First Road Trip

[Yamaman]

Well, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that at age 52, I am finally considering my first road trip on a motorcycle. I’ve been riding various bikes since I was 17, but have never had the opportunity to really get out and go. About 150 miles on a Saturday with friends is the longest I’ve ever ridden. I’ve had my RSV now for two years and have put about 8K on the clock, but all here in the Houston area and nearby countryside. Well, every year for Thanksgiving we travel to my wife’s hometown of Odessa to visit her family. Today she told me that she wanted to go out a few days ahead of me to have some “alone” time with her parents. So I say “cool, I’ll ride out later on the bike then!” My wife is not real excited about my “new” love (the Venture) and wasn’t too thrilled, but I think she’ll come around.

So now, if I’m going to do this, I’ve got to do it right. Don’t want to forget anything important or breakdown along the way due to failure to prepare properly. So, any suggestions from any of you “old hands” on how to properly prepare the bike, and myself, for this adventure? The distance is about 560 miles each way. It usually takes about nine and a half hours in the car and is mostly on I-10. That seems kind of boring, so any ideas for alternate routes will be considered. Should I try to do it in one day or is that likely to kill me on my first trip? I could stop one night at friends in the Canyon Lake area, just north of San Antonio. That would split it into 220 and 340 mile segments. As I’m thinking, that is probably the way to go.

So, when I leave San Antonio, should I just rip it out the freeway or take a more scenic route. A big chunk of that road has an 80mph speed limit, so any deviation is definitely going to take longer. On the plus side, there are a lot more choices for places to stop and things to see off the freeway. What about safety? I guess there too there are pluses and minuses for each option.

Thanks in advance for any and all ideas and suggestions.

 

 

[BradT]

The decision obviously is yours and only you know if you can make it not. You may want to build up and go out in 2 days on back roads and hit the highway coming home.

 

It normally takes longer if you travel the same speed as you would in the car. I find you have to pick up your speed a bit on the bike to make similar times.

 

Normal maintenance is all that is needed to prepare, and you should be trouble free.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

Brad

[saddlebum]

My self I like to take some tools extra bulbs inc one for the headlight, a 1st aid kit and some raingear. I also take along a dry change of clothes in a quick grab bag separate from any other luggage i happen to have and pack it were it is easy to get to. To save from having to dig down into the bottomn of my saddle bags i always pack my small tool kit right on top of everything. As far as the route goes pick what feels good. Myself iI prefer to take the scenic routes. for the distance your talking I would suggest doing it in 2 days there and 2 days back and enjoy the ride.

[tazmocycle]

if you have a gps take it to help if you get off-track and need help to get back. it's also helpful when you are not familar with the location of gas along the way.haven't been off I-10 thru that area but there are lots of members in the area and will problly help out. sometimes when i take a long trip and stop in larger cities, i try to find out if they have any bikes night i can visit, have had a lot of fun and meet new friends doing this. you can go to thunder road mag or others that list them and some has websites to look it up on. i'm also a member of southern cruiser and i use their website to find where they are too. it maybe easier for you to break it up for at least one way to see how you do. make sure your tires are good to go and any close maintance is done before you put the 1,000 miles trip on the bike. good luck and have a good time. you can also post your trip on site and may have some members meet you in the cities you are visiting, don.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Ok...every thing you see me write is from a man who ABHORS Interstate Highway travel unless: Someone is paying me to do it, AND, I absolutely, positively have to get there fast.

 

Thing is, on the interstate, cruising at 75 to 85 mph or more, the Royal Stars really suck the gas, so you end up stopping more often. Traveling on Texas' decent secondary roads is not THAT much slower, and you have more opportunities to enjoy the ride, and stop and eat at mom-n-pops along the way. Seriously, friend, traveling on the interstate by motorcycle is a lot like WORK, whereas traveling on the secondary roads is more like PLEASURE. So its up to you.

 

If I was planning that run, here is my route of choice:

 

Forget I-10 and San Antonio. Take US 290 to Brenham and on thru Austin to US 183 all the way thru Lampasas to Brownwood. Excellent lunch or dinner stop at Underwoods, right in the middle of town, and across from Wal-Mart.( great barbecue chicken dinners!)

 

Then take US 67 to Ballinger and then Rt 158 to Midland. You will see an amazingly HUGE windfarm out there.

