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Long Haul on an '18

AVG1940

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1835 miles in 4 days. Two days were 650+ miles, two were just 250-ish.

My takeaway, for those interested...

Good: This bike performs exactly as expected. It's a Honda, so it can drone on for days without a hic-up or worry. Cruised at 70-80 mostly, with the occasional 90+ blast around traffic. Rarely stopped without someone commenting on the bike. The Frunk, small tank bag (drinks and Newtons), and Shad side cases were plenty of multi-day storage.

Neutral: Pretty ok mileage at 60-70 MPH, where most are comfortable cruising. Ergo's good with the mods I made. Bar risers, peg droppers, large windscreen, and an RSV4 rear shock. Clearly, a tarted up version to my liking and a good 200-300 mile per day ride. 650 miles...meh. Might wanna plan better.

Not bad, but not so good: Mileage not so stellar for MY cruising speed across open highway. Toss in consistent big-rig passes as well as a couple high altitude mountain passes, add high desert winds and I never got better than 54mpg for a day's riding. Mostly around 51. The longest stretch on one tank was 160 miles, most of it US-80 across Nevada. Reserve blinking with 16mi on the ODO, and a 3.1 gal fill up. I figure I had about 20 mi left before bingo fuel. All that is to be expected though, so no real complaint. Although I would happily trade Frunk space for another .5 gal (I never actually consider keeping a helmet in there anyhow). I'd also trade 4-5 mpg for another 10 HP, but that's just me. Wind protection is non-existent without aftermarket. Hand guards and heated grips are a must in any cold areas, as is a taller windscreen. These are mods I make to all my bikes that don't come standard with 'em though. So again, not really a valid bitch. Stock Dunlop tires... Rear, toast at 3800 miles, front 75% gone and starting to cup. Not great.

All in all a good bike for a reasonable multi-day or trip. It's a true price-point bike, but that's exactly what I bought it for. IMO, A 650 mile day includes way too frequent gas stops on open highway America. Planning secondary roads is the way to go in the U.S. of By-God A anyhow, so again, pick great back roads, have a great time on this bike. It's exactly what it's made for. Below: Manzanar, Abandon mine, and bike in travel configuration.

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Nice observations. These are such underrated motorcycles that easily get pretty much any job done.

My butt doesn't like days as long as 650 miles, I've never managed that. I'm sure my arthritis would rebel too. But the bike can do what I am unwilling to do.
 
Agreed. It will do lots, most of it pretty darn OK. Even if you are dumb enough to ride it 650 in one shot.
 
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I bought a new '21 last month and rode it 600 miles home and then in the Heart of Texas Rally this month. Not counting the to/from the rally miles, I rode 1,314 miles in 36 hours. I collected 33 bonus locations (think giant scavenger hunt) and placed 30th overall (not bad for my first Long Distance Rally). My topcase/panniers didn't make it in time, but I did add crash guards, aux lights, highway pegs (not ideal, but they were cheap and could get here in time), and a touring windshield. I learned a lot about what I want to do before the next rally. All in all, this machine performed great!
 

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Agreed. It will do lots, most of it pretty darn OK. Even if you are dumb enough to ride it 650 in one shot.
I have done 1054 miles in 17 hours. From my house to Deals Gap is over 400 miles in about 6 hours, mostly on the superslab which I do at least once a year.
 
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I have done 1054 miles in 17 hours. From my house to Deals Gap is over 400 miles in about 6 hours, mostly on the superslab which I do at least once a year.
I swear by Corbin seats. Distance is not a problem if you have a decent comfortable seat, are reasonably fit, and make sure you stay hydrated.
 
1120 miles in 21 hrs - Seattle to Vegas. Honda touring screen (since replaced), lowered pegs and an Airhawk on the seat.
If you submitted it to the IBA you’ll join a single digit club that’s done a 1000+ in less than 24 on an NC.
 
Interesting @dduelin —> I will be doing some IBA rides on my NC this summer fall. My next desired IBA ride will be a BB1500 as I’ve never done one of those yet.

I have two IBA certs to my name. Both completed SS1000 on Vespa GTS 300, so I’m aware of the small number club. . Took 20 hours and 21 hours respectively on an engine that small.
 
