Long Distance Interstate Riding

[cowboyup3371]

So plans have changed slightly in that I'm going out to Danville now in three weeks then hitting Omaha in July. I'm looking to see some good roads out that way once I pass Indianapolis though I'll hit the highway for most of it.

[aclaytonb]

Apparently, I also have a go-cruise that seems to work pretty well. Didn't pay a lot for it but it works better than those plastic throttle lock gizmos. Just found it in my breakdown bag...forgotten about for the last couple of years since I do virtually no time on the slab.

[ddaniels]

Besides the price on the Throttlemeister, I had trouble trying to activate the blasted thing while maintaining throttle setting. I just can't see using one on a daily basis.

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I've never bought or used one but a buddy has and swears by them. The price keeps me from getting one too. Scott, there is a new motorcycle parts store in Dayton at Wilmington Pike and I-675, in that little shopette on the right after you get off and go towards Cosco. They have a Vista in stock. I saw it the other day. Would save you along trip to Iron Pony.

[storm 64]

I have a Throttlemeister throttle control on my motorcycle. I suppose it worked good when everything was new. Now the throttle tube end is chewed up and offers just a little bit of resistance when full on. I'm not a fan of the Throttlemeister and how it works. Give me one of those plastic lever lock contraptions they work fine.

[ddaniels]

Scott, the name of the motorcycle shop on Wilmington is Motorcycle Gear.

[scratch]

Avoid Chicago like the plague.

Truth. 80 in Chicago is culture shock after a nice calm day of midwest miles... It's outright hostile, like Central America or Connecticut

Start doing some back work outs.

This makes a lot of difference. Strong back, less pain and aches, less pain and aches, less fatiuge & distraction.
Strong back and neck can save yer life at best and make yer ride a lot more enjoyable at least. Can't loose.


In general I avoid music and phones when riding but.... for long days (If you are going to have earcom in yer helmet) I'd recomend audiobooks when it gets hot & boring, a good audio book can keep you in the saddle longer

[Steve]

In general I avoid music and phones when riding but.... for long days (If you are going to have earcom in yer helmet) I'd recomend audiobooks when it gets hot & boring, a good audio book can keep you in the saddle longer

I have heard that before, and even tried it a couple of times. I was in the van, not on the bike, which might have been a good thing.

I found that I get so wrapped up, listening to the story, trying to follow the plot and story line, I forgot I was supposed to be in control of a multi-thousand pound hunk of metal and plastic that was traveling at quite a decent rate on the highway. I know the motorcycle weighs quite a bit less, but the results of a 'mistake' are just a bit more disastrous.

Music is more of a background distraction. I have heard most of the songs before, and enjoy listening to them again, but if I have to divert my attention momentarily to make sure I don't stray across that white line, I know I'm not missing anything. Listening to a story, though, I would have to hit the "30-second rewind" button to make sure I didn't miss anything.

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[cowboyup3371]

Scott, the name of the motorcycle shop on Wilmington is Motorcycle Gear.

It's actually Cycle Gear and are the newest shop of the big national company. I stopped in there a couple of weeks ago and didn't care for their selection of anything. I'll pass by Ride 1 (Competition Accessories) or even not go to Middletown Cycle (ten minutes from my house) because I much prefer for the way Iron Pony maintains their stock levels and expertise. Plus, I need to put some good miles on the Bandit this weekend

[wymple]

"Truth. 80 in Chicago is culture shock after a nice calm day of midwest miles... It's outright hostile, like Central America or Connecticut"

It wasn't so bad when every 3rd vehicle wasn't a damn big truck. That's what we get for demanding fast delivery on everything. I used to roll deep into the outskirts at speed, now you sit in barely moving congestion clear out in Bolingbrook.

[scratch]

Ihave heard that before, and even tried it a couple of times. I was inthe van, not on the bike, which might have been a good thing.

Ifound that I get so wrapped up, listening to the story, trying tofollow the plot and story line, I forgot I was supposed to be incontrol of a multi-thousand pound hunk of metal and plastic that wastraveling at quite a decent rate on the highway. I know themotorcycle weighs quite a bit less, but the results of a 'mistake'are just a bit more disastrous.

Musicis more of a background distraction. I have heard most of the songsbefore, and enjoy listening to them again, but if I have to divert myattention momentarily to make sure I don't stray across that whiteline, I know I'm not missing anything. Listening to a story, though,I would have to hit the "30-second rewind" button to makesure I didn't miss anything.

