# Narrowed down our choices:  Motorcycle Trip -or- Hiking across Italy



## Melensdad

So the lovely Mrs_Bob and I are planning our next trip and we are pretty undecided on what to do.  We are both 57, will be 58 when we take the next big adventure.

*OPTION #1:  Motorcycle the 6500 mile Great Lakes Circle Tour*

Its a trip along the shoreline of all the Great Lakes, both the US and Canadian side.  Follows mostly rural roads, but hits several major cities.  Never done anything like this.  24 days of riding at roughly 250 miles a day.  Figure 30 days for the trip with some rain delays, sight seeing, butt resting.  It would be a whole new experience for us.  Neither of us are seasoned riders, both of us have been on small motorcycles, scooters, etc many times.  Both of us are comfortable/confident on smaller motorcycles.  

*OPTION #2:  Backpacking Italy from Florence to Assisi to Rome*

Fairly rugged hiking, only 280 miles, but lots of mountains/hills.  Slow hiking.  Carrying everything in our backpacks.  This is something we have both done, multiple times.  Both longer and shorter distances.  Roughly 30 days of walking, add some rest and tourist days and its more likely a 40 day trip.  

*
The conundrum is this:*  We are not getting younger and we figure the clock is ticking on our ability to do a long (_prolonged day & day_) distance motorcycle trip. The reality is that BOTH of these trips are wear and tear on the body.  Any trip, by foot or in a seat, with a daily grind tends to really wear down the body and cause aches and pains.  We both have the strength now to do either.  

The advantage to HIKING is that if you get tired, blister, etc along the route you can simply shorten your daily distances, take a rest day, hop on a bus for 10 miles, etc and you can continue to hike well into old age.  We have hiked with people well into their 80's.  As long as health reasonably prevails we can hike until death do us part.

The MOTORCYCLE trip is something that could also be cut short, shorten days, but can't really hop on a bus and skip a day while still seeing sights.  Its unlikely we'd want to undertake a trip on motorcycles well into our 60's.  So we are leaning at doing the motorcycle trip sooner rather than later.  The more years it is put off, the more likely it will not happen.

Cost wise I honestly figure both trips at about the same price; 40 days in Italy is expensive, even with a backpack.  For the bike trip we'd need new motorcycles.  I have a little 150 now.  Looking at buying a pair of Honda NC700x or 750x motorcycles (new or used).  Adding side cases and a few other do-dads.  Need to update our cycle licenses.  Need to do a lot more riding to get back into the swing of things.  


Thoughts?


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## tiredretired

Pick yourselves up a couple of 2018 Kawasaki Ninja H2R's and you could prolly cut that time right in half circumventing the Great Lakes.  

Seriously, that is something  that sounds like serious fun. My advice would be a couple of nice cruisers with good HP.


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## tiredretired

IF I were planning such a trip and IF I was ready to buy a new bike for it this would be my choice hands down.  

https://www.kawasaki.com/Products/2018-Z900RS?cm_re=GLOBALNAV-_-TERTIARYNAV-_-2018Z900RSIMAGE


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## Doc

TiredRetired said:


> IF I were planning such a trip and IF I was ready to buy a new bike for it this would be my choice hands down.
> 
> https://www.kawasaki.com/Products/2018-Z900RS?cm_re=GLOBALNAV-_-TERTIARYNAV-_-2018Z900RSIMAGE


Looks like a nice bike that would do the trip around the lakes with ease.   

Sorry Bob, no thoughts either way here.   I've never done anything similar to either of your options.  Both sound like they would be a fantastic experience.   I look forward to pics from whichever one you decide on.


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## Melensdad

As for the bikes, I have a friend who is a shop teacher, Harley rider, and motorcycle builder (he teaches a class at a vocational tech school where they scratch build motorcycles) and he strongly recommended HONDA.  Parts availability, dealer support and reliability were his 3 key points.  

Looking at the NC700x and/or the NC750x.  Both are the same bike, the 750 was introduced this model year as an engine upgrade.  But the other features, dimensions, specs, etc are pretty much identical.  

Here is a review:  http://www.hondaprokevin.com/2018-h...otorcycle-adventure-bike-dct-automatic-nc-750

I did find a 2015 model available locally at a good price, might buy that one as a practice bike for the 2 of us to get used to riding a bigger bike.  Then buy a second if we decide we want to do this as our next trip.


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## tiredretired

Well, at any rate, IMHO, cannot go wrong with Japanese motorcycles.


