Hours per day?
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 224
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From: Hallsville TX
Hours per day?
I ride to and from work about 90 miles every day. I have never been on a trip that took me over about 8 hours.
I'm looking at riding up to Decker MT from my home in east Texas .
It is about 1400 miles each way.
Question for the fellows that do a lot of traveling, how many hours a day do you normally ride?
My couple of trips at 8 hours had me pretty tired but I'm a early riser so if I head out at 6:00 am every morning, I don't figure I'm going to want to stop at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Looking for advice.
Thanks
Buff
I'm looking at riding up to Decker MT from my home in east Texas .
It is about 1400 miles each way.
Question for the fellows that do a lot of traveling, how many hours a day do you normally ride?
My couple of trips at 8 hours had me pretty tired but I'm a early riser so if I head out at 6:00 am every morning, I don't figure I'm going to want to stop at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Looking for advice.
Thanks
Buff
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2012
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From: Centennial, CO
Are you honest enough to know when enough is enough? I'm a relative rookie when it comes to long rides but have done a couple and 8 hours on a bike is a long day. It may be somewhat less so on a bagger than my Softail though.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2010
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Depends.
If I prepare for it (go to bed early, get up early), I have no problem being in the saddle for over 1K miles.
Generally speaking though, if I'm on the highway and not trying to see how far I can go in a day I'll do 6-700 miles, as this puts me right around 10-12 hours saddle time. When traveling somewhere, I'm usually up early and on the road by 0630 or so, so it's enough that I don't have to rush, can find a place to stop for the night and set up in a campground without bothering the neighbors, or grab a hotel room and be able to relax for a bit. It also leaves a bit of time for sightseeing/pictures along the way.
If doing backroads, I've occasionally been lucky enough to make it 200 miles in the same 10-12 hours (those were really fun roads!).
If I prepare for it (go to bed early, get up early), I have no problem being in the saddle for over 1K miles.
Generally speaking though, if I'm on the highway and not trying to see how far I can go in a day I'll do 6-700 miles, as this puts me right around 10-12 hours saddle time. When traveling somewhere, I'm usually up early and on the road by 0630 or so, so it's enough that I don't have to rush, can find a place to stop for the night and set up in a campground without bothering the neighbors, or grab a hotel room and be able to relax for a bit. It also leaves a bit of time for sightseeing/pictures along the way.
If doing backroads, I've occasionally been lucky enough to make it 200 miles in the same 10-12 hours (those were really fun roads!).
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 224
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From: Hallsville TX
I figure the first half will be over 100 degrees the last have Colorado, Wyoming and Montana should be better
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,692
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From: Denham Springs, La
My wife and I start around 7am and ride for an hour. We stop and get some water, use the bathroom if necessary then ride another hour. We repeat as necessary with an hour stop for lunch. After the 6th hour on the road we stop. It's usually 4 or 5 o'clock pm by then. We get a room, relax for a bit, take a shower then go out to eat. We don't make a ton of miles, 250-400 a day unless we stop more often for sight seeing and depending on if we're on the freeway or back roads or a combination of both. We prefer the back roads. We can do this day after day with no fatigue and we enjoy our trips immensely.
When we rode to San Antonio to ride the Hill Country we spent about 8 hours on the road getting there and were OK but a bit tired. If we did that every day I think it would wear us out. Of course, we're not youngsters anymore. We may try 7 hours on the road next time and see how it goes.
When we rode to San Antonio to ride the Hill Country we spent about 8 hours on the road getting there and were OK but a bit tired. If we did that every day I think it would wear us out. Of course, we're not youngsters anymore. We may try 7 hours on the road next time and see how it goes.
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Big Kahuna HDF Member
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Exactly. I'd also think riding a bike, is a lot more strenuous than driving a car. How much, I don't know. You're basically locked into one position on a bike, whie in a car, you can move your legs and arm around and change butt cheeks too.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
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make your first day the longest one...leave early and do 600 miles. you will be sore and dragging a little the next day...450 to 500 is plenty. the third day will be plenty long as you will be feeling the first two days. future trips will be easier as you build up your endurance and develop your own strategy for road trips.
i find the first day of a trip the best for cranking out the miles--and that last one on the way home is a grind-but hell, you are nearly home...hammer down!
i find the first day of a trip the best for cranking out the miles--and that last one on the way home is a grind-but hell, you are nearly home...hammer down!
Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
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From: Vandergrift,Pa
I have to agree a lot of it will depend on your age and the type of bike you ride. I have been on two long trips and have found that's it's much more enjoyable to pace yourself,stop every 100 miles and take in the scenery along the way. My first trip was through New England states and I was doing 400-500 miles a day which left me exhausted and cranky by the time I got to my destination. Last year I spent two weeks traveling out west and limited myself to no more than 350 miles a day and found myself more relaxed and happier. I am in my early 50's and drive an Ultra. I am in good health and the bike is comfortable. I prefer scenic back roads over interstates. You can definitely rack up more miles on the interstates in the same amount of time but everything goes by so fast. I have found that 300 miles a day with stops for fuel and rest will add up to 8-9 hours travel time. If you get an early start you still have the evening to eat and grab a few beers and relax before bed time.