See the last post below.
A great report on keeping your bike on the road.

Take half as many clothes and twice as much money as you think you'll need. (That couldn't be more true)

This was submitted by someone way more organized than I am. I'm usually trying to figure out what I am forgetting the night before I leave. Click Here for a .pdf checklist of things to take.

Duct tape, a short piece of bailing wire, Small Vice Grips (I broke a clutch cable once and used the vice grips to grip the cable and work the clutch for 300 miles), Leatherman tool, Band aids, Water Bottle, A small tube of #2 Permatex (the hard setting type) will keep a sparkplug in place if there is any threads at all in the heads.

I always have a spare pair of plugs, a small tool kit, a small 30-psi pump, a pint of gas, a face mask, Gortex rain gear and water-proof gloves, minimum. The Gortex doubles as wind gear. I also always wear a helmet, a jacket (perf or solid leather) and waterproof boots with wool socks. If my hands and feet are warm, I'm good to go. Otherwise, 3 sets of skivvies, 3 T's, an extra pair of jeans and socks are in the T-bag. And in this arid climate, always water, typically 3 pints per person, in refillable bottles.

When ever i pack the bike for a trip, whether it be just a day cruise around the valley or a short hop over to Vegas or San Diego for the weekend I always pack the following items. 1. My tool kit for those little emergencies (MIne or a fellow biker along the road.) 2. Frozen bottles of water.I wrap them in towels and they stay cold all day long. 3. Cell phone and charger. (i purchased one of those battery operated charges that uses AA batteries.) it works well and has several adapters so I have been able to help out others when they need an emergency chare or just enough to make a quick call. 4. extra AA batteries for the Charger and digital camera. 5. digital camera. 6. Extra day and night glasses 7. Gloves , a long sleeved shirt, hoodie or a light jacket as needed. 8. Lip balm and sun screen 9. Waterless hand sanitizer 10. a small first aid kit 11. flashlight 12. spare light bulbs(headlamp and turn signal) 13. spare spark plugs. ( I have never had to use them but have given them to guys in need on several ocaissions.) That's about it for the usual items, unless it is a prolonged trip then of course the list gets much longer. I like you ride a Bagger and am thankful for the extra storage space and use it to the limit on long road trips.

Raingear (his and hers), an assortment of the small chemical toe and hand warmers, at least two sets of gloves (heavy and light), and maybe a waterproof set, wool tube for neck and face, assortment of bungie cords, cable lock, M/C jumper cords, tool kit, flat repair kit, assortment of dusting and cleaning rags, small first aid kit, registration, insurance and roadside assistance paperwork, small flashlight, small atlas, Leatherman multi-tool (the only tool I have ever needed), water, energy bars.

a couple extra bucks (a 20 or two) and a few quarters...NEVER KNOW when that is the most needed thing! LOL. Sstash it away in the bottom of the (rarely opened section of your bags) so its ALWAYS there, for those (ops, forgot my wallet, or ops, i left my wallet at the last stop gig's)

I always pack a small air compresser (availible at a bicycle shop plugs into cigarette lighter which is easily installed, plug kit and small tool pouch, if traveling some distance I put a soft sided cooler in my tour back with some food, powerade and for me a few beers. Not for everyone I know but that's just me. I pack light so a change of socks and a tooth brush is all I need.

As we were traveling south from Flagstaff to Phx last summer on my Springer. We pulled over and bought two cheap plastic ponchos cause we saw rain squalls south of us . We put them on and continued . Cruising in light rain about 60 mph my poncho blew up and over my head . For what seemed like forever I was driving blind . We were lucky we didn’t drive off the highway. You get what you pay for. Cheap ponchos should never be used .

Always in my saddlebag: Fix-a-Flat, Tools, (basic multi-tool, set of Allen (hex) & Torx wrenches, pliers, a couple wrenches), jumper cables, wire, duct tape, zipp ties, utility knife, flash light, extra sunglasses, sunblock (at least SPF 15), chapstick, Baby Wipes (travel pack) clean your hands after applying sunblock, clean you grips, and wipe up whatever. Saline solution, in case you or someone gets something in the eye.

AZ summer riding: white longsleeve T, sunblock (at least SPF30), lite colored skull cap, water. Over-nights & longer: Rain Gators, Rain Suit, extra gloves, chaps, sweats (to wear while you do your laundry, or when it's real cold), Full face Helmet. Optional -I carry a 1.25 gallon plastic gas jug. (used it lots of time, & not always for me), Camera, GPS, T-bag (empty when you leave, full by the time you get home), but there's always UPS.

Twice last year I had friends break down with Evo electrical problems. I carry a 2 foot piece of electrical wire in my tool kit that I used to make temporary repairs to their electrical wiring. That and a Leatherman made the difference between stranded and on the road again.