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## road squawker

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but, I would think long and hard about visiting any European country.

I tried to talk my sister out of her 3 week annual trip to France.

The day after she flew out of De Gaulle in March of last year, the airport was hit.


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## Doc

TiredRetired said:


> Well, at any rate, IMHO, cannot go wrong with Japanese motorcycles.


Especially Honda.  I've had Honda motorcycles, ATV's, UTV's and cars all were bullet proof.  Loved the dependability.  They simply run and run.   And have good resale value.


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## pirate_girl

road squawker said:


> I don't mean to rain on your parade, but, I would think long and hard about visiting any European country.
> 
> I tried to talk my sister out of her 3 week annual trip to France.
> 
> The day after she flew out of De Gaulle in March of last year, the airport was hit.



There is no way in hell I would fly back to the United Kingdom right now, never mind any other long term trip.
I've been lots of places in my lifetime.
Seen just about all I want to see of England, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain etc..
 In any event Bob, I know you love to travel.
Good Luck and have fun if and when you do.


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## tiredretired

Doc said:


> Especially Honda.  I've had Honda motorcycles, ATV's, UTV's and cars all were bullet proof.  Loved the dependability.  They simply run and run.   And have good resale value.



I like all of the big 4.  As you say they run and run.  Used to love to blow the doors off those Honda CB750's back in the day with those Kawasaki 500 triples.  It was great sport.  

The 1974 Kawi Z1 900 was the first truly great super bike.  It had it all, handling (which the triples lacked) speed and great looks.  It was a killer bike all around. Legendary.


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## bczoom

I'd probably go for the Great Lakes trip but would consider some itinerary changes.

Instead of doing it all as a single trip, and considering your proximity to Lake Michigan, I'd head north around that lake.  When you get to the north side of that lake, see how you physically feel and see if the pace is right (250 miles/day sounds like you may be seeing more roads than lakes and sights).  

If all is well, do Lake Superior. 

If not so well, come back down the other side of Michigan or hit the west side of Huron but in general, you're heading back towards home.  Take a break at home for whatever duration then do a second trip around Erie, Ontario and possibly the east side of Huron.


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## Melensdad

FWIW I am not afraid to go to Europe right now.  Yes there is some isolated crap going on but I believe it is still a very safe place to travel for anyone who is moderately savvy about surroundings.  

I've got route books/plans/maps for the Italy hiking trip already.





bczoom said:


> I'd probably go for the Great Lakes trip but would consider some itinerary changes.
> 
> Instead of doing it all as a single trip, and considering your proximity to Lake Michigan, I'd head north around that lake.  When you get to the north side of that lake, see how you physically feel and see if the pace is right (250 miles/day sounds like you may be seeing more roads than lakes and sights).
> 
> If all is well, do Lake Superior.
> 
> If not so well, come back down the other side of Michigan or hit the west side of Huron but in general, you're heading back towards home.  Take a break at home for whatever duration then do a second trip around Erie, Ontario and possibly the east side of Huron.


Actually this is not really a change to our trip route at all.  Running up the west shore of Lake Michigan gives us several options.  Superior would be next if all is well, if not we could run down the east shore of lake Michigan and return home.  Even after doing Lake Superior we'd be right back at the tip of Michigan and could return home down the East side of Lake Michigan.  Or, we could head along north edge of Lake Huron and make another choice when we get to the Canadian side of Windsor/Detroit, its not unreasonable to cut the trip there and return home through Detroit. 

So several places to turn the trip around should things go awry.  Your thinking is sound and reasonable.

As for the 250 miles a day, sort of figured that is just an average.  Some days, depending upon sights, might be 175-200 while others might push 300-325.  We averaged 13 miles per day when walking across Spain but some days did closer to 18 and other days about 10.  Lots of flexibility.  Main goal is to stay off the interstates as much as possible, 2 lane roads through small towns is the ideal travel plan.  Some campsites in a tent, especially along Lake Superior.  But probably a 70% in hotels/motels/inns, 30% camping.  But we do NOT have a detailed map as of yet.


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## Melensdad

Options are being kept wide open.

Called the local Harley dealer, they run certification classes for motorcycle licenses.  Trying to get 2 spots in their next class.  We are not currently certified despite the fact that we have a small motorcycle in the garage.  NOT admitting to running it without the proper license in my pocket.  Nope, I'd never admit that.  But for insurance discounts and a good refresher it seems wise to take the class.