Interesting @dduelin —> I will be doing some IBA rides on my NC this summer fall. My next desired IBA ride will be a BB1500 as I’ve never done one of those yet.

I have two IBA certs to my name. Both completed SS1000 on Vespa GTS 300, so I’m aware of the small number club. . Took 20 hours and 21 hours respectively on an engine that small.
I’ve done 9 IBA rides with three on an NC. SS1000, BB1500, another SS1000. The latter was fallout from a BBG attempt. At 850 miles in I had 2+ hours in the bank and came upon a miles long backup on I-75 at 4 PM. The wait, traffic, and temperature sapped my ambition. I calculated the distance home then called the wife saying I’d be home for dinner instead of a 2 AM arrival. I lane split for 8 miles to the next exit and went home. IIRC 1024 miles in ~ 17 hours.
 
Ya, that can do it quick! I love hearing that you made a wise choice. Knowing when to cut bait and ride another day is just as important as knowing how to sit in the saddle for 24-36 hours.

My first SS was a Texas in-state all by myself. The bluebonnets were in full bloom and it was awesome! Millions of bluebonnets for 20 hours. Here’s my write up on the ride: https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic174190
 
Flew to Eugene this Wed and picked up another BMW R1200 RT. 403 miles in approx 6 hours in the saddle. Actual speed around 67mph. Not bad for being mostly in Oregon. Really trying to watch my P's & Q's after getting a whopper speeding ticket in March (in Oregon). The Cascades were beautiful. And again, BMW R1200RT...Touring's best kept secret. Nice used examples are very inexpensive. They are usually well taken care of, and likely to have lots of goodies. I have more in NC farkles than I paid for this bike. Ohlin's suspension, heated grips, custom header and exhaust, sides and top case, 110HP...403 miles and I barely knew I had been in the saddle (custom, heated saddle of course). Feels like cheating while doing an IBA "saddle soar 1000". Likely any passenger you have will appreciate the size and comfort of the rear seat (also heated). Try one as a secondary bike, worth it.
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1835 miles in 4 days. Two days were 650+ miles, two were just 250-ish.

My takeaway, for those interested...

Good: This bike performs exactly as expected. It's a Honda, so it can drone on for days without a hic-up or worry. Cruised at 70-80 mostly, with the occasional 90+ blast around traffic. Rarely stopped without someone commenting on the bike. The Frunk, small tank bag (drinks and Newtons), and Shad side cases were plenty of multi-day storage.

Neutral: Pretty ok mileage at 60-70 MPH, where most are comfortable cruising. Ergo's good with the mods I made. Bar risers, peg droppers, large windscreen, and an RSV4 rear shock. Clearly, a tarted up version to my liking and a good 200-300 mile per day ride. 650 miles...meh. Might wanna plan better.

Not bad, but not so good: Mileage not so stellar for MY cruising speed across open highway. Toss in consistent big-rig passes as well as a couple high altitude mountain passes, add high desert winds and I never got better than 54mpg for a day's riding. Mostly around 51. The longest stretch on one tank was 160 miles, most of it US-80 across Nevada. Reserve blinking with 16mi on the ODO, and a 3.1 gal fill up. I figure I had about 20 mi left before bingo fuel. All that is to be expected though, so no real complaint. Although I would happily trade Frunk space for another .5 gal (I never actually consider keeping a helmet in there anyhow). I'd also trade 4-5 mpg for another 10 HP, but that's just me. Wind protection is non-existent without aftermarket. Hand guards and heated grips are a must in any cold areas, as is a taller windscreen. These are mods I make to all my bikes that don't come standard with 'em though. So again, not really a valid bitch. Stock Dunlop tires... Rear, toast at 3800 miles, front 75% gone and starting to cup. Not great.

All in all a good bike for a reasonable multi-day or trip. It's a true price-point bike, but that's exactly what I bought it for. IMO, A 650 mile day includes way too frequent gas stops on open highway America. Planning secondary roads is the way to go in the U.S. of By-God A anyhow, so again, pick great back roads, have a great time on this bike. It's exactly what it's made for. Below: Manzanar, Abandon mine, and bike in travel configuration.

