| Author | Message | ||
     Doughnut |
I am looking at riding from Milwaukee to Vegas on my 09 XB12Ss next summer (if I get my vac. picks!). Bike is stock. Thinking of getting the tour seat, soft saddles, and possible the taller screen. This be good enough you think? any suggestions. I have never taken this type of trip on a bike before. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Do a 300 mile loop and see what hurts. Fix it. | ||
| Calamari_kid |
Yeah, do some miles and you'll figure out pretty quickly what you'll want to adjust for comfort. Do some overnight trips too, so you can get a feel for how much gear you're going to want to carry. You planning on camping? Do a trial run or two near home to figure out what's worth taking and how you're going to strap it to the bike. When I'm planning a series of long mileage days I find it helps if I can condition my ass with a few long days in the weekends leading up to the trip. Figure out how much is too much. I can pull 700 mile days for a couple day getaway, but if I'm going to be on the road any longer I'm much happier, and safer, around the 400 mile mark. 300 if I plan on getting off the bike and poking around a bit now and then. Have fun, and be open to alternatives to your plan if/when they present themselves. Some of the best riding I've experienced has been a result of strangers suggestions or odd impulses. | ||
| Ourdee |
Lived in vegas for a while. It gets hot in the summer, no really it gets hot in the summer. Driving the strip at night on a bike, someone will mess up your ride at least once per mile. Cell phones are nothing compared to tourists looking at the lights. Just a heads up. As you leave vegas at night there is a place as you enter the desert that the temps drop fast like hitting a cold wall. Nothing like vegas. I haven't been there for 28 years. My suggestion is to look at how you plan on dividing the trip up. Force yourself to drink lots of water starting a week ahead of time. Do it all through your trip. | ||
| Jaimec |
+10. Drink before you're thirsty, and eat before you're hungry. Avoid anything with caffeine as that will just cause you to lose water faster. Wear LIGHT colors. Not only do they reflect the suns rays, but they make you more visible in traffic too. If you only own black leather, get a long-sleeved white shirt a couple of sizes too large to wear over it. I also found saturating my helmet liner with water at every gas stop did wonders for keeping me cool. | ||
| Midknyte |
GPS. On my first good long trip, I picked up a Magellan waterproof handheld the week before that I keep in my pocket so I can check my directions when I make stops. You can load it with detail maps, but the basemap is plenty to get you from here to there give or take a few miles. My first time out with it on that trip, I stopped for lunch and did a comparo against my printed route. Threw the map away and took a non-slab freeway I found on the GPS and completely enjoyed the ride. | ||
| Doughnut |
What about the taller fly screen for the Ss? make a big difference? I was used to my old S2 and did not realize what a difference that little fairing could make. | ||
| Froggy |
Reminds me of a friend of mine, he was riding in a not so legal fashion, a cop spotted him, but wasn't able to catch up and radioed ahead. My friend got pulled over a few miles later. When he took off his helmet, the officer said "Oh sorry, I was looking for a black male wearing a white t-shirt, sorry to bother you".  You can get a windshield kit from Palmer Products in the UK for your XB. It's nice, adjustable, and lets you use any Uly windshield.  I have done many 1000+ mile trips on my SS, I would continue to use it for them, but my 1125's are more comfortable. | ||
| Jaimec |
I found a Laminar Lip was all I needed on my XB12Ss (when I had one). | ||
| Doughnut |
The screen I found is the same as the original, only like 4 in taller. I have done long trips before (OTR) but never on a bike. Did not think of just getting a GPS. That is going on the Christmas list I think. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
My best advise is to be in shape for the trip. By that I mean get in shape for what your body is about to do and it will be a lot easier. I took a trip last spring on my XB9 from Tennessee to the Florida keys and back. There was a thread on it here with some great advise in it but I cant find it.  Anyway, a couple weeks before we left I set my bike up in the kitchen and watched TV while sitting on it in a riding position. It helped hype the trip in my mind, think about what I might encounter, and plan ahead for it. Sounds crazy but I was never sore from riding. My neck got a little sore from holding my head in the wind. That might be hard to plan for. Bring Ibuprofrin. Take it every morning whether you need it or not. It will help keep you loose. I hear people saying to drink water but for me, it just makes me have to pee before I even burn up a tank of gas. Gatorade type drinks work a lot better for me. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Hydration Pack (aka Camelbak). Never ride long distance without it. Earplugs a must. | ||
