| Author | Message | ||
     Johnnylunchbox |
Hi I am curious to know what kind of touring people have done on the Blast. My wife and I are planning a 4-6 day ride in August around upstate NY. She will be riding the Blast. We will be doing a test run up to New England for a weekend, about 250 miles each way, just to see how she handles that kind of mileage. I just installed a givi a602 windscreen, so that should help with wind a bit. Earplugs are a must. I'd like to hear your experiences with any sort of distance riding. How comfortable you were, any suggestions for improvement, or problem areas. I want to make this experience as pleasant as possible for her. Thanks a bunch. | ||
| Buellkat |
Make sure she has a comfortable seat. Blast low seat is very uncomfortable for long rides, the high seat is more cushion but still 100 miles will make it a little uncomfortable. I have rode 300 miles a day one way and it wasnt too bad. Buell On Kat | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Thanks Kat, I think she has the high seat. I just purchased a sheepskin seat cover for my Kawi Concours, and she hasn't stopped laughing at me. Maybe I'll surprise her with one. She does not have any long distance experience and I need to convince her that a sore ••• can make for a miserable ride. | ||
| Buellkat |
Dye the sheepskin black with fabric dye and it will blend in better and she will thank you for it. It doesnt matter about looks as much as comfort. Stiffness happens, but no sense in having a sore arse. LOL Kat | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
One step ahead...I got it already dyed black. LOL | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
JLB, sounds like you've already done some touring so I wont go into that too much. The seat will make a big difference for her but it will be a personal choice. I prefer the low seat for comfort, the high seat is way to mushy, but my legs cramp up with the low seat. The Corbin is much better for me (& it can be ordered custom) being taller than the low & firmer than the high seats,but I never had a chance to try the Corbin on distance (black Jaguar cut the Corbins life short). IMHO soft & mushy is not always the way to go. Highway pegs would help, but they're not available (machinable, but I haven't got there yet). I solved the windscreen problem by cutting it down (or taking it off),for me it definitely hit in the wrong place.My motto is "feel whats real, live windshield free"! For what its worth,I've spent weeks & months touring on a Sportster,but about 100 miles is all I could stand on a Blast in stock form. Changes to seat & bars can make a big difference. | ||
| Buellkat |
On Eriks note, the handlebars can be adjusted slightly too.....just loosen them towards the driver a little bit. Have the wife sit there while you adjust to see if she finds the reach more comfortable or not, keep in mind, not too much or they will hit the tank cover and change turning "feel". Kat | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Gearheaderiko- Windscreens need to be just right. They can cause a lot of turbulence. This particular windscreen looks like it will let a lot of air underneath it, and this may help with equalizing front and rear air pressure, thereby eliminating or reducing turbulence. I agree that mushy is not always better when it comes to seats We'll do the New England trip and see how she feels. Kat we can definitely play around with the bars a bit. | ||
| Ezblast |
You could also get a gell pad, pull some staples, cut out the middle foam to gell pad shape - use some spray adhesive on the put together, restaple and your done! Did this on my first seat - the one I now run on my red bike! GT - JBOTDS! EZ  (I'll end up moving this topic some time down the line) edited by ezblast on July 01, 2004 | ||
| Jeromius |
I put a Corbin seat on before I even thought of touring on my Blast. I've done lots of 200 - 250 mile day rides, but the highlight was my 3-day, 1500 mile tour from Detroit, Michigan taking the southern route through Ohio and Pennsylvania and up through New York to Ithaca and then back through Ontario to Michigan. It was a pretty comfortable ride with relatively few problems (my breather tube split open - spitting oil and sludge all over my bike). Make sure to take along some extra oil as well. I went through quite a bit on the ride. | ||
| Jprovo |
I rode from California to Wisconsin in four days on a Blast. Longest day way right at 750 miles. My average day was 550-600. Anything over 350-400 on the blast is really tiring, especially without a windshield. If you have a one way ride of 350-400 miles on the little bike, the rest of the day should be rest and relaxation. Anything over 400 will wipe out most people. By day 3, Advil became my best friend. I have a Corbin seat, and no windshield. A windshield would help tremendously. I had a valve guide let go on me, which caused oil consumption to soar, but no catostrofic failures. I was able to ride a ouple hundred miles to get to Waterloo and have it fixed. I think that I am the exception and not the rule. Keep an eye on oil consumption, which is easy to check at each fuel stop. Keep cruising speeds around the speed limit (70-ish). Teach your wife to use the passenger pegs to stretch out on longer stints. I packed an extra sparkplug and a tire plug kit, and I never had to use either. I would not worry about the belt, I currently have over 26,000 on my original belt. Don't overload the bike, keep hydrated, yadda yadda yadda. Seriously, I say go for it, but try to keep the milage to the 250-300 miles/day. (btw, an average Brag ride from me is in the 200-250 mile range.) James | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Thanks, all good advice. Jprovo...she has a new Givi windshield. I just bought a replacement belt which won't take up much room. Good sparkplug idea and I'll bring oil. Oh... and I'll have duct tape too. | ||
