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How much time to allow for your ride, when will you "get there", how many stops for gas, and other questions arise during planning for a long-distance motorcycle trip.  If you're just planning a "wander", seeing the sights and stopping when you feel like it, no problem.  If you need to make a destination by some certain time, however, there are some tools and techniques that can help.

Begin with the basics, a good mapping program such as Delorme's Street Atlas.  While basic mapping information is free on the Internet from sites such as Maps on Us (www.mapsonus.com) or MapQuest (www.mapquest.com), you'll come to appreciate the extra detail, speed, printing options, and overall additional flexibility of a locally installed version.

Use the mapping program to setup your start and finish locations, then calculate your base route and anticipated travel time.  Using the program, you can set your anticipated average speeds on different types of roads, and indicate which road types (interstate, US hiway, state hiway) you prefer.  The calculated route will give you the overall length of the trip and ride time very quickly.

Traveling with only 3 gallons of gas on board, I prefer to map out my gas stops in advance.  This lets me get as much out of a tank as possible without worrying that gas will be unavailable at the "next" exit.  I created a trip planning spreadsheet that I use to help plan gas stops and allow for refueling time along the way.  Using factors such as tank size, reserve fuel %, length of the ride, typical mpg, planned riding speed, and length of time for a gas stop, the spreadsheet returns miles between stops, number of stops required, and a "actual" average speed including your gas stops. 

Going back to Street Atlas, I use the "real" average speed value for the mapping program's highway speed value, and begin setting intermediate gas stops in the route, using the range for a tank *and* checking the mapping program for gas services at a nearby exit.  When the route is calculated again, miles and times to all your gas stops are now included into your route directions, and your riding times are adjusted to include time to stop for gas.

One last step I take is to create a route directions / timetable sheet using the mapping program's information.  Inserted into the map pouch on my tankbag, this timetable keeps me aware of the next stop or turn, how far till I get there, and if I'm staying on time.

Prologue and Preparation
Riding to Avon
At the Thin Air TT
Adventures in Road Service
 

Prologue to the Ride

Preparation is the key, they say.  And if ever my SR500 was prepared for a long ride, this was the time, and needed more than ever as I began my longest ride to date.  Between my departure on Thursday to my return on Monday I would cover over 3000 miles roundtrip to the Thin Air TT Rally in Avon, CO. 

Bill Gillespie, assisted by Brian Boberick, Bob Norton, and other members of the Thin Airheads motorcycle club have conducted the Thin Air TT (TATT) rally for the past few years, and have settled for a two-day, daylight-only format for the past two.  As a long-distance rally newcomer, I was drawn in to this event by the prospect of some great Colorado riding while not needing 1000's of watts of auxiliary lighting to ride critter-filled mountain roads at night.  And, as Bill Gillespie mentioned at the pre-rally meeting, what's the point of flying through this countryside at night and missing all the scenery?  Thus, the rally is set up as two good day's rides, with base routes of 600-700 miles on day one, and 400-500 miles on day two during daylight hours. 

I mentioned preparation, and my year 2000 riding season saw a bunch of work being done on my '78 Yamaha SR500E before and during riding season.  During state inspection, that bit of wobble I found in my swingarm on the way back from the FSSNOC rally in New York had worsened and needed to be fixed.  New swingarm bushings were fitted, along with new rear brake pads and wheel bearings.  A trip to McComb, MS and the return trip in eight hours of soggy downpour made history of my headlight switch and speedo.  And finally, wanting to fit new tires for the long trip, I checked the steering head bearings, found them to be "too playful", so new bearings, front brake pads, and front wheel bearings were installed in time for the trip.  Nearly good as new. 

The rally festivities started on Friday afternoon and continued to Sunday night.  Needing to conserve vacation time and minimize the "Dad's gone again" factor, I decided to make the ride to Avon from St. Louis in one day each way.  That's 960 miles each way, but I'd ridden a 1000-mile day to qualify for my Iron Butt Association SaddleSore award, and figured I could manage it.  I had about 17 hours of daylight, or nearly so, each day, so averaging 60'ish would do the trick. (See sidebar on long-distance ride planning). 

My packing for long-distance rides has refined each year, and it was easy to go through the drill of what to carry and where.  The TATT rally folks had a few requirements of their own, such as a tire repair kit, flares, first aid kit, and so forth, but not much beyond what I'd usually carry anyway.  An important addition was a soft-sided six-pack cooler in my right saddlebag.  Maintaining water intake is important on long rides to preserve your natural "cooling system" and minimize joint aches, but it can be critical to have some water along if you should be stranded for a while in the summer heat. 

