Any HD riders for these rides?

#1
I'm not picky about what people ride but I've noticed that many of the people here do these rides on sport/tour or adventure type bikes. While I did the majority of my cross country travel many years ago in the 1990's on a 1981 Yamaha XJ750 Maxim (hey, any bike can be a tour bike right?) and I did some shorter rides, around 500-600 miles on my old Kawasaki Nomad 1500. I now have a 2015 HD Softail FLSTN with 16" apes. I ride it with a stuffed Biltwell XFIL-80 behind me to rest against. I've done a few trips on it, to the tune of 850 miles/day and find it to be comfortable enough and the tank size has me getting off of the bike every 2-3 hours which seems to be the perfect amount time between stretches.

So, what I'm getting at, is this: are there others around these parts (this forum) who ride American iron to achieve these awesome rides? If so, are there any tips or tricks that you've picked up over the years that have helped you out? I'll show you mine if you show me yours...
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#2
There are many, many HD riders doing LD rides. Less, but still out there for Victory and Indians as well. Big cruisers are fairly popular and can be very comfortable for LD riding.

If you're looking to set up your ride, it's a process. No one change necessarily works for another rider. It's about sorting out your ergonomic needs so that your bike is the most comfortable it can be, for YOU.

So, what bothers you during a ride?
 
#3
Nothing currently bothers me, it was just a fairly general question given the prevalence of sport tour specific commentary. As noted, I've done my share of long rides and I certainly know that no one thing works for all riders. That said, I would love to hear if there are specific issues that big cruiser riders have had and how they addressed them. Who knows, perhaps it'll resonate.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#4
Great! Now ride farther and see what you notice. General would the the AOW stuff. Specific relates to specific bikes, not a grouping of bikes. If you ask a generic question, you'll get generic answers. At some point many big cruiser riders start thinking about fuel cells to minimize the number of stops on a cert ride. This is the IBA forum. Long rides are a SS1K or better. Anything less is a short ride. ;)
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#7
You appear to want to engage other big cruiser riders. That's all good. But you're not really asking a question.

You're getting off the bike every 2-3 hours to stretch/get gas. That works for you and that's fine. But that indicates something different to me. You need more fuel and to address why you need to get off the bike to stretch every 2-3 hours.
 

JAORE

Premier Member
#8
"You're getting off the bike every 2-3 hours to stretch/get gas." Well, at 70 mph that is 140-210 miles. The 210 isn't too bad. It will certainly suffice for most IBA rides. Competitive rallies might be a different kettle of fish.
FWIW I've done IBA rides , SS 1000's and a single BBG on a series of H-D's. Electra Glide Ultra, couple of Road Glides and a Sportster. On two of the bigger bikes I use a Klock Werks flare windshield to limit buffeting. Better lights are a high priority. For example I put an LED headlight on the Sporty. Engine guards with foot rests let me change position (bum left knee, MRI scheduled). I used an Air Hawk seat cushion for a bit. Now my 2016 Road Glide Ultra seems to fit me well stock. And I put a Mustang wide Touring seat on the Sportster. Better shocks for the Sporty arrived this week. Adjustable backrest on all the big bikes.
That's all off the top of my head.
 
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Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#9
Well, Eric, that was pedantic.
What was pedantic about it? You asked general questions, and you got general answers. Nothing he said was in any way inaccurate, disrespectful, pointed, or dismissive. His response was perfectly appropriate and accurate.

If anything, what's pedantic is someone asking a question, receiving an answer, and then taking issue with the form the answer came in.
 

JAORE

Premier Member
#10
I didn't focus on evidence of this in my first reply. "...are there others around these parts (this forum) who ride American iron to achieve these awesome rides?"
There is a link from the IBA home page with a tab called "Ride Certifications". Follow that and you can see a HUGE list of people, their bikes and their rides. H-D's are abundant. Indans and Victories are well represented too.
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#11
Well, Eric, that was pedantic.
lol Welcome to the IBA forum, home of the most hardcore, thick skinned, easy to get along with, most charitable listeners who will always read the absolute best into everything you say.

I don't ride big cruisers so there isn't much I can offer you in terms of tips & tricks or cruiser related conversation. Cruisers are typically big and heavy yet comfortable machines. I'm more of a light and nimble kind of guy despite not actually being a light and nimble kind of guy, if you catch my drift(s).
 

Ira

Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
IBR Staff
#12
I didn't focus on evidence of this in my first reply. "...are there others around these parts (this forum) who ride American iron to achieve these awesome rides?"
There is a link from the IBA home page with a tab called "Ride Certifications". Follow that and you can see a HUGE list of people, their bikes and their rides. H-D's are abundant. Indans and Victories are well represented too.
I believe more IBA certificate rides have be completed on Harleys than any other brand.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association
 

Baxter

Well-Known Member
#13
The first IBA member I knew rode a Harley Road King. I don't think he had any "tricks."

