When going on long rides

[Drake]

I just had my first somewhat long ride Sunday. It was a 200 mile roundtrip run up to Maine with some friends. Aside from some tired arms and hands, I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable the seat was on my 1982 GS550M. What did I learn from this experience you might ask?....

1) Always check that everything is tightened up before you head out. I lost one bolt (thankfully nothing more) that held on a chrome cover to the end of one of my dual overhead cams. If my friend hadn't spotted it at one of our rest stops, I wouldn't have gotten the other tightened down so as not to lose the second bolt and the cover itself.

2) Riding in a group is nice for overall visibility in traffic. The 4 of us rode in a staggered pair formation keeping us highly visible to traffic and we had no problems with anyone trying to change lanes on us.

3) Staying off the main Interstates might be a little slower, but has much nicer views and much less wind.

It was a great day for a ride.

[bat4255]

Me and my wife just did a 2-up for 190+ miles Sunday morning. Starting @ 7:30 - 8:00, we usually go 150 miles -200 miles each weekend depending on weather. Much less wind and noise usually at that time, 5 hrs goes pretty fast.

[Gixxerdale]

I used to think I did long solo rides on the weekend, 500 miles a day. But a girl in our club bought a bike on Ebay that was located in Virginia. She decided she wasn't going to have it shipped. She flew there and rode it back to Los Angeles, solo. She just got in last night after 10 days on the road. Her ride reports would make a great article, but then she does work in the motorcycle industry. Some people have all the luck!

[Uncle Bob]

Anybody ever thought of doing an Iron Butt ride, 1000miles in 24hrs.

Or their annual Iron Butt competition 14,000miles in fourteen days, riding from one end of the country to different locations to pick up extra points.

[bat4255]

Thought about, for about a 1/2 a sec.

maybe 30 yrs ago.

[Hoomgar]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Anybody ever thought of doing an Iron Butt ride, 1000miles in 24hrs.

Or their annual Iron Butt competition 14,000miles in fourteen days, riding from one end of the country to different locations to pick up extra points.

That's an average speed of almost 42 MPH if you never stopped at all. So if you need to stop for fuel and food then that value goes up. No twisties for you You'd have to do all highway in order to get the needed speed to get the miles. And my Ibuprofen bottle would be empty

[Uncle Bob]

Well sure if you're doing a 24 hour ride you could get away without sleep but two weeks you gotta get some shut eye. These guys also face weather ranging from 100's in the desert to snow in alaska.And navigation problems not to mention riding logging roads, mud, rain , etc...

Anyway I just read an article about a Canadian who completed the course in fifth position this year and it's more than just about racking up the miles. 14,000 miles takes a toll on the bike and rider and you just about need to be a mechanic with a lot of improvising skills .

Last year several riders out for bonus points rode for miles through deep mud on logging roads in alaska. Spent most of their time getting unstuck, they even wrapped thick rope around their tires for traction. The riders were freezing and their bikes overheating because the mud was blocking their rads.

[bat4255]

Lol.

I sorry but that can't really be fun, can it?

Jim

[Uncle Bob]

Seems like a much more valid test of riding abilities and all around fortitude than just twisting the throttle and wheeleeing down a highway.

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Anybody ever thought of doing an Iron Butt ride, 1000miles in 24hrs.

Or their annual Iron Butt competition 14,000miles in fourteen days, riding from one end of the country to different locations to pick up extra points.

Many of the other Concours Owners Group do these rides, it seems a bit dull to me - I want a ride to be enjoyable, not grueling. I am getting my Concours set up for some travelling though, but not 1000 miles / day...

[Marcos]

I'm still considering riding down to Mexico from L.A. on my GZ 250. I'm having a lot of trouble findind shipping at a reasonable (to me) rate. This does mean I'll have to take the test for the license very soon, so I'll be freeway and night legal.

Any advice for the L.A. to Laredo leg? Or the Laredo to Guanajuato leg? I'm thinking I should try to cross Arizona at night because of the heat during the day.

Am I stupid to consider this on a GZ 250? (I've asked this before and gotten conflicting answers, so I'm sure I'll get more). Some say that I'll get way too fatigued, others say it's not that difficult. One old timer told me that he and a friend (two up) went from New Orleans to L.A. on a 350 back in the day.

