Advice needed for distance riding?

[MrBee]

I have a new R1200RT. My wife and I would like to go out for about a week of riding. For planing purposes, how many miles per day is about right for two up? Note, my wife has not been for overnight trips. I want this to be fun not enduring. We are both physical active and in our mid 50's.

Regards,
MrBee

[jdmetzger]

I have a new R1200RT. My wife and I would like to go out for about a week of riding. For planing purposes, how many miles per day is about right for two up? Note, my wife has not been for overnight trips. I want this to be fun not enduring. We are both physical active and in our mid 50's.

Regards,
MrBee

This is going to be different from person to person, and also depends on how well the bike "fits" you and your wife. For me, I covered 700 miles between the Vermont rally and my home in Toledo, OH. It took me about 13 hours; mixed rain and back roads, before hitting the slab, and a lack of sleep the night before. I generally wouldn't suggest going that far; I was exhausted when I got home. On the other hand, I can cover 300-500 miles pretty easy.

You might want to try riding two-up for a few hours on a weekend, to get a feel for how things will be. Try a 200 or 300 mile loop and see how you both feel, and adjust from there. You might find 300 is the limit of comfort, or you might find that at 300 miles you're "just getting started". The good thing about a weekend day trip is if you get tired, it's easy to stop for some food and relaxation before finishing the ride. You can also drop off the wife if she gets tired, ride home, and come back with the car. ;)

[username]

you'll get lots of good responses here, but what i've seen in the past is this: every person/couple has a "right" number of daily miles. on a week long trip they will start out and ride a large number of miles. we'll call that X. then on day two they'll ride a similar large number of miles. usually on day three or four they realize they want to do something besides sit on a bike or make fuel stops, and then the number of miles they ride drops a lot - possibly to X/2 and that becomes their typical daily ride. the trip gets re-planned with smaller mileage days, and they have more fun stopping to see stuff and meeting people and fellow travelers. from that point on they know two things: one, the number of miles they can ride if they have to, and more importantly, the number of miles they *like* to ride.

also, i think you'll find that the kind of miles you ride is as important as the quantity. 200 miles on the insterstae is cake. 200 miles of twisty mountains roads with loggins trucks or campers whizzing by is harder.

in short, you and your pillion will have to figure out what's best for you. i'd recommend that your first trip like that be flexible so that if on day three, you dont feel like riding another 450 miles, you don't have to. i also recommend viewing the purpose of this first week-long trip as being the "shakedown cruise" for future trips - make your primary goal for this trip be learning about riding together for a week.

i hope this makes sense.

[20774]

I like to think of it from a "miles per hour" approach. First figure the number of hours you might expect to be traveling per day. For me, I will usually get started around 7am and figure I'll finish around 5pm...I'm usually beat by then, especially during the summer. That's 10 hours. For me, I usually figure 45 mph average...maybe 50 mph if I add some freeway in, which I usually stick to the secondary roads. With all the stops for gas, bathroom breaks, camera shots, etc., I just find it hard to keep up a faster pace. So for me, 400-450 miles is a typical day...any longer than that, I pay for it the next day.

Kurt in S.A.

[chasman]

It's not how many miles you might ride in a day, but, how many hours a day you sit in the saddle. You might ride 250 miles over the course of an 8 hour day on mostly 2-lanes with frequent stops or you may cover 450 miles in the same time frame on mostly interstate.

About 75% of my riding is 2-up with Wife. When we travel for a week or more we like to be on the road by 7:00-7:30am and off the road at the motel around 4:00-4:30pm. This gives us plenty of time to relax before dinner and a leisurely evening. However, if we need to make time we're on the road early, ride tank to tank, and can cover over 650 miles easily in 12 hours.

Regardless of how many miles you ride in a day take time to enjoy the ride. Look around you. Stop at the mom and pop cafe. Make a u-turn to get an afternoon ice cream. Stop at the overlook to take a picture. Enjoy...you may not be back this way again.

[Rasbutan]

I can rip down a 1000 in one without a problem riding by myself. But, add the wife to the back and I have a problem going more than 90 miles without a stop. First, the bike handles different. With her sitting behind me, the air flow changes and I get a LOT of lateral movement. My neck actually gets sore. Second, since I don't have a backrest, she leans into me. This puts a lot of pressure on my back and wrists. Third, I can't stand up to stretch on the pegs. I like to stand, lean way back, shift around, etc.

It'll be up to you both to figure out what's comfortable. I'd plan on riding short days, and if you feel like going more it's just that much easier.

Also, +1 on doing a test ride before heading out.

Good luck!

or, have her ride her own bike!!!! :heart

[DarkCloud]

Do you have places you would like to visit? Just out to enjoy roads and the bike? Making motel reservations?

Me, I'd pick some place within a days ride that you could keep the same motel (better rates) make day trip rides or loops in different directions good roads, places to stop and see things, etc. You could vary your daily ride length, keep the stress out of we have to make it here by? Or where is the next BMW shop? You wouldn't have to load and unload the bike every day. Laundry wouldn't be a problem (most women don't feel right if they don't do laundry every three days).

The main thing is to keep it fun.

JON

[j-budimlya]

Other things that may affect your 2-up riding...

