What's the most mileage you've put on your GS in one day?

[cksheppard]

I'm duly impressed guys.

[burning1]

I'd estimate around 220 miles... On the track.

[kininja]

I haven't gone much further than 300 miles in one day.

Not trying to steal the topic but, for you guys who do all-day rides, do you use some sort of extra cushion for your seat or any kind of extra padding?

[Lukewarm Wilson]

810km or 503 miles in NSW Aust. Cambelltown, Umina, Gulgong, Lithgow, Katoomba and back home and some little bits around those areas and have never been the same since. I think it burnt me out

Also no padding no seat cover just the standard seat, though Ive never found the GS seat to be uncomfortable

[Falcon01]

I did 310 miles from San Jose to LA one day.  My arse was numb the last couple of hours.  I don't have any kind of seat pad, but I won't make another trip like that without some sort of seat help. 

[madjak30]

I haven't gone much further than 300 miles in one day.

Not trying to steal the topic but, for you guys who do all-day rides, do you use some sort of extra cushion for your seat or any kind of extra padding?

Nope...here's a pic of me leaving the camp site last year...poor little bike...



I'll have to get a couple of pics taken of me on my new toy...I just felt that the GS was too little for me (physically)...I know I'm not the biggest guy to ride one, but that is how I felt...

Anyway, I put over 10,000kms (6250miles) on the little guy last year looking just like that...I still look like that, but the bike under me is larger 

Later.

[rickyny]

The most I've done is 180 miles, but I have only been riding for 3 months.
I'm building my stamina to be able to ride non-stop for 285 miles (that's the milage
I get with a full gas tank and reserve). Hopefully there will be a gas station
waiting for me at that mile mark otherwise I'll probably have to stop before, lol.

[mister]

My seat - in fact the entire bike - is totally stock.

The trick to riding long distance is NOT to do it all in one go. But to break it up into legs that are between 60 - 120 minutes long. And to do micro movements on the bike Before you start feeling all cramped up. Change your leg position, change your seat position - forward, back ,each side. Strech a leg forward on each side. Relax your left arm and let it dnalge by your side or on your thight, or gas tank or knee or where ever else you think of. Sit slightly askew (one side closer to the bars than the other). And when you stop... Stretch it out. Also drink plenty of water. Wear earplugs. Wear flannel boxer shorts or padded bicycle shorts.

@Lukewarm Wilson let me guess, during the ride you started to feel, all there was was riding. Nothing else mattered. Just riding. BUT. After the ride was over and you were home, the last thing you felt like doing was getting back on the bike and riding, anywhere, no matter how small the distance. Right?

What happpened is, you experienced a bad physical time. So it burned into your mind as a negative - riding equals a negative. Do shorter trips of just pure pleasure and you'll find you Unburn yourself 

Michael

[cksheppard]

Great tips Michael.  Do you use any sort of throttle lock or cruise device to stretch your right hand?

[mister]

Great tips Michael.  Do you use any sort of throttle lock or cruise device to stretch your right hand?

I did buy a Cramp Buster type thing



And while it allowed me to use my palm only to keep the throttle open on long cruising runs, it interfered with my commuting riding - and - high frequency gear changes as sometimes experienced when riding twisties. In in that regard, unless it was positioned Just Right, coming completely off the throttle was not happening. And sometimes, I was inadvertenetly still using throttle while meaning to have no throttle and using front break. I removed it because I did not think that situation was safe.

What I do is...

Take off riding. IF I feel numbness beginning to creep in (or any change of feeling), I grip the throttle only with my index finger and thumb releasing the other fingers. Then I grip with my pinkie and ring finger and release the other fingers. I'll also move my hand more around the front, slightly increasing the throttle, then allow slight throttle loss back to normal as I use only my paml on the throttle while my all fingers rest on the break leaver. After I do this and gain my full sensitivity back, I find I do NOT need to make those adjustments again for the rest of the ride. As if I just needed to tell my hand to not grip so hard or something.

