Not an iron butt'r but i suggest , as someone did already, get acclimated to longer rides beforehand, Take some longer then usual rides, they'll help you get in biker shape,

 

Lots of good advice here, stay hydrated, seat pad of some kind, sunscreen, etc.


What works for me on long rides is taking a short, five minute break every hour or so. Just stop in a safe, convenient spot, get off the bike, stretch, walk around the bike a couple times (also a good time to make sure everything is still tied down OK.), get back on and go. I'll take a little longer break at gas stops. I can comfortably do 6-700 miles a day that way, and not be sore afterwards.


That technique might not work for Iron Butt rides, if your goal is simply to cover a whole lot of miles. That's when an aux gas tank and a **** tube would come in handy. I'm not knocking it though, I have seriously considered about doing the 50CC Iron Butt ride, 50 hours coast to coast.

 

Make sure you get rested a day or two before you leave. Same for hydration.

I make sure to eat a decent breakfast (no coffee), and then eat light the rest of the ride until I get to my destination for the evening. On the ride, I stick to just nuts, granola bar, or fruit. Water at every stop.

I try to keep stops to 15 minutes or less. Gas, ****, eat, drink, go.

I stop every 140 miles or so. Sometimes a little less, depending on what I feel like, or if I'm doing more back roads instead of the open highway. If my wife is with me, we're stopping every hour, period.

I get an early start, but not crack of dawn early. By 9am, I'm rolling. I usually try to get to the destination by 7pm or so, because I'm usually beat by that point.

Using that technique, I can usually do a 500 mile day no problem, and still have time to get dinner in and relax at the end of the day. But much less than that if I'm riding 2 up.

 

Take a variety of clothes, it may be hot, cold, wet, etc at various places. On our last trip we saw 50's and 90's......and don't forget rain gear and sunscreen

We ride about 200 miles (1 tank of gas), and then stop for a drink and snack.meal to stretch the legs. We always carry some water and snacks on the bike, just in case.

I try to be off the road by dinner time each day. That's usually 400-600 miles on the highway, less on back roads.

Make sure the bike is adjusted to you. Only you know if you need an Airhawk pad (I do), a backrest (I do), an aftermarket seat, highway pegs, etc, etc

Plan for the unexpected....tire kit, small tool kit, tire pressure gauge, saucer for the jiffy stand on soft ground, etc

Call your bank if you plan to use your debit/credit cards and let them know you'll be traveling. Several small purchases at gas stations we always do are enough to trigger the fraud detection. We've had our cards shut off before. So always carry some cash as a backup, and make sure the bank has your cell phone number and not your home number to contact you. Learned this the hard way....

Give the bike a good going over just prior to leaving...tire pressure, oil, etc.

 

Use a minimal amount of air in it.....it doesn't take a lot.