I'm Riding Again

Bear

Bear

Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Messages
465
Location
Belfast, Maine
Bike
2010 NT-700 V Red
Shots in the back have relieved the pain to a manageable level----will probably continue with the shots till winter and then go for a Laminectomy. Sure feels good out there in the wind. I can go about four hours or so before I experience some discomfort. If I take an Aleve at three hours, I'm good for another four. I'll just have to time my rest stops.
 
tawilke46 said:
So good to hear Alex!
I too am fighting lower back problems. Hope to keep from having any surgery. So far physical therapy and exercise are keeping the pain at bay.
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I went the PT and exercise route also for my herniated discs. It was a long haul but it worked for me.....but if the pain is too bad, you really dont have much choice.
 
Glad to hear of the improvement, Alex! Keep it up!

Are you coming to Spearfish?
 
Alex, happy to hear you are riding again. This morning riding in to work i was playing airplane with my left hand in the wind, it's a joy to ride some days. fyi there was no traffic at the time! :)
This weekend i am doing a 400 mile round trip for Mother's day and I will stop every 2 hours there and back to stretch, i need the break too. Not sure i could ride 4 hours without walking around some.
 
Macka said:
I agree with that. Four hours at a time is usually enough for me unless I HAVE to get somewhere by a set time.

Macka
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In my old age, I think 350-400 miles a day is just fine, and very rarely do I do 100 miles at a stretch. I even nap at rest areas...its all about the journey, not the destination
 
Coyote Chris - several years ago, I too settled on 350-400 miles per day for long trips. At least for me, it's nice to settle into my hotel room by 3 PM, take a cool shower, change into "civies" then find a place to enjoy an adult beverage in A/C comfort. I'll never try and qualify for the Iron Butt Assn but I don't care! :)
 
Mileage is a poor measure for a touring rider. It makes a huge difference whether you're riding on Interstates or rural roads. I have no problem riding 300 or more miles before noon on state and US highways. Maybe 400 miles before noon on I 90 returning from Spearfish in order to make it to another event on Sunday.

Self imposed milage limits/goals never work for me. I always violate them. On a good day I'll easily exceed a 350-400 mile limit and on a bad day I'll quit early. Wind, rain, heat, traffic, and bad roads wear my out. Stopping for gas, food, potty breaks, map checks or just a butt break cut into my average speed by 10 - 20 mph. And then there is road construction and other factors beyond my control to delay me.

The ability to change my mind and deviate from my very loose plans is one of the "freedom" things I enjoy about motorcycling. Those spontaneous divisions have led me to some great touring stops (and some mistakes as well). Last year I stopped at the National Archery Museum in Yankton SD on my way to Spearfish (archery is my other addiction). I never planned to go through Yankton much less stop for 4 hours at the museum. Flooding washed out bridges and I had to change course but it was fun. Maybe not as much fun as a big ball of twine.
 
Mellow said:
Well, as you can see... I'm not all that happy about it... I did manage to beat the crowds...
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Why did you go then?

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I've been by the big ball of twine in Cawker City. A few years before that, Joanne and I were on our way to see her sisters in Wichita in the cage and we'd figured out that travel in Kansas get much more interesting if you get off I-70. We were on US-400 and I got off in Greensburg to see the "World's largest hand-dug well." Joanne, bless her pea-picking little heart, wouldn't even get out of the car to look. We were too late for me to go down into the well, but it was still worth looking into. This, BTW, was a few months before the tornado nearly wiped Greensburg off the map. I rode back through there a couple of months after the tornado and the devastation was even more amazing than the hole in the ground.
 
4 hours is ok for a 77 year old with two compression fractures. I am glad to be riding again. I also "excercise" my friend's 2016 Indian Vintage until his knee heals. That thing is a real beast with 111cu in of engine.
 
You guys have the luxury of being able to cruise at much higher speeds (80+ MPH) than we can here in OZ.
You have much better roads and much more lenient speed enforcement than we do.
I have calculated (well actually my GPS has calculated) over tens of thousands of kilometres that my average touring speed, including food/fuel/rest stops is 75-80 KPH (46-50 MPH). This means that a comfortable 6-7 hour day only results in a maximum of about 550km (340 miles).
Our maximum freeway speed here is 110 KPH (68 MPH) and it is tightly enforced.
It is VERY uncommon to see anyone exceeding the limit by more than 5 KPH.
If you want to cover big distances here you have to put in more time.
I have been able to travel for short periods (a few minutes) at higher speeds but you must be very careful where you do it.
Unfortunately, the places where you could do it (low enforcement), are usually poor surfaces and make it too dangerous or too uncomfortable.

Macka
 
Macka, your numbers aren't very different than mine (except for being metic units). Most everyone on this forum seems to ride faster than I do. Our highways have a posted speed limit of 55 mph (65 on freeways). It isn't uncommon to be stopped by law enforcement for going more than 5 mph faster than the speed limit and sometimes less than that in school zones and congested areas. Our road quality here is worse than almost every else I'v been. Damage from frost and snow melting chemicals destroys the pavement. And they spend more money on road construction and maintenance in areas that are more populated because of more traffic.

There are big differences on how far above the speed limit you can ride/drive. Our Wisconsin State Patrol will usually stop a vehicle traveling more than 5 MPH above the speed limit here. But in urban areas they allow higher speeds especially at rush hour to facilitate smooth traffic flow. Local enforcement officers use a wide range of discretion. County Sheriff deputies usually won't bother stopping a vehicle unless it is at least faster than 10 mph over the limit.

So I can ride faster everywhere I go away from home because of faster speed limits, better roads, and more lenient enforcement. On trips it takes me a couple days to get used to those higher speeds and when I return home it takes effort days to get slowed down again.
 
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