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750 1st bike and first ride will be 5 hours

Showbizboy

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Picking up my 2019 750X DCT in 2 weeks (1st bike) and my first drive will be 180 miles to get it home. Avoiding the motorways (freeways!) and going to take my time but still a bit daunted. Any advice please? Thanks.
 
If you're in Manchester, no but I'm still waiting for mine, so congrats and take some pics and post them with the bike along the way ok?
 
Best advice is trailer it. If you’ve not ridden properly before I strongly advise against trying to ride that far on your very first time. If that’s not an option get a friend to go with you and have them follow you to give cover.
 
Riding a DCT that distance should be a piece of cake.
Use the regular D mode, and let the bike shift and clutch all by itself.
Wonderful invention, this DCT !!!
You'll be able to concentrate on the road surface and traffic.
If you said you were driving home with a manual bike, I'd say don't.
Once the bike is going about 3 km/h, it will balance by itself, just like your bicycle.
 
Core strength is a lot more important than hand strength, especially on long rides... even moreso with DCT.

A 36mph average pace is dreadfully slow. If you have trouble at that speed, you should be spending time in a parking lot instead of on the road. I hope you've taken training classes prior to your ride. Training should cover anything you need to ride that slowly.

Other than that, take breaks every two hours or less depending on your fitness level. Something I learned from riding bicycles and motorcycles long distance is you should rest before you get tired, not just when you already are.
 
I couldn't tell by your first post if you had any riding experience at all. If not I dont think I'd chance riding 180 miles on my first ride, DCT or not. Braking ( especially emergency braking), throttle control and counter steering, take a little practice before venturing into traffic. Bad place to learn those skills. Jmo
 
If you have experience riding, a motorcycle endorsement, and have taken a riding class, but this is your first bike then I will tell you that 180 miles is a long 1st trip but doable. I'd strongly suggest riding 45 minutes. Stopping. Getting off the bike. Walking a hundred paces, drinking a bottle of water, etc. Then ride another 45 minutes. Repeat. Until you get home. Ride the whole ride in D mode. Be careful. Have fun. Don't push yourself too hard. My wife & I both ride, did a 240+ mile day on Saturday, stopped about every 60 to 90 minutes. But we are both reasonably seasoned. I'd recommend 45 minutes. It will help with the grip issue previously mentioned, cramps in the hand, 'tennis elbow' pain, etc. It will help if you start to have any shoulder or upper back pain. It will help with butt pain. It will help with overall body fatigue. It will help with mental focus.

If you have no prior riding experience or if you just passed your motorcycle safety class within the last couple of weeks and this is your first bike then I'd suggest you rent or borrow a trailer or pay to have the bike delivered to you.

One of things that I can tell you is that I can drive 725+ miles in my car with 1 fuel stop and not feel as fatigued as I do after a 250 mile day on a motorcycle. Motorcycles can travel just as fast and just as far as a car, but the RIDER of the motorcycle will be far more fatigued than the DRIVER of a car.

BTW, 5 hours on the bike at 36 miles per hour equals 180 miles. That seems to me to be rural riding, going through some small towns, plus some 45mph and some 55mph zones between towns. I think it will probably be closer to 6-7 hours total if you take the highly recommended breaks. 10 to 15 minutes for several of them, but a solid meal will be needed too.
 
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Depending on your licensing and experience, so far of which we know nothing, all of the responses above could apply.
 
One of things that I can tell you is that I can drive 725+ miles in my car with 1 fuel stop and not feel as fatigued as I do after a 250 mile day on a motorcycle. Motorcycles can travel just as fast and just as far as a car, but the RIDER of the motorcycle will be far more fatigued than the DRIVER of a car.
The situation is other way for me. Riding a motorcycle long distance is easier and less fatiguing for me then driving that distance in a car. It shouldn’t be but it is. The times I’ve driven 12-14 hours I’m wiped out compared to a 12 hour 600 mile ride. I think it has something to do with the mental and physical engagement necessary to ride a motorcycle. I get tired and my attention wanders after a few hours driving. Sometimes if I have to travel the 350 miles to visit family and I can’t take a motorcycle I’ll take our 1999 Miata which is more engaging than the CX-5 which is much more comfortable.
 
As dduelin said, since we know little about you, your experience, or your planned route, offering applicable advice is difficult. The one thing I would suggest is to avoid traffic, if possible. Maybe chose a route or time of day with the least traffic. You, the bike, and the open road pose few challenges for a beginner. Throw in traffic congestion, side roads, driveways, traffic control devices, etc., and now you need to deal with those things as well as operate a new motorcycle.
 
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