frontpage350road
Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
7/18/12
 
Greetings Riders,
 
Welcome to the monsoon’s in Arizona, where evenings become a meteorological adventure only being interrupted by blistering heat and the occasional beautiful sunsets. Riding back into the valley from a trip up North on the weekends can sometimes be a game of chicken with  thunderstorms. Be sure to check the radar app on that smart phone before riding directly into 1/2 inch of rain that turns into 2 feet when it hits the ground. If you missed the newsletter last week of the overview of our Road Trip 2012, where I give you my take on doing a 3500 mile ride without timelines or  reservations, I encourage you to Click Here to Read and forward to your riding buddies. It might just entice you to start planning your next road trip. Take a look at my Top 20 Photos from the ride. There are some beauties in here. And my favorite action shot of all time, this deer checking me out on the side of the road trying to figure out which way to go. I was doing about 40 mph when I took this pic. Click Here to View.
 
I have gotten quite a few questions over the years about how we pack for a ride like this and how much it costs. Since I’m sure there are quite a few of you that are leaving on rides in the next couple of weeks, I wanted to at least tell you how we roll.
 
Packing:
Since Mrs. C. has graduated to riding a bagger, we now have 2 more bags available to us on these trips. In years past, I was always the pack mule carrying all of our clothes on my bike in the bags and in a giant T-Bag strapped on the back. Thankfully, those days are gone and we are now able to transport all of our 9 days of gear on our own bikes without a T-Bag or carrier. We each got a set of the HD zippered insert cloth bags for our saddle bags which is a great way to pack. This was a real joy for me this year slicing through the twisties without a 50 pound cantilever changing the dynamics of the bike. So how do each of us get everything we need for 10 days in 2 little saddlebags?? It is really not that tough, if you just change the way that you think.
 
Here are 3 guidelines that I follow:
1.  Become a "Minimalist". You only NEED half of what you think you need.
2. Tightly roll your clothes and put a rubber band around them. This saves a lot of room.
3.  Focus on what you will be doing. There are no cocktail parties on the road and you are not going to the prom. You are outside enjoying nature and the elements. Live it, Embrace it, Smell like it! Same clothes can be worn more than once, especially jeans. And you don’t need 4 pairs of shoes.
 
A minimalist by definition is: "Being or providing a bare minimum of what is necessary." That really sums it up very good. If there are 2 of you, the first thing you need to do is lay out all of the clothing and items you think you will need, for the amount of days of your trip. After you have done this, you will find that what you have laid out would barely fit into the trunk of your car, much less a T-Bag or saddle bags. Remember, we aren't programmed to think minimal, so you will have to change your thought process.
 
What you do next is take what you have laid out and cut it in half. Guys, if you think you need 8 shirts and 8 pair of jeans, a fresh one for every day, get over it. It is not illegal on the road to wear a shirt, pants and socks more than one day, especially if you are riding in cooler country. Just get the powder scent deodorant, that will help to make you smell fresh. Ladies, you only need one pair of shoes on a motorcycle road trip, those are the ones attached to your feet. You are also allowed to wear the same outfit more than one day. Remember. . ."a bare minimum of what is necessary".
 
Once you have gotten over the fact that you might have to wear the same shirt, pants and socks more than once, you can both reduce your stack to what still looks impossible to get into the bag. Now start tightly rolling your garments securing them with a big rubber band and position them into the bag, preferably in categories, in the co-mingling days, I really didn't like sorting through bras and panties to get to my BVD's. Use every square inch of space by rolling or sliding things in small vertical areas. Now that you see that you still have too much stuff for the available room in the bag, you will both have to step back and revisit what you are actually packing for. Are you going to Maui for dinner every night at 5 star resorts? Or is it 8 days on a motorcycle with the wind in your face, communing with the elements of the road, getting close to nature, enjoying the sights and smells of the great outdoors for 8-10 hours a day? After you have brought yourself back to the reason you are packing in the first place, you will now be able to purge a couple more unnecessary items and be ready to close your bag.
 
Now comes the fun part of packing for an 9 day trip in a 4 day bag. Actually getting the bag to close and zipping it up. I had once heard that Siegfried and Roy tried this trick in their act, but could never get it to work. Once you have made the 2 reductions in clothing, you will vow to not take one more thing out and will be determined to get that sucker zipped up at any cost. This is usually a 2 person job. One person needs to be the one to sit on the bag and compress all of the things in the bag that you think you need to take with you, and the other one is in charge of pulling the zipper to secure the bag. This can also be quite humorous. So if it is a lot of effort the first time around, remember that you have to do it 8 more times on an 9 day trip. But you will probably find that by day 3 you will be able to open up the zipper a mere 6 inches, put your arm in the bag, find whatever you want and pull it out without disturbing anything else in the bag.
 
