Extra fuel and water storage system - any bike!

I have a need to carry extra fuel and water with me when I ride sometimes.  I've had more than one occasion where I was very close to being stranded for lack of fuel.  With plans to ride the Dalton Highway in Alaska and be more adventuresome in Mexico and Canada, extra fuel is really not a luxury.  It's a necessity.  I hope I never need to pour fuel into my tank from my reserves; but, I'm ready if I do.

This solution is nice if A) You don't want to or really can't fabricate a metal backing plate to mount your fuel cells; or, B) you want a system that is easy on/off and can be used on different bikes.  In my case, I'll probably ride my K1600GT to the Dalton, rent a dual sport, do the ride to Prudhoe and back and get back on my K16 for everything else.  This fuel solution will work with any bike as long as you can tie things down.

The cooler is an AO 48 pack off road cooler.  I bought it at Chaparells and payed less than $100 for it.  The fuel cells are Roto-Pax 2 gallon cells and the water cell is a 2 gallon Roto-Pax water cell.  There is just enough room to squeeze a couple ice packs in there, if you wanted to keep the water (and fuel) cool.

The plan is purchase some webbing plastic side release buckles that are the same size as the ones on the bag, as well as nylon webbing and anchor the webbing under the seat for quick on and off.  We can also put another webbing/ buckle on the back of the seat to keep the bag from moving forward.  Since there is a trunk on my bike, the bag moving backward isn't an issue.  Even without the webbing attached to the bike, tie down straps will easily do the job.

Time to start thinking about an Alaska Trip

My customer changed his mind.  My trip for this year has been canceled.  Yes, I'm disappointed!






"No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength" (or "no plan survives contact with the enemy,") <sup>- Heimuth von Molitke  

I don't plan for just this reason.  I tend to think about thinks in terms of options and contingencies.  Maybe I plan to have those things.  Everything else seems to work out.

Based on Heimuth's quite, I need to ask myself what are the enemies main strengths, or for that matter, who is the enemy.

Well, Mother Nature can sometimes be the enemy.  I recall a specific trip last year during Winter Storm Boreas where Mother Nature was in a hell of a mood; although, I wouldn't call her the enemy.  She's more like a fickle friend.  Sometimes, she's your best friend - warm days, sunny skies, light winds and sometimes, she I'd just like to tune up that attitude she brings.  That said, in order to deal with my fickle friends special problems, I bring heated gear, rain gear, sunscreen, sunglasses and consult weather maps every step of the way.  Now, in this case, I could be off the grid, so I may have to do some weather planning a couple days out and use a wet thumb to tell wind direction.

Mechanical failures.  Now there's an enemy.  There's nothing fickle about mechanical failures.  They plain old suck.  It just so happens that my warranty will expire in about 5,000 miles.  I need to get that many miles in and then some as I don't want to leave with a freshly "fixed" bike.  Ok, more riding.  I can do that.  There's barely anything on my bike that can be fixed outside of a hole in the tire.  So, now my list of prep items reads like this:

Heated Gear
Rain Gear
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Computer
Put 6,000 miles on the bike in the next 12 weeks and get warranty service at 5,000 miles.
Tire kit
BMW MOA Anonymous book
Money

My "Tire kit" also includes things like JB Weld, a few tools, including a T-25 that is needed to get anything off my bike anyway.  Except to help another stranded biker, I don't think I've every pulled any of it out for self-rescue.  Hopefully, there won't be a first.  I also carry a first aid kit with me.  I know.  If I wreck, a Band-aid will be of little use to me; but, I have opened the first aid kit for other simple matters.  The funny thing about the first aid kit is that I leave it in the bike when others need it...like at the car accident I stopped at in South Dakota.   The first arriving PD will have a kit and they can get their stuff replaced.  Moving on.

Lack of sleep.  Here's another enemy that isn't bad until it's really bad...like when you're searching for a place at O-DARK-THIRTY and everything is booked for miles.  This is also the biggest expense of the trip.  To deal with this enemy, I will bring more money and I'll even check to see if I can use my Best Western points on a couple rooms along the way.  I have a ton of points.  I've never cashed them in.  I think it's time to step up to the challenge.  Just in case I can't find a room and on the odd chance that I might want to sleep under the stars somewhere, I'll bring my camping gear.  The individual components of my camping gear have been well thought out and used many times.  There's no need for me to go through that list - I can pick up the bag and go.

Stench.  Really, this is only an enemy if I want to be considerate of other people.  I know what I smell like when I've been forced to remain in the same clothes for days on end without a shower.  I can live with it as long as it takes.  There is a chance that I might want to go out and have dinner at a restaurant and not wear my riding gear (which I'll add to the list), so, I should bring a change of clothes, a pair of sneakers, a tooth brush, tooth paste and soap.  Shave?  Hell no.  Blades are expensive.  Shaving is totally unnecessary.

Now, we have a list going.  I'm going on a trip to Alaska and I'm going to bring:

Heated Gear
Rain Gear
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Computer
Put 6,000 miles on the bike in the next 12 weeks and get warranty service at 5,000 miles.
Tire kit
BMW MOA Anonymous book
Money
First Aid Kit
Best Western Points
Camping Gear 
More Money
Change of clothes
Sneakers
Riding Gear
Tooth brush
Tooth Paste
Soap


The only other enemy I can think of is an empty fuel tank.  For that, I will bring more money.  I might do the Dalton Highway and I know that it has limited gas...414 miles.  I won't make it in one tank.  This sucks.  Now, I might have to plan for an enemy that I haven't met yet.  To safely put gas cans on my bike is going to take some engineering...  My mind kind of works like this when it comes to this sort of thing.

