Who tours on a sports bike? [Archive]

CookMySock

27th August 2008, 15:39

want to know if people have done this and regreted it due to riding position etc and getting to tired/sore to actually enjoy the ride.It took me months for my wrists to get used to the sportbike riding position, but after that I was all go like a rotary hoe - all over the north island piece of piss.

I found it was much easier on my wrists if I kept some pace on. Dawdling around at 90clicks hurt a lot. Cruising at 140k - no probs! It also helped when I was busy cornering and weight shifting a lot rather than sitting still.

I have had zero back problems from it. In fact, my back is the best it has ever been, and I have a mild back injury from a couple of years ago.

If you think you can jump on an unfamiliar sportbike and tour the country right away, I would like to suggest the answer to that is "no", unless you are young, skinny, fit, and flexible, and even then, I don't think you will have fun.

Steve

scorry

27th August 2008, 15:40

should be fine but keep the stops reasonably regular, like every 100-150km.
did 1500km on my cbr in a weekend, was fine as long as you avoid the looong staright and stop often

-df-

27th August 2008, 15:51

Wife will be on her restricted so wont be hooning around (unfortunatly).

Currently working on the fitness side of things at the moment.

Rode a ZZR250 back from taupo the other week (wifes new bike) and didn't have any problems...but then its a sports tourer.

Will definatly be taking the bike out for a good ride every weekend leading up to it though to help...but don't know if that will be enough.

Stopping for breaks will definatly be high on my list I guess!!

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 15:55

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 15:58

Another thing is - sports bikes make me wanna ride fast - softly sprung nakeds and tourers make me wanna cruise and take in the view.

So unless your idea of a tour is you and the missus racing from A-B....

ajturbo

27th August 2008, 16:00

i have done 3500k to the buell rally in the south island (via taupo)... then anther 2500k to the hog rally

all this on my XB12R....:banana:
so get out there and do it!!!

yod

27th August 2008, 16:00

i've done it on an RF and a Blackbird which fall into that sports-tourer category, but i tour with a ZX9R and 3 x Daytona 955s on occasion and it's no issue

-df-

27th August 2008, 16:01

Hmmm... Sorry if I come across as a bit direct ..

If you have to ask then the answer is NO!

Sportbikes can be toured on - provided you're used to the crouch, holding yourself up with your abs, gripping with your knees and heels...

You also need decent wrist, thigh and lower back/abs (core) body strength.

If you already spent all day in the saddle then you'd know this and wouldn't have to ask....so perhaps for this trip perhaps stick to more upright bikes.......

Anyway if you must - 2003-2004 Gixxer thous are the most comfy bikes, followed by later model gixxer thou's, 04/05 ZX10R's (unless you're over 6"), then R1's and CBR's, later ZX10R's.

Also have a look at a Blackbird and CBR954. The Blackbird is extremely comfortable.

From the naked side - the Hornet 919 is an excellent bike.

Yeah, I know its prob going to be bad...used to ride my ZX7R everywhere without problems...but then I'd be riding for a bit and its been a year since I have been (ignoring trail riding) and didn't really tour on it at the begining which is basically where I'm at again.

Not a fan of the GSXR's looks so that kinda rules that one out for me unfortunatly.

-df-

27th August 2008, 16:03

Should also note this is a trial for a europe trip with the misses...and definatly want a thou for that (germany...mmmm, auto bhan and the ring)

Hense why I want to try NZ first

idb

27th August 2008, 16:03

I tour on my 888 all the time, often two-up.
It isn't really a problem as long as I stop every hour to an hour and a half or so.

The longest I ever did was when I bought it and rode it home.
I rode from Hamilton to Wellington on one day and then from Picton to home the next.
I didn't stop except for fuel and by the time I got to Omarama I could hardly put my legs down and quite simply had to stop as I couldn't feel my throttle arm or operate any of the hand controls.

Mind you I also have a sports tourer that I much prefer to tour on and if your intention is to do a lot of touring I would suggest you look in that direction as most sports tourers are very capable scratchers these days as well.

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 16:11

Yeah, I know its prob going to be bad...used to ride my ZX7R everywhere without problems...but then I'd be riding for a bit and its been a year since I have been (ignoring trail riding) and didn't really tour on it at the begining which is basically where I'm at again.

