Should I even try doing this.... or am I crazy....

[TheGoodGuy]

I am in my wild streak this week..

I have to be in sacramento on wednesday (i got orientation at CSUS at 1pm).. I was thinking of leaving LA at 4AM on the GS. Its a 6 hr drive straight thru, with breaks lets say 7 hrs or so. Distance 400 miles.

Now here is teh kicker, getting back the same day!

Is it possible, will I hold up? I mean already sometimes doze off while riding (its happened).. how teh heck am I going to survive 400 miles. Plus what am I going to do with my mind, im going to be bored out of my mind and it will soon start falling asleep if I have nothting to do. (certain parts of my brain shut off but my eyes are wide awake still navigating but I dont know what the f%$k is going on.. its like micro naps but i drive fine.. but I am aware of this.. i try prevent it but sometimes it happens).

I was thinking of hooking up my portable mp3cd player and earbuds under the helmet for company.. so maybe that will keeep me awake. What about my butt? I mean damn 800 miles in less than 24 hrs. Maybe 1000 if i come by teh 101 instead of the 5 on the way back.

So is it doable?

I am sure i am goign to get resitance from mom and dad, but hey what's life withotu some risks. What shoudl i check before i ride, after all there are ppl here who have done long rides before.. but has anybody done 800 - 1000 miles in a day on a GS500?

Manjul

PS: Anybody in sacramento wanna meet up just in case i do take the bike, otehrwise im taking the focus.

[Seth]

800-1000 a day in a car can be tedious and tiring but on a GS500 your asking for problems.  WHy take such a great risk?  Riding a motorcycle is a risk in itself but what you are wanting to do might be more than you are bargaining for.

[pantablo]

YES. You are crazy. Wouldn't do it if you wanted to be coherent for orientation...oh you don't need that? Then why bother going? You're aslking for trouble IMO and not doing yourself any favors...

having said that-DO IT!

[TheGoodGuy]

talk about iron butt eh?

I know i can do it (I feel confident) but the issue is that will i actually not tire myself out too much. Plus getting the parents to agree (though at this point i freaking dont care.. )

Remember this is a spur of a moment trip, so no windshield (unless I pinch marucio's windshiled for the day - assuming it fits from his harley to mine). The only thing i will probably carry on me is the cdplayer, a backpack and maybe some water and stuff...

i think im crazy.. i havent told vanessa yet, but i am sure she will freak.

[Kerry]

The longest day I EVER did was 775 miles in 16 hours straight.  I was on my way home (to North-Central Utah) from Alabama.  I left Garden City, Kansas at about 10:30 in the morning and I rolled into my driveway at about 1:30 AM another time zone away.



Some of the things that kept me awake were:

1) Cold!  This was in early June 2001.  I took my time going over the Rockies and crossed the Continental Divide on a two-lane road at Independence Pass (12,000+ feet) just above Aspen, CO.  Later, after dark, I froze for about the last 5 hours of the trip.

2) Fear!  Riding along river roads and tree-surrounded mountain roads in the dark, I was just ASKING to hit a deer.  For the last 3 or 4 hours, whenever I got out between towns I would beep my pathetic little horn every few seconds to let the deer know I was coming.  (I have since learned that it doesn't make a bit of difference.)  Yes, I saw some deer next to the road several times - long after I could have done anything about it if they had hopped out in front of me!

3) Singing / talking / yelling to myself.  Things can get kinda weird on a ride like this, as you intimated.

All of this was before I installed my Plexistar II windshield.  I doubt that I will ever be quite THAT motivated again.  Unless I'm 700+ miles and 16 hours away from home....  

If you decide to go for it - and you MAKE it - you will have some cool  (and some scary) memories and stories to hand down.    If you DON'T make it, don't say I didn't warn you.    And if you decide NOT to do it...well, I guess you'll never know.  

[Edit: Added the map.]

[EDIT #2: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net]

[chimivee]

The longest day I EVER did was 700+ miles in 16 hours straight.

Whoa! Kerry, you are one seriously gnarly chunk of manly.

[JeffD]

I think you will be fine.  Yeah yeah its dangerous,  Just make sure you have had plenty to eat,and drink before you head out.  Also if you feel like your getting sleepy just crack open your visor a tad, (wear glasses too) and if that doesn't help then just pull over and chill for 5 mins.  Also you might want to see about fabricating some sort of pillow or something for you to sit on, (unless you aren't affected by your seat).   And of course go around and check all the bolts on your tires, make sure nothing is loose like brake calipers, make sure you have enough brake pad to make the trip.  And just go.  Thats the thing with bikes, its almost like setting yourself free because you get to forget about everything except you and the road for a long time.  My longest trip was 120miles, and that was driving up to school, and back down after a 20min talk with a counselor and I felt like I could have done more.

[snapper]

Stop when your tired!  Have an alternative plan "just in case" you can't make.  That way you don't have to force it.

Be carefull.

Me I'm tired after 2 hours.  I obviously need more practice.  Hell my throttle hand starts to get sore.   :mrgreen:

[TheGoodGuy]

im going to talk to vanessa and my parents abotu it...

so lets see what happens..

[wingbolt]

Riding there would not be too bad, but riding back the same day is where it will really suck.  A throttle friction lock would be nice on such a long trip.  
Personally, I'd try to get on a plane, get there an hour and a half later and be relaxed for the orientation.  Plane tickets are pretty cheap nowadays if you shop around a little bit.

