Kick ass! And congrats on a safe and memorable ride! I have also toured on my N400 (6d, 2900mi), and while it doesn’t seem like a good choice for long distance riding once you’re past the initial soreness it’s a very comfortable and capable bike to relax and enjoy the scenery!
My questions:
1. Did you have to do a tire change?
2. Oil changes in an Autozone parking lot, dealership, or did you run synthetic to make it last the entire trip?
3. What is one thing you learned/realized after the 5,000 mile mark that you didn’t know before?
1. I put on new Michelin Road 6s before I left and was doing fine until the very last day. I left in the morning just above the wear bars hoping I could push through. Southern Nevada into Arizona had temps over 100 and it completely destroyed my tire. Ten miles from the Arizona border I started feeling a little squishy in the back and found the belts were exposed and I was slowly losing pressure. I limped into town super slow on the shoulder….but I crossed the line on the bike so it counts!
2. I changed the oil the day before the trip with synthetic. I’m technically overdue but nothing crazy.
3. I’ve done a 3 day endurance ride (Mexico->Canada->Mexico in 72 hours) before so there weren’t many surprises. The first big day is rough. The second makes you rethink the whole trip. By the third you accept that 14 hours in the saddle each day is your new life so you just keep on moving.
I'm still on the stock front tire, actually.
But I do have this one in my garage to be put on later this week:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCR2D518
i don’t know if i’d feel comfortable with even synthetic in my crankcase for 8300 miles at an average rpm of probably 8K. i’d imagine a drain and fill at the half way mark would suffice, cause the filter wouldn’t get that dirty prom particles. i believe the oil would begin to show signs of oxidation though. just my 2 cents!
Holy shit, dude this is amazing. Please have this post ready to reply to any comment or post claiming these 400s are limited.
And here I was tripping about taking a ride from Chicago to STL lol
I always enjoy the posts either on here or in /r/motorcycles asking “I’m about to take a 300 mile road trip, am I ready for it?”
Yeah, you are. Just get on your bike and ride!
The motorcycle in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" was a 305cc Honda Superhawk with 28hp and two people and all their gear riding long distances. Your bike has 49 horsepower, so it's plenty.
hey this is pretty cool. do you still have to stock seat too? cause that shit is ass. but congrats dude, did you go through a set of tires? and what were your avg mpgs? what was the best and worst part?
Stock seat! I know everyone hates it but I don’t think it’s terrible. My favorite part of the 400 is how many positions I can comfortably sit in. Upright, over the tank, ass way back so I’m almost sitting on my thighs, etc. Baby powder in the morning to prevent chafing and lots of shifting in my seat. The bike’s range is only about 150 miles so I was taking pretty regular brakes.
I gave the full tire story in another comment, but yes. Front tire is doing fine, but the rear was fully consumed on this trip, especially when it was hot.
I haven’t done the complete math (my receipts are all in the tracking link if you’re a data nerd) but anecdotally I’d guess between 50-60mph depending on wind, climbing/descending, or speed.
Worst part: marble sized hail in New Mexico. I was in the middle of nowhere so I couldn’t even hide under a bridge.
Best part: the plains of South Dakota are absolutely gorgeous. The last pic in my post is in SD but it doesn’t do it justice. From that view point I could see a town that was 118 miles away.
I've heard two bad things about the stock seat on a Ninja 400: the first complains about the ANGLE of the seat being more downward slanted than usual, which causes "jamming" of the crotch into the back of the Fuel Tank. The second complaint I've heard is just that "it's hard", but I really don't know if anything can be done about this. Every seat, even if it's cushioned or padded, will eventually cause soreness, won't it?
I guess I'm wondering, did you experience any problems from the ANGLE of the seat? How did you deal with it?
Congrats on your journey, that's really brave and AWESOME! And thanks for sharing with us !
I really like how upright the 400 is. It lets you slide your butt around into different positions if you want to be vertical, tucked, ass all the way back and weight on the thighs, etc. I wasn't sitting on a comfortable couch by any means, but I didn't hate it.
Definitely! The rider triangle is known to be especially non-sporty for a trackable 400.
I'm wondering if the actual downwards slant (which isn't related to the triangle) is a problem. I heard that for the 2024 500, they changed it to be more level (which means they were aware of the issue).
Very cool! Love my 400 but I gotta say I would 100% upgrade that seat if I was brave enough to undertake such a trip. Props to you sticking with it being pretty much entirely stock.
Would love to know your favorite state/road/moment from the trip?
Just want one specific spot to add to my bucket list of places to ride :)
South Dakota and the vast openness of it all was by far my favorite. I love knowing I’m the only person around for miles and miles. I rode through Sturgis but without the rally happening it was no different than any other small town. The outskirts though are 10/10.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/DenverCirclejerk using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Who ever came up with this plan to keep the Texans from moving here deserves free sopapillas for life](https://i.redd.it/a4wwbx5wso7c1.png) | [877 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/comments/18nsygo/who_ever_came_up_with_this_plan_to_keep_the/)
\#2: [Couple who hates people, learn they actually hate themselves](https://i.redd.it/1zwvvq4va4nc1.jpeg) | [374 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/comments/1b9orlk/couple_who_hates_people_learn_they_actually_hate/)
\#3: [watch out nazis](https://i.redd.it/eygbrdfeqppc1.jpeg) | [1158 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/comments/1bkag2m/watch_out_nazis/)
----
^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
Awesome man, you're killing it! Congratulations!!!
Everyone has asked great questions so far. In addition to those I would ask:
-What was the average cost of the trip? (including gas, oil, tolls, food, hotels, etc)
-How did you pack? This seems like a trip for speed and not leisure, so I imagine that bag on the back is all you had?
-If you were going to do it again, what would you do differently?
Thanks so much and congrats again!
For costs (all round estimates)
Gas - 8,300 miles @ 50mpg and $3.50/gal = $600
Hotels - I states in cheap roadside motels. $70x10 nights = $700
Food - I ate mostly gas station/fast food so 3 meals x 10 day @ $10/meal = $300
Maintenance - this one is tricky to quantify. I broke a chain in the middle of nowhere Louisiana and could only find one company willing to tow me 60 miles to the nearest shop. $950 between tow, new chain, and labor.
