Touring on a Monster?

[maillotpois]

Am I a complete idiot?  (Wait - don't answer that!    )

Next week we are riding from SF to Seattle and then Vancouver, BC and then back to SF.  It will probably be about 2500 miles all told in about 10 days.  On my 696.

I am planning for a lot of breaks to stretch the legs.  My husband (and after Seattle, our daughter) will be on his Buell Ullyses, which he's already taken down to Baja.  I am just wondering if anyone else has done a really really long ride on the Monster and if you have any tips for a newbie to such long distances on this bike. 

Thanks in advance!

Sarah

[Bun-bun]

Aleve
Medicated powder
Altoids

[red baron]

Padded shorts or an aftermarket seat

Some type of cruise control

[Duck-Stew]

Frame sliders double as an alternative place to put your feet for a while (a different position for a spell can aleviate cramping in your legs).

Wind-screen is very helpful and not the stock 696 one...that's almost non-existant as far as moving wind goes.

Aftermarket seat gets my nod for the best addition.

Tall tank bags are good to lean on for a while and give your shoulders a rest.  They'll also break the wind off your chest.

Touring tires or you'll flat-spot anything sporty in that many hwy miles.

Bar risers are a plus for longer rides.

[DoubleEagle]

A very, very light grip with your hands and try and grip w, your thighs as much as possible.

Sounds like you're going to do 250 miles a day. Plenty of good fitting Ear Plugs . Get them to fit so they seal your ear closed.Wind noise fatigues.

Hope you have good strong Shoulders. Drink plenty of fluids, wind dehydrates . Should  be able to pee every 4 hours .

Make sure your Helmet is not to tight , headaches. Wear proper protective gear at all times.If it's hot yeast infection or rash will appear.  Use a lot of Powder down in the crotch area. Powder your Boots regularly. Stop and take 5 minute stretch breaks often.

Definitely something different to sit on like a Soft Bottom Gel Seat Cushion. Non compressing cross gel in the shape of your bottom . Elevates you 1 1/2 " . Costs I believe $129 with a ballistic Nylon cover , $149 w, leather.

I've had 2, just got a second one in leather . The great thing is it doesn't compress. Just a nice soft but firm seat.

Go to softbottom.net....or put in a search for soft bottom motorcycle seat.

Good luck.Enjoy your ride.

Dolph   

[duc996]

I say,just smile a lot and enjoy the ride :-) stay loose!

[RavnMonster]

Go get a Multistrada or a BMW.. my advice.

[Boog]

I say,just smile a lot and enjoy the ride :-) stay loose!

Best advice. I toured CA, OR and WA twice on my "94" M900, averaged 400 miles a day, had a blast. I remember sitting between my tank bag and tall tail bag felt like I was riding on a camel between the humps.  Enjoy the ride.

[Slide Panda]

Average of 250 a day isn't so bad. 

The suggestions of bagging so you don't have a bakcpack on you is a good one.  I did 1500 in 4 days with a pack... It's a good pack (Kriega), but at the end I'd rather have used a tail bag.

For that trip, i worked on my core strength, with a focus on the lower back in the couple weeks before I went.  Nothing dramatic, just stuff I could do at home - but I think that little extra bit of strength/endurance helped a good bit, especially on the near 600 mile trip home in 1 day

Other thoughts, pack for varied temps.  A light weight balaclava and glove liners will do a lot for you on those chilly country mornings. 

Also, you might give some thought to carrying a tool kit with.  Here's a couple threads in that vein
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=5253.0
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=4068.0

[Scotzman]

Padded shorts or an aftermarket seat

Some type of cruise control

+1. It would be nice to alternate hands and be able to shake them out every now and then.

[KnightofNi]

get some soft saddle bags and you should be fine.

bicycle shorts are great too.

enjoy yourself.

i've done around 2000mi on the monster in 4 days without too much of an issue.
get in plenty of seat time before you leave. getting used to the seat definately helps (i refer to it as building a butt callus on the bicycle)

[Raux]

We just back from a 2-up 2000km trip.
couple of things we noted
Backpack. do not wear one. put everything on the bike
Tolls, not sure if you have them there, but one way i didnt have everything so available. was kind of a pain.
RAIN. get GREAT rain gear. we have moderate level and it got us soaked during a heavy downpour.
Proper seating position. for you make sure you dont put a lot of weight on your arms use your legs and core
Seat. i have the touring seat. very comfrotable for that long, but for a passenger it is a bit wide.
Pegs. if you can get some wider pegs. my feet starting getting sore from the thin pegs. Saw some touring pegs online recently wish i had them. if you can't remember to change positions often on the pegs so your feet don't bother you.
Cruise. I tried the cruise that you rest you wrist on... didnt like it. felt less in control. i just relaxed my hand.

we rode 10 hrs one day. WAY too much. 6 hrs was about our limit.
you monster will do about 150mi on a tank of gas. good break points or split it in half if you have a passenger.

[ArguZ]

Raux got you the perfect list...  on all of the points
One more...pack everything in plastic bags...one lesson I learned hard the first day
Of course it didn't rain the OTHER 10 days   [moto]
And I always have my ipod with me...with or without sound, earplugs are just mandatory on the highway

[Raux]

Raux got you the perfect list...  on all of the points
One more...pack everything in plastic bags...one lesson I learned hard the first day
Of course it didn't rain the OTHER 10 days   [moto]
And I always have my ipod with me...with or without sound, earplugs are just mandatory on the highway

actually we did the plastic baggy thing also. everything, i mean everything was in bags.. you can squish em and seal them to cut down on space as well.
oh.. warm and COLD gear. the underarmor type underwear for summer cooling and a set for cold mornings and rainy days.

[sfarchie]

I completely agree with everyone about not wearing a back pack. We just returned from a 3 day, 735 mile ride and one friend had a messenger bag on and he rode a Sports Classic! On our last day, his shoulder was killing him.

We are also planning a ride from SF up the Oregon coast and maybe up to Washington in Sept or Oct. Looking forward to your report out, so I can know what to expect. We're hoping to catch some fall foliage during our trip. Ride safe, stay hydrated, and have fun! Oh, we had a couple of flip cams with us. So far, what was recorded is priceless.