1) is the bike setup with a passenger backrest?
2) what kind of shape are the two of you in? how long can she just sit there?
3) can you adjust the suspension for 2-up riding? it will affect handling
4) do you have a passenger communication system? works well for some and not for others.....
5) correct clothing and helmet options....for the weather....

lots of short trips to work out the details will make a long week/month alot more fun......

BTW, my wife has many of the above worked out....and she has about an 8 hour limit....for extended touring....I can push it for a day or so....but not more.....she starts to fight back.......:hug

[jwhite518]

you'll get lots of good responses here, but what i've seen in the past is this: every person/couple has a "right" number of daily miles. on a week long trip they will start out and ride a large number of miles. we'll call that X. then on day two they'll ride a similar large number of miles. usually on day three or four they realize they want to do something besides sit on a bike or make fuel stops, and then the number of miles they ride drops a lot - possibly to X/2 and that becomes their typical daily ride. the trip gets re-planned with smaller mileage days, and they have more fun stopping to see stuff and meeting people and fellow travelers. from that point on they know two things: one, the number of miles they can ride if they have to, and more importantly, the number of miles they *like* to ride.



This was the experience my wife and I had on our one bike vacation together. I had planned some 500 mile days to get to our destination, but it turned out she got sore after about 300-350. So we talked about it and re-planned our vacation. Instead of seeing Glacier and Yellowstone, we deferred Glacier for another trip and just did Yellowstone. We both had a great time and a memorable trip. While it was a little disappointing to pare down the original itinerary, it didn't matter in the end. You want to explore the world with your sweetie on your bike, and the daily mileage total could be 50 or 500 as long as you're both happy.

Take it a day at a time. Check in frequently with your passenger. You'll figure out your magic number. #1: Have fun together!

[Pat Carol]

I have to learn not to pack on the miles with my wife. When I am solo, I ride from sun up to sun down.
If you attended the Morganton Rally in 1996, you might remember an R100rt with a just married sign. We hit 15 states, 5 mountain ranges, post hurricane Bertha, and fun in the ocean. We also took second place for the North American Grand Tour without even trying.
I have learned that the wife is happy with no more than 500 miles. This also includes stopping along the way and taking in the sights and sounds. We never travel super slabs. We never take a map unless it is necessary. Whatever direction the bike is pointing when parked is the direction we will go.
Keep the miles low for your wife. She will enjoy the trip a lot more.

Take Care
PC

[DocZ]

Load your pod with the complete works of Zappa and ride until the music stops. SWMBO will thank you. :hug

[Motor31]

I have a new R1200RT. My wife and I would like to go out for about a week of riding. For planing purposes, how many miles per day is about right for two up? Note, my wife has not been for overnight trips. I want this to be fun not enduring. We are both physical active and in our mid 50's.

Regards,
MrBee

The first question is, what is the purpose of your riding? Is it to put miles under the seat and just enjoy the scenery as you go by, or do you have destination / objective involved?

1. Many riders feel the ride / drive is the goal so time in the saddle and scenery of the roadside is all they want.

2. If your goal is a destination and you just want an enjoyable means of travel on the way there, the number of hours in the saddle will be fewer and the days driving may be more.

I'd suggest you take a couple day trips first and get an idea of your pleasure limit in the saddle. Once you've done that and have experiance 2 up on your bike you can determine your vacation based on the 2 criteria listed above.

[dlearl476]

I have a new R1200RT. My wife and I would like to go out for about a week of riding. For planing purposes, how many miles per day is about right for two up? Note, my wife has not been for overnight trips. I want this to be fun not enduring. We are both physical active and in our mid 50's.

Regards,
MrBee

There's a lot of good travel advice on the Iron Butt website, not all of it pertaining to IBA rallying. One of the best tips I got from it was that plan to ride LESS each day. On a 14 day trip to BC, I found that 500-600 miles a day the first few days seemed hardly enough, while making 300 the last few days was grueling.

Understand, too, that it's a personal limit and it's only found through trial and error. The best advice there is may not work for you and your wife.
I would suggest for the first few trips simply NOT planning. Ride until you don't want to, then find a place to stay. (Granted, that's easier in the eastern part of the US than the west)

[PGlaves]

For a fun, sightseeing vacation trip start your plan with 300 mile days. These are fun days.

You can stop when you want for a little while, or to see something interesting.

You can have a good lunch - restaurant or picnic - your choice.

You can stop early enough to do something interesting after you stop - camping or motel.

If you are riding through the vast expanses of Nevada you can add some miles - less to see and higher speed limits. If you are in Connecticut plan shorter days - more congestion, more construction, and depending on interests maybe more places to stop.

After a while you will have "touring" days (shorter) and traveling days (longer), and maybe a "gotta get home" day - lots longer.

Make the trip fun.

Paul Glaves

[26667]

ditto to all above, but I'd add; keep in mind that it's a different experience back there. It can be boring with no steering or shifting or speedometer checking to do. It's also tuff to see in front so it's easy to be fatigued from the side to side thing. My wife used to read on long days. I had no idea. I was pointing at stuff and "ya-hoo-ing" and she was reading.

i found a kidney belt, like the guys wear at home depot, helps me. i wonder if it might not help your passenger. and in big letters; earplugs.