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First Rally... Ever

robinje

New member
Hello all. My wife just said "take as long as you need" to attend the rally, so I will be on my way come July! This will be my first rally of any kind and I don't really know what to expect. I plan to camp in a tent at the rally site. Do any of you ship your camping gear ahead of time, or do you simply pack it on the bike? I have pretty minimalist stuff, so my RT should have plenty of room, especially traveling solo. I have never camped via motorcycle either, so this whole trip will REALLY be something new! I am really looking forward to attending. By the way, I am from Park Rapids, MN and plan to take the ferry to avoid Chicago on the way down. I think I'll go through Chicago on the way back, though, as I hope the traffic will be much less of a factor on Sunday. Enough rambling...

See you there...

Jim
 
jim, why dont cha ride through the upper peninsula of michigan, across the mighty mackinac bridge and down through the state. much more fun than riding on a ferry imho.
good luck on your trip - you are going to have a blast.
 
Jim,

Cliffy has a good idea. If time permits I'd suggest the ferry one way (I preffer the old, slow Badger) and The Bridge and the U.P. the other.

Somewhere on the internet, maybe even on this site, there is a pretty good FAQ on motorcycle camping. Anybody have the URL?

John
 
Look on the Home page under Motorcycle Camping. Welcome to the gang, and look any and all of us up at Lima. Volunteer for a shift at something, you'll meet lots of folks that way. In fact, c'mon to the Forum Frenzy on Thursday evening, and work a shift with us at the beer tent on Friday afternoon.
 
Jump right in.

robinje said:
avoid Chicago

Going through Chicago might be bad, regardless of when, but I believe the East bound lanes (at least on I-80 / I-90) have less construction delays than the West bound lanes. So, if you cannot go through Michigan, then at least try to avoid Chicago on the way home.

As for camping, you really don't need a lot. This isn't "camping" per se, anyway. This is tent-sleeping. You'll want a tent, thermarest, sleeping bag, pillow, a towel, your clothes and toiletries, a collapsible chair, and leave the rest at home. Oh, and don't forget your camera.

And UPS can ship any purchases home for you.
 
You may want to hook up with your local club to see if anyone else is going. That way you know someone there.

Trust me, you will have fun. There are three important things to bring with you:

  1. Humor
  2. Stories
  3. Earplugs - cause people snore
 
Thanks!

Thanks for your helpful replies. I never considered riding through the UP, but I will consider it. I still have lots of route planning to do. The most direct way for me will be about 850 miles and I plan to ride straight through. So, I don't want to add TOO many miles to that (although a Bun Burner Gold would be fun)! :thumb

I will probably have more questions as my planning progresses. Again, THANKS!

Jim
 
First ever

Cliffy777 said:
jim, why dont cha ride through the upper peninsula of michigan, across the mighty mackinac bridge and down through the state. much more fun than riding on a ferry imho.
good luck on your trip - you are going to have a blast.

Yea, take a nice stroll through the U.P.
If you like I could meet up with you on the road.
 
avoidin'Chicago

robinje said:
Hello all. My wife just said "take as long as you need" to attend the rally, so I will be on my way come July! This will be my first rally of any kind and I don't really know what to expect. I plan to camp in a tent at the rally site. Do any of you ship your camping gear ahead of time, or do you simply pack it on the bike? I have pretty minimalist stuff, so my RT should have plenty of room, especially traveling solo. I have never camped via motorcycle either, so this whole trip will REALLY be something new! I am really looking forward to attending. By the way, I am from Park Rapids, MN and plan to take the ferry to avoid Chicago on the way down. I think I'll go through Chicago on the way back, though, as I hope the traffic will be much less of a factor on Sunday. Enough rambling...

See you there...

Jim
Well,here's a suggestion,if you don't wanna fight the crowds'round Cicago,take 39 south,from Madison,thru Rockford,Ill,then hang a left on 24,and shoot straight east,on back roads,am sure you'll not mind that,that's the route I'm plannin'on takin'...Nose
 
avoidin'Chicago

robinje said:
Hello all. My wife just said "take as long as you need" to attend the rally, so I will be on my way come July! This will be my first rally of any kind and I don't really know what to expect. I plan to camp in a tent at the rally site. Do any of you ship your camping gear ahead of time, or do you simply pack it on the bike? I have pretty minimalist stuff, so my RT should have plenty of room, especially traveling solo. I have never camped via motorcycle either, so this whole trip will REALLY be something new! I am really looking forward to attending. By the way, I am from Park Rapids, MN and plan to take the ferry to avoid Chicago on the way down. I think I'll go through Chicago on the way back, though, as I hope the traffic will be much less of a factor on Sunday. Enough rambling...

See you there...

Jim
Well,here's a suggestion,if you don't wanna fight the crowds'round Chicago,take 39 south,from Madison,thru Rockford,Ill,then hang a left on 24,and shoot straight east,on back roads,am sure you'll not mind that,that's the route I'm plannin'on takin'...Nose
 
robinje said:
my RT should have plenty of room, especially traveling solo.

