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Podcast-This is the “Marijuana Toking Teaser” for upcoming episode 09 of the Law Abiding Biker (LAB) Podcast/Media.
LAB-08-Skype interview with the Tempest Riders RC
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Podcast-This episode is dedicated to the Tempest Riders RC, a Law Abiding Biker (LAB) Club. Learn all about their club, what they are about, what they stand for, and what a great thing they have going on. If you want to get your LAB club's information out there via the LAB Podcast, email me at ryan@lawabidingbiker.com. What are you waiting for?
What do you need to pack for a long motorcycle trip?
**All credit for this blog goes to Rob (Lawdog) Layman**
Blog-Well we talked about planning your trip, now I want to talk about what you will need.
Weather is important you never know what you are going to come across especially if you are traveling great distances maybe over mountains or through deserts. On your motorcycle if you have ever taken a trip you know your packing space is extremely limited especially if you ride two up. It’s easy to take off a sweatshirt and go down to a t-shirt in heat but how do you pack light and provide for cold weather? I purchased a heated coat from ANSAI. The coat I selected runs off a small battery pack. The coat was $150 with a battery and charger. At 25% heat it will last 8 hours, under your leather coat 25% is usually sufficient. The coat works great for a light weight jacket in the evenings as well. The reason I selected this coat rather than a coat that plugs into the bike is I can use it away from the bike. My coat has gone to Seahawks games, duck hunting and other outdoor winter activities.
I base my packing off what cities will I be staying in and try to plan a short day into a bigger city (more than a one hotel town). If you leave yourself a little time when you arrive or the next morning stop by a laundry mat and wash your clothes. If you are gone for 7 days pack for 4, if you’re gone for a month pack for 5 and plan a stop for laundry every 5 days. I used a laundry mat in Cody, WY and they had an attendant on duty it was a few dollars per pound. I dropped off all my clothes came back a few hours later the attendant had all my clothes washed, dried and folded ready to go.
If you are like me and you like to buy souvenirs for yourself, kids, grandkids, etc. how are you going to fit all that in your bike? What can brown do for you? They can ship all my extra crap (Harley shirts) I buy home. I shipped it from Cody, WY and when I got home 3 days later it was waiting for me at work. Typically a UPS store will have the packaging materials you need and are very helpful and understanding.
Make sure you have sun screen and Chap Stick. You have to be ready for the sun to beat down on you for 8 hours a day accompanied by 75+ mph winds (Chap stick can be a life saver). If you don’t think you need sun screen because you work outside all the time. Wait until you get that haircut before you leave, wear different clothes riding than you do working and get burned on day 1. The rest of your trip will be miserable. I also suggest an after sun lotion, I swear by Banana Boat After Sun despite two shirt and sunscreen I still needed it after a trip through Yellowstone. I ride a streetglide, so I have fairing pouches and I keep a small flashlight just in case I ride into the night and need to find something in my bags or god forbid I have a break down. I also carry something to clean my sun glasses and a pocket knife. If you are a LEO a couple challenge coins never hurt.
If you have a tour pak on your bike a helpful tool is the lid organizer. When you have large suitcases (saddle bag liners) the last thing you want to be doing is digging for a small item at the bottom of your bag.
Make sure you provide some room for some shoes other than your riding boots. Even if it’s just a pair of sandals something different for at the end of the day when you go down for a drink, swim trunks are nice as well the hot tub can really help the body when you have been riding all day.
If you are like me, I live in a helmet law state unfortunately. The first thing I do is get that dang thing off when I cross state lines. Make sure you know what the laws are in different states. If you are lucky enough to live in a no helmet state, keep in mind you might head into one and pack accordingly.
This is a good basis for your trip and what the heck there is a Wal-Mart every 100 miles if you forget something. In the end enjoy the ride!
I just want to send out a special thanks to my Uncle Carl for all your help teaching me how to plan trips and giving me pointers along the way!
**All credit for this blog goes to Rob (Lawdog) Layman**
Motorcycle Long Ride Trip Planning
**All credit for this blog goes to Rob (Lawdog) Layman**
COMPLETE TUTORIAL VIDEOS YOU WILL WANT TO CHECK OUT: (CLICK DESCRIPTION TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH)
TUTORIAL VIDEO-Complete Harley Davidson Ride Planner & GPS Guide
TUTORIAL VIDEO-Complete Harley Davidson “Boom Box” Infotainment System GPS Stereo Tutorial
TUTORIAL VIDEO-Harley Davidson Boom Box Infotainment Software & Map Update Tutorial
Blog-Ok so you ride motorcycles. The big question is do you ride to dinner once a month or do you enjoy really putting the miles on?
