Honda Shadow Forums banner

Road trip

4K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  wallasan10 
#1 ·
Planning a road trip in March before the vacation rush. The trip will be about 1100 miles this will be the first on my new to me 07 VT 1100 Spirit.
How many miles have y'all ridden in one day, not looking to do an iron butt just a nice ride thru the hill of my home state Arkansas. This can take as much as 10 days or as little as 4
 
#3 · (Edited)
Arriving early afternoon, We took 4 days to get 1700 miles to Sturgis in 2011...

The Hot tub felt very good after each days ride :D
Holiday Inn Express has breakfast & Hot tub :D

On these Road Trips, IF you`re Coming through/into southwest Georgia?
Open to members, Free rustic camping on the farm here ;)

Merry Christmas
Ann & Dennis
 
#10 ·
My record is a bit over 800 miles in one day on my three day ride from West Texas to Boston.

For your ride I'd recommend putting an average of 300 miles on your odometer every day but rarely ending up more than 150 miles from where you started that day. There will be plenty to see and it'd be a shame to finish it up in just 4 days. It would be a really nice 4 day trip, but I think you'd get a lot more out of it by slowing yourself down. At the same time you've got lots of fun roads to ride. Make a point of combing your state for interesting places and fun rides.

Check out Butler maps: Ozarks Map | Butler Motorcycle Maps
I've used their maps in a few states and find that the "2nd tier" roads are the most fun--less traffic but still plenty curvy.
 
#11 ·
613 miles is my record, and I've put in similar daily miles on multiple occasions.

But that's when reaching my destination is the point of the trip and there's not a lot a spare time for side trips along on the way.

If I have the time to see the scenes etc., 300 miles per days is a much more enjoyable and relaxing pace. If your in no particular hurry, that's what I'd recommend.
 
#13 ·
i know one thing for sure, my trip will be about comfort and enjoyment.
not about a race and to see how many miles i could endure.
If that means 250-350 miles a day so be it.

San Diego is about 360 miles ... doable comfortably i think.

Bobolto i am with you. Just making a road trip to my home town to see my older brouther and some friends that sill live there and still alive. Lol 300 to 350 sounds about right.
 
#19 ·
btw, when i say i am going to San Diego i mean that's the start, i would then like to ride north on the coast checking out towns along the way.
It would be like a month long trip and be like moving to Cali for awhile...
The ultimate goal would be to stay in Cali.
 
#15 ·
My "maiden voyage back into motorcycling" was 300 miles, I did this in 8 hours from Plains, GA to Winchester, TN, through Guntersville, mostly US highway 431 N....

That trip wasn`t bad on "an old man"...

Good Luck and Merry Christmas
Ann & Dennis
 
#16 ·
My "maiden voyage back into motorcycling" was 300 miles, I did this in 8 hours from Plains, GA to Winchester, TN, through Guntersville, mostly US highway 431 N....

That trip wasn`t bad on "an old man"...

Good Luck and Merry Christmas
Ann & Dennis

I've done part of that route!


Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#20 ·
I've done as much as 750 but that was a long time ago and I really wanted to get there. Riding a bike is a lot like riding a bicycle in that it's something that should be worked up to. Start with a few day trips. You will probably see a thing or two you'll want to do to the bike too. A handy little pocket to stash a water bottle with your left hand.
 
#24 ·
425 miles, mostly destination riding with 3 stops, part one was 150, stopped to grab my brother, then continued another 50 miles with him to Jammin Leather in Myrtle Beach, then 50 miles back to my bro's house, then 150 back to my house, a bit over 8 hours. This was when I was still on the stock vlx seat too, ouch.
 
#32 ·
Road Trip

I think that it is wise to draw on the experiences of others but in the end there is no substitute for firsthand experience. "How many miles have y'all ridden in one day?" My question to you is how many miles have YOU ridden in one day?
There is plenty of time between now and March for you to find out what is a comfortable distance for you and your bike. I've found that most people can do 300 miles a day without too much of a problem. You can plan a few rides that make a loop of 250-350 miles (or whatever) around the area where you live without ever getting very far from home. That way you can take a "shortcut" home if at some point you feel the need to "just get home" for whatever reason. It wouldn't be a bad idea to do this several days in a row if possible because you may find that you can comfortably do more miles on the first day than on following days.
I had about the same bike as you (mine was a 2000) and put way over 50,000 miles on it. My experience with that bike and a stock seat was that stopping about every 100 miles or so for gas and a little walking around worked best for me. I could keep that up all day and if the day was long enough I could easily cover 500 to 600 miles without becoming too fatigued. In March there are about 12 hours of daylight each day but you have to figure in the time spent stopped for gas, food, rest, etc. As a general rule I avoid riding in the dark for most of the year but I would make exceptions to that in the heat of the Texas summer. Your mileage may vary but my 1100 Spirit wouldn't go much past 125 miles before going on reserve and I liked to stop before I reached that point because I don't like going on reserve.
As far as your trip is concerned you could take I-30 to Little Rock then US-67 to Walnut Ridge. This would be close to 500 miles. It would be a long day but you could do it easily if you don't mind sticking to the interstate. But that route would take you to the south of the best roads in the State, there are much better routes if you are willing to take a couple of days to get there.
When I lived in the DFW area the Ozarks became my favorite motorcycle vacation destination. So much so that when it came time to retire I decided to relocate here more for the roads than anything else. It helps immensely to have a loving and understanding wife! We bought the house in July 2012 but didn't make the move until September 2013. During that period I made the trip between Ft .Worth and Flippin every chance I got just to check on the place. I took advantage of every three-day weekend but I also did it on a number of two-day weekends. I would leave Ft Worth (Arlington, actually) early on Saturday morning and arrive in Flippin late in the afternoon. After a good nights sleep I would return to DFW on Sunday. On the map it should have been 1,000 miles but it usually managed to work out to more than 1,200. If you know where Flippin is then I don't need to tell you what the roads are like around here. So, I'm very familiar with the roads and would be happy to make some suggestions if you would like. Maybe we could meet up for a ride, I know a couple of good BBQ joints.
 
#33 ·
Wallasan10, thank you for the reply and suggestions. I have ridden for about 40 years give or take 10 or 12 lol. In my past i have ridden 500 to 600 in a day but that was when i was a lot younger and before a 15 year lay off. I am planning a 2 day trip up with the same coming back and a day with my brother and frinds in Walnut Ridge. My rout will take me thru Paris, Tx over to Broken Bow, Ok, Minea, Ark, Hot Springs where i will spend the night then on to Conway, Batesville, over thru Cave City, Black Rock, then to W/R. I will follow the same rout home. I would enjoy have a coffee with you and a ride but my time is already taken up. I will be make a few more trips up so we can i hope have that ride and coffe then
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top