Wazzup
Finally made it
- Location
- SW Virginia, USA
I learned this method of long distance riding years ago from a good friend and travel companion. (We're both Iron Butt members - 1,000 mi in under 24 hours - but have quit doing these marathon rides.) Depending on your time schedule to get from Point A to Point B, you can adjust the daily mileage up or down.
It boils down to time management. Leave around the crack of dawn, ride 100 miles before having a sit-down breakfast, then ride 200 miles before lunch (which is usually a snack at a gas station stop, or ice cream on a real hot day), then 200 miles after lunch. We usually get off the rode around 5:00 - 6:00 PM. We stay at motels, splitting the cost. (You lose a lot of time if you're camping and doing your own cooking.) A cardinal rule is to find a motel within walking distance of a bar and restaurant - once we get off our bikes, we're done riding until the next morning, especially if we're drinking, which, of course, we are.) I violated this rule last month while traveling through Illinois on my way home - hit a bad storm with a lot of lightening after going 400 miles. The closest motel did not have a bar or restaurant nearby so I ended up eating a 4-course dinner purchased at the nearby gas station. See attached photo.) We never book motel/hotel reservations in advance since we're not 100% certain where we'll end up at the end of day. Only once did we have to keep riding to the next town, though there have been times we've been forced to upgrade to a nicer hotel (i.e., the type our wives demand.) For us, it's "lights out" around 9:30 or 10:00 PM (after remembering to clean the bugs off our face shields.) One thing to keep in mind is the time changes that occur when going from the East coast to the West coast (3 hours), and 4 hours from the East coast to Alaska. Riding to the west is nice since your days get longer. Coming back home, it's a bit harder to awaken early whenever you lose an hour.
We have similar riding styles - usually 5-10 MPH over the posted limit, stop for gas after about 125 miles, and stay hydrated with water. We take the back roads, avoiding interstates whenever possible. If we see something neat to check out, we stop for some sight seeing. Our bikes are well maintained and we ride with waterproof gear (even when it's not raining) so we don't have to stop and dig out a rainsuit if the weather turns bad.) We've ridden countless miles in the rain though tend to look for shelter if there's lightening close by. Motorcycle tires (which are not worn out) are fine in the rain. Just slow down a bit and watch for pooling water (hydroplaning is a bit scary) and wet leaves on the road in the autumn. I consider ABS a must on a motorcycle (which came stock on my Royal Enfield), especially in the rain. We always wear ear plugs - chronic wind noise will damage your hearing, even with a full-face helmet. We don't use Bluetooth or other audio sets to communicate with each other- we just use simple hand signals when necessary.
On the recent cross country trip on my 2022 Interceptor 650, I usually ran around 5,000 RPM, which equates to 70-75 MPH (depending on the wind) with a Madstad windscreen on my bike. I did hit a strong headwind in Colorado which limited my maximum RPM to 4,600-4,800 even with the throttle "pegged" in 6th gear and me in a tucked position.
This method of long distance riding works with 2 (ideal) or 3 riders (OK but less ideal). Any more than that, there will invariably be delays and "issues." For this trip, I rode out with a buddy (on a Triumph Tiger 850) and rode back solo due to our scheduling conflict re: work and family commitments. I'm aware that many long distance riders prefer to ride solo, but I prefer to ride with a good friend. We have many fun shared memories.
It boils down to time management. Leave around the crack of dawn, ride 100 miles before having a sit-down breakfast, then ride 200 miles before lunch (which is usually a snack at a gas station stop, or ice cream on a real hot day), then 200 miles after lunch. We usually get off the rode around 5:00 - 6:00 PM. We stay at motels, splitting the cost. (You lose a lot of time if you're camping and doing your own cooking.) A cardinal rule is to find a motel within walking distance of a bar and restaurant - once we get off our bikes, we're done riding until the next morning, especially if we're drinking, which, of course, we are.) I violated this rule last month while traveling through Illinois on my way home - hit a bad storm with a lot of lightening after going 400 miles. The closest motel did not have a bar or restaurant nearby so I ended up eating a 4-course dinner purchased at the nearby gas station. See attached photo.) We never book motel/hotel reservations in advance since we're not 100% certain where we'll end up at the end of day. Only once did we have to keep riding to the next town, though there have been times we've been forced to upgrade to a nicer hotel (i.e., the type our wives demand.) For us, it's "lights out" around 9:30 or 10:00 PM (after remembering to clean the bugs off our face shields.) One thing to keep in mind is the time changes that occur when going from the East coast to the West coast (3 hours), and 4 hours from the East coast to Alaska. Riding to the west is nice since your days get longer. Coming back home, it's a bit harder to awaken early whenever you lose an hour.
We have similar riding styles - usually 5-10 MPH over the posted limit, stop for gas after about 125 miles, and stay hydrated with water. We take the back roads, avoiding interstates whenever possible. If we see something neat to check out, we stop for some sight seeing. Our bikes are well maintained and we ride with waterproof gear (even when it's not raining) so we don't have to stop and dig out a rainsuit if the weather turns bad.) We've ridden countless miles in the rain though tend to look for shelter if there's lightening close by. Motorcycle tires (which are not worn out) are fine in the rain. Just slow down a bit and watch for pooling water (hydroplaning is a bit scary) and wet leaves on the road in the autumn. I consider ABS a must on a motorcycle (which came stock on my Royal Enfield), especially in the rain. We always wear ear plugs - chronic wind noise will damage your hearing, even with a full-face helmet. We don't use Bluetooth or other audio sets to communicate with each other- we just use simple hand signals when necessary.
On the recent cross country trip on my 2022 Interceptor 650, I usually ran around 5,000 RPM, which equates to 70-75 MPH (depending on the wind) with a Madstad windscreen on my bike. I did hit a strong headwind in Colorado which limited my maximum RPM to 4,600-4,800 even with the throttle "pegged" in 6th gear and me in a tucked position.
This method of long distance riding works with 2 (ideal) or 3 riders (OK but less ideal). Any more than that, there will invariably be delays and "issues." For this trip, I rode out with a buddy (on a Triumph Tiger 850) and rode back solo due to our scheduling conflict re: work and family commitments. I'm aware that many long distance riders prefer to ride solo, but I prefer to ride with a good friend. We have many fun shared memories.
