First LONG Distance Ride

[ablank]

I'm planning a trip, first week of January. My girlfriend is going to be a cruise with her folks, so I'm gonna get some "me time" with the Kat. I have a bit of vacation to use so I'm going to be leaving Houston New Years day with the goal of arriving in Gila National Forrest on Jan 2nd, Enchanted Rock SNA on Jan 3rd and back to Houston on Jan 4th. Most of my riding experience is limited to 250-300 mile day trips. I'll be pushing it doing about 2500 miles in 4 days, hell I might just get me an Iron Butt out of this.

I'll be camping the entire time so I'll be loaded down with bedding, tent, various backpacking gear, clothe. I'll probably be sticking to freeze dried food/MRE's to cut weight and space. Current storage gear is limited to an ICON Urban tank bag, and alot of innerframe backpacks, but I'd rather not have anything strapped to me if I can help it.

This is my route as of right now.

http://maps.ablank.net/2006-vacation.htm

So what I'm looking for are suggestions on packing a Kat, things to watch out for, experiences doing distances like this.

If all goes well I'll be bringing back alot of pictures, and hopefully some good stories.

[Wingspan]

Re: First LONG Distance Ride

I'll be pushing it doing about 2500 miles in 4 days, hell I might just get me an Iron Butt out of this.

You'll have to do a hell of a lot more than 2500 in 4 days to get any sort of iron butt. To actually do an Iron Butt is 11,000 miles in 11 days (there are some other details, but in essence...). The smallest actual ride the IBA recognizes is a Saddlesore, 1000 miles in less than 24 hours.

Good luck on your trip, Iron Butt or no...extended motorcycle touring is a blast.

[ablank]

Yeah, but the first day according to my map is 700, and it's actually not the way i'm planning it so I might be able to squeeze in a few hundred more miles

I'm actually trying to work upto a Saddlesore, but unfortunately haven't been able to ride for the past few months due to mechanical/maintainence problems with the bike.

[Wingspan]

Yeah, but the first day according to my map is 700, and it's actually not the way i'm planning it so I might be able to squeeze in a few hundred more miles

If you think you're going to try, go to their site and read up on the documentation requirements so you can actually get the award. I did over 1000 miles in less than 24 hours on my old TLR (with stock bars, screen height, and raised pegs). However, I had only planned to do around 500 and so never gave any thought to documenting the ride.

It'd be nice to actually have the award, though the personal satisfaction is what matters more.

[ablank]

I've been going over the stuff on their site since I started doing my weekend rides, my office couldn't pry me away from my computer during the 05 IBR, couldn't stop watching the GPS tracks. We'll see what happens, I'm not doing the ride for the cert, but wouldn't mind doing it if I could. I'll be on a pretty stock Kat, only mod it has is a Yosh system.

[The CyberPoet]

Things to know/do:

(A) Get the best, most comfortable seat you can find. This may mean replacing the stock one with a replacement corbin or travelcade, sergeant, etc. Or taking your existing one out to an upholsterer and having them rework it. You're looking for a denser foam, spread wider to support more of your thighs and all of your butt.

(B) Cruise control - vista universal cruise-control or ThrottleMeister. Allows you not have to have your right hand in constant contact.

(C) Gel palmed-gloves. Personally, I like Olympia Glove's gel-palmed perforated leather gloves -- they have about double the gel of any other brand I've tried and I'm on my third pair...

(D) Hydrate & urinate hourly. You lose moisture by sweating but also by breathing, even when it's cold out. Make sure you put down at least 4 to 8 ounces of liquid every hour and try to urinate at every stop. Failure to do so can lead to kidney stones, because the combination of dehydration and vibration can really accelerate crystaline mineral formation in your kidneys. European riders use a special form of kidney belt specifically to combat this issue -- and yes, I own one. Also, if you drink water, consume some salt with it. Otherwise, consider Gatoraide or one of the other drinks to replentish your electrolytes.

(E) Oil your chain every time you get fuel. Permatex 80075 Chain lube fits under the seat readily (at least under the seat of the 98+ models) and works extremely well in my experience. Do not use chain waxes for long-haul riding -- you want oil, which will fling off dirt when it flings off excess oil (wax will adhere dirt/sand and accelerate chain issues). Don't sweat the oil on your wheel -- this taint a beauty contest.

