Long Distance Travelling input requested

    Hey All, starting to get list of things needed for our trip to the Rockies event this year.
    Wife and I are going to be on the road with the Sling for quite period of time doing some extra miles on some cool areas on way to and from the Colorado get together.
    Trip will be about 4 days travel to Colorado, 4 days in Colorado, about 5 days on the return trip. Average travel day will range from 5 to 9 hours riding per day.
    I've made several 3-4 hour runs but never a trip of this type length in the Sling.
    So I am asking for input on this. What are the essentials you carry, what are nice to have, where do you store or put certain things ? As well are there any things I should or need to do both prior and during the trip to the Sling ?
    I am in the midst of getting my Wyked hitch system in place and have purchased a light weight aluminum motorcycle trailer to tow behind us so we have a little bit of extra room.
    Thanks in advance, appreciate your input and opinions
    :ORANGESS:

    When we did our trip to Alpha Powersport we went just stock slingshot. No trailer just tailbags on the roll bars. Had to keep it light as space was at a premium. I did make sure to have a tire plug kit and a small 12v compressor cause a flat in the middle of nowhere sucks. Did bring the cover for it too cause in the morning nothing is worse than a soggy sling. Brought some soft cloths and a small bottle of eyeglass cleaner for the windshield man that came in handy. Gas stations don't have much for that and if we stopped for a bathroom break I would always clean her up. Sucks when you can't see where your going. The one thing I didn't take but wished I did was earplugs take a bunch. The wind in Montana was so bad after a few hours we both wanted to die our ears hurt so bad from the buffeting. Lesson learned. Hope that helps you some. Hope to see you and the wife on your way to or from well or both :thumbsup:

    Make a packing list (and pack light) ~> I refine ours every trip and do a minimal packing routine (always starting by getting that done first). After my minimum is done, I try to figure out what exactly I need per location (i.e. are we going to need some warmer-than-usual clothing at certain spots or specific medicines like antacids). Sun glasses and sunscreen are a MUST (as are charging cables, a portable cell phone charger, and some cash)!! If you need more than you can carry, call the hotels you're staying at and ship the big items to/from there. Fill one small bag with with mini toiletries enough for your trip (using as much of the hotels free stuff as you can).


    I’m usually done in one hour, regardless of the final destination ~> hope this helps?

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    Quote from Nemesis1701

    Do a search in the forum has been posted before.

    I have attempted a search numerous things, travel, long distance, storage, packing etc. Have only found a few that deal mainly with the types of travel bags that people use or are available. Cant find anything that explains what I am asking for.
    I will keep searching but if anyone has input and replies to this thread I would appreciate it,
    Thanks

    Travel with absolute minimal stuff. Many motels have laundry facilities for the use of their guests. If not doing a full laundry, we often wash our underwear and socks in the motel bathroom sink (using motel shampoo - we don't carry laundry detergent). Get an extra day out of each shirt and jeans. The less you start your trip with, the more room for stuff you might buy on your trip!! We always pack a rainsuit (our now outdated HD ones!) That gives each of us a jacket to wear if the day is cool. Enjoy the trip!!!

    Quote from SLLE Canada

    I have attempted a search numerous things, travel, long distance, storage, packing etc. Have only found a few that deal mainly with the types of travel bags that people use or are available. Cant find anything that explains what I am asking for.I will keep searching but if anyone has input and replies to this thread I would appreciate it,
    Thanks

    LONG TRIP CHECKLIST this gives some insight


    Add the right size tools and know how to remove front spoiler just in case you need a tow truck, removing it you give you the clearance needed to be pulled up a flat bed tow truck. Tell them its a Corvette if you say SS they freak out


    hope you never need it but Your insurance agent will not know tow companies or tire shops in your surrounding location so google it on your phone and give this info to your agent they should contact any help closest to you.

    My wife & I did 2 trips last year with our Sling & Trailer. We'll get to meet you two at SSITR too.


    The big difference is the trailer. Ours afforded us the ability to each have a full dufflebag. Change of clothes for 5 days, (with the ability to wash and repack at some point to allow the return).


    You are Canadian, so you have the passcode option for traveling. Set it so that it comes on when you hit the mode button. This way you don't need to enter the code at every gas stop, just in the morning at the hotel. Learnt that after the first trip, was so annoying.


    Do you have a top? Can't remember. If not, stow a collapsible umbrella under each chair. Obvious reasons, lol. Do you have full face helmets? These will let you travel in a bit of rain, but remember ... Hydroplaning is real It is worth the re-read.


