Idle hands can get you in trouble....

[SarahP]

If it were me i would go down the ford transit route !
1) its simple and easy
2) and you have your bikes with you and were you can see them
3) no towing and much cheaper to run
4) you modify it in any way you want to suit you
5) and it is also a very handy vehicle to own in your every day life picking up furniture , garden supplies , etc etc .

just my thoughts and it just keeps things nice and simple .

**********************************************************************************************************

I, too, keep coming back to the Transit! My roadblock is the height of the bed. It's about 24", IIRC. That doesn't sound like much, but using the ramp calculator at discountramps.com, I come out with a minimum of a 3-foot ramp required for my Honda CRF230M (wheelbase 53", clearance 9") -- that's the minimum. I freak out riding up/down a steep ramp, and I guess I could do it at home enough that I wasn't scared any more. One thing I haven't checked out is that the CRF is half the weight of the Street Twin, so I could possibly walk it up the ramp under power. It's small enough that I can walk beside it and reach the far handle bar pretty easily.

But then I think about losing my footing, slipping, the bike falls over on me out in the boonies by myself. I dunno, maybe should just go for it. I really love the idea of being just a self-enclosed unit. Not having to tow a trailer would be fantastic!

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

[SarahP]

I would opt for a smaller toyhauler trailer with living quarters in the front and a crew cab pickup as a tow vehicle. I would chose this over a Ford Transit van because I don't like the gasoline/petroleum fumes enclosed with me while traveling. My monster 40 ft fifth wheel has the garage sealed off from the living area. The garage is ventilated and airconditioned separately so we get no fumes in the living area.
If I did not have to consider another person, I would have a smaller toyhauler with minimal living quarters in the front and a crewcab pickup for towing. I would have the toyhauler airconditioned for those hot nights and have built in generator or a portable generator for those hot nights.
We have lived in our toyhauler for six months at a time - and we are still married! .

Carl S, your post made me laugh.

Good point about the smell/fumes. I've heard that the EFI bikes have minimal smell, but this CRF is air-cooled. Very good point to consider.

The aircon has always been my Achilles heel. I had resigned myself to just snowbirding it, traveling where it's cool, if I had a vehicle without AC. It would be very nice to come home from a ride, take a shower, and sleep in a comfortable bed with adjustable temps!

 

[SarahP]

Thanks, everyone for your great ideas! I think I'm just going to have to dive in with some choice, one way or the other. Most people who RV say that the first RV you buy is never your last, that you try different types/configurations before you find what works for you. So I think I'm in that situation. whether it's a truck/trailer, trcuk/toyhauler, Transit van, etc -- just make a decision and try it out!

As long as I buy something reasonable (as in, not a $500,000 luxury Class A vehicle!!!), I should be able to resell it, the way I did with my Road Trek, and only be out a minimal amount of dough but with a lot more experience.

Thanks, y'all!!

 

[shanered6]

Just a thought on the ramp .... you could allways have a fold up tail lift !

 

[CarlS]

Sarah, we are seriously considering selling our home and going full time RV. We would live in Florida during the winters and travel anywhere we want (and can afford) during the summer. We can live more cheaply this way without property taxes, home owners insurance, maintenance, lawn care and electricity. We don't have a mortgage, so no savings there. Being selective , we can live for $500 to $800 a month including electricity, water and sere. Propane would be an added expense.

 

[DaveM]

I would love the idea of doing a trip like that but also in something like a toyhauler.

 

[triumph david]

Sarah, i did not mention the ramps i have witch are great, it is a 33" wide fold up ramp made from aluminum that will fit behind the front seat of my extended cab GMC 1/2 ton pu, it is in 2 parts that fold up. I can ride my heavy (700 lb+ me @225lb) HD Road King up in the bed of my truck, take the ramps down place them in the truck all in 5 min's with no problem, they are 1500lb capacity. My wife and i have been on many trips carrying the HD with us, one time we were at a motel up in the mountains loading up the bike and a man and his wife were standing there watching us he said that is sure a nice ramp but its looks like a lot of trouble. Later that day as we were leaving we stopped by W-Mark and saw his truck trailer and bike parked all the way at the end of the parking lot because he could not park up front like us. We ran into him at the front door waiting for the rain to slack up where we could make a dash to the truck, i turned to him and said times like this make up for that trouble you were talking about , not only the parking issue, the 2 less tires, some wiring , lights and tag and no backing up problems to have to worry about. The only reason i didn't mention the ramp is the weight that might be a problem, other than that if i were going anywhere this is the way i would travel with a bike, i just don't have the $ to have ant thing else all i have is the ramp and a trailer. One idea if this is interesting to you you could stop by a place that sells them and see if you could handle them. Also = Discount Ramps .com, they had video's of people loading up and taking off bikes back when i bought mine.

