The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel, 2nd Edition

Tips, Technology, Advanced Techniques

Dale Coyner

• Publisher: Motorbooks
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780760357613
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Bicycles & Motorcycles
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Motorcyclists in record numbers are heading out on ambitious trips across America and around the world. The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel offers essential advice to fully prepare them for traveling long distances over extended periods. Whether you are getting ready for a weekend trip beyond your home turf, or for a transcontinental odyssey lasting several years, Coyner's book details the fundamentals for riding in comfort, safety, and convenience. In three major sections, this book covers trip planning, rider preparation, and outfitting the motorcycle. This newest edition has been completely updated to reflect current information and the newest trends in mobile technology, as it relates to motorcycle touring. Coyner lays out the steps for planning a worry-free, fun trip, one that starts with the rider physically and mentally prepared. On the road, having good riding gear can make a dramatic difference in comfort and safety as the weather changes from dry to wet, and from hot to cold. Coyner describes the important aspects of personal preparation and describes the major kinds of riding gear and how they work to control body temperature and moisture. As motorcycle technology has evolved, so have aftermarket accessories, which are made to address virtually every special need. Coyner shows you step-by-step how electrical modifications can be made, and provides specific sections on high-performance lighting and conspicuity, GPS and other cockpit instruments, entertainment and communication devices, cameras and camcorders, ergonomic enhancements, suspension improvements, luggage and storage additions, and trailers. Over 250 full-color photographs illustrate riding gear, accessories, and modifications that will make any motorcycle adventure the trip of a lifetime.

Section III
OUTFITTING YOUR BIKE

Motorcycles were invented by tinkers who thought engines and cycles went together like peanut butter and chocolate. Their spirit of better motorcycling through experimentation is part of the genetic code among riders today. In this section, we’re going to continue that tradition by highlighting popular touring accessories and mods for your bike.

Before we start, let’s separate what you need from what you want. In the past, preparing a bike for long-distance travel might have meant learning how to repair spokes or how to rebuild a carb by flashlight on the side of the road. Making extensive home-built modifications to carry equipment and prepare it for poor road conditions was a given. Today’s bikes are highly reliable and include features that make them ready for touring right out of the crate. You don’t need to do a thing but get on and ride.

But having a GPS on your bike is a lot of fun. You can explore side roads without worrying about getting lost, and navigating to your overnight stop is a breeze. Tunes would be nice. Carrying your entire music library in a four-ounce shockproof device is awesome. So is listening to a commercial-free radio station anywhere on the continent via satellite. And it’s hard to overstate the value of having a smartphone or tablet on board.

A few upgrades deserve special attention and should be higher on your priority list. Lighting improvements, both for improved night vision and conspicuity, should be at the top. Among personal accessories, a custom seat and heated grips give big returns for your investment. A stable and secure means of carrying gear is a priority for those whose bikes don’t have integrated luggage.

Whatever you choose to do, you should approach modifications in a systematic way. By some estimates, 80 percent or more of bike troubles on the road are due to electrical problems. I’ll bet most of those troubles could be traced to bad wiring installed by the owner. Wiring and plumbing are both black arts, but with plumbing you can see what’s leaking. With electrical wiring, who knows where all those electrons are spilling out? Bad wiring can create problems you know nothing about until you are two hundred miles down a gravel road.

In Chapter 5, I’ll describe proper soldering, crimping, and wiring techniques so you can add devices to your bike with confidence. At the end of the chapter, I’ve included a special project to add a relay-controlled fuse block. This is one project that every rider who adds more than one device should consider.

5 Modification Techniques

Device Mounts

Tethering

Scotty, I Need More Power!

Wiring Tips

Soldering and Crimping Techniques

Adding a Fuse Block

Accessorizing CAN-BUS Bikes

Beware of the Vampire

6 Lighting and Conspicuity

Color Temperature and Intensity

Bulb Technology

Packaging

Lighting Upgrades

Auxiliary Lights

HID Lighting

About Relays

Becoming More Conspicuous

Summary

7 The Mobile Revolution

Trip Planning

Physical Preparation

In the Cockpit

On the Road

One Device to Rule Them All?

Protecting Your Investment

Summary

8 Cockpit Instruments

GPS Receivers

Satellite Tracking

Radar Detectors

Summary

9 Entertainment and Communication

Product Lifecycles

Integrated Audio Options

Audio Inputs

On-board Speakers vs. Headsets

Wired Audio Systems

Bluetooth Audio Systems

Satellite Radio

MP3 Players

Rider-Passenger Intercoms

Bike-to-Bike Communication

Battery Technologies

Summary

10 Cameras and Camcorders

Camera or Smartphone?

Mounting and Integration

Camcorders and Action Cameras

Summary

11 Ride in Comfort

Listen to Your Body

Improving the Bottom Line

Custom Saddles

Ordering a Custom Seat

Seat Pads

Handlebar Improvements

Windscreens and Fairings

Highway Pegs

Footpegs and Floorboards

Back Support

Summary

12 Underpinnings

Tires

Suspension Basics

Bike Protection

Auxiliary Fuel Tanks

Summary

13 Storage Solutions

Luggage Systems

Soft Luggage

More Soft Luggage Components

Special-Purpose Solutions

Storage Accessories

Summary

14 Trailer Life

Trailer Basics

Pop-up Campers

Hitches

Proper Trailer Loading

Purchasing a Used Trailer

Safe Towing Tips

Summary

Modification Techniques

When you start adding accessories to your bike, even simple changes require some thought. Take that cup holder you’ve been thinking about. Sure would be nice to have a mug of hot brew on the road. But wait, if you mount it on the handlebar where you’re thinking, will it make contact with the bike anywhere when you turn the handlebars from lock to lock? Does the design of the mug make it possible to easily access it, use it, and put it back while riding? Is it secure enough to stay fixed on washboard pavement at highway speeds? How do you squeeze the mug into your full-face helmet? That’s one example. For bigger projects like adding a trailer hitch and wiring harness, or electronic devices, the list of que...