View attachment 49281View attachment 49282View attachment 49283

1835 miles in 4 days. Two days were 650+ miles, two were just 250-ish.

My takeaway, for those interested...

Good: This bike performs exactly as expected. It's a Honda, so it can drone on for days without a hic-up or worry. Cruised at 70-80 mostly, with the occasional 90+ blast around traffic. Rarely stopped without someone commenting on the bike. The Frunk, small tank bag (drinks and Newtons), and Shad side cases were plenty of multi-day storage.

Neutral: Pretty ok mileage at 60-70 MPH, where most are comfortable cruising. Ergo's good with the mods I made. Bar risers, peg droppers, large windscreen, and an RSV4 rear shock. Clearly, a tarted up version to my liking and a good 200-300 mile per day ride. 650 miles...meh. Might wanna plan better.

Not bad, but not so good: Mileage not so stellar for MY cruising speed across open highway. Toss in consistent big-rig passes as well as a couple high altitude mountain passes, add high desert winds and I never got better than 54mpg for a day's riding. Mostly around 51. The longest stretch on one tank was 160 miles, most of it US-80 across Nevada. Reserve blinking with 16mi on the ODO, and a 3.1 gal fill up. I figure I had about 20 mi left before bingo fuel. All that is to be expected though, so no real complaint. Although I would happily trade Frunk space for another .5 gal (I never actually consider keeping a helmet in there anyhow). I'd also trade 4-5 mpg for another 10 HP, but that's just me. Wind protection is non-existent without aftermarket. Hand guards and heated grips are a must in any cold areas, as is a taller windscreen. These are mods I make to all my bikes that don't come standard with 'em though. So again, not really a valid bitch. Stock Dunlop tires... Rear, toast at 3800 miles, front 75% gone and starting to cup. Not great.

All in all a good bike for a reasonable multi-day or trip. It's a true price-point bike, but that's exactly what I bought it for. IMO, A 650 mile day includes way too frequent gas stops on open highway America. Planning secondary roads is the way to go in the U.S. of By-God A anyhow, so again, pick great back roads, have a great time on this bike. It's exactly what it's made for. Below: Manzanar, Abandon mine, and bike in travel configuration.
Thanks for your perspective. I agree that highway distances does eat into your gas mileage. I did around 300 miles last weekend, only about 10% highway, just to get to my planned route. All backroads after that. My MPG hit as high as 80 and averaged out 75 for the day. Still looking for a better saddle. I had the stock windscreen on it. I've found that bigger windscreens on this bike, while offering more protection, also adversely affect MPG. I have a PUIG that I put on in colder weather, and that (combined with the cold weather air/fuel mixture) takes a good chunk out of my gas mileage.
 
Thanks for your perspective. I agree that highway distances does eat into your gas mileage. I did around 300 miles last weekend, only about 10% highway, just to get to my planned route. All backroads after that. My MPG hit as high as 80 and averaged out 75 for the day. Still looking for a better saddle. I had the stock windscreen on it. I've found that bigger windscreens on this bike, while offering more protection, also adversely affect MPG. I have a PUIG that I put on in colder weather, and that (combined with the cold weather air/fuel mixture) takes a good chunk out of my gas mileage.
I have no doubt I could nurse much better mileage out of this bike. Admittedly though, I roll on the throttle as hard as I can, as much as I can, trying to wring as much performance out of this little bike as possible. It still gets pretty ok mileage, even for a 750. Fully loaded, WOT, I have seen as little as 25.5 on my GS 1200 across Hwy 50 in Neveda. So 50-54mpg, WOT a lot of the time, fully loaded, big screen, heavy cross wind on this bike is not bad.

BTW, my "Seat Concepts", after 3500 miles is just OK. I bought the slightly stiffer foam filler and that was a mistake. Still hard as a plank after those miles. The upside is the shape...no hard edges (like the stock '18) and not sloped to cram your "baggage" into the frunk. OK 300 mile/day seat. Not great north of that. I use an "Alaska Butt Pad" for anything over a couple hours now.

Cheers
 
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