KJ1H said:
I've mentioned elsewhere that part of my van plan is to bring my Kawasaki KLR650 with me in my travels. I can use the van as my home base and use the bike to explore the general area once I'm there. I call it "moto-glamping."
Who else out there brings a bike along for the ride? Any concerns locking it up at night? How do you deal with carving out precious space in your van for all the riding gear you (hopefully) wear?
KJ1H:
I use a Suzuki DR650 towed on a very small trailer behind a Dodge B350 van. Been driving this setup for the last five years and IMHO is absolutely the perfect way to travel/explore. I can park the van in a nice spot, ride all day and return to "home" with hot shower and chow, not to mention sleeping off the ground in a "steel tent" beats sleeping on the cold ground any day. Yep, the camper has me soft and spoiled!
My riding gear takes up some room in the van but is doable. Really, it's only a helmet and protective jacket/pants, plus the soft saddlebags and bike tools/parts. I use combat boots to hike/ride in. Theft is of little concern (since it's not a Harley, just a ratty "dirt bike") but I do use a cable lock to lock the bike and trailer to the van when I'm not physically around. Never had a problem in over five years, and I stay in a variety of places from very remote to San Francisco.
The bike serves as a support vehicle for the camper to get water/food, so once parked; the van never has to move. The advantage of a small trailer is the ease of 3 minute loading/unloading. It takes only two ratchet straps to secure the bike to the trailer. That IS a big deal since you tend to explore those interesting dirt roads to nowhere more frequently when the bike only takes a few minutes to unload. If it is a "hassle" (like an enclosed trailer), you will find that you won't ride as much and will probably reserve riding for "once camped" rather than "anytime whilst traveling". A BIG difference in my opinion! I've tried the hitch rack thing and it didn't work for me. Too much swaying and bouncing of the bike, especially along dirt roads. I'll give you mine but you'll have to come to Arkansas to get it. No option to get the bike inside my Class B so.....trailer it is. Yep, the bike/trailer adds 8' to my rig's total length but that has never been a problem. I can still "squeeze" into a single parking space with only a few feet of the bike trailer sticking out. Besides recreation, the big unseen bonus is; if your camper ever breaks down, you have a spare vehicle to run for parts, help etc. You aren't stranded and can "self rescue". The only downside I've experienced is the inability to back up with this particular trailer. You'll notice on the photos that the tongue is almost nonexistent. Back up a foot or two and the trailer jackknives. I am getting a tad better and sometimes I can even back up a few feet to avoid the "turn around". Ya gets used to it.
Bottom line is: A moto is a great companion to a camper to use as a service vehicle/recreation/spare vehicle in case the camper breaks/transportation in built up areas etc. Make sure it's street legal and has license plates so you won't have any hassles riding in (any) town. Try riding a 4-wheeler in San Fransisco and see what happens.... It will make a few months stay in Quartzsite or Ehrenberg absolute paradise! Don't forget the awesome 23 miles of dirt to the old secret Army base at Bouse.........
Not mentioned but VERY important: Motorcycles are just more FUN to ride than a 4-wheeler! :thumbsup:
By the way, great choice with the KLR! Reliable as a hammer, but you already know that.
PS: Found a cool kid's matchbox car at the old Skoolie palooza site at Ehrenberg, would like to get it back into the kid's hands. Describe the car and I'll mail it right out to the owner.
Motorcycle Safety Instructor/Paramedic rant mode :ON
To all the 4-wheelers out there who don't think you need protective gear:
I've been a rural paramedic for 30+ years and have personally seen many tragic accidents because the rider thought their 4-wheeler was "safer" than 2 so didn't wear any protection. People, please, if you ride a 2 OR 4 wheeler.....wear the gear! All of us riders have ZERO protection when we get thrown from the machine to the hard ground. Don't learn the hard way....
Just think for a minute what would happen to your beloved pet when it gets thrown off....Ambulance folks usually will not treat your pet, you watch it suffer......
Accidents are called accidents because we didn't expect them to happen. Just because you've done it 100 times does not mean #101 will end well.
Motorcycle Safety Instructor/Paramedic rant mode :OFF
"Life is tough. It's tougher when your stupid." John Wayne as Sgt. Stryker in "The Sands Of Iwo Jima"
Chuck Q
refitting in Arkansas
