Interstate Travel

[theLeopard]

Hey, gents.

I was thinking of travelling 3,000 miles from San Diego to Seattle after I complete this 30k tuneup. A few questions:

• Do i need to take any special precautions while planning a long ride like this?
• How far/long can I ride my FJ before i need to give the machine a break
• How much oil should i carry
• What should I watch for, mechanically, during the ride?
• Whats the optimal travelling-speed for an endurance trip? I notice the speedometer reds @ 55, is it best to keep at or below that speed when covering long distances?

[FJ1100mjk]

Hey, gents.

I was thinking of travelling 3,000 miles from San Diego to Seattle after I complete this 30k tuneup. A few questions:

1. Do i need to take any special precautions while planning a long ride like this?
2.  How far/long can I ride my FJ before i need to give the machine a break
3. How much oil should i carry
4.  What should I watch for, mechanically, during the ride?
5.  Whats the optimal travelling-speed for an endurance trip? I notice the speedometer reds @ 55, is it best to keep at or below that speed when covering long distances?

1. Yes, but you need to be more specific as to what your concerns are. As your questione is posed, it's too general to answer.

2. Either until or after the low fuel level light comes on. Or, until you need a break yourself. From personal experience, it depends a lot on the individual.

3. How much are you burning through normally? That's a good start. If you're bike doesn't have a history of burning through it very fast, you can always buy it if/when on the road.

4. Chain tension and lubing it, and checking tire pressures, for starters. Again, this list could be lengthy from others' feedback.

5. A reasonable, safe speed, as conditions (and presence of law enforcement) dictate is a good reference.

**** I am absolutely positive others will chime in on the above, as there are a number of others on this forum who have taken on distances that you're about to take. Multiple times too.*****

[aviationfred]

Hey, gents.

I was thinking of travelling 3,000 miles from San Diego to Seattle after I complete this 30k tuneup. A few questions:

• Do i need to take any special precautions while planning a long ride like this?
• How far/long can I ride my FJ before i need to give the machine a break
• How much oil should i carry
• What should I watch for, mechanically, during the ride?
• Whats the optimal travelling-speed for an endurance trip? I notice the speedometer reds @ 55, is it best to keep at or below that speed when covering long distances?

This is all my opinion.
On distance rides, I typically will ride up to 650 miles for a day, much more than that I start to get fatigued and my concentration starts to diminish.

1. Precautions: Stop at least every 100 miles. Give your body and mind a 10-15 minute rest. Keep hydrated, no Coffee, soft drinks, or energy drinks. Water is the way to go.

2. A well maintained FJ is easily capable of running non stop for a full tank of fuel. Typically 180-250 miles (will depend on many factors to determine MPG).

3. The amount of oil that you should carry is subjective to how much Your FJ consumes. I carry 2 quarts with me as a precaution, and check my oil level at every fuel stop

4. A well maintained FJ should cover 3000 miles with no problems. I am going to guess this is a trip there and back   If so, I would not even start without a new set of tires. As a precaution, I would take a spare fuel pump along. A supplamented tool kit is also a good idea. Cycle Gear sells an awesome kit made by Stockton. Practice doing routine maintenance at home with your travel tool kit. It will let you know what it would be like to make repairs on the side of the road or a Hotel parking lot.

5. If you will be slabbing it, (I-5) all the way. The FJ will cruise at 70-90 mph all day long and not even blink. I would suggest an investment in a touring windscreen. Take in to account your own height. If the OEM screen works great for you at 70-80 mph leave well enough alone. For the long distance rides I prefer the air flow to hit the upper part of my helmet, (I am 5' 7" tall) instead of hitting me in the upper chest. Being short, I have great options with windscreens.

Fred

[Firehawk068]

Which way are you going? It is only 1300 or so miles from San Diego to Seattle................

**You will need a break long before your FJ does.  No need to give the machine a rest. Just check the oil/tires/brakes/chain during your fuel stops, mount-up and go.....
**You will probably want to walk around and stretch your legs for 15 or 20 minutes during your fuel stops. Maybe do some light stretching excercises.
**Bring plenty of water with you. The wind rushing over you, over long distances will dry you out.
**Plan on riding in the rain at some point (bring appropriate rain protection with you, and the proper state of mind) The cold and Fog are something you should plan for. Make sure you have warm enough gloves and riding gear.
**Long distance touring is very enjoyable, but it's not for everybody. Make sure you can stand being on the motorcycle for many hours/days at a time.
Pick a day that you have nothing planned. get all your gear on, and plan a whole-day ride around your area (Southern California? LA?) to see if you can handle riding for that long. This will also help your gauge your oil usage, and any issues that may pop up while you are close to home. It also will help you keep in your mind how far you might plan to travel each day to get there and back.
**Most anything that needs attention or fixing on the FJ can be done with the little tool-kit that came with the bike. If you do not have one, put one together.
Make sure you are comfortable with basic diagnostic/repair techniques while out on the highway (you'll be on your own unless you travel with a companion)
**Keep your fingers out of the chain!**
**Have someone help you give your machine a good maintenence once-over. Mark(Monkey) will have an excellent understanding of what it takes to get the bike ready for a long distance tour.
**Plan to install new tires before you go. A round-trip to Seattle and back from San Diego will be pretty close to the max mileage most owners are getting out of the rear tire at least. Make sure that cost it included in your trip budget.
**Ride your ability level..........No stunting or stupid maneuvers during your trip!.......Keeping the right frame of mind, and using a good amount of common sense will get you there and back home safely. Excessive speed will get you a ticket, and added cost that you might not be able to afford to work into your trip budget.......Ride with the flow of traffic. Give other vehicles plenty of room (they do unpredictable things). Ride at whatever speed you feel most comfortable with. The FJ will handle whatever speed you want to ride at, for hours on end!
**If you start to feel drowsy the least bit, pull off the road and get off the bike..............Get some water, or maybe take a short nap on a picnic table bench at a rest area.....Riding while feeling sleepy will get you killed!
**Enjoy the journey! There's lots of amazing scenery out there to be explored, especially up the west coast!

