R
RTFlyer
Guest
First, a little background...I bought my R1200RT a couple weeks ago at Grass Roots BMW in Cape Girardeau as a replacement for my V-Star. The 600 mile service was completed this week. My intention upon buying the bike was to begin touring, and after having pined away for the bike for years, I bit the bullet. I have gobs of vacation time available now. I had been using much of my vacation time over the past few years visiting my parents in the Milwaukee area, but I lost them both on consecutive days this spring so I plan to use my time off now to see a few things and live a little. I lived in Germany (Furth and Bad Kreuznach) as a kid, and my mother was German (born in Essen), so that's another reason for the BMW.
I'm planning on attending the Pure Stodge Rally in Iowa, my first rally having been an owner for only two weeks now It looks to about a 350 mile run, depending on what route I take, so I think it'll be a perfect shake out run.
I'm not new to bikes, so I don't really have any concerns about the trip or the actual riding. I've got a day free on either side of the rally dates to allow for weather, so I have no concerns about the ride itself. I'll probably break the ride up there into two days, since I can't get an early start on day one. That should also help allow time for some relaxed sightseeing and pics to document my initial run. The shortest route would take me through St. Louis, but I'm considering adding a few miles to avoid the rat race there, especially since it looks like I'd hit there during the afternoon rush hour.
I plan on camping alone once I get there. I've been gearing up, but I do have a few items to pick up yet. The main thing now is a decent tent. Honestly, I have spent quite a bit between the bike purchase, license and insurance, a better jacket (Olympia), a full mesh suit (Teiz MS), new helmet, etc, so I would like to find something decent, but I don't want to spend $500.00 either. I'm thinking a 3-person might be best there, so I can sleep two at times and have some room for gear. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
So otherwise...what will I wish I had packed when I get there?? How do we spend our days? I plan on arriving early afternoon Thursday, and breaking camp Sunday, weather permitting. I hope to get lots of info on farkling my RT, specifically adding some electronics (satellite radio, GPS, radar detector, camera mount).
So help a brother out guys. Any advice or suggestions are welcome. Also, I do like to drink beer . Does any of that go on at rallies??
I'm planning on attending the Pure Stodge Rally in Iowa, my first rally having been an owner for only two weeks now It looks to about a 350 mile run, depending on what route I take, so I think it'll be a perfect shake out run.
I'm not new to bikes, so I don't really have any concerns about the trip or the actual riding. I've got a day free on either side of the rally dates to allow for weather, so I have no concerns about the ride itself. I'll probably break the ride up there into two days, since I can't get an early start on day one. That should also help allow time for some relaxed sightseeing and pics to document my initial run. The shortest route would take me through St. Louis, but I'm considering adding a few miles to avoid the rat race there, especially since it looks like I'd hit there during the afternoon rush hour.
I plan on camping alone once I get there. I've been gearing up, but I do have a few items to pick up yet. The main thing now is a decent tent. Honestly, I have spent quite a bit between the bike purchase, license and insurance, a better jacket (Olympia), a full mesh suit (Teiz MS), new helmet, etc, so I would like to find something decent, but I don't want to spend $500.00 either. I'm thinking a 3-person might be best there, so I can sleep two at times and have some room for gear. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
So otherwise...what will I wish I had packed when I get there?? How do we spend our days? I plan on arriving early afternoon Thursday, and breaking camp Sunday, weather permitting. I hope to get lots of info on farkling my RT, specifically adding some electronics (satellite radio, GPS, radar detector, camera mount).
So help a brother out guys. Any advice or suggestions are welcome. Also, I do like to drink beer . Does any of that go on at rallies??