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I'm debating to ride or not, the thing is we have a YoungLife leader weekend this weeked in VA. I'm debating leavig early tomorrow morning and riding down.

The thing is i'm scared to; I havent taken the msf course yet, my bike only gets around 130 miles/ 336km to a tank, and its quite a long trip.

I mean i have gone around 2400 miles since i purchased my bike last year. It's just that i dont feel confident riding that far...

What do you guys think?

Why don't you feel confident? (and when the heck are you going to take the course - you've ridden 2,400 miles already??!! )

If you're prepared and have the proper gear and attitude about it I don't see why you couldn't do the trip. If you're concerned about gas mileage, go to www.mapquest.com and plan out your trip, then print it out to take along with you. I'm pretty sure you'll find a gas station at frequent intervals, but if you're worried about running out then take a small gas can along with you. I used to carry a whiskey flask full of unleaded when I had my Sportster with the stock gas tank... used it a couple of times until I learned to plan ahead on long trips. A good rule of thumb is to take a break once every hour - 5 minutes is all you need to stretch, grab a drink of water and get gas if you need it... unless you're out in the middle of the desert (or wayyyy deep in banjo country) chances are there'll be more gas stations than you'll need along the way.

Hey, anyone can ride around the block - taking a long trip is an adventure that will make you stronger for the experience!

if you have an inner voice telling you not to go dont go.i have heard this voice many times i do not ignore it.if gas is all you are worried about that is practically a non issue.

If I wasn't confident riding that far yet, I wouldn't do it.

It's never too late to take the MSF. Lot's of great information for newbies as well as seasoned bikers.

if your not ocnfident in doing something chances are you shouldnt do it. along the way you dont want to be second guessing yourself the entire time youll be miserable. not a way to start off something regretting it knowing once you start you cant go back and have to just tuff it out. although after the first 30 minutes you might be fine and rejoice in having decided to do it.

maybe a shorter trip is a better way to build your confidence go for a late night 1-2 hour ride, then 3-4 etc.

Intuition is what's talking to you, and you should listen. Plus, if you're wanting to leave tomorrow morning, are you truly able to prepare in this short amount of time - enough luggage to take your stuff, first aid kit, rain gear, snacking food, water, etc..., AND is your bike ready for the trip. Keep your safety at the forefront of your decision, and pay attention to your inner voice. If you decide to go anyway, just be careful, allow extra time for problems, and enjoy.

Cheers,
Loonette

well an update at 5:30am est. I get a call at work at around 7pm that my sister and her friend had driven up to chicago for the heck of it, and my sisters friends car died around 50 miles away from chicago on their way back.

So i leave work early and ride home to get my car. it takes me around 4 hours to get up to where they are and 4 hours back and i am beat...

i also realized that i should probably change the oil in my bike before i head out tomorrow, being as i havent yet. So all in all i dont think i;m going to be in any condition for a 5 hour ride tomorrow, err today...

Is not that i;m not confident enough to take the trip, its just that i've never gone that far in one outing sure i've had 150 mile days which didnt faze me a bit( i could have done more). I think its the whole "if the bike breaks down how close is the nearest help scenario..."

I plan to schedule the MSF course as soon as i get back, the reason i'm hesitant to do so is i got a speeding ticket in my car a while back and i signed up for traffic school. They havent contacted me when i'm going to take it. So i dont want to sign up for the course only not to be able to go to it...

bah oh well...