How dumb is a cross country road trip from IL to CO, AZ area and back in the beginning or middle of July? I feel like its a really bad idea but its either that or August. On a 1976 CB550. Will the heat be so terrible that I should just wait until beginning of next summer? I am moving in the fall so Ill be in Tennessee for fall then back to Illinois in spring, so I can't do it in the fall.
Depends on the summer.... two summers ago? On a bike?
berkeley NO.
This summer? Remains to be seen. I did IN, CA, AZ/UT/CO back to IN two summers ago in a car with working A/C, and that was nearly unbearable.
A trip on a bike is never a bad idea.
Depends on whereabouts in AZ - in the higher elevations the temperatures might still be pleasant.
Pfft, I've done it several times. Yea it's hot, yea you want to stay hydrated, yea you want to pay some attention to the engine. Other than that, it's no big deal.
I'm planning a trip from Milwaukee to St George, Utah (SW-ish corner of the state), at the end of July, with the intent of coming back by way of Sturgis. I'm anticipating it being HOT. My buddy and I have done some good road trips the past few years, but this will be about half again what we've done in the past.
I used to live in Texas. If I didn't ride when it was hot, I wouldn't have ridden at all. Stay hydrated. PLENTY of sun screen to ALL exposed skin (face, ears, whatever is exposed.) And our secret weapon is Air Conditioning, as we call it. A cheap bota bag filled with water and slung over the shoulder. When you get hot, squirt your shirt with the water. Carry a long sleeve white shirt. Wear that when the sun is really beating on you. Dr.Linda likes to take her's and soak it in ice water at gas stops. And if at any time you start to feel sun on you, stop immediately at the next safe stop point (exit, whatever) and re-goo up with sun screen. Don't wait for the next gas stop or you will regret it.
fritzsch wrote: How AWESOME is a cross country road trip from IL to CO, AZ area and back in the beginning or middle of July?
Fixed it
I was glib on the importance of staying hydrated, and totally ignored the sunburn issues. Dr. Hess hit on them.
As a coastie rider, I'd like to double underline them. It is perfectly doable to ride under these conditions, and the bike will be fine. But you really have to take care of yourself. I got in trouble several times from not understanding it.
I was almost hospitalized once coming through Oklahoma for dehydration by not drinking enough. The air moving over you gives the false sense of being ok, when you're actually not. The only reason I didn't end up in the hospital was the good folk where I fell apart recognized it and knew how to treat me. The next day I was ok, but it was close. Several other times I got into milder trouble down there in Texas. You need to drink to what will seem like stupid crazy levels. If you're not peeing every time you gas up, you aren't drinking enough to make it.
And the sun. I've got scars on my arms from the burns. It's that strong. Being young and dumb on my first ride through that area, I thought the sunburns were fascinating. Especially as they turned black, split, and chunks started falling off. Do what Dr. Hess describes, both with long sleeve white shirts and sunscreen.
The thing down there with the heat that wreaked the most havoc with riding was how soft it tended to make the asphalt roadways. It also melted the tires down quite well. Roadways frequently were squishy, and handling was sloppy. Ride with care.
Regardless of weather, I've always found oil consumption on long trips to increase. Check your oil regularly and pretty frequently. It's not been uncommon for me to have a bike that never burns oil to go through a quart a day in hard cross country riding.
Did a Rt 66 trip from Cali to IL all the way through the desert SW, in mid July once. No A/C, and never put the top up. 1960's convertible. Not a bike, but similar exposure issues. I would drink 2 gallons of water per day, and barely pee. At the end of 10 days on the road I was somewhat dehydrated. Kept an ice chest in the back seat with white rags soaking in the ice- I'd wrap them around my head to keep cool, and that'd last about 5 minutes before it evaporated off. Resoak, repeat.