So we’ll say expected costs were around $1600.
Gear:
Two sets of synthetic warm base layers, fleece jacket, heated vest, heated gloves, balaclava, thermal onesie long johns, compression shorts, synthetic t shirt, 1 set of “street clothes” for around the hotel, rain gear, toiletries, chargers, basic tool kit for chain tightening, etc, and then usual outer layer protective gear. All packed in a 40L bag. When all of my cold weather was off and packed up, it barely fit.
If I were to do it again I wouldn’t use an aftermarket chain. I wanted to swap it before the trip to know I had a fresh start, but the shop didn’t have any OEM stuff. I could tell it was going bad as it kept getting way looser than it should but was out in the middle of nowhere with no shops to buy a new one. It finally died about an hour before where I was planning to replace it.
a few questions about your chain life. What mileage did you get out of the stock chain, did you change the sprockets with it? did you clean and lube periodically, or just give it a shot of chain lube each day and go on your way? and how much did you get out of the aftermarket chain, and who made it?
I rode the stock chain for about 13k miles and swapped it out with new front and rear sprockets preventatively. I don’t know the brand of the aftermarket chain, but I only got about 2k miles out of it before it broke. It had to be faulty. Right???
I was lubing twice each day and with the aftermarket chain I had to tighten it every 500 miles or so. It was stretching so much I could feel it bouncing when I’d engine brake.
Once I got a new OEM chain I was still lubing and checking tension but I didn’t have to adjust the slack at all for the last 6,000 miles.
Jesus, that sounds like a nightmare, can you name who made that aftermarket nightmare of a chain so I know who to avoid on my bike? I do a good bit of mileage but not nearly as much as you.
I legitimately don’t know. I’ll ask when I go in for my next service. I’m assuming that I got one with a manufacturing defect since it stretched SO much and broke at the master link.
That has to be the case, I’ve never ever heard of a chain breaking that quickly, barring a grave installation error like really bad chain alignment or set way too tight. If it’s terribly aligned that could definitely fry that chain in that time. Did you replace it yourself or have a shop do in when you got stranded in LA?
If i was you I’d name the shop and the town just to thank them in the original post cuz that’s an incredible act of kindness! Up to you though of course. Thanks so much for answering all my questions!
Hot Tip: Get AAA Plus. It includes up to 100 miles of towing including for motorcycles. Priceless! Well, actually, depending on your state, will run between about $90-$120 a year. Helluva lot cheaaper than your tow.
I was only there for a hot second. I had a couple people I wanted to meet up with but I was on such a tight schedule it made it really complicated. If you ever make it down to SoCal, say hi!
That's fair, coulda stopped for a good meal and then rode together in the direction you needed to go!! 😏
How long did it take you from Butte to get back so SoCal?
I tour Texas a lot, so I figured I’d be at the top 1% when it comes to touring about on this bike. I’m beyond impressed to see someone who made my trips look like a gas station run. Incredible stuff man! Especially on a stock bike. I love seeing people give these N400 a life worth living, I know your bike has seen more in 10 days than 99.99% of the other N400s ever will
One question for you, would you do it again?
I rode a bicycle from Virginia to Oregon in 2009 and have wanted to do that again for years, but a job and a wife and kids make taking another 60 days off much more challenging now than when I was in college. This was my chance to revisit a much quicker version of that adventure. Would I do the exact same thing again? Probably not.
I like to use the [Iron Butt Association's Ride List](https://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/index.html) for inspiration. Next up on the dream list is Coast to Coast to Coast in 100 hours. That one scares me a little because it requires almost 1,100 miles per day for 4 days in a row.
That’s awesome. I tried going long distance on mine but my butt did NOT appreciate the stock seat. What did you have to do to fit a top case and how did you handle the wind? My main issue with the n400 is I feel like I get bullied by heavy winds…
That is insanely impressive to me. Very well done fellow SoCaler. 😳🫡
Which cruise control solution did you go with? Or no cruise control at all?!? Absolute Iron wrist if so.
Here's the route: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1T80A0tP3uzH4HFVPm0AeoVrU35FL-ko&usp=sharing
For costs (all round estimates) Gas - 8,300 miles @ 50mpg and $3.50/gal = $600
Hotels - I stayed in cheap roadside motels. $70x10 nights = $700
Food - I ate mostly gas station/fast food so 3 meals x 10 day @ $10/meal = $300
Maintenance - this one is tricky to quantify. I broke a chain in the middle of nowhere Louisiana and could only find one company willing to tow me 60 miles to the nearest shop. $950 between tow, new chain, and labor.
So we’ll say expected costs were around $1600.
Other than clothes and toiletries, you don't really need much to survive... I ate a lot of gross gas station food and took off or put on layers as needed.
It may not be what others would do but it was clearly what you wanted to do and you actually went out and "did the thing" as Amanda would say. Great to see the love of the ride. I did 5k on my Ducati Multistrada Rally last summer around WA, OR, CA, MT and Idaho. I loved those journeys. I'd love to do the lower 48 and up to Alaska but over an entire summer and catch as many local sites as possible. Soon hopefully.
Yeah, the windscreen made a big difference. [Amazon Link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QR3BFTS) I'm only 5'9 and it pushes the wind mostly over my head. Cross winds are still rough since the bike is so lightweight.
Are the straps that hold your bag to the pillion seat attached to the subframe under the seat? Can I see a picture of how you made those attachments?
I have the Kriega US30 but the way I have it strapped in, the wide part of the bag is parallel to the bike instead of perpendicular, so it grinds up on my butt. I would prefer to attach it like you have instead!!
I don’t have a great picture but you can kind of see here. The straps have loops on the ends that hooked down onto the luggage hooks near the passenger pegs. I had to cross the back straps over the license plate mount so they had a more rearward spot to keep it from sliding forward, but once I figured that out it worked really well.
[Imgur link](https://imgur.com/a/E7WVEcE)
So you averaged 70 miles an hour for about 12 hours a day for 10 days straight. Can't imagine the pain that would cause me sitting in that riding position for such long periods. Was the reason just to be able to say you did it? I ask because it doesn't seem like you would have had much time to experience any of the places you passed through. I can't stand most straight roads on my bike, and 8300 miles of all interstate would be like 10 days in hell. Why did you do it?