[scratch]

If you're listening to music and you start to doze, turn it off for awhile.  Or, lower the volume, I have found that I will wake up to the change in volume, because if it's lower I have to listen harder.  But, a constant(drums), ambient noise(wind) will sometimes put me to sleep.

I have fallen completely asleep riding my motorcycle after a week-long underway in the Navy.  Luckily, I was on a straightaway.

[Kerry]

Riding there would not be too bad, but riding back the same day is where it will really suck.  A throttle friction lock would be nice on such a long trip.

Agreed.  When you talk to Vanessa and the folks, it might help if you promise to stop and motel it if you feel like you're approaching "the edge".

What kind of distances have you done in the past?  I didn't go straight from my daily 6-mile commute to riding 700 miles in a day.  Some people might run their first marathon without ever having done more than 5 miles at once, but I wonder how many do no long distance training before their SECOND marathon?  Of course, in both marathons and long-distance riding, I imagine that being YOUNG counts for a lot!

For one "throttle lock" idea, see my Inexpensive Throttle Retainer page.  Use at your own risk....

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[Lars]

When you stop for gas (like every hour or so) don't ride away immediately. take your time and rest for 15-20 mins or so. Drink and eat a lot. (But too much food will put you asleep ) If you rest regularly, you will be able to ride longer without falling asleep or becoming poorly concentrated.

If you survive the trip, you will fall asleep immediately and you won't wake up for 2 days or so

700 miles is a lot to ride in 1 day.

[TheGoodGuy]

well it was decided to take teh car..

(Im sure i will hear a whole lot of phew's and chicken) but the reasoning behind is that the plans have changed now. I need to stop by San Fransisco on the way back and get some work done. Somehow i prefer the car to the bike while negotitating frisco traffic.

Oh well.. i will leave my long distance riding for later.

The longest before this I had done was 100 - 120 miles or so at one stretch. That hurt, but that was when my bike was running a bit like crap and viberations were abound Its running better these days.

[tkm433]

If you doze off while riding as you stated you should not be allowed on the road!!!! In a car or on a bike.  End of story!!!!!!!!!!


It is people like you that end up killing others because you do not know when to stop and take a break.  

If you decide to take the trip why not buy a cell phone and hook up a ear piece so you can really pay attention to all on the road and make it really safe for everone???

If you can manage to doze off on a motorcycle there is no reason for you to own one or for that much try to ride one!!!!

Yes, I might be an ass for my comments but for some reason I want to live and I do not want to drive or ride with people who doze off on the road.

[oldsport]

If you do it, you'll find that you can't look at the bike for at least a month after you return.  That's how bad you'll hate it.   :guns:  Serious.

I'd rather take the bus and enjoy riding when I got home.

[ProfessorRog]

Bah, you'll be just dandy.  My pop took a trip all the way around the U.S. one summer back in the 70s on a Honda 350.  Yes you read that right, a Honda 350, no windscreen, and a couple hundred dollars.  All you gotta do is dodge the cars when they start drifitng across the lines.

[dmp221]

I'm glad to hear you decided on a cage.  The distance of your proposed ride is not the problem, it's the timing.  If you had the option to stay overnight, the picture would be totally different.  
To do 700+ miles in a day is not an admirable riding accomplishment, and represents no great display of skills or endurance...just poor judgement.
Be smart.  Ride your ride but ride it safely.

[Blueknyt]

Dude, its one thing to try to do something like that WITH A GROUP. you draw an eachother as a group, watching eachother, stopping eating conversing. lookin out for one another. But alone, and having the micro naps? i tell you what that is,  thats you never getting the Correct kind of restful sleep combined with road hypnosis. laugh if you want, im the same way though i have never felt it on the bike.  if im driving my truck for an hour straight (after a typical night sleep, Sucky) on a familiar road i get the head nods too.  the drone of the engine and road noise helps this out. radio doesnt work. Cold only works with High Volume Airflow (on a bike) unless its dumped in your crotch/down your back then its just messy.  take 50$ with you and hit a hotel for at least 6 hour nap with a wakeup call. you wont feel so ragged out when you get home.

[TheGoodGuy]

I got back a while back from CSUS (CSU Sacramento). I left LA this morning before 7 (6:45 from home 7:00 on the freeway) and I reached CSUS vistor information at 12:00. I covered about 400 miles in about 5 hrs. I had counselling for my department at 13:00 until 15:00. I left sacramento at 15:00 (the session got over early so i got a bite, and then walked around the campus for a bit checking out the HOT babes. Lots of hot women - sorry no pics) and got home at 21:15. I took a lot more breaks on the way back and some how I still managed it in 6 hrs, that includes going 55mph until stockton, and then coming to a full stop on teh 5 for a good 20 minutes.

I am tired.. I am now going to hit teh sack.

The orientation was good.. got to meet the profs, and got an idea of what i am to be doing. I didnt go for the "academic orientation" where they take you around teh campus and stuff, because for one tyler (notfred) showed it to me the last time i was there. The only thing I didnt get to do is talk to the finanacial aid, but they cant do crap without gcc sending in my transcripts (which they will in a few days i hope).

Goodnite folks!

Manjul (TGG)

PS: If you werent keeping count.. 12 hrs, 800 miles and one tired person.....