| Midknyte |
Bring Ibuprofrin. Take it every morning whether you need it or not. It will help keep you loose. Oooo, forgots that one. I think I used Aleve or Motrin on my trip. On the second day I took one at the start, and yes it did its' job. | ||
| Jaimec |
Actually, keeping yourself in shape is a better idea than relying on drugs. Of course, as God-Fearing Americans, we're always looking for the "easy out," right? Got a problem, don't worry, there's a pill for that.  | ||
| Geforce |
You gotta have fun during your trip. You can have a LOT of fun and MUCH more FUN if you plan the trip out well, and prepare accordingly. All of the above advice is great. I cannot stress the hydration point enough. Food and water intake are critical portions of energy and stamina. Treat the trip like a combat mission. You really are going out into the wilderness, alone, and you can either experience adventure or danger. 1. Stretch Often, Stretch Well, Become Limber. (Work on your hip flexors and core body strength.) 2. Maintain good physical conditioning. (You don't have to be a body builder to do this, but having good stamina helps a lot.) 3. Energy Balance, Focus. (Eating right and staying hydrated are crucial factors. Your body has to work harder the more dehydrated and food deprived you are. Carrying along Cliff Bars, Energy Bars, Snackies and lickies and chewies are great ideas. Beef Jerky can dry you out, but some sort of protein is good. Nothing wrong with bringing what you like. I like to carry a couple of my favorite MREs in my gear just in case I become stranded on the side of the road and need a full meal. Hydration is simple on the road with a water source that stays clean and available. A Camelbak provides you with a drink tube and means to easily refill it.) 4. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. (Simple things like knowing how to change your tire can be handy. It doesn't you do you any good unless you are carrying a spare tire and that might be overkill as I don't think you are trying for an iron butt award. It never hurts to know how to remove/replace your belt and tires. Even a very small electric air pump could get your a long ways with a nail in the tire. It also doesn't hurt to come up with a quick PMCS, or as we say in the Army... Preventative Maintenance Checks/Services. Basically the MSF style walk around and systems check to ensure that your bike is in good shape. If you develop one that works for you, and is easy to remember, practice it on your shorter trips to really get the hang of it.) 5. Rehearsals are key. (I made the wife get on her new Scg and follow me all the way to Kansas City two weeks prior to departing for Homecoming to make sure she could handle the long ride times. The round trip was about 500 miles there and back. We learned a lot of things on the way. IE: She doesn't see so well at night and we have to slow down a little to get back in her comfort zone. This also helps to plan and know how far you can get on a tank of fuel. I always try to leave about 20% fuel in reserve just in case we arrive to the planned location and they have crap gas, or maybe even no gas?! This way we have a backup to find a new location. GPS or at least a good map set is great to have on the road. It's worth buying a decent mount and hardwiring it in or bringing spare batteries.) 6. Two is one, one is none. (This is the basic minimal redundancy planning concept that I drill into my Soldiers heads from day 1. If you are really counting on something not to fail, the best bet is to have a spare to ensure success. EG: You have one fresh battery loaded into your flashlight. You start your trip and the light switches on accidently, draining the battery. You are forced to stop in the middle of the desert at night, very tired, to check a strange sound and vibration you hear coming from the rear axle. You fish through your tail bag to find your light and with much frustration find out that the new battery is now dead. If you had a spare...you'd have light, and possibly an idea of what that odd sound is. If it's a wheel bearing you may be stuck.* It sounds like I over plan long trips and worry too much. That's not the case. Ask anyone who rode up with us to Homecoming if I was going over any checklists or harassing them about not giving their bikes a quick look and they will tell you quite the opposite. What you decide to do is up to you. You don't have to bring a spare bike with you. But some basic tools and knowledge can get your bike limping to a repair facility. It also never hurts to have a few phone numbers saved in your phone of good Buellers who are willing to help you out if you become stranded or need help at some point along the way. Good luck, and have a blast! | ||
