Team-BHP - How many KMs a day is feasible on a long ride?

You might think your body will take a lot and actually keep riding but when you hit the bed - you will be dead tired! And the worst part is if you have planned to ride similarly in the coming days also. This also becomes a race if you think you have not covered enough kms for the day and decide to make up for the lost time. Its not worth it.

Ride for pleasure - speed and distance come second. Constantly catching up will screw up your concentration and fatigue will set in. But I guess I am repeating what a lot of other people have said in this thread.

IIRC, I have done around 700 kms in 11 hours or so.

Hi Sudipto,
i've done many rides on a bike so I can say that the answer to your question is not all that straightforward. My daily distances have ranged from 120km odd to 850+km however as I said it depends on a number of factors like - what bike are you riding (I have a Enfield and you can keep those babies going the whole day without any problem), what sort of roads will you face, how long is the trip (i think someone had mentioned earlier that it won't be possible to cover 500+km every day on a long trip) and what is your primary motivation for the trip (going on a speed run vs sight seeing etc).

Your friend has a Pulsar 220 which is not a bad bike at all and I assume he'll face decent roads on which it's possible to average 50km per hour so i'd advice:
1) If the trip is for sight seeing, don't do more than 250km/day, this will keep fatigue low and allow him some time for local sight seeing.
2) If on an out and out speed run - 500km/day can be sustained but only for 3-4 days at the most. And your friend better be in good physical shape. Of course there are precautions like keeping yourself hydrated, taking frequent rest stops, carrying spares etc. Incidentally by a speed run I don't mean racing - just that a lot of distance will be covered in a few days time.
3) On a short speed run - 700km can be sustained for 2 days at the most - but trust me this will sap a rider physically and it's not easy on the bike either. Not to mention that it won't be possible to cover 700km in 8-10 hours without seriously compromising on safety.
4) If time is not an issue - ideally aim for 350-400km, this will ensure that your friend covers a healthy distance everyday, there are usually decent sized cities within a 400km radius and you can cover this distance without speeding in 8-10 hours.

All the best to your friend for the journey - ride safe :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutripta (Post 2413811)

Whats happened to Mitch, and your Bullet?

Regards
Sutripta

Mitch is fine in America. He had called just the other day. Right now he is between jobs. My Bullet is fine too. Taking a bit of a rest in this wet season.
This question was for a colleague on a Pulsar 220. He has done long distances in his car but not on his bike. Planning a long ride more to beat the mid-life blues than anything else.
Personally I have never taken the Bullet on anything longer than 50 km. lol:
I had done 2/300 km trips on my Hero Honda SS 100 before. And every time I went long on it I would have a puncture or some other misfortune that would typically cost me at least 2-3 hours. Once when there was no puncture, I lost about six hours to a thunderstorm. I guess with tubeless bike tyres these days, punctures don't take that long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 2413340)

I realised one thing when riding the Ninja 650R recently; you require 100% concentration levels at all times when riding on the highway. For instance, if you miss a speedbreaker in a car, well, you'll probably damage your car in the worst case scenario. On a bike at speed, the end result can be catastrophic. Similarly, you gotta watch out for other traffic more than in a car (as bikers have lesser visibility), rocks left carelessly on highways, pedestrians et al.

I would highly recommend your friend to plan VERY conservatively. Whenever he is tired, just take a break or a nap. One cannot afford to push the envelope on our suicidal Indian highways.

Also, as much as possible, ask him to plan his ride around broad daylight. When the sun disappears, so should he into his hotel room.

GTO,

I'd vehemently disagree to the point in bold.

Comes from about 1L+ of touring on the <200cc two wheels so do consider that - I've heard speedbreakers can be killer on the superbikes. But we're speaking of 220cc, so bear with me.

It is far tougher to fall asleep while riding a bike or driving a car.

Yes, you should take breaks on the highway while riding - there is never any sense to push beyond the limit. The concentration levels are always as good when riding a bike. Unlike a car, it doesn't work on cruise control. So things work on automatic - it doesn't need that much more effort/concentration. Its JOY (and far less chatter/distraction/eating etc) so you stay alert automatically.

I've done 784km in a day - 2up - with about 150+km in the hills. Took over 22 hours including adequate food/rest breaks. Ditto for riding by myself.

Guys have done 1600-1800km in a day while attempting the ironbutt. So doing anywhere from 500-800km is perfectly safe.

Lastly, it is a myth that rides should be done only in the daylight. What matters is good lighting and being rested/alert. I've done a fair bit of my touring riding out at midnight or thereabouts, and its never been an issue. You just blitz through populated areas at midnight that you would crawl through at day. Just for instance - I drive from GGN to LKO door to door in 9 hours (excluding sleep). All the UP towns become choke points.

Plus, it came out of necessity. An MBA student, based in Ahmedabad (i.e anything remotely interesting is >250km), having <2 days for any trip - so we had to catch a nap for 2-3 hours, then ride out at 1-2am - to reach the destination by 9-11am, for a fruitful 2 days of sightseeing. if we started at daybreak - that would mean atleast a 3 day trip!!

Most people won't have the luxury of riding only in daylight!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhanushs (Post 2414880)

Even with adequate lighting one will face these, and add to the fact that he is 45+ and has limited touring experience.

