1st 500 mile day.... how do U guys do it?

[Tazmool]

Howdy,

Today was my test day on my ST1300.
I wanted to see what 500 miles of back roads, minor hwys, and city riding all tossed together feels like.

All I can say is..... ughhh... I'm beat! need rest...

The ride was great, I visited a friend of mine, rode around Ontario (tried to stay off the main "interstate" type highways [ie the 400 class hwys])
This is preparation for my Cross Canada ride, and from my calculations, one way, if I can do the same mileage as today, it will take me about 5.5 days to just get there :O

I don't know how I can take almost 6 days of this!

How do you guys do it?

I tried taking lots of breaks, it took me nearly 14hrs to cover the distance (thats from leaving the driveway to coming back into my driveway) left at 8:30am, back at 10pm. My back is stiff, and my butt is sore..... and its only 500 miles?

I had about 3.5-4hrs of idle time (visiting friend, buying tinted visor, coffees etc) but thats simulating finding food while on the road, setting up and breaking up camp.... I hope the actual ride is more efficient.

This was a good shakedown run on the ST as well, it performed very well. Only slipup on the ST was that the left hi-beam was flickering on and off for a while, before staying on (using Silverstar Ultra H4 bulbs, I guess they really don't last long in the ST)

I'm reading on here that U guys go on month long tours, and cover crazy long distances, how do U do it? after one day, I feel like I need a vacation!

Tazmool

 

[Mark]

I think you have to build up to the higher mileages.
I did over 850 today and was thinking about doing another 150 just to get another 'round number' out of the way; but, decided to catchup here so I stopped in Amarillo Tx.
By the time I stop in Tempe tomorrow I'll have about 6000 miles in the last 12 days...
Like I said... build up to it...

and good luck!

 

[sherob]

I think you have to build up to the higher mileages.
I did over 850 today and was thinking about doing another 150 just to get another 'round number' out of the way; but, decided to catchup here so I stopped in Amarillo Tx.
By the time I stop in Tempe tomorrow I'll have about 6000 miles in the last 12 days...
Like I said... build up to it...

and good luck!

+1 After a while it'll seem second hand doing 1k miles in a sitting It just takes time building up a tolerance

If you look at it like a job instead of fun, then it'll seem like time stands still too

 

[Jeff F]

Like anything you've not done much of, you'll need to work up to it. Increase your distances & frequency of rides gradually. You'll be impressed with how quickly you progress.

I've noticed that I can ride further and feel good later when riding in areas I've never been to before. The novelty or excitment of it all, I guess.

 

[Capt_Gruuvy]

A 3 year group ride would help you build up your riding stamina.
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[tlartist]

Starting pretty early in the morning helps. On the road before or right around sunrise. Ride for a bit and then have breakfast. Sounds like you also did backroads which takes longer for the number of miles you rack up.
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[skyboybry]

500 miles?! I think I did that on my dirt bike today, and my butt had enough!!

The longest I've ridden on my ST is 1180 miles in one day, and I definitely needed a break after that. I have a stock seat with no mods, only a sheep skin cover for riding that long. I wear bicycle undies with padded crotch, and that helps immensely. If you're going to wear those, don't scrimp! Get the best. Lotsa water, lotsa lotsa water, especially in hot weather, that'll help with muscle fatigue, and to wash down Advil. Ha! After that, I dunno, I ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs, and that takes pressure off my butt, that is when I'm not squirming.

It helps that I have the most perfect booty ever, Ha-haaa!

Oh, I gave up on the Silverstars & installed Wagner 100/80Ws, they're cheap & last!

sbB

 

[stickman]

It's funny how your perspecive changes when you start riding long distance. Once you get used to it, you'll think nothing of riding 300 miles out of your way just to see the largest ball of twine.

Being comfortable is key. Have a good seat, get a tank bag so you can put snacks and water in there, music and a GPS helps.

But I think the most important part is you just have to love riding. I did a 14 day, 6000 mile trip last summer, and each morning when it was time to ride again, I never once thought to myself, "Oh ****, I have to get on that thing again!" I always looked forward to the coming day of riding and exploring this beautiful country.

 

[Austin city limits]

My Opinion???

