Bicycle shorts under your riding pants. Prevents monkey butt, lol...
That or underarmor to wick sweat away & keep your *** from going numb.

-i-pod
-tinted shield and a clear one
-black latex mechanics gloves (non powdered) put them under your gloves if its cold, or if it starts to rain.
-plastic bags to put over your feet inside your boots incase you hit lots of rain.
-small can of chain lube.
-rain gear
-green garbage bag to keep your smelly clothes is so they don't get mixed with the clean stuff.

 

A Sargent seat!

 

You guys are awesome. Keep em coming....

 

Cell phone and solar powered charger, can of flat fix, gun/ammo.

 

Put a vista cruise on. I have done many 2k rides and woulda wished my parents hadnt met without one.

Try to pack your tank bag huge with clothes to lay forward on. Tire plug kit and compressor or a ton of CO2. You need saddlebags. Raingear. Have water with you, hydrate and take alleve BEFORE you get on the bike.

Take 10-15 mins at fuel stops. Relax your hands and flex them open repeatedly if they go numb. Have lens cleaner and clean towel in a ziplock. Apply rain-x to the visor both for rain and cuz nothing sticks to it.

Music for sure. Rig a cig lighter type outlet to the bike to charge your cel or gps. Crappy cover for when you leave it at a fleabag motel. Crappy padlock for disc for same reason.

More later. Don't wear a backpack it adds to fatigue.

 

A flo-commander..... Flo-Commander by Performance Design

Because you are jetted for high altitude and the bike will start running lean well before you even get close to LA and add in that it can be a touch hot in the desert and well bad things could happen.

That or get a 178 main jet so you can pull the carbs and rejet somewhere along the way....

 

I hate bicycle shorts. They suck. Honestly, the best to avoid swamp crotch, in my opinion, is mesh athletic shorts sans unders with a decent pair of riding pants. I rocked the stock seat for many miles, 3000 to denver and back in 5 days, so it isn't really a problem. must haves: ear plugs, stacked tank bag, hydration pack, and some music. Keep fuel stops short, and cover your rear pegs in something so that you can rest your legs up there in a "land speed" position for a change of pace. My best high mileage day was 900 miles, 7 minute gas stops and two 15 minute gas and food breaks.

 

If you plan on 1000 miles in 24 hours, make it official...

IBA - World's Toughest Motorcycle Riders

 

****, I did 240 miles in one hour and twenty minutes in a one piece suit. By the time I made it to mile 150 I was pretty damn sore. I couldn't image doing 1000 miles continuously.

 

Thanks for all of the valuable tips. I will take them all to heart and decide which is the most practical way to do it. It means a lot to have like minded people I can pester for info.
Full truth be told, I'm a pro musician and will be near my band's tour bus for the whole ride, but I want to be as self sufficient as possible as practice for future long solo rides. So I won't be relying on them except in emergencies. I'll leave em in the dust anyway. Lol.

Neil Peart ,the drummer from Rush, is the one who inspired me to bring a bike on tour so I'm giving it a shot. Tour buses suck *****. Thanks again!

 

to add to the many good suggestions above........if you are not in good physical shape, you'd be smart to build some core strength, aerobic exercise and stretching will help, and get a sheet of thin foam that will fit in your pants or riding suit. You *** will love you for it. Test it out on short rides before you embark. Eat light and short gas breaks will get you further faster and with less fatigue.

If you're gonna beat the bus, UPS some personal stuff to the final destination. Take some wipes and paper towels to clean your shield, mirrors, hands etc, and something to drink of course. Get a bottle of Startron or Stabil and add a capful at each fill up for better mileage. I mix mine 1:1 with 2 cycle or delvac oil, but at least a good additive to embellish the sucky ethanol.

definitely a plug kit including compressed air and know how to use it. Tires with hard centers and soft outers, preferably a 190x55 dunlop(larger circumference=less center wear), then route yourself on the curviest roads on the map. If it were me, i'd be traveling 3000+ to the bus' 2000mi. Instead of getting bored and stiff on bus roads, you'll energize and invigorate yourself mentally, physically and emotionally doing the scenic routes. If you are intent on staying with the bus, i feel sorry for you because straight roads and interstates suck, are waste of a good motorcycle and the ruination of a potentially great trip. At least divert to curvy roads that end up with the bus' terminal point if you need to be in contact.

modify or buy manual CCTs, upgrade your RR, check valves, new filters and delvac or rotella, extra bulbs, good chain/sprockets/alignment, wheel/steering bearings, new fork oil. Shim rear shock and lower the front if you haven't already. Check tighten everything/ good battery, clean terminals and check wiring and hoses like your life depended on it. If you have a stupid problem that could have been avoided, it could be a big PIA and **** up a good trip.

Have fun on your run and if you can get a couple days free out there, do Rt 1 up and down the coast(awesome ride).

 

I've read Neil Peart's "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road" but not "Roadshow: Landscape with Drums".
You being on your bike and the other band members being on a bus might change the dynamic between you and your fellow musicians.
I haven't got much to add to what's already been said except to stress the value of a heated vest.
There's not a lot of carrying capacity on a VTR so you'll have to work out what's important to you. Everyone develops his own travelling style.

 

If you REALLY want to stack the deck in your favor, this is how to do it.

 

whatever you do make sure you carry enough fuel with you because there are places along I-70 in utah where there are no fuel stops for well over 100 miles and you do not want to run out of fuel out there.

 

@ aseif34.... I know exactly which part of Utah that stretch of road is. Lol.
@ nath981 .... Thanks bro... Those were great tips. I plan on a few curvy detours along the way. And I did buy an air compressor as advised yesterday.
@ comedo.... Great books man. I'm not to worried about my band mates. They'll be more than happy to get the dumb drummer off the bus. : D
@ smokinjoe.... Great pic... That IS how to do it.
Thanks fellas...

 

Care to say which band you're in?

Side note, Katt Williams has a pretty funny story of when he bought a motorcycle and followed his tour bus.

 

Aja... it's a band called 3 oh! 3 and I'm a drummer.

Finished. The ride was fantastic. Thanks to all of you for your great advice. One thing that helped me tremendously though was installing handlebar risers. It made the ride so much more comfortable and cut down the vibration and not to mention the strain on my back. I got an aux gas can and actually used it twice. Used a tank bag. My new Sargent seat was comfy. It was kick *** riding up the PCH when I got to Los Angeles. I was so happy I almost cried. lol. (big wuss). And the power of my bike at sea level was amazing compared to the Mile High City.
Thanks again fellas!!!!!

 

glad you took the opportunity to run the PCH.......good move huh. Something that stays with me to this day.

Now that you found out how well the hawk runs at sea level, it might be worthwhile to stop at your local health supply and pick up an oxygen tank, like mountain climbers use, so your hawk can breath at altitude .

 

Also the bike might still be jetted for sea level instead of 5000" so you might need to do a jet change (you only need to get 1 jet)