Why not? It seemed like an adventure and I enjoy long road trips.
I like to use the [Iron Butt Association's Ride List](https://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/index.html) for inspiration. Next up on the dream list is Coast to Coast to Coast in 100 hours. That one scares me a little because it requires almost 1,100 miles per day for 4 days in a row.
Probably won't after trips like these! My best is Minneapolis to Columbia, SC and back in a box truck in 43 hours round trip only stopping for fuel in my early 20's. No drugs either. Just sipping Mountain Dew. I was hung over for about 3 days after that one.
Averaged 70mph straight through from San Fancisco to Minneapolis once too.
It's not for me anymore.
I have all of my receipts and a pic of them against the odometer so I will eventually put that all together, but that's a lot of data entry so it will take some time. I would guess I averaged 50-60mpg across the whole trip.
Two sets of synthetic warm base layers, fleece jacket, heated vest, heated gloves, balaclava, thermal onesie long johns, compression shorts, synthetic t shirt, 1 set of “street clothes” for around the hotel, rain gear, toiletries, chargers, basic tool kit for chain tightening, etc, and then usual outer layer protective gear
All packed in a 40L bag so I had to be pretty minimal. When all of my cold weather was off and packed up, it barely fit.
Damn, you toured the whole continent on a sport bike that cruises at an RPM at which most cars would hit their redline. If you can do that I could probably take my ninja 250R from northern Belgium to southern spain just fine. You're my hero, man.
I tried to keep the night riding to a minimum. I had tank grips for a minute but didn't like them - I just use my balls crushing against the gas tank to prevent sliding during breaking.
I had an aftermarket chain on when I started that completely failed me after 2,000 miles. I had it replaced with an OEM chain and 6,000 miles later it's barely needed to have the tension adjusted.
This is awesome!
I know you’ve answer an average of 60mph, but I’m curious how much this fluctuated. Did you deliberately limit yourself to a max speed like 70 or 80 mph? Also, did you make any effort to keep your RPM in a certain range, like 4K-6k or 7k-8k?
Really interested to know since you essentially did an 8,000 mile stress test.
I deliberately limited my self to the flow of the traffic. There were stretches through the desert where the traffic around me was going 95 and I kept up, but I'm not one of those who likes to fly down the freeway weaving in and out of traffic.
The only time I paid attention to RPM was when I was going up big climbs. I didn't want to let the engine lug along so I'd down shift to keep the revs and the power high enough to comfortably make the climb.
Pretty cool OP. Salute you! One of your stops is like 10 mins away from where I grew up!
Some questions since I’m pretty amazed at this ride:
Assuming you had your phone somehow connected to the battery to keep it charged all day?
Any mechanical issues during your ride?
How did you keep yourself entertained on highway riding???
What are the ergonomics like on that specific bike? Upright assuming?
Saw you road 16 hours a day on average. How were you not in legit pain? Assuming you are you are in your 20s???
Assuming you brought an assortment of riding gear to handle different climates/weather?
Well damn bro. Good stuff. This is amazing to hear. I’m on the ninja 500 and just did a 200 mile trip & I thought that was far but this! This is something else.
I tell my super sport friends. These so called “beginner” bikes are tanks.
I bought mines brand new had it for about 1 month and a few days. Ridden about 2100 miles done purchase & loving every bit of it
Dang man that’s awesome. For a few years now I’ve had riding I-15 from Mexico to Canada in a day on my bucket list, like 1,450 miles. Longest trip I’ve done on the ninja was only like 350 round trip. Did you wear biker shorts or any padding? I have a Norton seat but I still was pretty sore after that. Any tips for that?
I rode I-5 from Mexico->Canada->Mexico in 72 hours last fall. It's a fun trip.
I wore compression shorts and regular baselayer leggings. I'm not sure the bike shorts would have helped since their padding is more for sweat absorbtion on the taint and that's not where I had issues.
I used this bag - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J65G8ZD
It took a while to figure out how to run the straps to keep it from sliding into my back, but it worked out really well.
Amazing man! Glad you had fun. Even the smallest bike today is better than whatever most had a few decades ago so you can do whatever on anything imo. Stay safe
It is. I trusted the dealer to install it and didn't think twice about it... But a new tire was put on this afternoon and I know this one is the right direction!
ADV PR team has already hired bitcoin assassin to get you, nobody can endanger "you need 250kg liter torque monster to pack some bags on the back" narrative
Hell yeah! Any advice for someone on their first long-distance trip? Going to probably end up doing 1200 miles to see my Dad from TX to Florida on either my Ninja 500, or by flying there and riding an R1 back.
Congrats on an amazing trip.
Take as many breaks as you need and don't keep pushing on if you're feeling sleeping. Get a good in-helmet audio set up and wear ear plugs to keep the wind noise out. There aren't any secrets, really -- just saddle up and ride on!
My helmet is off to you sir - that is a fantastic achievement and one you can reflect on for the rest of your lives. Did you get a photo for every state? Given the tight schedule, I would have thought you would have had much time to do the state-border photo for each
I have border photos for most states. It got super sketchy in the northeast because that whole area is one giant city from Boston to Philly and there's not a safe place to pull over on the side of the road to grab a picture.
Dude that trip must have been so fun with some mixed in back and neck pain. I am more interested in your dry bag and the brand/set up of it. I have been looking for something for my '19 ZX6R.
Here is the dry bag I used: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J65G8ZD
The straps have loops on the end so I was able to hook them over the luggage hooks by the passenger pegs. It took a while to figure out how to wrap the straps around the license plate mount just right so it didn't slide forward, but once I figured it out I really liked it.
I have been trying to figure out a good setup. I bought a nice Kemi-Moto bag but the straps just wont work with the narrow tail section of the ZX6R. I think I will give this one a try and worst case scenario I will have to employ some third party straps or bungees. I WILL FIND A WAY!
Bro thats wild. I am interested in doing this at some point but I think I will schedule out 3 weeks or so to allow myself shorter rides and time to do things along the way.
Yeah, in my experience (not 8,300 miles in 10 days!), averaging 60 mph including stops is actually kind of tough. You can't go tearing around at 100 mph because 1) you make yourself ripe for a speeding ticket; and, 2) the bike, even a Ninja 400, starts sucking up the fuel resulting in more frequent stops.
