I recently made the trip from Crossett, AR to Sturgis, KY. I had to make a stop in West Little Rock, AR. This meant extra miles. I was nervous as I was traveling with a brand new Goldwing, and I was straddling a Yamaha FZ6. At the end of the day, we'd traveled 564 miles to get to Sturgis, KY. That may be common place for many of you, but for me this was my longest in a day.

Distance between stops really is a state of mind. Sure, I got hot, my butt was smarting some, and once my hip hurt down to my knee. The longest jaunt between stops was 157.3 miles. The point is that with God's grace, taking alleve before we left, and my motocross padded underpants, I made it :-) Oh! I'd been over 400 on this bike once, and knew I'd make it one way or another. I turned over 30,000 on the odometer on this trip. I probably won't get much out of a budget priced bike that resembles a sport bike with over 30k on it huh? lol

Now, I can't wait for the Yamaha FJR next Spring, or something in that category of bikes.

By the way, the bike rally didn't have much of an attendance. I had to leave and come back home on Saturday, but Friday was kinda sparse and dead. I did see someone that favored Tweek. It was fun and I look forward to meeting some of you on some jaunts in the future.

Nice thing about riding a bike,you can only go 150 miles or so on a tank of gas.stop,fill up and have a beer and you are ready for the next 150 miles

I see you're about the same age as me and yep those long hauls can take a toll on the body and mind.

Anymore I try to keep to less than 500 miles per day, with the occasional exception like riding home from the Redwood Run where I'll do 750 or so. I just about always run 'till I need gas which is about 150 to 175 miles between stops. Like you said I will take Advile of Alleve before the ride to keep the back and leg soreness to a minimum.

However I do notice that state of mind has a LOT to do with it. If I am rockin' down the freeway just dying to get home I find myself staring at the odometer just waiting for the next stop. I'll be twitching and moving around and just can't find a comfortable position.

Other times when I am riding somewhere interesting (usually excited about where I'm headed) I'll be riding along and all of the sudden I'll notice the low fuel light and feel like I just left the last stop.

I do have the advantage of almost always doing long hauls with Laura on the back so we normally keep eachother occupied talking and pointing out stuff... makes the ride between stops go much faster.

The ride home is always the longest.

I don't think in terms of "miles" per day. We ride 6 hours and "no more than" 7 hours per day; normally on the road by 8:30 a.m. Of course being retired affords us the luxury of having time. After 7 hours it's time for a shower, change of clothes, a cold beer, and a short nap before dinner. Yeah, I take naps. LOL

Peace

Well, I for one, am glad to hear the trip went well, and that "those little pains" we've all come to know so well, weren't a significant hinderance.  I'd like to hear more about the "butt protector".  I've heard differing opinions on those, but I'd sure like to get your "take" on 'em.  And, as far as...

"By the way, the bike rally didn't have much of an attendance. I had to leave and come back home on Saturday, but Friday was kinda sparse and dead. I did see someone that favored Tweek. It was fun and I look forward to meeting some of you on some jaunts in the future." 

Someone "favors" me?  Poor lass...lol  I hope it's the YOUNGER version.  Buah..!
Ride Free
Tweek

 

Can't think of a reason one would want to travel >500mi/day on a motorcycle. - If long distance is the goal load the scooter in the back of the truck or trailer it. - You will have soft seats, a big gas tank, A/C.& a radio + can chat w/ the old lady & pet the dog.

When scootering just stand on the pegs for a few minutes out of every hour & you will do just fine. - Sitting at a desk for 3 hour stretches would conjure up pain.

Once I rode 17.5 hours and felt good. Was up all day at arrival point, slept 12 hours that night. Other times I've ridden 8 or 10 miles and it was time to go home. To me the secret is to ride my own ride.
Walmart, hate to promote them, has a but pad in auto section for about $20, it's jell and works great. If you are short and do a lot of stop and go you may not want a but pad. I also suggest waving to kids on bicycles. Wave to scooter riders, it confuses most of them, especially if you'r on a Harley or Goldwing.

The excitement of getting somewhere fun will drive me on to the next stop and beyond but after awhile I can no longer get comfortable and it's time for my budlight and a chair! Our trip from Las Vegas to Wyoming on our way to Sturgis is the farthest we ride. Were leaving Thurs am to Just south of Flagstaff for a run and that will be about 9hrs across the desert.

Glad to see that you enjoyed the ride ! The added padding probably made a big diff,between arriving ok or having monekey butt! oh yeah w/out pics ... u know the rant LOL
The brief time I spent in KY it seemed like a nice area to cruise thru?

Too bad the rally seemed dead, I know from attending the motorcycle rallys in Hollister,attendance changed from year to year.

I have read some good & lukewarm reviews in cycleworld abt the FJR,with all that body work I always hear about heat buildup on the motrcycle . I know I git a lot off my Honda,when the fan kicks in. You probably still will git some decent money on your ride anyway,they cabn only devalue so far. Sometimes the dealerships will kick ya down bigtime tradein values,if ya go that route.