    Our trailer has a cooler built into the front of it. Cold drinks are invaluable. Plus a long run dehydrates you. You'll be able to stretch every 4 hours or so. Gas up where there is something to see and take a moment to stretch out and see things. Now, tools. Carry what you need. Air pump, Gunk tire repair (or something similar), wrenches. That sort of thing. I have a spare belt I carry in my trailer, and the tools, (and jack) to allow me to change this if needed. (plus instructions, lol.) The plus side, we put in 10-12 hour days running, and never really felt more tired than we did while in a car.


    Sunscreen. And apply it too. My wife refused and following our NY trip, she was half reptile, lol. She's fair skinned and will never learn.


    Camera. Phones are great, but a good camera is better.


    See you in Colorado. Safe travels.


    PS: If you stow your helmets in the trailer, keep a couple towels in there to wrap the helmet. This will help protect the helmet from rubbing and getting scratched. Plus the towels can come in handy too. Trust me.

    We went about 2500 Miles last summer from Washington to Southern California. Temps ranged from 38F to 109F. I had my Wycked Cargo Trailer in tow which was nice. I should have had hand warmers to go in my gloves, and a small cooler for ice and cold packs (which we bought later). I don't have a top on my SS so the Mid day heat would have been unbearable if we didn't have the gel packs to put in our helmets and under dew rags. I bought a couple of spray mist water bottles that really saved the day for us in the heat. Looking forward to meeting you in the Rockies, Thanks for Going Wycked!

    I'd say since you're already setup with the trailer, the sky is the limit. Pack for both Hot weather and Cold weather, Dry weather and wet weather. Pulling the trailer affords you that luxury. I've traveled all over the place on my bikes (and now on my Sling) and while mostly I have done the "pack everything into a couple of saddle bags" for a weeklong road trip, that was always without momma along. I setup the trailer behind my bike thing because of her and having the same setup on my Sling just makes it that much better. While I don't always opt for the trailer, I have to admit that I've gotten spoiled and now I just tow it out of convenience. I can carry tools, compressor, ALL the gear I need for hot or cold weather, 4 helmets (full and half), ice chest with drinks, all my electronic gear, Laptop, etc etc. There's just no comparison when traveling pulling the trailer vs stuffing all your clothing and gear into 2 bags. Save yourself (and your sweetie) a whole bunch of hassles and tow that sucker.
    Now, that being said, lets talk fuel stops. With or without the trailer, the distances between stops will be dictated by how fast you drive more than anything else. Plan on MANY OF THEM!!.
    Don't go much past 150 miles without a planned fuel stop. Of course this is dependent on how fast you travel, but to give you an example, I have my cruise set at a GPS SPEED of about 82-83 on the open road. This will yield me about 19-20 mpg average. Do the math, and you're not going to want to travel much more than the 150 miles. If I drop the speed down to the mid to low 70's, I'll get about 22-23 mpg. That will yield more distance between stops, but again, not much more than 170-180 miles before you're on the last mark on your fuel gauge. So out on the open road you'll need to plan your fuel stops accordingly.
    Good luck and Safe travels Hopefully see you in The Rockies :thumbsup:

    Quote from jorgebri60

    I have my cruise set at a GPS SPEED of about 82-83 on the open road. This will yield me about 19-20 mpg average.

    Interesting.


    Pulling the trailer, with our cruise set at 85 (gps), we were getting a solid 25 mpg. That took us all the way down to New York & back. Never wavered.


    Only time I get less than that is when I am commuting without the trailer. I tend to lean into the right pedal a bit more when I know the LEO's by name :)


    (Best part... and on mother's day of all days ... my mother just got tagged for 132 in a 100 zone. (km's of course) 32 over caught her a $460 ticket, lol. Happy Mother's day mom, lol ... I may need to talk with someone on this one, lol)

    Quote from jorgebri60

    I haven't seen anything above 23 in a Loooooong time ;( . I seem to remember 26-28 when I first had it (pre turbo). Then again.. (as many have told me) I didn't buy it for the gas mileage :whistling:

    Plus once you have additional boosted power, it's almost impossible to go through a tank of fuel without riding it like you stole it. That by itself will make the numbers look worse than they actually are.



    I once tried riding mine like I had an egg under the loud pedal to see how much improvement I could see in gas mileage. It was the worst 3 minutes of my life!!!

    Nobody gets outta here ALIVE

    Edited once, last by funinthesun ().