Motorcycle Desert Dwelling

[bobbert]

Okay. This is crazy, but is it possible to live in the Arizona desert (<b>in the</b> <b>wintertime</b>, 14 days at-a-time), sleep in a tent nightly, and have a motorbike as transportation?<div>I'm just thinking of this instead of having a car/van/truck.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Ideas on hauling food in &amp; out would help me as I'm clueless on what I'd bring. Keeping <b>perishable food</b> would be a big challenge, especially for several days at a time.&nbsp;</div><div><b>Hauling water</b> would be another issue.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks in advance for all ideas <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></div><div>BTW: I'd get me one of these- a Yamaha TW200.</div><div><img src="http://imageshand.yamahamotors.com/img.jpg?id=13734&amp;class=med640"></div>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I did it with just a backpack and a dog.. though I wasn't remotely situated. With even a bicycle I'd have no qualms about gettin' in there a bit (solid tire inserts would be a MUST though). ..Willy. <br>

 

[Les H]

I don't ride, but know many who do. And i don't remember if it was here or on vandwellers, but this guy rode a Ninja 250 cross country, I believe it took himlike 6 or 8 weeks, tent style. So it can be done. Hopefully Bri ( bk2valve) cimes in , as he has ridden mito seeming everywhere, on several continents.
Take care-
Les

 

[bobbert]

Yeah, I was hoping&nbsp; <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">bk2valve would chime in tonite. I'd like to hear of his experiences doing it.</span>

 

[Guest]

Hi xj700,<br>Absolutely it is possible! That's the good news....the bad news is that it isn't anywhere near as comfy as the ol' van!<br><br>As you know I ride with a sidecar rig and if the weather has at least a chance of being warmish and not crappy, I MUCH prefer my sidecar rig to the van...beyond any doubts at all.<br><br>I rarely stay in one place very long at all whether I am in the van or on the bike. I m a traveller and if I am not home in my little paradise here in Truth or Consequences, I am on the road to travel. That is me though, not anyone else....lots of our tribal members do just that, stay in one place a long time, whether by choice or circumstance.<br><br>I would never choose to stay in one place on a bike....I am too old and like comfort too much for that. I don't see the point ......for me.<br><br>I just got back from 8 days on the road with my sidecar rig and two friends....Paul C&nbsp; who folks met last year at the rondy in Q and Jon B who folks met this year at the rondy. They ride solo bikes and carry their camps on them.<br><br>My suggestion to anyone who would consider moto riding and camping to research and to spend the money up front to get really good, really lightweight gear that will pack small and last a long time.<br><br>Starting with the bike...go as big as you can afford. If you don't already ride you will find that you soon want to move up in size. If I were considering what you want to do, I would go for a KLR650, DR650, GS BMW or something like that. People can and do ride them around the world. You can often find one, several years old, in good shape with a lot of&nbsp; added goodies like hard bags, etc. to make what you want to do easier. They will let you pack a lot and be very mobile so you can explore the desert with it.<br><br>I would camp a lot now to sort your gear out and see what works for you.&nbsp; I have been doing this stuff since I was about 13 and am now 68 so I have tons of gear, have sorted it out and still do that...take lots of trips to sort and try gear and mostly these days it is to eliminate crap and extra un-needed gear and trinkets.<br><br>Recently I dispensed with any attempt at refrigeration....egads, what a relief to not be dealing with and looking for ice. I now use a collapsible tent cot from Kamp-Rite and it is so perfect for me I am thrilled.&nbsp; My camp is getting lean and mean...while I am going the other way..lol, and it makes life so much easier.<br><br>I would do less planning and thinking about the future and do a few of the steps to try it out and see if you like it and can handle it.<br><br>I am home now sorting again...I make notes as I travel about what else I can leave home and what to bring....a couple of weeks from now I will do another short trip to try out all that and see what needs to change. I have been riding this rig for about 10 years&nbsp; and over 100K miles and still change stuff on it as well. <br><br>Have fun, as specific questions, research a lot of internet groups and good luck.<br><br>Adventureriders.com<br>Motocampers.com<br>and anything specific to the bike you like...<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[bobbert]

Thanks Bri-<div>What did you about hauling fresh food, along with water? Was it possible to take 14 days-worth? Could you tell me what type of food you took?</div><div><br></div>

 

[akrvbob]

