Long distance ride prep question

[Guest]

I've been invited to go on a ride over Labor day weekend. This will be approximately 200 miles one way, plus some organized rides once we're there.. I have a 1982 GS 850L and while I've gone on 100 mile rides locally, I've never taken this kind of trip like this before with this bike. Most of the ride here an back will be running at 65-70 MPH. I'm look for suggestions on what to do to it prior to the ride.

[gsrick]

I've been invited to go on a ride over Labor day weekend. This will be approximately 200 miles one way, plus some organized rides once we're there.. I have a 1982 GS 850L and while I've gone on 100 mile rides locally, I've never taken this kind of trip like this before with this bike. Most of the ride here an back will be running at 65-70 MPH. I'm look for suggestions on what to do to it prior to the ride.

If all of your usual maintenance is kept up with, then you shouldn't need to do anything, but check your tire pressures. I find this is a seriously over looked item on bikes that come into the shop. People are riding around on sport bikes with 10-15 psi when they should be 36 psi front and 42 psi rear.

[Steve]

I see you are doing a 200-mile day, when is the "long distance ride"?

For your SHORT ride,
- make sure there is enough puff in your roundies, as gsrick suggests.
- make sure you have enough oil in the crankcase.
- be aware that you will not make the entire 200 miles on one tank of gas
- keep the speed under 70 on the highway

My wife's bike (same year and model as yours) regularly goes about 140 miles before hitting REServe, so figure on 150-160 tops per tank. The main reason for keeping it under 70 is fuel mileage. The bike is very capable of much higher speeds, but MPG will drop like a rock.

Do you have any kind of windshield on the bike? Many will disagree with the concept, but they are only judging by what they feel "looks right". For any kind of road use, even a small windshield helps a LOT.

When you have successfully completed your little ride, consider joining the group in Farmington in September. It's about 300 miles one-way from your place, with a couple of days of GOOD riding while there.

To give you a better idea of what a "long" ride looks like, click HERE.

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[Burque73]

I'll admit that the best way to view a windjammer is sitting on the bike. Not too appealing otherwise. Sure is nice to have one when the truck in front of you kicks up a chunk of rubber though, or hail, or bugs, or....

Ear plugs make longer rides more enjoyable too.

[alke46]

Peculiar eh? Been through there many times to visit a sister and niece in Harrisonville. Which direction are you going on this "long" ride? No worries about the bike if you are using it on a daily basis, it will perform quite nice.

How long have you owned this bike? Is it well maintained by you? Has the valve specs and charging system been taken care of? You might learn a lot from taking it on a 200 mile ride. Take notes on anything you question about it. Then report back with your findings.

Good luck.

[Houndawg76]

alke46- The ride's originating from Peculiar and ending up in Tulsa. The route we're taking will end up on Hwy. 169 south to Tulsa. I replaced the rectifier/regulator this spring. put in new gear oil in the transmission and rear end tis spring, and changed the oil two weeks ago. I keep the tires at 30-32 PSI and check the pressure before every ride.
Steve- I noticed the gas mileage issue when I have run it on the interstate. It drops from around MPG to 30 MPG at that speed. I also have a windshield mounted on it. I really hate getting smacked by bugs on the neck and face at highway speed.

[cowboyup3371]

Like Steve said when does the long ride start? Seriously just take it easy and relax. Like was mentioned, ear plugs help and so does that windshield. Up to this weekend, the most I had done in one day was 320 and I was beat due to the wind and made a very dumb mistake. Take your time and think things through on the road. Take breaks when you need them but also set a goal of after so many miles that you will force yourself to stop for even 10 minutes. Drink water/Gatorade instead of soda or coffee (save that for the meals) and walk around not just stand at the bike. Doing that helped me run 475 miles yesterday, albeit on the Bandit, and another 300+ today (had a fun detour I’ll post about later).

[mhobryan]

x2 on a windshield...and this is someone who proclaims that if I wanted a windshield I'd get a convertible. I hate them. However, with the riding position on the 850, you will want one if you are doing any freeway travels. The 850 I recently bought came with one, cut it down about 6 inches so I don't have to look through it, but the size is perfect, keeps most of the wind off my upper body so can easily do 75-80 mph without getting buffeted by the wind.

[Brendan W]

How well do you know these guys?
Is it going to turn into a game of chicken and are you ready to bail out if a line is crossed?
Sorry but someone has to be the grumpy old fart

[Houndawg76]

Brendan- I'm going with a group called the Southern Cruisers. It's a riding club, and our chapter's in Cass county, MO. We go out on Thursday evenings for about an hour ride then eat at a local restaurant. This is the third year I've been riding with them. One of the things the group leader has emphasized is safety in group riding, and has held classes on how to safely ride in a group. That's not a problem with me. From the comments in this thread, I think should be set up to ride Labor day weekend. Here is picture of my bike and how it is currently set up :

[Steve]

Nice looking bike.

Same color scheme as my wife's bike (when we got it), but in MUCH better shape.

Somewhat similar setup, but she also has a trunk. Click on link in my sig.

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[alke46]

Oh yeah, from the looks of that bike, it will do just fine. Looks like you have taken good care of it.

[Houndawg76]

I know the history of the back to 1985, when a friend of my Dad bought it from the Honda dealership in my hometown. From 1985 thru 1993 he averaged 300 miles a year, riding the back roads. I doubt he ever got it over 45 MPH. In 1993 he had a heart attack and never rode it again. I bought from him in 1997, and it sat in my garage until 2009. Starting a business and starting a family kind of put on the back burner. In 2009, when gas got welll over $3.00 per gallon, my wife mentioned I should get the bike running to save on gas going to work. Well, she didn't have to ask twice. I cashed some stock, cleaned up the gas tank, had the carbs cleaned and sync'd, put new tires on it, and proceded to ride the snot out of it. In 2009, it had only 6616 miles on it. It turned 24,000 last week.

[davegs850]

I love those colors!! That is a very pretty bike. It is cool that you know the history too!!!!

[alke46]

Good for you. Keep riding the snot out of it. That's what they seem to like the best.