 

Room rates in the little mom-n-pop motels in these little towns like Lampasas, Goldwaithe, and Ballinger, tend to be very affordable, as opposed to the Interstate locations.

 

Even if you DO make the stopover at Canyon lake, you can meander up thru Fredericksburg and Brady and avoid the interstate for most of your trip.

 

If you really feel like blasting down the interstate, which takes NO imagination..then have at it. Prepare to arrive completely worn out if you do it in one day. Better to split up either route into 2 days traveling. You might as well arrive fresh, instead of worn out.

 

Have fun!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2009 by tx2sturgis

[1sttenor]

I don't live in TX and can't speak to great routes there, but I totally agree...interstates only if unavoidable. I've ridden thousands of miles over the years on road trips, the more crooked the line on the map, the more likely I am to go that way.

[First_N_Last]

Yamaman;

 

I also have a wife who doesn't enjoy riding. Enjoy every minute of your trip... stop at your friends along the way... take a gps for sure. I often will ignore my guidance directions & just travel 25 or 20 mules away from the highway & then let the gps guide me along again. I've had some great rides that way & I'm sure you will too.

 

It is great to have somewhere to go & just not be in an hury. This way you can enjoy the Journey & AdVENTURE!

[dynodon]

Lots of good advice. If you have the time, plan two days for the trip out, and like the one post said, you will be better prepared for a one day blast home.

 

I would highly recommend, even if you don't feel tired, get off the bike and walk around for a break every 1.5 hours or so. Top off the tank, get a drink, take a short walk. This will help you stay alert and prevent sore behind etc.

 

Check out maps, talk to people in the cities that you will go through CVB or city hall, for good roads, construction news etc along the way, spend a little time doing some research so you don't get surprised. Don't get in a hurry, leave yourself plenty of time in case of detours or traffic.

 

Make sure your cell phone is charged and bring a charger or extra battery. Have towing insurance on the bike? rental car coverage? Just in case. Chances are you won't need any of that or the med kit, but if you have it, then you can rest easier.

 

Be sure to take full rain gear, even if the weather is dry forcast, and bring cold gear too if appropriate. Better to be prepared than have to stop at Wally World and buy emergency stuff.!

 

Find things YOU want to see/do along the way, and have some fun.

[yamadawg]

There is only one thing that I would add to the excellent information that has already been posted. I would suggest that you plan on regular stops throughout your trip. Do not ride until you are uncomfortable. Stop, get off of the bike and stretch a little and move around. It may only take 10 minutes or so, but may well allow you to ride another couple of stretches for the day and enjoy the ride much more. My wife and I target 100 miles at a stretch or around 1 1/2 hour "blocks" between stops. If either of us gets uncomfortable we'll stop for a few minutes and start back good as new. Not being used to the longer rides you may well want to stop much more often. It's your ride... enjoy it at your pace. We learned during our first longer trips that if we pushed too hard by the end of the day we were hurting and miserable. That pain carried on to the next day(s) and beyond during the trip. Later on you may be good to easily ride from gas stop to gas stop one-up, but I would not suggest that for your first long ride. Resist the urge to ride until it hurts, your comfort level should guide you.

Enjoy the ride!

[BOO]

Lot of good info.

I don't mine the interstates so that is always an option for me.

But there are two questions here. Are you headed somewhere to ride(interstate) or are you riding to somewhere.(back roads). That's how I define my rides.

So for your trip I would take the back roads and I don't know to much about Texas roads but I have a feeling they are mostly of the straight variety anyway.

I don't take much with me in the way of tools, just the basics, actually the tool kit that came with the bike will do. Rain suit, change of clothes and whatever you need to stay overnight.

Don't get to hyped up over planning and worrying about tools, just go and have a good time.

By the way there are no roads I ride on my bike that are WORK!

BOO

[Guest tx2sturgis]

By the way. This time of year, avoid traveling on those back country Texas roads around dawn and dusk. Too many deer. Get your riding done between sun-up and sun down. I cant stress this enough. I've recently hit a deer on my bike, right after sundown. Lived to tell about it, apparently it wasnt my time to die. Just be careful.

[Yamaman]

Ok...every thing you see me write is from a man who ABHORS Interstate Highway travel unless: Someone is paying me to do it, AND, I absolutely, positively have to get there fast.