| Geforce |
Ibuprofren will do more for you in the long run than you might expect. I take about 1600mg every day after PT. The reason... in 2005 I had a terrible parachuting accident that turned my leg around backwards and snapped my tib/fib and required 4 surgeries to repair. I still jump out of airplanes, but by the time I am in my late 40s I know I will be paying for it. If you take IBU, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN YOUR STOMACH! That IBU sits on your stomach wall lining and over time and repeated useage can burn the lining in your stomach and cause serious GI issues. That is why Celebrex was created. It's fine so long as you take it with some food, like a cliff bar and keep drinking water. It will keep your level of aches and pains down. But, as stated before, it can't do as much good as stretching and physical conditioning. I also forgot to say +1 to Johnny on the ear plugs. Ok, I'm done. Hope this helps. | ||
| Holling |
I suffer from my right wrist getting sore when holding the throttle open for an extended time like riding on the interstate. Anybody use a cruise control device? | ||
| Geforce |
The wife and I use those $10 plastic clips that keep the throttle steady with minimal pressure. I haven't invested in a throttle locking device though. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
The original "Throttle Rocker". | ||
| Jaimec |
By the way, though I ride all year round, my winter riding consists of primarily short, local rides. As the weather warms in the Spring I take longer and longer rides to prepare myself for my REALLY long rides in the Summer and Fall. Can't just jump into the deep end of the pool, you have to train your body for it. | ||
| Donniej |
A windshield will help reduce shoulder and neck strain. Don't worry about looks, the taller the windscreen the better. Ear plugs and a full face helemt really help reduce fatigue. I like to carry a tinted visor for the helmet for daylight hours. I find it helps as well. Camelbak is also important, especially in hot weather. Seats, handlebars and footpegs all come down to preference. | ||
| Froggy |
Not true, a windshield thats too large is more likely to result in buffeting. If you do get a large windshield, get adjustable brackets so you can tweak the airflow. This can help minimize buffeting and other wind noise. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
Found that thread thanks to Froggy (in another thread). Lots of great tips from badwebers in it. Its 3 pages so you will have to click around. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/496 363/426842.html?1231118132 Here is how the trip went. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/496 363/435003.html?1234114853 | ||
| Babired |
camelback get a 2 liter one, advil, carry a bandana around your neck for multipurpose use, Take breaks every 100 miles or 1 hour which ever comes first. sight see to make the trip less boring. You would be amazed at what you find in our backyard USA people spend tons of money to go sight see over seas and they miss America! Here is the trip I took last August http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/6817/492134.html?1254312726 (Message edited by babired on November 22, 2009) | ||
| Slamber777 |
The touring seat is an 1" shorter than the stocker and is much harder. lt is much better suited for 2 up, however. The shape gives the pillion a better position. lf you're solo the 1" lower may appeal to you but, the harder seat will not. Stick with the stock seat. | ||
| Doughnut |
Thanks Slamber777, that is stuff that I need to know, The touring seat is harder? don't make sense to me, but I liked the 1 in lower. | ||
| Union_man |
Extra set of keys, hidden on the bike. | ||
| Slamber777 |
Yeah, it doesn't make sense, being a touring seat. But, it is quite a bit harder. And, again, it is shaped better for a passenger. Oh yeah, that Anti Monkey Butt powder really does work. Also, try not to wear any type of pant or under garment that has you sitting on a seam. They really can dig in after a long hot day. Bicycle shorts are made so as not to have this problem. They work great for the long haul. Happy trails! | ||
| Slamber777 |
BTW, the Buell saddle bags are kind of small. Check out these Cortech bags from Ft_bstrd. They look like they'd work and the price seams to be good. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/21/ 502276.html?1259242525 | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
doughnut if you come thru denver hit me up,we can do some close rides nearby and get a burrito plus you have a place to shower and check mechanicals if you need anything. scott | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
Take more pictures. Memories fade with time. All the trips I have ever taken, with much regret, I lack in the picture department. Take more pictures. |