| Rockbiter1 |
Do not bend the belt backwards to pack it...and no sharp bends...you'll kill the belt... | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
good to know. I have big saddlebags on my Concours. I'll be careful. While we're on the subject..what do you guys pack as your "must have" tools? | ||
| Jeromius |
Here's a list of tools I carry with me at all times: - Tire repair kit - Adjustable wrench - Flathead screwdriver - Duct tape Also, if I know I'm going on a longer trek, I'll bring along my wrench for changing the spark plug (it's angled so I can get at it easier without removing the tank). | ||
| Rockbiter1 |
phone card: "honey, would you please drive 150 miles to pick me and the bike up? oh...its raining too..." | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
We did it. Over 700 miles in 3 days. From NY into Vermont and Quebec and back again. The Blast worked flawlessly (except for that breather hose thing that comes off the pipe that connects the airbox to the carb - it sprayed a little oil but a .$59 hose clamp took care of that)and the wife was no worse for the wear than I was on my Concours. She reports that the Balst is very happy cruising along at 65 mph and tends to smooth out around that speed. With her givi windshield and nelson rigg soft bags, we are ready for our next weeklong ride in August. this was a test for her to see if she can handle long distances. We are going to explore quieter exhaust options. Earplugs for both of us are a must (as they should be for anyone going for any distance). | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Isn't Vermont beautiful to ride in?  Just spent 3 weeks there. But bikeless  And that's almost immediately after I bought myself a '98 S3T. Couldn't talk the wife into me riding there... | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Bummer. There is always next time right? | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Yup. I take the same 3 weeks in July and go out to Newport, VT to visit my sister. Next year, I'm gonna at least throw the S3 in the back of the truck and drive out there. My 'lil guy at 2 1/2 just isn't ready to ride with us yet | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
We crossed the border about 12 miles west of Newport. It sure is pretty up there. We're going to try for a fall foliage ride up there. Get the little guy a 50cc pocket bike. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
The problem is, he's scared to death of the bikes. And we have 3 Harleys, and 2 Buells! So this is a bit of a problem. I sure hope he grows out of it soon. He wont even sit on the bike with me, when it's turned off. But he can tell it's me when I'm two blocks away, yellin' to the wife "Daddy's home!" It's amazing he can tell my bike from the many Harleys runnin' around here(I pretty much live dead nutz between the HD & Buell factories ) I have thought about one of them pocket bikes. But can't find one that looks like a Buell yet  | ||
| Ratsdan |
Columbus GA to Huntsville 300 miles on Friday evening. Got up Saturday and left Huntsville at 7am. Arrives in New Orleans at 3pm. Left New Orleans at 4pm and arrived in Memphis at midnight. Left Memphis at 2am Sunday morning and arrived back in Huntsville at 6:55 am after covering 1175 miles. Left Huntsville at 9am arriving back in Columbus GA at around 3pm Sunday afternoon. | ||
| Newblaster |
Wow... Iron Butt Rally? | ||
| Jprovo |
Sounds like fun. | ||
| Naustin |
Cripes. When did you sleep? | ||
| Buelldyno_guy |
In the summer of 2000 I rode from Vallejo CA (SF Bay Area) to Laconia NH and I think I was the first. I started on Sat morning and made E Troy to by Wed afternoon. Spent two hours with Erik and the Team at the factory and then headed south and east. Needed a new tire Thurs. and then on to Cleveland for the night. Friday morning turned north to NY and then on to the race track at Louden. Took off the tank and saddle bags and had the best Blast Time at BattleTrax. Used Corbin a seat and a small Cafe Faring, V&H pipe K&N filter bike made approx 33HP and 25 ft lbs of Torque It would cruse at 65 to 75 MPH between 100 mile gas stops, but the MT75 tire was way too soft for this kind of trip. Pictures when I can find them again. | ||
| Ezblast |
Tight! - wish you could do the SLO ride but I know your work keeps ya away - looking forward to the pics! GT - JBOTDS! EZ | ||
| Naustin |
That's one hellva long ride. I never thought about it before, but you would probably need to get a new tire at some point on a trip like that! | ||
| Buelldyno_guy |
Will you guys let me tag along on my S3T? My poor Blast is a Race Only thing now. Bonneville 650 LSR in 2005 and then the engine goes into a Champion Frame as a TT or maybe a Super Tracker at 650 or 720 cc. "God This Is Fun" BDG |
