touring setup and packing advice

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Tachypsychia

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So I want to go on a long trip with my girlfriend on the Fz1 (gen 1). First things first,I need to get it set up for long comfy rides. I'm looking at doing a few mods as well as trying to figure out what my expenditures will be. Also looking for a packing list.

Looking for community input as the furthest I've ridden at once was 600 miles solo in a day (to the dragon and back) and about 200 2up.

I'm going to change out my sprockets for a gas friendly ratio, get a better seat, top case, side cases and a tank bag, forward foot pegs for cruising, a throttle lock and a touring windshield... That's just about it short of wiring a 12v socket and doing all the bike maintenance before hand. I'm looking for suggestions on luggage and brands for pegs/wind Shields.

Also what should I pack? Tools, extra oil? Rain gear, etc?

Any and all experience/advice is appreciated

Sent from my HTC Evo 3D
 
Sounds like you got it pretty well covered! Take your chain lube certainly... The only tool I would really consider taking would be an emergency tyre (or "tire") repair/inflate kit.

Everything else is all good but if something breaks and you have no spare parts, tools aren't much use by themselves.

Me and the girlfriend are planning a 2 week trip from London to Croatia and back via Italy, next spring/summer. Hopefully with no more than a 50L top case :)
 
Very true. I just wanted to make sure there wasnt anything I was missing. I have a portable tire inflator to make sure that the air pressure is good too. I'll make sure to carry a can of fix-a-flat, however on the can it does specifically say not for motorcycle tires... hrm...

Looking to do about 2000miles over a week or so
 
Tachypsychia said:
Very true. I just wanted to make sure there wasnt anything I was missing. I have a portable tire inflator to make sure that the air pressure is good too. I'll make sure to carry a can of fix-a-flat, however on the can it does specifically say not for motorcycle tires... hrm...

Looking to do about 2000miles over a week or so
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I wouldn't trust the fix-a-flat. Get yourself a motorcycle plug kit. It wont make permanent repairs, but at least it will get you to a shop...

Something like this:

Stop & Go Tubeless Tire Plug Gun Kit | 200-636 | J&P Cycles
 
I've done a fair bit of touring so I can chime in a bit. It's better to over pack than be up shit creek.

Bring a tire plug kit. That slime stuff isn't suitable, really. I use a Stop & Go Pocket Tire Plugger and a Stop & Go Mini Air Compressor

Bring chain lube, disposable gloves, some shop towels or disposable rags, spare fuses and a spare headlight bulb. A can of WD-40 works as a cheap, easy chain cleaner as well. Bring some Ziplock or plastic bags to store all this dirty stuff in.

If you have your bike's OEM tool kit, that should be enough. Personally, I would add some other tools you may not have into the mix. I personally carry a full tool set from Cruz Tools. As someone mentioned, if you don't have spare parts, the kit may not be super useful but I bring it along in case of a crash or in case someone else may need some help. It's just good to have.

Pack a good first aid kit, hand wipes/baby wipes and most importantly some kind of water pack. Dehydration is a serious concern on long summer rides and the hours can whiz past before you notice you're really dehydrated--by that time, it's too late. Oh, and a can of Plexus for your visor! Don't forget the microfibre cloth

Have fun! :)
 
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I do a lot of long distance riding, living in Texas it is a long way to the good roads.

I have two Givi side bags and a Swiss Army laptop bag (it has two straps on it that wrap around the rear grab handles nicely)

This is what I bring.

Under rear seat:

Stock tool bag with a small handfull of fuses added. A small pair of vice grips (I would take this one tool over anything else. When I wrecked my gen 1 I used them as a suicide shift as the shifter broke off. they are 5-6 inches long), 3 plugs (there was 4 but I used one).

Insurance card,registration. and some cash in plastic bag wrapped around the tool bag.