(F) Eat a variety of foods instead of gorging on something specific. You want the energy from the foods to hit gradually over time instead of going on an instant sugar high and then slumping again on the back end. Smorgasboard places can be good for this. Or having bits of smaller meals in a wider variety of places (instead of having a hamburger, fries, pie all at once, have a half a burger at one stop, some fries at the next, etc).

(G) Pack a proper tool kit. Here's my idea of a proper toolkit (or at least decent beginnings -- I try to carry a tire plug now too): Updated - KR Thread - "Toolkit"?

(H) Always ask for a room away from the road on the bottom floor. This will let you park the bikes away from prying eyes, and if you're sneaky (I often am), will give you the ability to pull the bikes into the room after they cool off.

(I) Clothing: wear layers so you can strip down/add on as you need to adjust for the temp or weather. A multi-use jacket (such as one with a zip-in liner or the multi-panel ones out now work well).

(J) If you're riding with someone, have a plan for rain in advance -- will you stop or just keep rolling through? What about if you're riding alone?

(K) Cell phone charger -- if you carry a cell phone and the trip will be longer than your battery life, bring a charger and charge it when you can. If you plan on running off your MC battery, know that most chargers have the voltage converter built into the lighter-head attachment portion, so you'll need to rig a female lighter socket to take it.

(L) Before you depart, make a list of Suzuki dealerships on your route in case you find you need something. I lost a bolt to heel kickplate last year enroute to the rally, and was glad I knew there was a dealer a mile off the interstate in Marietta to grab another one (they didn't even charge me for it -- they thought it was cool I was going long distances on a Katana).

(M) Bring a roll of quarters. There will be times you may want to pop by a laundry to throw soaking wet clothes in a dryer after a thunderstorm and find there's no change to be had. Or road tolls with no one at the tollboth. Etc.

(N) Luggage: Givi hardsided bags are the bomb. BBags are a good second choice if you don't want to plunk down that much cash. Good luggage is a godsend.

(O) Beverage: try to keep one on hand. Warm coke sucks, but waiting for a tow truck becuase you had a mechanical failure in the hot sun in the middle of no where without a drink sucks worse.

(P) Wet wipes or those small wet-wipe packs that you get a BBQ places are your friend. They work for everything, including removing bugs from visors, freshening up, and finding out too late that the bathroom you just used has no TP.

(Q) Don't use the road trip as a test platform. Make sure any changes you make to the bike and your riding gear are done at least a week ahead of time so you can ride with them and be comfortable with them before you hit the road. The last thing you want is to be on the road and find out your last mod is fouling plugs, or causing you great discomfort, etc.

(R) This may sound prejudicial, but it's based solely on actual experiences (and echo'd by other long riders I know): avoid staying in any hotel/motel actively managed by hindi's or muslims. Every single bad hotel experience I have ever had has been at one of these places (not to say every hindi & muslim-run hotel has been bad, but the track record for me is very poor and I'll avoid them like the plague).

(S) Unless you are big on pre-booking, don't make reservations. Let the road and your own feelings set how far you want to go in a day, then get off the main road and find a cheap hotel/motel. Most American-run places that aren't major-chains will even discount heavily if you tell them flat-out you don't need a receipt, will be paying in cash and don't care for the tax man. Not your issue if the night manager pockets it or the owner would rather take it under the table...

(T) Buy new socks for the trip. A 6-pack or 12-pack is awesome, and like WildKat has mentioned previously, they make you feel refreshed.

(U) If you have a known destination (like the KR rally or some relatives' house), you can send goods in advance via UPS or US Mail to yourself C/o whereever you're staying. This can give you more stuff there without the need to carry it. Include a return label and ship your dirty clothes back. Or just travel with cash or a credit card and buy new clothes on the road, then ship the dirties back (I do this in Europe -- after every 5 to 7 days, I ship the dirty stuff back to the USA and buy more clothes; easy way to renew my wardrobe and shipping is cheaper than out-service laundry in most places in Europe).

(V) Do your pre-ride inspection thoroughly every single day you plan riding. Tire pressure, oil levels, chain tension, etc. Don't put off repairs or maintenance that might leave you stranded otherwise. With the fumoto oil drain valve, I can do an oil change in any parking lot with 1 tool (the hex key to open the access panel for the oil filler cap), and be good for another 3500 miles

(W) Run your tire pressures a few lbs higher than usual (i.e. - if you normally ride 35/37, go 37/39). If you carry luggage, increase it to compensate for that too. This will help keep your tires cooler and reduce the rate at which they wear away by reducing how much they deform each rotation (and since heat is mostly a product of deformation bending, this reduces the heat build-up).

