Upcoming tour - questions for experienced tourers?

[drdubb]

Carry a paper map or atlas....i find I miss less when I spend a few minutes with a paper map. You also won't have to worry about a signal. As for booking ahead, I will sometimes do.it one night ahead, sometimes not.

Give yourself permission to travel.the way you prefer. It's your trip. Make yourself happy. I did a 15 day trip last summer, traveling alone. I gave myself permission to make decisions based upon what I knew at the moment. I missed some experiences, but I got home safely with some wonderful memories and more confidence in my touring ability.

 

[GregC]

I really have a hard time understanding how Garmin and the like stay in business.

I use the Co-Pilot app which also doesn't require a cell signal and you download maps like a Garmin or TomTom.

Garmin and the like stay in business I think because of advertising, ability to plan trips offline and easily share them with others, and some bike-friendly features (glove friendly screens, more rugged, etc). Worth the premium? Based on sales it seems so. But there are plenty of things not to like about a Garmin Zumo at it's price.


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[TN Thunder]

My personal opinion to the answers to your questions: Q1, ride until you get tired and find a place to stay. Usually the first day you will have the drive to go farther but don't push it. That's when you start making mistakes. Q2, GPS is fairly close. Times between points takes into consideration the speed limit of the roads with normal traffic. And they don't know how long you may take a break between stops. I find the close enough. Q3, I try to never retrace my ride if possible. That way you get to see some different scenery, ride different territory, etc.

You're going on a trip. Pack light, you're not going to the Prom at the end of the day. Take the essentials, tools, tire plug, tire pump,small LED flashlight, etc. Lastly, enjoy the trip.

 

[GregC]

You're going on a trip. Pack light, you're not going to the Prom at the end of the day.

You never know [emoji16]

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[Ruggybuggy]

I've taken the same route you plan a couple of time and found it a great ride. Personally I would go through Michigan and not back on the ferry. Your right about making sure you have a place to stay by reserving ahead of time because of the Long weekend. Be careful riding in the dark at night in the north. There is a lot of wild life up this way and they become active at dusk. I only ride at night if I only absolutely have to and I would never plan a trip where I have to travel at night. Remember to travel light and really ask yourself if really do need to bring "this". Most first time tourers always bring to much stuff. When you pack your clothing roll that days clothing, don't fold it, rolling takes less space. One thing to never skimp on is your riding gear. Count on hitting everything from cold, wet rainy days to 35°c. Being uncomfortable on a trip can ruin the ride. Stop often and see everything, even if it's only for a few minutes. Stopping and taking in everything is why your going on a ride.

Have fun!

 

[FezUSA]

Remember to bring your spare set of keys and keep them somewhere safe. You never know when you'll accidentally drop your 1st set in the frunk or just lose them all together. Yeah, voice of experience!!

 

[lue42]

I've taken the same route you plan a couple of time and found it a great ride. Personally I would go through Michigan and not back on the ferry. Your right about making sure you have a place to stay by reserving ahead of time because of the Long weekend. Be careful riding in the dark at night in the north. There is a lot of wild life up this way and they become active at dusk. I only ride at night if I only absolutely have to and I would never plan a trip where I have to travel at night. Remember to travel light and really ask yourself if really do need to bring "this". Most first time tourers always bring to much stuff. When you pack your clothing roll that days clothing, don't fold it, rolling takes less space. One thing to never skimp on is your riding gear. Count on hitting everything from cold, wet rainy days to 35°c. Being uncomfortable on a trip can ruin the ride. Stop often and see everything, even if it's only for a few minutes. Stopping and taking in everything is why your going on a ride.

Have fun!

Do you have any recommendations along the way? I have a decent amount of time one day between manitoulin island and Sault Ste Marie. I am thinking of doing the "deer trail" route up through Elliot Lake and back down. Any other scenic stuff, food, etc that you recommend? (all the way around Lake Huron)

 

[Ruggybuggy]

When I rode that route I was going to and coming back from Nova Scotia. I traveled along Lake Superior on the US side from Thunder Bay to Duluth and the to Sault Ste Marie. On the way back I took the ferry back up. The best part of the trip for me was the Lake Superior route, fantastic scenery and the ferry ride.

