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Long Distance Ride

markowinnipeg

markowinnipeg

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May 26, 2010
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Location
New Bothwell, Manitoba
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Thinking about going to see some family on the bike, only thing is that trip is 2200 km's one way and not sure how many miles are resonsible to count on in a day?
I have many trips were I am close to 500 km in a day but I would like to try and do closer to 1000 just not sure.
Your input is appreciated
 
1000km in a day is quite reasonable as long as you take some precautions:

Plan fuel stops ahead of time
Bring gear for ANY weather condition
Get lots of sleep and leave early
Stop often
Drink water on the go
Eat well

If you've never done a ride close to that kind of distance before, it would be good to try and build up to it first.

Nothing feels worse than being underprepared, wet, tired, sore and hours away from your destination. The more you do to prevent this, the easier it will be.

I was underprepared for the last day of my West Coast trip and covered nearly 1100km in one day; most of those were spent being wet and miserable. It was awful :)
 
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Just like Dustin said. It's all about prep. If you do your homework and get yourself and bike ready it's going to be a piece of cake ride. 1000 KM (600 miles) days are easily done on a bike.

Make sure your bike is mechanically ready for the ride. Tires are good for the whole ride and make sure you pack safely. I would think a little set of saddle bags and a tank bag should be sufficient. I strongly suggest you a camel pack to drink on the go. Once you get going it is very easy to fall in the trap of trying to pound miles without stop or just fuel stop. If it's hot outside you need to drink more than few sip every 3 hrs. Camel pack give you the opportunity to drink when ever... a little sip every 15 minutes doesn't hurt and keep you hydrated. I had a 3L one for my big trip (use for long run during hot summer in Florida) and I was drinking the whole thing in a day long drive. Ice and Gatorade. In the tank bag it was staying cold for almost the whole day!

Other than that... some people preach for tire plugs, spare rear light bulbs (had 1 blowing up on me once... suck when that's the only rear light you have)

Try to do your riding on day time... and plan your route so you don't end up in rush hours traffic anywhere...
 
Thanks
Yes rode to Calgary but stopped in Speedy Creek so 2 days.
I have tank bag, saddle bags and use a camel back back pack.
Also have tall windshield, heated grips, etc bike is set it is I that I am worried about.
Tires.....yes tires concerned as they are about half worn (Q2's) not sure if they could do the round trip was thinking might have to get them changed once I get there.
I always carry a plug kit and have had to use it before.
 
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markowinnipeg said:
etc bike is set it is I that I am worried about.
Click to expand...

You'll never know until you try it. :) Go for it but make sure you never run on a tight schedule; leave yourself one flex day 'just in case'.

Don't leave your tires as a question mark. If you don't think they'll last the whole way, make prior arrangements with a shop in the USA and have it swapped along the way. The plus side is, it will be WAY cheaper than buying it in Manitoba :)
 
I just made the trip from Indy. to Pensacola fl over the 4th of July. I was picking up my new to me 03 Bee. I quickly found that it was way too hot for me after 12 noon, So I pulled into a hotel with a pool went for a swim. I set my phone to wake me at 1am and started out the 2ed day in what felt like a/c compared to the day before. What I'm saying is adjust to the situation and enjoy the moment.
 
Thanks was thinking about that also as it has been smoking hot for weeks here (30 to 40 degress C).
Also question about route, it is about a 100 km less taking some secondary highways and google maps says about an hour quicker than doing all interstates, what is the perferred route?
Always took I29 to I80 then I70 in the past to get to Denver.
 
It depends. My experience is that Interstates are the best way to go if you need to get somewhere in a hurry. Even if the Interstate is a longer distance, you can average a higher speed with fewer interruptions. The only caveat is regarding traffic within the cities.
 
markowinnipeg said:
Thanks was thinking about that also as it has been smoking hot for weeks here (30 to 40 degress C).
Also question about route, it is about a 100 km less taking some secondary highways and google maps says about an hour quicker than doing all interstates, what is the perferred route?
Always took I29 to I80 then I70 in the past to get to Denver.
Click to expand...

Depend of your schedule. Maybe you can plan a "scenic route" on the way there, weather permitted. Since you should be all fresh and rested. You can combine Interstate and back road. On the way back you can hit the flat concrete slab and get back home. Interstate are a bit more relax since you usually don't have to deal with traffic too much when you're out of town. I personally enjoy riding at night. Not the safest but if I stay on interstate there usually no traffic and I feel like it's more relaxing on my eyesight a bit without the glare of the sun. But that's personal preference.

If you are in a doubt about your tires... I'll swap them. That's what i did. My tires were border line good enough for he big round trip but I didn't want to deal with loosing 1/2 a day park in a garage swapping tires. Gotta put the stress factor out of the equation... enough stuff can go wrong as it is.
 
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