When Is A Ride Too Long?

[ChrisInTexas]

The perfect weekend ride for me is hitting backroads out of town for about 150 miles (there are a lot of backroads within 150 miles Dallas-Fort Worth), spend the night at some hotel, then turning around and heading back home, usually using a different set of backroads. Anything longer than that would probably be too long for me. Maybe a longer weekend ride would be okay on the super-slab.

I am planning a full weeklong ride this Spring on the Kat 750 (I think it's ready to go the distance). I will be heading East from Dallas-Fort Worth through Shreveport, Louisiana and ??? I'm not trying to set any "iron butt" records, just want a comfortable ride but still cover some distance.

When is a ride too long?

[zuma]

When your bike no longer rolls. If I'm trying to get somewhere and have the time I need, riding eight or nine hours at a time just seems natural. And in West Texas, I'm at least three or four hours from anything I consider "real". Psycho1, Jhilde, Cencalkat and others I know just seem to ride those distances and hours naturally too.

[depths_of_mind]

100-150 miles I'll travel to go to a bikenight. That's only about 1.5-2 hrs of seat-time. I'd say a ride that's too long is one where you become unsafe to yourself and others as tiredness and awarness drop.

[Wild-Bill]

You know you've ridden far enough when you're ready to get off the bike for the day. That's different for each of us and varies day-to-day, too. For me, the key to touring is to stop whenever I'm done for the day, not when I've reached some mileage goal.

If you're headed east to Shreveport you might want to consider heading south from there to Leeseville and Many. Try catching HW 171 south from the 220 bypass. Follow 171 all the way to Many and catch 6 back west, back to Texas. Or you could work your way around some of the backroads to catch HW 117 down to Leeseville. The pavement isn't wonderful but it's got some nice curves going through Peason Ridge WMA.

[06katanarider]

No such thing as TOO LONG of a ride. I have rode 150 miles just to actually ride with other members here, then rode with them, just to turn around and drive back the 150 miles home the same afternoon. I love to ride though

[DClark]

It is too long when you stop enjoying it. I did a 16 hour non stop from Eureka CA to San Simeon,CA (Hearst Castle). Went through the redwoods, whitelined through the bay area, took highway 1 through big sur along the coast. Around hour 14, started getting ansty. When I made it to the motel, got to the snackbar 15 minutes before it closed got some fried fish and a couple of tall boy Coors and celebrated the best ride of my life.
Seven years later, last Sept, did a 8 hour drive to Eureka, CA and after 5 hours, got antsy. I think it was because I was older, feet hurt from vibes, body got stiff.
My advice is to take some naproxin (or celebrex if you got it) before you leave and make sure you wear ear plugs. It also wouldn't hurt to check the carb synch on your bike before you go, I always do that before a long ride.
I love my buzzy old Katana 1100, but my body is saying it doesn't agree, hence my getting a new bike by spring.

[scottynoface]

When your butt hurts, about 2hrs of slab or 250 miles of twisties for me.

[Wild-Bill]

A Corbin will solve that 2-hour limit for you.

[Psycho1]

I am planning a full 10-day ride this Spring on the Kat 750 (I think it's ready to go the distance). I will be heading East from Dallas-Fort Worth through Shreveport, Louisiana and ??? I'm not trying to set any "iron butt" records, just want a comfortable ride but still cover some distance.

When is a ride too long?

If you really plan to take a 10 day trip, I think you owe it to yourself to make a trip to Deals Gap, NC. It would be an easy 3 day ride each way, leaving you a couple days to check out many of the great riding roads in NC, along with possibly meeting up with some of the NC/SC/GA KR members.

100-150 miles I'll travel to go to a bikenight. That's only about 1.5-2 hrs of seat-time. I'd say a ride that's too long is one where you become unsafe to yourself and others as tiredness and awarness drop.

I fully agree with DoM on this. The ride is too long when you have been in the seat long enough to get tired and begin to notice a lack of concentration, or when you simply hurt too much physically to ride anymore. That point will be different for everyone, I reach it at about 15 hours when riding my GSX-R, at about 12 hours on my Kat. I can't really throw out a mileage limit, since that would all depend on the type of roads (straight highways vs tight twisty canyon/mountain roads), and what your average speed is for the day. 10 hours averaging 75mph including quick stops for fuel and to stretch, is going to get you 250 miles further than you would make it at 55mph average.

