Riding up to Edmonton for Monday, help me pack

[BCFZRider]

I'm planning on riding up to Edmonton starting Saturday, stopping in Kamloops, and probably trying to make the run to Edmonton on Sunday.

I'm debating switching my front tire from a Michelin Pilot Race to the stock Dunlop Sportmaxx ... thoughts on that? I've got a Michelin Pilot Road on the back.


I just picked up some soft pans, and I will have an asolo backpack as well.

I'm going to hunt for some waterproof bags tomorrow to stuff some basic gear in, but I'd like to have some hints on the best stuff you've found for carrying on an extended trip.. I'll probably want a battery op pump, plug repair kit, ..., ..., I'm drawing a blank.

What are the most common tools I should carry with the bike? I just bought it a week or so ago, so I haven't had a chance to get to know the nut sizes etc. I want to keep the weight down but I want to be prepared, I plan on riding to Edmonton and then back down south through Calgary and maybe into the States.

Cheers,
Ian

 

[lonesoldier84]

epic.

give me a call when ur in edmonton if u need anything. 780-340-3700

as for what to pack might get some ideas from here

AOW Listing

 

[lonesoldier84]

rofl, pack this in your fanny pack!!!

10 in. Channelock pliers
6 in. Channelock pliers
6 in. needle nose pliers
5 in. flush cutting wire cutters
5 in. wire strippers
6 in. locking surgical forceps
4 in. 1/8 flat blade screwdriver
4 1/2 3/16 flat blade screwdriver
4 in. 00 Phillips screwdriver
6 in. #1 Phillips screwdriver
7 1/2 in. #2 Phillips screwdriver
7 1/2 in. 1/4 in. flat screwdriver
Xcelite four way driver
Magnet, general use, small
6 in. Crescent Wrench
Short 1/2 - 9/16 in. open end wrench
M 10 X M 11 open end wrench
M 12 X M 14 open end wrench
M 10 X M 11 box end wrench
M 12 X M 14 box end wrench
M 17 X M 19 box end wrench
MAC combination six point Flex Box End/Open End, M 10, M 12, M 14, M 17 wrenches
4 oz. ball pien hammer, with handle shortened to 7 in.
M 5 hex key - short arm
M 6 hex key - short arm
M 5 Ball end hex key - "T" handle - 8 in.
Machinist's scribe, self storing point
6 Straight edge razor blades
6 C.C. tube of Locktite
6 Oz. tube of RTV clear silicone sealer
Two Tube 5 Minute Epoxy
Zip-lock bag of Anti-Seize Compound
Zip-lock bag of rear spline lube, Honda 60% moly paste (for rear tire change)
The two above items stored in 35 MM film containers, clean, dry, protected!
Top quality padlock - with keys
2 spare electric vest wire connectors - wired
12 feet of two conductor electric wire
35-40 small zip ties - 3 1/2 in.
12 medium zip ties - 8 in.
8 in. Tire Iron
6 electricians tapes, roll ends only, very easy to carry/use
12 Pre-Packaged alcohol wipes, for general clean-up
6 Pre-packaged "Handy-Towels" for your hands, etc.
clean up towels, terrycloth

ALL - Snap-On, Craftsman, Mac, Xelite, etc., PROFESSIONAL TOOLS!

Not In The Above Kit:

Stock ST1100A Honda Tool-kit
siphon hose, 5 /16 in. I.D., 6 feet long
1/4 in. Nylon rope, 15 feet long
12 in. Crescent Wrench
M 5, M 6 long arm, ball end hex drivers
Spare fuses for "EVERYTHING"
Re-chargable, 2-D Cell flashlight
AA cell Maglight, on neck lanyard, for walking bonuses/back-up
Two AAA cell Maglights
Eye glass repair kit
Sewing kit
Safety pins
Lensatic, Engineer Compass
2 Magnifying glasses, 2X, and 5X
Small mirror
Swiss Army Knife
Wavetek, DM78A Digital Multimeter
Digital tire gauge
Spare keys for "everything"
6 new Micro-Point ball point pens
MANY spare batteries for flashlights, clock/timers, shaver, Screaming-Meanies!
Buck TITANIUM locking blade knife, 3 3/4 in. blade
Spare headlight, driving light, license plate, and other bulbs
Spare throttle cables

 

[geetarhero]

RAIN GEAR

this last week has been torrential. its brutal out here, funnel clouds and severe thunderstorms all over. while your in AB you should check out the Calgary stampede. the most fun. ever. for one week drinking at 10am, country music are fair game. the local moto is "its not cheatin, its stampedin!"

lots of good entertainment

 

[BCFZRider]

Here's the route I have planned, I'll be meeting up with my Dad in Edmonton on Monday and riding back with him

from:chilliwack bc to:Hwy 5 N/Hwy 5A N to:kamloops bc to:jasper ab to:edmonton ab to:calgary ab to:Vernon BC to:chilliwack bc - Google Maps


Any recommendation on a place to stay near Jasper?

 

[BCFZRider]

Nice to see another dubber on this forum as well. I have a '99.5 modded TDI and a '91 GTI 16v.

