Road trip San Diego CA to Albuquerque NM

[alazar14]

Hey guys its been a while.

Just wanted to get some tips on what you guys would carry for a road trip from San Diego CA to Albuquerque New Mexico.

I plan this trip to take up a total of 7-8 days.

My goals for the trip are

#1 Check out Arizona State University and its Ph.D in communication's program. (I am currently a Communication Undergrad at San Diego State)

#2 Check out The University of New Mexico and their communication M.A and Ph.D programs.

I plan to take the road trip in the end of May next year.

I plan to go on my Virago 250 Motorcycle

I know the basics I need to take care of...brakes check, oil change, chain checks, spark plugs, clutch check, basically a general check out of every component on the bike

before I head out. I am however wondering what else would you guys suggest I take.

I am planning to take 2 saddlebags one with 2 changes of clothes and basic needs things like water, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper and so on. The second bag with

my bike's tool kit, and just in case some rain gear. (And Sun screen...) (Also I probably need to carry a backup gas container because the Viragos 1.8gallon and 0.7 reserve

just won't cut the long desert roads.

I also plan to carry a small tank bag with some basics such as water bottles, and some canned food to stop and eat lunch on the way across the deserts.

The rout I would be taking is this San Diego-Yuma ( 8 East until I reach the 10 north near Phoenix) (Stop for the night) (Wake up early next morning around 4am, head

out around 5am and try to reach Phoenix before mid day) (10 North from 8 East to Phoenix) Spend the day In Phoenix and wake up next day to check out Arizona State,

talk to the professors there especially the communication department).

Spend the Night in Phoenix Wake up the next morning and leave for New Mexico around 5am (Take

87 North Merge to the 40 East and stop at Gallup for the night. (Wake up next morning around 5am, head to Albuquerque, should get there around 7am and go right to the

University.

(Check out the Albuquerque Night life a bit, maybe some of the attractions of the city and spend the night there), Wake up around 6-7am and head out for Phoenix) (Should

reach phoenix around 4:30pm spend the night there.

Next morning wake up at 6am, and head to San Diego should be home by 3-5pm.

Questions

Mostly I am worried about my ass. Quite literally, that will be a hell of an uncomfortable ride...I am considering replacing the stock virago 250 seat with something a bit more

comfortable for long rides if I can find it. Any suggestions on this ?

Can a 250cc motorcycle handle a trip like this if its paced and not rushed.

I believe there is very little traffic once you Exit Southern CA, When I went to Yuma last year all I ever saw was a hand full of cars and trucks on the way there. Traffic is

really slow or should be all the way from Alpine CA to Phoenix, where it picks up.

I plan to do about 60mph the majority of this ride. Just push it to the 70s until I'm out of the San Diego Area. My bike can Easily go 70 mph for a good 30-45min without any

issues, thats about how long it will take me to get out of the city areas.

Any suggestions would be helpful

Thanks

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like you have the basics covered. Not being familiar with the distances involved I would like to know the actual milage you intend to ride each day. Do you plan on scheduled breaks to give your body a break from the bike ? I would plan for a day of rest during the ride there and back. That will add 2 days overall but experience has taught me to plan for shorter days or a break while on the road.
The bike will probably do fine when kept within it's capabilities as you have mentioned. The rider is the weakest link in the chain. Be sure to pack a container of talcum powder for your shorts and socks, it really does make a difference. Merino wool socks are the best by far and you may want to try bicycle shorts with the built in padding too.

[alanmcorcoran]

Are you hotelling it or sleeping outside? That trip is doable over 7-8 days. I'd add a quality flashlight - or maybe headlamp. Surefire is one of the better ones. Also a good map of the area. Might want to subsitute a camelback type backpack for the bottled water - you can get 3 liter ones - you'll be able to carry more, and drink while enroute if you have the right kind of helmet. I'd consider adding RV/MC coverage to an AAA membership if you have it. Checkout "pouch" food versus canned. Lighter and, generally tastier (check out pouch tuna vs canned tuna f'rinstance. No refrigeration needed.)

Make sure you have some layers for upper body and perhaps some warmer gloves. Not sure what the weather will be like but it can get cold in the morning in the high deserts in May. You might even want a head gaiter if you're gonna be going 60mph at 4am.

Consider stopping and sitting down to eat at a restaurant (even a McDonald's), given your seat situation, you will want to schedule ass relief every 60-90 minutes.

If you're gonna be outdoors, I could add a lot to this list.