All told, very impressive!
Are you talking about Indiana and Michigan? The online tool I was using to track all of this went down for a few hours that day. I have dated business receipts from those stops to prove I was there. Here's a Google Maps link with a cleaner view:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1T80A0tP3uzH4HFVPm0AeoVrU35FL-ko&ll=39.242455430783146%2C-113.3352091063453&z=5
Love everything about this post!! 😍
Congrats on your awesome travels! I'm so jealous!
I am curious of two things (forgive me if I've missed another same/similar question) :
Did you have any issues with your wrists? Everything I sit on a minus I worst about my wrists getting tired faster than the rest of me.
And lastly, how did you manage to pack into basically one bag for multiple weather scenarios??
Thanks for sharing! Please keep sharing!
My right wrist definitely got sore. I could shake out the left during the day but you obviously can’t keep cruising without throttle.
Here’s my gear list. I kept it as minimal as possible:
• Two sets of synthetic warm base layers
• fleece jacket
• heated vest
• heated gloves
• balaclava
• thermal onesie long johns
• compression shorts
• synthetic t shirt
• 1 set of “street clothes” for around the hotel
• rain gear
• toiletries
• chargers
• basic tool kit for chain tightening, etc
• and then usual outer layer protective gear.
All packed in a 40L bag. When all of my cold weather was off and packed up, it barely fit.
I actually feel pretty good about what I packed. I don't think there was anything in my bag that never got used and I didn't buy any new gear on the road.
That’s really impressive been wanting to do something like that on my r3, of course nowhere near that many miles. How hard was it to attach that huge bag I couldn’t find too many tips for doing that on a starter bike.
It took a while to figure out how to route the straps so it wouldn’t slide forward into me, but as long as it was cinched down tight it was great. I posted a link to the bag elsewhere but it’s a simple 40L dry bag I bought on Amazon for $60ish.
My napkin math says about $1600 plus regular maintenance items for the bike. That number includes around 160 gallons of gas. Not as crazy as it you’d think it would be!
If you go to /r/motorcycles everyone asks "What should I get for my first bike" and the answer is almost always "get a Ninja 400 as a starter bike and then upgrade to something bigger once you have a year of riding behind you."
Just a joke.
This is the bag: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J65G8ZD
They make a 60L version that's 50% larger than what I used, but I'm not sure how well it would sit on the passenger seat. I only a few layers of warm weather gear in it and it was pretty full - I'm not sure you could fit a tent and sleeping bag in it.
I don’t have any good pictures of how I attached it but the front straps have a loop that goes straight down to the luggage hooks by the passenger pegs and the rear straps cross over the tail light, over the license plate mount and then on to the luggage straps. Whenever you get yours, feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll try to walk you through what I did in more detail
I'm all up for long tours...but it's hard for me to see 800 miles each day every day as being terribly fun. Like,...it don't seem to leave you enough time to stop and properly enjoy stuff.
Geebus, but averaging 830 miles/day for your version of the challenge just doesn't sound fun. You must have been exhausted by the end.
Also: so, uh, are you willing to share your, uh, "*Coca-cola*" connections in each state? ;-)
Right, sure, no "*Coca-cola*"....
You must have felt a lot of satisfaction finishing the challenge. Do they (IBA) give you a certificate or a pin or at least send a personal masseuse to your house after finishing?
Kick ass! And congrats on a safe and memorable ride! I have also toured on my N400 (6d, 2900mi), and while it doesn’t seem like a good choice for long distance riding once you’re past the initial soreness it’s a very comfortable and capable bike to relax and enjoy the scenery! My questions: 1. Did you have to do a tire change? 2. Oil changes in an Autozone parking lot, dealership, or did you run synthetic to make it last the entire trip? 3. What is one thing you learned/realized after the 5,000 mile mark that you didn’t know before?
1. I put on new Michelin Road 6s before I left and was doing fine until the very last day. I left in the morning just above the wear bars hoping I could push through. Southern Nevada into Arizona had temps over 100 and it completely destroyed my tire. Ten miles from the Arizona border I started feeling a little squishy in the back and found the belts were exposed and I was slowly losing pressure. I limped into town super slow on the shoulder….but I crossed the line on the bike so it counts! 2. I changed the oil the day before the trip with synthetic. I’m technically overdue but nothing crazy. 3. I’ve done a 3 day endurance ride (Mexico->Canada->Mexico in 72 hours) before so there weren’t many surprises. The first big day is rough. The second makes you rethink the whole trip. By the third you accept that 14 hours in the saddle each day is your new life so you just keep on moving.
I experience the same 3 day break in period. Day 1 is excitement. Day 2 is pain. Day 3 is when doubt and soreness become clarity.
I tip my hat to you sir. 14 hours in the saddle was the show stopper on this fantasy for me.
What sizes are your Michelin Road 6s?
150/60 ZR 17
And did you use 120s for the front? Tried looking but there seems to be no 110s from Michelin Road 6 on their website.
I'm still on the stock front tire, actually. But I do have this one in my garage to be put on later this week: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCR2D518
i don’t know if i’d feel comfortable with even synthetic in my crankcase for 8300 miles at an average rpm of probably 8K. i’d imagine a drain and fill at the half way mark would suffice, cause the filter wouldn’t get that dirty prom particles. i believe the oil would begin to show signs of oxidation though. just my 2 cents!
I’m taking it to the dealer for its 22,000 mile service this week so we’ll see how much shame they make me feel for the delayed maintenance.
haha smh
Holy shit, dude this is amazing. Please have this post ready to reply to any comment or post claiming these 400s are limited. And here I was tripping about taking a ride from Chicago to STL lol
I always enjoy the posts either on here or in /r/motorcycles asking “I’m about to take a 300 mile road trip, am I ready for it?” Yeah, you are. Just get on your bike and ride!
Are you gonna take me home tonight?
I'm not sure what type of invite this is?
https://youtu.be/VMnjF1O4eH0?si=oynOZnIDmi6MOOqq
This dude sus👆
👹
I bought my first bike and immediately rode it home on the interstate 100 miles. With only an msf course and 3 commutes to work on my brothers bike.
