road trip kit

Go! See! Do!

after i returned home from Panama, someone planning a similar ride wanted to know what i carried with me. i hadn't used a real packing list so i tried to remember what was in those boxes. the list below covers the motorcycle parts, but of course there was much more. tent/camping gear, tie-down straps, guidebooks, motorcycle travel books, clothes (quick drying hiking gear), copies of documents.... some things (mostly books) that i didn't need at the beginning were shipped ahead to friends just before the trip started. things that had served their purpose were shipped home from the road.

a good reference for planning a trip such as this is the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, by Chris Scott. i also referenced The Milepost, a couple of books by Dr. Gregory Frazier and a few others. all are available at Whitehorse Press.

bike modifications

Progressive fork springs - also heavier weight fork oil and longer spacers (3/4" PVC, 6.5" long) to increase fork preload. this helped compensate for my heavy cargo and complemented my (sport)riding style.

Givi Maxia topbox - 50 liters is huge.

Happy Trails pannier rack (SU) - with the rear brace. one weld failed near the end of the trip. i informed Tim Bernard and he has probably beefed up the welds. ask.

Touratech Zega panniers - aluminum buckets. easy to load/unload and they're waterproof. though aluminum dust coated everything inside. next time i'd paint the inner surfaces to prevent that from happening. i used a 30l box on the exhaust side and a 41l on other side. they were almost even. loops on the lids allowed me to bungee various items to the box tops.

ScottOiler - a beautiful thing. removed the bother of lubing the chain everyday and helped maximize chain life. when i ran out of ScottOil in Oregon, i switched to widely available chainsaw oil (as recommended by ActionStations). it’s a little thinner, so i reduced the flow rate. it worked like a charm. still does.

i also used a map case attached to the handlebar crossmember and carried a drybag duffel on the passenger seat with my camping gear inside.

road trip kit

tools for removing fairings (to access fuses, water the battery, change light bulbs...)

tools for adjusting chain slack.

any other basic tool (ratchet/sockets, multi tip screwdriver, combination wrenches, valve feelers, razor knife, flashlight) that I could carry.

compact voltmeter/multimeter

duct tape
electrical tape
plastic zip-ties
baling wire
- all can be handy at some point.

brake lever
clutch lever
clutch cable
throttle cables
speedo cable
headlight bulb
taillight bulb
- these items may be hard to find in some places and some of them are showstoppers. others are a royal PITA or safety hazard when they fail.

oil filters:
the Transalp uses the same small oil filter as most other modern Hondas, so i was sure i could find them in stock at any Honda store from Canada to Mexico. but i carried a few anyway, in case i needed a to change vital fluids where there were no Honda dealers nearby. i did twice.

air filter:
dealers here will not normally have Transalp air filters in stock. if it is the same part number as a few other bikes they may have it, but I wouldn't count on it. my bike has to a K&N air filter, so i could just clean it when it got dirty. good thing, as most motorcycle dealerships will have K&N cleaning/oiling kits on the shelf.

chains:
i carried three master links and tools to use them in case my chain failed far from civilization. if necessary, you can get a replacement chain at any dealer, though they will probably have to order it, which may mean waiting overnight or for a couple of days. i never needed the master links.

brakes:
i carried an extra set of front rake pads and rear brake shoes. they are probably the same as some other Honda models but they may not have been in stock when/where i needed them. and they didn't eat up much space.

fuses:
5/10/15/30amp. it's not fun to pay for a tow when all you need is a ten-cent fuse. BTW, do you know where the fuses are located, including the main fuse? fuses are easy to find in any decent sized city, but small enough to carry anyway. you might be glad you did.

inner tubes:
i carried one spare inner tube per tire, patches and tire changing tools (long levers). i also packed CO2 cartridges and a small bicycle pump.

to minimize labor costs, i learned to perform some basic maintenance on the bike over the months leading up to the trip (though my carb sync skills still need more work). i also carried my service manual on the road. apparently didn't learn enough, but i still managed to save a few dollars when i went to the shop in Phoenix.

to avoid the hassle of finding parts south of the border, i replaced wear items just before crossing into Mexico. i happened to have brake pads and shoes with me. but i called Arizona Motorsports in Phoenix while i was in Vancouver to order tires, sprockets and a chain. all of the parts were there waiting for me when i arrived.