Not a fan of the GSXR's looks so that kinda rules that one out for me unfortunatly.

Good stuff mate.

Another thing is riding a sports bike will be more tiring than a tourer. So that's gonna limit the level of energy you have for the time when you are not riding.

Also remember whatever you can do to reduce fatigue will give you more energy to concentrate on the road and make the riding less of a chore.

Once went for a longish ride on my sport bike and a mates tourer, swapped bikes and the diff was so obvious. My bike was set up for the track, so bounced around, the suspension would barely move at legal speeds, the brakes were so harsh.... however get the speeds up and it all came together. Riding my friends tourer I could just ride at 80-90kmph and it seemed perfectly normal.

Could you please Try and test ride a Blackbird before making a decision.

Cajun

27th August 2008, 16:17

earlyer this year we toured the SI on three bikes, 08 busa, 06 rsvr, 04 gsxr600.

busa/rsvr had packracks & tank bags
gsxr tank bag, saddle bags.

Manged to carry 2+ weeks worth of clothing with us, sleeping bags etc.

I had some issue with sore arms on the the 600(end end of trip), but it is rather small bike for touring on day in day out, a bigger 1000cc be fine, since they are more roomy for my 6'2 frame.

But like anything pack light, and make sure you stop at places that can you do washing,

my bags consited of sleeping bag, jeans, shoes, 3 shirts, 4 underwear, 4 socks, togs, towel. I was always wearing a shirt/jumper, shorts, 1 underwear 1 socks, under the leathers.

-df-

27th August 2008, 16:17

Good stuff mate.

Another thing is riding a sports bike will be more tiring than a tourer. So that's gonna limit the level of energy you have for the time when you are not riding.

Wife wont like that... :shifty:

But good point, never really thought about it that way.

ajturbo

27th August 2008, 16:19

PrincessBandit

27th August 2008, 16:21

Hmmm... Sorry if I come across as a bit direct ..

If you have to ask then the answer is NO!

Sportbikes can be toured on - provided you're used to the crouch, holding yourself up with your abs, gripping with your knees and heels...

You also need decent wrist, thigh and lower back/abs (core) body strength.

If you already spent all day in the saddle then you'd know this and wouldn't have to ask....so perhaps for this trip perhaps stick to more upright bikes.......

.

going to do Auckland - Christchurch at Christmas on my GSF. Husband will be on his "mobile armchair" (the 650 burgman) and son will be on my ginny. My bandit has the more upright rather than crouched riding position but my wrists still get a little sore after about 2 hours straight. Nothing I can't live with, but the other thing is making sure your butt is "saddle ready"! Had my seat re-foamed a few months back due to a majorly sore backside after a few hours and my arse has been sweet since (so to speak). but leaning onto wrists is not good over extended periods so take the weight off them periodically. have fun, we intend to! p.s. rode the burgman to hamilton and back the other week and the sitting position on that compressed the base of my spine and i found it a little uncomfortable after a while, had to keep wriggling to ease the discomfort. Just did auck-tauranga return yesterday on the bandit and the ride was sweet as, no back problems, no butt problems, just the wrists towards the end!!

forkoil

27th August 2008, 16:23

Get back to work Gus :whistle:

The Stranger

27th August 2008, 16:30

It took me months for my wrists to get used to the sportbike riding position,

I found it was much easier on my wrists if I kept some pace on. Dawdling around at 90clicks hurt a lot.

I don't get it, how does a sprot bike hurt your wrists in general riding or touring?
Or did you have a pre-existing wrist condition?

alanzs

27th August 2008, 16:37

Toured all over the Western US on a Hayabusa. Is that a sports bike? :eek:

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 16:37

I don't get it, how does a sprot bike hurt your wrists in general riding or touring?
Or did you have a pre-existing wrist condition?

A lot of people put their weight on their wrists in a "push-up" type posture to begin with, instead of gripping the bike with their legs and holding their body up with their abs tensed.

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 16:40

Toured all over the Western US on a Hayabusa. Is that a sports bike? :eek:

Touring = riding around 100kmph and going around corners smoothly.:cool:

Hooning = riding around at 100mph, the corners -yaayyy corners:headbang:

Did you tour or hoon? Be honest now.:devil2:

Suzi Q

27th August 2008, 16:40

I don't get it, how does a sprot bike hurt your wrists in general riding or touring?
Or did you have a pre-existing wrist condition?