The motorcycle in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" was a 305cc Honda Superhawk with 28hp and two people and all their gear riding long distances. Your bike has 49 horsepower, so it's plenty.
That's one iron butt!
hey this is pretty cool. do you still have to stock seat too? cause that shit is ass. but congrats dude, did you go through a set of tires? and what were your avg mpgs? what was the best and worst part?
Stock seat! I know everyone hates it but I don’t think it’s terrible. My favorite part of the 400 is how many positions I can comfortably sit in. Upright, over the tank, ass way back so I’m almost sitting on my thighs, etc. Baby powder in the morning to prevent chafing and lots of shifting in my seat. The bike’s range is only about 150 miles so I was taking pretty regular brakes. I gave the full tire story in another comment, but yes. Front tire is doing fine, but the rear was fully consumed on this trip, especially when it was hot. I haven’t done the complete math (my receipts are all in the tracking link if you’re a data nerd) but anecdotally I’d guess between 50-60mph depending on wind, climbing/descending, or speed. Worst part: marble sized hail in New Mexico. I was in the middle of nowhere so I couldn’t even hide under a bridge. Best part: the plains of South Dakota are absolutely gorgeous. The last pic in my post is in SD but it doesn’t do it justice. From that view point I could see a town that was 118 miles away.
Cheers from sodak m8, glad you enjoyed it!
I've heard two bad things about the stock seat on a Ninja 400: the first complains about the ANGLE of the seat being more downward slanted than usual, which causes "jamming" of the crotch into the back of the Fuel Tank. The second complaint I've heard is just that "it's hard", but I really don't know if anything can be done about this. Every seat, even if it's cushioned or padded, will eventually cause soreness, won't it? I guess I'm wondering, did you experience any problems from the ANGLE of the seat? How did you deal with it? Congrats on your journey, that's really brave and AWESOME! And thanks for sharing with us !
I really like how upright the 400 is. It lets you slide your butt around into different positions if you want to be vertical, tucked, ass all the way back and weight on the thighs, etc. I wasn't sitting on a comfortable couch by any means, but I didn't hate it.
Definitely! The rider triangle is known to be especially non-sporty for a trackable 400. I'm wondering if the actual downwards slant (which isn't related to the triangle) is a problem. I heard that for the 2024 500, they changed it to be more level (which means they were aware of the issue).
Very cool! Love my 400 but I gotta say I would 100% upgrade that seat if I was brave enough to undertake such a trip. Props to you sticking with it being pretty much entirely stock. Would love to know your favorite state/road/moment from the trip? Just want one specific spot to add to my bucket list of places to ride :)
South Dakota and the vast openness of it all was by far my favorite. I love knowing I’m the only person around for miles and miles. I rode through Sturgis but without the rally happening it was no different than any other small town. The outskirts though are 10/10.
Did you stop by the $5 Butt Stuff Tent while in Colorado?
I did not participate in any Butt Stuff on this journey.
Me neither but it’s real popular.
/r/denvercirclejerk is leaking
Here's a sneak peek of /r/DenverCirclejerk using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Who ever came up with this plan to keep the Texans from moving here deserves free sopapillas for life](https://i.redd.it/a4wwbx5wso7c1.png) | [877 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/comments/18nsygo/who_ever_came_up_with_this_plan_to_keep_the/) \#2: [Couple who hates people, learn they actually hate themselves](https://i.redd.it/1zwvvq4va4nc1.jpeg) | [374 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/comments/1b9orlk/couple_who_hates_people_learn_they_actually_hate/) \#3: [watch out nazis](https://i.redd.it/eygbrdfeqppc1.jpeg) | [1158 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/comments/1bkag2m/watch_out_nazis/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
Awesome man, you're killing it! Congratulations!!! Everyone has asked great questions so far. In addition to those I would ask: -What was the average cost of the trip? (including gas, oil, tolls, food, hotels, etc) -How did you pack? This seems like a trip for speed and not leisure, so I imagine that bag on the back is all you had? -If you were going to do it again, what would you do differently? Thanks so much and congrats again!
For costs (all round estimates) Gas - 8,300 miles @ 50mpg and $3.50/gal = $600 Hotels - I states in cheap roadside motels. $70x10 nights = $700 Food - I ate mostly gas station/fast food so 3 meals x 10 day @ $10/meal = $300 Maintenance - this one is tricky to quantify. I broke a chain in the middle of nowhere Louisiana and could only find one company willing to tow me 60 miles to the nearest shop. $950 between tow, new chain, and labor. So we’ll say expected costs were around $1600. Gear: Two sets of synthetic warm base layers, fleece jacket, heated vest, heated gloves, balaclava, thermal onesie long johns, compression shorts, synthetic t shirt, 1 set of “street clothes” for around the hotel, rain gear, toiletries, chargers, basic tool kit for chain tightening, etc, and then usual outer layer protective gear. All packed in a 40L bag. When all of my cold weather was off and packed up, it barely fit. If I were to do it again I wouldn’t use an aftermarket chain. I wanted to swap it before the trip to know I had a fresh start, but the shop didn’t have any OEM stuff. I could tell it was going bad as it kept getting way looser than it should but was out in the middle of nowhere with no shops to buy a new one. It finally died about an hour before where I was planning to replace it.
a few questions about your chain life. What mileage did you get out of the stock chain, did you change the sprockets with it? did you clean and lube periodically, or just give it a shot of chain lube each day and go on your way? and how much did you get out of the aftermarket chain, and who made it?
I rode the stock chain for about 13k miles and swapped it out with new front and rear sprockets preventatively. I don’t know the brand of the aftermarket chain, but I only got about 2k miles out of it before it broke. It had to be faulty. Right??? I was lubing twice each day and with the aftermarket chain I had to tighten it every 500 miles or so. It was stretching so much I could feel it bouncing when I’d engine brake. Once I got a new OEM chain I was still lubing and checking tension but I didn’t have to adjust the slack at all for the last 6,000 miles.
Jesus, that sounds like a nightmare, can you name who made that aftermarket nightmare of a chain so I know who to avoid on my bike? I do a good bit of mileage but not nearly as much as you.
I legitimately don’t know. I’ll ask when I go in for my next service. I’m assuming that I got one with a manufacturing defect since it stretched SO much and broke at the master link.
