Rich is off to play golf...note how he carries his clubs.
We still own our 2012 Harley-Davidson CVO™ Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®, which I presented to Rich when he announced he was going to retire. Previously we owned a 2006 Street Glide and a 2009 Street Glide. All of them gave us miles of riding pleasure. Although we thought the CVO would be the last bike we purchased, that may not be the case. Rich always makes noises when he looks at new Harleys. Eh, we'll see.
We no longer own the 2007 Newmar Kountry Star that we purchased in 2013. Once we decided to spend even longer periods of time on the road, we started looking at newer coaches. We fell in love with the Itasca Ellipse after some fellow campers gave us a tour of their 2014 model . I'll be writing more about how we purchased our 2015 Ellipse, why we purchased it and how it's meeting and exceeding our expectations.
We also purchased a 2014 Ford 150, had a Rampage Powerlift installed in it, and now flat-tow the truck behind the coach with the motorcycle in the bed of the truck. There were a few hiccups along the way; I'll explain everything. Just keep checking back for more information.
OLDER, BUT USEFUL INFORMATION
In my article, “Big Wheels Keep On Turning”, which was published in Go For A Ride magazine in July 2013, I go into detail about how and why we chose our 2007 Newmar Kountry Star, and why we ruled out toy haulers, 5th wheels, and Class C RV’s. These are all viable options for others to consider; however, for our purposes, a Class A diesel pusher was the best choice. You may still be able to get a copy of that magazine by sending an email to info@gofarmag.com. I don't know how many back issues they keep. It may also be available in the archived section of www.gofarmag.com. In the future, I'll write more about the years of research we did regarding recreational vehicles. Also check the archived blog posts on this site for tips about buying your first RV. We looked at all kinds, including some very gaudy ones that sell for over $1 million. I personally think a lot of them look like rolling houses of ill repute. Just because you have money doesn't always mean you have good taste.
We no longer tow our bike on a Kendon® motorcycle trailer. However, we were perfectly happy with that arrangement and would recommend that type of trailer. We went to a truck and a powerlift system due to the amount of time we spend on the road.
When we bought our first coach,, we were thinking of purchasing a motorcycle lift. After speaking with engineers from both Newmar and Winnebago, we decided against putting one on the back of our coach. We ride a fully-dressed HOG that weighs over 900 pounds. They stated the units we were considering buying were not built to carry that extra weight. A lift could damage the structural integrity of the coach, plus the maneuverability of the coach would be affected. I can only imagine what it would have been like coming across west Texas and New Mexico during the spring of 2014 with those horrendous winds beating the coach every day! It was difficult keeping it in one lane without a lift. If you are considering putting a lift on the back of your coach, please contact its manufacturer first. If salespeople are honest, and unless they have done the research themselves, most of them don’t know how a lift can affect a motor home’s stability. A few phone calls to the right people is all it takes to learn the truth. I recently read a post on another biker's website. He had a lift on his coach and thought all was peachy keen and it was for about three years. He was horrified when the RV was in the shop for maintenance and put on a lift. There were multiple cracks to his coach's mainframe and the lift itself. He stated it was a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe he has a Guardian Bell on his bike or maybe he and his wife just have diligent guardian angels. Either way, a catastrophe was avoided and a lesson was learned.
When we purchased our first coach, we were not certain how we would be traveling - a few weeks at a time or a few months at a time. At first just having the motorcycle was fine. If we needed a car, we rented one. Now that we are spending more time on the road, we have purchased a 4-wheel drive truck that we flat tow and had an automated rail system installed in its bed. This rail system pulls our motorcycle into the bed of the truck, we tie down the bike to the truck, and we’re off. Hint for newbies: If you’re on the road more often than not, having another vehicle will come in handy, especially during bad weather.