On a sports bike you are naturally putting a lot of weight on your wrists as you are leaning forward.

I had an R6 which I took down to Queenstown from CHCH for a rally - had full pack rack and saddle bags. I coped much better than I thought I would. I reckon a really good fast sports tourer would be the 'Busa - speed and comfort all rolled into one large package!!!! I now have a GSR600 and it is much more upright, not sure how that is going to be on a long trip as I haven't toured far - just to Waimate and Woodstock - but so far so good. Sometimes the butt gets a little uncomfrotable but as long as you stop at least every 2 hours then all is good.

idb

27th August 2008, 16:41

A lot of people put their weight on their wrists in a "push-up" type posture to begin with, instead of gripping the bike with their legs and holding their body up with their abs tensed.

What are these "abs" you speak of, I haven't got any of those.
I now have an A-frame mounted on my bike and I'm suspended from that by nipple clamps.
It takes all the weight off my wrists.

SPman

27th August 2008, 16:43

Auckland to Wellington and back on a long weekend, no problems....
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa36/JonL_photo/tourer.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa36/JonL_photo/Tocoldkiwi903a.jpg

Now, it's a little more sedate.......:msn-wink:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa36/JonL_photo/Bikeandstool.jpg

fuck this - why is the IMG code disabled!

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 17:02

What are these "abs" you speak of, I haven't got any of those.
I now have an A-frame mounted on my bike and I'm suspended from that by nipple clamps.
It takes all the weight off my wrists.

Would reply... but I'm too busy --> :killingme

more_fasterer

27th August 2008, 17:27

Did a 5500km round trip down to invergiggle & back on my 400, with only a weekend blast to napier & back as preparation. Had the seat re-padded which made a great difference, otherwise my knees would've got uncomfortable quite quickly.

As has been said above, the racing crouch becomes less of an issue at 110-ish as the wind pushes against your chest. Having a tank bag to prop yourself up on while cruising through towns etc helps. Stop every ~150km and stretch.

Have fun!

-df-

27th August 2008, 17:37

Get back to work Gus :whistle:

haha....*looks at time*...wait a second...

Pussy

27th August 2008, 17:59

Gassit Girl and myself did a few 600km+ days last summer on our K6 750s.... no discomfort, bloody great little bikes to tour on

27th August 2008, 18:02

I do the Sth Island circuit twice a year, but must confess I've chosen luxury Tourers; Fireblades, ZX6R and now the softest tourer so far, often referred to as the British couch on wheels - Daytona 675.

When I buy one of those uncomfortable sprots bikes, I'll let you know if they are painful.

CookMySock

27th August 2008, 19:30

Sportbikes can be toured on - provided you're used to the crouch, holding yourself up with your abs, gripping with your knees and heels...I don't do any of that, and I can ride 4 hours without a break, not that I recommend that. Wrists got used to it after about six months.

Another thing is - sports bikes make me wanna ride fast - softly sprung nakeds and tourers make me wanna cruise and take in the view. So unless your idea of a tour is you and the missus racing from A-B....If you are cruising with your wife, you are going to be following her at her pace - this was VERY hard on my hands. As soon as I was back to 120clicks on my own I was mint again,

A lot of people put their weight on their wrists in a "push-up" type posture to begin with, instead of gripping the bike with their legs and holding their body up with their abs tensed.That seems to be what I do. I have no problem with it, except under 100k's.

It sounds to me like you should just do it. Its not going to kill you.

HTH,
Steve

Swoop

27th August 2008, 19:46

On a sports bike you are naturally putting a lot of weight on your wrists as you are leaning forward.
You shouldn't have any weight on your wrists!

Bikernereid

27th August 2008, 19:46

How long are yu plannig to tour Europe for and how much d you want to see? This summer OWNER with me pillioning did over 7000k in just over two weeks due to time constraints. I would recommend that if you can go for longer do it. The distances here are way beyond NZ standards and you may well find that your wrists sieze up quite severly if you have a long ride and not much time to do it. If you can take as many breaks as possible and stay off the highways (they are boring as sin). IMHO

We had previously done NP to Auckland on OWNERs CBR600RR and I think that even OWNER will admit that our Yamaha Fazer 600 is a far more comfortable ride over longer distances. The longest ride we did in one day was from Zurich (Switzerland) to near Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and that was a very hard days ride (over 900ks). There is no way OWNER could have done that ride safely on the CBR.

