I rode my bike from Fresno, Ca to Park City, Utah. That's been my only experience on a long trip. I had only had the bike for a year and it had 6,000 miles on it (also my total miles of experience for me).
The things I learned:
Expect the trip to take longer than what Google Maps tells you. I was expecting a 9 hour trip over two days but it took 20 hours. This was because I had to stop at almost every gas station in Nevada because I never knew when the next station would come. I also needed to stop and stretch about once an hour (after the first few hours). Another point, certain parts of the trip had so many bugs that I was stopping every 15min to clean my helmet visor.
Keep an eye on the weather. My friends in Utah told me it would be 70 degrees and to wear shorts. Unfortunately, passing thru Truckey I encountered a snow storm. It took me 3 hours to ride the 25 miles from Truckey to Reno due to heavy snow. I did bring liners and heavy gear but I was soaked to the bone when I got to Reno.
I was very sore after the first day, which was only about 400 miles and I could barely move my neck. This caused me to worry about the rest of the trip but to my surprise, the soreness went away within 30 min of the 2nd day - pack some Aleve.
My bike is not a cruiser but also not a sport bike. Kind of in between. It's a naked bike so no farings. With side bags, a large duffle bag for the rear, and a tank bag - I was able to pack everything I needed.
