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Any one out there ever tour on their 750 Honda?
I'm considering taking my bike on a 200 mile journey to the beach. I would be riding alone - but during the day.
I've never taken my bike out of the city. I use it as a commuter vehicle.
One of my concerns is that it shakes a bit after 65mph. I never really pay much attention to it because in the city, I rarely get up to 65mph.
The longest I've ever done was 150 miles but it wasn't at full speed. It was more like winding urban roads.
Anyway, any advice on touring 750's would be greatly appreciated

Peace Out,
Noobie

I have toured on a 600 shadow all over the eastern half of the US and a little into Canada. If you have a vibration you need to check your tires for any signs of damage. Look for cracks, bulges, and irregularities. If you find nothing then you may need a wheel balance. As always do a good pre ride inspection checking tires, fluids, lights.look bike over. BE CAREFUL and have a great time at the beach.

I've done 400-500 mile days on my GS500, a bit smaller than your 750 shadow. Here's a guy that did a 7500 mile trip on his Rebel 250:

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18512

@ agraebner: Thanks - I took your advise and brought it in to have my mechanic give it a look-over. Hopefully, it's nothing. But, I suspect it's an out of balance wheel.

@ gsjack: LOL... loved that post

Peace Out,
Noobie

I've got a 2003 750 Shadow ACE. I've ridden thousands of kliks at a time (OK, over several days!) and apart from a little butt-ache, I've never had any major problems. Check the oil, chain tension, tire pressure and gas 'er up and you're good to go!
I'm planning a trip from Edmonton, AB, to St. John's, NL; to Key West, FL; San Diego, CA; Vancouver, BC; and home -- roughly 25,000 KM -- in 2014. My only non-stock concessions to comfort is a custom-padded saddle and highway pegs.

Firstly, several hundred miles to the beach and back is not touring, it's just a longer ride than usual. Secondly, at one time a 750 was considered a large displacement motor and they didn't even make large touring machines. People still toured all the time and did so in relative comfort. I have a 650 Suzuki Burgman scooter with full luggage on it and have driven it all over the country...very comfortably and safely. If you ride like that often you'll learn to appreciate a nice windshield, a gel pad for the seat, and good quality luggage. My 650 will keep up with every Wing on the road all day long with almost twice the gas mileage and all of the creature comforts.

Ride your 750 everywhere and anywhere and don't worry about whether it's "right" for what you're doing. If you find that you actually like touring (400+ miles per day for at least several days at a time) then you can consider a purpose built machine.

Back in the old days I did a five day tour of New England on a Yamaha RD400. In comparison, your 750 is a luxury cruiser. More recently, I've done several-day tours on a Moto Guzzi Nevada 750, which is very similar to your bike.

I bought the Guzzi in the picture new in 2006, and my friend (also in the picture) bought it from me last year:



On this trip last August we did a 2000-mile tour through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. With the Guzzi and my XR1200 a 400-mile day is about as much as we would want to do. The seats get hard, and you get stiff all over. One thing that helps a lot is a bit of sheepskin on the seat. I also found that padded bicycle shorts (under riding pants) also help.

I see in the picture that your Honda has saddlebags. I've found that a top box is even more useful. You can get more stuff in one, and it's easier to get at. I can't make out from your avatar whether your bike has a windshield or not, but even a small one make a big difference on the highway.

We both wore hi-viz vests and slapped some reflective tape on the back of our top boxes:



On a long ride you tend to get a bit tired, so we pull off the road every hour or so for a coffee and a rest. I assume car drivers are tired and inattentive on the highway too, so I always like to keep plenty of distance between myself and everything else on the road.

Got to watch out for traffic jams too:

I've put 71k miles on my Shadow since 2004. If anyone wants to tell me it's no good for serious trips, I'll laugh in his face.

I've been through 14 states and canada on my Honda Rebel. Pretty sure the 750 would be a cake walk.