At the end of the day it is your choice but I would suggest that if you want to enjoy a trip round Europe it is far more enjoyable if you are not constantly in pain and not enjoying the ride or the scenery. IMHO

piston broke

27th August 2008, 19:57

if the weather is ok this weekend,i'm gonna go down to hawkes bay on saturday return sunday.
if all goes well i'll let you know how an unfit (enough of winter) rider goes over 1k/km in 2 days on a sportsbike.
fingers crossed for nice'ish weather

TLDV8

27th August 2008, 20:41

A Corbin seat made long days easy as far as the TL went. :niceone:
Before that by 600 kms the stock seat was getting to be a (real) pain.

<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c345/manurewa/DSC02230-1.jpg>

justsomeguy

27th August 2008, 23:52

I don't do any of that, and I can ride 4 hours without a break, not that I recommend that. Wrists got used to it after about six months.

If you are cruising with your wife, you are going to be following her at her pace - this was VERY hard on my hands. As soon as I was back to 120clicks on my own I was mint again,

That seems to be what I do. I have no problem with it, except under 100k's.

It sounds to me like you should just do it. Its not going to kill you.

HTH,
Steve

DangerousBastard your hands simply got stronger and used to the strain over six months. One shouldn't feel any strain at any speeds if one has proper posture, which again comes from practice.

Not directed towards Dangerous B - but in general.

There shouldn't be any weight on your wrists. If your bike is set up normally it should ride in a straight line with only the slightest pressure from your hands to maintain direction - not grip. To change direction you simply push on the bar and peg on that side with your hand and foot.

Keith Code advises that you should be able to wiggle your elbows freely and be able to swing them to touch the tank depending on the length of your arms. If you can't do that easily you are gripping too tightly.

This is more important on sports bikes as the firmer suspension means the bars may judder more than cruisers or tourers meaning more wear and tear on your hand muscles during the ride. This may seem like gay oversentivity but it all ads up if you're trying to do some higher speed all day riding and need your emergency countersteering abilities ready when you want them to be.

-df-

28th August 2008, 08:14

Okey Dokey

28th August 2008, 08:28

justsomeguy, I couldn't agree more with what you have written.

I've toured 2-up on my gixxer, all around N and S Islands. I have a Ventura pack that holds all the 2 of us need. Note- we don't carry a tent, but stay at friends or tourist cabins at campgrounds.

In my experience, the best way to get motorcycle-fit is to ride.

Good luck and enjoy your tour!

terbang

28th August 2008, 08:30

Biggest tour I ever did was on a Hayabusa it was 6000 KM in 2 weeks. Not exactly a sport bike, but still quite a crouched riding position. I was pretty well beat up on the first few days but sort of got used to it and it all went fine. Apart from the memory loss and headaches from all the beer drinking, I arrived home in reasonable shape and had an awesome trip :Police:. I rode my old GSX1100F (its a sport tourer) from Nelson to Auckland last week. A much more plush and comfortable ride considering all the rain. The biggest difference I notice is in the fairing, the busa is faired with speed in mind (hot legs, cold body & frozen hands) while the 1100 is more faired for rider comfort.

CookMySock

28th August 2008, 20:55

There shouldn't be any weight on your wrists. If your bike is set up normally it should ride in a straight line with only the slightest pressure from your hands to maintain direction - not grip. To change direction you simply push on the bar and peg on that side with your hand and foot.Oh ok. I dont grip tightly. I make a point of taking a firm wrap if there is an oncoming truck, in case I put pulled off the bars by the buffet. My difficulty was leaning forward on the bars at slow speed. At 100k and over there is little or no weight on the bars, and I dont get sore wrists. The faster I go and the more time I spend off the seat, the more comfortable I am. Earlier on, around town was a real BIIIIAAAARRRRRCH on my bike, but less so these days.

