Preface
Sometime middle of last year, my dear friend Vikash along with his wife and mine were out in a restaurant. His wife broke the news to us that his 50th birthday is coming up and he wants to cross off an item from the list. And knowing Vikash and hearing all the stories of his trip to the Amazon a few years back, I was immediately immersed with a feeling that this probably means a lot to him and whatever it is, it can't be an ordinary one. When he broke the news to us, I wasn't anticipating that this was his thrilling expedition on a motorcycle ride to the West of the States that would include Yellowstone and Glacier National Park thereafter.
Long story short, our conversation ended up all of us agreeing that we would make Yellowstone our ultimate destination as part of his 50th birthday and this would involve the family as well.
Preparation
So, considering that I own a sportbike (Honda CBR1000RR) and that I had not traveled more than few hundred miles on this motorcycle at that time. My options were fairly limited to the following:
- Say NO.
- Rent another motorcycle (the one that is more suitable for long distance riding)
- Come up with an excuse that sounds reasonable.
- Toughen up and take up the challenge.
I am certain that it's obvious to you by now as to what I chose to do. I chose to just go ahead and take up the challenge without renting a more suitable motorcycle for the trip (there are issues with renting that I won't go into details in this post). With that said, I spent the next two months planning everything from how we are going to get there to who and what we will be doing once we are there. With the help of my friend, I came up with things that I needed in order to be prepared for this exciting and thrilling adventure on my sportbike. Thanks to my wife who has a background in Physical Therapy, she pointed me in the right direction for things I needed to make the ride more comfortable. Here's my extensive list of items I had to acquire keeping in mind that many of them will likely come to use in the future as well:
- Tour Master Sonora Air Jacket - I decided on this particular jacket after a recommendation from well-known local motorcycle store. It handled the hot, cold, and rainy weather that we faced throughout our trip flawlessly.
- Tour Master Venture Air Pant - decent waterproof riding pant with thermal liner along with three position knee armor system.
- Tour Master Response WP 2.0 Riding Boots - my friend and I would both say that this was by far the best purchase we made. The riding boots are just as important as the helmet. These waterproof boots felt lighter, well-cushioned, breathable throughout our 4500 miles journey!
- Ogio Stealth Black Duffle Tail Bag - This was particularly useful for storing clothes, water bottle, snack(s), portable charger, etc. It was easy to install and provided plenty of room for storage. Did I mention that this helped my back as well?
- Sena 10C - we both ended up purchasing this unit to keep in touch with each other during the ride and share music, take calls, capture video, etc.
- Forcefield Pro Back Insert - I purchased this more for safety but it ended up providing good back support during the ride as well.
- Kaoko Throttle Lock - simple to use and a no-brainer for anyone who owns a motorcycle. This took away any strain that I would've experienced on the wrist during freeway riding as all I have to do is lock the throttle and let go.
Departure and Routes
On the next post, I will share some of our departure pictures along with routes we both agreed upon for our journey. Stay tuned!