Long distance traveling

[Guzzidad]

   I finally made the decision to quit long distance bike rides. I know many of you are older than me and still like touring but I'm just not feeling it any more. I'm 71. The last couple of long rides I've taken I just didn't enjoy the ride to and fro. I like the destination, just not the ride  back and forth. So I sold my 2008 Triumph Sprint ST. From now on I'll load my 2020 V7 Racer on my Pick-up and drive to my destination. I have well over 600,000 miles on my travels, mostly on Guzzis. I still ride locally on a regular basis and look forward to visiting new places in comfort.

[Huzo]

   I finally made the decision to quit long distance bike rides. I know many of you are older than me and still like touring but I'm just not feeling it any more. I'm 71. The last couple of long rides I've taken I just didn't enjoy the ride to and fro. I like the destination, just not the ride  back and forth. So I sold my 2008 Triumph Sprint ST. From now on I'll load my 2020 V7 Racer on my Pick-up and drive to my destination. I have well over 600,000 miles on my travels, mostly on Guzzis. I still ride locally on a regular basis and look forward to visiting new places in comfort.

They are some great numbers mate. I had a 2007 Triumph Sprint ST and if I could have gotten one with a shaft drive, I probably would not have gone to Guzzi.
You have NOTHING to prove, but you and Peacemealadventurer should start work on your book/s. Would be a great read…

[SemperVee]

   I finally made the decision to quit long distance bike rides. I know many of you are older than me and still like touring but I'm just not feeling it any more. I'm 71. The last couple of long rides I've taken I just didn't enjoy the ride to and fro. I like the destination, just not the ride  back and forth. So I sold my 2008 Triumph Sprint ST. From now on I'll load my 2020 V7 Racer on my Pick-up and drive to my destination. I have well over 600,000 miles on my travels, mostly on Guzzis. I still ride locally on a regular basis and look forward to visiting new places in comfort.

I'm starting to feel the effects of my age - I'm nearly 69 years old and have ridden over 900,000 miles daily riding in the past 50 years.  22 years of 100 mile daily commuting in SoCal, and camping across all the states west of the Mississippi River by motorcycle.  I've made 12 motorcycle trips to Sturgis. I can't handle extreme temperatures like I used to, and dealing with chronic medical conditions makes me have to consider my risks, especially since I'm single by choice. Managing my risks has become a daily concern for me.  The big national rally coming up might be my last memorable mc experience Hoe down..

[Grabcon]

This is interesting. You guys are slowing down on the miles and my wife and I are just ramping up. I am 71 the wife is 63. I am not sure if what we do is LD riding. Starting June 7th we begin a 6000 mile 35 day trip. 50/50 motel and camping. Most days will be in the 300 mile range although the math doesn't equal that. Some places we spend a overnight other times it is 3 or 4 days with no riding.

Our goal is not to get the highest miles but to stop and smell the coffee in our senior years. in 2022 we finished 4 years of RVing and hauling the bikes. It was fun but it just didn't work for us, more time sitting and driving the RV and less time riding. Plus RVing is expensive. We are now back to owning a house.

Our rules are simple go to places we have not been. No or as few miles as possible on the interstate and 4 lane divided highways.

[Ncdan]

I totally understand, the very reason that I’m in the process of removing the vetter equipment from my 83 CB1000C and putting it back factory.
I’ll just add a decent windshield and rack for day trips or an overnighter.
I think sometimes one’s desires and pleasures just change with age and I see no reason to force oneself to do things they simply find to be no longer fun or inspiring.

[jackthebiker]

I will be 72 in 4 days. I have owned 49 motorcycles in my life, most of which I had set up for the long haul trip. 4 touring Harleys, 2 Indians, 3 Wings, 5 Royal Stars, 2 Voyagers, and some 750 cc and above made into touring bikes. I have been in just about every state several times, lots of 500 mile plus days for 7 or 8 days. Now I just want to put 150 miles or so on a day ride on the Guzzi V7 850 or the W800.

[bobrebos1]

I hear you and I agree.  I turn 67 this year and recently bought a small toy hauler for my 2021 v7/850 centenario.  Now I drive in comfort/even in rain and then go on shorter







 rides when I reach my destination.  Life is good. 