Fortunately, I think there is a simple solution. 

This will only be necessary if I decide to go up the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay.  This is considered a rite of passage.  I've been told, and I'm paraphrasing - "... it's the shittiest road on the planet.  You can plan on dropping that gorgeous bike of yours and it would be a damn shame to see it get banged up.  I recommend that you rent something for that trip."

More later...</sup>

11/22 - 11/25 CA to PA Planning

I have settled on a plan to get from California to Pennsylvania.  The route I want to take is just better than 3,000 miles, and if I can do it in 72 hours, I will get another Iron Butt certification.  Here's the mileage table…

The actual trip is about 3100 miles.  On the last leg, I'll either stop before my destination to get my affidavit signed, or, if I can make it within the timeframe, get it signed at my final destination.

The good news is that this gets me to my destination during daylight.  This is important because there is the possibility of snow and ice.  I'd like to be off the road on my final day before the sun is down.  This plan makes it possible; but doesn't give me much contingency time.  Whatever contingency time I do get will be from traveling more than 60 miles per hour and sleeping less than 8 hours a day.  This route also keeps me in the South, where it's warmer, for as long as possible.

Game on!!!

Pennsylvania to Alaska June 2014 Planning Page

So far, this trip hasn't been committed to.  It's only in the planning stages.  Anyone who's done this trip or plans to go with me on it is welcome to comment.  I would say that this plan is not even half baked yet.  I'm just brainstorming.

I've selected Port Clinton, PA (or thereabouts) as my start point and Fairbanks AK as my turn around point.  This will be the longest out and back I've done to date.

The plan is for legs that are no more than about 750 miles with most of them being in the 300-400 mile range.  Some  days, I'm sure I'll feel spunky and want to do more; some days less.  I want to spend a week in Alaska, so I'm planning for the trip to take a full week, including some contingency days.

Here's a pic of what I'm thinking as of now.

I'm thinking the way points will be something like:

B. Montreal Canada
C. Saulte Ste. Marie, Canadian side
D. Thunder bay, ON Canada
E. Saskatoon, SK, Canada
F. Edmonton, AB, Canada
G. Ft. St. John, BC, Canada
H. Hyland River Provincial Park, Stikine Region, BC, Canada
I. Whitehorse, YT, Canada
J. Faribanks, AK
K. retrace back to Saskatoon, SK Canada then turn south to Moose Jaw, SK, Canada
I. Minot, ND
M. Fargo, ND
N. Sioux Falls, SD
O. Madison, WI
P. Kalamazoo, MI
Q. Port Clinton, PA

There's probably 19 days of actual riding, notwithstanding any day stops to be made along the way.  That leaves plenty of time for a week in AK and 4 or 5 days of contingency time.  As I plan, I'll see if this is enough.  I'm concerned right now about the Canadian portion of the trip.  It seems like any detours are measured in hundreds of miles.

Onward with the planning....

NJ to: CA - The plan

Branchburg NJ to Redlands California Trip Plans

Plan 1:   See as much of the pacific northwest as possible.  I am happy to take interstates and bypass some good riding in the eastern half of the US to focus more of my time in places like the Rockies, Yellowstone, the Colorado river and the pacific coast highway.  The plan is ambitious, covering 4,800 miles.  I have 12 days to do it.

Day 1 is a short 200 miles.  I'm picking up my friend in Frederick Md., who will join me for the next 750 - 1000 miles.  (7/24) A-B

The day 2 plan is to stay north as much as possible, since it's plenty hot.  If we do the 1000 mile run, our first destination point is somewhere 40 miles west of Des Moines Iowa. (7/25) B-C

Day 3 gets me all the way to Loveland CO.  I'd like to   I will add Iowa and Nebraska to the list of states I have been to.  This is the beginning of a scenic motorcycle route through the rockies called the Walden loop.  It's 220 miles through the Rocky Mountain Forest. (7/26) C-D

Day 4 The Walden loop.  This will probably be a full day of riding.  Chances are, I will stay in Fort Collins Co. (7/27) 220 miles.  D-E

Day 5 Fort Collins Co. to the entrance of Bear Tooth Highway.  500 miles. E-F (7/28)

Day 6 Bear Tooth Highway 113 miles through the Rocky Mountains. (7/29) F-G  I will stay somewhere at in Yellowstone National Park.

Day 7 Yellowstone National Park to Goldendale Wa. 775 miles. G-H.  Through Idaho, Oregon and ends up in Washington.  The trip parallels the Colorado river.

Day 8 Goldendale Wa to Redwood National Forest 490 miles.  H-I. 

Day 9 and 10 Redwood National Forest to Redlands CA via Pacific Coast Highway 740 miles.  I-K

Day 1 - 200 miles

Day 3 - 1800 miles

Day 5 - 2500 miles

Day 7 - 3400 miles

Day 8 - 3900 miles

Day 10 - 4800 miles

Plan B, C, D, EIEIO - Few plans survive the first encounter with the enemy.  In this case, the enemy is Murphy.  As long as I can maintain the mileages above, I will arrive and have 2 days to decompress before I go back to work.  If that doesn't happen, I can use time to handle any issues that might arise.  I can also go direct from points D, E, F and G.  Once I get to Washington though, my only outs are to take the interstate instead of the Pacific Coast Highway.

7/29/2013 As expected, the plan changed - for the better.  When I arrived for my tour of Yellowstone, I found out that I could do the Bear Tooth highway and more.  The route lands me in Livingston Mt., and adds another state to my list of states I've ridden in.  My goal is to get all lower 48 states.  The new plan also appears to be a nicer ride through Idaho!