Hey my fellow Kaw fans!!!

On November 15 I will be making a 1000 mile trip from FT. Lauderdal ,FL to Washington D.C. No STOPS!!! and probably more importantly no windshield. I am sending out a request to anyone who thinks they can beat it. Simple upgrades include luggage, leather gear etc. 16 hours of winter wind. Tell me your stories and advice. THANKS!!!

Volvo9de40

 

that's weak, i rode up and down my block 16 times yesterday!!

so there jp

glad it's you and not me, i'm not so fond of the cold. good luck

 

windshields are for pussies

 

CCinC has you beat, but I wont spoil his fun. Go get him Chris.

Oh, Welcome to KF. and enjoy the ride. Sounds like it will be awesome, I know the mountains in the carolina's are supposed to be fun.

 

I haven't done a Babybutt (which is what the Ironbutters call the 1000-miles-in-24-hours ride) on the 500 yet, but I've done it on all of my other bikes. Including my W650, (which is an air-cooled Kawasaki with no fairing and less horsepower than our 500). 1121 miles in 22 hours:


I've also done 1375 miles in 24 hours on a (POS) Honda (POS) Superhawk, which only got ~120 miles per tankful:


And I've done one ride from Colorado Springs to Carlsbad (taking the long way to Glenwood Springs, then down through Moab) which was about 1600 miles non-stop on a Harley Sportster, also with no windshield:


There are guys who do the CC50 (which is riding from coast to coast in 50 hours or less.) And even CCC100 (which is riding from coast-to-coast and back again in 100 hours or less.) And let us not forget Leon (the Animal) Begman who placed 17th on the 2005 Iron Butt Rally riding a Ninja 250R, beating many Gold Wings, BMWs and much larger touring bikes.

Tips?
~Don't speed excessively. Anxiety over tickets eats up a lot more energy than you'd think.
~Drink plenty of water and pee at every gas-stop.
~Take a few long rides in the days before your big ride to build up your endurance. The first two days of any major trip are always the hardest; after that, your body is in-the-groove and doesn't hurt anymore.
~Get a credit card for your gas-stops. Having to go in to pay, go back out to pump, then go back in for your change, eats up a lot of time; especially if there is a line at the counter.
~A neat thing we have nowadays are Ipods and MP3 players. Burn a Book-on-CD on that thing and listen to it on headphones. This will keep your mind occupied on that boring interstate slog AND has the added benefit of keeping your speed reasonable so you can hear the book over the wind noise. I rode my ZX9R from San Diego to Philadelphia and back doing this AND DIDN'T GET A SINGLE TICKET!

~Lip balm.
~Stretch carefully like a marathon runner at every gas stop. If people point at you and laugh, then you are doing it correctly.
~Eat five, small grab-n-go meals over the course of the day instead of three large ones. Fresh fruits and vegetables are best.

~Have plenty of change and small bills in a jacket pocket or external tankbag pocket for those stupid tollboths you guys have over there on the East Coast. (I think you call them turnpikes; but out here we have FREEways.)
~24 hours is a long time. Even if you only average 50mph, you'll still finish 1000 miles in only 20 hours. Stay loose and relaxed.
~Finally, there's no shame in not finishing the 1000 miles. I don't do Babybutts anymore, because they're just not that much fun--just burning gas for the sake of bragging rights. Nowadays I'd rather take 4 days to travel 2000 miles so I can enjoy all the reptile museums, shady picnic spots, greasy spoons, and conversations with strangers along the way. You only get so many days-off in your life, so enjoying them is better than risking your neck trying to haul-@$$ back so you can return to work exhausted.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Peace!
-CCinC

 

Nice Tips. Alsovery nice to know I am not alone out there. I did however do a 830 mile+ roundtrip on my ninja 250r from memphis, tn to the dragon tail (deals gap), NC in 24 hours. Needless to say my friends did not come.I 'll be documenting this trip on camera and will be posting when I get back. Ohhh CalamariChris your a badass even if you owned a Honda.

volvo9de40

 

I got you beat... I rode from Augusta, GA to Birmingham, AL and backon my Eliminator 125. What would normally take 4 hours took 7 each way because the Eliminator tops out at 67mph, and that feels like the motor is about to fly apart. Oh yeah, and I'm 6'1" so that is the most uncomfortable I think I've ever been.

 

Top that

 

The longest I've been in one day was Kenai to Eagle River (Alaska) and back in one day (around 8hrs). I think that's only 350-375mi. By the end of that I was wondering if I'd ever be able to use my legs again. I'm only 5'10" but man did my legs feel cramped. The last 50mi were agony. My hat is off to anyone who can do 1000mi in 24hrs.

Oh, and nice yellow speed suit there Chris (snicker)... I think I saw a geriatric on a Gold Wing wearing one just like it, ha ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist the dig. I'm sure it's very comfortable and practical. I hope it's at least waterproof. It just doesn't seem to fit with your 9R's image. Don't mind me, I'm just killing time at work...

 

Yeah, but 500 miles across Alaska is like 1000 miles anywhere else, I hear.

Thanks for the compliment; I do indeed love not comforming to images or stereotypes.
Some people think the 500 does not "fit the image" of a touring bike, but I beg to differ:
http://www.calamarichris.com/05britcol-1.htm


And the suit is water-resistant, but after riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway (and the Dragon) through heavy rain all day, I had more than a gallon of water in that Goretex suit with me. And it all spilled out on the hotelroom carpet when I stopped that night. (Oops.)
Peace!
-CCinC