What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[betoney]

7 hours ago, Dodgy Knees said:

Some great pics coming out of this forum recently,  brilliant.  But I ask, how do you manage these miles in a day. ?  I'm done by 250. Shoulders ache, arse ache, happy to get home ache.  I suppose it depends on the roads, but 250 can take me 6/7 hrs, with stops and chat, maybe too much chat.  🙂👍

Its funny, when riding with buddies, I get MUCH lower mileage in a day, BS'ing, longer breaks and lunch etc.  When riding solo, I am out to RIDE.  When I stop for gas, I use the restroom and then get back on the road, when I stop for lunch, its a quick bite and then back on the road.

I find that I get much more stiff and sore from highway riding because I am not moving as much, winding mountain roads keep me moving around on the bike as well as more mentally focused.

7 hours ago, Dodgy K

2 hours ago, koth442 said:

If you do it frequently enough you build up a tolerance. Plus quality twisty roads tends to keep your mind distracted from the body aches. 

Yes, I like to keep the scenery and road type varied and interesting.

[keithu]

12 hours ago, betoney said:

Ive said it before, our winters absolutely SUCK in the Pacific Northwest but late Spring through early-mid Fall can be unbelievable.  The variety of terrain for riding is amazing, from lush coastal forests to mountain passes to rocky canyons and dry higher elevation desert.

I grew up in Minnesota and Missouri. Trust me, compared to those places PNW winters are sublime. 

[betoney]

1 hour ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Now road conditions, traffic, weather and above all, attitude can effect your stamina, sharpness, focus, concentration and pain level.  And it's hard to maintain a positive outlook and long haul aptitude when it's hot and worse, humid, or cold and windy, and you have to slog through heavy traffic over coarse, bumpy, pot hole strewn roads through seemingly endless miles of straight or convuluted, taxing/boring slab just to get to and from the twisty, scenic, fun, enjoyable stuff for less than half of the total miles traveled.

^^Exactly^^   So many variables that can attribute to a fantastic ride or make you want to turn around and go back home. 

Even when on a road trip, I keep interstate highway riding to a minimum unless I absolutely have to make up time.  When riding from state to state, I still plan the route through 'fun roads', sometimes even going out of the way to reach those roads.

From where I live, I could get to Missoula Montana, Boise Idaho or Redding California in just over 8 hours on the interstate but the 'enjoyable' route takes me 2 full days.

[betoney]

8 hours ago, Dodgy Knees said:

Some great pics coming out of this forum recently,  brilliant.  But I ask, how do you manage these miles in a day. ?  I'm done by 250. Shoulders ache, arse ache, happy to get home ache.  I suppose it depends on the roads, but 250 can take me 6/7 hrs, with stops and chat, maybe too much chat.  🙂👍

Another thing I need to add is: bike setup is critical, at least for me it is.  Ergonomically comfortable, handlebar position (in my case- aftermarket bars with a little more rearward sweep)  A custom built seat makes a world of difference, all day riding is no longer an issue.  Properly set up suspension that is firm enough for the curves yet plush enough for the highways is an absolute must, if you are fighting the bike in the corners or getting beat up on rough roads, you WILL get fatigued faster, mentally and physically. 

[2and3cylinders]

1 hour ago, betoney said:

Another thing I need to add is: bike setup is critical, at least for me it is.  Ergonomically comfortable, handlebar position (in my case- aftermarket bars with a little more rearward sweep)  A custom built seat makes a world of difference, all day riding is no longer an issue.  Properly set up suspension that is firm enough for the curves yet plush enough for the highways is an absolute must, if you are fighting the bike in the corners or getting beat up on rough roads, you WILL get fatigued faster, mentally and physically. 

Uh, somebody already said that... 🙂

[betoney]

12 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Uh, somebody already said that... 🙂

Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder, it occurred to me after reading your post that I left that info out.

Full credit indeed goes to @2and3cylinders 😎👍

[texscottyd]

3 hours ago, betoney said:

Its funny, when riding with buddies, I get MUCH lower mileage in a day, BS'ing, longer breaks and lunch etc.  When riding solo, I am out to RIDE.

100% this.  And as I’ve gotten older, I’m much more of a lone wolf rider.   I have a very small group of trusted friends that I’m comfortable riding with on occasion, but 90%+ of my miles are solo by choice.   

The simple key is to high mileage days is to actually start riding.     I love to be on the road before dawn, and watch the sun rise from behind the bars.  I always chuckle at folks who start their day’s ride at 10:00 am...  You could have had 200 miles in before breakfast, and experienced that magical transition from dark to light in the saddle.   

