So, just how tough are you?

[Matt Cartney]

Yesterday I rode 1133 kilometres from Reims to Dunblane and as a result am feeling pretty manly. Can anyone top this?

(Knowing this forum, I'm sure it'll take about three minutes for someone to come back saying "I've ridden a Ural in my underkecks through a Siberian winter on farm tracks for two thousand kilometers in a single day." but what the heck.)

Matt

PS: I am available to put up shelves and open jam jars at a reasonable rate for pretty ladies.

[Gecko]

I managed 45kms from Brussels to Antwerp this morning in my Landrover - by the time I got to work I really needed that 1st cup of coffee .
I bet yer bum ached

[palace15]

Originally Posted by Gecko

I bet yer bum ached

He said he was riding, not being ridden!!!


Don't even go there with this thread, many riders 'hit' 1600kms from time to time.

[Joe C90]

Did 450 miles in one day, temp got down to -12c

on a c90.....

[MountainMan]

Oh geez, there are all sorts of um... interesting adventures that people have embarked upon. Cold, long, muddy, hot, dry, wet…..If you will expand the question to how stubborn are you or how stupid in some cases I'll toss in a story. Caveat, not recommended.

Long story shortened somewhat. Invited a girl (whom I had recently met and was trying mighty hard to impress, even going to the extremes of showering and brushing teeth) on motorcycle trip to Europe. I convinced her that this was a good idea and how simple and straightforward it would all be. It was all her fault for listening to me.

We picked Turkey for it's combination of culture and riding. Only problem was that we, as well as the bike were still in North America. She, being very organized, looked at flights and picked a date to fly from Canada a couple of weeks later. I, being organized in manly sort of way (i.e. not at all) stupidly agreed as I figured there was plenty of time to ship bike over and meet up.

After a few delays and unhelpful shippers later, I called the airlines directly and got them to ship bike to Frankfurt. One flight delay later, only one problem now, the day the bike and I arrived in Frankfurt was only a few hours before she was scheduled to arrive in Istanbul.

Hmm, this seemed to be a small problem so I did what most men would do, I left her a vague message that I was "running a little late" and that she should get to the hotel herself and I would see her soon.

Meanwhile, I hoped on my bike, rode an hour south to Heidelberg to pick up my original green card from Stefan and headed east in the early evening. Germany came and went, thank goodness for the autobahn, and once in Austria it got dark. Usually I find Austria quite picturesque, at night not so much. I tried to stop in the middle of the night a couple of times to unpack my sleeping bag and sleep but couldn’t find a decent spot and usually what happens in these cases is you ride long enough and by the time you find a spot, you are awake again. The smart may even stop and drink coffee, the stubborn bounce up and down and slap their helmets.

Slovenia at night looks a lot like Austria. Entered Croatia at sunrise, strangely enough not much traffic at that time of day. Very awake now that it was daylight. Crossed Serbia, still light, into Bulgaria, still light for a while and then darkness fell. You know you've been riding a long time when you get to see darkness twice. A lot of riding with face mask open and even stops for coffee. Moderate amount of singing to oneself, plenty of yelling at oneself.

Finally, at around midnight, arrived at the border with Turkey. Crossed with a couple of German guys in a car who were driving around the world. They were amused that anyone would ride a motorcycle long distances. I was amused that anyone would use such a soft means of transport as a car with extreme luxuries such as "heat" and "music". Stumbled through the border and at one point took an exit that I thought said Istanbul. Things didn't look right so I asked at a petrol station if he knew where the Blue Mosque was and he said it was about 120 km from there. Hmm, my middle of the night route finding could use some work I thought.

Onto Istanbul, finding your way through Istanbul with a clear head is difficult enough, with no sleep it took a couple of hours of driving the wrong way up one way streets. In fact that is the little known secret to getting around Istanbul quickly, that and riding up the tram line (even better when the tram is not on it). Finally, at about 5:00 am, found the miniscule hotel by the Blue Mosque and knocked at the door as if I was only a couple of minutes behind schedule. Told her that I was sorry for being late, traffic was terrible.

Slept rather well that night, coma might be a more apt description. Eventually told her how far I had rode that day so that she wouldn’t kill me. Total distance, around 2,400 km in about 30 hours.

[Flyingdoctor]

I rode my XT250 back from Portsmouth on Tuesday night the 150 odd miles home, brrrr...

Those who use the Portsmouth-Le Havre route will be pleased to hear that they're putting a second ferry on the route which means I won't have to get back to the UK at 10pm and ride through the night, there will be an overnight ferry on the return trip too. This will transform this route. Starts October 2008 so no good for this summer though.

[jkrijt]

I did a stupid thing in 2006, comming back from the Northcape.
I was on my wat from Ramsjö in Sweden to Denmark, planning to find a hotel and to use the bridge to Kobenhavn the next day. Then, at a parking I met a Danish couple with children who invited me for a cup of coffee. We had a chat and they told me that it was much better to get the nightboat from Gotenburg to Denmark, sleep on the boat and drive home the next day.

The +/- 800 km to Gotenburg was no problem but then I had to wait for hours to get on the boat. On the boat, there was no way I could sleep so the next morning, at a quarter past three in the morning, the ferry arrived in Frederikshavn and I was on the road again in a cold foggy night and without any sleep that night.

