Motorcycle

[Arke]

First-timer here.
I'm an experienced motorcycle rider who will be attending this year. Very interested in hearing from other riders who have, or will be attending.
Two things:
1) Per the law of the playa, this is my sole means of transport,and will be parked once in camp.
2) Please, no horror stories as to why I shouldn't ride.

On the other hand, I need input and appreciate any I get.

[GreyCoyote]

You have someone with a truck acting as an advance crew right? Water, shelter, food etc?

If so, then all you need to worry about is getting the playa out/off of your bike, and that will be no small task.

[Token]

Water is the only tough Thing to haul in. Everything else is just like a regular camping trip.

[Captain Goddammit]

I had a guy camp next to me one year who'd come on his motorcycle. He was a real drag on those around him.
I know you're an experienced rider, but have you been to Burning Man?
Tips, advice, help, etc. all depend on whether you have been to BRC before and whether you have a way to get supplies hauled in.
They guy next to me would have had a really bad time if I hadn't helped the unprepared adventurer who travelled TOO light for this event!

Here's the deal: it CAN be done but you need supplies... if you've got something like a Gold Wing or Road King with a trailer, I could see it.

[Simon of the Playa]

i have done the cross country thing a number of times.

#1 i dont care how experienced you are, that is merely an aside.

UNLESS you have logistical support (I.E. a camp that will provide food and water for you and bring it in as part of a 'meal plan') i would not try this.

7 days x 2-3 gallons a day is a lot of water....food, unless you are pretty hardy, is also gonna take up a whole saddlebag.

the rest of your gear has to be strapped on somehow.

dont get me wrong, it can be done, but it's not easy.....also, remember to put a tarp down to prevent any oil drips, and if you want your machine to survive the brutal Black Rock Desert there are certain things you can do to minimize the damage THAT WILL OCCUR...DO THEM or your bike will suffer.

afterwards clean ALL OF THE FILTERS!!!

seriously....do it.

so, if youre a Badass Motherfucker i would say go for it, it is one of the most purest forms of radical self reliance i can think of and it's a helluva way to get to the burn.

one more thing....the Road INTO the event is treacherous, go slow....also BEWARE OF FREE RANGE COWS and, yes, free range cow shit....i hit a hot steaming pile coming around a corner on 447 with a rider and we almost ate pavement......and cowpoop....


good luck and keep the rubber side down...

[Simon of the Playa]

there are certain things you can do to minimize the damage THAT WILL OCCUR

pretend your bike is you.

every orifice...you will get dust in it EVERY OPENING....use plastic and rubber bands to close these off, or seal off all intakes of ANYTHING.

also, it can be like a giant sandblaster out there when the wind picks up, if you have a good cover, i would say cover it for the entire event, and find some shade for it too...

like i said, pretend it is you...you really dont want playa boogies in your carbs, at least in your nose you can pick them out with a finger, and take a shower...

the dust is alkali, salty, gritty and almost impossible to completely remove.

so if you're like an anal retentive BMW kind of guy, i would advise against it, because you will fuck up your "precious"...

[Captain Goddammit]

Ironically, the guy that was next to me on his bike at BM was on a BMW... he wasn't prepared for what Black Rock Desert is like nor was his bike. Wonder how that turned out later. My gifting helped him survive the desert, but he still had to ride home - to New York!

[Simon of the Playa]

i know the type...



well you did a "mitzvah" by saving that schmuck from his own chutzpah...



probably a down-stater....

[TT120]

As long as you have someone bring in the water for you, it would work. You wouldn't be that comfortable unless you could have someone bring shade, a couple coolers with ice, drinks, and a bunch of other stuff for you. If you do that, you might as well just bring your own truck.

[Sic Pup]

probably a down-stater....

Hey! You stop that.

[Simon of the Playa]

Western New York.


someday, our stifled pleas for freedom will be realized as we secede and become the 51st state.


i think we have a way better chance than say, D.C. or Puerto Rico.

[ranger magnum]

If its a nice bike now, it wont be later.

[theCryptofishist]

Jefferson! Jefferson!

[Arke]

Really great responses.. thanx everyone.
In my short time learning about BM I've found a great mix of humor, hazing, outright bullshit, misinformation, motorcycle-phobia/hate/disgust, and some serious help.