That said, also looking at at some English-Italian translations, route maps, etc. for an Italy hike.


Keeping options open.


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## Melensdad

Options are being kept wide open.

Called the local Harley dealer, they run certification classes for motorcycle licenses.  Trying to get 2 spots in their next class.  We are not currently certified despite the fact that we have a small motorcycle in the garage.  NOT admitting to running it without the proper license in my pocket.  Nope, I'd never admit that.  But for insurance discounts and a good refresher it seems wise to take the class.

That said, also looking at at some English-Italian translations, route maps, etc. for an Italy hike.


Keeping options open.


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## Melensdad

About 70% sure that we will be pushing off the Italy hiking trip and taking a motorcycle adventure.

We are both getting re-certified by the local Harley dealership's "motorcycle university" in 2 weeks.  They run a state approved 3 day class that gets us a motorcycle endorsement on our driver's licenses and qualifies for discounts on motorcycle insurance.  

We were at the dealership today to shop for helmets for my wife.  She went in knowing she did not want a full face helmet like mine and was leaning toward riding without a helmet at all.  The 2 sales ladies who were helping her talked her up to a 3/4 helmet with face shield and drop down sun visor.  One of the sales ladies had been involved in a fairly bad spill and credited her helmet for saving her.  They both strongly advocated for helmets for touring.  

They had pretty limited stock, she did find a helmet she liked but they were not confident that the size was correct.  The dealership is ordering more sizes and we'll go back in to try the other sizes.  It is a huge dealership, I was really disappointed with their helmet selection, but it is a H-D dealer and I'm betting 90% of their customers don't wear helmets at all.  Literally had about 25 different styles of helmets, and half of those were 1/2 helmets.  They had 3 models that were 3/4 helmets ... 4 if you count the fact that they had 1 of them in 2 different colors.  I think they had 3 full face helmets.  Pretty sure all of their helmets were in the "under $200" price range.  

The helmet she liked is labeled as a H-D helmet but it is identical to the HJC "IS-33 II" helmet.  It is DOT approved, but not SNELL certified.  Priced at $160 with the H-D graphics, same helmet can be had in solid colors under the HJC brand for about $135 or about $145 with other graphics.   I'd prefer she pick a helmet with both DOT & Snell ratings.  It seems to be a pretty nice basic helmet, nothing premium about its materials but it seems well put together.  I'd prefer she get a higher quality helmet but the helmets I'd prefer she buy have more helmet than she is willing to wear.

The 3 black helmet photos are the H-D helmet.  The reddish colored helmet is the HJC helmet.  So it seems pretty obvious that this particular H-D helmet is made by HJC.


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## Doc

Congrats.   Sounds like a great adventure.   Glad she gave in and will wear a helmet.


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## Melensdad

Doc said:


> Congrats.   Sounds like a great adventure.   Glad she gave in and will wear a helmet.



The dealer requires we use helmets in the class.  She had to at least buy one for the class.

It was nice that one of the sales ladies relayed her experience in a crash, that probably helped.

And when my wife said we were considering some long distance touring then both of the sales ladies PUSHED HARD for a minimum of a 3/4 helmet with a full shield.  They backed off of a full-face helmet only because my wife was determined NOT to wear one.  When my wife starting asking about BlueTooth communicators they pretty much said a full face shield is mandatory.  So I just sat back as they pushed her to a more protective helmet.


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## NorthernRedneck

If she doesn't want to wear a helmet, I can share a picture of mine for her. It was only two weeks old at the time of my accident. It's now full of scratches from hitting the pavement. Anyone who thinks that they don't need a helmet when riding is being naive. I get pissed off when I see people who think they are too good to be wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. 

One thing I will say about riding a motorcycle is that no matter how good of a rider you think you might be, you can't control others around you. Treat every driver out there as if they don't know how to drive. You never know when someone not paying attention will pull out in front of you without looking and claim they didn't see you. Take my buddy for example. Riding his Harley in town WITH loud exhaust so as too be heard. A woman yacking on her cell phone (which is illegal when driving) pulls out from a stop sign in front of him. He t-bones the driver door and goes flying over the car head first into the pavement. Wakes up from a coma two weeks later and spends about 2 months in a rehab facility dealing with traumatic brain injury. If he didn't have a helmet he'd be dead. If I didn't have a helmet I'd be dead. 

To me, there's no question about wearing a helmet. Better safe than sorry.


