Question for those who have taken a VMax on long trips...

[Kronx]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. One that I suppose can be easily answered with "Just try a trip for yourself." But I figured I would pose it here.

How practical is a VMax for a long road trip? Let's say I live in St. Louis.... and I want to make a trip to the Barber Vintage Museum on my '93 VMax. It's about an 8hr drive. Is that advisable? I mean should I just not even consider it? I don't have any saddle bags or anything. I went to military school most of my life and spent several years in the service... I'm used to and sort of like just going with a backpack for a week of travel.

I've done some dawn to dusk riding on the Vmax here locally and other than saddle soreness I was alright. Hopefully the Morely Muscle seat I have in queue will remedy that. I also realize the VMax fuel range isn't the greatest.

So how do you guys do long trips with your Maxes? Do you just trailer them?

 

[davesax36]

The seat will make a huge difference, and you'll get to stop all the time for gas. If you're used to travel with just a backpack, get a bungee net for a few extra things and go for it.

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[Ed in Mississauga]

I have a Corbin seat that I use for long trips which makes it quite comfortable for all day riding. I've easily spent 10+ hour days without any issues. The only drawback about the Max for distances is the limited fuel range... having to stop every 100 miles for gas is a pain in the ass.

 

[one2dmax]

Yep, did 1000 miles on one day before. Ass wasn't exactly in the best of shape but I was still able to walk lol. Could not hardly make 50 miles on a stock seat though.

 

[DMAN999]

I ride to Thunder in the Valley in Somerset, PA with a group from Ontario.
I personally just strap a duffle bag to the back seat and carry a back pack with me for the 5 days.
They all ride 7-8 hours (it's 5-1/2 to 6 hours for me) without any problem.
I have ridden 765 miles in 11 hours once on the stock seat and as stated above, that was tough on my body.
After that ride I modified my stock seat by shaping it to fit my body and adding 1" of high density foam, what a difference that made.

For me 350-400 miles a day is very do-able on my Vmax, anymore and I tend to get too tired/sore/etc.

 

[gamorg02]

I have a Corbin seat that I use for long trips which makes it quite comfortable for all day riding. I've easily spent 10+ hour days without any issues. The only drawback about the Max for distances is the limited fuel range... having to stop every 100 miles for gas is a pain in the ass.

corbin seat made it do-able for me along with somewhere to put my legs out up front to be able to stretch, otherwise its a great bike for it.

 

[Redbone]

I've done a little more than 600 miles in one day and had no more stiffness than one could expect sitting in basically one position for 10 - 11 hours. Sean redid my seat which is perfect for me, all day comfort. If you add a alternate foot position it helps tremendously.
I will be replacing my stock fuel tank with a 5 gal unit from Sean, probably winter 2015 when I'm installing my undercut/ 5th gear OD transmission. That will be the real test...170 + miles between fillups. I know it'll make my Gold Wing buddy happy too!
The longest trip I've done is from my house in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan to just east of Albany, NY. (Over 900 miles). I rode it over 3 days stopping to visit family and friends along the way.

 

[leecifer]

I rode from grand rapids mi to Somerset pa about 8hrs on a stock seat and I was happy to get off for some fuel. On the turnpike the stops were about 60mi apart so I had to stop for fuel quite often. For some reason my visa card stopped working and they said I used it to many times in a 24 hour period. Some thing you might want to look into.

 

[VMax-Mike]

300 to 400 miles on the vmax is about all you want to do. but i have done more and i do 300 to 400 mile rides 2 to 3 days in a row. And i had the stock seat. the stock seat worked good for me.

 

[VMax-Mike]

I can also tell you the more you ride like a hooligan the better. if you keep moving you your butt wont hurt as much.

 

[Kronx]

I can also tell you the more you ride like a hooligan the better. if you keep moving you your butt wont hurt as much.

Yea I think I'm going to make a week out of the trip. Do my homework on the route and hit the roads less traveled with more bends in the road.

Thanks for your responses gentlemen. Helps me feel a bit less crazy. :biglaugh:

 

[Itgoes]

It certainly can be done, I wouldn't do it now but would have 10 years ago.

I've got a friend who has ridden his Gen 2 VMax from Wyoming to Daytona.....TWICE , taking the long route once through Deals Gap. Now that's a haul, with a lot of gas stops!

 

[Kronx]

It certainly can be done, I wouldn't do it now but would have 10 years ago.

I've got a friend who has ridden his Gen 2 VMax from Wyoming to Daytona.....TWICE , taking the long route once through Deals Gap. Now that's a haul, with a lot of gas stops!

Wow! I bet that was A LOT of gas stops.

 

[cgswss]

First, the seat... I got a seat with a special cut from Sean last year and I is worth every penny I spent! I'm a big guy and had a bit of a problem with the stock seat.

However, the seat is NOT the limiting factor for me. I get real sore in the hips after fighting to keep my knees in at higher speeds. While I don't love the look, I added some "highway pegs" that let me stretch out my legs while on the road. Made a huge difference for me. I also added a "cruse control" (just a clamp to hold the throttle in the same spot.) This lets me ride for a while with just my left hand and makes it much better on those long freeway stints.

I also have a 12v adapter that plugs into my leads for the battery charger. I bought a cheap "charger" that plugs into the 12v adapter that has two USB hookups and ran usb cords up to the handlebars. one has a mini usb (for my phone) the other has a micro usb (for a tom tom) I also bought a cheap handlebar mount to hold my phone. With the power from the bike, I can listen to my jams all day and can also use my phone as a GPS if need be. (I have a bluetooth helmet which is good up to about 80 mph)

Other then that, just reset the trip meter every time you fill up and look for gas when you get close to 100 miles.

If I had the money, I would love to hook up with Mike and ride down to the tail of the dragon then back up to thunder. But my only income is SS and Obamacare takes about $200/month so I have no money left for doing anything.

 

[Chopcor]

I have done a couple 750 mile days- to and from the Tail of the Dragon from NE PA. I have a Maxgasser that Rick loaned me for the trip, and I purchased it as soon as i got home from the trip. Stock seat used to kill me after an hour. Lots of fuel stops, even though I averaged almost exactly 40/gal even at "cruising" (80-90 mph) speeds on the highway. I plan to do it again in Aug of this year, but it will be on my Gen 2 this time. Definitely doable!!

 

[m-cman]

Done lots of trips on the Max. Longest was Dallas to the Outer Banks and back in 7 days. Total 3500 miles and I was almost 60. (500 miles a day average). Hit Deals Gap and the Blue Ridge Parkway on that trip. Big Bend and back in 4 days. Around 1600 miles with the side trips. Had a Corbin seat, OEM Mini III windshield and toss over saddlebags. Wouldn't try it on a stock seat though. Gas range was a problem but at my age now (70), the gas stops about coincide with my pee breaks. :rofl_200:

 

[Rusty McNeil]

I've done 600 in one day.
Decent seat, a cycle gear or whatever windshield, and a good MP3 player and it was no issues.

My ass hurt but no more than you'd expect from that time in the saddle.

For avoiding fatigue I think the seat is key, the windshield next.

I say go for it!

 

[soundguy]

I just did a 4000k trip, hmmmm, not so comfy. 700k on one day, 350ks is ok, two tanks of gas then talk **** over a beer

 

[Traumahawk]

Ive done 400 over an afternoon. I couldn't have done it with a stock seat, besides that, it was a stock bike.

You'll do fine.

 

[jwood]

I have done a 400 mile day with a passenger, the nice thing about the V max is you have to stop for fuel every 100 miles it lets you stretch your legs

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