A hat (don't know why, but it just fits under the seat and I like having a hat with me)

In Laptop/ bookbag:
This is all my quick access stuff. Always have 3 packs of smokes and two lighters (incase I break down.. gotta have priorities). A two liter of diet mountain dew.. I hate water. Cell phone charger. Wallet and other assorted personal quick access stuff

Left side Givi bag:
1 Gal plastic gas can with Gas (most likely thing to leave you stranded). A slime motorcycle 12v air pump and a tire pressure gauge shoved into the box. Two generic plug tools taped to the outside of it. A zip lock bag with a small handfull of wet-naps and a rolled up ball of paper towels (for cleaning face shield). I have this Jeep brand swiss army knife looking thing that has a bunch of usefull stuff in it. A almost used up roll of Gorilla Tape (has 5 feet or so of tape left on the roll. Does not take up much space and could be very handy).

Right side Givi:
Liners for my jacket and pants. My other temp gloves (If I am wearing warm weather ones cold ones in Givi and vice versa). My other face mask (tinted one on/clear in bag and vice versa). A pair of sunglasses (never used, but they will look good with the hat that I never use :) ). A micro fiber rag (No idea why, but could have so many uses).

12v power outlet in fairing and GPS mounted on handle bars.

I think that is everything. I never bring chain lube.. I should. No rain gear as my liners are water proof. No oil as bike does not use any.
 
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In my experience... pack a cheap ebay brake & clutch lever... basic allen key and spanner set, race tape, zipties, and whatever you need to survive as far as clothes and sleeping stuff. anything else is too major to fix on the road and you'll be paying a mechanic/waiting for parts anyway

more is less, in my opinion... but you'd be surprised just how much you can carry on a bike if you need to:

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I like to make a paper list of motorcycle shops on or close to my route. Every single one I can find. Should anything go wrong at all and you are out of internet coverage you will already have the info if you need it. Include telephone numbers and addresses.
 
Touring, I've done a bit

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I have done 10's of thousands of miles and spent months on the road on everything from a XJ 650 to the FZ 600 S that Dustin now owns to the KTM 990 that I now ride, With a FZ-1 and KLR650 in between. I have learned a few things along the way.

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There has been a lot of good advice already.

Touring and how you do it varies a lot, depending on machine and situation. Two-up touring will mean that you will have to keep your own stuff minimized to make room for her stuff. Think one saddlebag for you and one for her. Rain gear is a must (even if you have rainproof liners in your gear), and keep it where you can get to it quickly. Nothing sucks the fun out of an extended ride like being soaking wet. Think about starting the day in cold wet gear. Clothes, especially cotton are heavy, so don't overpack and if funds allow, buy high tech hiking gear. It washes easy,dries fast, is light and takes very little space. This eliminates the need to pack lots of changes of clothes. Microfiber camp towel is very effective and 1/4 of the bulk and weight of a standard one, but only really needed if camping.

Camping with two people will add a huge amount of stuff to a bike and will require a "dry bag" like what you see in the picture above. The tent poles just don't like being inside a saddlebag unless you are a really good packer. Tent, sleeping bag and air mattress are good to keep seperate where possible as they sometimes have to be packed up wet, and you don't want that in with the rest of your gear.

Since I ride in full gear I like to pack a pair of light footwear for the day's end.

A mini foot pump for tires and a small patch/plug kit is better than heavy electric pumps. A small can of chain lube and a rag (in a plastic bag) are a must for a long trip. A spare low beam is a really good idea as someone else mentioned already. Knowing where the gas stations are along the route is helpful and can be easily researched ahead of time with the internet, avoiding carrying extra fuel which is heavy and bulky and on a street bike like the FZ (with a passenger) a pain. Zip ties and a 6' ratchet strap are a good couple of things to pack, and of course duct tape. All this said unless you are going to the wilderness (which I do) just about everything that you might be in need of along the way can be had at stores along the way.

The Givi V-35 side cases worked excellent and are completely waterproof unless you overstuff them. I didn't use a top box with any of my streetbikes, and instead used a dry bag (or bags) to carry what wouldn't fit in the side cases. Pelican case is what I now use on my 990, but mostly for camera equipment. This is another way to rack up weight quickly and I wouldn't do it if I was running two up, (which I have not done in decades).

When crossing borders and I have needed a passport I keep it and my drivers license in a small zip lock bag in my riding gear, along with the bike's registration and insurance documents. I NEVER leave that stuff in a hotel room, on the bike, or in my camping gear. Just think of the grief if it were to get stolen.

