fist big trip

[leolion]

Going on from my love/hate riding thread, whats was your first epic journey?

Ive almost decided before i give up on biking for good in the autumn to do a 200 mile round trip to the coast in summer in one day, im not gonna lie im nervous about doing but its only three roads, a6006, a46 and another i forget at the moment across five counties.

Am i nuts for completing it even though im nervous?

[ThunderGuts]

Prep for it (decide on waypoints, e.g. cafes) so you've got it in chunks. Ideally navigate out unpleasant roads so you're not riding in places you don't particularly want to. Lastly, pick a nice day for it!

Nervous . . . any particular reasons why? 200 miles isn't an especially big distance if spread over a whole day, but I would aim to stop three times over this distance for food/coffee etc. (I imagine you'll need to stop at least once for fuel anyway!).
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TG.

[leolion]

nervous- im a b road blaster, not an A road commuter type ( itll be a week day when i attempt), im also all to aware of how things can go dramatically wrong in the blink of an eye through no fault of my own, but there's no point having a bike if you dont push yourself to get better.

[Teflon-Mike]

May 1990. I collected my brand-new, not run in, Kawasaki AR125 from dealers in Nuneaton, and had to ride it to my uni-digs in Manchester, with an over-night stop at my mother's in Stafford.
With the 'Run-in' instructions', of not exceeding 5ooo rpm and only lifting that 1ooo rpm every 100 miles.... so I had to travel at moped-speeds for the first 300miles or so! That's about 100 miles in two legs, and aprox 5hours sadle time, at run-in speeds. On L-Plates.... 200 miles... Manchester to Plymouth, on the last week of uni-term, to go to a party, was a pretty good way to finish the run-in miles, ISTR.

200 miles in one day?

Hardly a marathon, I have to say; When I got the VF-Though, I'd booked a week-end off work to get the feel of it; I was a little taken a-back when the petrol-guage low-light came on, and I cursed the buyer's guide that complained it only did about 33mph... then looked down at the oddo.... and I had covered about 250 miles, since I had topped up the tank that morning..... hmmmm.... so actually a tad over 50mph-ish then... so much for the buyer's guide specs! But 250 miles, and I had to get home yet!

Take your time! Enjoy the scenery; no point in travelling if you don't take the time to look at what you are travelling through. Stop often. Take more time to look at that quirky building or market cross or whatever; stretch your legs; have a cuppa; remember to have a drink, something to eat.

200 miles in one day, is little different to a week's worth of commuting, doing 20 miles each way, and you probably don't have the half awake rush-hour dolts to deal with..

Make sure that you have done your routine maintenence, and checked the oil, and the tyres, go have 'fun'... that's what its supposed to be about.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[ThunderGuts]

It'll be fine but I'd avoid spending any length of time on straight roads/dual carriageways (and motorways obviously) as they're not particularly enjoyable. As said before, plan your route so that when you have to deal with any trickier sections (unfamiliar towns etc.) you have a good idea of where you're going and can focus on the riding.

Good luck, take photos and post your story back on here afterwards!
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TG.

[blurredman]

Hmm, about once a year I go on a big trip. Normally in two to three weeks..

2015 - around europe trip on my Honda CX500. about 4.5k miles.

this is in bosnia:

2016 - went to ukraine- specifically for chernobyl about 4k i think.

2017 - rode to turkey on my MZ. 4.5k in the end

2018 - rode around mainly north europe. over to france, straight to Estonia- ferry to finlan, ride back through swed/nor/dane etc. 5k.


Big trips are fun!
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k. , 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k

[Nobby the Bastard]

HT is the person to ask for advice if fisting is your game.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[kgm]

If I go out for a run for the day I typically do 200 miles, that's just a normal run and it's often more, particularly if I camp overnight. I've done longer days on the 125 just out for a jolly, mostly on twisty A/B roads in the Scottish border and Highlands.

No reason to be nervous of such a run, just get out and do it and bring a map. I tend to just go where I fancy at the time rather than planning such runs but I agree that regular stops are a good idea, keep hydrated too.

Things going wrong through no fault of your own - it can happen but the vast bulk of such situations are avoidable with proper observations and planning.

[BrownTrousers]

Don't overthink it - 200 miles is a reasonably long day trip but it should be enjoyable: It is not a huge trip requiring too much worrying or planning.

FWIW "big trips" are what always rekindle my love of biking. But by big, i mean a 5-10 day tour to a different country.
My first one was to Wales, then Scotland, then Austria, then Portugal.
I look forward to them all year and they give me motivation to keep 'bike fit'.

You don't say what bike you're on but 200 miles is a decent day trip, but not an epic one. You may get a bit sore if you aren't used to it but take plenty of rest stops and go somewhere you haven't been before - i'm sure you'll love it.
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Ducati Multistrada 950 | Triumph Tiger 800 XR | Honda CBR500R | Yamaha YBR 125 Custom

[leolion]

mt07

[ThunderGuts]

[Confusion]

[leolion]

[quote="Confusion"]

[Bhud]

Make sure you know the way, even if you have a GPS.

Take toilet stops at the services - don't delay them if you need to go, because you never know how far away the next one is.

[pepperami]

200 mile bike ride can be an adventure, why not?
Possibly you could make the journey into four parts.
Four destinations one after another.
50 miles from your home to point one and a stop for fuel & toilet & food.
Next 50 miles to point two for the visit to a point of interest (the coast, museum, nice pub).
Top up with fuel and on to point three.
Point three is a repeat of point one.
Point four is home and bike put away and a nice cup of tea

Get up early, take all day and 200 miles will be a breeze.
If you have all day, then you have plenty of time to make detours and adjustments..
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[steve the grease]

A long time ago 3 mates and a lad from work decided to go to from Stockport to Abersoch for a 'ride'. we were all 17.
A Bonnie , an RD350 a Honda CB175 and me on an SL125. Its getting on for 300 round trip miles when you allow for getting lost.
All I can remember is one lad broke his rear light lens on a rock doing a 3 ( or was it 5) point turn down a dead end, we fixed it with red paper from a green grocers shop.
The lad from work had never been in a pub!
We stopped about 1am at a roundabout somewhere near Chester on our way back, maybe for a fag break or maybe we were lost ( again) . A bloke on a Rocket three stopped to make sure we were alright ( thanks mate) I can still remember the 3 cyl whine as the guy sped off down the road.
It was the things that went wrong that I recall.
200 miles is a great ride , enjoy it