treybrad
New Member
Well, with the recent posts by StratTuner and dduelin, I was inspired to try a Saddle Sore 1000. Doing a long, long distance day like that hasn't ever really appealed to me before. My typical long day is about a 550 mile loop of back roads around here that takes me 10-12 hours taking my time, stopping to eat, etc.
So, I spent a little time last week researching routes, watching weather, and reading up on tips from the pros and decided to give it a shot yesterday.
I woke up and hit the road a little after 0400 after a cup of coffee and final tire pressure check.
Initial gas stop around the corner from the house:
It was surprisingly cold and overcast yesterday ('cold' is relative, this is Texas, so I mean upper 50's and windy, sorry northerners
), but not too bad.
McCamey, TX:
I booked it across West Texas on IH-10, all the way to Van Horn, TX and made really good time with the 80 mph speed limit. In Van Horn, I split off South to take old US-90 through some of the Big Bend area, and along the Rio Grande.
Marfa, TX Prada art installation:
Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX:
About here the winds really started to pick up, right in my face (of course). I was comfortable enough behind my Givi screen, but at some points I was WOT just to maintain 75-80mph, which killed my gas mileage. I ended up making an extra stop that was unplanned because I wasn't sure I could make the 175mi from Marathon to Del Rio.
I averaged almost exactly 50 MPG for the day, with a high of 58.7 and a low of 42.5 (new all time low) -- by contrast I average 65-70 commuting to work. High speeds and wind are a MPG killer!
Ended up making it back home by 8pm, which was an hour earlier than expected.
By the numbers:
(I don't think that top speed is accurate, I don't remember ever going over 90 really... the GPS messes up sometimes, I've seen as high as 250 mph before).
Wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected, which I think is a real testament to the NC. Even WOT fighting the wind, it's cool, calm and collected -- always very smooth. The Givi screen (cut down about 1-2") keeps the wind off my body, but keeps my helmet in clean, smooth air. I have highway pegs mounted to my crash bars, which were used quite a bit. Seat Concepts seat was a non-issue, my butt was pretty happy the whole day.
The first 7-800 miles clicked off pretty fast, but the by the last 200 miles I could tell I was ready to get off for the day. So, it was a good way to kill the day while the wife worked. Good to know if I need to put in big miles, the NC is willing and ready, I just need to plan accordingly.
trey
So, I spent a little time last week researching routes, watching weather, and reading up on tips from the pros and decided to give it a shot yesterday.
I woke up and hit the road a little after 0400 after a cup of coffee and final tire pressure check.
Initial gas stop around the corner from the house:
It was surprisingly cold and overcast yesterday ('cold' is relative, this is Texas, so I mean upper 50's and windy, sorry northerners
), but not too bad.McCamey, TX:
I booked it across West Texas on IH-10, all the way to Van Horn, TX and made really good time with the 80 mph speed limit. In Van Horn, I split off South to take old US-90 through some of the Big Bend area, and along the Rio Grande.
Marfa, TX Prada art installation:
Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX:
About here the winds really started to pick up, right in my face (of course). I was comfortable enough behind my Givi screen, but at some points I was WOT just to maintain 75-80mph, which killed my gas mileage. I ended up making an extra stop that was unplanned because I wasn't sure I could make the 175mi from Marathon to Del Rio.
I averaged almost exactly 50 MPG for the day, with a high of 58.7 and a low of 42.5 (new all time low) -- by contrast I average 65-70 commuting to work. High speeds and wind are a MPG killer!
Ended up making it back home by 8pm, which was an hour earlier than expected.
By the numbers:
(I don't think that top speed is accurate, I don't remember ever going over 90 really... the GPS messes up sometimes, I've seen as high as 250 mph before).
Wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected, which I think is a real testament to the NC. Even WOT fighting the wind, it's cool, calm and collected -- always very smooth. The Givi screen (cut down about 1-2") keeps the wind off my body, but keeps my helmet in clean, smooth air. I have highway pegs mounted to my crash bars, which were used quite a bit. Seat Concepts seat was a non-issue, my butt was pretty happy the whole day.
The first 7-800 miles clicked off pretty fast, but the by the last 200 miles I could tell I was ready to get off for the day. So, it was a good way to kill the day while the wife worked. Good to know if I need to put in big miles, the NC is willing and ready, I just need to plan accordingly.
trey
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