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LD Riding Questions & Answers

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Pheasant hunting in sugarbeet fields on family ranch in Vacaville was world class. Around 1969-1973
 
TX_F2 said:
So for the amount of time I spend riding, I could not justify spending $700+ on a top tier Klim Latitude so I got a great deal on a FirstGear Kilimanjaro 37.5 jacket which has a breathable 2.5 layer waterproof laminate baked into the shell just like the Latitude. No, it's not Gore-Tex like Klim's but it seems pretty good quality and comes standard with D3O armor in the elbows, shoulders, chest and back.

Next I'll be looking for some good pants options.
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First Gear is a strong value brand
 
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TX_F2 said:
So for the amount of time I spend riding, I could not justify spending $700+ on a top tier Klim Latitude so I got a great deal on a FirstGear Kilimanjaro 37.5 jacket which has a breathable 2.5 layer waterproof laminate baked into the shell just like the Latitude. No, it's not Gore-Tex like Klim's but it seems pretty good quality and comes standard with D3O armor in the elbows, shoulders, chest and back.

Next I'll be looking for some good pants options.
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Excellent choice on the Kili... it's my go-to if I'm not wearing my full suit.
 
I know, old post...

TX_F2 said:
<...>so I got a great deal on a FirstGear Kilimanjaro 37.5 jacket which has a breathable 2.5 layer waterproof laminate baked into the shell just like the Latitude. No, it's not Gore-Tex like Klim's but it seems pretty good quality and comes standard with D3O armor in the elbows, shoulders, chest and back.
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Amazing that a decade or more ago, the Kilimanjaro was truly a 'go-to' jacket worn by many riders.

After four years, the only issue that I have is the lining is starting to wear along the inside of the sleeves. I've not run into any zipper issues. I *can* also report that Hi-Viz fabric? Yeah, it starts fading pretty dramatically in that four years.

Most LD riders consider that 'character'. :lol2:
TX_F2 said:
Next I'll be looking for some good pants options.
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As a short, round person (hey, now can't use that F word...) that was a challenge. So far, the TourMaster Venture Air 2.0 pant has done me a solid. Here in the desert, it can nearly be a four-season pant. Since I got into wearing dedicated riding pants, again due to my physique, I have gotten into using suspenders. I didn't bother trying to find the bib-style that attaches to the pant zipper, so I splurged for "HoldUp Suspenders".

Zero issues, tens of thousands of miles.
 
kwthom said:
I know, old post...


Amazing that a decade or more ago, the Kilimanjaro was truly a 'go-to' jacket worn by many riders.

After four years, the only issue that I have is the lining is starting to wear along the inside of the sleeves. I've not run into any zipper issues. I *can* also report that Hi-Viz fabric? Yeah, it starts fading pretty dramatically in that four years.

Most LD riders consider that 'character'. :lol2:

As a short, round person (hey, now can't use that F word...) that was a challenge. So far, the TourMaster Venture Air 2.0 pant has done me a solid. Here in the desert, it can nearly be a four-season pant. Since I got into wearing dedicated riding pants, again due to my physique, I have gotten into using suspenders. I didn't bother trying to find the bib-style that attaches to the pant zipper, so I splurged for "HoldUp Suspenders".

Zero issues, tens of thousands of miles.
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I'll look into the TourMaster pants, thanks for the suggestion.
 
I find it interesting that Olympia is advertising the liner in the Airglide 6 pants as an inner OR outer liner now. The "waterproof" liner for the older pair I have is designed to be worn as a liner only and can't take the head pressure of rain if worn as an over pant (I tried). It works perfectly fine as a liner though so no complaints.

They aren't advertising what their waterproof material is but I wonder if they changed it to something with a bit higher head pressure.
 
Finished first IBA SS1000 earlier this year and have several 750+ days under the belt. Ridden to Utah and WI from East TX over the last several years. Last year learned a difficult lesson in 103 degree heat returning from WI with heat exhaustion 45 minutes from home. Been studying the tips to avoid dehydration. A few questions for the more experienced riders.
1. Does anyone else plan exact fuel/rest stop locations? I typically plan ahead using Google maps and find appropriate stops at intervals I feel comfortable with. Try to make them right side of the freeway and "brand name" stops I trust. Typically +/- 200 mile intervals. Gives me goals and confidence in knowing next stops.
2. Looking at a BBG (1500 in 30 hours) and SS100 combo ride to WI doing 1170 miles first day to my actual destination and then short day of ~400 miles sightseeing on day two for the certification requirements. Any tips on resting or thoughts on that second day to keep it easy?
3. Found an old denim jacket in the closet and patched it up to use as a riding jacket and find it to be quite nice in hotter temps compared to the mesh jackets. Seems to allow enough breathing while not a ton of air across skin. Anyone else use denim?