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## Melensdad

NorthernRedneck said:


> If she doesn't want to wear a helmet, I can share a picture of mine for her. It was only two weeks old at the time of my accident. It's now full of scratches from hitting the pavement. Anyone who thinks that they don't need a helmet when riding is being naive. I get pissed off when I see people who think they are too good to be wearing a helmet on a motorcycle.
> 
> ...
> 
> To me, there's no question about wearing a helmet. Better safe than sorry.



She doesn't think she is better, she knows it is safer, she is just thinking back on her youth when we had cars without seatbelts, rode in the back of pick up trucks, and nobody wore helmets for roller-skating, bike riding or while on a motorcycle.  

She knows she needs one but is just bitching about it.


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## Bamby

> Take my buddy for example. Riding his Harley in town WITH loud exhaust  so as too be heard. A woman yacking on her cell phone (which is illegal  when driving) pulls out from a stop sign in front of him. He t-bones the  driver door and goes flying over the car head first into the pavement.  Wakes up from a coma two weeks later and spends about 2 months in a  rehab facility dealing with traumatic brain injury. If he didn't have a  helmet he'd be dead.




_I hate loud exhaust and personally think it should be illegal, it actually serves no real purpose. C&P on subject:_

"Loud pipes save lives."

"Gotta make sure they hear you coming!"

"I can't tell you how many times a driver has noticed me because of my loud exhaust."

"They aren't just cool. It tells people you're there."

The "loud pipes save lives" argument is one I see or hear on almost a weekly basis. It's usually coming from some guy on a Harley or retro Triumph, though the sportbike guys are jumping on as of late. I honestly can’t tell if people really believe it, or it's just a nice justification when someone says their bike is too loud, but I think it's the second dumbest thing commonly heard from riders. (If you're wondering, the first is that 600cc supersports are beginner bikes.)

Let's start with some basic physics and a little rationality. Your exhaust is pointed backwards and by the nature of you traveling forward, you're actually leaving the sound behind you as you move forward. If that concept is confusing, think of the sound of a fire truck passing you with its siren blaring. The siren is pointed forward because the purpose is to warn driver’s the truck is approaching from behind. The next time you hear one coming, notice that it’s louder when it’s coming toward you than when it’s going away.

Now apply that to motorcycle crashes. The one comprehensive, reliable study of motorcycle crashes in this country is the well known "Hurt Report," which is now nearly 40 years old. Harry Hurt and his team found that 64.9 percent of multiple-vehicle motorcycle crashes were the fault of the car driver and “the typical accident in this category is portrayed by the automobile in traffic turning left into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.” A lot has changed in 40 years, but one thing that I think we can all agree hasn’t changed is that the car drivers are still pulling out in front of us. That means the bigger danger is still ahead, not behind, but most of the racket from loud pipes is just pissing off the people behind you, while doing very little to warn those in front of you.

Your headlights and horn, however, are pointed ahead. If you really were so concerned with an upgrade that could save your life, you’d add aftermarket auxiliary lights and upgrade your horn. But then you’d run the risk of looking like a dork instead of sounding like a badass.

Secondly, look at the cars around you. If loud pipes ever helped make you safer, that's less true today. My first car was a 1986 Volkswagen Fox. Basically, a go-cart with doors and a roof. Every scrap of road noise bled into the cabin. Today, even my semi-budget Mazda 3 manages to make road noise basically non-existent and it also comes with eight speakers, a six-CD changer, and an auxiliary port for my iPhone, so all I'm likely to hear is my music. In a current luxury car, you'll hear far less, and in the future, maybe nothing at all.

Now, I'm not saying a loud motorcycle has never alerted anyone to your presence. We've all had an experience where a driver has noticed us because of the sound of the bike. Obviously, anything that calls attention to your motorcycle helps today’s distracted drivers notice you’re there between their kids’ screams and bites from their burritos. However, claiming that “loud pipes save lives” while riding around on your brakeless bobber in your T-shirt and novelty helmet just makes you, me, and the rest of the motorcycle community look like morons.

You know what does help people notice you? _*Wearing hi-viz gear, adding auxiliary lighting to your bike, and upgrading your horn are all great ways to make your presence known.*_ Not only do they do a better job than an aftermarket exhaust, but they also cost a lot less. I should say that if by some chance you are wearing hi-viz gear, riding with auxiliary lights, using an upgraded horn, and have a loud exhaust, I’m willing to give you a pass. You’re both allowed to say “loud pipes save lives,” and disregard everything you just read.

