where to start... part two

[oldbike54]

 Yeah , joke night , my favorite .

 Why Joe Bob ...

 Dusty

[atavar]

hmm..  Minnesota rally in the middle of June. If you leave now you have plenty of time to get well lost a couple of times and still get there for the opening dinner!   
By the time you got back you'd be a pro.. 

[ITSec]

The obvious, but very real answer is to gradually increase your miles per day. Start with roads you may know, or that require only basic navigation that you can memorize before you start.

For confidence on your choice of roads, consider either pocket maps or a GPS. Another choice is to use mapping and routing software (such as Google Maps and Tyre) to plan a route and print out the equivalent of the old AAA TripTiks for the planned travel.

If discomfort happens before you have hit 500 miles, start keeping track not only of where you hurt, but (more importantly) how you reposition yourself to reduce or avoid the pain. That will give you clues on whether you need to modify your seat, bar and grip position, wind protection, peg location, or a combination of these and other things. If the cure for the ache in your neck is to stretch more upright, then you probably need bar risers - if you find yourself shifting around to reduce pressure in that hotspot on your crotch or butt, then a seat mod is probably in order.

Finally, remember that this IS supposed to be fun. Not everyone who jogs runs marathons; not everyone who swims does mile-long events. If you find that your longest comfortable day is 400-500 miles, that's plenty - for you, and that's what matters.

I'm not much younger than you (now), but I did start doing IronButt rides when I was in my mid to late 40s - and I still went through the process I described above. I now know what it takes to make a bike work for long distances (at least for me). Depending on what your goals are, you can still achieve the ability to ride as far as you want to.

[garbln]

On a motorcycle one is never lost, exploring alternate routs maybe, but not lost.

[charlie b]

OK, so being an engineer I understand your issues.  I went through the same process several years ago when I started taking longer trips.

Pain.  Yeah, you can grit your teeth and bull through it.  I prefer to work on muscles.  I also still take motrin when riding long days.  My neck still gives me fits sometimes and the motrin helps.

Stops.  I stop every hour or so.  Rarely more than 90min between stops.  Get off, stretch, get something to drink at least.  On some stretches I get gas at every stop regardless of how much is in the tank.

Planning.  I like to plan where I am going to go the next day.  Mainly so I don't try and pack too many miles in a day.  And, during tourist season I will call ahead to campground/hotel to make sure there are going to be rooms available, and sometimes reserve a room.

Navigation.  I keep a map on  my tank bag.  I also have a navigation app on my phone with all the waypoints set in it, as well as a dedicated GPS with same waypoints.  I do hate getting lost.  Having said that, if I have plenty of gas and time, I will go out and 'explore' an area without a known destination in mind.  But, I keep track of my location on the map anyway.  I guess it was all my time in the Army on tanks.  Hard to turn a platoon/company of tanks around if you get lost.  :)

Now.  Just pick out a route and go. And, yes, do it by yourself the first few times.  Having other people around puts too much pressure on me to ride like they do, regardless of who they are or what they say.

[charlie b]

Forgot, camping.

If you think you might like it, try it.  I do like it, which surprised me.  I got really tired of 'camping' in the Army.

If you don't have gear then see if you can borrow some to try it out.  If that isn't possible then buy stuff from REI.  Their return policy is great and you can take it back even if you have used it (there is a time limit of 1 year).  Keep the packaging.

First trip out do not bother with cooking stuff.  Just tent, sleeping bag, mattress plus any other essentials you may need.  First night out I just went to a campground within an hour of my house.  FWIW, Walmarts have a surprisingly good amount of camping supplies.

There are other threads and forums on camping gear.  Search in here or almost any motorcycle forum.  ADV forum has some good camping gear threads.  You can go the minimalist route, or, big as you want.  Even get a trailer hitch and pull a camping trailer.  Depends on what YOU want and what makes YOU comfortable.

Oh, and I love gadgets.  I will buy something that looks neat.  If I use it I keep it.  Most I end up giving away cause I don't use them.