 

Thing is, on the interstate, cruising at 75 to 85 mph or more, the Royal Stars really suck the gas, so you end up stopping more often. Traveling on Texas' decent secondary roads is not THAT much slower, and you have more opportunities to enjoy the ride, and stop and eat at mom-n-pops along the way. Seriously, friend, traveling on the interstate by motorcycle is a lot like WORK, whereas traveling on the secondary roads is more like PLEASURE. So its up to you.

 

If I was planning that run, here is my route of choice:

 

Forget I-10 and San Antonio. Take US 290 to Brenham and on thru Austin to US 183 all the way thru Lampasas to Brownwood. Excellent lunch or dinner stop at Underwoods, right in the middle of town, and across from Wal-Mart.( great barbecue chicken dinners!)

 

Then take US 67 to Ballinger and then Rt 158 to Midland. You will see an amazingly HUGE windfarm out there.

 

Room rates in the little mom-n-pop motels in these little towns like Lampasas, Goldwaithe, and Ballinger, tend to be very affordable, as opposed to the Interstate locations.

 

Even if you DO make the stopover at Canyon lake, you can meander up thru Fredericksburg and Brady and avoid the interstate for most of your trip.

 

If you really feel like blasting down the interstate, which takes NO imagination..then have at it. Prepare to arrive completely worn out if you do it in one day. Better to split up either route into 2 days traveling. You might as well arrive fresh, instead of worn out.

 

Have fun!

 

Thanks for the ideas. I have pretty much decided to do Canyon Lake the first night. After Giddings (on 290) I'll cut south through Bastrop to San Marcos and then backroads to my friend's house in Canyon Lake.

 

Day 2 I'll circle around the north side of the lake and work my way up to Blanco. Then I want to head up to Marble Falls and from there over to Llano. I'd like to look closer at this part of the state as it's an area my wife and I have discussed retiring to one of these days.

 

From Llano I'm guessing 87 to Sterling City and then 158 to Midland. Does that get me onto 158 soon enough to see the windfarm? I'm assuming this is similar to the one south of Odessa near Iraan?

 

Any pitfalls or problems with this route? Any "not-to-be-missed" sights?

 

Thanks to everyone for all the ideas.

 

[LilBeaver]

Good advice already so I'll try not to repeat anything.

 

Since you said that your longest trip was a recent 150 mile run, something you may want to try to do between now and your big trip is to take some more longer rides, getting progressively longer to see how you feel about it. For example make your next one 200 miles, 250 or 300. Then do it again in a few days, or the following weekend or whatever. And after a few of those you'll get a feel for how it is to drive a longer distance in a day.

 

Make sure you eat healthy days leading up to the long ride and the morning of your ride. I like to keep some energy bars, granola bars, or something that is reasonably healthy (as well as water) so that when I make my stops every 100-150 miles for a 10 minute stretch (regardless of if I am tired or not) I can have a little something to snack on to make sure that my body is doing okay. Something to pay attention to is that if you start to feel light headed or weak or whatever, it is too late - STOP immediately and get something to eat, freshen up and relax a little. No sense in taking a risk at driving not at the peak of your ability.

 

I don't think twice about riding a 600 mile day. Here is how I typically try to break it up (especially if I'm not on a rigid time table)

0 Miles - Depart (with a full tank)

100-150 miles later, (100-150 miles traveled so far) Stop for breakfast and fuel

100-150 miles later, (200-300 miles traveled so far) stop for fuel and munch a little

100-150 miles later, (300-450 miles traveled so far) stop for fuel and lunch (or the next meal)

100-150 miles later (400-500 miles traveled so far): fuel, munch,

100-150 (500-650 miles traveled so far) Etc.

 

I find that if I can stick to this type of routing it keeps me moving at a reasonable pace and enjoying the ride with limited fatigue I do like to take a look at a map and get a rough idea of what will be around at each loosely planned stop to make sure that I get fuel where needed etc.

 

Anyhoot, do what you are comfortable with and if you can avoid the highways that is the way to travel. But sometimes it is just nice to just 'get there'.

 

Have a great trip!

[OldBear]

Remember to keep yourself hydrated, even in "cooler" weather!. Stop often and get a drink of water, stretch your legs and enjoy the trip. Also, be sure you've got adequate motorcycle type clothing to keep you comfortable (warm and dry) Ride safe and ENJOY the ride!! Caution though...it IS addictive.