I was comfortable up to around 800 or so miles/day on my cross country ride. 2 1100 mile days were too much for me when I kept my speed within 5mph of the posted speed limits, mainly because I started trying tofall asleep around the 18 hour mark. "IF" I could have picked up the pace considerably without recieving any "awards", 1000+ miles/day would have been a piece of cake. Even with riding 1100 miles and 19 hours the day before, I wasn't in pain the next day, and was good to go for another 700+ miles comfortably.

Keep us posted when you decide where you plan to go, (dates/mapped route etc), and good luck.

[zuma]

[QUOTE=Psycho1;2020617]If you really plan to take a 10 day trip, I think you owe it to yourself to make a trip to Deals Gap, NC. It would be an easy 3 day ride each way, leaving you a couple days to check out many of the great riding roads in NC, along with possibly meeting up with some of the NC/SC/GA KR members.


I fully agree with DoM on this. The ride is too long when you have been in the seat long enough to get tired and begin to notice a lack of concentration, or when you simply hurt too much physically to ride anymore. That point will be different for everyone, I reach it at about 15 hours when riding my GSX-R, at about 12 hours on my Kat. I can't really throw out a mileage limit, since that would all depend on the type of roads (straight highways vs tight twisty canyon/mountain roads), and what your average speed is for the day. 10 hours averaging 75mph including quick stops for fuel and to stretch, is going to get you 250 miles further than you would make it at 55mph average.

I was comfortable up to around 800 or so miles/day on my cross country ride. 2 1100 mile days were too much for me when I kept my speed within 5mph of the posted speed limits, mainly because I started trying tofall asleep around the 18 hour mark. "IF" I could have picked up the pace considerably without recieving any "awards", 1000+ miles/day would have been a piece of cake. Even with riding 1100 miles and 19 hours the day before, I wasn't in pain the next day, and was good to go for another 700+ miles comfortably.

Keep us posted when you decide where you plan to go, (dates/mapped route etc), and good luck.[/QUOT

He speaks the truth. He dropped in for a night. Had his bags stacked up like totem poles! But he showed no signs of fatigue.

[scottynoface]

A Corbin will solve that 2-hour limit for you.

Yes but corbin seats are awful for aggressive riding, which is 95 percent of what I do.

[Wild-Bill]

Funny, I've never had trouble hanging off a Corbin... Had one on my Interceptor and I'm pretty sure you'd classify how I rode that as 'aggressive'. I don't exactly go slow on my Kat, either although it's not quite in the same league as the Interceptor.

[Slofuze]

You know you've ridden far enough when you're ready to get off the bike for the day. That's different for each of us and varies day-to-day, too. For me, the key to touring is to stop whenever I'm done for the day, not when I've reached some mileage goal.

+1 My personal preference during the summer is to get an early start, break for lunch and supper, and try to be in a motel before it gets too dark. By then, my bones appreciate a warm shower, some mindless TV, a few "medicinals", and a bed.........just to do it all over again.

[DClark]

A Corbin will solve that 2-hour limit for you.

Funny, the first time I took a ride on my bike, the pain from the stock seat was so bad that I almost felt nauseous. I got a Corbin and all was better. The other day for the first time in ten years, I went for a ride with the stock seat and was suprised how much better it was than ten years ago. Perhaps it has something to do with my fatter than back then a$$?
I feel like I can ride more aggressively with the stock seat, but the Corbin is great for long rides. Mine has the backrest and I like to bungy cord a large rolling duffle bag on the back for long rides as it holds much more than my Chase Harper bags.

[Wild-Bill]

Funny, the first time I took a ride on my bike, the pain from the stock seat was so bad that I almost felt nauseous. I got a Corbin and all was better. The other day for the first time in ten years, I went for a ride with the stock seat and was suprised how much better it was than ten years ago. Perhaps it has something to do with my fatter than back then a$$?
I feel like I can ride more aggressively with the stock seat, but the Corbin is great for long rides. Mine has the backrest and I like to bungy cord a large rolling duffle bag on the back for long rides as it holds much more than my Chase Harper bags.

All comes down to personal preference I guess. I'm terminally scrawny and have been all my life. Maybe the fact that my sit-bones haven't got any padding is why I can't stand stock seats for more than an hour or two. I've never had a backrest on any of my bikes so I can't speak for that but I have been known to pack my tankbag high enough to rest my chest against. Takes a load off my arthritic back.