Time on the bike

[Maha]

Before I leave I need to have been awake at least an hour and a half, two hours would be even better. I need that time to fully be in the mind set.

Comfortable Distance for me in a day would be between 450kms to 500 tops.
Had enough by then, last night we sat in the spa bath for 3/4 of an hour listening to GnR just to relax after 440 kms.
Last September we did 580 odd K's in one day..four ciggy stops and one lunch stop. Getting off the bike after 150 ks or so, suits me fine.

Time in the saddle can take its toll, the last 100Ks yesterday, all I was thinking about was getting home and I feel the brain wasn't so much on the riding, what sort of distance/time suits you?

[Hiflyer]

did 437 today, was pleased to lie on my bed, its about all i can handle really, my concentration began to fizz out as well.

[K5 750]

Well when ever i do long distances i usually do a tank of gas and then stop so about every 180 to 250 km. The other factor is how sore i am and if i need a strech or food ect....

[Motu]

A good ride for me would be 300 to 500km,depending on the roads.My 500km ride at Xmas took me 9hrs....so a long day on the bike.I stop every 100km,give or take a bit....I look for a good place to stop.I'm always sipping on my Camelback,so piss stops are important.

[Maha]

did 437 today, was pleased to lie on my bed, its about all i can handle really, my concentration began to fizz out as well.

Another thing I noticed yesterday was low tolerance of others on the road...rage you say... na not quite, but one fat head chick thought she would amuse herself by slowing and slowing and slowing just before an overtaking lane, dont fuck me around lady!!! not a good time

Well when ever i do long distances i usually do a tank of gas and then stop so about every 180 to 250 km. The other factor is how sore i am and if i need a strech or food ect....

As the K's tick by, the arse lets you know more often.
Doing a Coro loop us for is probably not a happening thing for instance...
Its about 180-200 Ks from here to Kopu, then you got about 200 K's to do a 1/2 loop, thats a 600 km day (not counting stops) or a full Loop of about 250-260? yeah I couldn't do it.

[hospitalfood]

rode the bmw from wellington to paparoa in one day a few weeks back.
that was more than ideal, not sure of the km's. i guess about 800 km in total.
would have killed me on the buell.

i think 400/500 km one-up and about 300 with a pillion.

[Solly]

2km's, I'm shagged & ready for my first coffee.......

.......seriously though, 300 - 380 km's is a comfortable days riding.....450 tops [depending on road & conditions].

[Bonez]

Depends on the bike(wind protection), road type and weather. Around 500kms max. most of the time. 350-400kms is fairly normal for the day on unfaired bike for me.

[hospitalfood]

doing the trip from wellington to paparoa would have been a lot better if I wasn't sitting on 90 demerits, its a long way to go when your not going faster than 110 km/h

[Maha]

A good ride for me would be 300 to 500km,depending on the roads.My 500km ride at Xmas took me 9hrs....so a long day on the bike.I stop every 100km,give or take a bit....I look for a good place to stop.I'm always sipping on my Camelback,so piss stops are important.

About the same as us yesterday, an eight hour day, but we did have just over an hour at Opononi...I wouldn't want a group ride to stop there for lunch, would take about three hours to serve 20 odd. I stopped at Ruawai (90ks) Waipua (180ks) Opononi (210ks) Kiakohe (270ks) Maungasomewhere (340ks) Home....(440) brilliant day out.

[slofox]

About 300km for me. Problem is the seat causing my arse to go numb. And the forward seat makes my knees hurt as well. Have to break about every 150km...depending on the road.

Having said that, I have yet to go on a seriously long ride - long enough to test the mental stamina anyway.

Back in the day I rode a 250cc Benelli from Christchurch to Hamilton in two days - one overnight stop in Wellyingtown.....didn't seem to be too much trouble...course I was 35 years younger then...

[slofox]

Maungasomewhere

Would that be Maungaturoto? Spent a year there once....cool place...

[Ixion]

Depends on the bike. Von Klunken, pretty much indefinate, I'd need to stop for sleep before anything else. SV Zimmer frame, 3 or 4 hundred. Depends on the roads too, and the weather. Small bikes are often more tiring than long ones.

I generally don't stop between petrol stops, but I will unwind and have a coffee when I do stop. In bad weather I'll stop at a warm looking pub for a warm up. I find that stopping too often is more fatiguing, after a hundred k or so I fall into a sort of zen effect where the next two or three hundred becomes real easy.Stop too often and you don't get into that zone.

And I'll stop as sson as if I'm getting too hungry. Hunger, thirst, cold all negatively affect riding.

[swbarnett]

I did a trip a little while ago where I just headed south from Auckland for four days with no destination in mind. Averaged 440km per day and only stopped because I found a nice place to put up the tent each night, I could've kept going and going...

[Mom]

I think you have to be ride fit. Personally I am happiest around the 250k mark on a ride out. Just fits me, I am smiling for the right reasons at the end of the day, not because I am really pleased to be off my bike.

I did the 480k odd down to Napier a couple of weeks ago, this from someone that does not do lengthy rides, it took about 8 hours. We made good rest stops, food and drinks at reasonable hours. I was still feeling reasonably sharp mentally but fatigued physically when we arrived, my bum being the biggest complaining part of my body. The last part of the trip was done in torrential rain and really cold to boot which did not help.

Attitude is a big factor when you get fatigued. Do you get pissed off and try to get home faster? or do you plod along, taking your time, stopping when you need too? Personally, the latter is my way.

If you regularly do the long hours on the road you must get fit for it to a degree? Or not?