Final Prep

It's Wednesday 8/6/08 and I leave in 2 days. I need to do some maintenance on my bike like changing the oil and filter, verifying tire pressure, and ensuring the drive case lube is up to the proper levels. I also have decided to replace the rear brake pads before the trip as the pads seem worn and don't stop as well as I would like them to.

I begin by getting the bike up onto the center stand and beginning the oil drain. On the Nighthawk 700 there are three bolts total to be removed to do the complete oil drain - the oil pan bolt and two frame bolts. I got that started and then began on the rear wheel. With the bike on the center stand, the rear wheel was off the ground, so I just needed to get the wheel off and do the brakes.

I began by disconnecting the brake rod and actuating arm, and also the brake rod that holds the hub in place. Once that was done I removed the nut on the rear axle and loosened the pinch nut on the right side and I could drive out the axle. That came out easily and then I worked the wheel free from the drive unit and it came right off.

I removed the brake hub and inspected the current brake shoes. They looked to be in OK condition, but I decided to replace them anyway as I had a new set which had cost me about $15 on Ebay, so what the heck. I removed the hardware holding the shoes on and also removed the springs and discarded all of those items. The new set of shoes came with replacement springs so I didn't need to keep the old ones. I then cleaned up the hub using brake cleaner and I also did a thorough cleaning of the wheel which contains the surface the shoes contact to do braking.

With that done I installed the new pads and put all the parts back in place, and installed the hub into the wheel. I ran into some problems here as the new pads where thick enough that they rubbed on the wheel, so it would not go on. When I had taken it apart initially they came apart easily, but now would not go back together. I resorted to the rubber mallet and with a few good whacks the hub was nicely seated in the wheel. It also turned freely, so I am not sure what was going on.

I then remounted the wheel and reconnected the brake controls to the hub. I then finished installing the rear wheel by torquing the pinch nut on the right side of the axle, and also the nut that holds on the axle on the left side.

I then checked the level of fluid in the final drive, and that was fine. I had completely replaced it in the summer of 2007 when I got the bike going, so it was still in great shape and at full.

Lastly I completed the oil change. I removed the Fram filter I had on the bike and replaced it with a KN202 filter. I did this because the KN filter has a 17mm nut on it that makes it easy to remove and install without a filter wrench. I was going to be bringing along tools with a 17mm socket, so it would make it easy to do an oil change myself on the road. I then replaced the drain bolts and filled up with Valvoline 10w40 4-stroke motorcycle oil. I would need to change the oil in a few days on the road, so no sense using synthetic.

Once all this was done I gave the bike a good cleaning and then took her for a test ride to ensure all was well. The rear brakes were very tight on the test ride, so I decided to let out some slack in the brake pedal, but otherwise all seemed great. Tomorrow I will pack up and mount the bag and other stuff, and then on the road I'll go.

More tomorrow...

Getting Ready

I have needed to purchase a few items for my trip. I needed a bag for the bike to carry everything and securely strap it to the bike. I also wanted to get a small tent for camping, and along with that a compact sleeping bag. I also decided to purchase a camping pillow, sleeping mat, and several other items for the trip.

The tent I decided to get was a Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 tent, which is a small backpacking tent for 2 persons. Since I am a bigger person it seemed fitting to get a larger tent. This turned out to be a good decision as the tent had enough room inside for all of my gear and for me to sleep comfortably. The tent is rather small, but it is very well built and did the job very well for the trip. Below are a couple of pictures of the tent setup.

The first is with the footprint and the tent setup with the poles only, and the second one is with the fly on the tent. Notice that the tent is essentially a mesh tent and the only way to get privacy is to use the fly. You can also not use the tent at all and use the footprint and poles with the fly for a "Fast Fly" setup - slick. The footprint is sold separately most places.

