mmoffitt
-
Posts
138 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Store
Everything posted by mmoffitt
-
Sometimes you have no choice...I'm in the military and when you have to move every few years you just don't have enough drivers to take all the vehicles across country...makes more sense (though not as enjoyable) to trailer the bike... This is also my biggest fear...so I don't trailer it unless I HAVE to...With only a 30 inch inseam I have to be careful no matter how I handle it...
-
Steve, I was glad the wife had set up a auto "over draft" on the account. It pulled from the credit card what it needed and we caught it the next day and was able to transfer out of the savings to get back to a comfortable level...so nothing bounced...Other than the fact that I don't like to EVER bounce a check or payment, it can have a negative impact on my career (active military)...so it is something I try to keep a close eye on...
-
The Bad this week: Wife rear-ended in daughter's car (sore neck) Accidentally paid off credit card (-$3500) (clicked pay balance instead of make payment) Car broken in to (iPad stolen/window broken) The good this week: No damage to daughter's car Less debt No one hurt when wife's car was broken in to All in all, they were just possessions...we still have our health and faith, but are glad that the series of three's is done! Hopefully we are in for some good luck now!
-
That's what we are planning. We were hoping maybe you and Bobby could meet us at some point and ride for alittle while. Maybe from St Louis, MO back home??? We will see how the dates match up and what's going on...probably would be around early/mid June. Mike
-
Ranger, I like your setup! It is a lot, but if your bike pulls it and if you use it all then that's what you need...As for your daily routine, this is almost exactly how I saw our trip going...which is why I tried to plan the days for around 300 miles or less...Some have said that it's a little too many miles for more than a couple of days in a row and they may be totally right, but we are still relatively young and hoping to bear it well. We will see but we won't be in a huge hurry, so if we need to rest a day or stop early, then we will... For all of your traveling cross country, do you look up camping spots a head of time or just play it by ear and find something when you are needing to stop? Mike
-
Charlie, I'm def going to get the seat mod done. For one thing I want to get a little lower to the ground. And although the seat is already a ton more comfortable (especially for the wife), we don't ride enough or long enough to build up iron butts...so we will get the mod done before the trip! Walley, Only 2 shirts and Underwear for a 10 day ride? I want to pack light but seems I might want a couple more than that...we will prob stay in a couple of hotels along the way to recover a little (better night sleep) and to shower...so I was hoping to wash clothes a few times but not sure if on 2 sets would be enough...LOL Mike
-
Great advice guys! I appreciate all of the info you have given me so far! I do plan to take a couple of test rides with the trailer and will try to fit in some long rides before heading out. I'm thinking I need to get some "compact" camping gear...my trailers is good size but I want to keep the weight down and I need to find some small camp chairs like Dave recommended, etc. I might look into the transceiver, that sounds like a interesting idea...I'm looking forward to the adventure and the learning experience. Mike
-
Wally, Thanks for the reply. I will be using a GPS. I have a Garmin but can't remember the model right now... I've got it mapped out for about 10 days total for the route I've got but I'm trying to schedule it so that I have plenty of time and if we want to stop more along the way we can. My wife is a professional photographer, so I'm sure there will be LOTS of pictures taken. In addition, I'd like to start up a blog or something so that we can post our experience as we go...posting pics and end of day reports as we go (if we can find internet). We plan to do a mix of camping and "cheap" motels...mom and pop places would be good...a VR members back yard would work great...we are looking forward to the adventure of it and trying to not spend a fortune. Wife and I are both in late 30s so we are telling ourselves we are still young enough to survive many hours in the saddle, sleeping on the ground, etc. Only time will tell! BTW, I think you forgot the link for your photography site...
-
Longest rides I've taken in the past have been 3-4 day trips with my dad and brother, sleeping at rest stops on the side of the road when ever we got tired. Since I've got the RSV now, I want to take a "real" trip...I'm thinking about hitting eastern 1/2 of Route 66. Wife and I (2up) will head out from Colorado Springs and ride to Chicago. Then hit Route 66 and take it back down. I'll spend some time in OK with the family, then head back to Colorado Springs splitting off in NM. That will cover the east half...I'll hit the western half maybe later in the year or next year. Here's the map I plan to take: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&safe=on&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=217067729114273134767.000498d3e23585862bb97&t=h&z=6> This will be my first long trip and my first time pulling a trailer (cargo, not camper)... Couple of questions: 1. Any good motorcycle mapping programs? Google maps is okay but hard to get it to put me on scenic routes or specific highways (without a lot of work)... 2. Good rain gear that won't break the bank? 3. Suggestions on what not to take or what I MUST remember to take? 4. Any other suggestions for my first long run? Thanks! BTW: I would love to meet up with anyone that lives along our route that wants to visit or tag along for part of the ride! I know I'm new around here but it would be nice to meet some of you guys!
-
Dad got me a pair of red Windblocks to keep my knees warm! Of course I did send him the link from this site and "recommend" them for him...oh wait, he just switched to a GW, guess he didn't need them anymore, but he took the hint!