I've never done exactly what you suggest, but lots of things like it. I've camped out of a moto for months at a time (Including driving one to Alaska) but always on road. And I spend every winter camped in the desert out of a cargo trailer. <br><br>Everything Brian said is 100% right on. Especially wanting a bigger bike. The main thing is setting up saddlebags, trunk and strapping gear everywhere you can. You will want to get as far off the beaten path as you can because you are going to need to leave camp set up and make trips into town for food and water. To carry 14 days of food and water and all your gear at once is going to need a big bike, and probably&nbsp; a trailer. So your best bet is to go in with your gear and a few days worth of food and water, set up camp, and go into town often for supplies. With the great mpg of a bike, that shouldn't cost too much. Off the beaten path your camp should be safe. Brian is right, forget refrigeration, no way can that be reasonably be done unless you have a trailer.<br><br>Unless you have spent time in the desert in the winter, you probably are not aware of how cold it can be. You are going to want&nbsp; cold weather gear for comfort down into the teens. Also, the desert usually has a lot of very strong wind. You will want a true mountainering tent designed to withstand at least 50 mph winds.Even with the right gear, expect to have some cold, miserable, sleepless nights. It's hard to sleep with the tent flapping like a banshee.&nbsp; All that gear is very bulky<br><br>That may sound like I am trying to discourage you, but I'm not. You can do it, but to be honest you would be much better off in a van or even an econo car. There are lots of back-roads in the desert that are okay for an econo car, just don't try to go cross-country.&nbsp; Bob<br><br>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;The big thing in the desert is WATER.. get a&nbsp; gazetteer, GPS, and look for all the springs/streams, etc. that you can find and have the UTM's for them. I've been in some pretty desolate country in Arizona and have found (via GPS and map), in the middle of nowhere, a warm spring coming out of the side of a mountain with clear drinkable water a-gushing. That can make a huge difference in your stay. Up here in B.C. I don't even bother cuz there's drinkable water near everywhere. <br>&nbsp;One thing I'd like to mention is that people are sooooo scared of Giardia and other heebies, gotta boil and run through a 1 micron w. activated charcoal filter, but fail to realize that a large percentage of the N. American population already has that stuff resident in the ol' gizzard! If you do catch it ya get the dribblin' shits for a bit and then can drink the water to your hear's content. It's kinda like Mexico 'n such. ..Willy.<br><br>

 

[Guest]

Hi again Bobby,<br>I meant to say before that while I like the Yammy TW very much, I would really consider something else. It is an excellent bike to use as a dinghy for a van or RV or as a runabout in an area....several friends here in NM have them and love them.<br><br>The reasons I don't think it will do you much good is that rear tire....as far as I know there is only one company making that rare size tire. Anywhere you go, you can be fairly sure your won't find one for sale and you will have to order it. I think they may be good for sand riding but way too rare.<br><br>I would have a bike with standard size tires. <br><br>Another minus is the size engine. Great mileage and ok for two lane state roads and the desert but absolutely useless on the interstate and there will be times you will want or need to go on one.<br><br>Being as it is a style much to it's own class and it is not hugely popular for traveling, there are few aftermarket racks, bags, etc. available for it.<br><br>The Kawasaki KLR has an enormous aftermarket and any number of hard bags, racks, protection, performance farkles available for it and everything about the bike is pretty standard to the market....there are companies that carry nothing but gear for the KLR.<br><br>Stuff to think about....anyway,<br><br>Bri<br><br>

 

[She]

Lets not forget <a href="http://theoasisofmysoul.com/" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" target="_blank">Ara and Spirit &nbsp;</a>&nbsp;who before getting his other home&nbsp;traveled&nbsp;with his dog on a bike. Nothing else I can add because well its not something I would do....carry on!

 

[bobbert]

Here's a dude that is camping quite well on his Yamaha TW200! Looks fun!&nbsp;<div>I think that I could add an extra soft pack beyond the blue one in the rear!</div><div><br></div><div><img src="http://camping-check-list.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/motorcycle-camping.jpg"></div>

 

[Guest]

Nice set-up that guy has. Do you know&nbsp; how long he stays out and is it in the desert?<br><br>You can do whatever you set your mind to...here is a guy who rode from Australia to London on a Honda Trail 110....it can be done just fine...his book is a good read by the way....but when you read it you will understand some of the difficulties he ran into....and he had an excellent support group....<br><br>Bri<br><br>

 

[bobbert]

Thanks Bri. Was there a link that you meant to include?
Thanks again!

 

[Guest]

Yep, sorry....Oldtimers disease....<br><br>http://www.thepostman.org.uk/the-bike/<br><br>Have fun bro...<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[rattlesnake joe]

<p>It gets too cold in Arizona in the winter time to camp in a tent.&nbsp; Unless you wait until the&nbsp;last week&nbsp;of February and even then you will probable get&nbsp;some wind and cold until the&nbsp;last week&nbsp;of March.&nbsp; The world wide weather patterns are changing radically due to this Sun Cycle we are in so who knows what the weather will be this winter.&nbsp; I would plan on tent camping&nbsp;on March 1st.&nbsp; If you are not going to be traveling any great distance you can get away with camping with your Yamaha&nbsp;TW 200.&nbsp; You can travel all over La Paz county camping 14 days here and then moving 25 miles away to camp another 14 days.&nbsp; The bike can travel the blue highways okay but you may have to pull off now and then so the big trucks don't run you over.&nbsp; The freeways are too fast for your bike.&nbsp; The speed limit on these is 75 mph in places.&nbsp; You can modify your bike to go faster by putting a different rear sprocket on it, but then you won't have the cool trail bike capabilities then.&nbsp; If you plan on traveling the freeways and tent camping then look at&nbsp;getting a&nbsp;bigger bike.&nbsp; Water weighs 8.3 lbs a gallon, so you can only take a weeks worth of water on your bike out to where you camp.&nbsp; Food is lighter if you go with Freeze Dried foods.&nbsp; Mountain House products are considered by many the best tasting.&nbsp; Get backpacking camping equipment to put in your soft sided saddlebags.&nbsp; Hard sided saddle bags are too dangerious for trail riding in my opinion.&nbsp; </p>