Of course, downhills give opportunities to rest the grip pressure entirely.

In short, I did use a device for a couple of shorter runs but have since stopped using it.

Michael

[cksheppard]

Funny, I had a similar experience. I bought a crampbuster, tried it, found it caused more trouble than it was worth, and stopped using it. I do similar finger stretching too.

Don't know if any of you guys are bicycle riders, but a few hours in the saddle there causes the same problems (sometimes worse) of hand cramping... Keep stretching.

[jacob_ns]

434 kilometers = 269.675097 miles. Halifax to PEI.

Next year when I buy the bike I desperately want I expect this number to increase dramatically.

[fraze11]

My seat - in fact the entire bike - is totally stock.

The trick to riding long distance is NOT to do it all in one go. But to break it up into legs that are between 60 - 120 minutes long. And to do micro movements on the bike Before you start feeling all cramped up. Change your leg position, change your seat position - forward, back ,each side. Strech a leg forward on each side. Relax your left arm and let it dnalge by your side or on your thight, or gas tank or knee or where ever else you think of. Sit slightly askew (one side closer to the bars than the other). And when you stop... Stretch it out. Also drink plenty of water. Wear earplugs. Wear flannel boxer shorts or padded bicycle shorts.

+1 ... when I first got my GS I hated my seat...now with just over 10,000kms on I guess its loosened up a bit   But Mister's advice is solid.  My longest trip (in a single day) is ~490kms (Hamilton Ontario>North of Algonquin Park) stopping around 125k for a leg stretch/drink and in-between those stops doing the above mentioned "micro movements" really really helps.  I rest my arm on my tank bag alot too while cruising along and finger the throttle. 

[pertt-UP-]

Couple of weeks ago I started my bike at 5 p.m. and I rode 530km to my first camping site. Next morning I packed my tent and by 5 p.m. I'd done 900km in 24hrs. Day after I rode 500km more to get home.

[Eduardo]

I've done a 1000km (620 miles) day on the GS. Rode from Sydney, inland through Goulburn, then down the Kings Hwy to the coast and then all the way down to a little town called Loch Sport in Victoria. Had torrential rain for about 500km of the ride, then when the sun came out I just couldn't stop riding 

I have a sheep skin seat cover that really saved my ass haha.

[madjak30]

Funny, I had a similar experience. I bought a crampbuster, tried it, found it caused more trouble than it was worth, and stopped using it. I do similar finger stretching too.

Don't know if any of you guys are bicycle riders, but a few hours in the saddle there causes the same problems (sometimes worse) of hand cramping... Keep stretching.

I use the crampbuster all the time...it did take a few rides to get used to it and to adjust it where I want it...but now I don't even notice it, other than I can wiggle all my fingers at the same time...

I've done a 1000km (620 miles) day on the GS. Rode from Sydney, inland through Goulburn, then down the Kings Hwy to the coast and then all the way down to a little town called Loch Sport in Victoria. Had torrential rain for about 500km of the ride, then when the sun came out I just couldn't stop riding 

I have a sheep skin seat cover that really saved my ass haha.

On the GS, I had to stop every hour or so to rest my butt before the numbness set in...but the new bike has a wider seat like a cruiser, so I can go until the low fuel light comes on (185-210kms)...which is good and bad...now I just get to ride from gas station to gas station

Later.

[Shepa]

700 kms in two days (memorial group ride), then 700 km on the third (going back home).

That two day part was ok, since we stopped every 100 kms for stretching, drinks and new riders joining, but the ride back was... f%#&?kkkk...

My neck was killing me, so I layed down on the tank bag, and stretched my legs over the passenger footpegs (while on highway).
I had no feeling left in my right hand, it didn't feel like mine at all.

Although we stopped halfway for lunch, the pain got back pretty soon, so I guess I'm no Iron Butt material, not even close.

This year a group of my friends succeeded in group IB entry ride (SaddleSore 1000) = 1600kms in 24 hours. I wanted to go too, but had to cancel (the bike project wasn't over in time).