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Message started by dv8savagerider on 03/29/11 at 14:46:05

Title: Farthest road trip?
Post by dv8savagerider on 03/29/11 at 14:46:05

I am planning a road trip this summer that will span from the lower part of michigan and travel lake michigan all the way up to the Mackinac bridge and was wondering how the savage will be on such a long trip. Whats the longest road trip you have taken and how was it? comfort, mechanical issues? Just wondering :)

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Serowbot on 03/29/11 at 16:42:11

Well,.. I'm not a huge distance rider, so my longest is about 300 miles in a day....
...and my butt was glad to get off at the end of the day... but the Savage would have been happy to keep going...

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by lukeduck on 03/29/11 at 17:00:46

Should be good for 500-600 a day no sweat. Can do 400+ on my CB250. Don't forget the Tylonal. Best of luck.---luke

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Boofer on 03/29/11 at 17:28:25

Over 30 years ago I went from North Mississippi to Kingsport, Tn in a day. 1972 H2Kawasaki 750, three cyclinder two stroke. 457 miles according to the odo. Next day stopped in traffic long enough to take a picture of the Bristol Va-Tn sign. Saw Ruby Falls in Chattanooga. A guy was wiring "See Ruby Falls" signs to car bumpers. I asked for one and strung it along the side of my bike. Last year 126 miles and ended back home where my heating pad and pain pills are. ;D May try to go to Tim's Ford (150 miles) lakehouse of wife's cousin around Lynchburg Tn where MM Ranch runs. Rode 40 miles today in 40 degrees. What was the question, again? :-/

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by kimchris1 on 03/29/11 at 17:50:18

So far only 200 in one day. There was a
break in between. Bike was still willing
to go more. No maitntance issues. Check
your oil.
Best of luck on your trip. Don't forget gas
every 100 miles..:) kim

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Skid Mark on 03/29/11 at 19:42:04

I did a couple weekend trip on the s40. They were about 250 miles one way thru the Rocky Mountains. Lots of hills and turns with the speed limit at 60mph. The bike performed great.
Some guys have done long cross county trips on the Savage and the bike did the trips without any issues. There are some posts from last year on them. If your bike is in good shape it should be able to do your trip.

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Paladin. on 03/29/11 at 21:40:04

I was going on a trip, didn't know how I would do, so the did a test. Out from work, 3:30pm a Friday, I got home and took a nap. Left the house about 9pm, 135 miles to Joshua Tree, waited at the MacDonalds incase someone idiot would be riding. None. After midnight I entered Joshua Tree National Park, across the Mojave under a full moon, a 60 mile 30-40 mph putt. Back on the Interstate, stopped for breakfast, problem on the Interstate with 30-40 mph headwind, not fun with just the Flyscreen, so I did some riding on the side roads. Even so I got back to home about 7 am, an overnight 370 mile trip. Surprised myself -- I wasn't tired!

So I did it again, this time south to north: http://www.dslretorts.com/Paladin/archives/002372.html
Three legs did 61 mpg at about 70, 63 mpg thru the Park, last leg again the heavy headwind getting only 52.5 mpg. But I was capable of riding against 90+mph wind riding straight cruising position with the 19 inch tall StreetShield.

Having proven, I went to my Military Reunion: http://www.dslretorts.com/Paladin/archives/002421.html
Day one, 570 miles. Day two, 510 miles. http://www.dslretorts.com/Paladin/archives/002423.html

Have another Reunion coming up, this time in June in Biloxi. Planning a for a big loop via Detroit, about 5600 miles. Should be not a problem.

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by stinger on 03/30/11 at 02:25:10

Thought there would be lots of posts on long trips! Rode from Portland Or thru Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois before turning around again and headed north thru South Dakota, Montana and Washington before retuning home. Took 2 trips back to Montana (Glacier National Park) and rode home over 6oo miles in one day from Missoula on my Savage. Bike was always running strong at the end of the day. A bit hard on me but my bike seems to fit me perfectly and I took hourly breaks to shake my hands out and loosin up a bit before heading off again. I found out that 50 wt oil makes the bike run much cooler at high speeds. I had a blast and the bike ran great. This spring I'm heading south to Phoenix and visit a friend. I think my long trip was like 7,000 plus, I can't remember exactly.

