Anybody done a real long ride?

[Ourfreedom_imp]

So I am going to ride from Memphis to Seattle. And back. Anybody have any tips for the trip? Thanks in advance!

[ThomWill_imp]

So not on this bike, but on my Yamaha RSTD, my wife and I did Savannah, GA to San Franscisco and back in 2011. My number one piece of advice is to allow plenty of time to enjoy the ride. I know Iron Butt guys who found out I was taking 9 days in each direction and they laughed and said that they could do it in a day. WHY????? I have such great memories of visiting local coffee shops and diners and talking to folks along the way. We averaged 375 miles a day and took one day off (Memorial day across Texas and we were afraid a lot of the gas stations in small towns would be closed). I stuck mainly to the U.S. numbered routes but went state highways to join them.

[DAC]

So I am going to ride from Memphis to Seattle. And back. Anybody have any tips for the trip? Thanks in advance!

I would go to ironbutt.com and read tips from them. They do the Iron Butt certifications for rides in excess of 1,000 per day. They also [url=http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm]have tips here that can help.

Ride safe and post up some pics!

[Ourfreedom_imp]

So not on this bike, but on my Yamaha RSTD, my wife and I did Savannah, GA to San Franscisco and back in 2011. My number one piece of advice is to allow plenty of time to enjoy the ride. I know Iron Butt guys who found out I was taking 9 days in each direction and they laughed and said that they could do it in a day. WHY????? I have such great memories of visiting local coffee shops and diners and talking to folks along the way. We averaged 375 miles a day and took one day off (Memorial day across Texas and we were afraid a lot of the gas stations in small towns would be closed). I stuck mainly to the U.S. numbered routes but went state highways to join them.

I agree. I plan on doing it in about 4 days. Maybe 5. I've got 3 weeks of leave that I can use and I told the wife that if I am taking a vacation this year it will be on two wheels. There is so much to see in this great country. I plan on enjoying it and not treating it like a commute from hell!

So I am going to ride from Memphis to Seattle. And back. Anybody have any tips for the trip? Thanks in advance!

I would go to ironbutt.com and read tips from them. They do the Iron Butt certifications for rides in excess of 1,000 per day. They also [url=http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm]have tips here that can help.

Ride safe and post up some pics!

I would go to ironbutt.com and read tips from them. They do the Iron Butt certifications for rides in excess of 1,000 per day. They also [url=http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm]have tips here that can help.

Ride safe and post up some pics!
Thanks for the links. I'll be checking them out for sure!

[emptysea]

I just got back from an 1900 mile loop. We took 8 days, but that's because we were riding around Kentucky and the Smoky Mountains. I would say that rattling off consecutive 400 mile days is not a problem. I assume you meant 4-5 days one way. It's 2200 miles one way, so that would be 4+ 1000 mile days in a row for round trip.

Pack half as much clothing as you think you need and avoid cotton. You can rinse out performance-fabric tshirts and underwear easily on the road. Bring a tire repair kit and other tools (don't forget a tire gauge and chain lube). Bring Honda spray and a few microfiber rags.

Good luck and have a fun and safe trip.

[Ourfreedom_imp]

I just got back from an 1900 mile loop. We took 8 days, but that's because we were riding around Kentucky and the Smoky Mountains. I would say that rattling off consecutive 400 mile days is not a problem. I assume you meant 4-5 days one way. It's 2200 miles one way, so that would be 4+ 1000 mile days in a row for round trip.

Pack half as much clothing as you think you need and avoid cotton. You can rinse out performance-fabric tshirts and underwear easily on the road. Bring a tire repair kit and other tools (don't forget a tire gauge and chain lube). Bring Honda spray and a few microfiber rags.

Good luck and have a fun and safe trip.

Hey, I didn't think about chain lube. Thanks! My thinking was 4-5 days one way.
What do y'all think about carrying extra fuel? I remember when we transferred from NAS Whidbey Island we seemed to get to places where gas stations were few and far between.

[emptysea]

I only had one slight issue with gas and that was my own fault. When I planned our route, I plotted out gas stations at about every 150 miles. Then I also looked for stations T about 100 mile intervals. This gave me gas choices every 50 miles, give or take. I didn't have a problem with it because of where we were traveling, but you're trip is a lot different. I don't think you will have to carry extra gas if you spend a little time with your maps and with Google to plot out some of the stations along you're route

[flynrider]

I wouldn't worry about gas. I've made 10+ road trips from 3500 - 6000 miles all around the western U.S. and Canada. Fuel has never really been an issue. You'd have to really try hard to find a gas station that was 100 miles or more from the next gas station.

As EmptySea says, a little bit of time with the map will do the trick.

Make sure you've got some good rain gear. If you're going to be riding all day, dry is way better than damp. On the flipside, don't forget the sunscreen.

[Cormanus]

Rain gear is good and wise.

EmptySea, what's Honda Spray?

[emptysea]

Rain gear is good and wise.

EmptySea, what's Honda Spray?

LOL I don't know the actual name of the product, but it's available at most dealers here in the US. It's a cleaning spray. You can use it on just about everything...like to get bugs off your helmet or headlight. Sorry, but all my friends just call it "Honda Spray". I should probably read the label sometime.