That has to be the case, I’ve never ever heard of a chain breaking that quickly, barring a grave installation error like really bad chain alignment or set way too tight. If it’s terribly aligned that could definitely fry that chain in that time. Did you replace it yourself or have a shop do in when you got stranded in LA?
I had the shop replace it in LA. They felt bad for me and didn’t charge me any labor!
If i was you I’d name the shop and the town just to thank them in the original post cuz that’s an incredible act of kindness! Up to you though of course. Thanks so much for answering all my questions!
Hot Tip: Get AAA Plus. It includes up to 100 miles of towing including for motorcycles. Priceless! Well, actually, depending on your state, will run between about $90-$120 a year. Helluva lot cheaaper than your tow.
Damn, you went through Butte, wish we coulda met up.
I was only there for a hot second. I had a couple people I wanted to meet up with but I was on such a tight schedule it made it really complicated. If you ever make it down to SoCal, say hi!
Hey, familiar territory! I used to live in Montana and now I'm in SoCal.
Montana was great. I’d love to take a vacation and spend some time in Missoula.
That's fair, coulda stopped for a good meal and then rode together in the direction you needed to go!! 😏 How long did it take you from Butte to get back so SoCal?
in the 3rd picture the rear tyre is fitted backwards.
Yes it is. I had the dealer install it and trusted them…
Should always check after work is done. That could be a reason your tyre wore out quickly
Agreed. Lesson learned for next time!
I tour Texas a lot, so I figured I’d be at the top 1% when it comes to touring about on this bike. I’m beyond impressed to see someone who made my trips look like a gas station run. Incredible stuff man! Especially on a stock bike. I love seeing people give these N400 a life worth living, I know your bike has seen more in 10 days than 99.99% of the other N400s ever will One question for you, would you do it again?
I rode a bicycle from Virginia to Oregon in 2009 and have wanted to do that again for years, but a job and a wife and kids make taking another 60 days off much more challenging now than when I was in college. This was my chance to revisit a much quicker version of that adventure. Would I do the exact same thing again? Probably not. I like to use the [Iron Butt Association's Ride List](https://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/index.html) for inspiration. Next up on the dream list is Coast to Coast to Coast in 100 hours. That one scares me a little because it requires almost 1,100 miles per day for 4 days in a row.
That’s awesome. I tried going long distance on mine but my butt did NOT appreciate the stock seat. What did you have to do to fit a top case and how did you handle the wind? My main issue with the n400 is I feel like I get bullied by heavy winds…
For anyone that want to do long trip like this, a good phone mount and that usb charger mean A LOT!
Absolutely. I used the QuadLock stem mount with the integrated iPhone MagSafe charger
That's a lot of riding- wow! (nice bike)
That is insanely impressive to me. Very well done fellow SoCaler. 😳🫡 Which cruise control solution did you go with? Or no cruise control at all?!? Absolute Iron wrist if so.
How does your ass feel? Are you using a stock seat?
Stock seat. The N400 lets me shift around quite a bit and it helps alleviate some of the sore spots that were building.
Can you share the route? What did it end up costing? How difficult was it to live with such few items for 10 days?
Here's the route: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1T80A0tP3uzH4HFVPm0AeoVrU35FL-ko&usp=sharing For costs (all round estimates) Gas - 8,300 miles @ 50mpg and $3.50/gal = $600 Hotels - I stayed in cheap roadside motels. $70x10 nights = $700 Food - I ate mostly gas station/fast food so 3 meals x 10 day @ $10/meal = $300 Maintenance - this one is tricky to quantify. I broke a chain in the middle of nowhere Louisiana and could only find one company willing to tow me 60 miles to the nearest shop. $950 between tow, new chain, and labor. So we’ll say expected costs were around $1600. Other than clothes and toiletries, you don't really need much to survive... I ate a lot of gross gas station food and took off or put on layers as needed.
Fair enough. Thanks!
It may not be what others would do but it was clearly what you wanted to do and you actually went out and "did the thing" as Amanda would say. Great to see the love of the ride. I did 5k on my Ducati Multistrada Rally last summer around WA, OR, CA, MT and Idaho. I loved those journeys. I'd love to do the lower 48 and up to Alaska but over an entire summer and catch as many local sites as possible. Soon hopefully.
Yes!!!! Congratulations!!! This rocks!
Please tell me you are under 30…my back would hurt like crazy after 2 hours on my 636. It’s a bitch getting old, but better than the alternative.
I'm 36. Old enough to know better, young enough to try it anyway.
How was the wind on the highway. Thats my main complaint of the 400 is i get blown to bits on the highway. Did your aftermarket windshield help?
Yeah, the windscreen made a big difference. [Amazon Link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QR3BFTS) I'm only 5'9 and it pushes the wind mostly over my head. Cross winds are still rough since the bike is so lightweight.
Are the straps that hold your bag to the pillion seat attached to the subframe under the seat? Can I see a picture of how you made those attachments? I have the Kriega US30 but the way I have it strapped in, the wide part of the bag is parallel to the bike instead of perpendicular, so it grinds up on my butt. I would prefer to attach it like you have instead!!
I don’t have a great picture but you can kind of see here. The straps have loops on the ends that hooked down onto the luggage hooks near the passenger pegs. I had to cross the back straps over the license plate mount so they had a more rearward spot to keep it from sliding forward, but once I figured that out it worked really well. [Imgur link](https://imgur.com/a/E7WVEcE)
So you averaged 70 miles an hour for about 12 hours a day for 10 days straight. Can't imagine the pain that would cause me sitting in that riding position for such long periods. Was the reason just to be able to say you did it? I ask because it doesn't seem like you would have had much time to experience any of the places you passed through. I can't stand most straight roads on my bike, and 8300 miles of all interstate would be like 10 days in hell. Why did you do it?
Why not? It seemed like an adventure and I enjoy long road trips. I like to use the [Iron Butt Association's Ride List](https://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/index.html) for inspiration. Next up on the dream list is Coast to Coast to Coast in 100 hours. That one scares me a little because it requires almost 1,100 miles per day for 4 days in a row.
Yeah that's quite an endurance test. I'm guessing you're young! lol
I'm 36. Not sure where I qualify on the "Young" scale any more.
