If you've read all the way through our journey then you probably have already figured out the lessons we learned along the way. But I've decided to sum them up here for anyone that cares to glean any information regarding successes and failures involved in this type of trip.
Riding Gear and Clothes:
Mesh Safety Jacket and Pants - Absolutely a must for folks riding through the south during the heat of summer. It keeps the sun off your skin yet the air blowing through the material is actually cooler than if riding with just a tank top and shorts. The padding in the shoulders, arms, hips, and knees is nice to have if an unexpected slide should come along. Also, dress in layers. We found ourselves in temperatures ranging from 42 degrees to 106 degrees. Mesh gear with layers underneath worked perfectly. We have since invested in Gerbing Heated Clothing that will reduce the number of layers we need.
Full Face Helmets - I recommend full face just because of the number of insects you will encounter on a long journey. Those suckers can sting at 70+ mph! Additionally, there was no wind noise at all in our EdSets, a by-product of the full face covering. We haven't had to mess with PTT buttons or the like.
Comfortable Boots - On long trips space is a premium. Wear boots that can double up as walking shoes. We wore cowboy boots on this trip since we pretty much wear them all the time anyway and knew they would be perfect for our boot-scootin' evenings in Texas. Cowboy boots actually add quite a bit of protection in case of a spill. Bottom line though is to wear what is comfortable walking and riding and keep in mind they will be on your feet for 12+ hours at a time.
Gloves - We all know the importance of gloves if we go down. But also keep in mind their skin protection qualities when riding in the sun. Make sure that your gloves ride slightly over the bottom edge of your jacket sleeve or you could end up with a pretty nasty red stripe on top of your wrist at the end of the day.
Traveling Clothes - A couple pairs of jeans, a couple of tee shirts, and enough socks and underwear for a week does the trick. I never pack anything for more than a week. If we are traveling for more than a week I always take a down day (or half a day) just to do laundry. If we can't afford a down day then we are probably pushing ourselves too hard. Also, anything you haven't used at the end of your first week you should box up and mail back home, you are carrying too much. Any items picked up while traveling (gifts, souvenirs and such should be mailed back home as well. Why carry what you won't use?)
Personal Hydration System - Especially during the summer, I highly recommend bringing along a
CamelBak or other personal hydration gear. Dehydration is a real genuine threat to your well being. Why force yourself to stop every half an hour to drink water, or even limit yourself to a cub holder? The hydration system was a perfect tool for our trip through the Southwest Deserts.
Motorcycle Gear:
Pakit Rak - The
Pakit Rak was one of the best investments we've made in motorcycling. Traveling two-up for 5500 miles over 14 days requires careful planning for clothes and such. Add into the equations that you will want to dress semi-formal once or twice and you have a packing nightmare. The Pakit Rak gave us lots of room for gear and even allowed us to carry our Cowboy Hats in the saddlebag with nothing else to crush them! I like it better than a trailer because you truly never feel that it is behind you. Plus, you don't have to worry about securing and parking a trailer (Wingdingers, tank note).
GPS - Some folks love having packs of maps and constantly perusing them as they journey along. I'm not one of them. The GPS was another "must have" item we enjoyed on our journey. I had spent a couple of days before our trip in Microsoft Streets and Trips and the GPS, figuring our route and setting it up in the GPS. Initially it was a pain in the butt, but the payoff was incredible. It was a delight to let the GPS guide me through our route. There was no angst over "When is our next turn" or "Are we on the right road?" It was also great for finding hotels and restaurants on the fly.
Headsets - How on earth can anyone ride two up for long distances without them? Why even try?
EdSets are a great economy option that gives as good or better sound than any thing else on the market.