[alazar14]

Hmmm I want to keep the trip under $350 budget, Assuming that I spend roughly $50 on Gas for the trip...which is around what I expect to spend on a 65+ MPG

motorcycle that fills up with $4.75 That would leave about $250 for everything else. Give it about $50 in Food (Excluding all the food I am going to pack in cans and bags now *Thanks for tip , and $30 or so in Misc expenses. I would say I could afford

to stay at a cheap motel ($35-$38 a night place) I would probably be able to stay at a motel 3-4 times or so if needed. I would prefer to do this in the big cities like Phoenix, and Albuquerque.

I was considering a small portable tent or sleeping bag/tent hybrid if I could find one for the stay's at Yuma and Gallup. I have seen pictures of some

great small tent like things that are literally just for sleeping.


http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18512


This guy on the link went across the USA 7500 miles on a Honda Rebel, The tent he uses is super portable and just adequate for

what I need. Now the tricky thing is I have been unable to find something like this anywhere on the web that I can buy.

Anyone know where they sell some? Heck what are they actually called.... I just call it sleeping tent.

[dhgeyer]

Cell phone - extra batteries or charger - paper towels (not too many - can be replaced with fast food napkins or towels from the restroom as you go) - good rain gear - boots you can ride and walk in - bungee cords for more stuff (you can find a place to attach them to the bike, no need to take up saddlebag space) - very small sample type containers of shampoo, mouthwash, toothpaste, etc - one disposable razor (unless you have a beard and don't shave) - small comb (unless you have a very short brush cut like me) - small camera if you can find the room for it - a couple of tall kitchen garbage bags - mini first aid kit - several bottles of water in the desert just in case - good sunglasses - a few sets of disposable earplugs (can be used for at least a couple of days per set) - depending on how much room you actually have maybe one set of outer clothes and a couple or three sets of underwear and socks - handheld GPS or maps (GPS is more useful if you break down and need help, or if you take a wrong turn, or if you need to find a motel) - small amount of emergency energy food - chain lube (smallest can you can find). Minimal tools - think through what you actually could do by the side of the road. Extra bulbs and fuses. A can of some kind of tire sealant/inflator plus a CO2 tire inflator. That's all that's coming off the top of my head, maybe more later.

I wouldn't plan on more than a couple of hundred miles a day on a 250. I didn't check your route in detail to see how far you're planning to go each day. You're planning a fair amount of time off the bike, which is smart. You're young, so the trip is definitely doable.

Don't know how big your saddlebags are - you may have to roll some stuff up and bungee it to the seat. A heavy garbage bag will keep your rolled up stuff dry if it rains. I roll everything up, put large rubber bands around the roll, put the roll down at the end of a garbage bag, and roll the bag around the roll. Then bungee the whole deal on the seat (or luggage rack if you have one) with the loose end of the bag down so that it's captured and not flapping in the wind. Good way to carry all your clothes and rain gear, leave precious saddlebag space for other things.

You need to be able to dress in layers for varying conditions - long johns, shirt, sweater or sweatshirt, jacket liner, good motorcycle jacket as an example of one strategy. You probably won't have room for more than one of each item, but if you can possibly carry a set of warm motorcycle gloves and a set of light ones you will be happier. A balaclava for under the helmet is wonderful on cool mornings and doesn't take much room.

Pack, unpack, think about it, and repack. Repeat a few times before your final pack. Figure out what you really need, what you can carry, what you want that will fit.

The first multi day trip is always a learning experience. Hope it goes well. It will be a blast!

[alanmcorcoran]

Not sure what kind of hotels you'll find out there, but $35 is pretty optimistic. You can pay that for a tent site at a campground with showers. There are deals to be found of course, but I seen some pretty major dumps getting $80 and up and then there is usually at least 10% or more in taxes. (I've done four multiday trips this year sleeping outside. I hate sleeping outside. But hotels were $120 and up a night. I slept outside and used the savings to buy food in restaurants.)

If the weather sucks (including wind, rain, heat, cold) it will be all the more important that you take occasional refuge in a restaurant (especially if you are sleeping outside.) Starbucks has excellent bathrooms (and air conditioning and electricity) you can use for the cost of $1.50 cup of coffee.

If you go with polypropylene underwear and t-shirts, you can get by with two or three sets total. In the desert, I shower in/alongside them, and, in the summer, just wring 'em and wear 'em. (They dry in minutes if it's hot.) When I went to Death Valley I was able to get by with ONE set of boxer briefs/tshirt - and they were clean every day. Ex Officio is a top of the line brand for this sort of thing but you can get them for cheaper.

