5000 mile trip

[Skywagon]

The longest trip I have ever taken on a motorcycle is about 1000 miles in 2 days.

 

This coming April (probably a victim of the Wild Hogs movie), I am going on a ~5000 mile trip with 3 other buddies. Our mission is to see many of the civil war sites. Two of the old guys are riding 2008 HD Ultra's, the 24 year old is riding a Bandit, and mid-50's me is riding my 2005 R1150RT. I have all the BMW shops in the US stored on my Zumo. I will most likely have one oil change and one set of tires changed while I am gone.

 

I am ordering a Rick Mayer Day Long saddle and backrest. The new Shoei Multitec will be here next week, so it should be broken in before April.

 

I have two accesorie questions I could really use some help with.

 

I am 5'11" with a 31 in inseam. I have seat jacks under my seat and have the seat raised where I have to come up on the balls of my feet when stopped. I can't quite flat foot. After about 150 miles or so, my knees start to hurt. I let my legs dangle for a couple of minutes every 20 minuts or so to make them feel better.

 

Question 1. Are there any highway pegs you have used, like, and are beneficial for knee cramping. Any you recommend? I have seen the Hawk Talons on line but they look flimsy and ugly. Also not sure about placing that much weight on the valve covers.

 

Question 2. My bike does not have an intercom, just my Zumo 550 with lot's of mp3 tunes and ER6i's. Is there an easy way for all 4 bikes to have bike to bike communications? I believe the 2 HD drivers have intercoms that came on the bike.

[Paul Mihalka]

BMW oilheads/hexheads are not very good for highway pegs. What helps a lot is footpeg lowering kits. They take away a bit of cornering clearance, but that depends on how you ride. Occasionally you can rest your legs on top of the cylinders, they won't burn. Also standing up occasionally, mostly on a low traffic interstate, helps a lot.

Another note: If you start with fresh tires and fresh oil you won't have to stop for service. I do my 5K to 10K trips, in a time frame of two to three weeks, and don't need service along the route. This should apply also to the bikes of your friends.

[kinchy]

As for the knee comfort, I installed a set of Ilium sportboards that lowered each side about an inch and a half. Doesn't sound like much but it eliminated my knee issues while providing more foot positions as well. I got lucky and found a used set for sale.

They cost a fortune new.

Wayne

[jasonTDI]

Yep. Did lowering pegs before the 6K out west for the MOA and other destinations this summer. HUGE difference. FWIW I like the Other brothers seat. Bill mayer.

[Skywagon]

Jason...which lowering kit did you use?

[BFish]

you and i have approx the same inseam. i to get some knee aching. standing up every now and then (when feasible) takes care of those issues.

 

i'll bet you guys stop more often than you think. fuel range on your buddies bikes and/or misc "things" may require stopping about the time you need a stretch. ridden with a buddy on a cruiser and we stop way more often than i like to.

[ully211]

I've had Elf Pegs on both my '02 RT and my '09 RT. They are WONDERFUL, to give your knees a break. I'm the same size as you myself, and I've found between moving my legs to the Elf Highway Pegs and sometimes back to my passenger pegs I'm good to go on my longer days.

[LuckyLeif]

You and I appear to be physical clones in terms of age and morphology. What I've noticed during the weeks-long trips is that any knee discomfort (and butt burn for that matter) tends to dissipate day by day. By day 4, just getting off the bike every 2 - 3 hours takes care of the discomfort. So you might try some conditioning by taking a number of half-day trips up to the time of your departure. I've known some people that take Aleve or other NSAIDS every morning as preventive pain blocker, YMMV. I also tend to do a series of regular stretches in the saddle -- in Norway the guy behind me quipped it looked like I was doing isometrics in the saddle (I guess I was). And if you are doing the northern battlegrounds, you've picked a great time to visit VA, MD & PA.

[Lawman]

I have these mounted on my Wunderlich crash bars and they work well for me..

 

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2699/506/

[RET2]

I'd get the tires and oil done at least a week prior to leaving. If any issues,leakes etc pop up they can be dealt with by those responsible. After all you're going to get them done anyway and road trip should be just that, not become a long distance service call where you hope all the parts are there when you are. Besides your HD partners will have great fun at your expence about a BMW not making the trip without service. Make all the changes you want but take an overnighter with those mods prior to leaving for your big trip to work out any issues that were unseen. Just my humble $.02 Cheers and have fun.

[Sp8er8er]

Am I the only one here who rides with his toes on the passenger pegs? (Can't be.) I'm 6'3" and I find it most comfortable. Try it sometime. YMMV

[Skywagon]

Thanks guys..So I take the comment of the HD drivers giving me heck for not going 5000 miles without service as a call to action. I must protect us from the chrome boys.

 

Here was the original thought. I should have about 2-3000 miles left on my tires before we take off and I hated the thought of just pulling them off early. But due to the sage advice of this crowd I have a new plan.

 

So I have decided I need to wear out my tires before I go. I only ride weekends. This requires me to plan a semi-long ride out of Houston every weekend until April and then change the tires and do one last self service - Oil, valves, etc before I go.

 

This weekend I will head to Georgetown as my first get away. If anyone has a recommendation for lunch or a place to stop in Georgetown I would appreciate it. If anyone is interested in meeting there or riding from Houston, let me know. I will be there sometime between 1-2. I have some early morning meetings I can't get out of.

 

What a sacrifice - Riding my bike every weekend. I just can't have my HD buddies giving me sheet for 3 weeks.

 

 

[hitechcpa]

I have the Elf pegs on my 12RT, I agree they are great. I took a 5,000 mile trip in 7 days this last July with Elf pegs and the Day long seat and hardly noticed the miles. Only other thing I would recommend is ear plugs. I use etymotic. They are wonderful. Can't hear a damn thing except the music.

 

 

[AdventurePoser]

Hi,

 

All good advice for you here, my friend. Suburban makes the lowering kit for your footpegs. They will really help your knees. May I also suggest that you strengthen your knees. Time spend exercising your joint and toning your backside will make a world of difference on your long ride.

 

Have fun!

 

Steve

[CoarsegoldKid]

5'10" 31" inseam, 12RT. I have Talon type pegs from Sierra BMW and they work fine and I don't think they are flimsy. You really don't put much weight on them. I wouldn't stand on them though. They are barely noticeable when folded up. However I bought a Bill Mayer seat since the pegs install. I believe any aftermarket seat will raise you up, the Bill Mayer seat did from the BMW short seat. The additional raise, just the balls of my feet with both feet down touch the ground, gave me just enough relief that my knees rarely need straightening. If riding with others that require more frequent fuel stops I never deploy them. I might use the brackets to mount lights.

[psmitty]

Good choice getting new tires before you leave. Everything already mentioned will help you to be ready. I hope the other riders you are going with are planning as you are. If so, you are going to have a blast! Have fun! After the ride how about some pictures and a ride report?