Proposed Ride

H

Hd4vle

Member
I attach a sort of draft of a ride I'd like to do. Total distance is 1023 miles. I wish I could have fewer stops. The problem is that the distances between 2 and 4, 4 and 6, and 6 and 8, are more than I can comfortably do on one tank of gas . All the stops are 24 hour gas stations with food nearby.

I don't want to simply do an out and back and I want to stay on interstate highways all the way. I also want to stay out of California as the speed limits are too low and traffic is to high.

Any suggestions?
 

Attachments

Ride route has been used for at least two decades by the MTF as far as I know.

Do not go to Las Cruces, take the state highway to Hatch, NM instead.

EDIT: Exit I-25 @ Hatch, then take NM 26 toward Deming, NM to join Interstate 10.

This was the first route I did back in 2011 to join the IBA thru the MTF organization. 1029 miles.

Info here, along with the corner stops they used (in 2022 at least): http://mctourer.com/rides/2022/LD_PhoenixAZ/

EDIT2: If you're doing this ride this year, as you may know, it does get cold up along I-40, between Flag and Abq. I did my ride in Sept. and had to deal with a bit of sleet along the road as I got into the area near Grants, NM. Monitor weather forecasts for both Abq and Flag a couple of days before you ride - enjoy!
 
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I’ve run into that same issue on a few of my routes, those long stretches can sneak up on you. What I usually do is drop in a short splash stop between 2–4 and again before 6–8. It only adds a few minutes but keeps the pace steady and the stress down. Check the exits on Google Maps you’ll usually find a 24 hr stop just off the highway that doesn’t show up in the main search. That’s what I’d do if it were my ride.
 
Even on a big bike like a Goldwing, hard to travel the ~320 miles between Flag and Abq without a fuel/bio stop along the way.

Pretty sure mine was in Gallup, NM - fuel stop that I was also able to get my only major bite to eat at a sandwich shop.

I learned that I really didn't need a big meal at all during thousand mile rides.
 
Here is a modified version of what @kwthom is talking about. Consider using the same start and end location. (the one you pick). You want the extra miles anyway. Technically you could get a corner receipt on both ends of the state route at Hatch, but the default will be the shorter route w/o a fill in Las Cruces anyway.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bN12z1ubUyG7DRK86. 1030 miles. You don’t really want it shorter than that.

As far as fewer gas stops, there is no rule against carrying extra fuel. Take a 2 gal jug with you and RokStrap it to the seat or luggage rack. You still need to document all fuel, but don’t need a separate receipt for the jug. You fill your tank and the jug, take the picture next to your odo just like any other gas stop on the ride. You do add a note that you used a fuel jug during the ride and I would write jug or +jug on the receipts where you filled both the bike and the jug. Call it fuel can, carry can/jug or whatever you want, but that shows them exactly why that fill was for more fuel, plus the more fuel adds up to equal the more miles you rode too. No big deal.
 
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Concur with @EricV assessment.

I will state for the record that many folks here in AZ and elsewhere in the southwest have used this routing for their first SS1000's, so it's well-known.

I would only caution the OP to carefully consider the corner locations...since there's only three of them. Making sure these are 24/7 & have good receipts available is the important part. This was also the reason why the MTF required their ride coordinators to ride the ride beforehand and check 'em to make sure they would be useful.

Hatch is the key...as this routing saves you the headache of trying to figure out how to get easily around the highway configuration of Las Cruces & get fuel there.

Best of luck!
 
Do a few "run out of gas" rides to determine just how far you can go on a "Empty" tank of gas. I have a fuel range computer on my current bike and I can go 35~40 miles after it shows zero.
I have mentored a few riders and got them to increase their comfort zone by doing a run out of gas ride or two and at a minimum carrying an extra fuel can for them on the actual ride. Even slowing down will increase your range.
On carbureted bikes there isn't a fuel gauge so you drive until it sputters, move the fuel selector to reserve and find a gas station. You also usually know how far you can go on reserve.
 
I ran the numbers using kwthom's suggestion to cut the Las Cruces corner with the Hatch shortcut and ended up with 1030miles. But only by using the same start/finish location in Phoenix as suggested by EricV. i.e a closed loop.

For one of my early USA rides - a 100CCC - I researched carrying a fuel jerry can / jug for the same reason we all consider extra fuel. In the end I decided to carry no extra fuel on the rental bike I rode.

