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May 11, 2011 3:56 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

So, I'll be heading out to BeaveRun Motorsports Park next weekend and since I won't be racing (I'm volunteering), I was considering packing the saddle bags and taking the ol' Buell. It's a Lightning City-X, so it sits upright by sportbike standards and has no aero bits. I suppose you could call it a street fighter.

I will basically be riding from NYC to Interstate 80, and I will just stay on 80 the whole way out to western PA (about 400 miles each way). Am I insane? If so, on a scale of 3 - 12 with 7 being the most-insane and tapering off in either direction towards 3 and 12, how insane am I?

BTW, the Buell gets 65 MPG and my Miata gets about 32. Also, the Buell has more translucent blue plastic.
May 11, 2011 7:35 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

Go for it. You'll probably want to plan more rest stops along the way to get the feeling back in your butt.
May 11, 2011 7:56 p.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

I did a 3 hour ride the other day. That's about as far as I could go without stopping to rest. My back, shoulders, neck and wrists were BEAT! After a 15 minute break or so, I could probably have done another 3 hours.

400 miles is a long damn way, but I say go for it!
May 11, 2011 8:07 p.m. alex SuperDork

After the first day or so you'll figure out your rhythm of fuel/stretch stops. And your neck muscles will only be sore for a coupe days. (Preemptive Ibuprofen for that.)

Go for it.
May 11, 2011 10:41 p.m. oldsaw SuperDork

Are you choosing I-80 for a more scenic route? Seems like it adds quite a few miles if you're starting from NYC.

As always, look out for the truck traffic on 80; those drivers are more aggressive than on the PA Pike - less enforcement. And check for construction delays; there's a been a lot of work on 80 as you head west from Bellefont.
May 12, 2011 12:27 p.m. Rusnak_322 HalfDork

400 miles on the hoighway is not that bad. I have a ducati monster (similar riding position) and have done all day rides with little ache (except the cluch hand). Not that far highway only in a single day, but I wouldn't think twice about attempting it.

Forget looking for nice roads on the way - get the the track quiker and then ride in that area. I have been to Beaver a few times and the area that it is in is very nice.

I did do a trackday there when they had a supermoto race on the shifter Kart track and a drift competion on the skid pad area - lots of stuff to watch when not on the track.
May 12, 2011 3:30 p.m. EvanB SuperDork

I rode my SV650 from Columbus to Philly nonstop. No problems other than rain for 200 miles on the way there.
May 13, 2011 10:57 p.m. skierd Dork

Going by your scale I'd say you're an 8 for taking the interstate, 5.5 if you find a way to mix in some appalachian back roads once you get clear of gotham.

Give yourself more time to ride than you would if you were driving, rest stops are 10x more important on a bike. When you get gas, take the time to stretch, keep hydrated (consider a camelbak if the weather is hinting towards warm), keep yourself fed, stay alert. You'll have fun!
May 16, 2011 5:09 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

OK, I am definitely doing it then. I realized today that I do all-day rides all the time, but they are usually 7 or 8 hour rides up to the mountains and at lower speeds than I'll see on the highway. Of course, since they are scenic runs, we stop constantly.

I'll definitely keep the stops frequent. Lol, I can't go any more than 150 miles before the ol' fuel light comes on anyway.

I think I did a smart thing: I took off work on Friday (couldn't do Monday as well... drats). I think I'll wake up early on Friday, jump on I-80, and find the scenic routes as I get close as Rusnak suggested.

I chose 80 because I'm reasonably familiar with it. I haven't driven that far west (never farther than State College), but there are a couple places I might visit on the way--all universities, ironically. Thanks for reminding me of the construction delays though! I remember hitting some major work on a journey to Pocono Raceway once. I will try to leave super-early so I get a jump start on all that nonsense.

Thanks all!
May 17, 2011 7:27 a.m. Mental SuperDork

I'm late, but yeah, do it while you can and want to.
May 23, 2011 12:45 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

Well, I made it back alive. 850 miles for the total trip. I went out Friday morning, hit a few light rain showers on I-80, but otherwise, I had a great ride out there. I-80 is beautiful once you are in PA--especially when you start getting out west where the opposing traffic lanes split apart and you have all of those bridges to look over. I'm glad I brought the bike!

The weather was great all weekend except for a passing shower on Sunday while we were at the track. Everyone got sun burn. I think everyone had fun though.

The ride home Sunday was interesting. I got a later start than I wanted (8:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM) but that was my own fault and well-worth-it. I also jumped a deer on I-80 in my first 20 miles. Yes, I jumped a deer. Fortunately it was dead. Very dead. It had been flattened quite a bit by passing truck traffic, so it was like a big bump (the bike was off the ground though). No damage, didn't fall, but I did decide to pair up with a semi truck and follow him for the next 100 miles or so.

The ride home couldn't end fast enough though by 3:00 AM. I had to stop for a while at a gas station and rest for a while so I could focus again. After that I felt good, but I was getting tired of the sprinkling showers. I got home at 5:00 this morning, got some sleep, and then got to work.
May 23, 2011 11:47 p.m. skierd Dork

Now comes the bad part, coming down from being on the road. If drug withdrawal is anything like it I can see why so many people get and stay hooked...
May 25, 2011 2:16 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

skierd wrote:

Now comes the bad part, coming down from being on the road. If drug withdrawal is anything like it I can see why so many people get and stay hooked...

That's why I am riding to the beach this weekend! New York City to Ocean City, MD. Should be fun!
May 25, 2011 8:54 p.m. skierd Dork

Coming down the coast or riding inland? Should be a decent ride, until you hit the beach towns.

p.s. DO NOT SPEED in delaware near the beaches or in or around OCMD unless you really want to make a donation to the local coffers and come back in a couple weeks for a court date.