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How long can you ride for leisure?

3K views 34 replies 28 participants last post by  PaulRoberts 
#1 ·
I'm new to the saddle, and have been spending the afternoons riding through the country, practicing. Unfortunately, I can only make it about 2 hours before my body is on fire. Of course, it's practice, so I'm moving around a lot more than most people commuting would be, but groin and neck pain are rather significant. I know my body will adjust with practice, but I was wondering how long our senior members can go on a bike for fun before they need to ice down their delicates.
 
#4 ·
I think you're doing it wrong.

A typical east county "swing" for us in San Diego is maybe 250-300 miles. That's considered a comfortable day's sport ride with no particular pressing involved.

KeS
Wrong? Well I know any wrist or palm pain is "wrong" because you're not supposed to hold your weight up with your hands, but I don't know what I could be doing wrong to cause soreness in my inseam. I used to ride horses, and that was simply a reality until you got used to it. My toes were also slightly numb yesterday, since I was holding up most of my weight with the balls of my feet. And my neck just hurt all over.
 
#8 ·
Yeah..... it depends on the bike, but 2-3 hours is no biggie if the roads are interesting. I start getting a little buttsore after about 4-5 hours on a supersport.

But after 2 hours I'm normally more bored than sore. How would you describe yourself physically? Tall, short? Long arms, short? These things matter....
 
#12 ·
Sounds like you're using the wrong muscles for support. You shouldn't be pressing into the pegs so hard, and you should be using your abs more than your arms or legs. Neck pain is from a combination of the wind, and the weight of your helmet. That will get better over time as your neck muscles strengthen, but a light weight helmet is always money well spent. I'm loving the Bell Star Carbon I just picked up.
 
#13 ·
While there are many similarities in rising machine or beast.... Being an "active" rider isn't one of them.

Sure you will be moving around on the bike but you don't need to have an active leg on the bike so if you are constantly gripping you are definitely going to be tired.

If you are new... Then you about be tired and sire after two hours but after two or three weeks if adjusting if you still feel super tired after two hours your working too hard.

I can personally have a few rough sore tired rides at the start of the season. But after a week I am good- I can do about 8 hours and I am sore and ready to be home..
 
#15 ·
I've ridden 10 hours, but not on my current bike, it was a 2008 CBR600RR. I have ridden over 8 hrs on my 'Tona. In leathers.



That's why you spend the extra dough and buy an Arai, Shoei, Suomy, Bell.
Actually I found speed and strength helmets to be nice for a cheap helmet the ss1000 is only 180 brand new and is just as light as my arai. Now it is louder and moves a little more at high speeds so you do get what you pay for but the noise level doesn't bother me because I wear earplugs and unless your going over 100 the helmet doesn't really move that much either now for protection I think the speed and strength will do its job but those other brands are used by pro racers for a reason
 
#17 ·
Being as my ride is a Laz-E-Boy on wheels, I can easily put in 12-16 hour days before boredom or my ass going numb forces me out of the saddle. This is without a windscreen and a stock saddle.
 
#18 ·
6-8 hours I've usually had enough depends where you are going what you are doing, turning around and doing it the next day thats a little different. Max I've done was about 1300kms in a day, I haven't felt the need to repeat it. We don't ride much in the dark (ie not at all) around here the grass hoppers are big, brown, nocturnal and will ruin your day if you collect one.
 
#19 ·
Good topic.

For me, average 5 to 6 hours. The first 3 getting there is awesome---the last two hrs coming home always kinda sucked if I took the same route home.

Any more than that for me, and I'm not enjoying the ride like I should.

Oh, plus I'm a smoker, so i make excuse to stop and look at the scenery more than you cushy bottom riders on your Goldwings :twofinger


RC
 
#20 ·
It helps to work up to that, get used to it, get your body acclimated and in shape for that. And to ID any real ways in which your bike doesn't fit your body or vice-versa. I can do about 10 hours a day on my bike easily, for several days in a row. 12 takes intent; 14 was a bit painful.

