Living for a while in Wisconsin, I decided it was time to take a nice long ride on my 2008 1250S Bandit, which I bought 2 months ago or so. I went to a small town just outside of Montgomery, AL, where I have friends and family.
I traveled about 730 miles the first day, stopping at a friend's place in Monteagle, Tennessee. I learned a lot that first day. The biggest lesson imprinted on me was that while it's been a long time (about 20 years) since I took a long bike trip, I still love it. The second was that Corbin Gunfighter seat notwithstanding, my backside was very unhappy for almost all of the trip. I have to find something to modify it before I do another long ride -- I had an Alaskan Leather sheepskin buttpad; however much relief it provided, it wasn't nearly enough.
I learned that, mostly because of having to give my butt a rest too frequently, I could only manage about 50 miles traveled per hour, although many hours of my trip were spent moving at an indicated 80-85 mph. And while I would have liked to have taken photographs, the stops required would have reduced my net travel speed considerably more.
I had left my current abode around 0530 on Thursday the 12th, and arrived at my friend's place in Tennessee around 1915 that evening. Despite nearly 14 hours in the saddle, we wound up staying up until 0330 Friday morning, drinking beers and telling lies. A great time!
I left Monteagle around 1000 on Friday the 13th, after sleeping about 6 1/2 hours. I only had about 230 miles to go, and it again took me nearly 5 hours. Sigh... Still, some of the back roads (US 21 & 231) in Alabama afforded some great riding.
After carousing with friends and family for nearly a week, I departed Wetumpka, AL at 0615 on Thursday the 19th. After riding about 5 hours, it was too hot for my leather jacket; since I didn't have a place to put it, I wrapped it around my old duffle bag, which I had strapped onto my back seat after filling it with things I was bringing with me from Alabama.
I rode, mostly on I-65, to South Bend, IN. Yes, still making roughly 50 miles per hour of travel, I arrived at a friend's house 745 miles away that evening at 2115. Very weary and saddle-sore to say the least, I was asleep within the hour.
I finished my trip by traveling from South Bend back to the small town in Wisconsin I am living in, again making about 50 miles per hour of travel, but again seeing some beautiful country on the lesser-traveled roads.
A lovely adventure for me. The Givi windscreen isn't quite tall enough, despite being at least 3 inches taller than stock; I could never travel without earplugs, as even with them the wind noise is strong, although not uncomfortable. I was able to listen to music from my phone via the Sena SMH10 on my helmet, which was quite nice, although I think I will get noise-canceling earbuds for it, as it was often (although, oddly, not always) hard to hear above about 80mph, due to the earplugs.
With my tankbag full, my Givi saddlebags full, my dufflebag as full as I cared to fill it, and my own 260 lbs, my Bandit did an admirable job of safely and efficiently getting me from place to place while carrying about 400 lbs.
Although I have a Throttlemeister 'cruise control', I found that I didn't wish to use it much; I like a constant speed, and the throttle lock simply could not deliver that. I was surprised that my arms, hands and back were not very sore at the end of the two 750-mile days, but they weren't.
The entire trip was 2046 miles, over which I got almost exactly 48 mpg.
On the bike is the best way to travel, unless you are in a hurry; I try not to be in a hurry these days.
RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
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"The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right." -- Hannah Whitall Smith
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Sometime back in the Spring, I got a message from Roger "Rsquared" asking if I was interested in a trip up to Wyoming and Montana, near Yellowstone and the Tetons. It would be seven days of riding and camping off the bikes with eight other riders. We had been planning another trip up to SW Colorado, but we decided to do this trip instead since neither of us had ever been to the area.
If you have never ridden this area, it is worth the trip!!
But until then... You'd get an absolute giggle out of the little loop called the "Dump Run" I have. Dirt road two track that somebody had way too much fun putting in... up down up down turn left turn right jump up down....