(X) Stop and sleep when you are really tired or drained. Even if it's only an hour's nap on a picnic bench. Don't push yourself beyond your limits.

(Y) Major Truckstops have free showers and towels. Take advantage of them when you can.

(Z) Get a list of other KR members enroute. You may find you desperately need one of them to get you (or to bed you down in an unexpected thunderstorm/snow flurry/etc).

(AA) You'll be more tired and more sore on the second day than on the first, so make the 2nd day shorter than the first. Make sure you get a little booze that first night (and I do mean little -- like 1 drink or beer) before you hit the sack. It'll help your muscles unwind in your sleep.

(BB) If camping, try to find your camping spot before dark. Last thing you want is to set up camp and bed down, only to be woken up before sunrise to the surprised looks of an annoyed construction crew -- and/or a police man with a tresspass warrant. Or to find out you laid out in cow patties. Etc.

That's about all I've got.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[JoeCool]

I'm always impressed with's Cyber's knowledge...thinks of everything.

Great tips Cyber...I'll write them down also for the future...

Wishing everyone on KR the best, and I hope you have a great trip aBlank 8)

[WildKat]

CP covered all the necessities and then some. Have an awesome time and remember if you dont come back with a ton of pics you'll never live it down

[ablank]

Thanks for all the info CP, that added a few things to my checklists

When have I ever let ya'll down on ride pics Though deciding which camera to take is a tough choice. I have a nice D-SLR, but it takes alot of room and if anything happened I'd be devastated. I have a small digital point-n-shoot that takes decent shots and I could live with replacing it. Guess it'll all depend on how much space I have when it's all packed up.

[Kat-A-Tonic]

Only 28 tips for long distance riding CP?

[The CyberPoet]

Only 28 tips for long distance riding CP?

TDRCom has the rest

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[mystahagy]

Last weekend I did that section of I-10 between San Antonio and then up to Albuquerque on I-25 to go get my new tiller in Colorado. I-10 between SA and El Paso seemed like it would NEVER end. You will really enjoy passing through Kerrville after San Antonio. It's a beautiful town and the hills are great.

Your timetable looks like you won't have much time for rest. It took me 8am to 7pm to get from El Paso to Corpus Christi doing 90 and nascar-style refuel stops. Also that was with staying on I-10, not heading south for Alpine and Marfa. It'll be full days, just make sure you are rested enough to continue through the evening hours like you have planned.

Personally I would have to break it up into more days or shorten the ride, otherwise I wouldn't really enjoy it if it's a rush to get from point A to point B. But hey, that's just me. 8)

[ablank]

After looking at fuel stops I'm thinking about changing my route, looks like some areas are going to be pretty slim pickings. There's one section I can't seem to locate a gas station within my cruise range. I'll be spending much more time planning this next week, I'll be in Corpus visiting the folks and will have more time to spend mapping things out without work having me actually work

[The CyberPoet]

Since I was teased about only 28 points... here's some more:

(CC) The best distance-covering is always at night (because traffic volume is down), and if you plan your timing right, you can avoid being in any metropolitian areas around peak rush hours (whatever they are for that burg). When I'm headed north, since I start in west-central Florida, I tend to roll out around 3 or 3:30am, intent on making Valdosta and having breakfast just as their rush hour starts -- this also puts me through Atlanta mid-day and avoids the three-hour-long morning and evening traffic jams. Kat6's eyes went kind of wide when we rolled through Atlanta mid-day at 95 or so...

(DD) If riding at night, don't push your fuel limits. Lots of Podunk stations close at soemwhere between 9pm and midnight, so you want to have a 50+ mile cushion just in case the next town or off-ramp has nothing.

(EE) Dehydration, hypothermia, and boredom are three big killers on the road in the winter. If you find your mind not paying attention, or your reaction speeds dropping, pull off, get warm (indoors), hydrate and bundle up warmer, plus consider whether to call it a day. If you can't get warmer (already wearing everything feasible), cut your trip short and do shorter legs, head back. Winter gear is indispensible.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[tdrcomm]

"The CyberPoet" Things to know/do:

(C) Gel palmed-gloves. Personally, I like Olympia Glove's gel-palmed perforated leather gloves -- they have about double the gel of any other brand I've tried and I'm on my third pair...

