Ride New York to California with my son this summer

[TonyBKK]

Now, let's figure out if a Goldwing can carry everything we'll need for a 5-6 week ride?

I've read that the Goldwing GL1500 has a whopping 140+ liters of storage space. And I see in pictures that some Goldwing GL1500's have a rack on top of the topbox-


I wonder how much weight the top box on the GL1500 can support? I'm thinking that would be a good place to strap a few bulky, but fairly light items, like our 5 pound 2-person tent and a couple lightweight thermarest sleeping pads, for example.

140 liters should be more than enough space for us. I've been into backcountry hiking and camping since I was a kid and know how to pack light. A 60-70 liter backpack has always been big enough for a week-long backcountry camping trip, and that's including a week's worth of food and fuel. On the bike we'll be able to shop daily so won't need to carry a lot of food and we'll only need to carry enough camping fuel and water for a day or two at a time

My REI Half Dome Tent weighs about 5 pounds and takes up about 12 liters of space. My North Face 25+ down sleeping bags weigh a few pounds each and can be compressed down to 5 liters or less. (10 for 2)

My Thermarest camping pads weigh about a pound each and take up about 6 liters (12 for 2)

If I'm correct that the Goldwing GL1500 has over 140 liters of storage space that means we still have 100 liters left!

Clothes, small first aid kit, basic tool kit, cook kit, camping stove + fuel, food, rain gear, hiking boots, toiletries, flashlights, a small electric lantern, some books, decent quality camera plus maybe an iPad and a small water filter... I expect there will be plenty of room. In fact, I bet we'll have room for a soccer ball, frisbee, and collapsible fishing rod too!

I think some of the National Parks we'll be in might require a bear canister for food? A 12 liter bear canister shouldn't be a problem.

I picked up some of my favorite childhood books to read to my son - Jack London's Call of the Wild and White Fang, Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book and Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn should keep us entertained around the campfires and in the tent before bed.

2 months to go! Can't wait!

[meatwitheyes]

Tony: I've consistently carried loads of 10 to 15 pounds on the trunk rack of my GL1500 maybe even heavier and so far no problems. When I mounted the rack on the trunk lid I used very large fender washers which helps distribute the weight.
If you find a wing with a trailer hitch I've seen racks and racks with coolers that attach to the hitch increasing storage capacity, that could be an option.
And lastly have you thought about a trailer? If you did find a wing with a hitch a trailer could then be an easy choice. The Harbor Freight "Tag-a-Long" is a popular inexpensive choice with motorcyclists. On a GL1500 I don't think you would even know it was behind you if you keep the weight reasonable. I pull a Bushtec trailer and the wing pulls it like a dream I don't even know it's there.
Here is a link to the HF trailer…
http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-...ler-66771.html

[Eyes Shut]

Originally Posted by TonyBKK

Now, let's figure out if a Goldwing can carry everything we'll need for a 5-6 week ride?


Clothes, small first aid kit, basic tool kit, cook kit, camping stove + fuel, food, rain gear, hiking boots, toiletries, flashlights, a small electric lantern, some books, decent quality camera plus maybe an iPad and a small water filter... I expect there will be plenty of room. In fact, I bet we'll have room for a soccer ball, frisbee, and collapsible fishing rod too!

You should be able to carry everything you need. My SO and I carry everything we need, including camping gear and a laptop, on our R1200GS for multi-week trips (though we do carry the camping gear on top of the sidecases).

A couple more things for you to consider bringing along (although you may already have these on your list):
-Swimsuits
-A roll or two of quarters -- handy for pay showers in the campgrounds and for laundry.
-Camp shoes, such as Tevas or flip flops
-A headlamp (to supplement or replace flashlight)
-Pack towels (you don't even need the large size because they are so absorbant): http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/sear...FWHptgodtWALIA

[Eyes Shut]

Originally Posted by TonyBKK

I picked up some of my favorite childhood books to read to my son - Jack London's Call of the Wild and White Fang, Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book and Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn should keep us entertained around the campfires and in the tent before bed.

2 months to go! Can't wait!

Another fun "camping literature" would be The Cremation of Sam McGee, the poem by Robert Service. I know you won't be in Alaska, but it has that outdoorsy feel and I remember enjoying the poem immensely as a kid (also, if you have been living in Thailand, Montana and Wyoming may feel like the frozen north to you ).
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174348

Have a great time!

