biting off more than i can chew?

[dean owens]

just curious to see what you guys think.

in a week i'll be making a trip up to the richmond area of va. here is a mapquest of the basic route.

trip route

i'm curious what you guys think. i have about 150 miles under my belt. some around town. some on the highway (some in a bypass with a speed limit of 65). is this too much for me to tackle? look at the route, i don't think it is. i figure i would take "frequent" stops to stretch and hydrate. is there something i'm missing? is this doable? i don't have to be there until 11:30. i could easily leave at 7:30 to give myself an extra hour to take it easy and give myself plenty of stops.

this just seems like it would be so much more fun than driving my truck up there. and being that va is the most beautiful state in the union, it would be nice to go through it on a bike.

edit: yikes, is there a way to make that link so it doesn't make the post so wide?

also, if this is a dumb idea, please do more than tell me i'm an idiot. i already know that. i would like to know why i couldn't do this right now so i know what to work on and build up to.

[anarchy]

it's hard to say if you're biting off more than you can chew... you say you've only have 150 miles under your belt. this trip is 180 - that's more miles than you've already ridden...

how do you feel about riding on an interstate?? most of the trip is interstate, 65 and possibly 70 in some areas. for me, this would be an easy trip - but that's not saying much and doesn't really have anything to do with your ability to make the trip.

85 north of durham to 95 is a good trip with the exception of the last ten or so miles in nc - the roads are pretty torn up. 95 is just nuts - be aware of others and you should be fine.

personally, if i had the time, i'd be looking for other routes (and i would make the time). like 501 to 15 to 360.

to change the link in the post, add the url inside the square brackets and change the text between the set of square brackets to something smaller, like this (you'll want to remove the spaces):
[ url=http://<your link here> ] text of link [ /url ]

[dean owens]

it's hard to say if you're biting off more than you can chew... you say you've only have 150 miles under your belt. this trip is 180 - that's more miles than you've already ridden...

exactly. and after the meeting is over i will turn around and be coming back. i've only had three opportunities to take my bike out. the first day i did about 3 hours straight a good portion was back roads. i know after three hours my butt was getting tired but i didn't really seem to be mentally tired.

how do you feel about riding on an interstate?? most of the trip is interstate, 65 and possibly 70 in some areas.

85 north of durham to 95 is a good trip with the exception of the last ten or so miles in nc - the roads are pretty torn up. 95 is just nuts - be aware of others and you should be fine.

i thought interstate driving with scare me. i've actually never had any experience with it. closest i've come is the 64 bypass. it's a four lane with on/off ramps and a speed limit of 65. i went anywhere from 65-70 when i was on it and felt fine. i didn't have to deal with an 18 wheelers though.

after that experience, i-state driving doesn't freak me out like it used to. and seeing the route being 85 is what even caused me to post. if it would have been 95 i wouldn't have thought about it. 85 doesn't have anywhere near the amount of traffic. and the new construction in durham is nice and opened.

personally, if i had the time, i'd be looking for other routes (and i would make the time). like 501 to 15 to 360.

could you tell me why? is this because it is safer or because you like back roads?

i'm just trying to find out if there's anything i'm missing. i have a feeling some of it will scare me at times if i were do attempt it. but if it's just a matter of watching out for drivers and taking brakes, i should be able to handle this.

oh, and everyone thanks you for passing on the url info to me to make the thread narrower.

[jstark47]

I wonder if 150 miles total experience has provided you the opportunity to recognize & deal with riding fatigue that creeps up on you? Bikes feel different after the first couple of hours. Sustained wind exposure can wear you out and reduce your alertness. Staying loose on the bike when your body is aching and traffic is working your nerves takes practice. Do you know how to adjust for when your body is less than 100%?

Suggestion, take a dry run or two before next week, at least 50 miles non-stop at interstate speeds. If you feel confident then, go for the trip. If not, find a different way.