1. toilet paper 2. oil 3. flashlight 4. extra keys for your bike (let someone else carry them, and you carry theirs.

Last year, my wife and I made our annual trip from Sac to Sturgis, 15 days, 4212 miles. We pretty much pack the same way for all long trips. We have a '03 Road King Classic with a tour pack and soft pack attached on top. 3 days of clothing changes. Jean Jackets & Sweat Shirts, Tennis shoes/sandals & swim suits, Rain Gear, Toiletries, Sun block [lots], First aid kit, spare spark plugs and 1 quart of oil, roll up tool kit [not on the forks. Damaged my front fender going through Yellowstone], 1 canister of tire inflatable/repair, Maps with locations of HD dealers noted, Cell phone & Blackberry + 1 road atlas.

Bike: Tire Pressure Gauge, Spray Cleaner / Wax for “quick” clean-up of chrome/paint, Small Soft Towel for clean-ups, (2) Mechanic Rags, (1) Quart Oil, (4) Spark Plugs, Gap Tool (you never know), Spark Plug Swivel Socket (so you don’t scratch your tank), Rubber Spark Plug “hose” holder, Basic Tools; 4 in 1 Screw Driver, Cresent Wrench, Small Vise Grips, Pliers, Small Socket Set with Basics, (2) Headlight Bulbs, (2) Taillight Bulbs (if you don’t need them someone will), Small Flashlight, Small Syphon Hose (yeh, it’s happened), Torch Lighter or Cigar Lighter with windproof flame, Ty-Wraps, Electrical Tape, Road Flare. You: (1) Shades & (2) Night Glasses with cases, Riding Gloves, Mechanic Gloves for repair, Leather Jacket, Leather Vest, (2) Bandanas, Sun Screen, Chap Stick, Thermal Water Jug, Pack of Gum, (4) Quarters (don’t ask but I needed them a few times), Phone Charger with DC Adapter!!! So you can plug into bike!! Spare Phone Battery & DON’T FORGET TO FULLY CHARGE, Compass.

My favorite item for male or female is an oversized cotton kerchief. It has so many uses, for the non-helmet rider, it can cover your head to protect long hair, protection when the rain is pelting your face, protect your face from wind chill, or on the other hand, protect your face from the sun, either as a bandana for your forhead or over your nose and mouth like a bandit. You can wet it down and place it around your neck or face for cooling and so much more.

Peace of mind: Knowing my bike's road-ready. Having it serviced and getting the nod from the techs. It can be dangerous enough out there without being concerned that I'm gonna have a mechanical. Chargers! (1) A generic USB plug-in recharger for the Sony mp3 player (above). Three minutes in the charger restores 3 hours of listening on my player. So even if I de-juiced all 13 hours, I could plug it in at a gas station while filling up, and have enough listening to get on down the road to the next gas station. (2) Cell phone recharger. Whatta drag to remember your phone and not have a way to charge it on a trip! Sugarless bubble gum. Face it: smoking while riding gets you or your clothing burned. And how does one spit, at 75mph, with a lip-ful of Skoal? Not easily. I like the gum. Gotta have it. Gear for the elements, i.e. gloves for warmth or dryness or both, etc. That involves checking the weather and routhing ahead of time. So the buzzword here is preplanning.

All these items I picked up at the dollar store.. Basic first-aid kit, salt tablets, sun screen, 2 “rags” /old bandanas / skull caps, work gloves, extra sunglasses, Couple of bungie cords, Small roll of duct tape, A few 6” zip-ties, Tire plug kit (mushroom style), Small air compressor, Extra fuses, A foot of #12 electrical wire, 2 road flares.

Lately, I have found it helpful to pack a small tube of bee sting medication. Seems that lately I have had a large amount of insects fly into my jacket through the collar and sting the hell out of me. Now that the weather is getting warmer, you can count on agressive flying bugs. Last year around mid April, 4 of us were riding from Wickenburg to Prescott. Around Yarnell, I had something fly down my back and sting me six times before I could get off the highway to strip. The rest of my group arrived to see me shedding my clothes like a nyphomanic. As I look back it must have looked pretty funny to them because we all have a laugh over that when we talk about it now. But it was pretty uncomfortable when it happened.

