SS1000 in June any suggestions?

[REGULATOR]

hey all,  I'll be doing a SS1000 in Mid June on my 2001 Tiger.
( somewhere in Georgia to Tulsa Oklahoma)

I've done several before on a Sprint, a Venture and other bikes.

( I had a 2001 Sprint St which is pretty similar engine wise)

  Couple Questions,  will the Tourances hold up on extended Highway superslab ok,  it seemed the one that came on the bike was toast after a quick trip to Kentucky and back.

Mine are fairly new as of today,  but could concievably swap on soem pure street tires or more street tires like the conti trail attacks etc...
I'm sure they would be smoother riding

I'm going to mount up my radar detector, and also a CB in my tank bag...

I was contemplating the  tank panniers just for fairing effect and some extra stuff space... ( jacket liner for eve rides etc)

I have the stretch cruise control, throttle rocker etc.  

any suggestions?

[Stretch]

I did one on Distanzias, and my Bro rode his GSA with Tourances.  Both tires did fine.

I fabbed up a cupholder for my tank bag, and a long straw that fits into the cap of 20-oz. drink bottles.  I tend to go through a lot of Mountain Dew on the road.  That also forces you to stop when nature calls, which gives your tookas a rest and keeps you alert.

I have a Sirius satellite radio in my tank bag, transmitting into a cheap FM walkman, which powers my BigEar ear plugs.

I cannot recommend an Airhawk seat pad highly enough.  The 'Large Cruiser' size fits a Girly saddle perfectly.

Be sure to oil your chain every few hundred miles.

[2004Tiger]

I did a quick 2200 miles on Tourances having 10,000 miles on them. They performed well, but the flat spot is wider now. That's OK because I was planning to trash them in favor of Metzler Z6 road tires. I don't do dirt.
If you don't need 90/10 tires, road tires are better in all respects.
Get the Airhawk--even the Triumph gel seat is not good enough.
Check your oil level at each gas stop.

[Bixxer Bob]

.....  I tend to go through a lot of Mountain Dew on the road.....

Ah!!!!   Mountain Dew.... we don't get it in the UK (at least not that I know of) and the very name took me back to where I had my first can..... in 35deg heat on Wideawake Airfield,  Ascension Island whilst serving alongside the USAF. (Ok, a beer would have been better - maybe -  but you can't drink alchohol whilst working on the airstrip) :oops:

Good days...  8)

[REGULATOR]

I was wanting to rig up a cup holder on the tank bag..

I usually pack a camelbak for water,  but its nice to walk away from breakfast or lunch with a full cup of ice, or soda or whatever..

the gel seat is not as good as I would have hoped,   I prefered the sergent seat on my Sprint,  I may send them my stock seat and have a rebuild done money permitting.

I am a big fan of the sheepskin seat pad myself..

I'll be ridign with about 5 old farts on HD's so stopping often will be programmed in...  most are fairly hard core though so we shoudl make it int he alloted time no sweat.

[Stretch]

Seeing as it's going to be in June... look into an evaporative cooling vest to wear under a mesh jacket.  I picked one up for less than 40 bucks shipped late last year, but haven't used it yet.  I'm at work now, so I can't put my hand to the thing, but I can look at it tomorrow to get a name off the label.

I'll move this thread to 'Up And Coming', since it's not Girly Tech.

[REGULATOR]

Ive seen those,  they are actually a NSN issued item in some cases.

   I wear my Joe Rocket mesh, and take a HUGE desert rag and drape it reverse boyscout ( wow that sounds like a naughty position)

   but I soak it at every stop,  it acts like the same thing only cheap...

with an electric liner handy and rain shell for over the top. it works for all the weather you may encounter on a summer trip.

probably pretty freakign hot,  was fairly warm on the way to south dakota last year when I did my SS1000 to there..

[Stretch]

Here it is, just case anybody's interested...

http://www.palmflex.com/storefront/detail.aspx?ID=667

Unfortunately, I bought it late last year and have never used it, so I can't honestly vouch for its ability.  But it is a well-made item, and if it stays moist longer than a t-shirt (which it ought to), it should make summertime riding much more enjoyable.  It comes with a big Zip-Loc bag, so at every stop just dump in some water and let it soak for a couple minutes, then gently squeeze it out.

On a summer ride a few years ago, I stopped for a break at a convenience store and saw a harley chick sitting in the bagged-ice freezer outside.

[REGULATOR]

has anybody mounted a luggage rack on top of the rear top box?

be a perfect spot to bungee small items or such ( I know nothign too heavy)

[John Stenhouse]

Givi used to do one with a built in rack.

[matttys]

I did 1562 miles in 24 hours on a set of Tourances without any issues.  Just make sure an lube your chain every time you gas up and remember that greater speed only makes you stop more often for gas.  Oh yeah, and you will need to train your bladder to release when your bike needs gas  

[jays58]

I fabbed up a cupholder for my tank bag, and a long straw that fits into the cap of 20-oz. drink bottles.  I tend to go through a lot of Mountain Dew on the road.  That also forces you to stop when nature calls, which gives your tookas a rest and keeps you alert.

An "on the go" drinking set up is vital, but just a word of caution on the caffeine for anyone doing high mileage - I love it as much as the next guy, but when I did an SS1K with a friend a couple years back, I sucked on my Camelback throughout the 19 hr. ride.  My buddy pretty much just took in coffee at rest stops, other than a drink w/meals.  By the end he was seriously dehydrated and felt like crap the whole next day.  I felt great after a good sleep!  Rig up a drinking system for water or a sports drink that works for you.  It will make it go much better.  ---J

[REGULATOR]

yep, I go easy on the caffiene,  I say easy because I drink enough daily that if I don;t drink it my head will explode.


I will grab a cup of coffee in the am,  maybe at breakfast, and maybe pop a late afternoon redbull for a little pick me up...otherwise, I suck down 2-3 camelbacks full of pure H20 and then drink some gatorade or similar on the way.

And as far as Bladder,  I can do almost 300 on the bike before needing gas...

    I migth just ride my rocket since they will all be stopping around 150 anyway for gas

[Mudhen]

The pro's (if there is such a thing in the LD world) will tell you to completely ween yourself off caffeine a couple weeks before.  It shouldn't take a drug to keep you going on a bike, and if it does, you should stop and rest.  Plus you can do without the extra push to your bladder.

Thankfully, I'm not a pro, so didn't listen to them when I did one, either.  

:lol:

What do you have for a tank setup that gets you the 300 miles?

Pat

(ps - nice BBG, Matttys!!)

[REGULATOR]

Got almost 300 miles before I stopped on my last trip back from Kentucky..  
   
   19 t front sprocket,  triumph ofroad can thats about it as far as stuff done..



  probably going to ride my other bike for this years SS1000 since I just got my Rocket back from gettign the bags painted