800 mile road trip.

Its finally happening. My brother and I are going from saint louis to Urbana Oh. The plan is to leave around 12-1 on Friday to head out. Ill be on mh vmax. Hell be on my Maxim x. Both bikes have new tires, brake lines, fork springs, oil changes all up to date. Im more looking for practical advice.

Ill be running a radar detector. We both have unlimited minutes and headphones to talk while on the road. Each of us will be wearing a backpack. Mine has a 1l pouch and straw for water. Hell have a garmin tank mounted.


In Mo the cop cars all crown vic, focus, and some Taurus. Any one know what to watch for along the way? Pickups? Speed cameras? Id like to be able to run 65-80 the whole way.


What essential tools shoulx i bring? I figured sockets and allens.


Well head back early Sunday Am.


Contemplating getting a go pro to document the fun.


Well be stopping every 100 miles for fuel and to stretch.

Any traffic spots? I want to avoid stop and go if possible.


Interstates... Should i go 70? Or 64?

 

What's the most you've ridden in a day before? I find that anything more than 400 miles is a stretch of me, even with breaks.

 

"What essential tools should i bring? I figured sockets and allens"



and pliers/shifter/wire, and maybe this....

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/190733433366?lpid=87

 

Basic tool kit,the Tyre repair kit as pointed out by Adrian,some sort of light I use a cheapy headlamp if your doing 800 miles some of it is going to be in the dark and a minor repair starts being pretty major in the dark if you can't see.
A spare plug for each bike wouldn't hurt for that distance either.
Check your oil regularly sustained high speed can make a bike with a few miles up eat oil surprisingly quick.
You don't mention gear,do you have some wet weather gear?
Got a sheepskin or something similar for your seat?
You'll be glad you have if you can find one
Mind you miles are the only way to actually harden your arse in the end.
Spare headlight bulb can be a lifesaver as well just one between you should do it.
I'd swap bikes regularly as well since they are both yours it can make a big difference to your comfort levels just to change position slightly over that type of trip.
This thread might help a bit http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=3 ... tml#374347
Oh and don't forget spare fuses for both bikes!!
Enjoy your trip I don't get to do many long ones anymore.

 

Really a beautiful time to ride...
If you're looking for advise...the one thing I'd tell you, ditch the interstate. Last year, at just about this time, I rode from Milwaukee to visit my son at MIZZOU. I turned an 8hr. ride into a 10hr. ride by getting off the interstate as much as possible. For me it was really cool to ride through the small towns..get a bite to eat at a local diner..and just take in the views.
Now, I've made this trip a dozen times on the interstate...and I was in no particular hurry...I just wanted to beat the darkness. So, for me, making good time was not the issue.
The only real issue I had, was weather...if you'll remember last Fall, was absolutley beautiful...except one weekend in October when the temp was never above 34* and it was threatening to rain the entire weekend... I just decided..I was going to go for it...you know, a character building experience...I had a great time, although I might think twice before riding any distance again when temps are below 45*...

 

+1 with PatMac, for a great trip get off the interstate.

I used my Satnav going to a diesel bike rally in the UK two years back. Motorway would have been four hours, spent five and a half hours on beautiful quiet, traffic free roads through leafy villages I'd never have seen.

If you have the time it's the way to go.

 

This old dude I used to know always told me "If you bring it, you won't need it. That's why I take my work boots everywhere." If I were you I'd take an extra back pack strapped to the back with all the above mentioned tools, an extra quart of oil, maybe a pillow, a couple garbage bags if you don't have rain gear, and some cold weather clothes.

Also as sektorgaz mentioned, anything over 400 miles in a day is pretty rough. That being said,in August my girlfriend and I went to Glacier National Park on my FZR. The first day we made it about 550 miles, but after that we could never do more than 300mi in an 8 hour day. If you've never done an extended trip, be prepared to be VERY sore. Also, driving at night SUCKED. It was cold and hard to see. We learned pretty quick to leave early. If you don't leave until one you probably won't get there until 9 or 10, depending on how long your stops are.

All of the above, radar is a good idea, but not fail safe. Another reason driving during the day is good, you can (hopefully) see them before they see you. Make sure you can tell how fast your going by your RPMs, in case your speedo cable breaks, mine did on the third day .

Everything aside though, just go for it. I did and it was awesome! We were completely under-planned and unprepared but we learned a ton and had a blast. Everyone along the way was helpful and encouraging.

For fun here's what the bike looked like
https://mail-attachment.googleuserconte ... g&sadssc=1

 

Just about any question you could dream up has been answered here, or here unless it is XJ-specific.