# 1 ~~~ Bestest Underwear,,, E V A R ! ! ! Buy a pair,,, and Buy the # 2 and the # 3 pair too... Each day,,, wear a different pair... Go ahead and laugh but I am a Charter Member of the Rotate what ya wear,,, Set in different positions,,, and Start Early,,, ride late...

# 2 ~~~ As I already stated,,, fix it up that you can ride in different positions,,, different leg angles,,, even different seat covering all on the fly...

On my bike setting in my shop I have a Russell Seat... BESTEST,,, SEAT,,, E V A R ! ! !

On that because my Motoport pants act like an industrial Scouring pad,,, I have an Alaskan Sheep skin...

THEN,,, I have a Air Hawke attached so I can flip it down for a while and set on it,,, and then flip it towards the back,,, and set on just the Sheep Skin and Russell... This makes the ride easier than Maddona in a drunken Orgy!!!

# 3 ~~~ Ride early... Go at LEAST 100 miles before you eat Breakfast!!! It is lighter traffic,,, cooler,,, and the miles just zoom by... Then,,, 200 - 300 miles for Lunch,,, and keep it all very light... At about 2:17 pm each day,,, I get sleepy often... Take a break about 200 miles at a gas station and get some Gum,,, something "Crunchy' and drink Water before you Diet Dr Pepper...

Then,,, between 3 pm and 8 pm,,, roll... It is getting cooler... easy to get 300 miles before ya stop...

How do i train for my Almost Legendary 20 - 30 day trips I take???

I spend 16 hours a day for 3 weeks setting on a tractor!!! I drive 4.7 minutes at 6.2 mph to 1 end of the field... At the End I bounce around the cab trying not to spill my Diet Dr Pepper as I turn at the end... Then,,, I move over exactly 24 feet,,, and drive 4.7 minutes to the opposite end of the field at 6.2 mph,,, where I repeat,,, for 16 hours at a time... :hyp1:

Let me tell you the truth... My 12 over 1,000 mile days were all easier than almost any 16 hour day riding a tractor...

AND,,, NOT FRIGG'N ONCE,,, while Driving a Tractor do You go By a Taco Bell!!!

 

[roginoz]

The distance you want to cover is how far a "good" day is. If you need to get somewhere, 800 miles may make sense. If you're just out enjoying the ride, with no schedule, there's nothing wrong with "just" doing 300. Interstate miles are easier than back roads. While there is a certain feeling of accomplishment in a 1000 mile day, riding should always be a joy rather than a chore.

 

[Austin city limits]

The distance you want to cover is how far a "good" day is. If you need to get somewhere, 800 miles may make sense. If you're just out enjoying the ride, with no schedule, there's nothing wrong with "just" doing 300. Interstate miles are easier than back roads. While there is a certain feeling of accomplishment in a 1000 mile day, riding should always be a joy rather than a chore.

I 121% agree!!! :bow1:

 

[Figs_ST]

Terry, you are the most "different" person I have ever met! I mean that as a compliment!

Strangely, (almost alarmingly) I agree with everything ACL said. Well, not the tractor part, I have never been on a tractor in my life.

You have to "refresh" your contact area. Change undergarments regularly. I have a Spencer seat instead of the Russell. I love my Spencer seat very much. I don't have an Alaskan Sheepskin (yet), instead, when I am going to ride long distances, I wear a pair of bicycle shorts under my jeans. Works wonders, only makes potty stops a little more work.

I love to start my long rides at 4 or 5 in the morning, and I ride a couple hours or until one of the riders with me needs gas, then stop for breakfast.

I am riding up to NatSTOC in July, about 750 miles up there. I'll leave at about 4 AM and hope to get there by 4 PM. Nice day of crossing a lot of flat country.

Oh yeah, I also change my seating position alot. I scoot fore and back, or put my feet back on the passenger pegs, or (this one really works well) I change my seat position. I have found that if I set the front of my seat on the medium height setting, and force the back down into the lowest setting, it makes me stay back in the bowl of the saddle and changes the contact points a little.

 

[Figs_ST]

The distance you want to cover is how far a "good" day is. If you need to get somewhere, 800 miles may make sense. If you're just out enjoying the ride, with no schedule, there's nothing wrong with "just" doing 300. Interstate miles are easier than back roads. While there is a certain feeling of accomplishment in a 1000 mile day, riding should always be a joy rather than a chore.

