Halfway Across the Country ride on a sportbike?

[pixl8d]

I've got an '06 Hayabusa that I plan on riding to Nebraska from Arizona in the neighborhood of mid-October or so, now I've already done a bit of research on the topic trying to find the best way to do this and I know sport bikes aren't typically ideal for touring. So far I've been looking at the Ventura Bike-Pack system for storage of clothing and the like and a tank back for things I'll need on the drive and something to lean on while driving on the long stretches that accompany that drive. (I've driven it straight through twice before in a car) I'm also looking at getting a 3 gallon fuel bladder as a just in case measure. What I wanted to ask is if anyone had any recommendations as far as doing a drive like that? Any gear, suggestions, stories, things to be wary of, that kind of thing.

I'm planning on spreading out the trip over two days, maybe three if I'm not feeling up to twelve hour stretches on the road. Having said as much in the coming months I plan on gradually riding more and more until I get the feel for riding that kind of distance.

So, any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, comments, that type of deal?

[Johnj]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I think your plan sounds doable. Let's see the Hayabusa.

[Wrider]

I agree with JohnJ. Keep in mind you're gonna have to prep the bike pretty well too, make sure you have tread for the journey, adjust the chain before you take off, etc. Then prep yourself. What's the longest ride you've taken?

[gerjets]

Probably over a thousand miles, right? Wrider and Johnj both had good points, plus Wrider had a great question in "What's the longest ride you've taken?"...

In my opinion, you probably need to think more about yourself than your bike. The bike will probably handle the distance just fine...but you probably need to figure out YOUR limitations before taking this trek...

I would first take a wag on how long you think you'll be able to ride before taking breaks, when you think you'll need to stop for the night, etc. Then I would plan out your stopping points, etc.

Also, I personally wouldn't want to be wearing a backpack, so your idea of a some time of storage is good/critical (for fluids, snacks, rain gear, chapstick, sunblock, camera, and the list goes on).

Good luck and have fun!

[HYPERR]

Hayabusa is not really a sportbike. It is what I consider a GT bike. Not quite a sports tourer but certainly not a sports bike, and quite comfortable for a long distance ride nonetheless.

[jstark47]

People do use the hypersport bikes, GT's, whatever you want to call them, as sport tourers: Hayabusa, Blackbird, etc.

IMO hard cases are the way to go if you're doing serious touring. There are hard case options for the Busa. Givi doesn't make a turn-key luggage system for the Busa (problem with lawsuits), but I've seen solutions where people mount Givi cases on SW Motech racks on Busas. Google on Hayabusa + hard case.

[Wrider]

Corbin however does make beetle bags for the Hayabusa. They don't hold too much, but they do hold enough to help quite a bit.

[pixl8d]

JohnJ, the pictures aren't great, but here you are



Wrider, Before I leave I was planning on putting on new tires, there's always a certain security in knowing they're fresh and the dryness out here kills tires with ease. Right now as far as my longest ride I've done about 400 miles only stopping about halfway through for gas, before leaving I was planning on making a few runs to San Diego and mid-California to build up the endurance factor.

gerjets, Right now I'm getting at around 12 hours is what I'll be doing each day, maybe 13, either way I need to stretch the ride into two days due to work(I suppose that's a Pro of working at home? I can work anywhere in the world haha) so right now I'm going to focus on endurance.

jstark47, thank you so so much, I've been looking all over for a way to mount saddle bags on the Busa and so far the options have been limited, though I did see the Corbin Beetle bags, at 1700, it seemed a bit much, but the SW Motech seems perfect for my needs. Thanks for pointing it out.

[High_Side]

I've set up hard bags on my last couple of bikes, and my wife has ran the Ventura set up on the last couple of hers. I like my hard bags for convenience but for what you are doing the Ventura set up will work just fine. We did over 2k miles on a trip a couple of weeks ago with no issues whatsoever. Ventura makes a quality product, but be sure to order the rain covers.

Cheers,

High_side

[pixl8d]

I've set up hard bags on my last couple of bikes, and my wife has ran the Ventura set up on the last couple of hers. I like my hard bags for convenience but for what you are doing the Ventura set up will work just fine. We did over 2k miles on a trip a couple of weeks ago with no issues whatsoever. Ventura makes a quality product, but be sure to order the rain covers.

Cheers,

High_side

What's the storage like on the Ventura? I was looking to install it and get two of the packs(And I was definitely going to spring for the rain covers), the Aero Spada ones to be specific, and they look decently roomy, I'm just trying to take as much as possible with me so I have to ship less.