Well, I just finished my first long ride going from Utah to Vegas this past weekend. The main purpose was to go down and see the Rush concert. The second reason was to spend Mother's Day there with my mother-in-law and to bring her back to Utah for a family celebration as we just adopted my niece last week! My wife and girls followed down in the car. My son rode all the way down (400 miles) and except for an occasional numb butt, he did really good. He mentioned that this was the best trip ever! Mission accomplished!
We started out Sat. morning and had my good friend Vn2KBob join us for the first leg of the trip. Two V2Ks on the road together- AWESOME!
We stopped 85 miles later in Scipio, UT. We had a nice long break after which Bob returned back home. My wife and girls caught up to me at this point and we pressed on. The day started out a bit chilly but warmed up as the day went on. I started out with a polar fleece vest topped by a leather jacket. I don't have chaps (yet) so I wore my long ski socks. I was very comfortable except for my hands which got cold an hour into the ride. Guess my gauntlet type gloves aren't very insulated. By St. George, UT it was nice and warm so I shed the vest and leather jacket in favor of my mesh jacket with the liner removed and my lighter weight gloves. The ride both ways was on the interstate so not much in the way of twisties and such. We arrived in Vegas about 4 hrs. before the concert.
Rush was AWESOME! It's amazing how three guys who are 50+ can rock the place! My son said the drum solo alone was worth the 400 mile ride. As a drummer myself, I have to agree!
Next morning after some Mother's Day festivities we packed up and started the treck back home to Utah. It was nice and warm so I donned a t-shirt and leather vest for the ride. Was able to wear only that until about 50 miles short of my home where it started to cool off so I donned the mesh jacket over the leather vest. Got windy half way home but it was mostly at my back so that was good. Around Fillmore, UT there was a pretty good dust storm which lasted most of the way home from there.
My almost 11 yr. old daughter joined me for the ride home and she went the whole distance too like her brother. She squirmed around a little bit due to numb-butt syndrome but she loved the ride too. That's two for two. YES!
I did learn a few things on this trip: 1) The V2K is an awsome touring bike! 2) I have 120 mile limit on my butt with the stock seat!
Might have to do something about that someday! 3)Bring clothes for hot and cold temps- at least for this time of year in my area. 4) The Vista Cruise control is really nice on a long trip. Won't leave home without it! 5)The NC chrome lowers I installed work pretty good up to around 70 mph for helmet buffeting. Above that speed the buffeting starts to return. 6) My Cruzer Caddy works real good for holding a 20 oz. bottle of Diet Coke! 7) A windshield is very nice to have. Not only does it cut the wind but also the bugs. After seeing all the bug splats on it, I realized they would have been on me
without it!
The $29 motorcycle backpack/tailbag I bought at Walmart worked good and it was cheap. Held all my clothing items. As a backpack it will hold a water hydration bladder for keeping yourself hydrated. It has a pocket on the back that allows you to slip it over your sissy bar. Works really good!
I know all you experienced riders will read this and think "been there, done that". I would love to hear any other suggestions you experienced guys would be willing to give over the things I learned on this trip. I sure had a great time and would love to hear anything else you guys have learned to improve upon the long distance riding experience.
I covered 806 miles in two days. The mileage was 39.1 mpg. Fuel cost was $81.96. The experience of the ride with my kids- priceless!
Here's a few pics. The one with the really nice red and black V2K belongs to Vn2KBob. Got some with the family and one with me and my daughter as we were riding.