[anarchy]

+1 on jstark's comments...

personally, if i had the time, i'd be looking for other routes (and i would make the time). like 501 to 15 to 360.

could you tell me why? is this because it is safer or because you like back roads?

i guess a lot of it is i prefer roads other than interstate... i will take interstate roads when i need to get there in a hurry or directly... if i can, i plan extra time for my trip, allowing me to take the "back" roads.

as for safer, i don't know that one is safer than the other - each has their pros/cons. i find that back roads require more of my concentration - intersections, tighter curves, roadside hazards, etc. interstates have controlled access points, you don't have to worry about a car pulling across your path of travel (as you're passing a car, you can generally tell if they're going to change lanes in front of you), you're speed is generally consistent with traffic around you. but you have to worry about "dirty" air from trucks, you're maintaining a higher speed for a longer period of time, etc.

as mentioned above, before you go get up to highway speeds for 50 or so miles, see how you feel. plan plenty of stops on your trip - if for nothing else but to stretch your legs and hydrate yourself. i would also have a contingency plan to spend the night. sometimes i'd rather get a couple hours of sleep, wake up early and hit the road...

[jonnythan]

I think that you will be very fatigued and sore before you get to your destination.. and dread the ride back.

Especially on the interstate. The interstate is very boring and loud and it's very very easy to get distracted or stop paying attention. I don't ride on the interstate if I can avoid it at all.

I'd advise you not to do it.

[intotherain]

uh.. you probably would reach your destination, but I think it's a little too much. Being on the highway for more than one hour for the first time is nothing at all like being in a car. You will get tired, it's loud, the wind pushes you around, your focus gets off, and its tedious until you get more experience.



Why not slowly build up your experience by doing what jstark47 did? Go on the highway a little bit at a time, for example for 50 miles, 75 miles, 100 miles, then 150 miles then up to 200 miles? If you can take a few fairly long runs on the highway before your trip I think you will be much more confident to get there safely.

[dean owens]

you guys are just against me *going off in a corner to pout*

just kidding.

thanks for the advise and wisdom. i'm not far from raleigh. there's a belt line there. if i can take a trip or two around it before i have to go up there then i'll give it a try. if not, i won't worry about it. i'm not crushed. i don't know what the weather will be like anyway. just a thought.

but i will say, my bike has a full fairing so i don't really get a whole lot of wind as a problem. if i don't make this one i have another "long" trip coming up that's backroads in two weeks. no worries.

i do have a question - it was asked do i know what to do when my butt starts hurting. i would assume pull over and go for a stretch. is there anything else to do?

again, thanks guys.

[anarchy]

oh, another thing to add... a lot of motorcycling is mental... if you go in with a positive attitude, believing you can safely make the trip, you have a much better chance than having doubt. ask yourself how you're feeling about the trip... do you think you can make it?? how much doubt do you have??

[Lion_Lady]

just curious to see what you guys think.

in a week i'll be making a trip up to the richmond area of va. here is a mapquest of the basic route.

i'm curious what you guys think. i have about 150 miles under my belt. some around town. some on the highway (some in a bypass with a speed limit of 65). is this too much for me to tackle? look at the route, i don't think it is. i figure i would take "frequent" stops to stretch and hydrate. is there something i'm missing? is this doable? i don't have to be there until 11:30. i could easily leave at 7:30 to give myself an extra hour to take it easy and give myself plenty of stops.

this just seems like it would be so much more fun than driving my truck up there. and being that va is the most beautiful state in the union, it would be nice to go through it on a bike.

edit: yikes, is there a way to make that link so it doesn't make the post so wide?

also, if this is a dumb idea, please do more than tell me i'm an idiot. i already know that. i would like to know why i couldn't do this right now so i know what to work on and build up to.

How LATE is that meeting likely to run? If it isn't expected to be over until say, 4 or 5pm, you will seriously be dealing with your OWN fatigue. Motorcycling is a "full body" activity. Sure, not as strenuous as horseback riding, etc. but not passive, by any means. At 5 pm you'll be dealing with a crush of tired/crabby/inattentive drivers as well. For at least part of the drive. (I 85 isn't THAT lovely in VA - it is an interstate, after all.)

Another thing, what is the mechanical condition of your motorcycle? Have you considered the possibility that it may have "issues" on the road for that length of time at highway speed?

I think that there will be opportunities enough in the future to ride to a meeting. Trying to do this long of a trip with so few miles under your belt, and on such short notice is just tempting fate. Stuff happens on the road. You need more experience first.

P