This is more important on sports bikes as the firmer suspension means the bars may judder more than cruisers or tourers meaning more wear and tear on your hand muscles during the ride. This may seem like gay oversentivity but it all ads up if you're trying to do some higher speed all day riding and need your emergency countersteering abilities ready when you want them to be.Hrm, my most comfortable riding postion (more forward) isn't compatible with my most powerful countersteering position (seated well back.) To be comfy, my shoulders are more overhead the bars, meaning I can apply limited force. When seated well back, its a straight push to the bars, so I can push hard and suddenly (not that I do much) and also my front gets jittery with all my body weight on it and throttled off. Conversely, sitting back and powered on it feels like it will corner forever.

Shot through to auckland today, 3 hours. Cruisin at 110 to 140k no sore anything whatsoever. Brain was a bit fried after 3 hours and a bit (from hoofin it), but body was mint in all respects.

Interesting, justsomeguy. Thank you for your insight and feedback.

Steve

R1madness

28th August 2008, 21:05

I have spent my whole biking life touring around on various sports bikes. The roads are well suited to it here in the south island. Even in canterbury there are enough twisty bits to keep you interested. Carrying gear is easy with a good set of panniers and a tank bag. Nothing like pulliong up next to a fully laden dresser at a stop and comparing distances travelled in a day.

Grub

28th August 2008, 21:19

I'm totally blown away by all these people saying ... don't do it, it hurts. What sort of horror machines are they riding I ask myself.

I was very careful about my bike selection the 2000/01 CBR600's were the last Honda sportsbike to have a decent riding position - so that's what i bought. Since then, sports bikes have gone to clipons and all that sort of garbage and made them totally useless for anything but a wank or track days.

I've now done 20,000km in 9 months on my CBR and have ridden for 12 hours with only gas/meal stops. So it comes down to being clever about what you buy. Don't buy something like an R1 or R6, GSXR etc etc because they're crap for touring ... but there are great sportsbikes out there that you can tour on.

glice

28th August 2008, 21:25

I've toured on my cbr250 before. wasnt all that bad.

R1madness

28th August 2008, 21:34

Don't buy something like an R1 or R6, GSXR etc etc because they're crap for touring ...

eh??????? what a load of crap. I did the whole south island in 4 days a couple of years ago on my old R1. It was fine.

98tls

28th August 2008, 21:49

Happily tour on my TLS with no problems.

NighthawkNZ

28th August 2008, 21:53

Happily tour on my TLS with no problems.

I happily tour on the VTR as well with no problems... and happily riden all day with only a couple of break mainly for fuel...

As for sore wrists... not really I get a sore but before that happens.... but touring just throw over the sheepskin.

Grub

28th August 2008, 21:54

eh??????? what a load of crap. I did the whole south island in 4 days a couple of years ago on my old R1. It was fine.

Hehehe ... I knew that'd be like farting in church. I didn't really mean to crap on people's prides and joy ... but I've ridden some of those bikes and they just hurt ... so I was using my artistic license a bit to make a point about being aware of what you buy for your needs.

I mean there's more posts in this thread saying that touring on sprotsbikes will hurt. There has to be something wrong there somewhere.

NighthawkNZ

28th August 2008, 22:03

I'm totally blown away by all these people saying ... don't do it, it hurts. What sort of horror machines are they riding I ask myself.

Obviously they are not set up correctly for that rider...

R1madness

28th August 2008, 22:14

Grub. When you make comments like that you are just running down other peoples bikes with no justification whatsoever. Its not cool. A ride around the block doesn't count as having ridden a bike. Any bike is fine for touring if it fits you and you can handle it properly.

puddytat

28th August 2008, 22:24

Ive got an R6,& I do everything except the missus on it....3500ks round the Norf Isl. in March in 6 riding days,sure I got a bit stiff but that was when I was on the motorway bits & wasnt able to "move" on it like I normally do when fanging it.
Like others have said youll probly get sore going slow & like they've said get into the habit of supporting yourself on the tank with your knees & abs....
If youre 6ft plus though it might be a different story, but Im sure youll HTFU!!

-df-

29th August 2008, 08:11

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Decided that I do just need to HTFU, teach my wrists a lesson that I'm boss and they will do what I tell them to do (haha, like that happens!)

Unfortunatly I'm 6'1 and lots of people are saying that could be a problem...

