Bandit's Tour Rider Essentials

If you are plan on taking a road trip this fall or winter here is a check-list of items that should help you on your trip.

Here are a few items you might want to consider including in your own personal moto-touring packing list:

1. Clear Contact paper or low-tack tape (great for protecting motorcycle bodywork from luggage straps and bungee cords)
2. Soft-hook tie-downs (great for creating bungee cord hooks)
3. Bungee cords
4. Siphon hose
5. Ziplock bags (thousands of uses—you can even drain gas into a bag from one bike's petcock, then pour it into another bike)
6. Zip-ties
7. Duct tape and electrical tape (wrap a small amount around each leg of the pliers in your bike's tool kit to save space)
8. Flat repair kit (tube or tubeless, depending on your machine)
9. CO2 cartridge tire inflators, or another type of inflation device
10. Chain master link
11. Handi-wipes
12. Cellphone / GPS Device
13. Bike Cover
14. Flashlight
15. Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife
16. Tire pressure gauge
17. Shop rags
18. Extra fuses
19. Extra ignition key
20. Towel
21. Aspirin
22. Earplugs
23. Sunblock
24. Chapstick
25. $20 bill hidden on Bike
26. Up-to-date license and registration
27. Spare glasses
28. Spare dark or light faceshield
29. Bandana (protect your neck from cold or your mouth from dust; or, in hot weather, soak it in water and tie it around your neck)
30. Laundry detergent (powder)/clothespins (for washing out a shirt in your room)
31. Space blanket
32. Lighter
33. Rain-X (check your windshield manufacturer for use)
34. Faceshield cleaner
35. Water (one of those backpack hydration systems can be a lifesaver in hot weather)
36. U-lock/disc lock
37. Raingear (with glove and boot covers)
38. Walking shoes
39. Weather radio
40. Spare helmet hardware (plastic screws)
41. Garbage bags (for rainproofing your luggage or even as an extra windproof layer on you in extreme cold)
42. Telephone calling card
43. Camera
44. Emergency medical and contact info in wallet

Dr. Ray's Safety Tips For Motorcycle Riding

Make your first ride your best ride. Take the MSF Basic RiderCourse. Find a course at msf-usa.org or call (800) 446-9227.

If you are a new rider or a veteran motorcycle rider, Dr. Ray has a wonderful guide called "You and Your Motorcycle - Riding Tips".  Dr. Raymond J. Ochs is the director of training systems for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Ochs has more than 30 years of experience in education, training and leadership functions. Ochs joined the MSF in 2002 where he develops and maintains national curriculum and training functions related to the MSF Rider Education and Training System. Ochs has owned multiple motorcycles in his 35-plus years on the road and currently rides a touring bike. He became an MSF-certified instructor in 1973 and a chief instructor in 1980, and has conducted motorcycle safety training programs and presented papers and presentations all over the country and overseas including Germany and Japan.  

Dr. Ray's guide is in PDF form so you can download it and print it for free. Share it with your club members, friends, family or any one that rides a motorcycle.  It has a lot of helpful tips and insights.  We all can learn something cause no one knows it all.

Here is a brief description of some of the tips you will read in his guide:

• Learn to smoothly squeeze your front brake lever. Practice smooth braking even while rolling your bike out of the garage, so the skill is there in an emergency. 

• The best riders control their bikes to within six inches of their desire line, every mile and every curve of every ride.

• All the levers and pedals should be adjusted so they're easy to reach and operate.

• Practice hard stops when and where it's safe. If you ride with passengers, tell them to hold on and practice some hard stops with them. Just do it with care. 

• Don't tense up. Keep your elbows relaxed and slightly bent. Use a light grip on the bars. You need to control the bike, but you also need to let the steering do its job, not fight it. 

• The front tire of a sport bike can handle braking loads even when leaned over, but not abrupt braking loads. Words to live by: Load the tire before you work the tire. 

• Sport bike riders: Get used to holding yourself up with your core muscles and legs, gripping the tank with your thighs. This takes the pressure off the handlebars. 

• Your front brake has most of the stopping power. But develop a good feel for using your rear brake as well, to further shorten stopping distances. 

• Sport bike riders: Forget tucking in and hanging way off to drag your knee UNLESS you're on a racetrack, where you can safely explore your limits.

• Be smooth whenever you are moving around on the bike. Aggressive, abrupt body movements can be just as wrong as grabbing the brakes or stabbing the throttle. 

• Whichever line you are using through a corner, use all your vision and think and plan. Scan side to side and near to far, keeping eyes up and looking through the entire curve. 

• Remember: Weighting the inside axle of the gyro (aka the foot peg) helps turn your bike into the corner.

• When cornering, don't let your eyes linger.  Jump them to what's next and any possible hazards. 
  
  
  FOR MORE TIPS DOWNLOAD DR. RAY'S GUIDE CLICK HERE