Endurance

Coyote Chris

Coyote Chris

Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
3,774
Location
Spokane
Bike
10 Red NT 14 FJR, 17 XT
My endurance seems to be holding up but I still do not like days over 400 on two lane highways....My friend Max at Lunch talked about getting old and how our riding will change....balance and sense there of, endurance, getting lighter bikes, for our golden years.....they are coming!

Winter is coming. 🙁 We rode 390 miles today in sun and drizzel. 45 degrees F to 68 degrees F. Spokane to North Idaho, around Lake Pend Oreille and down the Clark Fork River Valley, past the Cabinet Mountains.
Winter is coming in more ways than one for us all.......dont stay home!

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Clark Fork River Valley, MT.JPG

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Lake Pend Oreille.JPG
 
So true..I managed a 360 miles round trip to southern Wisconsin Sunday to a motorcycle gathering..cloudy all day...my heated grips and jacket were my salvation ..I think the temperature finally hit 60*..I found myself asking why am I doing this?.. Getting close to deciding if I will stop doing this..I never thought that day would come, but I think next spring the motorcycles will be sold. The NT has been an excellent choice and hope a new owner will enjoy it as much as I have. Juggling between the four motorcycles in the garage is getting more difficult ..my dear wife worries about my safety when I am gone so to gracefully retire from riding seems to be the right choice ..maybe I will think differently next year, but I will be a year older dammit!..
 
For the last 9 years I have ridden every day of the year other than when we had ice or snow accumulation. Where I am located in Tennessee that is only a week or two a year. Unfortunately many of the other days in the winter the morning temperatures are in the 20's or teens. Up until last year it never bothered me but I noticed for some reason last winter the cold seemed to bother me more than usual. Not sure if my metabolism is slowing down of if its just a mental thing. This year I might only ride when it is above 30. We will see.
 
Chris, I was surprised to note that you weren't on the mighty VFR for your ride! Is it too uncomfortable for a longer ride?
 
Nope...been out riding my antiquated and notoriously unfit for serious fun-seeking NT700VA.

And I'm still waiting for an answer to my question. :)
 
Reniram said:
So true..I managed a 360 miles round trip to southern Wisconsin Sunday to a motorcycle gathering..cloudy all day...my heated grips and jacket were my salvation ..I think the temperature finally hit 60*..I found myself asking why am I doing this?.. Getting close to deciding if I will stop doing this..I never thought that day would come, but I think next spring the motorcycles will be sold. The NT has been an excellent choice and hope a new owner will enjoy it as much as I have. Juggling between the four motorcycles in the garage is getting more difficult ..my dear wife worries about my safety when I am gone so to gracefully retire from riding seems to be the right choice ..maybe I will think differently next year, but I will be a year older dammit!..
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Actually, the FJR with the heated grips and good protection coupled with good riding gear is OK in 45 degeee rain. Must be the engine heat and that military cold weather fleece long johns and shirts.
 
Phil Tarman said:
Chris, I was surprised to note that you weren't on the mighty VFR for your ride! Is it too uncomfortable for a longer ride?
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It is still being farkeled out...and yes, it does have heated grips.....got the end bar throttle lock on and the panniers and the risers. Next is new wind screen and lip, speed bleeders, luggage rack and tank protecter. Oh, and the givi tank bag lock. (I did take it for a ride the day before out in the paulouse. 60 miles is as far as I have ridden it at one time and I find it very comfortable. ( I am not overweight and I am very limber for an old man.) I am going to take it on a five day tour next year around central Idaho like I did this year on the XT. No straight aways but very nice....
The XT is very comfortable, light and easy to manuver also. It so nice to have a stable with three entirely different but equally fun bikes that are capable of touring.
I am thinking the VFR would like to go to Spearfish also. Wink wink!
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;) ;)
 
Phil Tarman said:
Nope...been out riding my antiquated and notoriously unfit for serious fun-seeking NT700VA.