I purchased the tent at www.campsaver.com and they have a great selection. The tent was $198.90 and the footprint was free with purchase of the tent, so even Ebay couldn't beat that price. Also from them I purchased the Big Agnes Clearview Air Pad and a flashlight called the "Gizmo Head Lamp". The air pad is very compact and also blows up easily. It is just clear plastic and works well, but it is a bit squeaky. I ended up putting an old t-shirt over it so it didn't squeak.

I got the headlamp in case I had a break down on the road and needed light and both hands to fix something. The headlamp used two AAA batteries and has a head strap so you have a hands-free light. It is LED and works great. You can angle the light to be shining directly on what you are working on, so it works well and is comfortable to use.

For a sleeping bag I purchased a compact one at Gander Mountain that was rated for 40 degrees, and it was a "Back Face" brand. They make several items, but the sleeping bag seemed fine. It was the first "Mummy" bag I have owned, but it seemed large enough for me and was warm enough on a couple of cold nights.

I also needed a bag so I purchased a Saddleman TS3200 Deluxe Sport Tail Bag. This bag sits on the seat or tail of the motorcycle and had a "Tunnel" to ride the seat. It also has quick disconnect straps to make it easy to take on and off. It seemed to be a good choice but I had a lot of trouble purchasing it as everyone had none in stock. The all black one lists at DennisKirk for about $95, and the pricing is similar, but nobody had one in stock. Then I found the Cycle Guys - www.thecycleguys.com. They had one in Red for sale, so it would match my bike, and it was listing out at about $65 bucks, so I decided to buy theirs. I also bought a luggage net from them as well for under $5.

With all of my items purchased I was ready to go. All I needed to do was wait for the day to arrive and I would be departing. The departure is set for Friday 8/8/2008 and my return will be on Saturday 8/16/2008 or Sunday 8/17/2008.

More to come.

Tentative Trip Itinerary

When I had the concept for this trip I had decided to drive north into Wisconsin and then drive through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and south through Michigan into Ohio, and then back through Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin before coming home. I changed this at one point as I am a huge baseball fan and decided to go and see some ballparks along the way. With that in mind, this is the tentative schedule and itinerary I had planned for the trip:

• Friday 8/8 - Drive to Madison, WI and camp in a county park there


• Saturday 8/9 - Drive to Chicago and see the Cubs play at Wrigley field. Continue on after the game to West Lafayette, IN and camp overnight there at Wolfe's Leisure Time.


• Sunday 8/10 - Drive to Cincinnati and setup camp at the Winton Woods campground. Go to the Reds baseball game at Great America Ballpark, and then go to the Union Boulevard Bash that evening and see KingsX and Extreme in concert.


• Monday 8/11 - Drive to Cleveland and go to an Indians game at Progressive field. Stay in a hotel there and do laundry.


• Tuesday 8/12 - Drive to Pittsburgh and stay in a state park north of downtown. Go to a Pirates game at PNC park.


• Wednesday 8/13 - Drive to Toledo and camp at a state park outside of downtown. Go to a MudHens game at Fifth Third field.


• Thursday 8/14 - Drive to Detroit and go to the Tigers game at Comerica park - the day game. After the game continue north to Oskoda and stay at the KOA campground there.


• Friday 8/15 thru Sunday 8/17 - Drive over the Mackinaw bridge into the UP of Michigan, and continue the drive towards home - likely arrival on Saturday, but extra day in case I get delayed.
  

This of course is tentative and dependent on my not getting exhausted by doing all of this driving. Total miles likely to exceed 2500, and a lot of Interstate driving, so we'll see. If I skip any baseball to come home early it will be the Cubs game, the Pirates game, and possibly the Mud Hens game.

Planning A Trip

I have decided to plan a trip on my motorcycle, and to go and see some places and things I have never seen before along the way. I plan on going to a couple of ballgames along the way, and try some camping as well. I will include some photo's, and a daily log of activities and statistics such as miles ridden, etc. I will also review some of the gear I have along as it will be well tested by the time I get home. More to come....