[nogard]

How do you guys take 200+ rides in half day?

I did 175ish this Saturday (round trip). This was the longest trip i had ever taken, and it was 2up with my wife. I found out that:

- my riding jacket is horrible in that it rides up under my arm pits and chokes the **** out of me, i had to take it off and have the wife sit on it.
- The helmet is too big, and air was coming up under so that my ears were ringing at each end point.
- I even have Iso Grips with gel gloves, and my hands were numb after 40 miles. I may have been gripping too hard, or the gloves were too new that it just hurt my hands? May try without gloves next to see how it goes.

Windshield a must for longer trips?
Comfy seat is guaranteed a must - if not for me for my wife who told me to pull over or she was going to jump off to get feeling in her ass back..

Not sure what this entire thread is about, but just was a bit shocked how much i was unprepaired for longer rides. I'm mainly in town rider 6 days a week, with an occasional 60 mile ride around corn fields.

 

[fujums]

I am by no means an expert in long rides, but I've found the following to be the case in general:

*larger diameter grips make my hands cramp. The factory grips made my hands cramp even after short periods. I switched to an all aluminum grip with no padding, gel, etc. and haven't had a problem since. I've since ridden my brother-in-laws V-Star 1100 with the factory foam type grips and the cramps came back within 10 miles. I've had zero problems with hard grips and find the gel grip thing a bit overrated. Just me.

*Agreed, jacket has to be snug like a second skin.

*i use silicone earplugs for anything outside of around town riding. I was also getting the ringing ear thing bad and found that the helmet seemed to capture more of the pipe noise and amplify it in my head. Bought some mold-able silicone earplug stuff on eBay and problem solved.

 

[sentinel]

I would say any riding outside of town for significant periods requires a windshield. Alot of your hand pain, helmet issues and maybe even jacket issues can be cured by reducing the amount of wind smashing into your chest and head.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Raven]

Suck it up princess!!





Hahaha couldn't resist. Yeah the right gear that fits proper makes all the difference. We did a 2300 km 6 day ride back in June and everything went great except for the rain gear. Wasn't worth a sh!t and left us soaked. Buy it right the first time and you'll be happy

 

[biggtimber]

I find that my Windshield helps my back because there's no wind pushing me back. Any that helps my back feel better is worth it to me.
I don't have to much problems with cramps with the stock grips on my 1:15 commute, but longer then that I do notice fatigue.
I also use earplugs sometimes on longer rides. I don't wear them as much now that I have a windshield, but they still to reduce the muffled\ringing sensation.

 

[nogard]

thanks Raven - ass haha.

Yeah, may just invest in all new gear soon.

 

[jazzyjjrox]

I just finished the longest ride I've taken thus far on my stryker.. 1250 miles in 6 days to be exact. We had a down day in the middle to rest our butts. But, each day we rode 200+ miles. I got an air cushion for my wife for the back seat since we were doubling up and her ass still hurt after awhile. But, it was much more comfortable than nothing.
I don't know why... but, even if I'm sore I still wanna ride! That's why everyone I ride with call me "iron ass". When I have a day to ride it's gonna be a 6-8hr ride period!! ha!

 

[canyon1]

Don't torture yourself. As others have said, the windshield will help a LOT. They really don't look that bad. Really. Ear plugs just make any ride better for me and I stop about every 50 miles to stretch. Can't help you with the passenger issue. I had an old Goldwing once and my wife measures everything else by that standard (what this means is she doesn't ride with me anymore) . What this really means is there is now room for any young, nubile chicks I might pick up. ;D

 

[jazzyjjrox]

ha!! I'm glad my wife has never ridden on a goldwing or I'd be in the same boat! She's hellbent on getting her own Can-Am... ..we'll just have to see about that.