I enjoy really putting the miles on. Unfortunately, I live in eastern Washington State (it’s not all rainy). During the winter months it can be downright cold. We haven’t been above 30 for a high in about three weeks.
So what do you do with your winter? You can only polish so much and eventually the money for modifications dries up. I spend my time dreaming of places to go see and planning how to get there, afterall half the fun is getting there when you are on a bike.
Currently, we all ride Street Glides or Road Glides. I like the baggers for a couple reasons. I can go long distances, my luggage is dry and can be locked up and you are protected by a fairing from weather. When you are on a trip you don’t always have the luxury of saying “it’s raining, I will ride tomorrow’.
I plan my trips using the Harley Davidson Ride Planner. Go to the website http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.com/rideplanner/ridePlanner.jsp then log in (this is done in the upper right corner). If you have a wish list or a log in for Harley it works here too. You don’t haveto be a current HOG member to use this feature. It works just like Google maps with a couple of nice add-ons.
On the left, first type you’re starting point. Then as you add locations, just keep adding them. Once you are done you can select save at the bottom. For planning and searching ease I suggest you name your trip; my latest is Sworn Few 2013. You can also add notes, I use this for hotel names as all I have for locations are addresses. Input the dates you plan on taking the trip and then save it. Every time you log in now your trip will be at your fingertips. You can also e-mail the trip with other riders.
I zoom in to the day’s route and move slowly across the route to see rural roads that parallel the route the computer selects. If you want to change the route click on the red line indicating the route and drag it to the road you want to take (tip if you change a route zoom in on the change and make sure you dropped the pin on the road you want to take. I have dropped the pin on what I thought was the route and when I was driving it would tell me to get on a side road for 10 minutes and end up back on the road I was on). I don’t know about you, but I avoid freeways unless I really need to get somewhere.
If you click on the 4 diamonds at the top; roads (shows scenic roads you can also check rider submitted roads to see others ride routes), Dealers (shows Harley dealers), Hotels (shows Best Western hotels), discount with a HOG Membership) and finally events (shows events Harley has going on).
then hook up my Harley Davidson Zumo 660 GPS and click on GPS Synchronization right below where you log in and it’s uploaded right into my GPS for the road. Synchronize right before you leave, because if you are like me, you are changing little things here and there right up to the last minute.
Riding long distance for repeated days can take some getting used to. I try to limit my days to 500 miles when on the freeway and 350-400 miles when on back roads. This provides me plenty of time to stop, eat, gas up, see the sights, etc. Key to long distance riding; make hotel reservations, especially in the summer and heading to tourist areas (Yellowstone). Make sure you are ready for weather. Pack sun screen, rain gear, warm gear,etc. If you make your hotel reservations, most places need 24 hours to cancel. I have ridden in some bad weather to make that next stop. Just because you have a place to be, leave time to get off the bike, walk around, maybe grab a beverage, and enjoy the ride.
**All credit for this blog goes to Rob (Lawdog) Layman**
How to subscribe to, manage, and review podcasts using iPhone, iPod, and iPad
Video-I have had several requests for this, so here it is! This is a quick tutorial video I put together that will walk you through how to subscribe to podcasts using you IOS devices and the official Apple Podcast App. I also talk briefly about the Stitcher Radio App for both IOS devices and Android. Don't forget, we are also on Zune for Microsoft devices and on Blackberry.
LAB-07-Common etiquette advice to contact or join a law abiding biker (LAB) MC or to start a New Prospective Chapter
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Podcast-We just came back from a fun day club ride on this episode and talk about it while it is fresh. We hit some weather, road a really fun curvy route (dragging floor boards), and had a “hang around” ride along with us that came to us on his own and is interested in possible membership with the Sworn Few LEMC. We discuss the proper things one should do to get involved and contact a particular LAB motorcycle club to seek membership. We also reveal what a small group of persons might do if they seek to start a new chapter of an existing LAB club. We give sound advice on what things to do that will look good to a club that has stringent membership requirements like the Sworn Few LEMC. Of course, as usual we got off track and had a lot of fun.
LAB-06-Group Riding Safety and Stereo-Types about Motorcycle Riders in General
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Podcast-We play and discuss a phone call I received in reference to some of the stereo-types about bikers in general and how 99% of bikers are good law abiding people. We discuss a recent ride we took that suddenly became a bit dangerous from a rock in the road. We lightly discuss group riding and a few signals. Matt “Lurch” does a quick “Pub Finder” iPhone App review. Further, we discuss finding and returning a granite clock to our prior club. We learn that Matt “Lurch” has some mad scientist skills. Of course we get off track and have a lot of fun as usual.
