Some thoughts about riding long distance on a motorcycle

My bike isn't even 9 months old yet, and I've ridden over 19,000 miles.  I consider myself a distance rider, not an endurance rider (there's a difference).  Here's my list of things that work and things that don't work.

1.  Understanding the weather over your route at the time you're going to be there is critical.  Damn BMW for not allowing weather integration into their GPS.  I should not have to add a tray and another GPS for this capability.  Traffic is an inconvenience; but, weather will kill you.  BMW got this one wrong.

Not only should you look for detailed weather on your route; but, you really need to understand the national picture and frontal weather.  In November, I was riding cross country from California and didn't look at the national picture.  Winter storm Boreus was going to impact my route and I didn't see it.  The local forecasts didn't give me enough insight into what turned out to be a rough ride.  You can look at my posts here for details.  Remember that frontal weather extends 250 miles on either side of the front.  If you want a clue what to expect from temperature and wind as a front crosses your route, look at the temperature and wind differences before the front crosses your path.  They will be similar unless the pressure systems on either side of the front are changing, causing the front to weaken or strengthen.  Learn about weather.  It's important.

2.  The right gear will make or break the ride.  I could, and probably will, write about gear.  I could go on for a long time.  Don't listen to marketing hype.  The marketeer won't be on the ride with you when you're cursing your gear.  Take a long critical look at each piece of gear and decide for yourself if you need it, if it's going to work exactly as you think and what you're going to do if it fails.

3.  Heated gear works best when there is a wind barrier.  I know for a fact that I can use my heated gear with the temperature controls all the way up to about 40 degrees at 75mpg (with a fairing), and be comfortable; if I don't have wind protection.  Once I put wind protection in place, like my Goretex rain suit, my heated gear keeps me toasty warm down to 13 degrees.  I haven't had it any lower than that yet.  My apologies to my antarctic readership; I don't have data to help you.

4.  Plan to stop past major cities or plan to leave late in the morning to avoid rush hour traffic.  Nothing kills a nice ride like being stuck between cars and trucks at a stand still.

5.   CARRY A ROAD ATLAS WITH YOU.  Your GPS isn't enough.  When traffic comes to a dead stop and you don't know how far the traffic jam starts in front of you, it might be time for a new plan.  Get off the road and pull out the road atlas to figure out your options.  You may need to use a lesser road; but, the delay could be made up for in an increase in fun factor.

6.  Replace your bungees with ratcheting tied down straps; and don't shorten them either.   Tie downs are more secure; and, if you should get stuck somewhere and need to rent a U-Haul or put your bike on a trailer for some reason, you have the straps you need.  Carry at least 4.  Also, if you need to work on your front tire, you can use the tie down strap to anchor into something heavy to pivot your bike on the center stand.  Tied downs can be used with a tarp to make an emergency lean to and save your bacon if you should have a strap on your saddle bag break.

Make sure you manage the loose end of the straps.  You don't want these flying in the wind.  Also, be careful, you can break almost anything on your bike with these.

7.  A long distance trip is the wrong time to experiment with live octopus tentacles or other foods not normally in your diet.  I'd also recommend staying away from foods that are known to make your stomach upset and stick with well known restaurants or those with a great reputation from the locals.  The last thing you want is to be pulling off every exit to find a bathroom.

8.  Never, ever, ever put sunblock on your forehead.  You sweat, it runs, your eyes tear uncontrollably.  End of story.  If you need sunblock on your arms, find a hot chick to do it for you.  Rub your eyes just once and you'll regret it.  While we're on the subject of sunblock, your best protection is complete coverage with a light colored, well ventilated material.  Again, gear is another subject entirely; but, it's better to cover up than use sunblock.  Again, if you must, have someone else apply it for you to keep it off your hands and hand grips.

9.  Put your side stand down at the toll booth, get your money out, pay the attendant, put the change away, pick up the side stand and go.  Flip off the guy behind you that is impatient.  Better that he/she be angry than wait even longer as you pick your bike up off the ground when you dump it.  While we're at it, stay to the left of the oil in the center of the lane and watch for cagers that decide they need to cut you off to get through the toll quicker.  Solid white lines mean nothing to cagers.

10.  Steel belts are not tire change indicators.  If you're planning a 3,000 mile trip, make sure both tires will make the trip with distance to spare, or plan to have them changed on or before the trip.  You always know how much brake pad you have left, right?  What about air pressure?

11.  Endurance is a personal thing.  You have to discover it.  Everyone's is different.  Some folks just don't want to ride more than about 200 miles and want to make several stops along the way; others can knock out 1500 miles in 24 hours.  To find your endurance, start small and add miles 100 at a time. Whatever you find your daily limit to be, don't think for a second that you can maintain that for days on end.  Your daily limit will decrease with multiple days of riding.  As an example, I can do 1,000 miles in 24 hours, and probably can do 2 days of that; but, I have no reason to believe that I'd feel good riding 3,000 in 3 days.

Here's a test for both your daily limit and your multiple day riding limits.  Make a U-turn in as tight, challenging radius.  At the end of the day, try the same U-Turn.  You'll quickly discover that your skills degrade as you ride longer distances.  You'll also find that when you're tired, you really don't want to do the U-Turn and would rather duck walk the bike around.

--------- Some additions from my friend Paul, with edits for clarity - Thanks Paul! ----------

12.  Keep the back side of your legs free from any clothing seams.  Given that you have a good saddle, that seam will become painful over time.  It doesn't matter whether it's underwear, your riding pants, or rain gear.  Some people prefer a a long leg base and others long leg boxers.  You choose, just beware.

13.  Keeping cool - One of the absolute best products I’ve ever used in the heat is the HyperKewl Cooling Vests. These can make an un bearable trek across the Desert very pleasant. My Wife would regularly experience Hyperthermia crossing Las Vegas in the Summer. After a quick pre-soak, just place under your vented gear and you’re ready to go. When the Wife’s happy, you’re having a great ride!

14.  Battery talk - When looking to replace your battery (every 2~3 years), take a good look at the newer Lithium-Ion-Phosphate batteries! Less than ¼ the weight, about ¾ the size, and about 5 times the lifespan (yes, that’s about 15 year!). These are amazing! Only drawback is that you’ll need a new charger if you ever want or need to store your bike. Recently installed an Antigravity brand OEM battery on my LT and it cranks like never before!!!!

15.  Sun visor - When your shades just don’t cut it and your helmet didn’t come with a Fighter helmet style visor, just add a strip of electrical tape to the inside top edge of the existing visor. This will allow you to simply dip your head to block the blinding sunlight.