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/30/11 at 02:37:13

Beat Duck left Florida, made Burning Man, North to Canada, East to above NY, South to Florida. Theres a blog & pics somewhere.

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by splash07 on 03/30/11 at 06:41:15

I did the length of Alabama once was around 470 miles total, I did back roads the whole way and it took around 9 hours. Only problem I had was that I melted my jacket on the muffler at like the first gas stop. Other than that I did not have a single problem.

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by prechermike on 03/30/11 at 07:10:50

Well, MY farthest roade trip was 409 miles over 2 days.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1276370493/12#12

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Driller on 03/30/11 at 08:48:13

Hey, don't stop at the bridge....unless you want to hang around Mac City and eat fudge all day. :D

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/9138/006tte.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/006tte.jpg/)

That is my 250 in the middle, so the Savage won't have any problem. That little burro took me home to North Carolina on I 75. :o

Go on across to the U.P. and you will get to see neat things like this....

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5382/066ru.jpg (http://img716.imageshack.us/i/066ru.jpg/)

See here for more you will miss...
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=621422

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by bill67 on 03/30/11 at 08:58:21

My wife and I,both on our own 1983 GR 650 Suzukis 500 miles in a day,She weight 105 pounds.Best mileage on that trip was 68 mpg,they were geared 1000 rpm less that stock.

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by PerrydaSavage on 03/31/11 at 00:24:42

Long Road Trips on small(er) Bikes is way Cool! Anyone can go the distance on a Honda/Harley/BMW/insert marque here Touring Bike, but when someone takes a smaller, so-called "Beginner" Bike on an excursion, that piques my interest and gets my respect!

Longest one-day stint on the LS650 for me was 400 kms ... both I and the Bike handled it no problem what so ever ...

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Stimpy - FSO on 03/31/11 at 02:40:03

http://beatduck.blogspot.com/

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by mpescatori on 03/31/11 at 04:54:40

Hello DV8, here's my little contribution:

Savage is an old school bike: single cylinder, air cooled, big displacement, low revs.

That means GRUNT and torque more than pure HP in the red line.

My bike is a 1988 4-speed, and my favorite touring speed is 50-55mph on 2-laners, 60-65 max on 4-laners.
Any speed higher than 65 or 70 will have the big single revving too high for comfort and fuel economy.

Overheating is not an issue unless you want to scream your way up Pike's Peak ;D so don't worry about that.

Monkey Butt is a problem to some, a non-issue to others. In a previous life I rode a Moto Guzzi cafe` racer and THAT was old school monkey butt, a flat slab of plastic with a half inch of foam rubber, and thay called it a seat ! :-X

Not so with the Savage.

For maximum pleasure and comfort, may I suggest you plan your route along the country 2-laners, travel at a steady lope (canter) of 50-65, depending on how you "feel" the bike to like its own gait.

You'll soon discover that your bike (each bike) has its own individual ideal cruising speed, depending on a number of factors: carburation, weight and size of rider, shape of handlebars, road and wind conditions, and baggage carried. That's why I say "anything between 50 and 65.
Once I was cruising at 40mph and it felt like heaven... other times I was doing 70 and she was aching for more... 8-)

Also, 55-60 is quite possibly the ideal speed for fuel efficiency, you should be able to get aronud 100-120miles on a full tank easy-peasy.

My last piece of advice, carry a few tools of the kind you can use, one spare spark plug and socket, and a can of Fix-a-Flat in your tool roll.
No use carrying what you can't use or don't know how to replace.

No giddyap and ride ! 8-)

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by Driller on 03/31/11 at 05:20:22

+1 on what Maurizio says. My favorite way to tour.
V50 Monza=serious Monkey Butt.
Ciao!

Title: Re: Farthest road trip?
Post by truckinrider on 03/31/11 at 16:18:24

Paladin I live close to Biloxi in case you run into mech. trouble while down here you have help close by. So far wife and I just cruise close-by 30-45 mles one way, I have been longer on solo rides.