I think I'll go through Chicago on the way back, though, as I hope the traffic will be much less of a factor on Sunday. Enough rambling...

See you there...

Jim
Hi Jim. I have an Rt and packed a tent, sleeping bag and a chair using a cargo net and adding bungee buddies to the top of the saddlebags. everything stayed put for 5300 miles last year.
Do yourself a favor and go around Chicago coming home. Traffic from I-65 west into Illinois and beyond is horrendous on Sunday afternoon.
Rob
 
First Rally

You might want to do a shakedown camping trip ?

Pack your bike and get accustom to the equipment and weight.

There are mant camping equipment packing lists on the net.

Over time you kind of weed out the stuff you don't use.

The first rally is really a great experance !

Have fun..
 
Less is mo better

Hi Robinje,

Ditto what everyone has said! Over the years I bring less and less stuff when camping. What ever you end up bringing be sure to test pack, test ride and if you have the time, test camp. You can test camp in your own yard. It's really important to make sure all your camping gear is secure when going down the road. There are plenty of choices for inexpensive waterproof bags to pack your gear into. If needed, buy a couple bags to keep everything secure, then use several serious bungee cords, tie downs or cargo nets to keep it all in place. Check the MOA camping site for lots of camping info.

Whatever route you take, watch out for critters on the road during the darker hours. Remember with the extra gear on your bike, braking takes a bit longer.

As an aside, I just moved from the Detroit Lakes area to Eastern Iowa, I also used to live in suburban Chicago, bypass Chicago! There are a couple of folks from the Red River BMW Club going to Lima if you are so inclined to ride with others, you might contact them.

Don't sweat the camping details, if you really need something when you get to Lima there's always a Wal Mart nearby! Just have a great ride!
 
bluestune said:
Hi Robinje,


Whatever route you take, watch out for critters on the road during the darker hours. Remember with the extra gear on your bike, braking takes a bit longer.

Don't sweat the camping details, if you really need something when you get to Lima there's always a Wal Mart nearby! Just have a great ride!

I was in Ohio last week, checking out the grounds. The interstates have deer (road kill) on the shoulders what seemed like every ten miles, and Wal-Mart is "Next" door.
 
Kenny2 said:
I was in Ohio last week, checking out the grounds. The interstates have deer (road kill) on the shoulders what seemed like every ten miles, and Wal-Mart is "Next" door.

Hi all

Yes the deer are a big problem here in Ohio so be very careful. They really start moving around dark but you are likely to see then at anytime.

See you at the rally
 
Thanks!

Thanks for all your tips. I am really stoked for the rally! I have decided to ride through Wednesday night from Park Rapids, MN down I-94 through Minneapolis, then on to Madison, WI, then down I-39 to US 24 straight east to Lima. I hope to arrive in the morning on Thursday, but if I get too tired I will stay overnight somewhere on the way. As far as the return, I am considering the reverse of my aforementioned route, taking the ferry, or going through the UP. I will decide that at the rally. Going anywhere near Chicago is off the list.

As far as packing, I picked up a Helen 2 Wheels dry bag that should hold most of my camping gear. I'll mount it on the rear seat. My other stuff should fit in the side bags no problem. Except for a cheap lawn chair, which I intend to buy at Wal Mart in Lima. I have much experience with my camping gear (not via motorcycle), so a trial run using it isn't necessary. I may pack it all up and ride with it a bit for a handling perspective, however.

Again, thanks for the tips. See ya there!

Jim
 
One more thought came to mind regarding packing on the RT. you may want to add some mirrors to the handlebars because the baggage on the rear seat obstructs your view with the stock mirrors. A set from a GS bolt in the existing holes or you can pick up some aftermarket mirrors.
Rob
 
I'm thinking of taking the 12:30 am ferry on the way there. Grab some zzzz's then get up and go.
way back is still up in the air, would prefer the UP route, or just round trip on ferry.
 
My first rally as well

Just my luck...I buy a new 04 GT this year, and my first rally will be the this one, only a hop, skip and 100 mile jump up from southwest ohio. Since I have never been to a rally before, I thought I would ask...is the quite camping, truely quite? I camp/backpack a lot so I am not concerned about gear as much as people keeping me from my solid weekend crash time (especially if I have a few :))
 
Andy said:
Just my luck...I buy a new 04 GT this year, and my first rally will be the this one, only a hop, skip and 100 mile jump up from southwest ohio. Since I have never been to a rally before, I thought I would ask...is the quite camping, truely quite? I camp/backpack a lot so I am not concerned about gear as much as people keeping me from my solid weekend crash time (especially if I have a few :))


Well......That's where I camp...and I snore!!!! So as to quite, yes abeit the snoring. :D
 
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