PhilB
 
#21 ·
Apparently I am going to be the only one that will sympathize with you. When I first started riding I did not get far before my ass felt horrible! Now my knees and hips give up after a few hours.

At the track, pushing hard, even the 20 minute sessions can feel super stressful on my body.

I do about 4 hour runs on an average weekend run and by the end my knees and ass are DONE! And this is with about 3 breaks.
 
#22 ·
The upside to having a fuel-guzziling twin like an 848 is with stops needed every 80-110 miles (depending on the ride) your body never really has the chance to get sore.

Get me in a legitimate bumper-to-bumper @ 3mph situation though, and I'm ready to hop off, leave the bike on the side of the road, and hoof it to my destination after about 15 min of that ridiculousness.

-Christian
 
#23 ·
Get me in a legitimate bumper-to-bumper @ 3mph situation though, and I'm ready to hop off, leave the bike on the side of the road, and hoof it to my destination after about 15 min of that ridiculousness.
You're on a bike. That's when you start splitting lanes.
 
#25 ·
Is the seat stock on your SV, OP? A new seat may help the situation some. It did for me. Other than that I always felt it was mainly muscle memory that needed to be built up, but other than the OEM seat when I had it, I never felt any part of me tingling or 'on fire' after riding. There's discomfort from time to time under my left leg and having to 'kick out' a good bit, but that's most likely from being 6 foot 6 on this tiny fucking bike...

Also, if I'm riding with my father even on his comfy ass bikes he's usually on good for 100~ miles and my riding friend's Magna is about good for that, too. So I'm typically stopping every 80 - 100 miles before the body can start acting up too much.
 
#26 ·
I rode my gsxr750 from just south of Jacksonville, FL to Suches, GA. About 11 hours and about 450 miles, on back roads - no highway. And then we rode back a few days later. It was definitely a leisure ride, since the other people I was riding with were on a cruiser and a touring bike. But it was no problem at all for me.
 
#27 ·
I need a stop after about an hour. Then again I am on an R6 - which isn't exactly comfortable. I find that my knees start to ache after about an hour. If I get off of the bike and move around a bit for about five minutes or so, I can get back on for another hour or so - but I freely admit that I have to take breaks.

One of the things that I have learned though is that hydration is very important. It is crazy how much water your body uses - especially on a warm day.
 
#28 ·
it is all circumstantial, the tighter twister roads with a decent group of friends, I can ride for hours.
 
#29 ·
4-5 hr is about normal taking back roads from Southport to charlotte to see my sis and im fine. I do a 2 hr slab almost every week to see the gf in raleigh.

I can say that having a lighter lid like my shoei or my bell star is nice. My icon Alliance ssr is horrible.
 
#33 ·
^ this

54 here and had a CBR600 since last June. Ride short 15mi rides every day to work an back about 4600 mi so far, but only a few long rides.

When I first got the bike, my wrists were getting numb/sore; now I'm more relaxed so doesn't happen as much. Never really had problems in the crotch area though, but my hip bones( where they sit on the seat) might get a little sore after a long ride. Usually easy to walk off ofter just a few minutes.

I'm also only bout 165lbs/5'7" so not that heavy.

Still have on my wish list to get a Corbin seat:
Corbin Motorcycle Seats & Accessories | * How It Works * | 800-538-7035
 
#31 ·
You are new, you might be working too hard, as some people here have correctly described and adviced against, but also just because you are new to this, there are "pains" that will go away as soon as your body gets used to it.

Think Yoga, even the smoothest kind can make you feel knackered the first time. You stretch and contract certain muscles that you seldom use, or use in other ways. But then the rest of the sessions can be very relaxing.

nico
 
#34 · (Edited)
Depends on the bike. My knees would only tolerate 150-200 miles at a time on the FZ. On the VFR I can ride (and I have ridden) all day 600-700 miles with little to no interstate traveling and I've had 0 issues. Due to some unforeseen circumstances I cannot report on the R1 that I've owned for 7 months now :facepalm FML

Having said that, after a break from riding (i.e. winter) my neck would be killing me for a whole week until my muscles get back in shape. That goes away tho - give your body a chance to adapt.
 
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