[guzziart]

I'm 71 and hope I don't slow down until I get my money's worth out of the new 3 person tent I bought to replace the old 2 person so I could store more stuff at night.  And, I also bought a Nemo air mattress to replace my thermarest cot that began to be a pita to set-up & knock down these days.  Now if the campgrounds and petrochem industry would lower their prices it would help make my LD travel more affordable.

Art

[Rower30]

I went to California and Washington state because they were there, from Lafayette, IN four years in a row on a 1979 CB750F with a national cycle plexi fairing mounted to the handlebars.  I mostly went from Motel 6's to Motel 6's and 750 mile days. One stint was over 1,000 as the Motel 6 wasn't built but in the brochure. No way to know in the 70's unless you find a "real" phone.

My hands were so shot from the 4 cylinder vibes from that bike I could not sign the guest registrar and one client was going to call the police because he though I was on something. I was, a CB750F.

That was at 22 years of age. At 66 I'm good for maybe 300 miles with DQ in there somewhere. I enjoy reflecting on the ride and a 100-150 mile stint is plenty to do that. Add a few for touring with rests in between. More isn't better for me

I did get a 1992 BMW R100RT and that was a huge improvement for LD style stuff, but the V100S just tears up the rule book on what a universal motorcycle can be and do. My range doubled on the V100S even over the R100RT.  The bike is unexplainably comfortable. Low vibration and a thrum, engine is just effortless to get you going and modern chassis handling is telepathic from the R100RT. Amazingly, the fairing and GIVI plexi-screen get the protection job fine and make you feel part of the setting instead of behind a barn door TV set fairing.

To me, LD just means how far you need to go to get the most pleasure from the ride. After that it can go the other way. Set your pleasure stakes and ride between them. Better, it is far safer than toughing it out.

[Moparnut72]

Can you post a picture of your Plexiscreen and what model it is.  I have tried a Biondi screen with which I still get turbulence. The best aero is with no screen at all. I made a cover to hide the screen lifting mechanism which seems to work pretty well. I like naked bikes but at my advanced age more protection without the turbulence would be great. The stock shield isn't very good at least in my case. This is also on my V100.
kk

[MGrego]

I hear you and I agree.  I turn 67 this year and recently bought a small toy hauler for my 2021 v7/850 centenario.  Now I drive in comfort/even in rain and then go on shorter







 rides when I reach my destination.  Life is good.

Cool trailer, I like it.  Did you have to modify it to carry the V7 ?  Looks like you added a wheel chock ?

[John A]

I hear you and I agree.  I turn 67 this year and recently bought a small toy hauler for my 2021 v7/850 centenario.  Now I drive in comfort/even in rain and then go on shorter







 rides when I reach my destination.  Life is good.

That’s what we do after we got too stiff for tent camping. We find a place we want to explore and set up a base camp and ride the area. The dog is old so he likes his comforts. Nice rig!

[azccj]

I've done over 615,000 miles on motorcycles over the last 39 years. I've been to Alaska and every lower 48 state except Nebraska while riding a motorcycle. I've done several cross country trips, riding 500+ miles  day after day, for weeks. But as I'm about to turn 60 I've come to the realization that my long mile, multi days trips have come to an end. All those hours sitting on a motorcycle seat, wearing a helmet have taken their toll on my body. Also I hate staying in hotel rooms and preferer to sleep in my own bed every night, either at home or in my travel trailer.  I also absolutely hate riding in the heat and it seems that the temperatures keep getting more uncomfortably hot, even in places where I use to go riding where it was usually cool, like Colorado. I still ride one of my bikes at least twice a week, taking 200-300 mile rides, with the occasional 500-600 riding day.

Soon I will pack up the travel trailer and one of the motorcycles and migrate for the summer to the Pacific coast of Washington, in order to get out of the absolutely miserable Arizona heat. There I'll set up a base camp and go riding every other day, exploring the greener and much cooler climate of western Washington. Come Fall I'll migrate back to AZ, suffer a couple months, as it will still be hot, then I'll enjoy the riding during the wonderful AZ winter.

I still ride my motorcycles a lot. Last year I rode over 29,000 miles. But these days I ride more often but fewer miles a day than I did when I was younger. Also these days I always sleep in my own bed at the end of the riding day.