 

[TN Thunder]

Take some snacks and water. Never know where you may be at meal time or when the snack attack mode takes hold. Hot weather, drink lots of water, refill your bottles at rest stops, gas stops, etc. I normally ride after dawn and stop by sunset due to animals as well as being tired. When alone you can stop as long as you want or ride as long. Only worry is yours.

 

[lue42]

Well, I am back and made it around Lake Huron.

The route I took:

First off, if you are in the area you *have* to check out the Tunnel of Trees.

Here is an album of pics if you want to look:
Lake Huron loop - Album on Imgur

Highway 546 near Elliot Lake is fantastic. There is a stretch connecting 546 and 108 that sucked (hwy 639), but it wasn't too long.

Overall, it was a great ride... but I had a couple issues...

Air temp was around 5-10 degrees Celsius in the mornings. On the road I can't even guess how cold it was. My gloves were completely inadequate, and bought some insulated leather gloves en-route. My leather boots were too cold too, but suffered through that. I had non-motorcycling columbia snow pants and they were ok - they were kind of warm and waterproof. Need better if doing more cold touring. Jacket was decent. I have a Tourmaster Transition 3. I could have used a little more insulation. A heated vest would have been heaven.

The last day I planned on going along Lake Huron and spend another night on the road but gave in after the Tunnel of Trees. I was too cold in the morning and was facing a night at a roadside motor-inn which I didn't want to do. At that point I just wanted to get home. So, I took the slightly lesser of two evils and took 80mph grooved concrete highways home almost the whole length of michigan and got home at 4:30pm after leaving at 7:30am and driving all day. Exhausting, but was glad to be home.

The seat sucked. I have a pad on it. I have the Sit N Fly. Still had an awful sore tailbone and pretty much everywhere else. Chalk alot of that up to my size and fitness level too. I really don't want to put any more big money into the NC like buying a custom seat, but will probably buy an Airhawk as one last ditch effort to be comfortable.

Ultimately, I am pretty sure I will be on a different bike in the next year or two. It would be great to have a large tourer and the NC, but with Ontario insurance rates the way they are I don't think I will be able to justify it.

I booked both nights in advance and was planning on booking the 3rd on the road. There were so many motels along the route. My concerns about finding a place to stay were unwarranted and it would be easy to ride and find a spot on the fly next time. My first night was at a wonderful AirBnB on Manitoulin Island. It was my first time staying at one and it was so nice that I am sure my bar is set way too high for the future.

Overall, it was non-stressful, and easy. If you have any questions, let me know.

 

[Ackme]

Congratulations! It is a great feeling of accomplishment, isn't? Heated grips and a heated vest will do wonders for your comfort. On really cold trips I'll put the little chemical boot warmer packs in my boots. Keeps you good for a few hours. A lot folks like the AirHawk. Personally, I can't get past how it looks but once you are sitting on it maybe you won't care

 

[lue42]

Congratulations! It is a great feeling of accomplishment, isn't? Heated grips and a heated vest will do wonders for your comfort. On really cold trips I'll put the little chemical boot warmer packs in my boots. Keeps you good for a few hours. A lot folks like the AirHawk. Personally, I can't get past how it looks but once you are sitting on it maybe you won't care

I have OEM heated grips and they were on most of the time. I think I would have benefited from barkbuster type guards as well. Maybe something to add to the wishlist.

This is my current seat pad solution... so, although I made this as nice as I could I don't care too much about the looks of a seat cushion. I ended up putting two rolled up tshirts on each side inside the zippered part. The shape helped a lot and I can see why the larger custom seats work so well. Adding that side support is definitely the key and also makes me think that the AirHawk might not work well because of that... we'll see.