They worked great. I would also suggest carrying a pair of waterproof ones, too.


(D) Hydrate & urinate hourly. You lose moisture by sweating but also by breathing, even when it's cold out. Make sure you put down at least 4 to 8 ounces of liquid every hour and try to urinate at every stop. Failure to do so can lead to kidney stones, because the combination of dehydration and vibration can really accelerate crystaline mineral formation in your kidneys. European riders use a special form of kidney belt specifically to combat this issue -- and yes, I own one. Also, if you drink water, consume some salt with it. Otherwise, consider Gatoraide or one of the other drinks to replentish your electrolytes.

Think of it this way: Every time you stop to fill up the bike, dump some of your own liquids and fill up, too.


(G) Pack a proper tool kit. Here's my idea of a proper toolkit (or at least decent beginnings -- I try to carry a tire plug now too): KR Thread - "What's under your seat"?

Had to plug a tire in Amarillo. Good advice.



(H) Always ask for a room away from the road on the bottom floor. This will let you park the bikes away from prying eyes, and if you're sneaky (I often am), will give you the ability to pull the bikes into the room after they cool off.

THE BEST ADVICE OF ALL!!!



(L) Before you depart, make a list of Suzuki dealerships on your route in case you find you need something. I lost a bolt to heel kickplate last year enroute to the rally, and was glad I knew there was a dealer a mile off the interstate in Marietta to grab another one (they didn't even charge me for it -- they thought it was cool I was going long distances on a Katana).

I didn't really give serious thought to this until AFTER Amarillo!



(N) Luggage: Givi hardsided bags are the bomb. BBags are a good second choice if you don't want to plunk down that much cash. Good luggage is a godsend.

I'm looking at the softbags, myself. But if I had my Axio hardpack things would have been sooooo much easier.



(R) This may sound prejudicial, but it's based solely on actual experiences (and echo'd by other long riders I know): avoid staying in any hotel/motel actively managed by hindi's or muslims. Every single bad hotel experience I have ever had has been at one of these places (not to say every hindi & muslim-run hotel has been bad, but the track record for me is very poor and I'll avoid them like the plague).

I, too, don't want to sound prejudicial, but I be damned if I didn't experience the same thing. After the experience in Amarillo I was seriously considering blowing my budget and looking for a Hyatt Regency somewhere. (see thread)



(U) If you have a known destination (like the KR rally or some relatives' house), you can send goods in advance via UPS or US Mail to yourself C/o whereever you're staying. This can give you more stuff there without the need to carry it. Include a return label and ship your dirty clothes back. Or just travel with cash or a credit card and buy new clothes on the road, then ship the dirties back (I do this in Europe -- after every 5 to 7 days, I ship the dirty stuff back to the USA and buy more clothes; easy way to renew my wardrobe and shipping is cheaper than out-service laundry in most places in Europe).

UPS SUCKS! MAY THEY ROT IN THE PIT OF WHATEVER HELL CAN BE IMAGINED! (see thread)



(W) Run your tire pressures a few lbs higher than usual (i.e. - if you normally ride 35/37, go 37/39). If you carry luggage, increase it to compensate for that too. This will help keep your tires cooler and reduce the rate at which they wear away by reducing how much they deform each rotation (and since heat is mostly a product of deformation bending, this reduces the heat build-up).

Helps with the mileage, too.



(Y) Major Truckstops have free showers and towels. Take advantage of them when you can.

I had no idea about this!! Fantastic. Plus truckers know more about the road you're riding than you ever will. Pick their brains and ask question. They love to share info. Just stay way ahead of them on the road. Remember the movie "Duel"? They also have wireless internet access in case you travel with a laptop.




(Z) Get a list of other KR members enroute. You may find you desperately need one of them to get you (or to bed you down in an unexpected thunderstorm/snow flurry/etc).

Never underestimate the benefits of having a good network of outstanding friends in KR. DeeDub tracked me, Jimmah had my back all through the state of Tennesee, BraadaJim and Keith were looking out as well. Use the member map and post the let the board know the route. Who knows.... you might pick up a ride-along or two for a few miles. :P


Check this thread for some other info:

http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10165&highlight=i40