Very well said my friend. :bow1:

 

[John Anthony]

While Maggie and I can hammered out 700 or so miles in a day without breaking too much of a sweat, I'm also in the "it's the quality of the ride" camp. When we went to Sturgis last summer, we took our time and probably averaged 300 miles a day, but boy, did we ride through some great country and took plenty of photos along the way.

BTW, it probably took me a couple of years to get my ST set up just the way I want it for multi-day touring (right seat, risers, grips, tinkertoys, etc.).

John

 

[SammyTheSnake]

+1 on building up. How far was the most you've done in a day before this 500mile trip?

The most I've done in a day before was about 400 (including a long way through London which makes it equivalent to about 15000 miles!) but this weekend I did a 100 mile day after a couple of years of no motorbiking and it nearly killed me, just because I'm not used to it!

I get lots of muscle tension across the top of my back and I have chronic tendonitis in my wrists from a career as a programmer (typing odd symbols all day!) and I find regular breaks to stretch and occasionally pummel a stiff muscle (my wife helps out with that when I get home )

So build up to it, take lots of breaks and stretch lots. Learn where you tend to get tension and preemptively stretch those muscles, perhaps do some low resistance high rep exercise on those muscles to build up their stamina.

I used that technique to cycle 90 miles in a day and didn't have any aching muscles the next day, so I definitely recommend it

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

 

[George]

I only managed 500 miles yesterday, 14 hours including breaks and traffic snarls (Pittsburgh SUCKS!!!! ) LOTS of good PA and OH back roads, tho.

I've done the 1000 and 1500 miles days. I prefer days like yesterday, long but (mostly) fun. I'm supposed to be home Saturday but a couple 2-lane days across Iowa and Nebraska might slow me down.

 

[Landon]

The distance you want to cover is how far a "good" day is. If you need to get somewhere, 800 miles may make sense. If you're just out enjoying the ride, with no schedule, there's nothing wrong with "just" doing 300. Interstate miles are easier than back roads. While there is a certain feeling of accomplishment in a 1000 mile day, riding should always be a joy rather than a chore.

+1. When people ask me about my Iron Butt plate and want to know how it was. I tell them it was an enjoyable 1000 mile ride on mainly all interstate. Given that fact I would rather spend a day riding 400 miles of off the beaten path twisty roads all day. YMMV.

 

[st11ray]

I ride my bicycle 2 hours a day 5 days a week and 3-4 hours on Saturday morning. After sitting on that seat for a couple of hours it makes the ST feel like a Goldwing.
Like everything else you do, it just takes some time to get used to it. I have the stock seat on mine and sometimes wear my bicycle shorts on long rides. I also agree with the start early philosophy and eating light until your final stop for the day.
When I first traded my ST11 for the ST13, I thought my butt was going to fall off after 100 miles! I was having serious thoughts about trading back for my ST11. After I got some miles under my belt, that all went away.

 

[Hellbilly]

Totally agree with building up tolerance and making it an adventure as opposed to work.

The longest I have ridden is 720 miles in one shot. Wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be, but could've been better had I prepared better.

I intend to do an Iron Butt 1000 ride sometime this summer just so I can say I did it. I'm just going over to Topeka, KS and back to Denver. Will stop and see my Grandson for a few minutes at Fort Riley on the return trip. I figure if I leave at 4 or 5 AM I should be back before dark.

 

[dduelin]

Lots of good ideas and suggestions already. I think the best is to leave at 0 Dark Thirty and don't stop for a 100 miles or more. I'll have the bike packed the night before, roll out of bed, dress, drink a tall glass of orange juice, maybe a granola bar, and get an early start. I like to eat breakfast so I do eventually stop for this but way down the road.

I figure about 50-55 mph moving average on a mix of interstate and secondary roads and it is hard to keep this average up if I am stopping often. I think that I might just stop for a minute but it always ends up being longer so I try and minimize stops and combine reasons for a stop.

I try not to drink more than a 1/2 pint of water at a time - if I drink a whole pint or 20 oz. bottle I'll need to stop shortly and take a leak but I seem to be able to absorb smaller quantities taken more often without having take a potty stop soon after. Sometimes I'll stick a water bottle in the left fairing pocket and drink some while riding. I wear a flip-up helmet to do this. Flame on.