Here is what I have learned over the last 20”+” years of riding. 1) Carry a small tool kit (Harley has one that rolls to about 2 ½” in dia. and about 6”-7” long, but you will need to add 1 larger Torx bit to it and get a set of Allen wrenches). Don’t bother with the “modo” big tool kits, because in reality 90% of the people are not going to change pistons or something like that on the road anyhow. Get the “Road America “ roadside assistance for $28 - $35 a year (or some variant from your insurance company) and let them worry about big stuff. You need to tool kit to tighten loose parts, change / check a plug/s (if needed) and stuff like that. 2) Always have a flashlight (a Mag light that uses 2 AA batteries works perfect). It’s small and gives enough light to see what you need to see on the bike at night. 3) Always have a small knife (folding lock blade) to trim / cut leather or trim wires if needed. 3 ½ “ to 4” (or down to 1 ½” is perfect) any bigger is too big to use for the bike and might also get you into trouble if stopped by the police. 4) If you are going on a trip that is in the mountains or a long way from home, bring a rain suit. This can also double as some warm gear if you do not have a jacket and chaps and get caught in a clod weather situation and have to ride on. 5) SUNSREEN of some sort with at least a 30 “+” SPF rating!!!!! Keep a 4 to 6 oz tube on your bike at all times. 6) Some type of eye protection to allow you to see properly in the day or night. If you do not wear a helmet and wear sunglasses, make sure (if there is a remote possibility you may be driving in the dark) that you have some type of glasses that you can wear at night that are clear or at the most very lightly tinted. If you wear a helmet and have a dark shield on it, put a clear shield on a wear sun glasses under it in the day or bring a clear pair to put on underneath at night incase you need to open the visor at night to see while you are driving. 7) At least 1 bungee cord and when on a trip 2 or 3. 8) Cold weather: Remember it’s always easier to take off layers when you are warm and bungee them on!! When you are cold and didn’t think you would need the jacket, shirt, etc. you bought the last time, you are left with two choices while riding 1) get even colder or 2) add to your collection of jackets and shirt in the closet. You know, the ones you look at in the closet and remember having to buy because you (or your partner if with you) thought you would be warm enough when you started the ride and soon found out different. 9) Think about what you will really need or not need on the trip. If you are going to someone’s house / resort etc. for more than 2 – 3 days wash cloths there! You will more than likely buy something there anyhow and have more to bring back. Which leads me to the next thing, if you are going on a long trip (or short trip to a show or something) and know you “might” be getting things there or along they way. Think of how you are gong to transport them or get them back BEFORE you leave!

I’m sure you already have the “must have” items such as: Quart of Oil, Spare bottle of water in case you get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, Tool kit, Flashlight, Flares, Rain gear, Heavy gloves, Bungy cords, Sun screen, Extra jacket, Spare pair of glasses, Spare nuts and fasteners, Tow Card we use the HOG Roadside Assistance Service, Cell phone, Multi function knife/tool, Also, we carry iPods so we have a small portable docking station for music and recharging when we stop for the night, Small bag of trail mix.

A few things I found helpful: Small bottles to put you shampoo, ect into. 1 comfortable pair of shoes. Sun Block lotion. Hand Sanitizer/cleaner (good when you use a leaky gas pump) Tools: Siphion hose (I have helped more than one with this), plastic ties, small bare wire, adjustable wrench, electrical tape (needs to be replaced after every summer), Toolman (or whatever that knife is called with all the stuff on it), Red rag (for help), I usually have lots of other tools in a tool kit I put together to help people along the road but I have more than I usually need (wrenches, screwdrivers, torx and allen wrenches, flashlights, solar blankets, cleaner & rags (been in dust storms and rain) extra spark plugs and wrench, pliers, small jumper cables, tire repair kit, tire gauge to name all I can rember for now.)

1 thing we always pack with us on bike rides, is hard candy- especially sugar free mints that we buy at Walmart for $1. We find it helps keep u'r mouth wet and helps on longer rides between water stops!! Also if u have a bakseeter, we carry a spray mister bottle of water to help keep u cool! We always carry beer/beverage coozies to help keep u'r drinks a little cooler longer!

You had asked what sort of things people bring with them on a trip. Besides a tool kit, I try to keep a fresh bottle of water, sunblock and chapstick in my saddlebags. Also, I've been caught a few times with very little cash while sitting in front of a gas pump that has a broken credit card reader, so I keep a $10 or $20 bill snuggled off to the side of my bag in an envelope. I don't need these things often, but when I do, WHEW, what a relief! On a bike, $20 can nearly get ya' across the entire state.

I ride 20k a year and all through the winter in Kingman. Granted have a bagger but I carry these on my '82 FXRS as well: FLUKE model 77 voltmeter, Tire plug kit and CO2 it takes 4 cartrages to fill a bagger tire. Wire, electrical tape and terminals. Small assortment of fasteners. Spare plugs, Spare oil.

One item to pack for a trip are Baby wipes. They are very convenient if you are going on a long trip. How many times have you got off your bike and your face looked like a raccoon ?