I have obviously poked fun at how to pack for a motorcycle trip, but there is also a lot of truth to what I have said. If you are going to take more than a couple day trip on a motorcycle, you are going to have to change the ways that you would normally pack and wear clothes. Remember, think minimalist, "Being or providing a bare minimum of what is necessary." If you can grasp that train of thought, you will get by just fine. Especially if I am going to a cooler climate, I can easily get 2 days out of a shirt and socks, and usually 3 days out of a pair of jeans. This will cut the load on packing by a lot. Jeans take up a lot of room. Once you get on the road, you will be so excited to be doing what you are doing, you won't care how many days you have worn that shirt. Hope this helps you in packing for your next trip.
 
For the guys, my saddle bags consisted of the following for a 9 day trip in addition to what I was wearing: 2 pair of jeans, 4 long sleeve shirts, 2 short sleeve shirts to wear in the evenings, 10 pair of BVD’s, (1 extra pair in case a deer jumps out in front of me) 3 pair of socks, 1 pair of shorts, bathing suit, rain gear, sweat shirt, jacket, gloves, 14” laptop computer, a small bag for misc. chargers, etc. and an assortment of tools. This leaves just enough room for whatever evening refreshments you want to take with you. Since we always seem to pick up clothes at the dealership stops, this year we stopped on Day 3 and Day 6 at a local post office and shipped back dirty clothes to ourselves in medium flat rate boxes for $11.50 each. This really made our bags easier to manage.  
 
It all worked out great this year having our own bags without additional luggage to carry along. And yes Ladies, Mrs. C. did just fine with the amount of space allotted to her in her bags. We can’t wait to fill them up again and hit the road.
 
Costs:
I found out that filling up 2 bikes at the gas station on these long trips is definitely more costly than one. I have never really figured out the total cost before, but this year I put every gas stop and motel stop on my Amex Card to try and keep track. With 3500 traveled for each bike, the totals were:
Gas: $670
Motels: $1130. Our motel of choice is Best Western. 4 out of the 9 nights. These little towns do sock it to you in the summer for rooms.
Food, Drink, Misc: $550 (The motels usually had complimentary breakfasts)
Total: $2350 for 9 nights of lodging, food and 3500 miles riding 2 bikes.
 
Next week I will start with the first couple of days of this trip with editorial, maps and photos. If you missed the photos last week, Click Here. For inspiration, be sure to read last week’s newsletter. Click Here to read and forward to your riding buddies.
 

 
Tidbits and Updates:
 
**Would you like to do some research of some of our past rides? Try the Google Search for the Cyclerides.com Archives: If you remember something from a newsletter that you want to revisit but can’t remember the date of the newsletter, now you can use the new Google Search of the site. Just choose a “keyword” that is unique to the subject and click search. It will come up with all the newsletters that have that word in the letter. Click Here to give it a try. Or go to the Archives button on www.cyclerides.com.
 
**Dehydration is a big danger for all of us that ride right now. Be sure to know the warning signs of impending dehydration. Click Here to read my article on the signs of dehydration and how to combat it.
 
**FYI, we just switched from Sprint to Verizon for the 4G LTE service and the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone. The speed of the 4G is awesome and well worth the switch. I have had a 4G phone at Sprint for the last 2 years and had been promised 4G service that never came and is likely to be another year before we see it in Phoenix. Verizon has 4G now in 235 cities and a new family plan that is very competitive. The speed ROCKS and I am loving it! The Android Galaxy S3 phone is also everything that you will need and more. Very glad I switched.
 
***Since I sold my yellow Road Glide I now have an extra set of stretched bags that I was going to put on it. This is a brand new set of 4” stretched bags that have frenched in LED lights, are fully lined & padded including the lids and are painted vivid black. These would be an easy bolt on for anyone with a black Street Glide or Road Glide. Or you could easily paint to your color. If interested email me at info@cyclerides.com or talk with me at Westgate Bike Night. Click Here for photos.
 

Bike Nights
 
Every Tuesday Night
 
Mad Dog Saloon Tuesday Bike Night in Mesa. I am really excited about Mad Dog Saloon as it is a perfect stand alone bike night location with a huge patio. For those of you that live in the area you will recognize it as the former Salty Senorita’s. The patio is huge with an outdoor bar, the inside is huge as well with garage doors that open to the outside and TV’s everywhere you look. And plenty of motorcycle parking. There will be food and drink specials including $1.00 tacos on Tuesday’s. Mad Dog Saloon is located at 1860 S. Stapley, just 3/10 of a mile South of U.S. 60 on Stapley. Stop by and check it out. See you there for opening night on Tuesday, May 8th. Click Here for Details, Map and Photos of the Mad Dog Saloon.
 
This Week
 
Thursday, July 19th
Arrowhead Harley-Davidson is keeping Thursday Bike Night alive on the West side with a rotating bike night for the next few weeks which tonight, July 19th will be at the Tilted Kilt, 6:30 – 9 PM, located behind Hooter’s at 16840 N. 83rd Ave. in Peoria, just North of the dealership.
July 26th – Hooter’s, August 2nd will be People’s Choice.
* VIP Motorcycle Parking
* Arrowhead Harley Girls
* Door Prizes
* Food Specials
See flyer for details. Click Here.
 