My typical ride is at each fuel/bathroom stop refill backpack with 3L of ice/water and stretch while helmet sits in ice bin cooling off. Snacks in pockets include granola bars and beef jerky along the way with a decent meal stop at midday.
 
BrianR said:
Finished first IBA SS1000 earlier this year and have several 750+ days under the belt. Ridden to Utah and WI from East TX over the last several years. Last year learned a difficult lesson in 103 degree heat returning from WI with heat exhaustion 45 minutes from home. Been studying the tips to avoid dehydration. A few questions for the more experienced riders.
1. Does anyone else plan exact fuel/rest stop locations? I typically plan ahead using Google maps and find appropriate stops at intervals I feel comfortable with. Try to make them right side of the freeway and "brand name" stops I trust. Typically +/- 200 mile intervals. Gives me goals and confidence in knowing next stops.
2. Looking at a BBG (1500 in 30 hours) and SS100 combo ride to WI doing 1170 miles first day to my actual destination and then short day of ~400 miles sightseeing on day two for the certification requirements. Any tips on resting or thoughts on that second day to keep it easy?
3. Found an old denim jacket in the closet and patched it up to use as a riding jacket and find it to be quite nice in hotter temps compared to the mesh jackets. Seems to allow enough breathing while not a ton of air across skin. Anyone else use denim?

My typical ride is at each fuel/bathroom stop refill backpack with 3L of ice/water and stretch while helmet sits in ice bin cooling off. Snacks in pockets include granola bars and beef jerky along the way with a decent meal stop at midday.
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Congrats on your first certificate (I'm assuming you've submitted the ride and received the cert). It can be quite the addiction. It no longer becomes how far away someplace is, it's just a matter of how long it takes to get there.

Heat exhaustion is a serious thing and even as an experienced LD rider I have come close to it during a cross-country ride through the mid-west in the summer. I was stuck in traffic with both high heat, high humidity, and cars/trucks all around me pumping out even more heat. I wised up, eased over to the shoulder and then rode the shoulder a couple of miles to the next exit where fortunately there was a small motel that I checked into and took a long cool shower.

The following day the conditions were about the same so after lunch I stopped at a convenience store and bought a bag of ice. Chucks were put in the front pockets of my jacket to melt while the majority of it sat in my crotch and melted. You have a lot of blood flow going through the groin area so the ice helps to cool that. You just have to be careful to not let it get too cold because that's bad for you as well. I was a lot more comfortable after I had done this.

In addition I only wear an Aerostich Roadcrafter and LD Comfort "undergear". Soak the LDC and open all the vents in the Roadcrafter and you're now sitting inside an evaporative cooler. Obviously it works better in less humid climates so the 95+ temps and the 95+ humidity I was going through really curtailed the effectiveness of the LDC.

1. I rarely if ever plan specific stops. There is too much going on that can impact that planning and as soon as you're thrown off on one stop it impacts every other stop after that. And unless you're riding in the far west where it is known that the next gas is 250 miles away and you've got a 225 mile tank you really don't stand much chance of running out of gas. I can squeeze 230 out of the Wing, but I'm looking for gas at 200. I carry two 1-liter fuel bottles in my side bags and in ten years I've never had to use them. Even on my Mexico to Canada run I carried a two gallon fuel container on the back seat. I finally used it in Montana at a rest stop (the nicest, cleanest bathrooms I've seen at a rest stop anywhere in the country - rivaled the Buc-ee's bathrooms) because I didn't want to carry it with me over the border.

2. No special tips on resting for the second day. Just get to sleep as soon as you finish the first day's ride, and then give yourself plenty of time to finish the remaining 400+ miles. Always plan for unforeseen circumstances that could impact your time. It is likely that you WILL be tired that second day. With both the SS1K and the BB (BBG is 1500 in 24) you really have the ability to take your time. It's good to practice fast fuel stops, getting to stations on the right side of the highway, etc, but you've got plenty of time to do those rides. When you do an actual BBG you have to be very focused on time management because every minute not riding puts you a mile behind.