4-22-2014 - If you are contemplating purchasing an RV for the first time, please check this blog post and this blog post for useful information about buying an RV, towing or carrying motorcycles on lifts, etc. There are fifth-wheels available that have a side-entrance garage, complete with an electronic life. They were not available when we were in the market for an RV. As far as I can tell, 2016 is the year they came out from Alfa. I'm doing more research into them.
We no longer own the 2007 Newmar Kountry Star that we purchased in 2013. Once we decided to spend even longer periods of time on the road, we started looking at newer coaches. We fell in love with the Itasca Ellipse after some fellow campers gave us a tour of their 2014 model . I'll be writing more about how we purchased our 2015 Ellipse, why we purchased it and how it's meeting and exceeding our expectations.
We also purchased a 2014 Ford 150, had a Rampage Powerlift installed in it, and now flat-tow the truck behind the coach with the motorcycle in the bed of the truck. There were a few hiccups along the way; I'll explain everything. Just keep checking back for more information.
OLDER, BUT USEFUL INFORMATION
In my article, “Big Wheels Keep On Turning”, which was published in Go For A Ride magazine in July 2013, I go into detail about how and why we chose our 2007 Newmar Kountry Star, and why we ruled out toy haulers, 5th wheels, and Class C RV’s. These are all viable options for others to consider; however, for our purposes, a Class A diesel pusher was the best choice. You may still be able to get a copy of that magazine by sending an email to info@gofarmag.com. I don't know how many back issues they keep. It may also be available in the archived section of www.gofarmag.com. In the future, I'll write more about the years of research we did regarding recreational vehicles. Also check the archived blog posts on this site for tips about buying your first RV. We looked at all kinds, including some very gaudy ones that sell for over $1 million. I personally think a lot of them look like rolling houses of ill repute. Just because you have money doesn't always mean you have good taste.
We no longer tow our bike on a Kendon® motorcycle trailer. However, we were perfectly happy with that arrangement and would recommend that type of trailer. We went to a truck and a powerlift system due to the amount of time we spend on the road.
When we bought our first coach,, we were thinking of purchasing a motorcycle lift. After speaking with engineers from both Newmar and Winnebago, we decided against putting one on the back of our coach. We ride a fully-dressed HOG that weighs over 900 pounds. They stated the units we were considering buying were not built to carry that extra weight. A lift could damage the structural integrity of the coach, plus the maneuverability of the coach would be affected. I can only imagine what it would have been like coming across west Texas and New Mexico during the spring of 2014 with those horrendous winds beating the coach every day! It was difficult keeping it in one lane without a lift. If you are considering putting a lift on the back of your coach, please contact its manufacturer first. If salespeople are honest, and unless they have done the research themselves, most of them don’t know how a lift can affect a motor home’s stability. A few phone calls to the right people is all it takes to learn the truth. I recently read a post on another biker's website. He had a lift on his coach and thought all was peachy keen and it was for about three years. He was horrified when the RV was in the shop for maintenance and put on a lift. There were multiple cracks to his coach's mainframe and the lift itself. He stated it was a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe he has a Guardian Bell on his bike or maybe he and his wife just have diligent guardian angels. Either way, a catastrophe was avoided and a lesson was learned.
When we purchased our first coach, we were not certain how we would be traveling - a few weeks at a time or a few months at a time. At first just having the motorcycle was fine. If we needed a car, we rented one. Now that we are spending more time on the road, we have purchased a 4-wheel drive truck that we flat tow and had an automated rail system installed in its bed. This rail system pulls our motorcycle into the bed of the truck, we tie down the bike to the truck, and we’re off. Hint for newbies: If you’re on the road more often than not, having another vehicle will come in handy, especially during bad weather.
4-22-2014 - If you are contemplating purchasing an RV for the first time, please check this blog post and this blog post for useful information about buying an RV, towing or carrying motorcycles on lifts, etc. There are fifth-wheels available that have a side-entrance garage, complete with an electronic life. They were not available when we were in the market for an RV. As far as I can tell, 2016 is the year they came out from Alfa. I'm doing more research into them.