Tweek, a girl on a HD did remind me of you...lol...and the rider underpants are the stuff motocross riders use everyday to help with the bouncing and jolts they take in the private area. They do work pretty well on street bikes.

I often do multi 100's of miles daily. Depends on the roads. Sometimes 100 miles is a day trip in the mountain twisties. Others on the big sweepies (my faves) I can go 500 mi and still have a big smile on my face.

I stop about every 100-130 mi for fuel & stretch & hydration, etc, I play it by ear & just go at my own pace & have fun. If on a long trip I plan several options along my route (which is also subject to change) and have fun. When I get tired I find a place to stop (gotta love the GPS for that one)

But the basics are I ride to have fun & stop when needed. I also take a lot of pic but mostly from the saddle.

BOTTOM LINE ~ Ride Safe, Have Fun & Stop When you want.

I've been on trips where I made great time with tons of miles, and then on trips where I rode for ten hours and only went a couple hundred miles. Depends on the trip and who I am riding with. When alone I usually stop every 200-225 miles to gas up, take a leak, burn one, etc.

I agree 500 miles in a day is a good riding day and usually don't go past it.  But there are the times when you have like 650 to 750 to get somewhere and it just don't make sense to add the day to to trip.  And there is no chance I would put my bike on a trailer just because its too far to ride!!!

I would never humiliate my dearest Lulu by putting her on a trailer.

We try to stay off the super hiways and run the 2 lane roads just to see the sites and take our time, usually the wife is riding with me so it keeps things interesting. Last Friday and Sat. we rode 575 most of it on 2 lane stopping ever 150 miles or so, even though most of our destinations are fun its all about the journey getting there with us, about 500 a day is all we do any more

On a long and lonesome highway,
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engines
Moanin' out it's one note song
You can think about the woman,
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wanderin',
The way they always do
When you're ridin' 16 hours,
And there's nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin',
You just wish the trip was through

It all is a state of mind. I too have ridden 100's of miles a day and then there are days were I don't. But then again I get distracted with shiny objects. Road signs and other things along the side of the road that interest me. If it miles I need to do then I have to do the highway other wise the shiny objects win. I don't mind I plan for it now.

Most of my high mileage days I've done by myself as i only stop for gas and a short walk.

I would much rather travel 150 to 300 miles in a day and see the sites, stop to smell the flowers. I try and not go over 500 a day. Takes the fun out of it for me and makes it a chore. I don't measure my rides by the miles I go, but by the memories I make. 10,500 this year. Longest day was about 500. Lots of good memories!

I've done my fair share of high-mileage days, but not on anything like a Yamaha FZ6! I do have a Kaw GPZ 1100 that I have put a couple hundred on in a day, and that was about all I was interested in, to be honest. It's a very different ride from the electra glide, as far as comfort, if ya ask me. So, that is an impressive haul considering what you were riding!

Other than the bike I am riding, other things that factor into how many miles I attempt in a day can be any or all of the following:
• How much time I have to get to where I am headed -- if I am only out following the front tire, I can take all day to go 300 miles. If I absolutely positively want to be halfway across the country by tomorrow, I can make it happen. 800 miles is about my limit though.
• Whether or not I prefer to take the scenic back roads vs the superslab -- even on the high-mileage cross-country trips when I am tight on time, I always throw in a couple hours of back roads during the day.
• Who I am riding with, their experience level and/or hiney fitness level -- I tend to stop more often and for longer periods when I am riding with others. By myself, I stop when the bike needs gas -- but not necessarily when the fuel light comes on. 3 hours or 160 miles, whichever comes first, usually. I hit the bathroom, throw some water and calories down, text family and friends an update on my progress, and I am on my way.
• Weather conditions -- the colder it is, the longer the stops are and the more frequent, and the slower the speed (windchill and road conditions) as I am going down the road, so fewer miles logged in a day.

All that said, I do want to get bags for the Kaw and take it on a multi-day tour one of these days.

My best advice for those planning a long haul is to NOT break it up into equal legs. For example, instead of doing a 1500 mile run in 3 days, 500 miles each day, I would plan to do 700 the first day, 500 the next day, and 300 the last day. I find it makes the trip easier both physically and mentally!

An added benefit is that it gives me a chance to explore areas further from home a bit more. That last 300 mile day may still be over 10 hours in the saddle, but it won't be on ANY expressway!

Hey Fefe, when you gonna do some more of those 800 mile days? Been a while since we had beer and waffle house.

And why you MIA at the Asylum?

Geuro…Really? I always feel the ride home is the shortest, LOL! Just sayin. And BTW, I agree

Hey, I tried to set up a visit back in October with you Okies and Texans, but couldn't get anyone to come up to Kansas City, MO or Des Moines, IA to meet me. What's a girl to do?