[mcydrake]

Just bought a '99 K1200LT with 23k miles from a friend back in CT. Time for another cross country trip! I'm so thankful that there is such a great forum to help me learn about the bike and support ownership.

I am also proud to say I may be one of the youngest members on the forum. I'm 24 and a proud K1200LT owner. I bought my FJR new in '07 and now have 45k miles on it. Can't wait to enjoy heated seats, stereo, CRUISE CONTROL on the LT! Flying out to CT for Easter then riding the LT back to CA. Just in time for a summer trip to the Utah/Arizona.

Bought Paul Sayegh's service videos last night to learn about the motorcycle so I'm well versed before riding it cross country.

Looking forward to making friends and meeting people in So Cal. 24k service once I get back to CA. Hope there are people out there ready for questions.

:bmw:

 

[Rocketsled]

Gorgeous example! Congrats!

 

[deanwoolsey]

Welcome to the forum. Any questions you have can be answered here. Lots of wisdom. I think you'll love the new bike. There's nothing else like it. If you decide to pass through Kansas on your way to Acton let me know. I'll put a few miles on the road with you.

 

[whoughton]

Welecome , I'm new to the forum myself , but always learning something new, georgeous machine ...........have fun on the ride home.......congrats!!!!!

 

[WildBil]

Wow, Red is a great, although rare color.

Okay, have a great trip. But I could not resist passing a long a few I wish I had been told before my first ride.

1. LT is hands down, the best highway bike out there. You can easily change lanes with your hips on the slab. It is engineered to a fault.

2. When you stop, keep the wheel straight. Otherwise, 850 lbs. of metal will go where the wheel points, just like on other Liter+ bikes.

3. When you stop for gas, fill up on the side stand, always. Like every other bike, hold the nozzle straight, but fill on the side stand. The tank and overflow are made for that.

4. Alway part in 1st gear, even when there is no hill. You can alway park in gear and deploy the side-stand to stop the engine. It works and keeps the bike on the stand. On a slant, just let it roll forward or backward until the gears mesh and stop the motion. Its easy.

5. Watch out for the road curving do a gutter or drain if you stop in the right lane. On all big bikes, you need to know where you feet are going to land. If you forget, 845 lbs. of metal, plus you, plus your baggage may tip. If it does, don't be a hero. The wings have steel rods and the side cases will hold up the bike and protect you. It is not too hard to pick the bike up by putting your behind in the seat, putting your heels near your behind, holding the handlebar and the luggage, and lifting up as you push it back.

6. I have never used 5. :bmw:

Take plenty of towels to wipe the grin off your face every hundred miles or so. And before going in any pace nice. Enjoy all of the great weather across the middle of the country. We all envy you.

Bill

 

[olddog1946]

From one newbie to another, welcome aboard...
Gorgeous bike BTW

 

[deputy5211]

Welcome to ALL of the noobs joining us... You are tomorrows "old hands" and, well, we will just be older!

 

[munson]

Welcome to ALL of the noobs joining us... You are tomorrows "old hands" and, well, we will just be older!

True dat!

 

[Kra961]

Awesome color!! grats on your new ride and welcome aboard.

 

[mcydrake]

Everyone, Thank you for your advice and congrats. I was thinking, while going through this forum, how I am one of the next generation that will pass on all of your knowledge! Someone's gotta keep these machines running long into the future! Though it seems almost pointless to post anymore... there is so much information out there, with good search practices, all answers can be pretty much found. Once I make it back to CA, I'm sure I can find SOMETHING that hasn't been covered before.

Here's to you guys! :toast:

 

[southern_nj]

Congrats on being a soon to be owner. If you ever need a break or a hand with things, you have a resource in the southern NJ area (I am just east of Philly by 20 mins). We have a great number of local riders and a lot of us would be more than willing to help you out.

