Advice needed on upcoming trip

[cartmancartman]

I will be picking up my new camper this upcoming week and need help setting up my itinerary. My initial plans are to travel (solo) through the entire US several weeks at a time, when I am bored or need to come back leave the truck and camper in a secure rv storage facility near a major airport and fly back. I plan on starting my trip in the Northwest region (Washington/Oregon/Idaho/Montana region) and probably leave the camper in this general vicinity for about a year and then move onto to the next region. I plan on doing alot of boondocking and want to stay away from RV parks as much as I can.

So here are my question:

I purchased a new $7k dirt bike and was planning on leaving it on the front hitch. I now realized that if it sits in a storage lot the bike might disappear unless it is a fully secure covered warehouse type RV storage. Are there many secure rv storages like this out there? Should I be concerned about theft of the bike? The bike will be covered and additional cable lock installed.

Where should I start my trip? My original thoughts was to drive from SoCal up to Seattle and start from there. Thoughts? I will most likely start this venture in September so weather would be some topic of concern.

Any particular tips for boon docking in the North West with a truck camper?

Thanks

[Hemi_Joel]

I did a quick search, here is a storage place that sounds like it would fit your needs:

http://www.allsizevehicle.com/features.html

[cartmancartman]

Thanks for all the feedback, I believe I will be dropping it off at storage units as I dont want to tow a cargo trailer and my camper has a side entry and pop outs and a bike could not fit in it. Sage advice on breaking in the camper before going on the trip.

Thanks again.

[Hemi_Joel]

I like your plan! Sounds like an awesome adventure. I agree with finding secure, indoor storage for the whole rig. Put a large supply of rodent poison in the storage unit, put stabil in your fuel, make sure the holding tanks are empty and clean, make sure the batteries are all fully charged and disconnected. Turn the key and catch a cab to the airport.
Every city with a big airport has a storage facility that your camper and bike will fit into. The peace of mind alone is worth it, but keeping your stuff out of the weather will be of huge value in keeping your stuff clean, in good shape, and not stolen.

[JimK-NY]

I am sure you can find suitable, secure storage that will meet your plans. You might find that the costs are pretty high. In addition I would avoid storage for long periods. It is better to run your vehicle periodically.

I live on the east coast and do most of my RV travel on the west coast. I travel about once a year for several months and then return. It makes upkeep and maintenance easy. I also avoid the costs and security worries for storage. I find I enjoy the road trip across country. The cost of fuel and depreciation is much less than storage would cost.

There is another major consideration. I travel with 4 seasons of clothing, with my laptop, a large amount of photo gear, archery equipment, personal items of all sorts, tools, medicines, herbs, spices and semi perishable food items. I would need to duplicate many of those items or transport them across country as excess luggage.

With my RV back where I live, I can use it locally. I also now have an issue with required annual inspections. It is not feasible to be a resident in one State and try to register and maintain a vehicle elsewhere.

[skipbee]

DBL Post, sorry.

[skipbee]

The storage locker idea is workable IMHO. Also you prolly could work the handle bars through the rear door using a ramp. We traveled with Bultaco 250 and 100 dirt bikes years ago and wrestled them in and out of our TC. We have a back porch fitted on our rig that has many advantages also. I really think Jefe's thoughts will serve you well,a shake down cruise to work out the systems. Remember "It is better to beg forgiveness than to seek permission, usually!"

We have boondocked almost everywhere and NEVER have been shooed! We use a ZEN technique, visualize in your minds eye, in advance, as you approach, no demands, being cheerful and relaxed, the PERFECT locale has always appeared.

[realter]

Evert town of any size has storage units. You shouldn't have a problem finding one for the bike.

[WVbassmistress]

My friend stored her Harley at a dealership for about a year. The even kept it on a trickle charger. Maybe that is a option. I don't think she paid much.

Another silly question, (I don't know much about motorcyles), can you use a ramp of some kind and just keep it in the truck camper? If the truck camper is secure, then the bike is.

Just a girl thought

[jefe_4x4]

cartman,
I could not tell if you have had a TC prior to your new one or not. If not, I would spend 3 or 4 days parked in someone's driveway with no hookups to get used to how everything works. During that time you will find ample projects or flaws in the TC to attend to. You'll also find that about half the stuff you want to take is superfluous and ready to jetison. It beats adjusting stuff on the road, and I do not recommend starting out 'cold-turkey' on an extended trip; unless you like the smell of ozone. Logistically, I'm not a fan of having anything hanging on the TC, especially if you want to store it in a strange land. You must have way more trust in human nature than I do. If you are going to boondock or dry camp, have a look at the many great posts, like BKA's on here going back 10 years that address finding a place to layover for the night. Tioga George has a legendary blog outlining his 25 years of payment free boon docking in a 28 foot MoHo.
In the end, you are going to drive down the trail, make your own mistakes, and learn a lot along the way. I feel this is a good thing in the long run. Personal experience trumps someone else 2nd hand advice. If you feel you must have the bike along, consider a small, enclosed, lockable trailer. jefe

[jimh406]

I can't say I can understand the storage each year. I think you'd be better off with used and selling every year. You'll have insurance, depreciation and storage fees.

If you do store the bike, you should store it in a small locked storage compartment although that might not be complete safe either.

In any case, there is a lot of federal and state lands in the Northwest. Depending on what you are wanting to do, that shouldn't be an issue.

I'm not sure you came about wanting a Truck Camper, but you could rent/buy/sell other types easier.

[Buzzcut1]

Forget using a cablelock, those can be cut in seconds. use a heavy duty square link chain and padlock purpose builtfor securing motorcycles

skip the cheap stuff on the pages

Motorcycle locks

[trail-explorer]

THe bike will get stolen. I would not want a bike sitting out in the weather for a year plus, even if covered.

I have not seen many fully enclosed RV storage facilities.