Just A Bit Further.

[Flywheel]

398 km! That's a new Saturday record, but could be higher. The problem is, those damn gremlins keep moving around, so I just can't get comfortable. Can you lend me your long haul experience, GTAMers?

Helmet: Shoei RF1000 (squashed ears, 45 min to hotspots) then Arai Quantum 2 (less squashing, 120 min to hotspots). XL in both. What's the alternative? Full face or Flip Up only. I don't need to get any uglier.

Gloves: Various, mainly Dainese. The finger stitching gets under my (trimmed) nails. The palms bunch up, even though they were snug when new. Is this normal? More annoying than painful, but still an issue.

Armoured Pants: Dainese D-Dry Textile. The knees have an elasticized panel on the backs, shin armour in zipped front pockets. Both conspire to squeeze my kneecaps, even on the Burgman, though not as badly as on a proper motorcycle. Like the Arai, I've got about two hours, then I have to suffer.

My jacket and boots are okay, but nothing to write home about. Good experiences with either category are still welcome. Style isn't too important, since scooter riders can wear anything they want. I'll happily mix good cruiser gloves, touring pants and a sport helmet, if that's what it takes. Thanks!

P.S. I've got a beadrider now and it does seem to work wonders. Not a hint of monkey butt today.

 

[MacDoc]

Whew - safe

Well personally I think you are over armored for the nature of the Burgman for long rides. I can do a 1000 km but I'm way less encumbered.

3/4 Mag from Bell very comfortable - I put a thin Oxford Balaclava under it to keep earphones in place - good music is a key to long rides as is noise suppression. ( ear plugs at the very least )

TourMaster mesh Gloves

I don't wear armored pants - just loose riding pants with motocross knee/shin protectors underneath and iCon armored shorts.
Both are optional unless I'm riding hard in twisties....the Icon shorts are cool.

I wear Gortex hiking boots most times - good grip and comfy. Bamboo hiking socks.

Drifit undershirt is really good -

I bought a long sleeve Nike but Old Navy has some good short sleeve poly for cheap. Stay off cotton against your skin where you sweat.

But I go on and off layers - so todays ride home was short sleeves and riding pants - lost the knee armor as it was too warm and I was dawdling. I carry layers good from 8 to high 20s - after that it's squid time tho I will keep the JR jacket on but unzipped as sometimes it's cooler that way.

Mesh JR jacket is a wonder - packs down small and has to be very hot for me to lose it. Great comfie armor you hardly know is there.

Critical on the Burgman 650 is a good backrest - whole new experience. Higher is is the better. Go to the Burgman site - someone sells them - $45 - I might have one from before I got the DayLong seat.

 

[el_felo]

you have the gear on, good. I don't mean to be rude but I think the problem is on your ride, if you are spending so much time thinking about minor details of your gear the roads are clearly not fun.

The only thing I give you is the helmet ear pain n that should go away over time with the use...

Sent from phone

 

[MacDoc]

You have a point. The Burgman 650 is so effortless to ride he's got time to obsess
Music is a great way to get off that track. Wouldn't ride beyond 10k without the earphones in.

Also in this part of Ontario finding fun roads is a bit of a chore.


BTW 400k can be 3 hours or 12 - so it's saddle time that counts not distance.

 

[Flywheel]

Ontario's straight, protestant highways may allow for more reflection than elsewhere, but I enjoy riding on them regardless. 400 km is about five hours, once you factor in the various coffee breaks, gas stops, traffic and villages.

Both of my helmets are well worn (3 years and 3 years), so I know the problem isn't going away. Hot spots are powerfully insistent, too. To give you an idea, the top of my forehead is still sore, hours later. I intended to use some sort of MP3 player for longer jaunts, but between glasses, earplugs and helmet, my ears were much abused. I make do with the Burgman's reassuring hum and the wind.

My scoot did have a wobbly, home-made backrest when I purchased it, which was promptly removed. I currently prefer the stock lumbar support, although that might change over time.

 

[revrandy]

I can do a 1,000 in a day, and did as recently as last week.