:)

Age and fitness definitely have a bearing on how long you can stay in the saddle. Frequent long trips can also improve endurance. Extended sprints at speeds in excess of 80 can be tiring as well due to the windblast, installing a windshield makes a huge difference.

But then the thrill of the ride takes over, you start feeling the aches and pains when you are a couple of kms from home. I would be cautious about riding in the night, but nothing to be scared of. Just enjoy the ride!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rollin' Thunda (Post 2414802)

@phamilyman

I think you are overlooking the fact that the rider in question is 45+ yo and has limited touring experience on a motorbike.

Depends on alertness at the time really. See below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhanushs (Post 2414880)

The major concern of riding a two wheeler on Indian roads at night: Unexpected potholes and obstacles. Now don't tell me you haven't come across one. There is a huge difference between a car going through one and a bike.

Even with adequate lighting one will face these, and add to the fact that he is 45+ and has limited touring experience.

:)

I've come across everything from cows jumping from the median to a dead dog plopping in my path (hit by the truck next to me) to stationary trucks in the fast lane.

Part of life.

If one is alert and the stuff between the ears is functioning well, then the years don't matter. Case in point - Doc Arn: http://motoroids.com/featured-storie...nob-gupta.html

Touring isn't rocket science. Gurgaon roads have far more potholes than most NHs and far more broken down trucks in the middle of the road and far more drunkards on the road and far more call center cabs driving like maniacs and far more idiots taking a shortcut through the median/wrong side.

After about 15+ overnight GGN-LKO-GGN drives, I can safely say that the most dangerous part is the urban mess from Gurgaon to Faridabad and not the so called dangerous towns of UP like Etawah etc.

Like I said - I've not felt the slightest bit unsafe on Indian roads at night. to each, their own.

Though it is quite late, I would like to write about my own experience, just for academic interest for those who may be browsing this discussion in future.

I have a 680 km riding on Pulsar 220 in a single day with average speed of 70km per hour. The journey was from Hyderabad to Badrachalam and then back to Hyderbad. I reached by night 9:30 pm.
My age is 50+ and the vehicle pulsar 220 , a brand new one.
I found that
1) putting strict timings to reach destinations is bad, because without a break your butt may be giving a burning sensation by the time you do 600+ kilometers.
So, you must have relaxed timings. In my case I wanted to return by 9:30 pm and that meant no stopping at even an Irani hotel for a tea break even after entering the city.
2) You feel it much easier while riding in the night rather than during a day. Pulsar 220 projector lamp is very good and the road is lit infront of you , so much that I maintained an average speed of 70kmph in the night perticularly because during night journeys you would not have problems of idiots suddenly coming on to the highway and also it is cooler,with less traffic except for trucks.

3) You must wear protective jacket and a full faced helmet, otherwise your eyes may get damaged with insects of unbelievable size , perticularly while crossing forest areas.

4) You can easily do 600 kilometers to 700 km on a Pulsar 220, the beauty of this vehicle is that you won't get tired on this bike on long journeys. I think it is designed specifically for the purpose of highway jouneys. The bike is very good on very bad roads as well.

5) You must drink copious amounts of water, so that you would not get tired. That is a good trick.
And also eat well , take good heavy lunch for example.
6) I had also done, 420 km trip as recently as a few days back and I did not get tired even a little bit. I drank a litre cold water at a time during a stop.
Check air , stop vehilce after every 100 km and take tea. You would be fine for about 600 km on a Pulsar 220 and that is my experience. Night journey is better.
7) Use a magnetic tank bag and a very light weight , small back pack with your essential things.
Tubeless tyres of Pulsar 220 are fantastic( they should ideally be new ones for a cross country long journey ) , its clutch is good and its projector lamp is superb. So, it is unnecessary to carry additional tools and spare parts etc., even a puncture kit is unnecessary. A very light weight back pack on your back is really good,it gives you a feeling of comfort if it were a cold winter night ( I did a ride of 420km in a winter night and the lighweight back pack and my sports jacket gave me great comfort ). During night journeys , you would find that other smaller bikes have very less headlight power and would be going slow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 2413340)

..you require 100% concentration levels at all times when riding on the highway. For instance, if you miss a speedbreaker in a car, well, you'll probably damage your car in the worst case scenario. On a bike at speed, the end result can be catastrophic.

Speed breakers on a highway? Rocks?

I can understand pedestrians as India is fairly crowded in some parts, but who would intentionally plan and create hazards on highways? I have noticed those go slow gates in the middle of the road, and always thought they death traps on the making. Raised surface humps etc would be absolutely lethal for motorcyclists and if anyone designs that into a fast section of the road, they should be punished for it. It's mind bogglingly short sighted and dangerous from the word go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Positron (Post 2726698)

Oh, its quite common to see speed bumps and those "go slow gates" in the highways, close to where it passes through a town etc. The "local" is always in the right of road - whatever it is. Its quite common here.

And guys - am planning to ride one complete 700 kms down to Kanyakumari from Bangalore. Yeah, I have spoken of enjoying the ride etc but this time, for time constraints, I will be doing a hard ride. No, will take precautions and be careful. I am planning the trip and asking route queries here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...umari-nh7.html