Total Motorcycle Community Forums

It's not ridiculous, but I vote for getting some practice and shorter mileage trips under your belt first.

Don't know if this applies to you, but it took me months after the MSF to get really physically comfortable and proficient with my bike. At first I was basically "fighting" myself.... using too much tension in various parts of my body. I would be very tired after riding. It took me a long time to learn to properly relax on the bike and learn the "judo" of letting the bike do the work. It generally takes me longer than most people to acquire a physical skill, so maybe this doesn't apply to you....

Another thing, until you experience it, it is hard to understand the "wearing" effect sustained high speed wind blast can have on you. Of course this varies a lot according to the type of bike you have. A third thing, the stock seat on your bike might be comfortable for 50 miles, but 300 miles can be a different story.

Do some day trips of 100-200 miles first, then decide if you want to go across the continent.

Thanks for the advice- I will heed and plan a couple shorter trips... maybe up to PA... before taking the big one. That should give me some time to break in the bike. I'll search for more help on the break in period, but i'm thinking that a couple small trips and an oil change / analysis should be ready to prep me for the journey?

Thanks also for the advice on wind fatigue and hydration. I'm planning to take at least 3 weeks to get from coast to coast, but I'm hoping to only take a few items with me. Don't want to tack on saddle bags and add a bunch of baggage to deal with, but I will be sure to bring water and stop every hundred miles or so. Besides... the routes I want to take should be worth stopping on every hundred miles anyways!

If anyone's had good/bad experiences as a newbie long trip rider, I'd love to hear em.
Thx----