Above: Me with my '92 Virago in North Carolina, 1995
This was only the second motorcycle "tour" I'd ever gone on, the first one being a two-week trip from Denver to Tulsa, OK, on a '74 Honda CB750 back in October of '84. Since that trip only consisted of one "travel" day each way, I'm not even sure it constitutes "touring" as the term is now used.
I should say at the outset that on this trip, the bike ('92 Yamaha XV1100 Virago) was primarily just used for transportation. That is, sightseeing and exploring were not really concerns of mine on the trip, so this is going to be different from a lot of other travelogues (for example the Alaska trip in the June/July issue.) My main goal was to get to Colorado to visit my family, and I took the bike to see how well it would do on a long tour. I didn't spend any of my time looking for out-of-the-way campsites or talking to colorful local characters, because most of the time I was either traveling or sleeping.
Nevertheless, I thought the trip was an excellent "shakedown run" to see how well I liked touring, and specifically what modifications I would need to make to the bike when I did start using it for "real" touring. A such, the article is divided into three parts: Preparations made before the trip, the trip out to Colorado, and the trip back.
I bought the bike in Charleston, SC in March of '95. It was a black and grey '92 1100 that had only 3700 miles on the odometer. In the course of the first 15 months I owned it, I put over 13,000 miles on the bike just riding it locally around Fayetteville and Charlotte, NC. Needless to say, I liked to ride, and the riding season is long in the Carolinas!
In April of '96, the bike suffered some minor damage in a fender bender. The accident destroyed the small, handlebar-mounted, Slipstreamer "Tombstone" windshield I'd had on it for a year, and this was actually a good thing, because as effective as the small windshield was, I knew it was too small for serious touring.
(Note: I know some of you out there tour without a windshield, and I can't figure out if you're tougher than me, or just more masochistic.)
I replaced the windshield with the much larger, fork-mounted Custom Heavy Duty from National Cycle. This windshield is in the classic "highway patrol" Tombstone style, with two vertical uprights and a crossbar. It looks fantastic and works even better (if that's possible!) The windshield totally eliminates the unpleasant wind blast and pressure from riding an unshielded bike, but without blocking so much wind that it gets too hot. It also keeps the bugs and road dust out of my eyes so I can wear an open helmet. It took less than 2 1/2 hours to install by myself, and would probably have gone on a lot faster if I'd had help.
The windshield is very heavy and tough (as I later learned...), and the hardware is very high quality, most of it covered with a deep, heavy chrome. This is quite a contrast to the hardware supplied with the similar looking (but smaller) Yamaha Parts Division "Classic-V" windshield, which has hardware that is unchromed and looks cheap. Caveat Emptor -- the NC windshield also costs less.
The other "touring" modification I made was the addition of a Fox Tank bag. The small (1-compartment) design worked very well, fit the tank neatly, and did not obscure my view of the gauges, nor did it impede getting on or off the bike. If I had to do it again, I might have gotten the slightly larger size that has external pockets (good for suntan lotion, lip balm, camera and sunglasses), but overall I'd rate the Fox bag as an outstanding accessory. The map pocket was a godsend, and probably saved me from missing several key turns!
I had equipped the bike with medium sized Willie & Max saddlebags, and regrettably was unable to replace these with larger bags before the trip. This cut pretty severely into my packing ability, and I'll advise anyone planning such a trip to get the largest saddlebags they can fit without interference.
My other piece of "luggage" was a medium sized nylon "Alice Pack" from my Army days. This type of pack has a pocket on the top rear that is designed to fit over a frame, and I found this pocket perfectly sized to fit over the passenger backrest on my 1100. The pack then sat on the passenger seat, secured by a spider bungee, where it could also be used as a backrest for me. With careful packing, the medium alice pack can carry all the gear you'll need for a couple of weeks, except for maybe a sleeping bag, which can go on the top. There is also a larger version of this pack that can be found at most surplus stores.
Another essential for hassle-free travel was a rain suit. The Teknic 2-piece PVC rainsuit was comfortable and very effective. Best of all, I didn't have to go into bankruptcy to buy it -- it was under $60 at my local Yamaha dealer, and probably the only $60 motorcycle accessory I've ever bought that worked better than I expected it to. In a year of riding, I've never experienced a leak with this suit. Since I don't like the feeling of rain hitting my bare face at 60 MPH, I also threw my old full-face helmet on top of the Alice pack for wearing in the rain.
The day before the trip, 24 June, I changed the oil and filter and washed the bike. I decided to use synthetic Pennzoil, as I'd heard synthetic oil has superior resistance to breakdown, especially at high temperatures. Since I planned on riding for 8-10 hours a day for at least four days straight, I figured this was important.
I made one last "adjustment" for the trip, although it wasn't a piece of equipment. Since I knew I would be riding through long hours of extreme heat, I decided to forego breakfast in favor of a light morning snack, eat a minimal lunch, then an afternoon snack, and a big dinner after I was in for the night. Also, although it pained me, caffeine addict that I am, I would give up coffee for the traveling portion of the trip and drink only water (in fact, force water) while I was on the road. I figured that doing this would keep me from dehydrating and/or becoming drowsy while on the road. I kept to the water rule, and only broke the food rule once, which I immediately regretted.
With my bike so equipped, with extra tools and oil in the saddlebags (just in case), and with my attitude adjusted, I felt ready for my trip.
But then again, what the hell did I know??
Click on the links below to continue the narrative
Part Five: Would I do it again?