I have ridden my Harley through the sands and heat of the Mojave Desert. I have conquered the ice, sleet and snow of the continental divide. I have ridden for hours upon hours in the pouring rain.  I have withstood the winds of both the deserts and the plains. All of this is possible for three reasons. The first is that I am a man from a place where men do manly things and as a result I am hard to the world.  The second is that I come from a long line of motorcycle riders and I am an expert. Some of my earliest memories were on the back of my fathers motorcycles.  The third reason is that I have the right equipment; Which anyone who is an experienced rider will tell you is absolutely necessary.   Let’s get into a breakdown of the equipment I am presently using for the journey.

 

Tech Gear

NUVIZ heads up display for helmets

I can not say enough good things about this product. It is simply amazing. I can take high definition pictures on the spot, shoot video, listen to music, answer phone calls, make phone calls, use GPS navigation…. this thing does it all!

Sena 20S EVO communication System

Go Pro Hero

Go Pro Karma Grip (Gimbal)

Helmets

HJC RPHA Venom Racing Helmet

By far my favorite helmet.  It is light weight, super safe and it looks awesome.

LS2 Full Face Racing Helmet

Daytona Skull Helmet

General Armor, Leather and Riding Gear 

Harley Davidson Leather Riding Jacket with CE armor in shoulders and elbows.

Joe Rocket Atomic 4.0 waterproof (mostly) Riding Jacket with CE armor in the Shoulders, back and elbows with removable thermal liner

Street and Steel Leather vest with Conceal Cary hidden pocket

2 pairs of Scorpion Covert Pro Riding Jeans with Kevlar lining and CE Armor in the hips and knees

Joe Rocket Atomic Riding Textile Pants with Cordura and CE Armor in the knees

BILT waterproof over pants

Harley Davidson Leather Gloves

Harley Davidson Fleece lined Winter leather gloves

Harley Davidson Boots

Heavy wool Socks

Normal Socks

BILT explorer waterproof Dry Bag

Other gear you must have

Chap stick, Bandannas, face masks, Balaclava face masks for the cold,  Tools for fixing the bike, Fix a flat for bikes, Windex, Zip Ties, bungee cords and sunglasses.

SIDE NOTES………

Do not forget to waterproof your leathers and your boots.  I used a product called Snowseal which I purchased at boot world.

Keep in mind that on this cross continent trip I have a Jeep following me. That is how I am able to bring the extra armor and helmets.  If your not so lucky on your trip…. Bring the leathers and the HJC Venom Helmet.

Motorcycle gloves are of vast importance. Any gloves that you get should be made of heavy leather. The primary purpose of the gloves is to keep all of the pieces of your hands in the same place should you crash…. and remember…. there are those riders who have crashed and those who will…. and if you have crashed…..  you will crash again no matter how good you are.  Most of the time it isn’t you…. its the idiots in cars who are texting and driving. The secondary purpose of the gloves is to protect from wind and cold.  Frozen hands make for a very crappy ride. Glove up appropriately.

I am so impressed with the NUVIZ HUD and technology that I am going to write another article just to go into specifics for it…. It is AMAZING.

I also can not stress the importance of chap stick….  It is a little thing that makes all the difference on the road.  I don’t normally use it but when you are on long rides or heading through extreme terrain in the heat, wind and snow…. it is absolutely necessary.

 

 

This article was created by Runkle and Edited by Krista Graham.  If you like what we are up to and want to donate to a great cause to help a children’s hospital click here.   A majority of any money donatede will go directly to the hospital.