Teknic Chicane Gloves (gauntlet)
Tourmaster 2 jacket
Tourmaster Overpant
Boots
Shark Evoline 2 helmet

Under my overpant is shorts and a jockstrap (no lines like regular underwear). Recently I bought a sheepskin and it did help the butt.

My guidelines are: always wear earplugs, facemask partially up to give a breeze but not all the way (bugs), stop every 1.5 to 2 hrs and drink at least 1/2 litre of water & stretch.

When riding I stand on my pegs every hour or so, just for a few seconds - changes the blood flow. I also sing to myself and solve all the worlds problems as I cruise along.

Rather than saying - ughs, I have 700 km's to go, I think - cool 300 km's done in only 2.5 hours etc.

Finally I have a destination in mind. I book my hotel in advance so I know I have to make it to X before I am done. Helps mentally.

 

[imnothng]

I did about 350 or so including a two hour or so ride around the Ganny a few weeks ago. I took the 401 from Brampton with a homemade windscreen. I didn't realize just how much it helped until the ride back after I had busted it taking a spill in the trails. I've never been so thankful for people slowing down in the rain, as it gave me a chance to ride standing up. My back was just a hot pan of pain by the time I got home.

I'm going to be looking into making some kind of backrest. I can't wait, homemade windscreen (I made another one), backrest, topcase, and a cup holder on my DRZ 400. I have a coworker (ex. Gixxer guy) who thinks hilarious.

 

[MacDoc]

OP - seems you need to rethink your lid - I always get a helmet that is snug but not tight with enough room for the balaclava and wearing glasses.
That seems your worst issue. Helmet should never hurt the way yours do.

Not sure I understand "wobbly" as all the aftermarket are until you are on the bike with your back against them. Then you can sit back in "lazy boy" style and relax. Made a huge difference for me even before I got the Daylong but sounds like the beadrider has been good for you.

I'd try riding without gloves for a bit of the time - after all you have 3 glove boxes.

It takes a while to build up to distance - I was surprised what I could do after not having ridden for a decade or more and aches and pains just from getting old and some from out of shape.

You have to experiment a bit but really sounds as if your helmets are the main issue.

You will find convertibles nice but they are heavy and noisy compared to 3/4 and the Mag is very quiet with big earpockets for electronics. Careful on sizing tho - you need to try them.

This review covers it well.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/bell-mag-8/

BTW what is your helmet size? Have a good FF I never wear.
Review here - http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/tz-r/
Mine is in black

 

[Flywheel]

I can do a 1,000 in a day, and did as recently as last week.

Teknic Chicane Gloves (gauntlet)
Tourmaster 2 jacket
Tourmaster Overpant
Boots
Shark Evoline 2 helmet

Under my overpant is shorts and a jockstrap (no lines like regular underwear). Recently I bought a sheepskin and it did help the butt.

My guidelines are: always wear earplugs, facemask partially up to give a breeze but not all the way (bugs), stop every 1.5 to 2 hrs and drink at least 1/2 litre of water & stretch.

When riding I stand on my pegs every hour or so, just for a few seconds - changes the blood flow. I also sing to myself and solve all the worlds problems as I cruise along.

Rather than saying - ughs, I have 700 km's to go, I think - cool 300 km's done in only 2.5 hours etc.

Finally I have a destination in mind. I book my hotel in advance so I know I have to make it to X before I am done. Helps mentally.

Excellent advice, I never thought much about consistent hydration, although I do include at least one coffeebreak (sometimes water) on my weekend rides. I've always used earplugs, so no worries there.

It's funny you should mention Teknic and Tourmaster. I remember trying a pair of Teknics from a "SALE" bin at Parker Brothers a few years ago. I should have bought them, since they fit well, but my first Dainese gloves were still newish. I was looking at Tourmaster jackets at PB yesterday, thinking they would make a good replacement, feature-wise, for my current textile (liner, vents, armour, etc). Do the pants/jacket zip together?

The helmet problem will need more research. The Shoeis always seem a bit narrow. The Arais vary, with the Quantum 2 being the best. The removable liner "cage" seems to be the culprit. Carefully clipping away the obvious offending part afforded some extra space. Ultimately, it wasn't enough. Maybe I need XXL? XL was always the "showroom" choice because the fit seem snug without being constricting. Plus, my measurements matched up with the suggested sizing.

