Over the years I think that I have kind of more or less semi-perfected the art of packing for a motorcycle trip. The previous sentence was not a frivolous choice of words. It IS an art. I have done many trips from long weekends to a full 15 days. Virtually everything that I will need will be packed on the bike as I leave my garage. One thing one learns mighty quickly is that under no circumstances should you NOT over pack for a motorcycle trip. There just isn't enough room. Many years ago I read in one of the many motorcycle publications that I had laying around about a method of packing that I appropriately named "The Landfill Method of Motorcycle Packing". This IS the method that I will be using although I cannot speak for my riding companion, Sherry. Over the next few minutes I will try to cover the process that we each are using to get ready for the trip. From beginning to end we will be riding for 8 consecutive days. That equates to us needing 8 days worth of clothing, toiletries, and miscellaneous stuff ON the bikes.
A brief description of "The Landfill Method of Motorcycle Packing" is that in the course of my normal daily life I do NOT throw away t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, socks, or underwear that are approaching that worn out state. Instead, as they become worn, they go to my motorcycle trip storage. To prepare for a trip I will count out what I need for the trip and figure out what I will be doing each day. Then I pull out enough clothing for the entire trip. At the end of each day while I am traveling I throw into the trash any clothing that I am done wearing. That generally means that underwear, socks, and t-shirts are tossed nightly and every three or four days a pair of jeans will make it to the trash can. That actually accomplishes a couple of things. First of all, even though I start off REALLY packed tight, my bag becomes less and less packed with each passing day. The other thing is that I never have to go to the Dreaded Motel Laundry Room or, worse yet, a (gasp) laundromat. Dirty laundry takes up more room than clean clothes so a full pack can actually become "fuller". Heck, by the end of the trip I might even have room for a souvenir.
Before I go over the packing ritual I think that I should cover the preparation of the motorcycles themselves. Checking with Sherry she told me what she had going on during the last week or so of getting ready for a long road trip. When she bought her latest motorcycle (lovingly called Jo), a 2013 Triumph America, it came with a removable windshield. And that is exactly what she did....she removed it. She thought about it and decided that before this trip she would attach the windshield and see what it was like. So far, according to her, she loves it and plans on leaving it on for the duration of our Florida Coastal Ride. She has purchased a new set of tires and brake pads and has had them installed. Wow! New tires, new brake pads, AND a windshield. She is going to think she is on a brand new bike. She is also having an oil change and a safety check. Sherry's bike will be ready to roll.
On inspection my tires and brakes SEEM good and they SHOULD make it the entire trip. I have said that before and wound up sitting in a dealership in Savannah, GA getting new tires put on. Nevertheless, I will go with what I have.....yikes! Before you think that I am being nuts both my tires and my brakes are reasonably new and are up for the task ahead. I purchased oil and filter from the J&P Cycles Super Store in Ormond Beach, FL and changed the oil last weekend. I also did a Don Bova Safety Check and all SEEMS to be ok. Lastly, I got out my can of Original Bike Spirits and gave my bike a good cleaning. By all accounts it looks like both of our motorcycles are ready and able to ride the coastal highways of Florida.
Several years ago I made a packing checklist. It is a rather comprehensive and some would say it is kind of an overkill. Still, I made the list with EVERYTHING that take with me on the bike. An item will not get checked it off the list until it has been put into a bag and/or it has been put into/onto the motorcycle. Sherry has also made a list. Her list is not as ridiculous as mine and it is what most people would call a good, solid list compared to the insane list that I make. This might be 
a personal thought but I do believe that a list is vital to a successful packing experience. Granted, it is not the end of the world to forget something but it can be a serious inconvenience. In 2020 it is reasonably eA few days ago, about a week prior to our Departure Day, a tropical storm found its way into the southern Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Storm Cristobal was actually Tropical Storm Amanda in the Pacific but crossed over Guatemala and became Cristobal as it hit the Atlantic side of things. Sherry sent me a message saying that she could shift her days if I wanted to leave later. Cristobal didn't appear to be a real threat as it was heading for Western Louisiana. I wrote her back saying that the storm was going away from us. I also said that it was summer in Florida so rain was pretty much a fact of life. It wasn't a case of IF we would get rained on but rather it was WHEN and HOW MUCH we would get rained on. As long as the rain didn't have a name assigned to it I was good to go on June 11th. Sherry concurred and so, with all things remaining equal, we would Get Our Motors Runnin' nice and early on June 11.
Over the past few days leading up to Departure Day I have been keeping track of Sherry's progress. Through emails, texts, phone, and Facebook postings I have seen that she is very, very excited about this upcoming trip. Although she has several good runs under her belt this Florida Coast Ride will be 
step up in time, distance, and endurance for her. I am proud of her and her "intestinal fortitude". As well as the above mentioned prepping her bike she then came face to face with the reality of packing for an 8 day motorcycle trip. It can be a daunting task. My first advise is ALWAYS this: taking a motorcycle road trip is not a fashion statement. Pack what you will need and only what you will need. At the end of the day you are going to look like you have been riding all day no matter what you are wearing.
My packing has gone pretty well. The first thing I do is put my list out for me to keep referring to. Then I pull out ALL the clothes that I will need for the whole trip and put them in piles by type. I separate what I will need on the first day of the ride because that will not get packed at all. I will also determine if some should go into my back pack for easy access.
Sometimes when I stop for the night I will leave my "big" bag on the bike and only take toiletries, computer, and the next day's clothes into the hotel. If I am doing that I will have those items all in the back pack and will leave the travel bag. Most hotels are very accommodating and will allow me to park my bike very close to the entrance. Since I am using the "Landfill Method of Motorcycle Packing" what I wear INTO the hotel will generally still be there in the room's trash can when I leave the next day.
So now I await the final move. My bag and back pack are packed with everything except for the items I need up until the last minute....Lisa demands that I keep my deodorant out until the last minute. One advantage I will have over Sherry is that when she leaves her house she will have to be totally packed. When I leave I will have virtually nothing packed onto my bike. We will be meeting in Yulee, FL and then we will be finishing the day right back at my house. So my "first day" clothing will NOT be throw-away and I will not have to pack the bike until that night. I will actually have one less day of "stuff" to pack on the bike than Sherry.
Packing for a motorcycle road trip can certainly be a challenge. I have on occasion in the past, if I was visiting friends or relatives as part of the trip I would ship a "resupply" ahead. By the time that I would retrieve my shipment I will have thrown enough away to make room. I have had to pack for 14 days and I will admit to you that I was bulging at the seams for the first 4 or 5 days. But as each day passed I would gain a little bit more breathing room. Both Sherry and I have met this packing challenge head-on and in my opinion we were successful.
On Sunday Sherry took her "loaded" bike out for a test ride. She gave me a phone video "tour" of her packing skills and I have to say I am VERY impressed. She did great and she is even carrying snacks. Apparently she will not have meals of Twinkies, Little Debbie's, and Coke like I will.
I am happy to tell you that on Tuesday June 9 I have jammed and pushed and squished and I was ready to load everything onto the bike. Am I missing anything? Probably! But that is why God invented the Dreaded Walmart, Walgreens, 7/11, and the concept of riding commando.
We are ready. All that is left to do is for Sherry to jump on her loaded Triumph America early in the morning of Thursday June 11, 2020 and for me to jump on my unloaded Suzuki Boulevard around noon. The next thing you hear from me will be the wonders of our first day of riding.
If you haven't read Chapters One and/or Two I urge you to take the time now and catch up with all events leading to this adventure. Please feel free to Comment, Share, and Like. I look forward to hooking up with you again in Chapter Four.
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