230 mile trip on my little YBR 125

[oscar-fs]

Hey all,
I am currently at university in Hertfordshire and bought my little bike to commute the 15 miles each way to uni.
I am now weeks away from finishing uni for the summer and want to ride my bike back to my home town in devon.
The pain is that I can't go on any motorways and therefore have a real fiddly route that will defiantly need my iphones sat nav to help me find my way.
Just want some advice really on how I can make my trip less of a pain in the arse;
Was thinking of getting a cheap screen such as this , so that i'm not getting hit by the wind for 6 hours.
Was thinking of maybe breaking the trip up and staying at a hotel on the way so I can recharge my phone and give the bike a rest.

I know the YBR isn't really meant for this kind of trip, am thinking with a service just before the trip it should be able to hack it.

Thanks for any advice or comments you have,
Oscar.[/url]

[cromwell]

No reason why the YBR can't make the trip, as for the screen, I'd weigh up price vs need. If you aren't going on motorways will the wind really make much difference under 60mph ?
It sounds a good summer trip, not to mention the fact it's probably going to cost you <£5 in fuel
Up to you if you take a night off from it, just leave early and find a decent biker friendly cafe you can sit in for an hour or so to break the journey up.
____________________
"unbelievable"
Current - Suzuki Bandit 600
Ex's - Yamaha YBR 125

[G]

Get yourself through London to the A30, take that until it splits in to the A33 and A303, take the A303 and follow that until you get to an appropriate place in Devon?

Shouldn't be too bad.

It was still possible to navigate before iPhones, ya'know .

Personally, I wouldn't worry about a screen for a 125
But then, it probably can't hurt.

Bike should be absolutely fine - it's probably better to keep running than to do the same distance in 15 mile chunks where it warms up and cools down each time.

[pepperami]

I not long went from Ipswich to Lands End and the only motorway I used was the M25.
I could of easily done the trip without using the M25.

My point being that with a bit of planning and an A-to-Z of Great Britain, you can go anywhere.
It really is`nt that hard to get to most places without using a motorway.
A lot of the A-roads are quicker because they are less jammed and more direct, I find??
They certainly are a better ride.

Hertfordshire-to-Devon on a YBR 125 = no problem
____________________
I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[G]

Being on a bike should mean jammed motorways aren't a problem .

[Cheeseybeaner]

[oscar-fs]

Well glad you all think it should be fine, the more I look at the route the more I am tempted to just go for it in 1 day. Im not brilliant with directions so may have to stop off somewhere and take a charger for my phone as I doubt it will last the entire journey.

The route I have looked at was from google maps here and the only tricky bit seems to be getting out of hertfordshire and to the 303, once on that its 80ish miles straight then another 20ish straight and then I will be in newton abbot and in familiar territory.

I thought a screen might just take the edge off getting hit by the wind on the 303 but not so sure now.
I shall be coming back up in august so I guess if I was to get one it wouldn't be just for this trip
thanks for your input guys.

[Linux]

Done this kind of mileage on 125's all the time, will take you about 6-7 hours with a few stops for food, drink, toilet, directions checking, photo's and petrol.

Have you done anything like this before? you will be surprised how mentally exhausting it can be the first few times, but not to the point of needing to stay in a hotel.

I did almost twice this distance with the directions written on paper taped to my fuel tank.

The £50 for a wind should would be put to better use on a few drinks when you it Devon.

Just take a break every 2 hours or so, have a 20 minute walk about, stretch your legs and let the blood return to your arse.

eat well before you leave, and snack when you take breaks, that is important, it used to make me starving.

Enjoy not having miles of motorway to cover, your ybr will love this trip.
____________________
Two wheels are all I need.

[oscar-fs]

Nope never done a long trip like this one, I ride 15 miles to uni and really that's the furthest ive gone haha, I am thinking I will be absolutely shattered by the end and I guess i should schedule my breaks out regularly like you mentioned.
Anything else I would need to consider??
Thanks again everyone, feeling a lot better about the ride now.

[s1h]

Did plenty of long days on my 125 in the past. Don't worry about a screen it's not needed when you're at 50mph

[Copycat73]

[Ed Case]

It'll do it easy, I've toured France and Scotland on a second hand Kawa Z200. You can go around the world on a modern bike as long as your endurance can take it......just enjoy the ride....it'll be something to remember in the future !.