[Wild-Bill]

Deny it all you want, you're headed that way. It's a slippery slope.

[DClark]

Deny it all you want, you're headed that way. It's a slippery slope.

Maybe that is where everyone is headed, maybe you'll end up there, but so what? I'd rather travel state to state on a 'wing than in a Buick.
All I know is that, compared to ten years ago, I am touring on a bike that handles better and is faster than my kat 1100. This is not gentrifying, it is progress.

[Wild-Bill]

Thinking to self: So how far can I wind him up on this?

[edromero]

What i found works very well is to spend $8 bux on some "bike master" foam grips from bike bandit. what i've done with all my bikes is to slip these right over the OEM grips. there's a technique to it though... you have to use baby powder inside the foam grips, and SLOWLY work them over the oem grips (after removing the bar ends)

the end result is that the grip is much fatter, more cushion, less vibration and it's cheap.

over time, they get dried out from the sun/rain, but they're so cheap and comfortable, easy to replace.

do yourself a favor and buy 2 sets the first time until you get used to installing them without ripping them

[coolhorse]

edromero I will give it a try!

Thank you everyone!

[strolltroll]

DCLARK, that is an unreal amount of time on a motorcycle. If I did 11.5 hours on a motorcycle (any motorcycle) I would need help picking up my spine off of the passenger seat and putting it back where it should be.

Not for me! Did a 300 mile/5 hour trip on an Honda ST1100. Plenty for me.

[DClark]

DCLARK, that is an unreal amount of time on a motorcycle. If I did 11.5 hours on a motorcycle (any motorcycle) I would need help picking up my spine off of the passenger seat and putting it back where it should be.

Not for me! Did a 300 mile/5 hour trip on an Honda ST1100. Plenty for me.

All depends on how you do it. I look at touring as an adventure and when I did 13 or 14 hours straight on the Kat 1100 ten years ago, it was my first trip and I had never driven down pacific coast highway either, it was really exciting.Plus, whenever I finish a long day's drive, I usually end up in a brew pub with a beer flight sampler (now how does THAT happen?).
Going to CO on I-70 was equally exciting. I know everyone has their favorite roads, but I really think it you want to think most special in the world, roads like 101 through the redwoods or PCH are on that list. This makes the ride less tedious. Going through WY for that 11.5 sucked because it was cold, pouring rain and most of the scenary sucked.
When I first got my C14, I did 14 hours straight and I thought I'd enjoy it(new bike, new scenary) but it sucked and i thought I was going out of mind because the weather sucked (had to scrape ice off the bike in the morning, drove through a lot of snow (it didn't really stick), rain and high winds, plus I had a seriously bad sinus infection and felt like death.
On my last trip, I bought some JR touring boots to replace my cheap *** patrol man boots I got at Big 5 for $20 and that made a big difference. For that matter, good gear makes a huge difference in long distance comfort. I feel like a troll trapped in luggage when I walk around in all that cordura but on the bike, it makes a big difference. And, getting back to the OP complaint on hand comfort, when I did that big trip, I had three different sets of gloves! I had my thin comfy leather isotoners (I like these when I drove my car), finger less gel gloves and my JR gel gloves. I usually wear the fingerless ones as they allow me to use my Iphone while I drive but in the rain I used fingerless and JR gloves to keep my hands warm (along with keeping the hand warmers on max. If you have arthritis, the cold sure doesn't help.