My first 630 mile trip. Your wisdom needed.

[Thorby]

Gentlemen,

I will make a 630 mile trip in 2 days across Texas.  I expect to make it in 12 hours, stopping only to refuel.  I have been riding 1.5 years, nearly daily.  A couple weeks ago I did a one hour, or 80 mile (each way) day trip to a town near here.  Last summer I did a 116 mile each way trip on a very crappy (aka tiring) 2 lane road in the desert (Texas' I-10 is pure luxury compared to that other road).  Now, I know there are other threads on road trips and I have read them or followed them but I'm posting my specifics here.  I think it will also help me get organized since I will develop ideas as I write them.  My bike is pretty bare-bones except for the tall sissy seat and the rear rack.  Unfortunately, I don't yet have the saddle bags.

First my itching question: What mileage are you guys getting on the highway?  On my trip two weeks ago, I kept the bike at 70 mph, and according to my calculations got 40 mpg.  My tank has a 4.7 gallon capacity X 40 mpg = 188 miles of range I can travel on a single tank.  At 70 mph (legal in Texas, most of I-10's limit is 80 mph) I would have to stop to refill every 2.7 hours.  Does this sound right?  It seems if there isn't a gas station every 2.7 hours I will have to take a can of gas with me :-/.  Maybe I should take a day trip today to double check on my 70 mph mpg.  At least I get to stretch my legs every 3 hours...

Bike Preparation:
-Spark plugs:  I changed them a couple months ago so I'm keeping them on.
-Oil:  Changed it yesterday.
-Chain:  I don't see any signs of wear, I still need to check slack just to be sure.  I am taking my can of chain lube on trip.
-Tires: Bought rear last summer, it still has good thread.  Bought front 3 days ago.  I sort of feel I erred on the side of caution with the front tire since it wasn't that dried up.  However the thread was very flat.
-Sea foam:  I have just ran sea foam through gas.  It's weird, somebody around here mentioned sea foam decreases MPG while it's on, but my MPG actually increased during that.

Supply Checklist for trip:
NEED: spare clutch cable: I need to buy it today.  It's inexpensive and can save me a huge hassle.
NEED: a quart of oil.  It just occurred to me to play it safe even though leak is pretty small.
NEED: (what do you guys think?) I'm not sure whether or not to take my laptop since I already have a tablet (GPS will come in handy).  I do work on my laptop all the time but the bike is a very rough environment for it.
fix a flat:  I've used it only once before on the bike and works pretty well.
NEED: (what do you guys think) replace the rear fender.  I'm on a very strict budget so I'd rather not replace it unless I'm fairly positive the cops will stop me.  I'm attaching a picture to see what you guys think.  I hope I can pull off the "chopper" mentality regarding leniency for this.
NEED: Gas station list.  I need to search Google Maps and make sure there's a gas station often enough for me to make the trip.
Have: Pliers, screwdrivers (what am I missing here?)
Have: Spare fuses.
Have: a change of clothes on backpack.  I'm wearing a lot of layers during the ride anyway due to early nippy weather.  I don't have rain pants but rain is not forecasted (fingers crossed).  Otherwise I'm well geared with boots, jeans, gloves, fully armored jacket, full helmet, even knee pads.  I'm a strong believer in this "wearable insurance".
Have: mp3 player.  I learned this from a buddy. Keeps brain from dozing.
Have: Trip food and water.

Thanks guys..

[Thorby]

I aimed one of those shots so you guys can see how the light hides a bit under the rack.  I will be riding only during the day, though.

[Piute]

    630 miles that a good run for these 750's
  I carry a gallon of gas always on my bike,
                 It's in that rear bag,along with gloves and room for more.


     I've never needed to use yet but sure fills good,
   Gas milage sucks when your hard on the throttle in around the curves,
    your run seems pretty flat and straight 40 miles A Gal.is what I get(70m.p.h.) also ,
     I look for gas at 120 miles or less,Check out your map there may be some
    good stops that have gas close by. Take your time have fun

[sgtslag]

Rain suits are a necessary evil.  If you have a waterproof jacket, then you can pass on the rain suit (JC Whitney has them for little money, two-piece sets for around $30-$40); rain suits can double as a vapor barrier in very cold temperatures (mid-50's and colder), which will help keep you warm (used to layer your clothing, worn beneath your jeans/chaps/whatever), but they will keep the sweat inside, eventually leading to cold, clamminess.  If you wear leather chaps, rub them with mink oil:  softens the leather; waterproof's the leather; conditions it really well; alleviates the need for rain suit pants.