Thought I might have found the perfect bike yesterday, R1 street fighter (comfy with all the goodies of a true sports bike)...luckily I noticed the oil dripping out after the ride...walked away from that in the end...but one fun ride!! kinda like an insane MX bike.

MarkW

29th August 2008, 08:57

From my experience you can tour on anything if you are determined enough.

My first tour 36 years ago was on a Honda SS50.

15 years ago I shipped my RG500 to Los Angeles and rode that to Branson, Missouri via Denver Colorado in the middle of a US summer. Didn't have a lot of time to get back to LA so did Branson to LA in 3 days - more than 4000km.

Rusty Nuts 1000 milers done on the same bike, plus Yamaha RZ350, and a few other as well.

A trip to the Brass Monkey from Auckland means leaving after work on Thursday, being on site Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning and back at work at 8.30am Tuesday. All on a Suzuki GS450.

Conversely, I have pictures of a fully faired Suzuki 1100, GSX750, and assorted other road bikes at Macetown (in the bush behind Arrowtown) and traversing the Nevis Road.

It all boils down to bike set up, the rider's mindset and determination, and the desire to enjoy the experience.

There is nothing more satisfying than looking back on a trip and thinking."I may not have the best bike for what I have just finished BUT THAT WAS A GREAT TRIP"

So if you want to go for it. The bike will generally handle whatever you throw at it - extra effort may be required from the rider but that is part of the fun.

slimjim

29th August 2008, 09:05

the wife and i tour on the xjr expandable side bags ventur rear pack holds tent bags rolls , and yup bought it brand new and we have done over 53000km on it since

phoenixgtr

29th August 2008, 09:06

I toured the south island in January on my ZX-6R. Most days we're fine. I went from Te Anau to Invercargill to Dunedin in one day and that was really tough. I find what hurt the most for me was my shoulders. My wrists were fine. I found though, that the shoulders weren't too bad as long as I kept turning my head. It was the long straights that caused the pain.

In the end though, I really enjoyed the ride and I'm hoping to do the same thing around the north island this coming January

Jerry74

29th August 2008, 09:26

Yep I took a NSR 250 from Dunedin to Taupo a few years back.

Nice ride.

Have taken my ZR 250 to Nelson as well.

Would have been better on a bigger bike though

karbonblack

29th August 2008, 10:06

Like you I am 6'1" and a few years ago, I rode 5,000km in four days on a Sportbike (Suzuki TLR). If you are interested, you can read about it http://www.mcnews.com.au/ just click on the"touring" section and it is under:
"Pete rode, and wrote about, a 5000 kilometre round trip to Ayers Rock"

I have also ridden around the South Island non-stop on a GSXR (apart from for gas of course). The best thing about touring on a Sportbike is it doesn't take long!!!

These days I have a choice of bikes but if I am riding from (say) Christchurch to Nelson and back in a day, I usually grab something like a RSV Factory R over a K1200RS. And I am old (over 50).

NighthawkNZ

29th August 2008, 10:46

On long trips cruise control can help, or those wrist rests thingys

http://www.mccruise.com/

Kiwi Graham

29th August 2008, 11:10

You can 'tour' on practically anything! I've toured europe on a ZX9, R1, GSXR750 and a GSX1400. Ireland on a GL1200, NZ on a SV100 & GSX1400 & a Harley. If you choose the right luggage and are comfortable on your bike, anything goes!!!!

Evo1132

29th August 2008, 18:15

Hubby and I doin a nz wide tour this Xmas, me on the R1, Hubby on the GSXR1000, lots of fun to be had.
If you aint fit enough now, you sure will be by the time you finished, lol

Gremlin

29th August 2008, 18:49

I'd disagree that a CB900 Hornet is good for long distance touring... Unless you have a decent screen, a days riding and obvious wind blast at 100kph, I can't imagine how you would feel. A 2 hour trip (1 hour to Hams, and 1 hour back), and I could feel how tired I was, so a whole day? errr... yeah

Certainly have to give a blackbird respect for long distance touring. Hit a problem on my zx10 (didn't tighten the earth on the PCIII, so thought the bike had issues) and used Zapf's blackbird instead, to do 8 days, going as far south as Christchurch. 2 days were work in Welly and CHCH, rest was riding. Quite a few of the riding days involved 700+km. I stopped when the bike needed gas, and lunch (usually combining lunch with a fuel stop) and it wasn't a breeze, but boy the blackbird is good at it (excluding stops, I was probably averaging 100kph or more).