If I had to cut down on my stuff, I'd get rid of the food (and means to prepare it) and eat as needed along the way. Keep a couple of Power bars for emergency. If you sleep outside, you are going to need a sleeping pad of some sort at a minimum and, a tent, unless you like bugs and rain. If it's warm, you don't need a sleeping bag, but it's hard to predict and most places don't stay warm all night (except maybe Joshua Tree and Death Valley in the summer.) Ask around - odds are someone you know has a Thermarest that they'll loan you. If you are strapped for cash, just buy a cheap tent and throw it away it if doesn't last. You can get a Walmart tent for under $100 and I think it will pay for itself if you use it twice. Sort of. Many people have tents they aren't using in their garage - the key is - you need small and light. I have a REI Half Dome 2 Plus - it's a pretty good tent but I think it's like $299.

I carry a couple of knives and a small axe when Im on the road. Besides the practical use (like hammering tent stakes), it's nice to have something lethal handy when a pack of coyotes starts sniffing at your tent (yes) and, to a lesser extent, vermin of the two legged variety.

Alazar, I've got a ton of books onthe subject I'd be happy to lend you and I'm not far from where you live. We might even meet up at the top of Palomar for a "dry run" (Doane's Family Campground) I highly recommend a couple of shakeout trips. Do a three day trip like this. Night one: Outdoors at about the distance you plan to travel. Night two: Back home, regroup, re-pack. Night three, somewhere different that Night one at about the distance you plan to travel. Night four: back home. This will give you minimum risk and maximum learning curve. You might shoot for Joshua Tree for one of the nights.

Stay flexible and try to focus on the "adventure" aspect. Shit will go wrong, but as long as it doesn't kill you, it will make the experience that much richer.

[alanmcorcoran]

Does your bike have a passenger seat with a luggage rack? That makes a big difference. I have a very large bike, so it is an unfair comparison, but I can carry a ton of stuff and fairly neatly. There are many grisly stories of Death By Bungee - wherein luggage shifted enroute and jammed up the rear wheel. I pack very carefully and check and re-check my loads before, during and after, and in the 15 days of touring I've done, I've had several eye-opening luggage shifts. I've got a pretty tight ship on the Strat now, but it took me some trial and error to eliminate potentially fatal weak points. Here's a picture to give you some ideas. Note: My tent and chair (!) (yeah, I know... look, some campsites don't have chairs!) are secured underneath my luggage rack.

In the photo:

1) T-bag on luggage rack: sleeping bag, sleeping mat, clothing, maps, toiletries, etc.
2) Right saddlebag: Tools. fix it kits, saw, axe, gloves, stove, etc.
3) Left saddlebag: riding layers, rain jacket, sandals, tour book, winter gloves
4) Under rack: chair, tent.
5) Mini duffle (top of t-bag): put my camel back/backpack in this when I didn't want it on my back. Could wear on my back as well and stow duffel
6) REI cooler: Figure a cooler ain't worth it if you can't throw a bag of ice in it. This one you can throw a bag of ice in. On seat.

[Water Warrior 2]

Alan is it my imagination and angle of view that won't allow me to see the rear signals and brake light ?

[alanmcorcoran]

You can see the lights - but not the license plate. I've wondered about getting stopped, but it hasn't happened so far. I've even had to produce my registration for uniformed (and armed) park cops and they didn't even comment on it. Yet. If I get hassled, I can temporarily make other arrangements, but the stuff fits real nice under there, so...

You can see the turn signals poking out in this one and that big white thing is the tallight...

I'll admit - not the greatest arrangement.

[alazar14]

Well my Virago 250 is no where near that size, here's a fairly accurate picture of my bike just the way it is.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... x=65&ty=48

(Sorry for the long link....For some reason I can't seem to upload pics from my PC into my signature...)

So yeah that's basically my bike.

I actually need to custom change the back blinkers to move them back about 3 inches so that the bike can actually fit saddle bags otherwise it can't even use them.


That Job alone is going to cost me around $400 at the local shop.

On top of the Bars for the saddle bags are around $50 from a private dealer, and the bags themselves can run me around $120...so yeah this is kinda why this trip wont happen until next year.

I basically want my Virago to look like this guy's by the end of this year....minus the extra loud exhaust.




So What ever I can carry on that bike he has is basically what Ill have by years end...if im lucky maybe EVEN the back rest!