Realistic daily mileage...

The black art of moving from A to B on foreign soil
Nessmuk
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Realistic daily mileage...

Post by Nessmuk »

I've already posted this on XRV and got some good advice. I thought that maybe some people here might have some hard won knowledge they'd like to pass on too.


I've never ridden abroad or done more than a couple of hundred miles in one go, but hopefully that will all change next year.

A friend has a place in SE Spain and we are starting to plan a ride down there. According to Google earth it's a distance of around 1400 miles.

Can anyone who has travelled that sort of distance tell me what is a realistic distance you can expect to cover in one day, barring any mishaps, etc without completely knackering yourself out.

Would this sort of distance be best split over three days?

Ta.
f2uk
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by f2uk »

I'm no expert at this but from my limited experience on this type of bike I would say 'not as far as you think!'

I recently did a trip to Scotland and we had planned to do about 300 a day. First day 227, second 234. I was starting to think that the 4 day trip was going to be 5.
Third day, 350, fourth 448. On the fourth day there was a lot of major A roads and unfortunately motorways, but if you want to cover distance then that is definitely the way to do it.

There was some degree of getting used to the bike, getting comfortable. I hadn't really ridden for 10 years prior to this so the usual parts were aching.

So really the answer is, ride as far as you feel comfortable with, then stop.
I would look at a full three days to do 1400 miles if I knew there was a nice place to relax and unwind at the far end.
Jon Y
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by Jon Y »

As f2uk says, it is very much down to you and the roads you choose.

I have done several rides covering a little over a 1000 miles in a day but I was on the bike for about 21-23 hours with only short breaks for fuel and food. I couldn't do it two days in a row.

I would think if you are comfortable on your bike and are only riding to get there you could do it in two days, but why not add a day or two and take the coast roads which are twisting and fun. The stretch from Almeria to Malaga has just got a new bypass and is a great ride through the peaks overlooking the sea.
Lolo
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by Lolo »

Hi

We did Scotland at easter and ranged anything from 400 to 250 miles a day in order to have time to look around where we were stopping.

We tend to just ride till we need a break its difficult to judge because it depends on the roads really.

I find anything much over 400 miles makes me tired and my hands get stiff.

We are off doing 4000 miles + in a few weeks but we will only ride till one or the other needs a break. We are planning on nothing more than around 400 miles a day again.

My partner on the other hand in order to catch up with some friends one year went from leicester through the whole of Holland and into Germany in a day and he said it didnt bother him he got up the next day and did the 200 miles they were doing each day.
herman
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by herman »

Hello, if you are on an xrv then three days would really be the optimum unless you are hardcore (unlike me). You could do it in two but then you would spend the third day recovering so why bother? Also a huge factor is cross wind on that route, two days spent cranked over in a straight line is bloody tiring.
The secret of a long life is knowing when its time to go.
Nessmuk
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by Nessmuk »

I reckon three days is what it would have to be.

I've been told about the F1 hotels in France and recommended them as a cheap bed. I was thinking of camping each night but the hotels are cheap enough, I can then save camping for Spain.

An alternative would be to get the ferry to Santander fro Plymouth. That leaves a journey of around 600 miles that would split nicely over two days.

Anyone here ever got the ferry to Santander?

Thanks for the replies.
Treadtrader
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by Treadtrader »

Nessmuk wrote:

Anyone here ever got the ferry to Santander?
I've used that ferry a few times. Found it very good. Relaxing way to get to Spain.
Contact email [email protected] or pm.
africajim
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by africajim »

Depends on the roads you're using and how you want to spend your time? Anyone covering in excess of 500 miles a day is on an enduro run, not a holiday.
I've plenty experience of this and decent roads I'd say 300 to 350 miles a day, b roads I'd be looking at 200 to 250 miles a day. In the Alps a hard day can be around 100 miles as most of it's 1st and 2nd gear due to hairpins!
To me, a quick dash down autoroutes, be as well in a transit van and take the bike in the back! I'd plan on taking a few days to it and use B-routes (N routes or D routes in France) and take my time and enjoy the change of scenery.
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herman
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by herman »

Nessmuk wrote:
I reckon three days is what it would have to be.

I've been told about the F1 hotels in France and recommended them as a cheap bed. I was thinking of camping each night but the hotels are cheap enough, I can then save camping for Spain.

An alternative would be to get the ferry to Santander fro Plymouth. That leaves a journey of around 600 miles that would split nicely over two days.

Anyone here ever got the ferry to Santander?

Thanks for the replies.
F1 or similar are spot on, turn up,credit card gets you in. We tend to use them if its pouring at tent pitch time especially early on a trip. Takes awhile that boat but is billed as a mini cruise so is pretty comfy.
The secret of a long life is knowing when its time to go.
Alun
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Re:Realistic daily mileage...

Post by Alun »

I’m tempted to say take a cheap Easyjet flight and hire a bike when you’re down there, but I can’t say that, can I. The trannie van option should not be dismissed either.

However, as I’m fresh from a 3000+ mile rip around Europe here’s what I reckon will affect the daily mileage.

Experience
If you’ve not done over 200 miles before, then 3 days in the saddle covering 1400 on a motorway is probably going to put you flat on your back for a couple of days and could put you off biking for good


Weather
If it’s raining hard you’ll end up doing far less miles than planned and be a lot more knackered. Also, do not underestimate riding in very hot conditions where dehydration becomes a big issue.

Bike
500 miles on a Pan Euro is about as hard core as a trip to Mothercare, meanwhile, 500 miles on a KTM450 and you’ll need it surgically removed from your butt.

Speed
If you’re happy cruising at 100mph on the French motorways and have a bike that’s comfy and safe at the speed you can cover a lot of ground. To give you and example on our trip the Tiger would have sat at 100mph all day no probs; the GS800 was getting a light front end at 85mph and the KTM990 was not happy above 75mph

Roads
If you just want to cover the distance as quick as possible then stick to the motorways. Period.

Pillion
If you’ve a pillion on board then expect to take longer, unless you’re riding a Goldwing.

Danger
The chances of you having an accident after 5 hours of hard riding increase substantially, and more so in poor weather.

In summary
Anything more than 500 miles in a day and you may not be recognised as a cognitive human.
500 miles a day is doable and you can still function fine, if a little tired.
250 miles per day is good if you plan to stop regular, check out the sights and smile lots.
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