I wanted to tour on the zx10, never really got a chance, and I wish I had. Best bit, is when you come to a really nice set of corners, you have a sporty bike to enjoy them with, and the bike burbles along at 100kph (or more) with complete ease.

svr

29th August 2008, 18:59

Some people sleep on beds of nails. Thats there thing and they recommend it.
Do you like pain? Would your partner prefer to sit on a seat for hours or 10mm of foam?
Modern racing crouches make sense at about 200kph. How fast do you go?

Resto lad

30th August 2008, 23:06

First and foremost.
I will not start with "my sports bike is a ??blagh blagh??
AND i rode from X to b then back to z ,
"ride what you like, were eva you chose"

Here are some practical tips for those of us who rack up the kilometers
in the sports bike position.

1 fitness is your friend ( strengthen your core )
2 build up the miles before the big holiday, progressively increase distances until your in the saddle, for 2 hours +
3 when coming in to 50km zones, lift the throttle hand up by your helmet
wiggle it around maintain speed & lift off again as much as you want,
this gets the blood circulating again. amazing how much further you can ride
pain free.
4 try a neoprene/Velcro wrist support on the throttle hand. (amazing)
5 you'll love the twisties & gorge's, but long straights mean pain!!
so change where you hold the grips, i find out wide (on da bar weights)
is a pleasant relief when things get straight & boring.
6 Focous on touring, its no race, take in the sights,Quality time with the missus? stop where and when you want, no hard and fast plans.

Hope this helps??
ENJOY :niceone:

98tls

30th August 2008, 23:27

Damn this thread is getting lame,next thing there will be a book on "how to survive riding past a cafe".If its got 2 wheels you can tour on it.:bash:

nallac

31st August 2008, 00:04

what are these cafe things you speak of ???
are they like a pub? they have beer ?

Yanosh

31st August 2008, 12:41

I'm doing a 2 up tour of both islands in the summer on my R1... If the missus says she's happy to do it, then I'm sure as shit not selling my R1 to get something 'comfortable'!!

justsomeguy

31st August 2008, 13:02

Damn this thread is getting lame,next thing there will be a book on "how to survive riding past a cafe".If its got 2 wheels you can tour on it.:bash:

Yeah - but it doesn't hurt if you can do it comfortably.

A bit of fitness, a bit of attention to decent posture and one would have a lot more energy for the rest of the fun stuff one does on holidays.

That way - you can do 600-1000 kms of riding - and have the energy to go out for dinner - and have the energy to support the shareholders of Durex later on.

Then do it all the next day.

Boob Johnson

13th October 2008, 23:00

Yep just did a shade over 1300km's on a 97 ZX7R in 3 days, bloody magic, loved every minute of it :clap:

dpex

14th October 2008, 17:48

Hi,

Looking at doing a tour of the north island with my wife (she will be riding her own bike) over xmas and want to do it on a sports bike (e.g. R1, Fireblade, ZX10R, not sports tours) and want to know if people have done this and regreted it due to riding position etc and getting to tired/sore to actually enjoy the ride.

Currently don't have a bike and will be buying one again for this (and for fun after of cause).

Thoughts? Am I crazy?

Cheers.

The big affair here is time-in-the-saddle. I tour far and wide on my Yami 600. For the first little while I used to get quite tired after just a couple of hundred Ks, but now, having done over 10K Ks in about three months I find a quick 600k ride, a ride in the park.

Last weekend I did AK-to-Taupo. Taupo-to-Turangi. Turangi-to-Tokaroa, all on Saturday....and believe me, because my throttle kept jambing open, some of it (read a lot) was hard work. Then Sunday I did Turangi-to-Tauranga. Then home to AK. Had it not been for a suspect puncture repair I would have done the Miranda-to-Ak just for drill.

Didn't feel at all tired.

But three months ago I did my first tour to Rotorua. Sure, the weather was the pits, but I was knackered when I got to Rotorua and stupidly pushed on to Tauranga.

