[Chappy]

Lets hear your experience please!

 

[ScooterJoe]

I will be able to post the "500 Club" very soon....however, today I purchased a new 2013 Burgman 400 in Wisconsin and drove it back home to Illinois about 150 miles.

I know it's not 500 miles, but it was great having my 1st ride. Many more to come!

 

[Scootereno]

I have done it once on my 400 but prefer to keep it closer to 300 miles per day. It was all highway and really quite boring but I was on a schedule so.....I endured the 9 hour ride.
300 miles a day on back roads or county highways is a full day in itself and equates to 6 hours on the road not including stops. But much more enjoyable.:thumbup:

 

[Steve D UK]

Well, not on a 400 but last Saturday on the first day of our European trip me and joe_90 on our 650’s did 550 miles to get us from UK to just before the Swiss border. We came home yesterday from Chamonix in France and did 661 miles.

 

[JohnK]

I have done it on occasion. Like most others as I have aged, I prefer to go the more scenic routes and enjoy more frequent stops. Therefore I tend to keep it down to nearer 300/day. If time is more critical then I'll take the cage or fly.

 

[Duster]

July, last year.
Virginia, Minn. to Beloit, Wis.
Mostly divided state hiway...some interstate hiway.

 

[Jeff_MdR]

I'm in the Scootereno and JohnK camp - avoid the Interstates where possible, seek out the roads less traveled and keep the daily mileage south of 300. Most of my long distance touring has been in the coastal and mountain regions of California. I'm sure I have a trip in the future that will require crossing great expanses of desert which will require high mileage days on Interstates.

 

[Chappy]

That's great fellows thanks for your replies, i was planning a trip from Nebraska down to Lake Ozarks I can cut down through Kansas on hwy 70 and zigzag down vs Interstate.. I'm a fit rider at 46 5/8 180 lbs However my main concern of all is my ass. It will be Hot in sept, So yes I'm trying to decide to take the cage or take the plunge lol

 

[Chappy]

Question number two? When you Tour on motorbikes do you pre-book your hotel stays?? I do but then I'm committed to a time frame? Do any of you guys just wing it And hope to find digs at the last minute? I got caught out a couple of times when there was a rodeo in town

 

[Wes_Ingram]

Chappy, get an Alaska Leather skin for your ass, warm in winter and cool in summer! Check the weekly specials for great deals! Good luck and ride safe!ccasion5:

 

[Daboo]

...However my main concern of all is my ass. It will be Hot in sept, So yes I'm trying to decide to take the cage or take the plunge lol

Take the plunge. A year ago, I did a SS1000 ride from Seattle to Montana and back. A couple days later, I realized what was "missing". I didn't have a sore rear. The 400 felt like I was riding on a barcalounger.

If you're riding in hot weather, a BeadRider will be a good investment. I have no idea why hard wooden beads are so comfortable, but they are. In addition, in hot weather, you'll have a cool breeze under you all the time. It's wonderful.

In addition to planning out where you'll spend the night, you should probably plan out where you'll fill up with gas. Putting a sleeping bag on the pillion seat will make a great back rest, and if you get caught out having to sleep outside, that and a "tube tent" will take care of your basic needs.

Chris

 

[Buffalo]

I can't give you dates and times but I've ridden over 500 miles in a day on both my 400 and my 650 quite a few times. Longest single day ride on the 400 is about 550 miles, on the 650 about 600.

 

[Chappy]

Great stuff gents!!! I'm going to Google that stuff now need the beads for sure, im up For the challenge if I can get that taken care of...thanks again.

 

[IntRunner40]

I did not do a 500 mile day, but I did do a 430 day a few months back on my 400. I kept mostly to the sate highways with only a few interstate stretches. What was good about taking the road less traveled is that it often winds through small towns with stop signs and at those I would always stand and do a quick stretch whiched helped delay monkey butt. Also, I second what Chris mentioned about the bead rider as it does keep a breeze under there which helps on those hot summer days. Talking of heat, you will get some and riding in heat is a whole topic by itself, especially if you are planning a 500+ mile day as it gets hot under that helmet.

 

[happytech]

I used to do 400 - 450+ daily averages when I toured during the summer.

The longest I believe was coming home from Mobile, AL - around 650+ (invcluding a missed exit).

An extra 50 - 100 miles really feels like a lot near the end of the ride.

 

[Steve D UK]

Question number two? When you Tour on motorbikes do you pre-book your hotel stays?? I do but then I'm committed to a time frame? Do any of you guys just wing it And hope to find digs at the last minute? I got caught out a couple of times when there was a rodeo in town

On our trip to Italy last week we just rode until we got tired or got to somewhere we felt like staying and then we start looking around for hotels. We nearly got more than we bargained for last week though. We were in Switzerland and I just searched for hotels near to us in my TomTom. It sent us to a hotel a little out of the way that looked deserted apart from a couple of cars in the car park and a load of dirty bedsheets in crates. Joe_90 from ths forum went in to enquire whether they could accomodate 3 men in one room for the night and came out laughing. The 'hotel' was actually a legal brothel! :lol::lol::lol:

 

[Jeff_MdR]

Re: Question #2

I tour 2-up with the wife. During the day I'm a regular Lewis & Clark, exploring random county and forest roads. At night, I'm the "yes, dear" husband, staying at Bed & Breakfast Inns that advertise high thread-count linens and French toiletries. I choose in-town locations so I can walk to restaurants for dinner (hate to get back on the bike after a long day, plus I'll want a beer or two). It's also great having breakfast at the Inn instead of gearing up, only to stop five minutes later at a restaurant.

Short answer: I book ahead.

High thread-count linens? Kinda nice.

 

[Chappy]

Thanks fellows great news.... What happens if the motorbike breaks down ?? Hotels repair shop blah blah?

 

[Chappy]

It looks I have to take the interstate, I 80 then southbound I 29...530 miles of interstate to Ozark's. I could zig zag down through Kansas but it's 80 miles longer

 

[ChipDoc]

The interstates aren't really all that bad, Chappy. It's only 530 miles - if you start before dawn you'll arrive before supper.

And yes, if the motorcycle breaks down, your trip becomes an adventure with hotels, repair shops, and blah blah blah.