Sunscreen was slathered on every time I stopped for gas. Luckily, I didn't seem to get sunburned. Light colored clothes, cover as much skin as possible from direct sun exposure. Wore a baseball cap and sunglasses- oh yeah- while your eyes may acclimate to the bright sun, it is still damaging them. Wear real, good, strong sunglasses.
The air passing over your body on a bike or drop-top is a double-whammy. It'll make you feel cooler, but that's because it's whisking moisture away from your skin! In the desert, in July, it's almost impossible to drink too much water. If you're urine is anything darker than post-it-note yellow, you're not drinking enough.
The convertible in question was air cooled, and when the air isn't very cool...well, neither is the engine. If it idled too long, it would overheat. If I ran too fast, it would overheat. I found a sweet spot around 30-50 mph where the car was happy to cruise at.
The sunburn thing is pretty big, a couple friends and I recently did an around 600 mile trip in 2 days. When we stopped to camp all the guys without tinted visors had sunburn in the shape ode their helmet opening on their faces.
This: http://www.dermaide.com/
is what we used in the burn unit for 1st degree ("sun burns") and resolving 2nd degree burns. I buy a case at a time and keep some with me on all road trips. You should at least get a jar of it if you're planning a road trip.
I'd rather deal with that heat than the 20-30 degree temps I had last week riding around Alaska.
My first trip, I rode from Maryland to Colorado in August including across Oklahoma, into New Mexico.
Wear gear, or at least long sleeve clothing and some sort of head covering if you are against helmets and riding gear. As mentioned, you have to keep the sun off you as much as possible. I prefer a mesh jacket and mesh or well vented riding pants with the aforementioned a/c trick, plus it helps. HOT HOT weather is one of the few times I wished for an open face helmet... still prefer full face but anything that keeps the sun off the top of your head is more comfortable.
Hydrate. Hydrate more. If you're not stopping to pee every 30-45 minutes you're not drinking enough. Avoid caffiene and soft drinks. Seek out sports drinks at stops, and MAKE SURE YOU EAT. Extreme heat, in addition to the fatigue and newness of riding like that can cause you to skip meals, lose track of time, and not eat. You have to eat. Wear a camelback and drink often while riding. You should need to refill it as often as you refill your gas tank.
Read up on the signs of heat stroke and stress. Be aware of them as you're riding. If you start to feel bad, STOP and get somewhere in the shade and cool yourself down however you have to.
As far as the bike goes, synthetic oil is a must. Use a heavier weight, or at least something like Rotella T6 5w40 synthetic. Leave with fresh oil. Leave with new or at least newer tires, and new or newer tubes. Make sure the wheel bearings, chain, and sprockets are in good shape before you leave. IMO Make sure the jetting is correct if not on the rich side to keep the motor running cooler. Make sure the plugs and wires and ignition are all up to par. Know how to change tubes, change plugs, etc before you leave.
Take pictures!
skierd wrote: As far as the bike goes, synthetic oil is a must. Use a heavier weight, or at least something like Rotella T6 5w40 synthetic. Leave with fresh oil. Leave with new or at least newer tires, and new or newer tubes. Make sure the wheel bearings, chain, and sprockets are in good shape before you leave. IMO Make sure the jetting is correct if not on the rich side to keep the motor running cooler. Make sure the plugs and wires and ignition are all up to par. Know how to change tubes, change plugs, etc before you leave.
Do your maintenance a few days before you go, so you can make sure everything is right. Nothing is more embarrassing than having to fix an oil drip at a motorcycle resort, because a drain plug O-ring tore, when you were torquing it down.
Make sure your gear is comfortable, too. It sucks when your ear piece its digging into your head, from not being recessed into the helmet enough.
I never thanked you for all the advice, but it was some good stuff thanks. I think I am going to change my plans though. I need to find an apartment for the fall in cookesville Tennessee so hopefully I can try to arrange some viewings this summer. I believe there are some nice roads in TN too. This will also be a much shorter trip which is probably better since I have not done a large motorcycle trip before. Suggestions between IL and TN are welcome
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