The most important pieces of equipment on our trip are our vehicles. No need for me to write everything we did or will do to the vehicles in terms of maintenance and preparation. Suffice it to say, they will be thoroughly trip-worthy before we load and go. But I just can't resist showing off our bikes.
Specs for Irene's bike
The pearly-silver one in the back is a '10 Yamaha V-Star 950 Custom touring bike. You can see it in action on the right-hand side of this blog's background photo. That's Dennis and "Peekaloo" on our way back from Mississippi.
This fella gets a respectable 55 mpg (never mind the specs - we tested it) and will be handling the bulk of our luggage. This is Dennis' bike. It has locking hard saddle bags, foot boards, highway bars and other goodies. Weighing in at 657 lbs, I'm not confident I can drive it... yet. Actually, I'm more concerned about
not being able to pick it up if/when I lay it down.
This fella gets a respectable 55 mpg (never mind the specs - we tested it) and will be handling the bulk of our luggage. This is Dennis' bike. It has locking hard saddle bags, foot boards, highway bars and other goodies. Weighing in at 657 lbs, I'm not confident I can drive it... yet. Actually, I'm more concerned about
not being able to pick it up if/when I lay it down.
Front and center on the photo is my little black cherry '09 Yamaha V-Star 250 cruiser. Yes, I know it's a light-weight compared to big daddy behind it, but don't let it fool ya! It has a smaller gas tank than the 950 yet, at 80 mpg and with nimble handling even at highway speeds, it can hold its own. I've added leather saddle bags, windshield, and luggage rack. And, just in case, I very gently set it down on its side and was able to lift it without a hitch, even though it weights 324 lbs. With my back problems, I really didn't think it possible but the trick is using proper lifting techniques. Otherwise, my poor bike would have laid there for a long, looong time.
By just about any standard, my bike is NOT the type you would want to make this trip on. But that's the one I own, therefore, that's the one I'll ride. I am not entirely sure it can handle mountains but it will have a very light load so I think it can, I think it can....
By just about any standard, my bike is NOT the type you would want to make this trip on. But that's the one I own, therefore, that's the one I'll ride. I am not entirely sure it can handle mountains but it will have a very light load so I think it can, I think it can....
The last set of wheels on this journey is our '08 Toyota Sienna. It is an extremely comfortable, roomy ride. Although I know its gas mileage is actually better than most minivans, its measly 22 mpg makes me cringe. Especially when compared to our gas-sipping bikes. After a tune up, oil and filter change, and other tweaks, we may be able to boost it a bit but, with gasoline at $3.60 on a good day, this will be the most expensive (read "painful") part of our journey.
That's cool. ;)
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