Two things that I have observed that people don't often think off are: 1. A small water proof first aid kit. You can buy them at a boat store. 2. A useful tool kit.(and I don't mean the small Harley kits) Putting together a kit with things like; tie wire, fix a flat, two small allen wrench sets(sae & metric), a couple of rags, a small pin light flashlight w/extra batteries, adjustable jaw wrench, the breakable glow lights & small tube of lock tight. I have used these two items helping other people out, but I' m sure content knowing that these items are within my reach. A couple of things that I carry on for my Road Glide Barry are an extra spring clip that holds the saddle bag on & an extra bolt that holds the spring clip bracket on. I lost one of these mountings on the way to Durango & had to bungee my saddle bags.

Got Tools? Repairing motorcycles used to be thought of as a relatively simple affair. Nowadays, motorcycles are becoming complex enough that they require ever more specialized tools. Few riders today carry even basic hand tools. Whether this is from a lack of knowledge or a lack of confidence in their own ability to fix things, it is something that every biker should consider changing for his or her own peace of mind. Back in the days when I first started to ride, we made do with things to keep our bikes running that no one today would ever consider. Did you know that not only could you file ignition points with the striking strip on a matchbook, but a double thickness of the matchbook itself could be used to gap the sparkplugs? Those days are long gone, and with the modern motorcycles that most of us ride now, few people even remember how hard it was to keep your scoot running even around town, much less for a road trip. Nonetheless, even our modern bikes sometimes break, and I want to share some of the things you can carry that, with some basic mechanical skills, will get you riding again instead of standing alongside the road waiting for that tow truck. You may think that around town, you do not need anything other than your cell phone. If your bike breaks, you just call the dealer or HOG Roadside Assistance and someone will come rescue you. For the most part, you are correct. That strategy will work and all you will be out is some time, since it will likely take at least a couple of hours for them to get to you, and in the worst case, it might be even longer. If what has broken is something major and way beyond your skills or ability to fix, that is likely your only choice and so, the first thing on the list for everyone should be that cell phone. Also on your list, however, should be a multi-tool such as a Leatherman and a pocket knife. These are items that you should carry ALL THE TIME. You can fix broken wires, tighten loose screws, nuts or bolts, and even remove, clean and replace a sparkplug with these basic tools. You should also carry a tire gauge. I know you have been preached to about checking your tire pressure before every ride, but I also know that you don’t always do it. If you pull in your local gas station and notice that your front tire is a little low, don’t count on the accuracy of that gauge attached to the 50¢ tire pump to fill your tire to the correct pressure. BASIC LIST (All the time) 1. Cell Phone 2. Tire Gauge 3. Multi-Tool (Leatherman) 4. Knife Now we get down to more of what I want to share with you, and that is the tools that can keep you moving down the road when on your road trip, instead of standing on the shoulder staring at a cell phone which is glaring back at you with the words “No Service” on the front of it. This list of tools is what I carry, and it may seem like a lot, but it fits in a canvas pouch that is only about 6” by 6” by 12”. That is not much room in a saddle bag or a back pack, and if you are on the road, you certainly should have that much room somewhere. If you have to, leave out the sandals and Bermuda shorts. You don’t want to look like a yuppie, anyway, do you? Feel free to modify this list to suit your own needs, certainly substituting something or adding something specialized for your own bike, is your decision. I am certainly not going to dictate this as the ultimate possible tool kit, but I can say that this assortment has let me get back on the road and riding more than once. ADVANCED LIST (Road Trip) 1. Basic List Items (What, you forgot already?) a. Cell Phone b. Tire Gauge c. Multi-Tool (Leatherman) d. Knife 2. Adjustable Wrench (Crescent) 8” or 10” 3. Combination Wrenches (Box/Open End) a. 5/16" - 3/4" b. 10 mm - 15mm 4. 3/8” and 1/4” Drive Ratchet and Extensions 5. Socket Wrenches [Some should be deep sockets, e.g., your sparkplug size] (you do know what size that is, don’t you?) a. 5/16" - 13/16” and 10mm. 6. Torx (Star) Wrenches (Can be stand-alone, I carry Torx sockets to fit ratchets.) a. 10, 15, 20, 25, 27, 30, 40, 45, 47, 50, 55, 60. 7. Set of Allen or Hex Wrenches (I only carry an SAE set, since I have never found a need for Metric, but if you think your bike has metric Allen screws, carry both.) 8. Screwdrivers: a. 8” Phillips and Straight, 4" Straight, 9. Pliers: a. 8” ChannelLock, b. 6” Needle nose, c. 5” Diagonal Cutter, d. 8” Vise Grip, e. 6” Needle nose Vise Grip. 10. Flashlight 11. Electrical Tape 12. Mechanic’s/Baling Wire 13. 14 ga. Electrical Wire 14. Thread locker (Loctite) Blue/Red 15. Nylon Wire Ties I hope none of you ever need any of these tools, but since I know from experience that you likely will at some point, putting this basic tool kit together will help you get on down the road when that day comes. Article Courtesy of Bob Johnson