I am looking for some tips and tricks from the more seasoned road trippers?
I am riding from Chicago to Surfside, SC and back with a week of relaxing on the beach in between.
My bike is a 2012 Sportster 1200C. I have Floorboards, Windshield, Sundowners Seat and Sissy Bar with bags- so i think my bike is decently set up. I plan on travelling about 400 miles a day.
Any advice is appreciated.

 

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.....and not just at fuel stops.

 

First thing is how long have your rides been in the past? Have you ridden 400 miles in a day? If not, I suggest you do so first to make sure there are no points of discomfort. Your seat may be ok at 100 miles, but at 200 you may get sore and 250 you may be unable to sit on the bike. Also, same goes for the location of handlebars. If you are reaching for them you could be fine for 100 miles, but at 150 you get sore between your shoulder bales and at 200 the pain is unbearable.

For me a backrest was key. As you have a Sundowner and assuming you are happy with it, you can place your bags on the passenger pillion and use it for a backrest. It may take some experimenting to get it right and you may need a pad or something for it to work, but give it some thought.

For hotels there are two thoughts. One is to book ahead of time and one is to just stop when tired. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Unless I am planning to stop at a location where availability is scarce I do not book in advance. I usually decide when I plan to stop and a few hours before that time I will use my phone to find and book a room. In more remote areas I may do some research ahead of time to see where hotels are so I have an idea of what is available, but I still wait to book. If you are the type that HAS to book a room in advance, be sure to get one that is cancelable, most allow cancelations up to 4pm or so. If you decide to simply stop where you are and book a room I still will book with my phone so I know who has rooms and what the cost. It really sucks when there are two guys and they only have whirlpool suites with one bed, or you don't smoke and only smoking rooms are available.

Other thoughts, drink water or sports drinks and minimize the caffeine as it takes more water to flush the caffeine out than there is water in the drink. Riding dehydrates you faster and you may not feel it until it's too late.
Consider a tank bag and keep stuff in it you may need while riding such as spare glasses, sun glasses for day and clear for night, sunscreen, lip balm, and if you have allergies maybe some eye drops. Tylenol or whatever pain killer you prefer is good too and if you tend to get aches and pains be proactive and take it prior to the pain setting in.

Other than that, have fun and don't hesitate to stop, smell the roses, and take pictures.

And lastly, check out the link to my blog in my signature below for some of the trips I have been on. I normally take 1 or 2 weeklong trips a year

 

If travelling on interstates for long days, I will take frequent short stops to just stand up and walk around the bike, take a drink of water. I will take random off ramps and go straight across to the corresponding on ramp to take these rests on shoulder. You see a lot of truckers doing this too, the thought is that people are generally more alert on the on ramp where they might be tired and coming in a little fast on an off ramp.

When I'm staying at hotels on bike trips, I tend to use the Expedia app on my phone. Towards the end of my riding day, I'll look up hotels during a rest stop that are about an hour away from where I currently am, pick one and book it. This allows me to be a little more flexible on how many miles I want to go that day as I don't have a preset destination I have to make. Sometimes it can be a bit more expensive if there are few or no vacancies. I found that out last year in Jackson Hole, WY as I couldn't find any cheap hotels with rooms and was pretty tired so I ended up booking a fairly pricey room.

 

That's Myth #1... on this link and Why Sports Drinks are a Bad Idea

 

400 miles a day should be really easy unless you are extremely uncomfortable on your bike.

Hydration is important, but so is nutrition. Sometimes I get so excited about going down the road I don't eat very well. That always catches up with me at the end of the day. I almost never get sunburned when I am not on the bike. With the added wind, I will sunburn while riding. I use sunscreen on most any ride over an hour. My forehead and nose is what burns the fastest and worst.

I agree that stopping regular for even a minute or two to take a few steps and drink some water helps me stay in the saddle longer each day. I freeze a half gallon of water and take a half gallon with me. I drink the water as it melts and have more to add to the ice block when needed.

Make sure you have what you need to stay warm and dry. Cold and wet makes for a long day.I never plan where I am going to sleep until an hour or so before I am ready to call it a day. Some days are better than others. I don't want to have to continue when I am ready to stop and I don't want to stop when I am ready to continue. I have had to pay more than I wanted to find a place to stay by not planning ahead, but I have never not been able to find something an easy drive from where I decide to stop for the night.

Dennis

 

The article on coffee is only stating that two or three cups of coffee a day will not dehydrate you. I would be severely dehydrated if I only drank two or three cups of anything on a hot day.
I agree that a few cups of coffee a day aren't going to dehydrate you, but drinking nothing but coffee all day is not going to hydrate you like water will.


Dennis

 

I've stayed in Lowes and Home Depot display sheds after closing time after a long day on the road. Get a meal, pull the bike inside, keep an empty water bottle as a half bath and I'm 75 bucks richer in the morning when I roll out.

 

Agreed - but then, drinking or eating pretty much anything of the one type only isn't all that good for you (like fad diets)
It'll still hydrate you - a cup of coffee is mainly all water anyway, but the caffeine and sugar content might be a bit much.

I'd not refrain from having a cup or two - but coffee, water, tea, fruit juice, water... mix it up a little (more water than I've put in there)

I'm not making attacks on anyone here but I can promise you, the human body is a lot more robust that people are led to believe. Just listen to what it's telling you and act. You have to stop for fuel anyway or stop for a stretch and a walk about... have a drink then and have a sipper bottle in a holder, take a few drinks as you drive if you want to.

People seem to focus of the myth-media reporting - they hear that coffee is a diuretic and think "bad for you". But the main reason the constant coffee is not all that good isn't the diuretic properties but the caffeine content (also why the "energy drinks" can be bad for you)
Similar to the sports drinks - "good for rehydrating sportsmen" then makes them think "good for them = good for me too" when it's less useful for "normal" people.

Of course, if it's 40C and you're sweating like a pig, dripping wet, hell yes, drink plenty of water and when you stop, swig down an electrolyte drink. Some days when I was in the semi I'd drink an easy 6 litres a day (but even then, I'd not have a special pipe from a water bottle).

Just trying to curb a little hype and misinformation. NB all if this applies to a healthy human, not to someone with kidney problems or thyroid issues, etc.

 

pack your rain gear on top. never bury it under other stuff in your saddle bags.