I'm a bit reluctant to trust a 3/4 helmet, even if the fit was perfect. Sure people can scoff "gear nazi" but I doubt most of them know what getting their teeth smashed inwards feels like. Or what it feels like when you push them out again with your tongue! That was only a bicycle accident (my own damn fault really) but it lead to nearly 20 years of expensive, recurring dental problems. I sold my first motorcycle to help pay for the (hopefully) last surgery.

The wobbly backrest on the Burgman really was a home-brew accessory, nothing like the stuff offered for sale on the web. It worked okay, I suppose; I may return to using one for longer distances.

 

[MacDoc]

Hydration is really important and I put myself at risk on one Quebec trip not paying attention - clear dry gorgeous day and by chance riding into the sun all day on a long loop that tracked the sun.

I was flat out dangerous coming into Ottawa in traffic.

••

I understand your reluctance on 3/4 - always your choice. Why not swing by and try the XL Shoei I've got. I usually need an XXL and the Shoei fits me ( just - not as much clearance as I'd normally like ).

I wish I could stand on the "pegs" on the Burgman - been chicken to try it (there are none BTW for thos unfamiliar) - it's de rigeur on the KLR650 as most of the off tarmac riding is standing up and I enjoy but I'm not sure where the stability point is on the Exec and the tupperware too expensive to risk being wrong.

I've got most of my gear used on Kiji - did buy the Mag8 new tho.

I really reserve textile for winter riding .....layered mesh is so comfie from 10 up to 30.

I was riding in pretty heavy rain shower and only put on my rain jacket mostly to protect my camera - pants barely got damp. Like the Burgman 650 for that

Took me a couple years to work out best practice on the Burgman and still a work in progress. ( 43 years riding tho with a kid break in the middle )

BeadRider is far and away the cheapest comfort gadget.
Palm throttle helps hands and cruise control even more. ) I use Kaoka

But a bad helmet fit makes riding hell so that's gotta be job 1.

 

[wonderings]

There are other top notch brands out there other then shoei and arai to look at. Some have built in bluetooth (nolan is a brand that immediately comes to mind), so you would have speakers built into the helmet and save pushing anything in your ears. I have not tried them so cant say, but I know I am looking at a BMW system 6 lid for my next purchase.

For boots, I am on my second pair of Sidi and they are amazingly comfortable and have made more of a difference then I thought it would.

Part of long distance riding is just getting used to it, I always find the first day is the hardest, but after that your body adjusts and the longer days just whiz by. If I am traveling on my own, I am going tank to tank and thats around the 700 km range.

A good quality jacket helps as well, especially one that breaths well. I stopped buying the waterproof jackets as they would never breath well. I have a very good jacket that vents incredibly well, has a pocket on the back for a bladder and even has removable sleeves to use it as a vest. Made a world of difference from my last jacket a Tourmaster, and before that Joe Rocket and before that a variety of leather products.

Having comfortable, good quality gear makes a world of difference, sounds like maybe you should go around, try some different helmets and jackets and find something that really feels good on you.

 

[Flywheel]

The helmets were something of an evolving issue, since my previous bikes didn't allow me to wear them for long enough for the problems to surface. The Shoei was fine until I got the zx6, then I switched to an Arai, which was fine until I switched to the Burgman. The Burger is something of an easy chair on wheels, so there really isn't an ergonomic limit anymore.

Once I have some clear idea of proper fit, I'll post my findings. I can't be the only one with this problem, but there seems to be precious little scattered around the web. There was one sentence on a webbike world review suggesting forehead space can be gauged by with an index finger between your head and the liner. I'll check it out with my current lids today.

I ran across some teenager riding a Majesty a few weeks back--he was definitely standing. It's a very similar design, so if you wanted to risk it, I suppose standing on the scoot would be possible.

 

[MacDoc]

I'm sure it's possible and I have the background to do it - but throttle control standing is more difficult at low speeds and the Burgman is not very polite at low speeds - too much engine braking and I'm just not sure where to put my feet on the floorboards.