So go ahead and buy your loud pipes. Just acknowledge it's for your own enjoyment, and not for some huge concern for safety.


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## bczoom

Are there laws/statutes/regulations on how loud a motorcycle can be?  How does that correlate to several ordinances about stereo noise emitting from a vehicle?

Be careful out there.  _A guy that works for me had to leave early yesterday to attend the funeral of his friend that was killed on his bike due to collision with a car. A young girl driving the car and although the investigation isn't complete, they're saying she may have been texting on her phone._


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## JimVT

i think seattle put a noise limit on vehicles of all types. so many yards away a certain sound level. i'm not sure about radio sound.


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## Melensdad

JimVT said:


> i think seattle put a noise limit on vehicles of all types. so many yards away a certain sound level. i'm not sure about radio sound.



There are various noise limits in various jurisdictions.  

Not planning to run anything that is not stock so noise issues should not be any problem from the engine/muffler.

We did talk to the H-D dealership about helmet to helmet communicators.  They have tiny speakers in them, as long as you are in range they work as full-duplex communicators.  They also sync with your iPhone so you can make phone calls, listen to your playlist, etc.  They use voice control, similar to Siri/Alexa to control the units.  Can't imagine that could lead to a noise violation!  

CARDO Systems seems to make the best units, integrate into the helmets, waterproof, rechargeable, etc.


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## Melensdad

Bamby I am in TOTAL agreement with you about the "loud pipes" pile of crap.

It is not true.

Its called the *"Doppler Effect"* and the reality is exactly as you describe it.  The sound is behind you, they don't hear you coming, they do hear you leaving!





Bamby said:


> _I hate loud exhaust and personally think it should be illegal, it actually serves no real purpose. C&P on subject:_
> 
> ...
> 
> know what does help people notice you? _*Wearing hi-viz gear, adding auxiliary lighting to your bike, and upgrading your horn are all great ways to make your presence known.*_ Not only do they do a better job than an after market exhaust, but they also cost a lot less. I should say that if by some chance you are wearing hi-viz gear, riding with auxiliary lights, using an upgraded horn...




FWIW, the lovely Mrs_Bob already has a Hi-Viz jacket, with level II padding at the elbows, shoulders & back!  I'm looking at buying a similar Hi Viz jacket with CE level II armor too.  As for Aux lights, those are also planned as are real horns.

Somewhere on the forum is the story of my daughter taking out one of our scooters in the summer and complaining about my rule of 'helmet, plus wearing lace on shoes, long pants/long sleeve shirt' even in the heat of summer.  She hit a patch of gravel and slid the scooter on its side at 30mph.  Both she and the lovely Mrs_Bob realized at that moment that my safety rules DO make sense.


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## Melensdad

The new communication systems seem to be a massive improvement on the BlueTooth systems.

I'm looking at the *CARDO Slim* for the me and the lovely Mrs_Bob

Here is a somewhat bizarre, but very informative comparison between the two market leading companies (Sena & Cardo).  Worth watching if you do-all motorcycle headsets are of interest to you.

LINK to video >>>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AMoXbXHALc&t=72s


LINK to product page > https://www.cardosystems.com/products/devices/packtalk-slim/


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## NorthernRedneck

Are you still planning the lake superior tour?

Canadian eh!!!


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## Melensdad

NorthernRedneck said:


> Are you still planning the lake superior tour?
> 
> Canadian eh!!!



Yes!!!


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## NorthernRedneck

Cool. Any idea on dates?

Canadian eh!!!


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## Melensdad

Pretty much looking at the month of August, but not narrowed it down any more than that.  Probably ride up the East side of Lake Michigan to the top, then follow the go West along the South shore of Superior, up and around and back to the point where the lakes meet at the east end of Superior/northern tip of Michigan.  If we decide to continue we will stay in Canada and head east.  If we have run into problems, or just don't want to continue then we'll head south along the Western shoreline of Lake Michigan toward Milwaukee, Chicago, and then back home.

Because we didn't know for sure what we were doing with Dasha our Russian fencer we didn't really set any firm plans.  Its only been the last week that we finally confirmed that she will be moving to Boston at the end of May, or early June.

Still unsure about Melen for this summer.  Hoping for Cummins Diesel in Indianapolis, but she has a firm offer from CISCO Systems in California.  That could impact our trip, but probably not much with the likely August timeline.


