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Ohio to Seattle - if you could?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Buckeye
  • Start date Start date
B

Buckeye

Guest
An opportunity may have presented itself that I am going to Seattle for 2 to 3 months at the end of the summer. My dream would be to take a week and ride the bike out there and take 2 weeks for the return trip.
The problem is that for the trip out there, I've mapped out about 3,500 miles. The Return trip, I'm up to 4,500 miles! Not sure I'm up for that much - however - I see this as the opportunity of a lifetime. :D
Just not sure I'll have enough vacation time.....

Thoughts?
 
If you're taking I 90 I'd say go for it. Nice country and extreme grades.

Lots of places to ride in Pierce County too just south of Seattle.
 
Do you know how to ride all day for one day without pain? If so, just string a bunch of those days together. If not, figure it out long before you go.

After a little preventive maintenance, I'd jump at a chance to take that ride on my 1000.
 
Dogma said:
Do you know how to ride all day for one day without pain? If so, just string a bunch of those days together. If not, figure it out long before you go.

After a little preventive maintenance, I'd jump at a chance to take that ride on my 1000.
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there's definitely a trick to it. Riding one day of 300-500 miles and then being done is one thing, stringing a few of those together is another. Stringing two weeks of that together is a other still. Did ten days a couple seasons ago, with two days in there of not being on the bike. The last couple days were rough. Didn't ride for a week after I got home. And that was only 2300-2400 miles. Something like that.
Each season I have to work my butt and body back into shape for sitting in the saddle for hours at a time. Usually by the end of may I can sit for a tank, maybe a little less
 
Of course you should do it. What is your plan? Lets hear where those miles are taking you.

I like taking US routes other than interstates. US 2 and US 20 are nice to go east and west on. 20 will have a lot of traffic in Yellowstone, but heck. Its Yellowstone. US 14 is nice too, especially out of Sheridan over the Big Horn mountains Shell Canyon... 20 and 14 are the same a lot.

Big T knows awsome rides accross Eastern Oregon.
 
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Hell Yeah. There are endless possibilities.
 
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Do it. My CA trip last year ate up about 10,000 miles when I was done, I think (I'll have to look back at my trip posting). It's a blast! Some days I put in 500mi, other days 750mi. Stretch and rest when you need to plan stopping points and overnights. You won't regret it.:D
 
I'd jump at the chance if the opportunity came up. I wouldn't take interstates any more than absolutely necessary once I got past the Mississippi. If I'm trying to make time on the bike, I try to maintain a 50 mph average including stops. If you're on the road for 8-12 hours that gives you 400-600 miles in a day. Unless you're used to doing a lot of high mile days, I wouldn't do more than two days like that back to back.
 
I-90 isn't heavily populated during that time of year. Its the most direct and one of the only routes to get into Seattle without taking another pass which is well over a hundred miles out of the way.
 
One thin I have found that helped keep the saddle soreness away was actually sort of contrary to what most people think.

That is shorter more frequent stops not only save your butt, but save you time. It's good for the brain too. Trying to stretch seat time as long as possible only seems to make me more sore. And it certainly makes my attention wander more, which is never good. Get off, even if it's two or three minutes. Walk a bit stretch breathe, sitting in a riding position has been shown to slow circulation, and create shallower breathing which limits blood/oxygen flow to the brain. This can make you tired and less attentive. Both of which are bad ideas on a bike.
 
TheCafeKid said:
One thin I have found that helped keep the saddle soreness away was actually sort of contrary to what most people think.

That is shorter more frequent stops not only save your butt, but save you time. It's good for the brain too. Trying to stretch seat time as long as possible only seems to make me more sore. And it certainly makes my attention wander more, which is never good. Get off, even if it's two or three minutes. Walk a bit stretch breathe, sitting in a riding position has been shown to slow circulation, and create shallower breathing which limits blood/oxygen flow to the brain. This can make you tired and less attentive. Both of which are bad ideas on a bike.
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Not if you have this set up for riding (its a proven fact, speed increases blood flow [the drug too] which increases heart rate which increases oxygen supply), but then again your slow Kawi wouldn't require you to need one. Oooooooooooh feel that burn? Thats my after burners as I burn right past you on my bike because I'm and F-18 and on the SHEEN!! [pain meds hehe]

433827_0_1.JPG


Sorry for the hi-jack. I'd google earth the route you're looking at versus just map quest or directions, etc.
 
