Did Not Think it Could be Done by Me

[nathanmargolis]

Have owned a RT since 2004 and picked up a S bike in 2009. Most miles in one day on the RT have been many 600-800 mile days while the S bike stays close to home and the most 300 miles on long day rides. Never thought I would take the S bike further than that.

Well, did 600 miles on the S bike last Friday (Houston to Dallas to Bandera). On Saturday, road the Three Sisters in Hill Country and made it back to Houston that night. That was 1,107 miles in two days.

First time ever going that many miles without Corbin backrest or highway pegs. Did use an AirHawk over the Corbin and think that made a big difference. Being 60 years old, did not think I could last that long on the S bike because of the riding position.

R1100S rock! What is next- maybe an overnight trip on the old Triumph Tiger?

Nathan
R1150RT
R1100S
'73 Triumph Tiger 750

[Ricochet Rabbit]

Comes as no surprise - you can do 600 miles much faster on an S than you can an RT, even with the additional fuel stops.

[bykemike]

I think it is the additional fuel stops that enables me to crank on bigger day mileage than I was doing on the GS. That every 140 mile stop can be refreshing.

[wswartzwel]

Congrats. i've done some overnights on my late 72 Bonneville... before cell phones, and too far to walk.

[ckcarr]

There are times you can be in zone, physically and mentally, where long stretches are painless. Other times, 200 miles it too long. But I find stretching a lot before a longer trip helps a lot. Not just on the day of the trip, but for a week or two before. Actually, just a general daily yoga workout, especially legs, lower back... Avoids cramping and other pains that force you off the bike.

[CarolinaBoxer]

Congrats on the long ride on the S, gives us veteran rides hope, you've got me by 2 years! I hope to do some longish rides on my newly acquired S over the next couple of years myself. Not sure if I'm going to go with Helibars or not, couple of 200 milers should answer that question. I know one thing, the range will we longer than my Hyper for sure.

[Motorad]

This is good news! I just sold my honda blackbird and purchased a 99 r1100s hoping the s would be kinder to my aging 57 year old body. 300 mile days on the blackbird were killer. I could do 200 ok but that last 100 was really bad. I am now searching for a corbin for the s. The stock seat will never cut it. I hope to be doing 3-500 mile days on my sweet new s. Thanks for the report.

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

Congrats. i've done some overnights on my late 72 Bonneville... before cell phones, and too far to walk.

Pontiac?

[wswartzwel]

lol. i had a late 72 (shifter switched sides mid year) triumph bonneville. John Kosinski's dad Jerry had a dealership in north little rock. i bought performance parts from him to see if i could get it to hang with my buddy's norton.

[flatbutt]

Congrats man. Best I ever did was NJ to Indy in one day.

[SeabeckS]

As CK mentions, sometimes being in the zone makes all the difference. For my old body (64 goin' on 84!)it also helps to NOT attempt a 600 mile day until that part of the riding season in the Great Pacific Northwet where I've accumulated a few 200 plus mile days. Going from 80-100 mile days to 600 plus is a BIG step.

For me there's also an adjustment period after acquiring a new machine. I ridden mostly big bore UJM's until purchasing my first Ducati in '94. With the addition of a Corbin saddle and some break in time, I quite frequently made 400-500 mile trips without much problem. To my brother's house in Nevada is 840 miles, and even managed that in one shot a few times. Was I tired? You damn betcha! But I wasn't crippled either. Of course with the size of the gas tank on those 900SS's, about 150 miles was maximum, so frequent stops helped too.

Think it was Clement Salvadori, or perhaps Stu Monro, in an article years ago that recommended more frequent (but short) stops as a way to manage more miles in one day...I'd agree with that!

Cheers! Bill J