My research turned up the following:
- some states allow carrying a jug.
- some states do not allow carrying a jug.
- some states allow roadside filling from a jug.
- some states do not allow roadside filling from a jug.
- some states allow carrying but not filling from the jug.
- some states do not allow carrying but do allow filling from the jug.
- some states don't allow either.
- some states allow both.

My ride was from LAX to JAX, so lots of states and the combinations listed above gave me a headache .

My advice is to check what is and is not allowed for the route being discussed here.
 
While I have no doubt about your research, it’s not something that is enforced. You would have to get pulled over for some other reason, AND piss off the LEO before they might, if they even know about the law(s), consider writing a citation for a fuel jug violation. In many states, there are laws that they can’t do a traffic stop for if it’s the only thing they witness. Moving violations warrant a traffic stop. Non-moving ones often do not, by themselves.

Most LEOs would probably think you ran out of gas, thus the jug. How many are going to follow you long enough to witness it twice? Or bother to log something they saw, but didn’t issue a citation for so another LEO would be able to see it in their system?

Bottom line, I’ve done the gas jug thing on a cert ride, and I wouldn’t worry about doing it again.
 
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OX-34 said:
I ran the numbers using kwthom's suggestion to cut the Las Cruces corner with the Hatch shortcut and ended up with 1030miles. But only by using the same start/finish location in Phoenix as suggested by EricV. i.e a closed loop.

For one of my early USA rides - a 100CCC - I researched carrying a fuel jerry can / jug for the same reason we all consider extra fuel. In the end I decided to carry no extra fuel on the rental bike I rode.

My research turned up the following:
- some states allow carrying a jug.
- some states do not allow carrying a jug.
- some states allow roadside filling from a jug.
- some states do not allow roadside filling from a jug.
- some states allow carrying but not filling from the jug.
- some states do not allow carrying but do allow filling from the jug.
- some states don't allow either.
- some states allow both.

My ride was from LAX to JAX, so lots of states and the combinations listed above gave me a headache .

My advice is to check what is and is not allowed for the route being discussed heReal men ride their motorcycle. It saves us the headache.
Click to expand...

Real men ride their motorcycle. And not worry about things akin to tossing a cigarette butt on the ground. Bit of advice that will save you from your next headache.
 
EricV I was mainly concerned about any delays LEO attention may have caused during the ride. I didn't realise how smooth and simple the ride would be and had completed LAX-JAX-LAX about 92 hours after my plane touched down.

Being a foreigner adds to the unknown. Admittedly it was 2011, so I had zero chance of being deported due a traffic stop. Not the case now, of course.

I'm not of the opinion that minor law infringements are somehow manly. I've done a bunch of 100CCCs in Australia without the need to, say, sit on a speed that would see an Australian in Australia lose their licence. Unlike a small-handed 'Murrican I know.
 
OX-34 said:
<...>
My advice is to check what is and is not allowed for the route being discussed here.
Click to expand...

Two states - both rural, both with a significant share of Interstate highway that has no 'convenient' (for a smaller displacement motorcycle, anyway) fuel locations along certain portions of the route discussed.

I think we're picking fly shit out of the pepper, to be honest.

My advice - living in this desert now for over 75% of my lifetime...

Don't sweat the small stuff. If the OP feels they need to cart extra fuel on the trip, they should do so, using @EricV comments about how to document that specific detail for the OP's ride, being certain they will be able to do so with minimum hassle dealing with straps, positioning, etc.

If the OP is confident they know the range on their motorcycle (ref. @Russ Black comment above about determining range) then perhaps it's not worth that hassle of taking fuel, but becoming focused on making the extra stop (or whatever's needed...) being highly focused on minimizing that stoppage time, as needed.

You all know the well-worn adage "Stopped for a minute? You could be a mile further down the road."
 
kwthom said:
Ride route has been used for at least two decades by the MTF as far as I know.

Do not go to Las Cruces, take the state highway to Hatch, NM instead.

EDIT: Exit I-25 @ Hatch, then take NM 26 toward Deming, NM to join Interstate 10.

This was the first route I did back in 2011 to join the IBA thru the MTF organization. 1029 miles.