And I'm still waiting for an answer to my question. :)
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Actually, the NT really isnt very antiquated....."fun" is subjective. It was a good ole mule for going to the grocery store and Post office. Opening up the throttle however was one of those actions in life that got me to actually pray alot....When you open up the throttle on the FJR, you can actually SEE God....When you open up the throttle on the VFR, you definately BELIEVE in God. 😇
 
In defense of NT. Having more than one bike is a problem that everyone should have IMHO. I must say that of 3 mid range sport touring bikes. The NT is the heaviest, slowest, and has the least amount of power. It is also the most comfortable (by modification), best protection, quietest, and best equipped. I think of it as a mini-Wing. It fits me perfectly and I am going to keep it. The worst thing that I can say is that the cruise control struggles to maintain 80 mph uphill (vacuum limit not HP).

Ride on with pride and dignity!

I also remember Chris and I riding through the Big Horn mtns in a hail storm. We were moving along on the NT's and passed a guy on a sport bike who was only moving because there was no where to pull off.
 
Frosty said: The worst thing that I can say is that the cruise control struggles to maintain 80 mph uphill (vacuum limit not HP)."

My cruise control (Rostra) is electric and it cuts out at about 80 going uphill, too. But if I shift down to 4th, all is good.
 
Recently I took the NT on a run to the other coast. I put in a 30 hour ride before sleep that covered 1900 miles and got me 3/4 of the way across country. The following day was an easy 10 hours to complete a 2 day cross country ride. I did the same some days later for the return trip. I've never pulled a stunt like that on any previous bike, nowhere close. Ergonomics simply didn't allow it. I can't speak more highly of the NT's comfort. I can only picture doing a similar ride on a Goldwing or something.
 
I can't recall ever setting the speed on my MC Cruise at 80 mph uphill so I can't comment on that. I have set it at 75 mph lots of time for use on the slab but around here we don't have anything I'd call a long uphill thanks to the glacier that flattened everything!

I've been riding my NC700x/DCT for the summer and with the onset of fall weather it's time to get the NT ready to go. The NT has much better wind protection plus the ergos are great for me. It's been sitting on my lift since MSTA STAR in mid-June, with battery charger connected and this Saturday we have a club lunch ride and with a daytime high of 55 predicted, I've retired my vented jacket & gloves and pulled out my solid fabric Tourmaster and full-leather gloves. No, it's not heated gear weather but that will eventually come. I did fit a new Michelin Road 5 to the front wheel a few weeks ago in prep for this day and I changed to winter air in the tires at the same time. :)

ps. the swap to the NT will also force me to relearn about the coordination of clutch, throttle and shift lever....again! Maybe I can find a U-tube video on that topic?
 
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DirtFlier said:
I can't recall ever setting the speed on my MC Cruise at 80 mph uphill so I can't comment on that. I have set it at 75 mph lots of time for use on the slab but around here we don't have anything I'd call a long uphill thanks to the glacier that flattened everything! ...
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The trip I commented on was on a Montana slab portion enroute to and loaded for Spearfish (speed limit 80mph). I was trailing Chris with the MC Cruise set. On the uphill grades to speed would slowly decay. If I "helped" the hand throttle, there was more power left. I assume that at whatever altitude I was at, that I had reached the vacuum limit for the NT and vacuum actuator. Worked fine downhill. :)

I remember the glacier remains in Ohio*. There they flatten things out and left piles of material. Out here they carved wonderful valleys, some so nice they named a NP park after them.

*Note to Mellow: I was not around to see them, but learned about them in school. :)
 
NewTo700V said:
Recently I took the NT on a run to the other coast. I put in a 30 hour ride before sleep that covered 1900 miles and got me 3/4 of the way across country. The following day was an easy 10 hours to complete a 2 day cross country ride. I did the same some days later for the return trip. I've never pulled a stunt like that on any previous bike, nowhere close. Ergonomics simply didn't allow it. I can't speak more highly of the NT's comfort. I can only picture doing a similar ride on a Goldwing or something.
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Ahhhh....to be 16 again.....
 
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