 

[geetarhero]

SICK! I love the TDI's.
I work with a guy who has bolted the hell out of it and that thing sucks your eyeballs out of your head when he stomps on it!
love the MKIIs, used to have a couple but decided I needed something less rusty and more reliable for winter

 

[BCFZRider]

Yeah, not to get too far off but before I bought the fizzer, the GTI was my caged sportbike. As soon as I passed my MST the damn thing spun a bearing in a fit of jealousy. Now I laugh at the power the 16v put out... but the 320 ft-lb of my TDI is still nice for when I HAVE to drive...

 

[greenthumb]

Any recommendation on a place to stay near Jasper?

i live here miette guest house - Google Search
i dont own it, but its clean and way cheaper than hotels

another tip; north of kamloops, you wont see an cops other than 10 min either side of the 2-3 bigger towns

as far as what to pack. leatherman, chain lube, rain gear (its suppoed to be hot and sunny though), and something to clean the bugs off the visor

 

[BCFZRider]

Ok Here's what I've got for filling up with gear...

JR Manta Magnetic Tank Bag:
-Iphone
-Headphones
-USB->12v charger
-Wallet
-Waterbottle
-Sunscreen
-glass cleaner + mf cloth


Buffalo Soft Paniers
- Slime Tire Repair + Compressor (bought for the compressor, slime...bleh)
- Tire Plug Kit
- Tire Gauge
- Basic Tool Set
- Lighters
- Newspaper
- 4x8 Tarp


Waterproof Sea Bag (4Gal)



Editing this list as I go...

 

[steveindenmark]

Totally agree with RAIN GEAR, it is always the first thing I pack.

My packing list for my 1000 miler was.

Rain gear
Credit card
Vehicle recovery card
Thermos for coffee
Sleeping bag

That was it.

You don`t need anything special or loads of gear, you are not going around the world. Make it very simple.

Steve

 

[BCFZRider]

Bit of an update on my travels,

Rode to Kamloops on Saturday, hot, dry, and the coq was reasonably uncluttered with traffic. I elected not to take the #1 just to see how the bike was on a more populated highway before venturing out into the interior.

Sunday morning, I left Kamloops at about 9am, packed up and made it to Jasper sometime in the afternoon... I had planned on staying in Jasper but wasn't that tired, so I pressed on to Edson. At about Hinton I was really starting to feel the fatigue of riding almost 650km at that point, I had to stop for dinner. Cruising through town I could hear a strange noise, and I quickly realized my chain had dried up far faster than I had anticipated. I was on reserve, and lost, and had forgotten about the mountain time zone change. I managed to find a Canadian Tire at 5:50 on a Sunday, and did a chain lube in the parking lot... *sorry for the mess*

After dinner some intense clouds were rolling in, and I realized I was only 250km to Edmonton, so I decided to press on instead of paying another $90 for a hotel room. Packing up all my gear and putting on my sleeves, I decided to put the rain bags on my paniers and tank bag. The rain cover for the tank bag blew off as soon as I hit 45kmh, but I couldn't turn around for it... Oh well. I was constantly checking my panier covers in the mirror afterwards, but they held on up to 100mph as I made the final dash to Edson and Edmonton.

With the paniers, my large iron parachute of a frame, and a bag strapped on the tail, I was seeing some pretty poor mileage, mainly due to the fact I was cruising at about 80mph.

I managed to ride through an intense thunderstorm just outside of Hinton without getting wet, the fork lightning was touching down within a hundred yards of the highway. I rode faster, quickly realising that I was one of the tallest things on the road at some points.

I rolled into Edmonton at about 10:45 PM, wired, tired, and broken... I wasn't able to finally sleep until about 6am the next day, partly due to my dad's snoring in the adjacent tent, and the fact that the tiny octagonal tent was about 4" shorter in diameter than my 6"2 length.

After a couple of days tooling around town, tomorrow morning I will be setting off again, riding with my Dad on his 2009 F800GS, and we will be heading down to Waterton Lakes, and then through Glacier National Park, taking Route 12 into Idaho, and then south to Boise, and then west to Oregon and up the coast through Port Townsend to Sumas, and home to Chilliwack...

Time to get some painkillers for my butt....it's going to be a long ride.

Cheers,
BCFZRider

 

[Pyro]

Well if you're going to Edmonton, a knife might not be a bad idea...

Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[lonesoldier84]

*stabs pyro in eyeball*

sorry man, just my nature i guess.

 

[bd43]

Well if you're going to Edmonton, a knife might not be a bad idea...

Sorry, couldn't resist

NO......, that's just wrong!


























Never bring a knife to a gun fight.

 

[lonesoldier84]

NO......, that's just wrong!



Never bring a knife to a gun fight.

rofl

so true

 

[Pyro]

*stabs pyro in eyeball*

sorry man, just my nature i guess.

This reminds me of my favorite news article of the year.

Knife-wielding gorilla photos overblown: Calgary Zoo

Though that was at the Calgary zoo...

 

[BCFZRider]

Back home, ended up doing a 3500km roadtrip, up to Edmonton, down to Montana, back through Idaho, and up through Washington.

Time to find a more comfortable saddle... ouch.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Nice! Glad you made it back safe. :thumbup: Ride report and photos coming?

 

[dean2287]

Thanks for the travel log. Sounds like a great experience with lots of good stories to tell.