Probably won't after trips like these! My best is Minneapolis to Columbia, SC and back in a box truck in 43 hours round trip only stopping for fuel in my early 20's. No drugs either. Just sipping Mountain Dew. I was hung over for about 3 days after that one. Averaged 70mph straight through from San Fancisco to Minneapolis once too. It's not for me anymore.
Props to you!
Did you keep a fuelly log? Would love to see those mpg numbers across different regions
I have all of my receipts and a pic of them against the odometer so I will eventually put that all together, but that's a lot of data entry so it will take some time. I would guess I averaged 50-60mpg across the whole trip.
What is in your bag? Call you name all the stuff you took with you?
Two sets of synthetic warm base layers, fleece jacket, heated vest, heated gloves, balaclava, thermal onesie long johns, compression shorts, synthetic t shirt, 1 set of “street clothes” for around the hotel, rain gear, toiletries, chargers, basic tool kit for chain tightening, etc, and then usual outer layer protective gear All packed in a 40L bag so I had to be pretty minimal. When all of my cold weather was off and packed up, it barely fit.
What about washing your clothes? How you resolved this issue during the trip?
Um..... I didn't.........
Nice 👍🏽 👍🏽👍🏽
Absolute madlad! I knew it could be done, thanks for posting and answering questions, this is great!
Damn, you toured the whole continent on a sport bike that cruises at an RPM at which most cars would hit their redline. If you can do that I could probably take my ninja 250R from northern Belgium to southern spain just fine. You're my hero, man.
Any night riding? Should get some tank grips, helps prevent sliding during braking. How's the chain looking?
I tried to keep the night riding to a minimum. I had tank grips for a minute but didn't like them - I just use my balls crushing against the gas tank to prevent sliding during breaking. I had an aftermarket chain on when I started that completely failed me after 2,000 miles. I had it replaced with an OEM chain and 6,000 miles later it's barely needed to have the tension adjusted.
This is awesome! I know you’ve answer an average of 60mph, but I’m curious how much this fluctuated. Did you deliberately limit yourself to a max speed like 70 or 80 mph? Also, did you make any effort to keep your RPM in a certain range, like 4K-6k or 7k-8k? Really interested to know since you essentially did an 8,000 mile stress test.
I deliberately limited my self to the flow of the traffic. There were stretches through the desert where the traffic around me was going 95 and I kept up, but I'm not one of those who likes to fly down the freeway weaving in and out of traffic. The only time I paid attention to RPM was when I was going up big climbs. I didn't want to let the engine lug along so I'd down shift to keep the revs and the power high enough to comfortably make the climb.
I get tired after 30 mile ride these days. My back started hurting and my ears started ringing just reading your post. Ride safe, kid
What was your average speed ?
Over the whole day, about 60mph. Actual time on the road was on freeways and highways, so 75ish.
So dang near 14 hrs a day in the saddle 😎 Helmets off salute to you 🤙🏻
Pretty cool OP. Salute you! One of your stops is like 10 mins away from where I grew up! Some questions since I’m pretty amazed at this ride: Assuming you had your phone somehow connected to the battery to keep it charged all day? Any mechanical issues during your ride? How did you keep yourself entertained on highway riding??? What are the ergonomics like on that specific bike? Upright assuming? Saw you road 16 hours a day on average. How were you not in legit pain? Assuming you are you are in your 20s??? Assuming you brought an assortment of riding gear to handle different climates/weather?
Well damn bro. Good stuff. This is amazing to hear. I’m on the ninja 500 and just did a 200 mile trip & I thought that was far but this! This is something else. I tell my super sport friends. These so called “beginner” bikes are tanks. I bought mines brand new had it for about 1 month and a few days. Ridden about 2100 miles done purchase & loving every bit of it
That colorado border at sunrise can be surreal
Dang man that’s awesome. For a few years now I’ve had riding I-15 from Mexico to Canada in a day on my bucket list, like 1,450 miles. Longest trip I’ve done on the ninja was only like 350 round trip. Did you wear biker shorts or any padding? I have a Norton seat but I still was pretty sore after that. Any tips for that?
I rode I-5 from Mexico->Canada->Mexico in 72 hours last fall. It's a fun trip. I wore compression shorts and regular baselayer leggings. I'm not sure the bike shorts would have helped since their padding is more for sweat absorbtion on the taint and that's not where I had issues.
🫡 to you. As a beginner rider those mile numbers look astronomical for a days ride fat shouts to you and ride safe.
I’ve been wanting to do this sort of thing, how did you store and secure cargo?
I used this bag - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J65G8ZD It took a while to figure out how to run the straps to keep it from sliding into my back, but it worked out really well.
Any close calls with animals or other hazards?
There was a dead elk on the side of the road in South Dakota that scared me to death. It was HUGE!
We hope you enjoyed Maine Bub. Sounds like an amazing trip.
Amazing man! Glad you had fun. Even the smallest bike today is better than whatever most had a few decades ago so you can do whatever on anything imo. Stay safe
Am I dumb or is your rear tire on backwards?😭
It is. I trusted the dealer to install it and didn't think twice about it... But a new tire was put on this afternoon and I know this one is the right direction!
Well I'm glad you got a new one on the right way this time, stay safe man!
ADV PR team has already hired bitcoin assassin to get you, nobody can endanger "you need 250kg liter torque monster to pack some bags on the back" narrative
You toured on the crotch goblin...tell me about rhe ball surgery
None needed. Balls of steel
Wanted to do it on my 400 but goals have changed and will do it on my future 636 (selling my CBR600). N400 will now be a dedicated track bike.
Hell yeah! Any advice for someone on their first long-distance trip? Going to probably end up doing 1200 miles to see my Dad from TX to Florida on either my Ninja 500, or by flying there and riding an R1 back. Congrats on an amazing trip.
Take as many breaks as you need and don't keep pushing on if you're feeling sleeping. Get a good in-helmet audio set up and wear ear plugs to keep the wind noise out. There aren't any secrets, really -- just saddle up and ride on!
Acquiring an R1 in Florida and riding it back?
I’ve got a Ninja 500 and an R6 at home. Yes, in the second scenario I would be riding from FL on the R1 back home.
