Yet another request for road trip advise

Well I've made my decision to go visit my kid at MIZZOU (University of Missouri). Leaving Milwaukee early morning on friday Oct.5 and returning afternoon on Sunday Oct.7..gonna catch the Vanderbilt game while I'm there.

I've made the trip plenty of times in the car...about 8 hrs. but this'll be my first ride of more than 3 hrs...I know my range is about 135-145 miles and because gas stations can pretty scarce on my route, I plan on bringing an extra gas can.

My question to the forum is...any suggestions for a more scenic route? I normally travel frome Milwaukee to Rockford...pretty scenic..then west on hwy 88 to almost the Iowa. I then turn south to Hannibal MO, here is where I'm looking for some help...anybody know what the Mississippi river trail is like? Is it a nicer ride on the Illinois side or the Iowa side? Any "Must See" places? Any cool local cuisine?

 

http://www.motowhere.com/listpaths/coun ... city/10965

http://www.motorcycleroads.com

 

A couple of things that may make the ride more enjoyable are hi-way bars and a throttle lock. I've done some lonnnng days in the saddle and two of your worst enemies are sore knees and dead hand.
Don't go too radical with the pegs, like your sitting in a gynecologists chair and the throttle lock is a cheap add on.
+1 on the gas can, but make sure it's not too full and that the caps are on tight.
Enjoy the ride, it sounds like a beaut!

 

+1 on the highway bars, and here is another place maybe you'se guys can help...my back gets really stiff when I use the highway bars (nothing to lean against)...I thought of maybe strapping my backpack to the (passenger) backrest, but that kind of defeats the purpose of my Vetter hard cases.
I'll try to rustle up a throttle lock...any suggestions?

 

I always just bungee my pack on the passanger seat so it provides a nice backrest.

I personally dont like using throttle locks especially when riding in heavier traffic. - An alternative which is way worth the small investment is one of these:

http://www.crampbuster.com/

Have a safe trip!

 

+1 to crampbuster style of control it will save your hand. I'll go out on some long rides in the week leading up to the really long ride just to get used to the feel of a long ride. I don't usually ride much longer at one stretch than my tank range, then time for a short break to stretch and appreciate the scenery, or food, or coffee, or all of the above.

You can also use Google maps driving directions and click on the bicycle icon, it's made for pedaling your way around but normally takes you on decent winding roads, or at least gets you off the interstates.

Also good to take back up supplies with you for you and the bike, but I try to keep the weight down also just to make it easier on me. Most small towns on your way will have at least one gas station...somewhere but a little backup gas is a lifesaver.

Have fun and enjoy the ride, and when you get there enjoy the Tigers taking it to the Commodores!

 

I brought a spare gascan on my trip, and it has saved me twice--though I would have probably been a bit more careful if I didn't have it.

Strapping something to the back to give you a backrest is not a bad idea at all. "Defeats the purpose of the vetter bags", you are missing the point. The vetter bags aren't there to make your back not ache. One trip several months ago was greatly helped by having a backpack with a sleeping bag on bottom being used as backrest.

Also... Stop and stretch once in a while. I do backbends on a regular basis as part of my workout routine to give my spine a chance to twist in the opposite direction. I'm young, but I'm avoiding back problems early, and it's never too late to start trying to reverse what you've done. Yoga may sound new age, but when you've seen a story of a guy who was handicapped and overweight go to being in shape and being able to run for the first time in over a decade, and have no pain... You realize it's the real deal.

 

Thanks all...FinTip... I didn't miss the point...just saying I bought the Vetter hard cases to carry my luggage, and now, by putting my clothes in the backpack instead of the hardcases..kind of defeating the purpose of buying hardcases.
Was that not obvious in my original post?

 

for cruise control I use a Nep on my 650 I found a nos one laying on a back self in a old shop near me and got it for like $5. the vista cruise by the same company is nicer and not as bulky.

 

I just mean that the cases aren't worth it if they make you less comfortable. I guess just think of the hard cases as being for trips that are long enough to actually require them. (My pictures, for instance, show that I would have been wise to search out a set of panniers. On the other hand, looking so ridiculous helps me not gain attention in Mexico, so it's not a bad thing, and I fair ok.)

I just realized my tone sounded harsh. I was writing that pretty late last night, I apologize for that.

 

No apology needed Fin....you've kind of been the inspiration for my trip. After following your progress as you prepared and actually hit the road, I figured...WTH! Now I'm going to give it a shot, albeit a much shorter shot.

On the subject of cruise controls...I've always been a little bit leery of throttle locks...but I'm wondering how much stress the "crampbuster" style really relieve... please weight in with your thoughts.

 

Here's how my Bandit looks for a 5 day trip from London Ontario to Indy for the Moto GP race a couple of years back. The sleeping bag under the cargo net helped me do ten hours in the saddle with just two stops for gas. Had to use the little gas can once, usually get between 360 and 380 Km on a tank, but got a little carried away with the throttle and came up about 5 miles short of a gas station, saved my ass for sure.
I know it's not how heavy you are packing but just to give you an idea how a sleeping bag (even if you don't use it) can offer some back support

 

I have a few friends that have given positive reports on the cramp busters with the exception of not working well on a set of tapered grips. I haven't used one yet though because I already have my throttle lock. Biggest thing with the throttle locks is to use them correctly. Set them so you can still easily turn the throttle with the lock on, only use it for a minute or so just to flex our hand and give your arm a shake and practice hitting the trigger when you reach back for the throttle (and while your hand is on the throttle) so it becomes second nature to do so.

 

The crampbuster won't relieve vibrations as you're still holding and applying pressure on the bars, BUT, and this was big for me, they do relieve your grip as you don't have to use your whole hand & fingers to maintain the throttle-just the meat of your palm does the job. It's the difference between making a fist for 2 straight hours or resting your hand with gently curled fingers for 2 straight hours. It does take a few moments to get used to it, as my hand 'gripping' a throttle was all I ever knew and habits are hard to break. For spirited riding (see fast and curvy) I don't use one.

The Hawgs have invaded hogland. I think I saw a few thousand different bikes on the way home tonight-and unfortunately one cruiser lost it on the interstate in a light rain and found the cable barrier. It didn't look good. Be careful my friends.