Glenn

 

[mcydrake]

Thank you everyone for offering company and help along the way on my trip next month. I would truly like to stop along the way and meet people but this trip I just need to book it back to Cali. Leaving Thursday and have work on Monday! I'm playing everything by ear, route all depends on weather. I'll post while on my trip to update where I am and how things are going though. I think I'll need to take a more southern route because going through CO will still be too cold/ snowy/ dirty roads. A pity, I still haven't driven through Colorado.

 

[New2rt]

Just bought a '99 K1200LT with 23k miles from a friend back in CT. Time for another cross country trip! I'm so thankful that there is such a great forum to help me learn about the bike and support ownership.

I am also proud to say I may be one of the youngest members on the forum. I'm 24 and a proud K1200LT owner. I bought my FJR new in '07 and now have 45k miles on it. Can't wait to enjoy heated seats, stereo, CRUISE CONTROL on the LT! Flying out to CT for Easter then riding the LT back to CA. Just in time for a summer trip to the Utah/Arizona.

Bought Paul Sayegh's service videos last night to learn about the motorcycle so I'm well versed before riding it cross country.

Looking forward to making friends and meeting people in So Cal. 24k service once I get back to CA. Hope there are people out there ready for questions.

:bmw:

Wow This has got to be the best color I have yet to see on an LT, black stingray and all.
Very very nice.

 

[southern_nj]

I just ran a route for you and it looks like you have 2,811 miles to ride -- if you leave at day break on Thursday morning (traffic is brutal in CT after 7:00 a.m.), you will have 4 days to make the trek west -- or 700 miles a day. That is a lot no matter how you cut it.

Before you make the trip, change the fluids and check the brakes. Personally, I would run Sea Foam through the fuel for the first two tanks of the trip. From what I can tell, it does a good job at keeping injectors nice and clean.

I would also invest in a Camel Back backpack for your water source as you need to keep yourself hydrated. In addition, I would wear a hi-vis jacket, bring along a garmin heated jacket, rain gear.

To make myself more visible, I would order a pair of Photon Blaster lights from Skene Design -- they take about 20 - 30 mins to install and do wonders for people seeing you. They will run about $120 (get the ones that blink with your blinkers) -- http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/PB_Features.shtml

There are tons of other things to consider as well.

Glenn

 

[Rocketsled]

Colorado's not too bad, if you've got layers. I'll be riding every day this week. :cheers:

Without a lot of gear, but with the seat and grips on, you should be comfy to 40 degrees, at least. If you have a heated vest and wind-resistant pants, you're good to...well, as cold as you've got traction to ride. At 20 degrees, my pinkies were cold...and I have no heated gear.

 

[tips727]

I think I'll need to take a more southern route because going through CO will still be too cold/ snowy/ dirty roads. A pity, I still haven't driven through Colorado.

You are wise to avoid those high mountain passes since you have the four day window within which to make the trip. I'm sure you could manage the cold, but the potential for snow always exists and that is one thing I don't do on two wheels.

Tips

 

[mcydrake]

Thanks for the advice. Just because I CAN ride in the snow and cold, doesn't mean I WANT to . Tips, you're right, not risking high altitude passes on this trip in April.

Should have prefaced, this will be my 4th time going cross country on a bike. 3 previous times were on my FJR. One of those was a 11,000 mile, month-long road trip. Around Memorial Day weekend, we hit snow in Flagstaff, earlier near Deals Gap we hit hail, and later we hit snow in Butte, Montana. Figure if I could pull 800 mile days on the FJR, I should be able to sneak out one 1k day on the LT. In a car, I've driven cross country an additional 3 times.

I may try to head out a day earlier so I can get a head start. I'll be sure to be posting along the way.

As far as the sea foam, I keep hearing good things about it. I think I'll wait to mess around with things until I'm in CA. Don't really want to experiment with a new bike right before a long trip. I will get it serviced though for fluids and a tire check. I'll leave the rest of the 24k service for me when I get back to CA.

 

[southern_nj]

Awesome news to hear you are a veteran at making the cross country trip. You will do just fine. I will say good rubber on the road goes a long way to your riding enjoyment.

Keep us posted.

G