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My first Rally! Hints, suggestions, tips???

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

I've come to some conclusions as of today...

I probably won't pack as efficiently as I should. I'll leave things I need here, and I'll bring some things that I have no use for. It'll be a learning experience for me, so I'm not going to sweat it too much. If I truly need something, they'll have stores there. I found a quality brand-new tent on Craiglist here and saved a bundle, have a good sleeping bag, and a serious self-inflating air mattress, so at least I should be able to sleep at night.

I'm probably going to make a generally straight run as far as routing goes with a small detour to avoid the worst of St. Louis traffic. I considered the route suggested above, but that will add considerably to the overall distance. I'm new to the touring thing, so I want to arrive in Iowa fresh, and not try to squeeze too many miles in per day. I figure that I can make the entire trip (380 miles) in one day in case of rain or other unforseen delays on my route. I don't want to plan any more than that for my first run. I can ride 200 miles per day locally without any problem, so I don't think I'm out of the ball park there. My route gives me about 130 slab miles initially, then a relaxed run for the remainder. Less than two hours after leaving the house, I'll have nothing but open road ahead of me.

Theres a nice state park with camping at about the 3/4 point. If I feel like stopping, I can camp there, then continue. That would also be a good place to see how well prepared I really am.

I'm starting a packing list today, based on some published on the web and tailored to my own needs. I'm also running by Grass Roots BMW today to see about a tank bag, tie downs and other misc items. I'm still a little confused as to how it all will fit on the bike, stay dry, and be stable. I'll leave plenty of time to pack and re-pack.

Any advice on packing the bike would come in handy now. I've read the threads on it and seen some pic's of packed bikes. I just need to figure out my own system I guess.
 
Take a day trip with your bike packed as if for a long-distance tour. Then get home and set up camp and see how things held up on the trip. Then see what you really needed. Adjust as necessary.
 
And just as an FYI - we will be giving out a 10% off & free shipping coupon from Full Throttle Camping at the Iowa Rally to everyone. And we also have two 30% off coupons as door prizes from Full Throttle. Here is a link to their website:
http://www.fullthrottlecamping.com
 
Take a day trip with your bike packed as if for a long-distance tour. Then get home and set up camp and see how things held up on the trip. Then see what you really needed. Adjust as necessary.

Good advice. I've got about a 170 mile run planned for Saturday. I'll load up the bike and make it a test run.
 
I just thought I'd wrap the thread up with a little summary of the trip.

I drove up in one day, my first 400 mile day thanks to some sightseeing along the way. It was an easy trip, dry and low 80's for the temps, and I felt pretty good ater a few cold beers that evening.

The camping was great. I had the necesssary gear, packed pretty well, and made it through the weekend without any great suffering.

I met a few guys who post here, as well as a good group of guys with whom I ate, rode, and drank each day. I discovered that overall, you guys are my kind of people. An easygoing bunch who spent the weekend laughing, riding, drinking, and socializing. We didn't have to disagree about politics, social reform, discuss what we or our bikes were worth or anything like that because it didn't matter. I didn't even know what the occupations were of the guys I spent the weekend with until the last night there when the subject came up. We rode different bikes from different eras, and laughed until we cried every day.

I admitted being a rally virgin to everyone I met, and was welcomed with open arms. I asked questions about the bikes I saw and learned a lot in the process about not only mine, but the beemers in general. All good-to-know stuff. The rally itself seemed well organized (if a bit laid back), and was just what I needed in a quick getaway from the daily grind.

I've marked my calandar for the Iowa rally next year, and plan to attend a few more this year if I can sneak away. In the end...I'm hooked. I've found my perfect bike, and now a group of folks who enjoy theirs as much as I enjoy mine. I hope to meet more of you folks around the country at different rallies, and still plan on doing some touring myyself. Oh, and I've got a long list of future farkles...
 
Glad you had a great time and yes, rallies are addicting! Over the last 8 years I've tried to make from 2 to5 each summer and a new one each year. Got sick last year and didn't make any but I'm signed up for Paonia and I might try Sipapu in NM also this Sept.:usa
 
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