He just rode it as we all do, but with less range anxiety than I did on my Ninja 650R. His belt drive also meant that he didn't have to figure out chain maintenance like I did with my Scottoiler. Just attach a cramp buster or similar and it's set up for LD riding just as is from the factory.

I should think that the bigger Harleys and Indians would be great LD highway machines.
 
#14
I admit, my Softail is pretty nice on long rides. I rode a Yamaha FZR400 cross country and, being 6'2" with long arms I can say that was far, far less comfortable.

I agree, it's not about "tricks". In my experience it's can be just about gritting your teeth and getting through it when you feel like you've had enough. I do know that people fit their bikes out in different ways for long distance, as opposed to barhopping, and I'm always curious what that may look like. For instance, years ago, I had a friend who was in an accident and it messed up his leg. A few of us figured out how to modify his old Triumph Bonneville Triple so that he could ride it AND have a place to put his cane that was convenient for storage and also accessible for waving around over his head while cruising down the road. While that's not relevant to distance it's certainly relevant to customizing.

For myself I have a throttle lock so I can let go of the throttle and shake out my hand as well as one of those paddle thingies, highway pegs so I can have additional available foot positions and a gear bag behind me that I can lean back on. I also just added some ape hangers so I can get up off the bars. Oh, and the windshield because I get tired of being blasted in the face. If something has to take the brunt of the wind for 1000+ miles I'd rather it be that than me.
 
#15
"You're getting off the bike every 2-3 hours to stretch/get gas." Well, at 70 mph that is 140-210 miles. The 210 isn't too bad. It will certainly suffice for most IBA rides. Competitive rallies might be a different kettle of fish.
FWIW I've done IBA rides , SS 1000's and a single BBG on a series of H-D's. Electra Glide Ultra, couple of Road Glides and a Sportster. On two of the bigger bikes I use a Klock Werks flare windshield to limit buffeting. Better lights are a high priority. For example I put an LED headlight on the Sporty. Engine guards with foot rests let me change position (bum left knee, MRI scheduled). I used an Air Hawk seat cushion for a bit. Now my 2016 Road Glide Ultra seems to fit me well stock. And I put a Mustang wide Touring seat on the Sportster. Better shocks for the Sporty arrived this week. Adjustable backrest on all the big bikes.
That's all off the top of my head.
Thanks for actually addressing what I asked in my original post.

I recently put in a new LED headlight and aux lights. They make a huge difference. especially here, in the PNW, where it's still dark...a lot.

As to your second post; I've been to the giant list of riders who've completed IBA rides and on what they rode, but when I read the threads in this forum many are addressing sport/tour bikes and I see few from those on the big cruisers. I'm sure they're there but there are a lot of threads and I'm not going to read them all.
 

Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#16
As to your second post; I've been to the giant list of riders who've completed IBA rides and on what they rode, but when I read the threads in this forum many are addressing sport/tour bikes and I see few from those on the big cruisers. I'm sure they're there but there are a lot of threads and I'm not going to read them all.
I've seen what you're referencing. I don't have hard statistics to point to (so this is only anecdotal observation), but it makes me wonder if the large majority of big cruiser IBA ride finishers are "one-and-done" riders who did the thing, got the certificate, and moved on.

As for the preponderance of sport-touring bikes, my guess is that there are a number of models in that category that have reputations for being dead-nuts reliable. I'm not interested in starting any flame wars, but I think the academic case can be made that certain brands and models of bikes have reputations for being more reliable than others. So the hardcore LD guys go for those bikes.

I could take a Trabant on a 1000-mile trip once and probably get away with it, but that doesn't mean that a Trabant is the vehicle of choice for a round-the-world expedition.
 

JAORE

Premier Member
#17
You may find some things of interest in the "Motorcycle Preparation" tab where there is a sub tab for H-D.

FWIW, I have 9 certified rides. There are some H-D guys with many dozens of rides.
 
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Shawn K

Professional Cat Confuser
Premier Member
#19
As I said, I have no data, it was only an anecdotal opinion, and at no point did I say "all" or "every".
 
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Baxter

Well-Known Member
#20
I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my post above, but YouTuber Whit Meza completed a Lake Michigan SS1000 on a Sporty last year. She posted several videos about her process and the ride. She's very organized, puts my OCD to shame. I've liked her channel, lots of interesting trips and she's been doing a Wisconsin Rustic Roads series which is helping me get to know my new state.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp7bkvA72A6sZkES3rC1kEA

While I had no doubts that a Sporty could do it, here's proof.