Ranger said:
Not if you have this set up for riding (its a proven fact, speed increases blood flow [the drug too] which increases heart rate which increases oxygen supply), but then again your slow Kawi wouldn't require you to need one. Oooooooooooh feel that burn? Thats my after burners as I burn right past you on my bike! [pain meds hehe]

433827_0_1.JPG


Sorry for the hi-jack. I'd google earth the route you're looking at versus just map quest or directions, etc.
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Slow. Yeah. It's painfully slow.

How fast is your bike going at the moment? Ohh ow ow ow :p
 
cotton underwear with no elastic really saves leg cramps. you know the kind, they look like panties with a pouch. the ones you look at in the store ans say to yourself "who is buying these?" learned it from some harley guys at a rally. keeps the mud butt down too. if ya take I80 across the mississippi hit me up ill have a hot meal for ya :D
 
FreshStart said:
cotton underwear with no elastic really saves leg cramps. you know the kind, they look like panties with a pouch. the ones you look at in the store ans say to yourself "who is buying these?" learned it from some harley guys at a rally. keeps the mud butt down too. if ya take I80 across the mississippi hit me up ill have a hot meal for ya :D
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They work! I wear the wicking material compression shorts and the wicking shirts too. Put a tshirts over them in the summer and it wicks the sweat off of you to the tshirt and when in motion is like full AC. Works great
 
Compression shorts or bicycle shorts work well. Used to wear them in long trips sitting in blackhawks where you were litterally piled in and sitting on a steel floor and cramping is a big concern especially on final to the objective. Lots of things, you learn as you go though. Potassium tablets work wonders as well and butt-creame's from bike shops.
 
There is a member who went from S Illinois to Seattle for the summer a few years ago, I can't remember who that is. He rode a GS 550

It's just over 2,800 miles from Columbus to Seattle, so you'd have to average 500 miles/day to make time for breakdowns and adventures (like touring Yellowstone Park and the Black Hills)

Just head west and north until you get to the Black Hills. There's lots of roads, forget about the Interstate, it's boring. SW Wisconsin has the good roads before you hit the prairie
 
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In '09, I planned a cross country tour with my brothers for about 5000 miles in 11 days, at mostly about 400 miles per day. None of my brothers ever had attempted anything like this.

I had a 600 plus mile day planned for the first day, just so they would know what we were in for.

Late in the second day, one of my brothers hit a rock, and broke the front wheel. This put us back about 3 days, so there was time to make up. We ended up having to do several back to back 600 mile days. 3 of the bikes were unfaired GS's, an 1100G and two '80 850G's.

We managed to avoid interstates almost 100% of the time. It was a blast, nobody had any problems putting in the miles. We very rarely went over 65 mph.

You don't need a big rig touring bike. You don't need a windshield.

The thing you need is the time.
 
Big T said:
There is a member who went from S Illinois to Seattle for the summer a few years ago, I can't remember who that is. He rode a GS 550
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850 Combat said:
You don't need a big rig touring bike. You don't need a windshield.

The thing you need is the time.
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I can't remember his name either, he lives down by where the JC Whitney building is, just west of there. I picked him up in St. Cloud, MN, we ate at TGIFriday's, then rode up the Great River Road along the Mississippi, stopped to look at Lindbergh State Park, then went to my house, did some wrenching on his bike, and sent him off in a westerly direction the next morning. He was having speedometer drive problems then as I remember. he was doing an internship at Microsoft.

I don't need a big touring bike either, but I'm an old guy and I need my windshield/fairing and all that stuff.:D
 
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Big T said:
There is a member who went from S Illinois to Seattle for the summer a few years ago, I can't remember who that is. He rode a GS 550

It's just over 2,800 miles from Columbus to Seattle, so you'd have to average 500 miles/day to make time for breakdowns and adventures (like touring Yellowstone Park and the Black Hills)

Just head west and north until you get to the Black Hills. There's lots of roads, forget about the Interstate, it's boring. SW Wisconsin has the good roads before you hit the prairie
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His name was Paul. Went by p_s here. Met him at BC three years ago when it rained all weekend and Griffins stator went south and he did a one handed walking wheelie in the parkinglot with his 700. Ha! God I wish I'd had a video camera. Paul's a cool dude. Wonder what happened to him?
 
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