[keithu]

40 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

The simple key is to high mileage days is to actually start riding.     I love to be on the road before dawn, and watch the sun rise from behind the bars.  I always chuckle at folks who start their day’s ride at 10:00 am...  You could have had 200 miles in before breakfast, and experienced that magical transition from dark to light in the saddle.   

Exactly. One of the best rides I ever had was down PCH from Carmel to San Luis Obispo. This route is famously beautiful, but everyone always complains about the traffic. I left Carmel at about 5:00am, and by the time I got to the south end in Morro Bay it was about 8:30 or 9:00am. In that whole time I think I saw two cars. The photo below is somewhere along PCH just after sunrise.  

I had a similar ride through Yosemite NP once. I left Lee Vining at about 5:30am and crossed Tioga Pass with the sun rising at my back and virtually zero traffic through the whole park. Bonus: I rode through the park entrance before the guard shack opened, so I didn't even have to pay the entry fee! 

[HGP61]

21 minutes ago, keithu said:

The simple key is to high mileage days is to actually start riding.     I love to be on the road before dawn, and watch the sun rise from behind the bars.

In Agreement, sometimes we take too long thinking about stuff and should "just do it". I sat a few weeks ago and planned a 500 mile longest day ride hopefully for next month around the 20th. plan is to start around 4.00am and have breakfast in Fort William after 190 miles. We will probably aim for 15 hours to complete the ride this should make plenty of time for stops. 

[betoney]

1 hour ago, texscottyd said:

The simple key is to high mileage days is to actually start riding.     I love to be on the road before dawn, and watch the sun rise from behind the bars.  I always chuckle at folks who start their day’s ride at 10:00 am...  You could have had 200 miles in before breakfast, and experienced that magical transition from dark to light in the saddle.   

Agreed, morning is my absolute favorite time to ride. 

Last year I did a solo trip to Santa Cruz and on the way home I was up early and on the road taking a few photos up in the hills North of Mount Shasta.  I had texted them to a few friends and shortly got a few return texts complaining about waking them up so early then I realized it was only about 6:45am. 😎

[2and3cylinders]

5 hours ago, betoney said:

Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder, it occurred to me after reading your post that I left that info out.

Full credit indeed goes to @2and3cylinders 😎👍

Just yankin your chain B-Man!

[2and3cylinders]

I'm an early riser.  Drives the wife crazy.  The kids when they were at home hated to get up in the morning; had to use a cattle prod to get them to school.  They're all vampires, the sun fries them and they stay up all night, then sleep during the day.  My wife watches TV till she falls asleep around 4:30 right when I'm stirring.  This REALLY wears on me but SWMBO say's separate bedrooms are out, she didn't get married to sleep alone.  What?

You say how is this pertinent?  

Well I'd also prefer to be on the bike before dawn but I'm exhausted in the AM even with ear plugs, an eye mask and the TV muted and on closed caption.  The friggin CPAP and sciatica are other big drags.  Then it takes me at least 2 ~ 3 hours to get moving (figuratively and literally) and for the pain killers to kick in.  So while I'm up and at em by around 5 and OOB by 6:00, it seems I'm never rolling down the driveway before 10.  It drives me crazy!

[betoney]

5 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

So while I'm up and at em by around 5 and OOB by 6:00, it seems I'm never rolling down the driveway before 10.  It drives me crazy!

On the bike by 10am beats not being on a bike at all.  Cherish being able to even have a late start.👍

[Dodgy Knees]

12 hours ago, HGP61 said:

In Agreement, sometimes we take too long thinking about stuff and should "just do it". I sat a few weeks ago and planned a 500 mile longest day ride hopefully for next month around the 20th. plan is to start around 4.00am and have breakfast in Fort William after 190 miles. We will probably aim for 15 hours to complete the ride this should make plenty of time for stops. 

Some of the best roads I've ever seen around Oban. Road the NC500 last may in the sun and was fantastic. Never been up the east side, Edinburgh,  Perth  etc.

For me, with 15 hours riding, the second half wouldn't be as enjoyable.  

Good luck.

[HGP61]

48 minutes ago, Dodgy Knees said:

Some of the best roads I've ever seen around Oban. Road the NC500 last may in the sun and was fantastic. Never been up the east side, Edinburgh,  Perth  etc.

For me, with 15 hours riding, the second half wouldn't be as enjoyable.

With the two friends I regularly ride with we might plan but always like to keep things very flexable. No point in chasing miles just for the sake of it if its not enjoyable and our best laid plans can often gang aft aglay. Fantastic roads up the eastern side as long as you avoid the A9. The Cockbridge to Tomintoul road regularly has snow gates closed in the winter is fantastic on a summer day.

We are hoping to do the NC500 again this August if facilities and campsites are open. Can only plan and hope.