I did manage to ride the almost 1100 km home without accident but I needed a lot of Redbull and coffee. I'll never do that again !

[Matt Cartney]

Originally Posted by MountainMan

Total distance, around 2,400 km in about 30 hours.[/COLOR]
[/COLOR]

OK, I reckon you win so far!



Matt

[Warthog]

... about 1000km on my 1990 ZXR 750 H2, from Pamplona (N SPain) to Cherbourg (N France).... on standard suspension...with luggage...

Suffice to say, on arrival, I needed the immediate attention of both a chiropractor and a yoga guru... preferably working tag-team style...

On top of that France, that April, managed to send me every form of precipitation known to man, from snow in the Pyrenees, to Thunder storms and hail around Bordeaux, fog, sleet and then just plain boring rain, too...

Ahh, the memories....

Suffice also to say, I am now older and wiser... next time its, sod the ferry crossing, where's the nearest Bed and Breakfast.

[Bill Ryder]

Last august I sold a gold wing on ebay and jokingly said " you buy the gas and a bus ticket home and i'll deliver this bike". The guy says "how soon can you be here?". Turns out he lives in Kansas...which is about 2000 km from me. The 26 hour ride there wasn't so bad but the 38 hour bus ride home was a killer.

[Tarmo]

I have 3 registered IBA rides: twice 1000 miles in 24 hours and once 1500 miles in 36 hours.
:-)

[kevinhancock750]

Originally Posted by Bill Ryder

Last august I sold a gold wing on ebay and jokingly said " you buy the gas and a bus ticket home and i'll deliver this bike". The guy says "how soon can you be here?". Turns out he lives in Kansas...which is about 2000 km from me. The 26 hour ride there wasn't so bad but the 38 hour bus ride home was a killer.

you wont do that again

most i done was 1256miles in 23 hrs including calais-dover ferry. everytime i went to visit my parents i thought 2 days but i just continued everytime! 23hrs was the quickest time though.

[charapashanperu]

All those records are on pavement. Hard to top those km when most of my riding is off-road... but

My friend Craig (XR600R) and I (XR650L) took a trip with our wives for my 40th from Pucallpa, Peru in the Amazon (where we lived) to Oxapampa (a beautiful town/German colony 5,000 ft in the mountain jungle. Gravel road in rough shape during the beginning of the rainy season... It was like traveling in an "emerald tunnel", twisting and turning, climbing and dropping.

14 hours (6 in the pouring rain) with the wife, no bridges (river crossings up to the seat!), one landslide to cross.... but warm water when we got there!

The wives decided they they would take an airplane home???? So Craig and I thot we would see how long it would take to get home if we went flat out! 10 hours (660km) to the minute including stops for gas and a cracker while they pump the gas from a 55 gal. barrell..

In the 1st hour I had a panic rounding a mountain corner to find a oncoming bus. Threw the 650 to the ground and slid to the edge of the drop off. I still hadn't completely stopped, so I threw the bike over and ended sitting with my legs just over the edge. Craig did the same and scraped up beside me. The bus stopped and all aboard yelled at me, but did help pull the bike back up the ravine! Just a cut on my elbow..

9 hours later we made it home. By the end we were crashing (virtually no traffic) every couple of miles (and laughing each time) we were soooo tired! Leg cramps rampant the first night, but no other damage aside from the insanity.

The next year we turned it into a 50-bike Moto-Rally and continued each year until the terrorism put a damper on it. Things are calm again, but we take other longer, but more relaxed trips all over Peru.

Guess it was that "insanity" that formed the 'plan' to take my 17 yr old son on a 10,000km (Peru-Brazil-Bolivia-Peru) on 250's as his "coming of age" ceremony....

Turning 50 next year, but I just can't get it out of my blood...... (not that I want to!)

Toby (charapa) Around the Block 2007 |

[Nomadic1]

Originally Posted by Matt Cartney

Yesterday I rode 1133 kilometres from Reims to Dunblane and as a result am feeling pretty manly. Can anyone top this?

(Knowing this forum, I'm sure it'll take about three minutes for someone to come back saying "I've ridden a Ural in my underkecks through a Siberian winter on farm tracks for two thousand kilometers in a single day." but what the heck.)

Matt

PS: I am available to put up shelves and open jam jars at a reasonable rate for pretty ladies.

Lol, thats not bad, but for biking achievements, i've done 1000 miles in a day (and then rested for a week after!).

But as for bigger manly achievements, how does learning to walk after fracturing 3 vertebrae count?

I'm tough me, or bloody ignorant...

[JimOD]

To Mountain man! You sir, are THE MAN Not because of the distance you rode, nor even for your manly stupidity (a thing we're ALL guilty of) Not even because you managed to persuade a lady friend to accompany you. No, you are the man, for your sentence which I have quoted
By the way. I loved your story

[QUOTE=MountainMan;183997]

Finally, at about 5:00 am found the miniscule hotel by the Blue Mosque and knocked at the door as if I was only a couple of minutes behind schedule. Told her that I was sorry for being late, traffic was terrible.