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Hi Again. It's been about 6 weeks since I did the MSF course and bought my Yamaha V-Star 1100 Silverado. Since then I've put about 2300 miles on the bike on country roads, in the city, and some super slab. This includes a couple of day rides of 250 - 300 miles. I would like to take a trip this spring and ride up to Amarillo (I live in Houston) and then take the old Route 66 through Colorado and Arizona. I would probably set aside two weeks to do the trip. Considering my experience (or lack thereof ), does this sound like a trip I could do?

Thats quite a trip! I don't know whether you can handle it, hard to tell. But I would say it would be a harder test of your endurance of riding a bike for such a long period, rather than a question of your skills in handling it.

When I took a 900 mile weekend trip it was after riding for 8k or so miles. I didn't think to worry about 'skill', but boy was it a rough trip. I wasn't used to being on the bike for so long.

Couldn't tell ya, but make sure to let me know when you're in my neck of the woods!
Wrider

Thanks guys. I guess I'll find out the hard way. Another option is to trail the bike to Amarillo and start riding Route 66 there. I haven't made up my mind yet. But, that would cut about 600 miles worth of sore butt off the trip. Not nearly as much fun though.

Wrider, Colorado Springs will probably be a different trip, but one that is definitely going to be made. I have friends in CS and was there visiting in September. That highway that goes past Manitou Springs toward Pikes Peak looks like a lot of fun. Also the road we took to Cripple Creek looks like it could be a blast on a bike. I'll bet there a ton of roads in that area that are a bikers dream.

Stay safe.

Philo wrote:Thanks guys. I guess I'll find out the hard way. Another option is to trail the bike to Amarillo and start riding Route 66 there. I haven't made up my mind yet. But, that would cut about 600 miles worth of sore butt off the trip. Not nearly as much fun though.

Wrider, Colorado Springs will probably be a different trip, but one that is definitely going to be made. I have friends in CS and was there visiting in September. That highway that goes past Manitou Springs toward Pikes Peak looks like a lot of fun. Also the road we took to Cripple Creek looks like it could be a blast on a bike. I'll bet there a ton of roads in that area that are a bikers dream.

Stay safe.

Yeah, highway 24 is a lot of fun to take at *slightly* over the speed limit! I haven't made it to Cripple Creek yet, but that's just because I only started riding in August, and by the time I was ready to take those curves, they were icing up! But sounds good, Let me know if you ever make it out here, we'll make a day trip out of it! Oh, and just to give you an indication of what kind of driver/rider I am, I made it from Colorado Springs, at I-25, to parked in Cripple Creek, in a cage, in 49 minutes...
Wrider

You can make it. Figure averaging 300-400 miles/day of interstate, taking every 4th day off for sight-seeing and butt recovery.

Lessee, Houston to Dallas on I-45, Dallas to Fort Worth on I-20, Fort Worth to Amarillo on US 287. 100% B-O-R-I-N-G. Not worth the sore butt. Trailer.

With the amount of riding he's done in a few short weeks, he can go anyware. Enjoy the ride bro and as always, be alert and carefull.

I think people that ask these types of questions are wanting either two things. They want confirmation from someone that they can do what they are going to do regardless of what is said, or they like to think methodically and like dealing with rules, ex. cannot do "y" until "x" is completed. Truth is only you can know if you are ready or not. We cannot possibly know your experience so far. All people on this board can do is give generalizations based on the information you give, since we do not know you. If you think you can do it, than go ahead and do it. Just make sure to plan it out really good as that will make things go smoother.

Kal wrote:It sounds very possible but as a rule of thumb if you have to ask if you are ready - you aren't.

bingo!!! to me, a ride is mostly mental... if you believe you can make it, you will... if you start worrying about getting a sore butt, arms, hands, etc. you most definitely will.