Info here, along with the corner stops they used (in 2022 at least): http://mctourer.com/rides/2022/LD_PhoenixAZ/ space waves

EDIT2: If you're doing this ride this year, as you may know, it does get cold up along I-40, between Flag and Abq. I did my ride in Sept. and had to deal with a bit of sleet along the road as I got into the area near Grants, NM. Monitor weather forecasts for both Abq and Flag a couple of days before you ride - enjoy!
Click to expand...
oh, thank you much
 
OX-34 said:
EricV I was mainly concerned about any delays LEO attention may have caused during the ride. I didn't realise how smooth and simple the ride would be and had completed LAX-JAX-LAX about 92 hours after my plane touched down.

Being a foreigner adds to the unknown. Admittedly it was 2011, so I had zero chance of being deported due a traffic stop. Not the case now, of course.

I'm not of the opinion that minor law infringements are somehow manly. I've done a bunch of 100CCCs in Australia without the need to, say, sit on a speed that would see an Australian in Australia lose their licence. Unlike a small-handed 'Murrican I know.
Click to expand...

Trolling? Well, no. Just reading through as we all do.

No risk of being deported, as long as you're here legally, like most of the rest of us are. You may be thinking of Australia's ultra strict visa / immigration tolerances (which have exceeded ours for many years).

When was I speeding on the 100CCC in Australia to the point an Australian license holder would lose their license? My Spotwalla OA was made public on this forum (as you saw at the time). That OA was within very reasonable limits. Relaxing little 43C deg. ride that was in February.
 
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kwthom said:
Ride route has been used for at least two decades by the MTF as far as I know.

Do not go to Las Cruces, take the state highway to Hatch, NM instead.

EDIT: Exit I-25 @ Hatch, then take NM 26 toward Deming, NM to join Interstate 10.

This was the first route I did back in 2011 to join the IBA thru the MTF organization. 1029 miles.

Info here, along with the corner stops they used (in 2022 at least): http://mctourer.com/rides/2022/LD_PhoenixAZ/

EDIT2: If you're doing this ride this year, as you may know, it does get cold up along I-40, between Flag and Abq. I did my ride in Sept. and had to deal with a bit of sleet along the road as I got into the area near Grants, NM. Monitor weather forecasts for both Abq and Flag a couple of days before you ride - enjoy!
Click to expand...
Thanks.
 
kwthom said:
Ride route has been used for at least two decades by the MTF as far as I know.

Do not go to Las Cruces, take the state highway to Hatch, NM instead.

EDIT: Exit I-25 @ Hatch, then take NM 26 toward Deming, NM to join Interstate 10.

This was the first route I did back in 2011 to join the IBA thru the MTF organization. 1029 miles.

Info here, along with the corner stops they used (in 2022 at least): http://mctourer.com/rides/2022/LD_PhoenixAZ/

EDIT2: If you're doing this ride this year, as you may know, it does get cold up along I-40, between Flag and Abq. I did my ride in Sept. and had to deal with a bit of sleet along the road as I got into the area near Grants, NM. Monitor weather forecasts for both Abq and Flag a couple of days before you ride - enjoy!
Click to expand...
Great! Thanks.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Appreciate the MTF route and suggestion about Hatch. My bike’s range is around 240 miles but the distances between Flagstaff and Albuquerque and between Albuquerque and Hatch, etc., are over 300 miles, hence the need for an intermediate gas stop. Carrying a gas can still means stopping somewhere to put it in the bike so might as well stop at a gas station and fill up.
 
Hd4vle said:
<...>but the distances between <...> Albuquerque and Hatch, etc., are over 300 miles, <...>
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You still may need a stop, but the distance is closer to 190 miles from Abq to Hatch along I-25.

By that point in your ride, you might be easing up a bit with your ride pace. You'll be right close to 500 miles in in Abq, and nearly 700 when you get to Hatch.

Final point...as you head west toward home from Deming...it's gonna be dark out there. Stay visible, lots of traffic into the evening on I-10 out there.
 
kwthom said:
You still may need a stop, but the distance is closer to 190 miles from Abq to Hatch along I-25.

By that point in your ride, you might be easing up a bit with your ride pace. You'll be right close to 500 miles in in Abq, and nearly 700 when you get to Hatch.

Final point...as you head west toward home from Deming...it's gonna be dark out there. Stay visible, lots of traffic into the evening on I-10 out there.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I plan on doing this ride in May. What is a good start time?
 
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