 

[Russ Overmier]

Put 179 miles on my Stryker the second day I owned it. I hadn't ridden in ten years but I could've put on another hundred easy. Bought it July 11 and have almost 7,000 miles on it and I gotta tell ya, it's probably one of the most comfortable rides of it's kind that I've ever been on and I've been on a few. Get a cruise control it will help you on the longer rides. Went 1,000 miles in 4 days and it was great!!!

 

[74novaguy]

Windshield, Good seat and Get a helmet with the chin area cover. I have it on mine and it makes a world of difference.

 

[ratboy]

The numb hands is a common problem. You have the iso grips, so try the Throttle Boss as a solution to the right hand numbness. Left hand is not so much of an issue as you can drop the left had periodically to relieve the numbness. http://www.kuryakyn.com/Products/36/ISO-Throttle-Boss Note that the "cruise control" people are talking about is not really a cruise control, but a throttle lock. It will not increase or decrease the speed as the road changes, like a true cruise control. That doesn't mean a throttle lock is not useful, it WILL give you the chance to drop your right hand for a few seconds to relieve the numbness but I wanted to make sure you knew the difference.

 

[mn stryker]

X2 on the ear plugs. I can't believe how much better it is without the wind noise. Cool thing is you can hear your bike perfectly.

 

[11Stryker]

Airhawk, windshield, fingerless gloves, throttle boss, Grip weights, full face, and all will be good and quiet. except the wife! LOL

 

[The_Joker]

I recently put in a 900 mile weekend ride (400 Friday, 100 Sat, 400 Sunday)
Stock seat, grips and no Shield.........piece a cake.....

Fridays ride was best, from NorCal to SoCal on the 1 the whole way.....close to a 10hr trip
Sundays ride back up north on the freeways the whole way was not as much fun.....keeping it at 90 or so for that long of a stretch is a bit much.....

 

[galo8]

Airhawk, windshield, fingerless gloves, throttle boss, Grip weights, full face, and all will be good and quiet. except the wife! LOL

x2 plus passenger back rest, passenger peg extensions and an airhawk for the old lady which will be very happy after this mods

 

[K9Stryker]

ha!! I'm glad my wife has never ridden on a goldwing or I'd be in the same boat! She's hellbent on getting her own Can-Am... ..we'll just have to see about that.

LOL-My wife has never driven a bike before and she want a Can-Am to

 

[XrayDelta]

It is all a matter of how much you can tolerate. I left my house Friday and rode to Loveland, CO kinda spur of the moment. I only had a vest and full face helmet on.
My bike is bone stock, no windshield or seat upgrades. Its 573 miles door to door, and I ended up having to drive back Saturday because of work.
I'm 6'1", 225, but I'm in decent shape. There were times I was uncomfortable, but I had to stop every 110 miles or so for fuel and water, so it was enough for me.

A windshield would have made a huge difference, highway bars/pegs, a better seat, would have been more comfortable. But it was manageable, and I'll do it again I'm sure.

 

[erikh425]

Alot of good things have been posted above. I also find that my body gets used to riding longer when I do it more often. Maybe my muscles adapt to sitting down and holding on. I also take a break every 100 miles or every 60-90 minutes. Not a long break, but long enough to get off the bike get water and gas. When I switched from my HD Electra Glide to the Stryker I got a wicked sore neck, but I can't remember the last time I was sore from the ride. I was able to do 500 mile days on a stock seat with stock grips and a shorty windshield a couple weekends ago. I felt pretty good at the end of the day. And having a beer helped (That's one beer in dog beers by the way)

 

[Minibob]

Longest ride I've done has been 300 in one day. With a couple breaks. Fairing always helps. I learned from my last bike that a fairing really cuts the wind from hitting you and makes for a lot more comfortable ride. I think it prevents a lot of arm and back fatigue. For long rides I put the backrest on or I'll be in pain after 100miles. I've got stock grips and wear gloves, kinda like mechanics gloves, I have small hands and haven't had any issues. Always a full face helmet with one earbud in for music.