First off, I take "radical self-reliance" very seriously ...and not just at this event. If I find it necessary to beg or borrow then I've failed. it is not my plan to fail.
The biggest issue, for me, is water, and I have that arranged. Absent a trailer (which I don't want) there is really know way I could carry enough of the wet stuff. Instead, I've arranged a pay/barter deal with a good burner friend. I don't like doing it this way, but it's the only alternative open to me.

I'd like to say "I got this one," but I have been in enough similar situations to realize that the unexpected is to be expected.

One of the most surprising things I've noticed with my various on-line wanderings is the lack of support for this effort. I've always viewed ...from afar... the BM community as one driven by a "What if..." dogma. I STILL believe that true, but will have to wait for the proof.

Again, thanx...keep 'em coming.

[Arke]

@Simon of the Playa

Yours is the type of realistic advice I've been looking for. Thanx.

[Captain Goddammit]

On the contrary... BM is full of motorcycle enthusiasts! Read the "What are your other hobbies" thread!
We don't hate motorcycles and we are full of "what ifs" and crazy ideas.

The people you're hearing from have been to Black Rock Desert for a week +... we know what you need, and it doesn't fit on a motorcycle!

It can be done but you are going to be very under-supplied and most likely dependent on others, that's what we're telling you.
And the playa is VERY CORROSIVE, your bike is likely to get rusty, amazingly quick.
You asked, those are the answers!

Shit, I would love to do the drive out there in my Mazda Miata instead of my heavily loaded truck & trailer but there's just no f'n way I'd go to Burning Man that under-supplied and no way I'd subject a nice car to that corrosive place.
There's a reason you don't see lots of motorcycles at Burning Man, but you see tons and tons of box trucks, RVs, vans...
However... if you can arrange to have your water and/or other needs trucked in, I'd consider that being self-reliant. There's plenty of people who have their stuff shipped in from the east coast in shared shipping containers, then they fly in.
That's a lot less adventurous than coming on a motorcycle!

[Simon of the Playa]

.

[Arke]

Thanx, Simon... 'bout what I expected.

[Eddie]

First-timer here.
I'm an experienced motorcycle rider who will be attending this year. Very interested in hearing from other riders who have, or will be attending.
Two things:
1) Per the law of the playa, this is my sole means of transport,and will be parked once in camp.
2) Please, no horror stories as to why I shouldn't ride.

On the other hand, I need input and appreciate any I get.

You have two choices, actually 3.

1. join a camp and pay the dues and show up. Don't be a bitch about it though, just cause you paid some money doesn't mean you will be catered to hand and foot.

2. If you have a buddy ask them to bring in your water and some food. Don't be a douche and give him\her money for the trouble and a blow job\face.

3. Get a hitch on the bike and trailer in your shit.

I wrote a whole how to do burning man on two wheels. I can't find it, looks like I never upped it here. But I am fairly certain I still have it and it is an excellent guide (if I do say so myself)

[Eddie]

Ironically, the guy that was next to me on his bike at BM was on a BMW... he wasn't prepared for what Black Rock Desert is like nor was his bike. Wonder how that turned out later. My gifting helped him survive the desert, but he still had to ride home - to New York!

I think I know the guy you're referring to. some guy noticed I had a local to NY motorcycle shirt on and when he found out I rode out he nearly had a knipshitz, and chewed my ear off about it. Spoke at like 100mph and I couldn't understand a thing he said.

[Eddie]

i know the type...

well you did a "mitzvah" by saving that schmuck from his own chutzpah...

probably a down-stater....

Hey, I resemble that remark!

[Eddie]

There's a reason you don't see lots of motorcycles at Burning Man, but you see tons and tons of box trucks, RVs, vans...

I don't think thats because you NEED that much space, it's more because there are way too many people who just have to have this and that and cannot fathom being without.

Really, do you need your waterbed and 3 pillows?

You really CAN survive on much much less. sure, you can't (easily) carry water in on a bike for 7 or more days, but everything else, including food can be.

Of course this also depends on the type of bike you rid and how you're set for luggage space.

I ride a mule. I have a pair of 50 liter saddlebags, a 75 liter trunk, a 65 liter duffel bag and a 30 liter tankbag.

And 9 times out of 10 I remove the trunk before a trip. This way if\when I am lucky enough to pick someone up I then move the duffle from the back seat to the rear rack and have somewhere for her to sit.