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I’mjust the opposite. Music tends to distract me, makesmy mind wanderwhilean audiobook kicks offa relaxed state of “enhanced attention”.
Yes,I may listen to a chapter 3-4 before moving on to the next timesbecause the mind sort of switches high-level attentiveness as neededand I miss parts… But, if the book is good, repeating chapters isenjoyable.


Tonalityand skill of the reader matters… a poor reader distracts, a goodreader sets the state.


Allthat said, what gets us in the efficient& safezone is probably different for everyone.

[StratJeff]

Couple years back I did a 2700 mile ride from Denver to Seattle and back in 1 week. Here's my votes:

- Windshield. #1 impact on long-ride comfort.
- Crampbuster. Worked great, never have control issues, absolutely saves your grip.
- Ear plugs. Go for quality.
- Camelback. Having water available whenever I wanted was amazing.
- In-helmet audio. I bought a Sena SMH-10 and streamed music the entire trip, it was great (looking at you, Idaho).
- Tank bag. I kept some snacks, maps, a change of gloves, and other accessories in my tank bag, which I had access to on the road. I've got Nelson-Rigg saddle bags and tank bag.
- Good all-weather riding gear. I got rained on quite a bit, but never got wet. Wish I had heated gloves. Also bring a neck cover/scarf/something- sealing the air off from your helmet to your chest made a huge difference in body temp.
- Luggage rack. I carried a 4-person tent, sleeping bag, foam sleeping mat, 4 days worth of clothing, maintenance gear, and rain gear on my bike.
- Don't do heavy maintenance before a trip. My bike loved the road- the second I got home, the stator died and I did the RR mod. Which led to some wiring issues, and took me a while to take care of. Leave the big maintenance for times when you'll have a month or two to troubleshoot afterwards.

Didn't have a single life-threatening issue on my trip. Road 5mph over the limit the whole way there in the right lane, had a great time.

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[cowboyup3371]

Thanks all. 216 miles from home to Iron Pony in Columbus today, mostly along I-70 though I turned off onto US-42 to head into Xenia. I actually wanted to head south to Athens and over to Chillicothe but the weather was turning crappy in Columbus and the wife said that entire area south was green on the radar.

[ratatouille]

Lots of good info, and differing opinions. I'm near Columbus, so how was Iron Pony? They have gone NUTS expanding and de-spanding their clearance section. lol

I've done as much as 650 miles in a day. And that is a full day, think it was over 12 hrs, but we had bad storms part of the way.

Not to add to the argument on throttle lock vs. cramp buster, but I have had both. I like both. However, I take the cramp buster off the throttle as soon as I get to my destination. Don't ask....... My current bike, FJ-09, has Hand Guards, so no throttle lock unless I remove them (not), and honestly, I don't really care. If that helps.

I prefer music over books. But I think anything in the headset would be better than nothing, just my opinion.
I have mesh riding gear. If I read right and it will be in the upper 80's, to 90 deg? Wow. HOT. I rode home from PA to CBUS in low 90s, mesh riding gear and suffered. I would recommend Gold Bond butt powder or something similar. Didn't see that mentioned.
GPS is good if you like to see time traveled, miles to destination etc. I'm sure some here will not like this, but I prefer to have something to take my eyes off the super slab for a second. I like a GPS for that reason. Your eyes get tired, whether on a bike or in a car. That's why they say to switch your field of vision fairly often.
Another thing I like, but it takes time, is to maybe every 3 or 4 hours, take a side country road for something different. Most states have country roads that parallel the interstates. May even be something there you want to see. If you are taking 2 days, then 750 miles can easily be separated for 2 fun days. You can knock out 300 slab miles pretty easy, then hop off the slab and do some exploring. Same for day 2.
Stop often was mentioned a lot. I usually go 3 to 4 hours on my 1st leg, then about every 2 hours after that. Just my habit if I'm solo. Edit: If I can go that long on a tank of gas. ;-)

[posplayr]

I'll just add a note about a guy I met last week. I was selling a tow bar on Craigslist Tucson to tow a car behind an RV. The guy shows up and is really nice and we quickly agree on a final price without much haggling. We keep talking about cars and motorcycles and turns out he had set a US record for riding a BMW GS motorcycle 20K miles in 25 days. Pretty sure his name was Steve Siler.

[alke46]

very impressive if true.