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## NorthernRedneck

If you're coming up that way along lake Michigan then down the south shore of lake superior, you might make it in time for the city on the hill music festival. It's a great weekend event the first weekend of August. Outdoor concert that lasts 2 days. This will be our 3rd year going. We're bringing the whole family this time then heading towards sault Michigan where we cross back over and head towards nova Scotia. But as time gets closer, I can provide a few pointers of things to do and see along the north shore. I've done it a few times. If you can make it to that concert, we could meet up. Here's the details http://cityonthehillmusicfest.com/  you have to pass right by it in Duluth Minnesota before heading northeast along the shore. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## Melensdad

Bumped up the motorcycle trip.  Leaving late next week.  Michigan & Superior for sure.  Maybe continue on around the others too?  We will see how it all goes.  I think we are mostly ready except for some final route planning and uploading the route into the iPhone.  So I have work to finish.

Trip dates were moved because we plan to head to California (by airplane) in September)


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## NorthernRedneck

Have a good trip. Too bad I'll miss you going through. Would have enjoyed showing you around. Our plans changed also from the whole month of August to the last two weeks of july. This was a last minute change for us. We picked something closer than the east coast. 2 and a half week tour rv trip. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## Jim_S RIP

Melensdad said:


> Bumped up the motorcycle trip.  Leaving late next week.  Michigan & Superior for sure.  Maybe continue on around the others too?  We will see how it all goes.  I think we are mostly ready except for some final route planning and uploading the route into the iPhone.  So I have work to finish.
> 
> Trip dates were moved because we plan to head to California (by airplane) in September)





NorthernRedneck said:


> Have a good trip. Too bad I'll miss you going through. Would have enjoyed showing you around. Our plans changed also from the whole month of August to the last two weeks of july. This was a last minute change for us. We picked something closer than the east coast. 2 and a half week tour rv trip.
> 
> Canadian eh!!!



Hope both of you have a great trip!


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## Melensdad

Finished the LED light install tonight.  

Can you see me now?

There are about 300% more lumens than the minimum legal requirement on each bike.  All the luggage boxes are removable so they have weatherproof quick connects to connect them to the bikes.

Amber for turn, red for running and stop.


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## NorthernRedneck

Looks good. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## Jim_S RIP

NorthernRedneck said:


> Looks good.
> 
> Canadian eh!!!



I’ve only one eye that works and no problem seeing them!


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## Melensdad

jim slagle said:


> I’ve only one eye that works and no problem seeing them!



Aarrrggh, so you are a pirate and you can see them


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## Jim_S RIP

Melensdad said:


> Aarrrggh, so you are a pirate and you can see them




:th_lmao:


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## Bamby

Melensdad said:


> Aarrrggh, so you are a pirate and you can see them



One area that could use some help is when the bikes are parked, especially at night. Some discrete reflective stickers would really help make them stand out even when parked when hit with backup lights in a parking lot let alone headlights.


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## Melensdad

Bamby said:


> One area that could use some help is when the bikes are parked, especially at night. Some discrete reflective stickers would really help make them stand out even when parked when hit with backup lights in a parking lot let alone headlights.



Both have 3M reflective stripes on them.  They light up pretty well.  Just not visible in the pics above because I was trying to show the LEDs and there were no other lights on to illuminate the bikes.  But the boxes and bikes have added reflectors.


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## Melensdad

Needed some fuel so I snapped a couple of photos of the new LED lights I added to the side cases, it shows the reflectors and also I've included the quick connect twist locks for the wiring so I can remove the side cases.

These lights are stuck onto the surface of the cases using 3M automotive foam tape.  

Not the most attractive lights, but they seem to work well.  If they fail I can swap them with something else.  But honestly it was hard to find any surface mount lights that would actually fit where I needed them to fit.  I could have used longer lights and wrapped them around the corner of the boxes if I could have found any.  

Honestly I consider this a fairly temporary solution but if they hold up to weather then maybe they will be a much longer term solution than I imagine.


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## NorthernRedneck

Looks good. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## Melensdad

The NEMO 2 chain oilers are both installed.  

This is the LAST of the do-dads and thingamjiggies that I needed/wanted on the bikes.

So far so good.  One word of caution to other mechanical misfits and dimwits like myself, the Gidibi brand of NEMO 2 chain oilers do NOT come with instructions.  Nor do they come with fancy boxes and glossy advertising.  On the other hand, they cost about $20 less than some of the other identical NEMO 2 units.  So that is a mighty expensive piece of paper you must get with the other boxes.  If you buy the Gidibi brand be sure to go watch the instal videos; its a 30 minute job, start to finish, including clean up.  