 

[SarahP]

Sarah, we are seriously considering selling our home and going full time RV. We would live in Florida during the winters and travel anywhere we want (and can afford) during the summer. We can live more cheaply this way without property taxes, home owners insurance, maintenance, lawn care and electricity. We don't have a mortgage, so no savings there. Being selective , we can live for $500 to $800 a month including electricity, water and sere. Propane would be an added expense.

I love the idea of doing this, but am loathe to fully commit without trying it for at least 6 months to a year. I would hate to sell the house - which I like, on most days , only to decide after a week that I hated living a nomadic lifestyle.

If you keep your house for a while, one thing I learned about from a friend was the issue of carrying homeowners insurance while on the road. Many insurance companies will significantly raise your premiums - if not outright drop you - if they find out you've left the residence empty for > 30 days. I can see their side on this: an empty house raises the chances of a small problem (running toilet or small roof leak) turning into a huge one (failed septic system drain field or structural damage/mold).

I think one possible (ethical) solution is to pay for a property management service to inspect the house weekly, or have someone live in the house if you can. Lots of people apparently conveniently forget to mention to their insurance company that they're on the road 8 months straight (got that info from various RV forums I'm on). But if you have a claim, you can bet the adjuster will figure out what's what. And besides, lying is never good.

So CarlS, I digressed terribly on your post -- tell us, if you don't mind sharing, what will make you pull the trigger on selling your house and going full-time? Anything in particular?

 

[SarahP]

Just a thought on the ramp .... you could allways have a fold up tail lift !

Shane, are you talking about a fold-up ramp on the Transit? A ramp that folds up and stands vertically in the van itself? Those things are sweet! I wonder how much room it eats up inside the van. Also, when camping, what do you do with the ramp? Most people want to open the rear doors for some air/view, but now you have that ramp in the way. Maybe I'm thinking about a different animal?

 

[CarlS]

I love the idea of doing this, but am loathe to fully commit without trying it for at least 6 months to a year. I would hate to sell the house - which I like, on most days , only to decide after a week that I hated living a nomadic lifestyle.

If you keep your house for a while, one thing I learned about from a friend was the issue of carrying homeowners insurance while on the road. Many insurance companies will significantly raise your premiums - if not outright drop you - if they find out you've left the residence empty for > 30 days. I can see their side on this: an empty house raises the chances of a small problem (running toilet or small roof leak) turning into a huge one (failed septic system drain field or structural damage/mold).

I think one possible (ethical) solution is to pay for a property management service to inspect the house weekly, or have someone live in the house if you can. Lots of people apparently conveniently forget to mention to their insurance company that they're on the road 8 months straight (got that info from various RV forums I'm on). But if you have a claim, you can bet the adjuster will figure out what's what. And besides, lying is never good.

So CarlS, I digressed terribly on your post -- tell us, if you don't mind sharing, what will make you pull the trigger on selling your house and going full-time? Anything in particular?

When we leave the house, even for a weekend, I turn off the water to the house just to prevent toilet over flows, water heater leaks and pipe leaks. I also turn turn off the hot water heater at the circuit breaker. I also try to come home once each month for a day or two to check things. We have an alarm system and cameras which we can monitor where ever we are. I also have the lawn maintained if we are gone for more than two weeks.

What will make me pull the trigger and go full time RV? Completing the remodeling of the main bathroom of our house, making sure we have no health issues, getting rid of a ton of "stuff", and making sure I have a bona fide residence in Florida (no state income tax here).

 

[Greyfell]

Sarah,
I stumbled upon a blog of a British couple that converted an older van into a mini-home. If you haven't seen it, it might be food for thought.

The Road is Our Home


Here is a time-lapse video of their conversion.

 

[SarahP]

Holy smokes! That was one of the best build videos I've seen - he did a great job. Heck, I've lived in a lot of apartments that weren't as nice as this Sprinter.

Thanks for posting that, Greyfell!

 

[Qship]

It was a very nicely done conversion.

 

[Greyfell]

I admit I didn't watch the video before sharing it; I just read an article about them that impressed me. The video blows me away, though. That was no half-a**ed job but absolutely planned out to the limit. Certainly not luxurious, just absolutely top-notch.

 

[Qship]

The only thing that I would question is why they would take a "used" cargo van that could have a lot of hard use, especially when they plan on touring around the world with it.

 

[Greyfell]

The way they planned the conversion gives some evidence that they might thoroughly research the history of the van and its current condition, in order to get the best bargain for the money as possible. Getting the best used van for the money likely meant there could be more money for the conversion and for the travel.

I don't really know, though it seems logically possible.

 

[DEMBONES]

TONS of new snow on the ground here in the NW. Grrrr...and Brrrr! I want to ride!

 

[SarahP]

We just had a little bit of snow here in Northern Virginia, about 3 inches or snow. Just finished a 4-hour stint of no power. I can't wait until we're all done with this snowy winter mess and we can all ride again!

 

[shanered6]

Well for a change its unseasonaly warm here and feels like an early spring with 18c temps its better than the summer , but as i know it can be like this now and then - 18c next month will just have to wait and see .