Page last modified: 09/03/08

Motorcycle Camping

By Jim Thacker
jimthacker@hotmail.com

Being lucky enough to live on the Central Coast of sunny California I can ride 300-325 days a year. For those climatically impaired readers it's time to dust off your bike and get ready for summer. For me, summer means a break from to and from work commuting and adding recreational bike trips. Family duties allowing I get away for a half a dozen day trips, and a week of motorcycle camping.

Trips take planning and preparation. Before writing about my adventure, I'd like to offer a brief description of what I do to get ready for a trip.

First I take a good look at my bike, a '79 GS-1000e (there is a description in the Owners Profiles, "Jim Comes Home"). I change the oil and filter and check all the usual stuff, paying special attention to the tires and brakes, checking both for condition and function. I also check the forks for pressure and the chain for adjustment and condition. Being a GS I also check out the battery and charging system. Due to the carb-pipe-cam combination I run, I need to keep my battery in very good condition to insure spinning the engine fast enough to start, at least at sea level. I also make sure my Pod air filters are clean and treated, as dirty pods make my bike very hard to start. When I'm satisfied all is well I start packing.

Packing for a motorcycle camping trip is a lot like packing for a back packing trip. You need to take care to minimize both the weight and bulk of your equipment. Over the years I have collected many items like a small toothbrush kit, and hotel sized soap and shampoo (which I refill). I also have a bunch of sandwich size freezer bag packages of "survival" gear that includes small compass, throw away rain poncho, Mini Mag light, and spare batteries. I also carry a cellular phone (with charging cord) and a small AM-FM radio. To satisfy my battery/GS charging system paranoia I also carry a 15v. solar battery charger which measures approx. 2x8 inches in size. The latest addition to my bike portable tool collection is a set of 10 gauge, 10 foot long jumper cables that are small enough to carry all the time. I got this wonderful addition at Wall Mart, in the battery section for $2.97! Mind you these things come with a pouch made of the same "vinaloid" material as my Chase Harper soft bags, and it all fits easily in the tailpiece of any of my Suzuki's. 

A modification I made to my bike that is cheap and useful is a cigar lighter adapter. I attached it and wired it directly to the battery. This allows me to connect my trickle charger, cell phone, "solar" charger or test equipment without the bother of unloading the bike to remove the seat. The adapter also allows me to charge my phone while I'm traveling. The last piece of "special" equipment I carry is a 'AA' battery powered red LED strobe, the kind bicyclists use for night riding. This has come in handy when stopped at night as it is just as visible as a emergency road flare. A final note on my new Wall Mart "mini" jumper cables. If (when) you use them don't try to connect them and start the bike right away. Hook them up and (if connected to a car) let the running car leach power into your battery for a few minutes, longer if you are connected to another bike.

For the real "camping" stuff I carry a light weight sleeping bag, a pair of light 5x7 tarps, a Buck camping ax and knife, nylon rope and all the other usual stuff. The usual stuff includes a first aid kit! Don't forget any prescription medicines you need along with the a Advil, cortisone creme, sunscreen, and Insect repellent. You don't need to be able to do surgery but you do need to be prepared for the common scrapes, pipe burns, and bug bites. Maybe the most important item is you take will be the tarps as they keep the unforeseen rain storm off both you and your bike, a park Ranger once told me that "a tarp is as good as a tent" she was right. Cloths are your choice but remember that nearly every burg in America has a Laundromat so you don't have to pack much, and remember to take extra socks!. The same is true for food. If you are cooking out, stores are everywhere. Don't forget those lightweight nesting cooking pans.

Last is the subject of tools. The tool kit that comes with your Suzuki (if you can find it) might get you by in a pinch, if it was a simple pinch, but you can do a lot better without spending more than you have budgeted for your vacation. I put together a really decent tool kit for under $50.00 with some nice quality stuff, and it's all portable too. Sears is a good place to start, they have really nifty sales. During "Hardware Week" I picked up a "quarter inch" metric socket set, with a ratchet and deep sockets for $18.00, and a set of 7 combination wrenches for $13.00. The local Harbor Freight (a tool store filled with inexpensive imported tools) added an adapter and spark plug socket for a couple of bucks and a tiny (3x3x1 inch)Volt/Ohm meter that actually works and only cost four (!) dollars. I could have saved most of the money spent at Sears buying the sockets and imported wrenches here too, instead I opted for more quality in the tools that get the most use. I scrounged a pair of wire cutters, and a handful of various wire ties, electrical tape, different sizes of wires, and some mechanic's (bailing) wire that rounded out the tool kit. In the last couple of years I haven't run into anything I couldn't manage with the tools I had with me. And the bonus is that packed (and zip lock bagged) carefully it fits in the tailpiece! (or under the seat if you have a pair of nifty mini jumper cables stashed in the tailpiece already). I also travel with a spare set of plugs and a "sample size" spray can of chain wax (O-ring chain) but that's optional. Note that there are no "tire changing" tools on my list. I'm not up to repairing tubes and changing tires on the side of the road, (see cellular phone). If you have a later bike with tubeless tires you might pack a plug kit and cartridge style inflator. You should also carry enough fuses to replace all the fuses on your bike and a spare headlight bulb, I do but I'm a little paranoid (occasionally I have used them). There is one more option that will cost you but it's worthwhile. Get yourself a good set of luggage (hard or soft) and lot's of bungee cords. I use a Chase Harper tank bag and a pair of Chase Harper Stealth soft saddle bags. The bags share time "tripping" on my 1000e and carrying my stuff back and forth to work on my '79 GS-850g. Packing well leaves you more vacation time. Nothing is more frustrating that searching for a place to buy a wrench, halogen headlight, or a ground cover (tarp) in the middle of nowhere.