[Firehawk068]

LOL, Fred we were posting at the same time..................Have a bunch of the same pointers. 

[Steve_in_Florida]

I was thinking of traveling 3,000 miles from San Diego to Seattle...

Here's some pointers from a group that specializes in what you're planning:

Iron Butt Association's "Archive of Wisdom" (AOW)  http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm



Steve

[FJmonkey]

How soon are you planning this trip? Have you done long trips on a bike before? Doing shorter trips before long trips helps sort out some of these questions. You get a better feel for the bike and yourself. You are still new to your current bike, some saddle time is important in my opinion. Do you have good riding gear, I have ridden with and without, with is much more comfortable. Leather is my choice with layers under to deal with different temperatures. But textiles are becoming a good alternative with less cost. My jacket is textile. You have a Cycle Gear near you, they have some decent gear under their "Built" brand. It is also good to make shorter runs with experienced riders, you tend to learn things about distance riding faster and the easy way. What kind of luggage do you have? Camping along the way, stops at friends/family, hotel? Do you have rain gear, not having it will means it will rain on you.

Things to think about...

[movenon]

All good points from very experienced riders.  One of the best was mentioned, take some shorter trips. Take at least one over nighter somewhere.  Riding with a buddy can take some stress out of it while you are figuring it out.  No substitute for experience.

What time of the year are you planning to go?  If you slab up somewhere around Shasta, Ca the weather takes a change during the winter.  It is 10:00 AM and right now Seattle is 38.7 degrees and rain in the future. This time of the year expect rain, snow and some ice.  I am just saying expect it.  Make sure you have some rain gear.  And the best gloves you can afford (wind and rain proof).  The rain gear doesn't have to be expensive. In fact I like the cheaper stuff because it compacts down nicely (not bulky) cheap and easy to replace.  For those that do serious daily riding in wet weather the more expensive stuff makes more since.

You will need some combination of bags. Soft saddle bags and a tank bag  would be very useful. Lots of used stuff out there. Check e bay etc..

Just some things to add to your decision.
George

[krusty]

Re; Checking tyre pressures. Before you go set your tyre pressures cold then go for a ride and bring them up to operating temperature. Then take a pressure reading. Use this reading when you make your stops while tyres are still hot unless its your last stop for the day where you can then let them cool and do a cold pressure check.

[Mark Olson]

Re; Checking tyre pressures. Before you go set your tyre pressures cold then go for a ride and bring them up to operating temperature. Then take a pressure reading. Use this reading when you make your stops while tyres are still hot unless its your last stop for the day where you can then let them cool and do a cold pressure check.

So true , you may loose psi after a spirited run thru some extreme twisties. Also if a new set of tires you will loose psi during break-in as the tire seats to the rim.

so knowing your usual psi will be a standard you can count on.

[FJ1100mjk]

Also if a new set of tires you will loose psi during break-in as the tire seats to the rim.

Never heard of that before. Learned something today.

[simi_ed]

Sounds like an old wives tale ...  JMHO

[Mark Olson]

Sounds like an old wives tale ...  JMHO

More like an old man's tale ... ha ha

Depends on how clean your rim is and what was used to mount tire, followed by what kind of break in miles you put on the tires.

Aggressive riding thru twisties will cause loss of tire psi .

Just talking about 2-5 psi at the end of the run.

[pdxfj]

I've done Portland, OR to south of Tucson, AZ and back.  Plus to Colorado Springs and back.  FJ never skipped a beat.

Some tips from my personal experience from riding long distances in all kinds of conditions.

Gear, gear, gear. A heated vest or jacket liner makes all the difference in the world when the temps are cooler.  Not so bad if the sun is out, but if it's cloudy, you'll be chilly no matter how many layers you have on.  Since you're heading north to Seattle, expect it to be crappy from about Grants Pass to Seattle.  A tip I got from Klavdy was to buy a Turtle Fur neck warmer.  This cuts the wind noise in your helmet an amazing amount and also protects your neck from bugs, rocks, etc.  Combine it with a good set of earplugs and there is little fatigue from constant wind noise.  It is a bit uncomfortable in warmer/hot weather but the benefit is worth sweating a little more.

Buy a camel pack and use it.  Sipping on it while riding in any conditions keeps you hydrated and alert.  I prefer this to downing a bottle of water at fuel stops..then having to stop an hour later to take a leak.

For me the ride to my destination usually sucks since I'm out of shape for riding.  The ride home is cake since I'm accustomed to being on the bike again.  Every rally I've gone to I ride in the rain going down, but have great weather going home so I carry all kinds of gear.  Once I'm in shape I can ride from fill up to fill up without having to stop.

Lube the chain when I stop for the night and check the oil in the morning.

If you want a great ride when in WA state, take 101 from Astoria to Seattle and go around the Olympic Mountains.  You can catch a ferry to Seattle in Bremerton or on Bainbridge Island.  I wouldn't suggest 101 in Oregon since the slow speed drivers will make you nuts.

[krusty]

The camelback is a great idea and I know long distance riders that use them. A point with neck warmers is make sure that your helmet is well ventilated so that you're still getting fresh air to breath.