April 3^rd, 2026

Kickstand Up – April 4^th, 2026

Tomorrow April 4^th, 2026, I roll out on Day One on my Florida Loop 2026 Motorcycle Camping / Touring trip of Florida.  Checking another state off my bucket list to have ridden a motorcycle in all 50 states of the United States.

I will be riding Bruce with my full Alaska 2028 loadout from Douglasville, Georgia to Pensacola, Florida and Camping on Gulf for the night.  Planned Miles for Day 1 = 441 Miles.

Florida Loop 2026 Trip Plan

Day One – Pensacola, Florida = 441 Miles – Camp
Day Two – Lake City, Florida = 376 Miles – Camp
Day Three – Chokoloskee Island, Florida = 392 Miles – Motel
Day Four – Everglades National Park, Florida = 140 Miles – Camp
Day Five – Key West, Florida = 175 Miles – Hotel
Day 6 – Lake Okeechobee / Indiantown, Florida = 280 Miles – Camp
Day 7 – Lake City, Florida = 354 Miles – Camp
Day 8 – Douglasville, Georgia = 328 Miles – Home

Total Planned Miles = 2,486 Miles

Alaska 2028 – Bike Configuration & Loadout Test

The primary objective of Florida Loop 2026 other than exploring Florida and checking another state off my bucket list goal is to test Bruce’s configuration and loadout for my planned upcoming Alaska 2028 Motorcycle Tour.

Bruce Configuration

This is my first tour with Bruce, my 2025 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special motorcycle, and I wanted to test my touring configuration of Bruce before setting out on my extensive touring trip from Georgia to Alaska and back.

Present Non-Stock Configuration of my ’25 Pan America 1250 Special:

• Harley-Davidson Muffler Guard (protects exhaust & muffler if the bike is dumped on right side)
• Harley-Davidson Skid Plate
• Harley-Davidson Aluminum Top Case
• Harley-Davidson Top Case Mounting System
• Harley-Davidson Aluminum Side Cases
• Harley-Davidson Side Case Mounting System
• Harley-Davidson Radiator Shield
• Harley-Davidson Passenger Backrest Pad (for Tristan but not this trip)
• Harley-Davidson Daymaker LED Forward Auxiliary Lights
• Harley-Davidson Auxiliary Light Installation Kit
• Harley-Davidson Electrical Connection Update Kit | Part No: 69201599A
• Harley-Davidson Tank Bag
• Garmin – Zumo XT2 Motorcycle Navigator
• Gamin – handlebar controller
• Garmin -handlebar controller & group ride radio y-adapter kit (not using ride radio)
• Touratech – TFT Display Anti-Theft Guard (Installed for GPS mounting bracket)
• Touratech – GPS Mounting Bracket, Above Gauges
• Touratech – Locking GPS Mount for Garmin Zumo XT2
• Touratech – Quick-Release Aluminum Headlight Guard
• A-1 Racing – Handlebar Risers & Heel Guards
• Adventure Bike Pegs – GS1 Highway Peg Set
• Barkbusters – Aluminum Handguard Kit for Pan America
• Barkbusters – Replacement Storm Plastic Guards
• Harley-Davidson – Tank Knee Pad Kit
• Custom Dynamics – Magic Strobes Brake Light Flasher for Pan America
• Dynojet – Folding Shift Lever for Pan America 2021-2026
• Dynojet – Rear Brake Reservoir Guard
• SW-MOTECH TRAX WP M/L expansion bag
• SW-MOTECH TRAX M/L inner bag
• SW-MOTECH TRAXX top case inner bag
• SW-MOTECH Lid net XL
• SW-MOTECH Lid net M (Purchased two)
• Giant Loop Armadillo Bag 3 gallons (for reserve gasoline).
  • Packed empty for this trip.  Will not need for Florida.  Will use in remote areas during Alaska 2028.
• Kriega Tool Pouch (Purchased Two)
• Kriega Kube 1 (Purchase Two)
• Giant Loop Cactus Canteen Hydration Bladder (2 Gallon) for water. 
  • I will be traveling with this filled – mostly for camping but also good in the event of a possible prolonged motorcycle breakdown.
  • Will be purchasing water bottles during trip for tank bag for regular hydration.
• Reax Poseidon Dry Bag – Passenger Seat – houses most of my camping gear
  • Sleeping bag and camp skillet are in top case

Touratech Work Footpegs Removed

One temporary change I had to make was to remove my Touratech Work Footpegs (lowered) and revert to the OEM Harley-Davidson Footpegs.   With the Harley-Davidson Muffler Guard installed, the Touratech footpegs are unable to fold up as the base of the right footpeg jams against the muffler guard mount.  This is a potential safety issue in the event of a right-side dump of the motorcycle, if the footpeg cannot fold up, it could dig into the pavement or ground and flip and dramatically turn the motorcycle possibly resulting in additional damage to the motorcycle or injury to myself.  For safety reasons, I reverted to the OEM footpegs for now.  I will investigate other replacements that are compatible with the muffler guard post Florida Loop 2026.

Coming Up Next….

• Posts and videos about my Full Touring / Alaska 2028 Loadout
• Posts and videos about what I actually packed
• Posts and videos about my camping gear.
• And of course Posts and videos covering Florida Loop 2026.