I'm planning on crossing over at Laredo, but if anyone has any thoughts on that, I'd appreciate them.

[Gixxerdale]

Originally Posted by Marcos

I'm still considering riding down to Mexico from L.A. on my GZ 250. I'm having a lot of trouble findind shipping at a reasonable (to me) rate. This does mean I'll have to take the test for the license very soon, so I'll be freeway and night legal.

Any advice for the L.A. to Laredo leg? Or the Laredo to Guanajuato leg? I'm thinking I should try to cross Arizona at night because of the heat during the day.

Am I stupid to consider this on a GZ 250? (I've asked this before and gotten conflicting answers, so I'm sure I'll get more). Some say that I'll get way too fatigued, others say it's not that difficult. One old timer told me that he and a friend (two up) went from New Orleans to L.A. on a 350 back in the day.

I'm planning on crossing over at Laredo, but if anyone has any thoughts on that, I'd appreciate them.

This old timer used to do LA to Tucson regularly on an old Ducati 450 thumper. Let's just say it builds character, and lots of it! Now I do it on a Gixxer 1k, and folks still think I'm nuts. They are probably right! Folks have gone further on 50cc bikes! As long as you enjoy it and both you and the bike are up to go for it! Don't know much about your model bike, but check your range and mileage between gas stops! It can get cold at night in the desert, on the side of the road out of gas. Get a good tool kit together also!

[Marcos]

Thanks for the encouragement!

I've got a 3.4 gallon tank, and I'm not yet sure what mileage I'm getting. This bike is practically new, a 2003 with 481 miles when I bought it 4 weeks ago. I've put 200 miles on it.

It's 1400 miles from my front door to Laredo and then half again as much to get to Guanajuato. Sounds daunting! But if I can do 500 miles a day, that's 4 days.

[Gixxerdale]

Originally Posted by Marcos

Thanks for the encouragement!

I've got a 3.4 gallon tank, and I'm not yet sure what mileage I'm getting. This bike is practically new, a 2003 with 481 miles when I bought it 4 weeks ago. I've put 200 miles on it.

It's 1400 miles from my front door to Laredo and then half again as much to get to Guanajuato. Sounds daunting! But if I can do 500 miles a day, that's 4 days.

Try a 500 mile one day, round trip from your home first. If you've never done it you will be hurting to finish it. You'll need to build some serious saddle time locally before you can put in 4 straight 500 mile days. You also need to be well equipped with basic tools and gear for all weather conditions. No telling what the weather will do. A freind just crossed New Mexico this past weekend and she found snow on the road!
What part of LA are you in? I'm in Chatsworth.

[Marcos]

I'm in Eaglerock/Highland Park (between Glendale & Pasadena). OK, this friday I'm going to take the skills test so I can get on the freeway. Then, maybe in the middle of next week, I'm going to take a trip up to San Francisco. What's the best slab to take? The 5 or the 99? Or should I take the scenic route up 101?

Thanks for all the excellent advice. Give me more, please!

[Gixxerdale]

Just taking the MSF. Might not want to head out to SF right away. Get some miles in familiar territory first.

But if you must, the 99 is the most direct route although it bores me to death. the coast route is nicer, a lot longer, and a lot of traffic. I prefer the back roads and canyons. A lot less traffic and nice twisty scenery, but I'm also on a sportbike. Just be prepared to get yourself out of trouble on the back roads. You can't always get cell service and if you can't fix it, you'll be walking. If you crash, you may be there alone for some time. Try to get a ride partner. Solo riding can be high risk at times.

Try some local rides, like the Crest to Wrightwood, Arrowhead, Big Bear, Angeles Forest, Mt Emma, Frazier Park, Ojai etc. You can do 500 miles a day right here in the LA area, with out a lot of traffic to contend with.
Microsoft Streets and Trips is a great program for trip planning on major and hardly known roads nation wide. Some of my best rides have come from checking out little roads just because.

This is the best site for roads in California. Look around it's great!

http://www.pashnit.com/index.htm

[wsharp]

Sounds like an awesome trip! If I were doing this one I would try to plan my route using secondary hiways for a lot of it instead of all interstate. You'll see a LOT more countryside and have a more relaxed pace. May take you 5 or 6 days instead of 4 but who cares? You can leave a day or two early and enjoy the ride.

Have fun and be safe!