I've done my fair share of high-mileage days, but not on anything like a Yamaha FZ6! I do have a Kaw GPZ 1100 that I have put a couple hundred on in a day, and that was about all I was interested in, to be honest. It's a very different ride from the electra glide, as far as comfort, if ya ask me. So, that is an impressive haul considering what you were riding!
Other than the bike I am riding, other things that factor into how many miles I attempt in a day can be any or all of the following:
• How much time I have to get to where I am headed -- if I am only out following the front tire, I can take all day to go 300 miles. If I absolutely positively want to be halfway across the country by tomorrow, I can make it happen. 800 miles is about my limit though.
• Whether or not I prefer to take the scenic back roads vs the superslab -- even on the high-mileage cross-country trips when I am tight on time, I always throw in a couple hours of back roads during the day.
• Who I am riding with, their experience level and/or hiney fitness level -- I tend to stop more often and for longer periods when I am riding with others. By myself, I stop when the bike needs gas -- but not necessarily when the fuel light comes on. 3 hours or 160 miles, whichever comes first, usually. I hit the bathroom, throw some water and calories down, text family and friends an update on my progress, and I am on my way.
• Weather conditions -- the colder it is, the longer the stops are and the more frequent, and the slower the speed (windchill and road conditions) as I am going down the road, so fewer miles logged in a day.
All that said, I do want to get bags for the Kaw and take it on a multi-day tour one of these days.
My best advice for those planning a long haul is to NOT break it up into equal legs. For example, instead of doing a 1500 mile run in 3 days, 500 miles each day, I would plan to do 700 the first day, 500 the next day, and 300 the last day. I find it makes the trip easier both physically and mentally!
An added benefit is that it gives me a chance to explore areas further from home a bit more. That last 300 mile day may still be over 10 hours in the saddle, but it won't be on ANY expressway!
Hey Fefe, when you gonna do some more of those 800 mile days? Been a while since we had beer and waffle house.
