Touring on a 250 (Or: How I plan to be seeing you guys in brisbane next summer!)

Hey Artemis

Plan your ride with plenty of stops along the way, make sure your bikes are in good running order , finally ... time your arrival on a weekend and us qlders can come down and meet you at the border and give you you an escort into brisbane :Thumbs_up:

Chris

 

Get a better seat.

 

Or an air hawk

 

I 'did' Ballarat to Canberra on an Across... about a third the distance you're talking (?)

I took with me;

Spare throttle cable (new clutch cable installed the week or so previous)
Spare brake and clutch levers - if your bike falls inadvertently and breaks a clutch lever you're kinda stuck.
Puncture repair kit and CO2 inflation canisters.
Small WD40 can.
Small chain lube can.
Tools: 1/4" drive socket set, allen key tool, common metric ring spanners, 20 or so 150mm cable ties.
Standard Across tool kit also.
LED torch.

First aid stuff:
Heat blanket : these fold up into a tiny space.
Spray on bandage.
Steri-strips.
ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Super-glue - awesome for fixing together cuts sustained while repairing stuff.

Didn't need to break out any tools or first aid stuff.

Baby wipes for visor/helmet cleaning - Huggies make a neato slim plastic pack
1.25L stainless steel water bottle (full of water).
Riding kit for cold, hot, and wet weather - take a hi-vis vest and wet weather gloves.

Stay warm.

All this stuff will fit in the Across 'boot'.

Clothes etc went in a 20L rack-pack - half full.


Didn't carry fuel as the 180km range of the Across will keep you within range of service stations - besides, your bum needs a rest by then. Next trip I might carry 10L, but even 5L would be ample.

The trip was to attend a wedding so I sent my suit, shirt, and shoes ahead in the mail.

Next trip I do like that I will avoid dead boring freeways (such as the Hume) like the plague - the monotony fatigues you more than an 'interesting' road. Hopefully my next long trip won't be on the Across, although I'll not rule it out completely.

 

Sounds awesome. It's funny I stumbled across this post ( no pun intended) as I'm in the planning stages of riding the whole length of qld right to the tip. Won't be for a few years yet but it needs alot of planning. I wish u all the best good sir. And we'll all meet u at the border.

 

http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm

On the trip I mentioned earlier, I discovered my first taste of road fatigue. I'd ridden from ballarat as far as Holbrook - about 480km.

At his point I recall seeing cattle on the road ahead, then thinking, "No that's not livestock, those things are cars..." At that point I stopped for the night.

Admittedly it was my first long ride in a very long time, but I was surprised how affected my mind was...

Basically what I'm saying is allow plenty of time for your trip.