I think it's important to remember that bike-riding is a very physical thing. And so a good metaphor (here ya go katman, a new metaphor for you to salivate over) would be day-one at the gym. One hundred days later you wondered what all the fuss was about on day-one.

Same with tour riding. So...Just take it easy. By the end of the tour you'll be a different rider.

I'm going to 'do' as much of the South Island as poss over Xmas.

And so yes, you will get tired at the start. New bike=stress. Lack of time in saddle= stress and fatigue. But hey? What's the hurry? Stop a lot. Make love in the bushes. Have fun.

One last point. Apart from the head-trip of owning something bigger than 600CCs, personally I can't see the point. A good rider on 600 will dick any egg on a bigger bike. And so what if it takes you 3-tenths of a second longer to get to 100k in first?

Sure, when you're moving at 200+ a heavier bike is 'probably' a bit more stable, but how often will you get into that zone?

If that makes sense let me say that Frosty has a very 'hot' Suzuki 600 for under 6K. I must admit I've been eying it myself.

Hope all that helps.

Dpex-The-Loquacious

NighthawkNZ

14th October 2008, 17:49

Damn this thread is getting lame,next thing there will be a book on "how to survive riding past a cafe".If its got 2 wheels you can tour on it.:bash:

But that's weekend riders for you... <_<

The other half is happy to tour about on her VTR 250...

The main trick is to stop and do the sight seeing thing, I mean you are on tour...
Don't hoon about... it can get tiring... ride smoothly at a steady comfortable pace. Again remember for sight seeing you are on holiday, no point going somewhere and not actually see where you have been ... :scratch:
Sheep Skin can add extra comfort.
Stop, Eat, take photos, Keep fluid intakes up
... blah blah blah...

-df-

15th October 2008, 09:17

The big affair here is time-in-the-saddle. I tour far and wide on my Yami 600. For the first little while I used to get quite tired after just a couple of hundred Ks, but now, having done over 10K Ks in about three months I find a quick 600k ride, a ride in the park.

Last weekend I did AK-to-Taupo. Taupo-to-Turangi. Turangi-to-Tokaroa, all on Saturday....and believe me, because my throttle kept jambing open, some of it (read a lot) was hard work. Then Sunday I did Turangi-to-Tauranga. Then home to AK. Had it not been for a suspect puncture repair I would have done the Miranda-to-Ak just for drill.

Didn't feel at all tired.

But three months ago I did my first tour to Rotorua. Sure, the weather was the pits, but I was knackered when I got to Rotorua and stupidly pushed on to Tauranga.

I think it's important to remember that bike-riding is a very physical thing. And so a good metaphor (here ya go katman, a new metaphor for you to salivate over) would be day-one at the gym. One hundred days later you wondered what all the fuss was about on day-one.

Same with tour riding. So...Just take it easy. By the end of the tour you'll be a different rider.

I'm going to 'do' as much of the South Island as poss over Xmas.

And so yes, you will get tired at the start. New bike=stress. Lack of time in saddle= stress and fatigue. But hey? What's the hurry? Stop a lot. Make love in the bushes. Have fun.

One last point. Apart from the head-trip of owning something bigger than 600CCs, personally I can't see the point. A good rider on 600 will dick any egg on a bigger bike. And so what if it takes you 3-tenths of a second longer to get to 100k in first?

Sure, when you're moving at 200+ a heavier bike is 'probably' a bit more stable, but how often will you get into that zone?

If that makes sense let me say that Frosty has a very 'hot' Suzuki 600 for under 6K. I must admit I've been eying it myself.

Hope all that helps.

Dpex-The-Loquacious

I ended up getting a 2001 R1 that has been mostly streetfightered (just doing the rest now). The main reason I like the litre bikes is if you just want to cruise you have a shitload of torque to play with...and if ya want to make it scream...she's happy to.

Been out riding a little bit and finding it great to be in the saddle again, this bike seems to have it all, comfort, performance, etc.

My biggest concern was that I've turned into a lard arse over the last few years...but I'm working on that as we speak.

BTW, good to see my old bike getting used like it should have been when I had it (yours is the blue YZF with a dent in the tank?)

EDIT: sorry, must have been someone else on here with my old bike...same as yours but just seen your one in ya profile...different bike.