3. I would never recommend a rider to wear denim. If you google this you can find test crash results of denim against pavement and they are typically torn to shreds after the first ten feet or so. And what's below that denim... your skin. This is just coming from an old fart that only has 150K+ miles under his belt so take it with a grain of salt, but you need to "dress for the slide, not for the ride". That means proper riding gear from the helmet to the boots. I like how you noticed that mesh riding gear is NOT effective in hot weather. The key in hot weather is to keep the airflow OFF of your body. That's what makes LD Comfort so effective. As the moisture in the fabric evaporates it cools your skin without any airflow actually touching your skin.

4. Your fuel/break stops are fine as longing as you're only doing a SS1K or a BB. You won't have the luxury of that extra time on a BBG. I may pee at a fuel stop but that's about it. Otherwise I'm riding, and I'm sipping water from my water hose on a fairly constant basis and eating snacks like jerky when I'm hungry. I never stop for a meal on a timed ride because it makes me too tired/sleepy after eating.

Again, this is just an old guy's opinion so don't take it as gospel. ;-)

I see Dave beat me to it on the response and he's a lot more to the point than I am. :lol2: He also has a lot more riding experience than me so I'm glad to see that our answers are fairly consistent.

I am a certificate whore as I did nest a SS2K inside of my 50 CC. :duck:
 
Yeah, denim is no good: https://invidious.asir.dev/watch?v=Jds4mKvPCzY

They give the number there of 0.6 seconds, while most leather and comparable gear is supposedly rated to 4-6 seconds, I believe. Unlike them two, I did plan my stops pretty precisely. They were well within my range, and that made it so I already had the map thingie you have to make/submit. I like making the after part easy. Also, your 1500 in 30 hours is a bun burner silver. Just remember that you'll be on a the clock if you get a full 8 hours of sleep, assuming you did the first 1000/1170 planned in 15-18 hours. Sightseeing won't factor much in with only 4-7 hours to ride 300+ miles. Reeling it back and being satisfied with just the bun burner if you are tired or find yourself wanting to push sped to make it. It won't lose status in the eyes of anyone that matters.
 
I don’t plan my IBA rides. They just happen. 🙄. My official IBA I planed the start, turn around and stop. I look to get gas between 200 and 225 miles. Jerky in the tank bag and camelbak on my back.
 
I verify where fuel is at based on my bikes range to make sure they’ll be open and to make sure stuff is actually there. I absolutely verify fuel stops at locations where I make a turn on the route or otherwise need to document I was there for the certificate requirements. In a some remote areas there isn’t 24 hour fuel.

I know others have said it but unlined denim is so bad. It basically explodes when it hits pavement and is actually worse at low speeds. This is called burst failure iirc.


And that’s not to mention the way it retains water which could be a real problem on a long ride.
 
I’ve never done an IBA ride. A little over 52 years ago I did ride a ‘68 Triumph from Travis AFB (Fairfield, CA). to Wichita Falls,TX. A little over 1600 miles just under 24 hours. No Google maps. No planned fuel stops. No special gear. Just me, my motorcycle, a small bag with a few necessities, and an extra gallon of gas. You can overthink things and drive yourself a little crazy. Sure wish I was young again.
 
Hump said:
I’ve never done an IBA ride. A little over 52 years ago I did ride a ‘68 Triumph from Travis AFB (Fairfield, CA). to Wichita Falls,TX. A little over 1600 miles just under 24 hours. No Google maps. No planned fuel stops. No special gear. Just me, my motorcycle, a small bag with a few necessities, and an extra gallon of gas. You can overthink things and drive yourself a little crazy. Sure wish I was young again.
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You did better than my dad. Tucson (Davis-Monthan) to Wichita in 1952 in under 24 hours. On a 52 Hydra Glide hardtail. No Interstates.

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I have a few certs on my Hayabusa , and plan for my next to be a 50 CC in 2025 on a 32 day solo road trip planned . Have a few uncertified rides that just arent worth the time or money since having that same cert . I should of done the BB silver ( 30 hours 1500 miles ) but I'll nest the BBG with the CC 50 .
New Rig performed very well last weekend 733 miles was a easy day even with 350 miles of rain .

20170722_193446.jpg
 
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