I ordered BLACK, they sent GREY (_which was an option_).  Not enough time to return them to a foreign country (_I think Slovakia?_) for an exchange to get the BLACK that I wanted. 

I consider any mechanical job a success when I need less than 2 trips to the hardware store and I don't bleed on the garage floor.  So this was 2 successful installs.  But somehow I got chain grease on my forehead


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## Doc

I am impressed with all the add ons you did to help ensure a safe trouble free trip.   Good job.       I do hope we'll see some highlight pics once you are on your way.


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## Melensdad

Doc said:


> I am impressed with all the add ons you did to help ensure a safe trouble free trip.   Good job.       I do hope we'll see some highlight pics once you are on your way.



Thanks, I've tried to stay with practical add-ons.  I admit that the painted cargo boxes are a bit of a vanity thing.  I just didn't much like the all silver boxes.  But my goals have been to keep things simple and light weight while increasing safety.  

I looked at and lusted over things like radiator guards, light bars and crash bars but pretty much realized none of those actually do much for reliability or safety and they all add weight.  Granted each would be a small amount.  But carry enough pebbles around and you might as well just carry a big rock.

As for photos I'm not even sure I will have cell signals in some of the remote areas along the Superior and Huron coastlines!  But when I find wi-fi I'm sure there will be photos here on the forums.


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## Doc

Wife and I took a spur of the moment trip to Ontario a couple weekends ago.   Cell coverage ended once we crossed into Canada. I forget how we found out about it but we signed up for $10 a day coverage so we could make calls and used WiFi at the hotel and got by with no issues.  AT&T must have texted us info about the $10 a day offer, but if I had set it up ahead of time I would have saved some bucks.   Had we not signed up for the $10 a day we could have used the roaming option but we heard horror stories of fees for roaming being over $100 for a few minutes of cell usage.


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## NorthernRedneck

We encountered the same thing traveling in the states. We generally turn off our phones as soon as we cross over to the dark side and only turn them on where there's free wifi. 

Canadian eh!!!


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## Melensdad

We are getting closer.

Scheduled to leave the house Monday morning.  Stop #1 will be Holland, Michigan.  We booked an AirBnB for our night there.  Its a semi-touristy town on the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan.  

The official route of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, which is a mapped route, includes an ugly section of Interstate 94 that runs along the southern edge of Gary, IN and up and around the southern edge of the lake.  We plan to follow Route 20 and Route 12, which is scenic and runs through the 'dunes' area of the southern tip fo the lake.  That eventually will turn into the Red Arrow Highway, another scenic route and then rejoin the so-called official route, which leaves the interstate to join the local highways as the route moves a bit north of the Indiana/Michigan state state line.  We will follow local highways up to Holland.

It's a lot slower route, but it takes us through small towns, touristy places, along the lakeshore and past marinas.  All of which are invisible when driving on the super-slab.  The point of this trip is to rediscover those family road trips of the 1960's.


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## NorthernRedneck

When you leave Duluth Minnesota heading north you have two options for the highway.  There's the divided highway that's boring and the same as any other interstate or there's the old highway that follows the lake shore. They eventually rejoin. 

When they do, you'll go through two harbors. Get gas there as there's not much for fuel for a good 2 hours north until grand marrais. Just after two harbors on the left there's a place called Betty's pies. Mmmmm. Best pies in the world. It's a small restaurant with regular food but the pies are delicious. 






Oh, just a thought. When you get to grand marrais, you will arrive going down a bit of a hill when it levels off the highway goes through town to the left but you'll see an intersection where you can branch off to the right. Take the right. It'll take you to their mainstreet where you can park and walk out to the marina. Very nice scenery. There's a few small shops there along with sven and Ole's pizza shop. Best pizza on the north shore in my opinion. 


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## Melensdad

Awesome, we are actually camping outside of Grand Marias.

I believe I have routed us on the old highway along the lake.  I'm using FURKOT on my computer and uploaded the .GPX files to the SCENIC motorcycle routing App on my iPhone.  I have our route planned out, day by day, from home to the night before we get to Toronto.  

No interstate highways!  As much rural road as possible.


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## NorthernRedneck

Grand marrais is a very nice little tourist town in the summer. You'll like it. 

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