Best thing to do is make a list (for each of you). lay the stuff out to physically see what it amounts to and try packing it. If it all works without making the bike so heavy that it isn't fun to ride, you've got it made.

As far as Hydration packs go, I never used one until I started hitting the back roads and wilderness. I just bought a drink for me everytime I stopped for gas (2 to 3 hours on the FZ). Now I use a 3L pack with an inline filter that makes any water safe to drink, and can be filled from a lake or stream.

The FZ was a great touring mount and the Givis made it even better. If I had to pick two mods' for the FZ (other than the luggage) to make it better for touring than stock, it would be seat #1, and heated grips#2. The windshield would be a distant 3rd, but that depends on the rider.
 
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The biggest must carry item that I have not seen listed is toilet paper. (Mountain money) I like to use a few enduro tricks as well. A few wraps of duct tape and electrical tape around the front fork outer tube. It's there if you need it. You can also wrap it around tools if you worry about looks. I use CO2 air cartidges instead of a pump for flats on the road. I like to add a couple extra hose clamps as spares for roadside repairs. I carry a bungie net and rope as well.

The things I did that added comfort for me is, a Corbin seat, Convertibars and Rizoma rear-sets. The bars are awesome, but can be buzzy in the highest positions. I need heavier bar ends.
 
Good points

loosenut said:
The biggest must carry item that I have not seen listed is toilet paper. (Mountain money) I like to use a few enduro tricks as well. A few wraps of duct tape and electrical tape around the front fork outer tube. It's there if you need it. You can also wrap it around tools if you worry about looks. I use CO2 air cartidges instead of a pump for flats on the road. I like to add a couple extra hose clamps as spares for roadside repairs. I carry a bungie net and rope as well.

The things I did that added comfort for me is, a Corbin seat, Convertibars and Rizoma rear-sets. The bars are awesome, but can be buzzy in the highest positions. I need heavier bar ends.
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Nice trick with the duct tape.

On short day rides, I also have a CO2 fill kit, and I always carry it along with the patch kit. On long trips though, I take both the CO2 Kit and a pump. CO2 depending on the tire size and if you end up with more than one flat to fix can run out of cartridges. A pump never will (unless you get too tired to pump...). CO2 comes in handy for setting a bead.
 
+Small medical emergency kit. I got the two person kit.. but it's just a basic kit

+Quickclot (guy told me about this stuff, keeps it in his jacket pocket on long trips, just for the "what if I..." incidents). I still need to get this

+Camelback or similar... they just make carrying water easier. I usually grab a small bag of ice and fill it, then top it off with water.. stays cool for hours.
 
dart1963 said:
+Small medical emergency kit. I got the two person kit.. but it's just a basic kit

+Quickclot (guy told me about this stuff, keeps it in his jacket pocket on long trips, just for the "what if I..." incidents). I still need to get this

+Camelback or similar... they just make carrying water easier. I usually grab a small bag of ice and fill it, then top it off with water.. stays cool for hours.
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Look at HemCon.. QuikClot is nasty stuff! Reacts with moisture from sweat/blood and cauterises (extremely painful!).. HemCon's the way forward :)
 
How you guysfeel about a +1/-something sprocket set? Anything that uses stock chain? I'm running a 14/48 set now so Idoubt that's stock chain.... I like the acceleration but get like 40 or less mpg and like 6.5k rpm at highway speed. I'd like a highway set for long miles....

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A front sprocket costs next to nothing and takes no time to change, try it out. I did +1 on my SV650 for that very reason and it was worth it
 
A larger front should be fine with your current chain as you can simply move the adjusters forward. I don't believe the gen 2 has any rubber guides or anything that the larger sprocket will interfere with.
 
Tachypsychia said:
So I want to go on a long trip with my girlfriend on the Fz1 (gen 1).....
Click to expand...

Tachypsychia said:
How you guysfeel about a +1/-something sprocket set? Anything that uses stock chain? I'm running a 14/48 set now so I doubt that's stock chain....
Click to expand...

Dustin said:
A larger front should be fine with your current chain as you can simply move the adjusters forward. I don't believe the gen 2 has any rubber guides or anything that the larger sprocket will interfere with.
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Please clarify!
 
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