Tools - I know folks that like to take everything from a full set of sockets to Tire Plugs and a pump with them. I just don't want to worry about the additional space required for such things. The only tools I carried other than the little tool kit that comes with the bike was a 12 Volt DC Probe. The most critical tools to have along are an HRCA Card (unlimited distance towing), a cell phone, a credit card for emergency repair expenses, a sense of adventure and a good sense of humor. We've never had a breakdown that didn't turn into part of the fun adventure. Luckily we had no breakdowns on this trip. If you have a phobia against down time on the road, so be it. Protect yourself how you see fit. We all weight our risks and what we are willing to do about them differently. My only word of caution is avoid the gunk that goes into tires to fix slow leaks. They hide real problems, can cause tire-balance issues, and make repairing a tire impossible.
CB or GMRS Radio - Communication with other riders is nice if you are in a group. When riding side-by-side on our two bikes the CB is pretty much a requirement. If you are traveling alone then a 2-way radio is less critical. I found it useful when stuck in traffic jams to see what the hold-up was all about. It also helped to break up the freeway blues by listening to trucker chatter and learning where the radar traps were.
Fog Lights - I feel these things are a must for visibility... for cars to see you coming, not so much for night time illumination. I like the yellow better than the white or blue as they stand out when you are coming out of shadows the best.
Trunk Rack Bag - I was against this until Carole more or less insisted. We found it turned out to be extremely convenient for quick access to sun screen, aspirin, batteries, the camera, make-up, and other items that are light and often accessed. Its also a good place to keep rain gear and/or jacket liners when not used.
Tires - If you even think that you might be close to the end of your tread wear by the end of your trip go ahead and change the tires. If your tires still have lots of life in them you can keep them in the garage for another day. If you are going to change while on the road go ahead an select a dealership ahead of time that is on your route, call before you leave for an appointment, and have the tires there waiting for you. I'm not one to get real preachy on safety, but this is an area where there is a very small margin for miscalculations. Tires are the most important protective gear you or your bike wear.
Trip Planning - I don't think any couple can be more spontaneous than are we. Even so, there are still some planning items that should always be knocked out to make for a more pleasurable trip.
Miles per Day - Try to limit yourself to a route plan that keeps your miles under 500 per day on freeway, under 400 per day if doing secondary roads. Sure, there will be days when you feel like knocking out more miles, and you probably will. But don't plan on it. Nothing is less enjoyable than pushing for extra distance when you thought you should have been there sooner.
Hotel or Camping Stops - I absolutely hate making hotel reservations ahead of time. What if we change our mind while on the road? What if we find a hotel next door looks better than the one we reserved? What if we decide to take a different route altogether? We are totally stripped of our spontaneity when we have to make reservations weeks ahead of time. But it can be extremely frustrating to roll into a town ready to call it a day only to find out the town is celebrating its "Annual Cow Chip Tossing Festival" and there isn't an available room or camp site within 100 miles. We've gotten to where we pay close attention to event calendars in different parts of the U.S. If we are traveling over a Holiday we will at least make reservations ahead of time for the weekend evenings. We have had outstanding luck finding places on the fly on weekdays. Of course, I like to find the little dive motels along some old routes. You may have other preferences.
Maps or Travel Atlas - Even with our GPS, I still carry a road atlas as a backup plan. Usually I have planned a route so well in our GPS that I have it memorized. But I still carry an atlas just in case. I would hate to miss some of the finer hidden back roads of America just because my GPS went on the fritz.
Fun Stops Along The Way - I'm one of those guys that can plan a great trip with tons of sights to see, but forget to add in the time to stop at the sights and smell the roses. That's why I now hold my daily mileage down during the planning stage (unless a high mileage ride is the goal). What good is it to plan a route by Mt Rushmore if you aren't going to stop and learn a bit about the history and the locals?
Conclusion
The bottom line is that this was an adventure of a lifetime! We had a great ride, saw parts of the USA we didn't even know existed, met many great people and heard some fantastic stories. When our trip was completed we didn't feel sated at all. Our appetite has just been whetted for more journeys across the US. We have seen lots of Europe and the Middle East, but there is so much to experience on the North American Continent from the back of a motorcycle. We already have several trips in mind and hope to meet everyone that shares even a small part of the passion.