 

[revrandy]

Excellent advice, I never thought much about consistent hydration, although I do include at least one coffeebreak (sometimes water) on my weekend rides. I've always used earplugs, so no worries there.

It's funny you should mention Teknic and Tourmaster. I remember trying a pair of Teknics from a "SALE" bin at Parker Brothers a few years ago. I should have bought them, since they fit well, but my first Dainese gloves were still newish. I was looking at Tourmaster jackets at PB yesterday, thinking they would make a good replacement, feature-wise, for my current textile (liner, vents, armour, etc). Do the pants/jacket zip together?

Two things. Coffee is a diuretic, water is a hydrant. Just drinking coffee will not stop you from getting dehydrated. Second is yes the pants/jacket do zip together. Different brands but still connect.

 

[MacDoc]

Coffee still hydrates but water is more effective in doing so.

 

[Flywheel]

Just a bit of an update on the helmet. After some test fittings of a series of XL helmets, it became clear that no available brands offered an acceptable fit (same or worse than the Quantum 2). There was a surprising amount of variation between shells, but no clear winner.

The solution? XXL! Regrettably, it's more bone than brain, but my head is more oval than round, a BIG oval. Of course, that meant most of the helmets fit too comfortably, easily sliding around when pushed by hand. Not very useful in an accident, obviously.

The best bet turned out to be the RF1100. It was snug without squeezing my ears and extra forehead space without sliding around. My hour long test ride revealed no ear/jaw soreness, with a faint irritation to the top of my scalp. I suspect the closed vents were allowing the trapped air to heat up to bothersome levels, since my scalp wasn't tender to the touch after removing the helmet. Plus, it's brand new, so some liner stiffness is to be expected.

Only available in black, unless I wanted to wait, which I didn't. I'm not sure if the newness has something to do with it, but the visor is impressively clear. Completely invisible with zero distortion, at least during my test.

 

[MacDoc]

Good stuff - a super thin balaclava is a nice addition to any helmet. It will help compress the the liner as well.

 

[Flywheel]

Good stuff - a super thin balaclava is a nice addition to any helmet. It will help compress the the liner as well.

I have one of those Oxford ones kicking around somewhere. Did a 3 1/2 hour loop today. The mild scalp irritation arrived after an hour, disappeared, returned weaker and then disappeared again. I wonder if the wind pressure has anything to do with it? No soreness after the helmet was removed during my break, or when I returned.

The RF1100 is somewhat quieter then the Q2. The Q2 is less prone to turbulence at any angle. A bit contradictory, eh? The RF1100's clear-coat isn't very hard; after removing it from the Burgman's helmet hook, I noticed a few marks where it had rested against the pillion footrest (which is plastic).

 

[honduhmatic]

With the Shoei, if you're concerned about the size being too much, you can actually buy different-sized cheekpads to 'tune' the helmet's fit between sizes. This could help if the size fits the top of your head, but you find it noisy around the jaw.

Some google'ing should find you a website that sells these things. I had found the site once when looking. I think replacement pad sets are $50?

Had I known this, I might have kept the black TZ-R I had rather than sell it to MacDoc for cheap! It fit great in the shop but loosened up with time. Oh well, I'm happy with my Size L Qwest and the ventilation is a bit better.

Shoei visors also aren't dear, about $40. I usually go for a 'mellow smoke' - the light tint helps, but the tinting isn't dark enough to really hurt night vision.

With an old set of leathers, leather gloves, and the Shoei, I can get about 700 kms in a day on my Bandit 600. I'm sore and tired by the end mind you. Breaks and water really help, as did the adjustable windscreen and the reupholstered seat with better foam.

 

[Flywheel]

The cheeks/jaw/ears space is gold, without being too loose. The TZR and Qwest were TOO comfortable in XXL, being a bit more roundish, with a tendency to slide around. XL was similar to my Q2, which feels proper to start with but ends up as the first verse of Psalm 22.

The smoked visor has excellent clarity as well. The interference caused by polarized sunglasses is almost invisible. Someone's definitely been doing their homework.

The Beadrider continues to deliver.