Pack Your Bags!

 by "Mother"

 

Motorcycles run in Mother's family. Here's his father on his first new bike. Can anyone tell us what model and year this might be? Read about it here.

Being “Road Ready”…

   This is probably one of the most written about subjects in motorcycling besides how to avoid four-wheeled pinheads. Every serious rider I have ever encountered has provided a valuable insight or idea worth noting. So – in the same spirit of sharing, I’d like to publish these accumulated nuggets, gleaned over thirty-three years and more than a half million miles astride two wheels.

    Finally – to all of the “salty old bikers”, brothers all…whose experience contributed to the safety, preparedness and most of all, the FUN I have had, living the life…Thanks!

   Number One on my list, and if it mattered, would receive my personal endorsement as the one item ( besides my pants ) I never go anywhere without, and that is my Leatherman “ Super Tool “ all in one. The number of times this Tool has saved my ass is too numerous to count. Plus it’s bulletproof and comes with a lifetime guarantee backed by a very trusty manufacturer located in Portland, OR, USA!

    As important – if not more so – is a small, lightweight yet comprehensive tool kit. Personally, I keep the O.E.M. Tool kit and a quarter-inch drive set of metric / S.A.E. sockets on board. Countless are the times, out in the middle of nowhere, I have pulled along side a fellow biker broke down at the side of the road, and when I ask, “ya got tools?”, I get the same old, “I got a cell phone, but it don’t work out here.” Hmm.

   Gone are the days of setting points with a match book cover for a feeler gauge and setting timing by ear.

  A small L.E.D. flashlight with spare batteries is handy – ( align batteries in opposing polarity inside the flashlight to reduce deterioration and corrosion. ) Have you ever dropped a small but important part on the side of a road at night and have thought, “damn – I knew I should have rolled my bike under that light over there!”

    First Aid kits …the most under-appreciated until it is needed part of your gear.

    Important points to consider:

• Contains everything you know how to use and nothing you don’t. You are not packing to provide paramedic care. (Unless you happen to be…) 

• Re-fill and maintain integrity of any perishable components.

• Include antiseptic and over-the-counter analgesics in a properly labeled  container ( Honest, Officer, those are Tylenol pills in that little baggie…)

• Use a reliable water-tight, easily identifiable container.

    Lastly – buy a cheap, collapsible duffle bag to keep all of the above in when you are not on the road. That way all you have to grab, besides your ATM card and a map, is that bag.

    Thanks for taking the time to review my first, published literary attempt…probably redundant but, I hope entertaining. More to follow later…I am considering the title, “ Erratic Zones “ A.K.A. “ How to Avoid Being Where You Shouldn’t Be When A Four-Wheeled Pinhead Does the Unexpected. “

   What do you think? Contact me.

    Enjoy your ride.

    "Mother"

 

Look back soon for more road ready tips.

 

 

 

 

 

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