-
Hunter, I'm not sure you understand where dad lives...there is one road to get in (without going 45 minutes out of the way and all dirt) and even that road isn't all pavement! Serves him right for trying to skip out on work like that!!! Love ya dad! Mike
-
Glad to see there are many out there still willing to open their doors...I grew up in the country and we never locked our doors...a few years after I moved out, dad got hit a couple of times by thieves...I'm sure they were teenagers that knew no one locked their doors in that area, but was still a sad time...I just wish no one had to worry about those that are dishonest out there! I would be happy to host anyone driving through Colorado Springs that needs a place to lay their heads...I've updated my VR Assistance to reflect just that...Thanks to EVERYONE for the HONEST feedback to me on this... Mike
-
Anyone live close to Colorado Springs that do their own tires? I'll need to put a new set on before the next riding season and would rather pay a member here to do it than the dealer or someone I don't know...If no one does their own, anyone got a suggestion for someone you've used that did a good job and didn't charge too much? thanks!
-
I know where you are coming from but I try to think of it optimistically. It's kind of like camping...you leave for hike but don't take you tent and stuff with you...I've always kind of thought that GENERALLY speaking, people of like minds have a respect for each other's property...I never worry about leaving my helmet on the bike at a rally...So I think people who are on this board and like to ride would not take advantage of someone else's hospitality...not only would they be ostersized here, I just don't think they would do it...
-
Thanks for all the replies guys! I figured that was the case and that many had or would open their doors to visitors...The motorcycle travel network that Bryan posted was similar to what I had in mind...If I were more computer savvy I would build a site that had a map to the US and automatically plotted all users that offered hosting. Then you could click on a state and it would zoom in and show all the locations in that state. Then you could plan your route around your stops... Google maps might already provide the functionality...if it allow you to plot multiple points, then we could create an account with a user name and password that all members here would have access too...then you could log in and create maps for your rides that would be accessible to everyone on this site... I know we can all do that now individually but a common account would consolidate all rides and members in one place...not sure if it would work or not...
-
Although I've been riding for many years, I haven't done many "long" trips on the bike and the ones I did do was with my dad and brother...we just stopped at rest stops and slept on the ground for the night. Now that I've got a real touring bike, the wife and I are wanting to do more trips...Since I'm new to this site and to this kind of traveling I had an idea but not sure if it's been tried, being done currently, or just stupid... How many would be interested (or maybe you are currently doing it) with opening your house to traveling bikers? I'm thinking of the money we could save on a 5 day trip if we had a "host family" we stayed with at each of our stops...Would also be able to meet new people and make new friends. What I was thinking was you just post your route along with days of travel, then anyone within about a 30-50 mile of each stop could volunteer their home...We could even have a list of "host families" with locations so people could plan their trips with those stops in mind... What do you guys think? Would something like this work?
-
I had a feeling I was making the wrong choice, but I was feeling guilty...I just bought her a couple of months ago and hadn't given her a good bath yet...I just can't believe that it's the middle of December and we are still have 65 degree days here in Colorado!
-
So it was about 65 degrees today and work midnight shift tonight...so that means I was up and around during the day...Had to make a decision...go for a ride or spend a couple of hours washing and waxing it up for winter storage...I decided to go for the wash and wax since I didn't know how many more days like today I'd have...of course when I was done I sure wished I had time to go for a ride...now I don't know if I made the right decision! But she DOES look pretty now!
-
Dad, Looks like I might be pulling it home for Christmas....I'm trying to find a hitch to put on Kerri's SUV, finish the lights, etc. She has gotten too many presents to put in the back of the SUV and we don't want to drive the truck if we don't have to...so it will be a good way to test it out without the danger of testing it on the back of the bike...If all works out, you will get to see it in a week or so! Mike :sleigh:
-
Thanks! I thought that back of the seat looked a little bare, so I painted on it...still needs a little something on the left of the words, but I'll figure it out...
-
someone else suggested getting 5 spoke wheels...where would I find some that fit this trailer? Any ideas?
-
Here's the results of today's work. I'm just about done. I still need a way to latch/lock the doors and add lights. I coated the entire thing with a couple of coats of preservative to seal/protect the wood. I took the pictures before that but it darkened the wood up nicely...I'll have to get another pic after it's light again. For those that were not seeing where I was going with this project, hopefully you can now see what I had envisioned. My thoughts were to mix history with current day. Wagons were pulled by horses and motorcycles are sometimes called an "iron horse"...mostly I just wanted it to be different from everyone else's.
-
I was going to use old fence boards but I couldn't find anyone giving them away and it was $22 to get as many new ones as I needed. So I figured this way I didn't have to worry about rot and warping as much. Do you guys think I should sand it down or leave it rustic? I'm pretty sure there wasn't much sanding done on the original horse drawn wagons but I'm not sure...
-
Got some more time in the Garage to work on my trailer. Check out the pictures. Still got more I need to do, but I did make some good progress. Trying to figure out the best way to latch/lock the lids so that they are pulled down tight against the weather stripping I hope to put in there to help seal it tight. Once it's all done, I plan to spray it 5 or 6 times with some Thompson's or something similar. Suggestions, recommendations and observations always welcome!
-
Thanks for the video. I reposted to my facebook page and home my kids and neices and nephews watch it.