A ballaclava is actually very helpful:  they keep sun and wind off of your neck.  They can also keep you from getting rain down your neck.  There are various types available, but the Zubwear is my personal favorite -- only suitable for warmer weather, but I never ride without it anymore.

I stated that SeaFoam will lower your gas mileage when you run it.  That has been my experience, but if it improved your mileage, great for you!  If you have mild plugging of the jets, it will improve response, and acceleration/performance, overall.  Try to run it once per month, to keep ahead of the varnish, as well as ridding the fuel tank of any water that separates out (SeaFoam absorbs water) -- it will do no harm, but it will do a lot of good.

I would recommend a tank bag, and water within it.  Riding causes dehydration, so having water to replenish your fluids, is vital.  Enjoy your ride!  Cheers!

[Thorby]

So I did arrive, thank God. Something was bound to go wrong on a 13-hour trip on this old bike, right?  The speedometer and odometer stopped working 1/3 of the way through. I estimated speed with rpms and other traffic but I hate not being able to see mileage. I researched here and see that I should pull apart the front axle to make sure the cable is assembled right. Maybe when the front tire was replaced the axle wasn't put back together right.

Any advice on how I can loosen the screw that holds the odometer cable at the axle? For the life of me the screwdriver slips. Also, I read for a Yamaha the cable will turn three times for every turn of the wheel. Is it the same on my bike?  I unscrewed the cable at the top and it turns only once every 5 revolutions or so of the wheel.

Thanks.

[shinyribs]

The speedo ratio on these bikes is 2240:60. 2240 rpms @ 60mph. I don't know what that would be per revolution.  How good are you at math? :)

[Piute]

   I Drilled a real small hole in mine and it fell out,threads and all were good (the head of screw was stripped)

[Thorby]

I replaced the speedometer drive with a used one. My old one was stuck, and wouldn't rotate.
I Replaced the cable with a new one since old one's boot broke.

Now I can't engage it fully, so the speedo is way too slow. I saw the drive and it's okay at the axle.

Tips needed

[Half-Caf]

I would be willing to bet that your speedo cable is bad. I had a similar issue when my tach cable went: the rpm's still registered, but waaay lower than the engine was actually working. Eventually it went caput and completely severed itself internally. Keep in mind that these 2 cables are made exactly the same way.

Hopefully this helps, but if I am totally off and you're experiencing something else just let me know

[shinyribs]

That's strange. A cable is a direct mechanical connection. How could it not turn at full speed?  Things that make you go hmmmmm.....

[Thorby]

What am I missing here?  This ring goes inside the speedo drive.  It has notches that connect it to the drive.  But how does it connect to the wheel?  Just pressure?  Did I miss a piece?  Also, on the wheel there are no notches, it is also completely flat.  Maybe the notches tore out?  ARRGHH  



There's a very helpful post on this, including a video, but it's the next model that has notches inside the wheel.  Mine has no such  notches.

[Thorby]

Solved.

That black stuff around that ring is not grease, like I thought.  It is hard rubber and got all messed up when the old speedometer drive froze (the junkyard's drive did not include this piece).  I packed it in with paper strips to fill in for the missing rubber, took a test ride, and I am back to reading 60 mph @ 4,000 RPMs.

Let's see how it does during my next part of the trip which is 6 hours, but I'm expecting it to last for quite a while.  Being able to see speed and mileage is sure handy on the interstate.

[sgtslag]

This may not apply to the Hionda's, but on my Kawasaki Voyager, the speedo is gear driven.  These plastic gears are known to lose a tooth, after many miles, resulting in a 5 MPH loss.  On the Voyagers, a gear replacement is necessary to restore accuracy.  Just an aside.  Cheers!

[TOOLS1]

Thorby wrote

What am I missing here?  This ring goes inside the speedo drive.  It has notches that connect it to the drive.  But how does it connect to the wheel?  Just pressure?  Did I miss a piece?  Also, on the wheel there are no notches, it is also completely flat.  Maybe the notches tore out?  ARRGHH  



There's a very helpful post on this, including a video, but it's the next model that has notches inside the wheel.  Mine has no such  notches.

I have never seen that part in a Honda speedometer drive. It looks like someone might have Jerry-rigged it in the past.
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[TOOLS1]

Although this one has been cut into two pieces, this is what it is supposed to look like.
 
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