With the bike out of the shop for the last time, it felt great to be rolling on tight steering head bearings and new tires.  I like to give the SR a good shine before leaving on a trip, it helps to identify any fluid leaks more quickly, keeps the soft luggage from grinding grit into the finish as much, and let's me think I'm riding a newer than 22-year-old scooter on a long trip.  Per good practice also, I made sure I had everything packed at least two nights ahead of leaving; that leaves the night before the trip worry-free and with nothing much to do except spend a nice evening enjoying yourself. 

Riding to Avon

I'd set my alarm for 4:30 on Thursday morning 7/27, and rose quickly to suit up, apply sunscreen and earplugs, and make my way to Chesterfield Amoco to start the clock on the day's ride by 5:00a.  With 19.2 miles on my new speedo and a full tank, I clocked out at 4:59a to make my way west.  My ride plan called for gas stops every 120 miles or so, and the navigation on this trip was nothing special: get on I-70 at Wentzville, then ride west till finished.  It was great to get a good early start, but to leave anywhere near normal "dawn" there was no way I would miss riding a good part of the trip in late-July western Kansas and eastern Colorado, home to heat, crosswinds, and early evening thunderstorms. 

Missouri crossings are nothing special to me any more, as a resident there always seems to be a good reason to make this 230 mile trip a few times a year, and this morning was no exception.  Thru my helmet speakers, radio stations in KC were describing power outages due to storms on Wednesday night, and I caught a brief rain shower just on the east side of KC.  My timing missed rush hour, and I hit my second gas stop right before the Kansas turnpike entrance.  I was maintaining my pace using my tankbag ride schedule (see sidebar) and it made it easy to get a good 120-mile stretch out of my tank without worry that I wouldn't find gas at the exit I had picked.  Junction City, Russell, and Oakley, Kansas were soon checked off.  I was spared most of the crosswind action I had been warned about, but I had a good strong headwind between Junction City and Russell...enough so that the SR and all it's gear was limited to 65 mph or so.  A struggle. 

I'd say also that for all the talk about how flat and uninteresting it is to cross Kansas, there is in fact some variation in terrain along the way, plus a number of well-spaced historical / interesting potential stops, if you were doing more of a "wander" type ride and not just trying to cover the miles.  Military stuff at Fort Riley, Civil War stuff at Lawrence, telephony stuff at Abilene, Walter P. Chrysler stuff at Ellis, and so on. 

I stopped for the obligatory state boundary sign photo before hitting Stratton, then Byers, CO and managed to get two more brief thundershowers in along the way.  With this country so open, I spotted a magnificent 15,000 ft. thunderhead just ahead, thankful that it was off to the right and I wouldn't have to ride under it.  You guessed it...of course the road turned in a few miles and I was treated to another shower as I rode under that behemoth.  So it goes. 

Once I spotted familiar sights of metro Denver I was getting really psyched, since I was about to enter the Rockies via motorcycle for the first time.  And although I've experienced it a few times, nothing quite prepares you for how quickly the terrain changes just west of Denver to "real" Colorado, the one we see in travel posters.  Very suddenly you begin climbing some of the steeper grades you'll find on an interstate highway, and negotiating tight curves through the canyons and passes.  With the altitude and load, I was very concerned about how my SR would perform, and to my relief I found out very quickly. 

I had booked a room at Georgetown for Thursday night specifically to get a shot at Loveland Pass on Friday before I started the rally, the idea being to discover how the SR acted at altitude and set my rally ride plan accordingly.  Vail Pass on I-70, however, goes over 10,000 feet and my SR ran fine...4th gear and 5500 rpm required, but fine and steady, and I allowed myself a broad grin that I shouldn't have any major trauma riding the high passes of the TATT, albeit not too rapidly. 

I checked myself in to the Georgetown Super 8, stowed my gear while huffing a bit with the altitude, then rode into town and treated myself to a steak dinner after a long day's ride.  I didn't bother to unpack much, just a quick shower and bedtime after covering 880 miles. 

Friday morning didn't require me to rush to finish the ride to Avon, so I spent some time polishing up the SR a bit before reloading gear for the 80-mile run west.  I picked up my US-6 exit for the ride up to Loveland Pass, and soon left the valley floor to twist my way to the summit.  You could really feel the temperature changes every couple of turns, cooler each time, and there was quite a crowd of tourists at the top.  I treated myself to some water and a snack, admired the view, and posed the SR for a few photos.  Almost 12,000 feet up, "thin air" for sure! 

I pulled into Avon's Christie Lodge, home to the Thin Air TT at mid-afternoon. 

(Continued in part II)