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Prepping for 9000+ mile ride - any advice?

Was this ride completed safely? Lessons learned?

Sounded like a recipe for fatigue issues to me but then I look at folks doing the long IronButt as a bit looney/masochistic. Done a handful of 1000+ mile days myself but never when I could avoid it. 600 miles day after day sounds like torture even on the most comfortable bike. 250-350 is a nice relaxing pace allowing sightseeing time, 400-500 is a nice day ride to get somewhere as long as its not all twisties and beyond that I'd prefer to avoid.

Fatigue can get you dead from one brain fade induced misjudgment. Heat, noise, distance, dehydration etc all contribute to it. Starting long runs without hydration gear isn't a good choice and one needs to be aware of the body limits of absorbing water into tissues which is about 3 times slower than loosing it in hot conditions. Get a bit dehydrated and all drinking will do is give you a bellyful of water unless you make a 2 hr stop.

Yes! The ride was completed safely and without any real incident. The miles ended up being 6998 post-Mississippi, though (~7700 total). As I was making my way west through Canada, I realized that I would overrun my vacation time if I went all the way to Vancouver. So I crossed the border back into the US north of Detroit (Sault St. Marie), went West to Casper,WY, then south through the Rockies and back to Dallas.

Along the way, I decided to explore some gravel fire roads in Wyoming. I had watched some YouTube videos so I felt like I knew what I was doing..... After a few scares, I got my bearing and ended up doing 190 miles of loose rock, gravel, and sand. WHAT A BLAST!!!

I had always found it suspicious that there were no balance weights on the rear wheel when I picked up the bike, but the dealer said it was right. Proved otherwise along the way. There really wasn't a noticeable vibration until about halfway through Canada. When I got to Wyoming, I did a closer inspection of the rear and noticed that it was wearing very unevenly. I ended up getting a new tire (replaced under BMW factory warranty!) at Grand Junction Harley-Davidson - they also deal in KTM and BMW. Many thanks to the folks there for taking care of me. I was at their door when they opened and they had me on the road in time to grab lunch.

The Laminar Lip was a huge improvement over stock, but I'm probably going to order the MRA Vario. Seems like it should out-perform the lip.

The adventure gear I bought worked out well, too. I was able to stay comfortable 90% of the time by just adjusting vents or lining. My only complaint is with the gloves. They started to fray at the fingertips and don't provide very good feel. But I rode with my older leather/kevler sport gloves most of the trip and they are very comfortable. The luggage liners from KJD worked out great, too. Kept my gear clean and dry while saving me the trouble of hauling my side/top cases into the hotel rooms.

I am not impressed with the GPS navigation when actually trying to get somewhere, but it was great at finding curvey roads to ride. There was a lot of back-and-forth between it and Google Maps.

For reference, here's the route I took (from the GPS):
Road Trip - Actual.jpg

All in all, a great vacation and the best way to explore North America. Can't wait to do Europe this fall!
 
Sounded like a recipe for fatigue issues to me but then I look at folks doing the long IronButt as a bit looney/masochistic. Done a handful of 1000+ mile days myself but never when I could avoid it. 600 miles day after day sounds like torture even on the most comfortable bike. 250-350 is a nice relaxing pace allowing sightseeing time, 400-500 is a nice day ride to get somewhere as long as its not all twisties and beyond that I'd prefer to avoid.

Fatigue can get you dead from one brain fade induced misjudgment. Heat, noise, distance, dehydration etc all contribute to it. Starting long runs without hydration gear isn't a good choice and one needs to be aware of the body limits of absorbing water into tissues which is about 3 times slower than loosing it in hot conditions. Get a bit dehydrated and all drinking will do is give you a bellyful of water unless you make a 2 hr stop.

I am in complete agreement with your very good advice.

I ride for the enjoyment of bike travel and to survive. I have nothing to prove.

Harry
 
i'm going to be riding around greece all summer this year and the heat is just nuts. I've got an old 1100 gs, with 120k on it has anyone ever used an engine oil additive
cheers
Mal
 
9K trip

Thanks. some great info. I will have a riding buddy who is a semipro motocross monster and can use his 2009 R1200
GSA on single track like I would use a Honda 90:).... We leave Regina on 14 June and plan to be back to Salt Lake for the Rally where I will pick up my new 1600 GTL (that I will win) on 14 July. Thanks also to my 72 year old for agreeing that we should just keep riding. For me it is not so much the age as it is the money. THEREFORE no inheritance for the kids!!!!! I especially liked the invite from our friends from Nova Scotia. I like this forum.
 
Glad to hear your trip went well. I live in New Jersey and am taking a cross country trip in July. I can't wait and after reading this thread I think I'm going to pick up a hydration system..
 
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