Planning a 1900 mi trip to Ft Benning and back

Ear Plugs; now that is a good idea....them and a lot of water will go a long ways......wonder how a man's back will feel with that long a ride.....
 
fazer1sniper said:
I got a couple weeks to get the FZ1 ready for a solo ride to and from Ft Benning to pin my kid's wings Airborne School Graduation.
High St, Springfield, OH 44454 to Fort Benning - Google Maps
Fairing going back on, oil change, other asorted checks on the bike. Angel ST's only got 1000 miles burnt on them.
Any advice on this ride?
Click to expand...

I did a NJ to Las vegas run on my FZ ...here's the link to the details

Suzuki GSX-R Motorcycle Forums Gixxer.com - View Single Post - High Point Run - 6/12
 
I did Michigan to deals gap, rode non-stop for a week there, then rode back to michigan. There's 5 things I always tell people to write down and remember before they head out on a trip.

1) Go with the flow of traffic. You'll be tempted to dial it up a bit when the road clears out a bit, or you're going through some beautiful stretched of highway and you want to get the blood pumping... Don't. 10 over or whatever everyone else is doing is the only way to not get pulled over and hassled. If the cop is annoyed that he has to talk to you, you could get all your gear rummaged through and left to re-pack.

2) Always fill up before you hit reserve/warning light. You're in unfamiliar territory, you could see nothing but old, sketchy, country gas stations with pumps 40 years old and gas that might be almost as old. Always fill up at busy gas stations near the highway if you can help it.

3) Thankfully the FZ1 doesn't have 250 mile range. So don't fight for every last drop. Pull in, drink a water, top off the tank and stretch that back every 2 hours or so. No reason to race. You'll appreciate the breaks completely.

4) Add at least 1 day to your trip time if AT ALL POSSIBLE. You're going to go through and by some amazing things. No matter where you're going. You could love the smokey mountains, you could love a BBQ shack a few miles off the road in GA, hell, you could have always wanted to go to dollywood. Take that opportunity to do those things. If you get there and tell people you slabbed it for 1400 miles in 2 days, they'll just think you're as dedicated and tolerant as a monk... Now if you let them in on those road side and out of the way places you found. They'll think you've got some soul.

5) WHEN YOU FEEL TIRED PULL OVER. it's ok to 'push through the wall', just don't do it on the bike. Pull over, get a soda, take a walk, stretch your back, and if all that doesn't work, pull out your phone and look for the nearest chain hotel.

Now enjoy the hell out of that ride. I'm truly jealous, I love that part of the US. So many absolutely stunning roads! WV/VA/PA to North GA is amazing.
 
So after some free time to get this bike a bit more travel friendly here what got done on my days off.
12v power plug under the left side of the fairing
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Cargo Rack / trunk mount fab.
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Mocked it all up.
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Tore it back down for paint.
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Got my fresh KN oil filter and Mobil 1 syn for the oil change, soaked the chain in lube, I hope I'm not forgeting anything....
 
Gotta love necessity being the mother of invention. Nice work fabbing up your own stuff to get the job done.

Biggest challenge is to stay hydrated. Wear a camelback filled with water. Carry extra water where you can. As already stated, stop when you can to stretch and top off the tank. Keep a check on the tire pressures. Bring some chain lube, tire plug kit and some CO2 inflation or 12v compressor. Flashlight, zip ties and duct tape. Throw an extra bungie cord around things in case they decide to pop open.

Don't ride tired. Rest and ride another day. Good luck!
 
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