Help?

[Knottie]

Any advice for a new rider who is planning a really long riding week?
Eg- how much will my ass hurt?
How often to stop?
Preparing? any help wanted!!

[Patar]

depending on your bike, your arse may or may not hurt at all.
Stop when you need to.
Pretty much common sense i'd think.

Check your tires, make sure they're filled up to what they're supposed to be (waste of fuel running on near flats).
Last but not least, enjoy!

[Kwaka14]

Any advice for a new rider who is planning a really long riding week?
Eg- how much will my ass hurt?
How often to stop?
Preparing? any help wanted!!

How long is a really long riding week?

[Jorja]

I am new to riding. The first few times I found my legs a bit wobbly after riding for serveral hours. Make sure you are warm (I found a scarf around my neck helped with the wind), stop when you find your concerntration slipping, if it is nice weather you might want to use sunglasses.

These are just some of the things I found helped. Hope it is of use to you.

[janno]

Don't do it! It'll be painful and expensive, and you may even get wet. I recommend you donate your petrol money to me and save yourself a lot of anguish . . .

Seriously, how ride fit you are will dictate how well you cope. If I'm feeling tired and crappy, I make sure to stop every hour on the dot and have a leg stretch and drink etc. If I'm having a great time, I stop every two hours, but that is the limit of my tank range anyway at road speeds.

Funnily enough, one of the sure signs of fatigue is inability to make decisions, such as "should I stop now or later? Should I fill at this garage or the next one?"

This website is a goodie. Check out the "Know when to stop" bit.
http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aow.cfm

[Jantar]

As you are not used to long rides yet, stop every hour for 5 - 10 minutes. Get off your bike and walk around, take photos, have a drink etc. Limit yourself to around 300 - 500 kms per day to start with, then as you get more used to it build up from there. If you find your seat is too hard on short rides then consider a sheepskin seat cover, they are well worth the money.

What is the long ride you are planning? We may be of more assistance if we know where you are going and what route you are planning.

[yungatart]

Stay hydrated!! Drink water at every stop....it aids in concentration levels.
Stop frequently.
And have a back up plan in case you bite off more than you can chew.....

[Blue Velvet]

Stay hydrated!! Drink water at every stop....it aids in concentration levels.
Stop frequently.
And have a back up plan in case you bite off more than you can chew.....

+1

Superb advice, esp re back up plan. If you find yourself unable to get to point B, a backout option can mean the difference between a shit ride and an enjoyable one.

Don't wear anything heavy or uncomfortable, i.e. a full pack.

When I got my new GSXR750 last week I did a short run in ride to Palmerston North (350k). My clutch hand got very sore from the difference to my SV and I had to avoid wrapping my thumb around the handle when changing gear. It was uncomfortable and unexpected.

So expect the unexpected.

[Knottie]

Traveling basically picton to queenstown with detours and back up in 6 days on my Kawasaki ninja 250, yey
first day picton to blackball
Second day blackball to lake tekapo
third day lake tekapo to queenstown
Fourth day day in queenstown and lake wanaka
fifth day lake wanaka to greymouth
then greymouth back to picton all this in January so will be hot as hell, i don't know how people wear all the gear especially the pants, there so hot!!