Saturday, July 21st
Buddy Stubbs Anthem Hogs & Dogs. Buddy Stubbs Anthem H-D invites you to join them on July 21st from 11AM to 2PM for their scheduled Hogs & Dogs event! This month, in addition to FREE food and drinks, they welcome the expert trainers from T.E.A.M. Arizona for a special on-site class devoted to the art of cornering. Learn the secrets to getting the most out of each and every corner while riding your Harley-Davidson!! The FREE class begins at 12 PM and is a great opportunity to gain essential motorcycling skills or just brush up on those you may have forgotten. Registration is limited so please be sure to RSVP to marketing@buddystubbs.com. Buddy Stubbs Anthem H-D is located at 41715 N. 41st Drive, Anthem, AZ or on the web at www.anthemhd.com.
 
Saturday, July 21st
2nd Annual Ride for Children’s Laughter. Head North this weekend to get out of the heat and to help send seriously ill children to camp. Registration 10 AM at Eagle Rider in Flagstaff located at 800 W. Route 66. Stops at Mormon Lake Lodge, Cliff Castle Casino, Gold King Mine in Jerome and Mesa Grill at Sedona Airport. $25 Single, $15 Passenger. Fee includes entry to BBQ, Raffle and T-Shirt for first 100 register. Purchase Biker Bear for $20 and take a stuffed bear on your adventure! Biker Bear will then be sent to camp to give the healing power of laughter to a Camper Kid! Camp Soaring Eagle providing children with serious illnesses the chance to discover the healing power of laughter! For more information go to www.campsoaringeagle.org or watch their video at http://youtu.be/ZnDALD_nY2Y
 
Next Week
 
Friday. Jul. 27th - Sunday, Jul. 29th - Morman Lake, AZ.
21st Annual Too Broke for Sturgis. Hosted by ABATE of Arizona as our primary fund-raising event. Too Broke, is an Old School Biker Party. You can rest assured that the money raised goes to a great cause, fighting for your motorcycling freedoms. Everyone who attends is made to feel like family, even first timers. The 2011 event will be an ADULT ONLY party, attendees must be at least 18 years old to enter. Proof of age will be required, with or without an accompanying adult/guardian. You must be at least 21 years old to drink alcohol on premise. Just like the last seven Too Broke celebrations, we'll be under the stars and beneath the pines in the cool North country of Arizona. What better way to beat the heat of the Valley in July. Too Broke for Sturgis is held at the Mormon Lake Lodge Campground and Arena. The area offers shade, camping with hot showers available, first-class biker entertainment, an assortment of vendors and awesome scenery. The Saturday Poker Run will take you on a tour of that awesome scenery! Live Music featuring Cell Phone Cowboys Friday and Saturday nights. And don't forget about the Miss Too Broke Contest, Tattoo Contest, Poker Walk, Bike Games, Wet Tee-Shirt Contest. Too Broke is just an all-around great old school biker party. $30 for weekend pass, $20 for Saturday pass. Abate members get $5 off for the weekend pass. www.toobrokeforsturgis.com
 
Saturday, July 28th
Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson Hogs & Dogs. Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson helps you battle the AZ heat in July with a Cooling Clinic during their monthly Hogs & Dogs! Join them on Saturday, July 28th, from 11AM to 2PM for FREE food, drinks, live music, a bikini bike wash and museum tours hosted by none other than Buddy! The Cooling Clinic will be the second installment in their popular Educational Clinic Series taking place throughout the summer months. Their trained H-D personnel will provide tips and tricks as well as showcase great H-D products that are designed to help you stay cool while riding in that Arizona summer heat. Please RSVP early to reserve your space! Don't miss this summertime escape at Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson! Contact marketing@buddystubbs.com to RSVP for this fresh, new clinic. Buddy Stubbs AZ H-D is located at 13850 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ.  You can also check them out on the web at www.buddystubbshd.com
 
Extras

Mid Week Updates will be made on the Cyclerides.com Facebook. New Easy to remember Facebook address. Go to Cyclerides.com Facebook. Over 3900 FANS! Take a look at all the new photos posted on the wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the page, but you will not be able to post. There will be a link there for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE button!

These guys went to the extreme for a practical joke on a guy leaving early from work to play golf. Funny stuff. Click Here to View

This is one of the more unique and funny car ads ever. Click Here to Listen.
 
Video of the Week: This is one of the best 4 minutes of HD action video that I have ever seen. Some amazing video of landscape and stunts. Click Here to View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the page.
 
If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly Update Click Here.

Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To All,

Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com

All information in this newsletter is
Copyright © 2012 BDC Products, LLC.
Information may be used only with permission.
All rights reserved.