

In the tank bag I usually will store stuff needed while riding or in a hurry, like my snacks, water bottles, Tylenol, and baby wipes for cleaning road grime or worse, from my face and body. In the rear trunk  I will have maps, my laptop,  electric heated gear, paperwork and clipboard for the ride documentation, and whatever else I may need.  My wife says I have a flashlight fettish, and I will admit I do keep one in each and every  storage area on the bike.  There is no dome light on a motorcycle. When you get off a bike in the dark, it can be a challenge just to open a saddlebag, nevermind see anything in it!

 

 

My clothes and spare riding clothes will fit in the saddlebags, and I always try to leave room to put my jacket when I stop. Longer trips require much more time planning and packing, but a good rule of thumb is always,

“Pack half the stuff you think you absolutely need, and bring three times as much money.”

 

Any day you can ride is a good day!

 

Longhaulpaul