[TonyBKK]

Originally Posted by meatwitheyes

Tony: I've consistently carried loads of 10 to 15 pounds on the trunk rack of my GL1500 maybe even heavier and so far no problems. When I mounted the rack on the trunk lid I used very large fender washers which helps distribute the weight.
If you find a wing with a trailer hitch I've seen racks and racks with coolers that attach to the hitch increasing storage capacity, that could be an option.
And lastly have you thought about a trailer? If you did find a wing with a hitch a trailer could then be an easy choice. The Harbor Freight "Tag-a-Long" is a popular inexpensive choice with motorcyclists. On a GL1500 I don't think you would even know it was behind you if you keep the weight reasonable. I pull a Bushtec trailer and the wing pulls it like a dream I don't even know it's there.
Here is a link to the HF trailer…
http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-...ler-66771.html

Cheers!

Thank you for your reply!

Ok, so a reinforced top box rack should easily be able to support our tent and thermarests.

Am I correct that the Goldwing has over 140 liters of storage? (searching around on Goldwing sites I get various figures, but most indicate greater than 140 liters). If that's the case, what in the heck to people put in those trailers? Cooler full of beer? Flat screen tv? BBQ grill? Portable hot tub??

I can't imagine needing more than 140 liters of storage space...

Am I forgetting something on my packing list?

Personally I'm not very comfortable with the idea of pulling a trailer. Sure, you probably don't feel it back there when you're just cruising, but what if you have to emergency brake or dodge an obstacle in the road? None of these trailers have interia brakes, so what's to keep them from coming around if you're hard on the brakes?

The racks that attach to the trailer hitch seem like a safer option, though again, I don't see myself needing the extra space. If I did, something like this would probably work:



Thanks again!

Happy Trails!

Tony

[TonyBKK]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

You should be able to carry everything you need. My SO and I carry everything we need, including camping gear and a laptop, on our R1200GS for multi-week trips (though we do carry the camping gear on top of the sidecases).

A couple more things for you to consider bringing along (although you may already have these on your list):
-Swimsuits
-A roll or two of quarters -- handy for pay showers in the campgrounds and for laundry.
-Camp shoes, such as Tevas or flip flops
-A headlamp (to supplement or replace flashlight)
-Pack towels (you don't even need the large size because they are so absorbant): http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/search/Google/Pack%20Towel?s_kwcid=TC|13029|pack%20towels||S|e|1 3091722325&gclid=CMLmsJi50a8CFWHptgodtWALIA

Cheers!
Yes, we'll certainly bring swimsuits, flip flops and some large beach towles and small pack towels.
A headlamp is certainly handy (pun intended)
Good call on the quarters- I totally forgot about that!

[TonyBKK]

Originally Posted by Eyes Shut

Another fun "camping literature" would be The Cremation of Sam McGee, the poem by Robert Service. I know you won't be in Alaska, but it has that outdoorsy feel and I remember enjoying the poem immensely as a kid (also, if you have been living in Thailand, Montana and Wyoming may feel like the frozen north to you ).
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174348

Have a great time!

Wow, what a poem! Amazing, even made the hair on my arms stand up, but I rather imagine it might provoke some serious nightmares in a 5 year old!

For sweet dreams I think better we stick to Robert Frost and Walt Whitman

Ride On!

Tony

[Eyes Shut]

Originally Posted by TonyBKK

Wow, what a poem! Amazing, even made the hair on my arms stand up, but I rather imagine it might provoke some serious nightmares in a 5 year old!

For sweet dreams I think better we stick to Robert Frost and Walt Whitman

Ride On!

Tony

Well, I did consider that it might be too much for a 5-year old (I first heard it when I was about 8 --maybe I have a more morbid imagination --) but it all depends on the kid.

Whitman's Song of the Open Road would be good, especially the first stanza:
http://www.bartleby.com/142/82.html

[TonyBKK]

I've been told that outside of the annual rally there's nothing much to see or do in Sturgis, so have revised the 3rd leg to skip it-

Badlands National Park to Lake Sylvan Campground in Custer State Park via Mt Rushmore. 147 miles

2 months to go! Can't wait!