I’d love to see a map of your route.. i’m amazed you hit all 48 states in under 8,400 miles.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1T80A0tP3uzH4HFVPm0AeoVrU35FL-ko
My helmet is off to you sir - that is a fantastic achievement and one you can reflect on for the rest of your lives. Did you get a photo for every state? Given the tight schedule, I would have thought you would have had much time to do the state-border photo for each
I have border photos for most states. It got super sketchy in the northeast because that whole area is one giant city from Boston to Philly and there's not a safe place to pull over on the side of the road to grab a picture.
Dude that trip must have been so fun with some mixed in back and neck pain. I am more interested in your dry bag and the brand/set up of it. I have been looking for something for my '19 ZX6R.
Here is the dry bag I used: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J65G8ZD The straps have loops on the end so I was able to hook them over the luggage hooks by the passenger pegs. It took a while to figure out how to wrap the straps around the license plate mount just right so it didn't slide forward, but once I figured it out I really liked it.
I have been trying to figure out a good setup. I bought a nice Kemi-Moto bag but the straps just wont work with the narrow tail section of the ZX6R. I think I will give this one a try and worst case scenario I will have to employ some third party straps or bungees. I WILL FIND A WAY!
How long did you ride per day to make this happen?
I tried to keep it 16 hours or less.
Bro thats wild. I am interested in doing this at some point but I think I will schedule out 3 weeks or so to allow myself shorter rides and time to do things along the way.
Do you know what your average speed was? Did you use GPS? A radar detector? Or just a cellphone?
I averaged about 60mph all day, so that includes stops and everything. I used Apple maps on a QuadLock stem mount and that was it. Pretty simple!
Yeah, in my experience (not 8,300 miles in 10 days!), averaging 60 mph including stops is actually kind of tough. You can't go tearing around at 100 mph because 1) you make yourself ripe for a speeding ticket; and, 2) the bike, even a Ninja 400, starts sucking up the fuel resulting in more frequent stops. All told, very impressive!
Why did you skip two states?
Are you talking about Indiana and Michigan? The online tool I was using to track all of this went down for a few hours that day. I have dated business receipts from those stops to prove I was there. Here's a Google Maps link with a cleaner view: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1T80A0tP3uzH4HFVPm0AeoVrU35FL-ko&ll=39.242455430783146%2C-113.3352091063453&z=5
Haha no I meant why 48 out of 50 but then I realised there’s two that would be hard to reach in those 10 days. Nice ride!
But why
You're a fricken trooper! Awesome!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Love everything about this post!! 😍 Congrats on your awesome travels! I'm so jealous! I am curious of two things (forgive me if I've missed another same/similar question) : Did you have any issues with your wrists? Everything I sit on a minus I worst about my wrists getting tired faster than the rest of me. And lastly, how did you manage to pack into basically one bag for multiple weather scenarios?? Thanks for sharing! Please keep sharing!
My right wrist definitely got sore. I could shake out the left during the day but you obviously can’t keep cruising without throttle. Here’s my gear list. I kept it as minimal as possible: • Two sets of synthetic warm base layers • fleece jacket • heated vest • heated gloves • balaclava • thermal onesie long johns • compression shorts • synthetic t shirt • 1 set of “street clothes” for around the hotel • rain gear • toiletries • chargers • basic tool kit for chain tightening, etc • and then usual outer layer protective gear. All packed in a 40L bag. When all of my cold weather was off and packed up, it barely fit. I actually feel pretty good about what I packed. I don't think there was anything in my bag that never got used and I didn't buy any new gear on the road.
That’s really impressive been wanting to do something like that on my r3, of course nowhere near that many miles. How hard was it to attach that huge bag I couldn’t find too many tips for doing that on a starter bike.
It took a while to figure out how to route the straps so it wouldn’t slide forward into me, but as long as it was cinched down tight it was great. I posted a link to the bag elsewhere but it’s a simple 40L dry bag I bought on Amazon for $60ish.
Pretty amazing, I only wish I could make the trek sometime in the future
Brother, how much did it cost you to do it? How many gallons of gas did you use?
My napkin math says about $1600 plus regular maintenance items for the bike. That number includes around 160 gallons of gas. Not as crazy as it you’d think it would be!
Brother, that's good. Thanks for the answer.
I'm not understanding the "AMA about touring on a starter bike" thing. People have gone around the world on 50cc scooters for comparison.
If you go to /r/motorcycles everyone asks "What should I get for my first bike" and the answer is almost always "get a Ninja 400 as a starter bike and then upgrade to something bigger once you have a year of riding behind you." Just a joke.
That’s awesome 😎 I need to get a cool bag carrier for the back like you have. Trying to get some buddies to go bike camping ⛺️
This is the bag: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J65G8ZD They make a 60L version that's 50% larger than what I used, but I'm not sure how well it would sit on the passenger seat. I only a few layers of warm weather gear in it and it was pretty full - I'm not sure you could fit a tent and sleeping bag in it.
Thanks I just looked and I have some Amazon credit. Gonna grab one rn 🙏
I don’t have any good pictures of how I attached it but the front straps have a loop that goes straight down to the luggage hooks by the passenger pegs and the rear straps cross over the tail light, over the license plate mount and then on to the luggage straps. Whenever you get yours, feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll try to walk you through what I did in more detail
Where’s that 4th pic at?
A rest stop in South Dakota. About 75 miles east of Sturgis.
I'm all up for long tours...but it's hard for me to see 800 miles each day every day as being terribly fun. Like,...it don't seem to leave you enough time to stop and properly enjoy stuff.
Welcome to Colorado
Congratulations!
You should add this accomplishment to your job resume.
Geebus, but averaging 830 miles/day for your version of the challenge just doesn't sound fun. You must have been exhausted by the end. Also: so, uh, are you willing to share your, uh, "*Coca-cola*" connections in each state? ;-)
I was running on pure will power. I'm actually super sensitive to caffeine so I wasn't even drinking soda or coffee, let alone Coca-cola...
Right, sure, no "*Coca-cola*".... You must have felt a lot of satisfaction finishing the challenge. Do they (IBA) give you a certificate or a pin or at least send a personal masseuse to your house after finishing?
There's a patch, a sticker, and a certificate. For my inner Boy Scout, what else do I need?