Joined
·
3,719 Posts
I bought my 2006 Wing several months ago but hadn’t had the opportunity to put in a long day in the saddle. When I was younger I rode many 600+ mile days just because I had to be somewhere else in a hurry, and I thought nothing about it. I’ve wondered how my 60 year old body would feel after a long ride on the new Wing.
I got my opportunity this weekend. I carried a few Christmas gifts from my home in Nederland, Texas to my youngest daughter and newest grandson in Trussville, Alabama. Weather forecast was nice, with low temperatures in the high 50’s, so I didn’t need to pack any real cold weather gear.
The distance from driveway to driveway was 634 miles, for a total trip distance of 1268 miles. My wife was telling me to take my truck, for I’m way too old to ride my bike that far. At that point not even a hurricane could have prevented me from riding the bike.
I filled the tank with gas and left home Friday at 8:30 AM with a pretty heavy fog that lasted almost to Baton Rouge, La. I stayed on interstates the entire trip, taking I-10 to I-12 to I-59 to 1-20/I59, to finally I-59 to Trussville. My point is, it was all interstate and I pretty well stayed with the high end of the traffic flow. I gassed up twice along the way, and finally filled up upon arrival at a station a few blocks from daughter’s house 634 miles and 9 ½ hours later. I felt surprisingly good. Not ready to go dancing, but good.
I left the next day, Saturday, at 11:30 AM and retraced my route home. Nice weather all the way. I arrived home at 9:00 PM, for a trip time of again 9 ½ hours. Again, I felt pretty good for an old man.
My total distance was 1268 miles, using 31.18 gallons of fuel for an average of 40.66 MPG. I tried to keep my indicated speed between 75 and 80 mph, so the tach was reading 3200 to 3400 rpm. There were a few periods of heavy traffic and/or Bear patrols that slowed the traffic to 65 or so, but at least 90% of the time was about 3200 rpm. I was surprised at the fuel economy, for my Wing doesn’t get but about 37 mpg on my normal local jaunts. It would be interesting to put several consecutive tanks together at 60 mph, but I’ll have to stay off the interstate to do so.
Travel time was 19 hours for 1268 miles, for an average of 66.7 mph. Granted, I did exceed the speed limit, but given the Wings’ error, I didn’t exceed it much. I was passed about as often as I passed. I stopped only for gas, but at each stop I’d use the bathroom and get a candy bar. Most importantly, I’d spend a couple of minutes stretching and bending. I felt this really helps me stay in the saddle longer.
The Wing really, really, impressed me. They’ve come a long way since my old GL1000. The Iron Butts among you might consider this ride a breakfast jaunt, but it was my first “long ride” in 25 years. Felt good to be back in the saddle again.
Glen
I got my opportunity this weekend. I carried a few Christmas gifts from my home in Nederland, Texas to my youngest daughter and newest grandson in Trussville, Alabama. Weather forecast was nice, with low temperatures in the high 50’s, so I didn’t need to pack any real cold weather gear.
The distance from driveway to driveway was 634 miles, for a total trip distance of 1268 miles. My wife was telling me to take my truck, for I’m way too old to ride my bike that far. At that point not even a hurricane could have prevented me from riding the bike.
I filled the tank with gas and left home Friday at 8:30 AM with a pretty heavy fog that lasted almost to Baton Rouge, La. I stayed on interstates the entire trip, taking I-10 to I-12 to I-59 to 1-20/I59, to finally I-59 to Trussville. My point is, it was all interstate and I pretty well stayed with the high end of the traffic flow. I gassed up twice along the way, and finally filled up upon arrival at a station a few blocks from daughter’s house 634 miles and 9 ½ hours later. I felt surprisingly good. Not ready to go dancing, but good.
I left the next day, Saturday, at 11:30 AM and retraced my route home. Nice weather all the way. I arrived home at 9:00 PM, for a trip time of again 9 ½ hours. Again, I felt pretty good for an old man.
My total distance was 1268 miles, using 31.18 gallons of fuel for an average of 40.66 MPG. I tried to keep my indicated speed between 75 and 80 mph, so the tach was reading 3200 to 3400 rpm. There were a few periods of heavy traffic and/or Bear patrols that slowed the traffic to 65 or so, but at least 90% of the time was about 3200 rpm. I was surprised at the fuel economy, for my Wing doesn’t get but about 37 mpg on my normal local jaunts. It would be interesting to put several consecutive tanks together at 60 mph, but I’ll have to stay off the interstate to do so.
Travel time was 19 hours for 1268 miles, for an average of 66.7 mph. Granted, I did exceed the speed limit, but given the Wings’ error, I didn’t exceed it much. I was passed about as often as I passed. I stopped only for gas, but at each stop I’d use the bathroom and get a candy bar. Most importantly, I’d spend a couple of minutes stretching and bending. I felt this really helps me stay in the saddle longer.
The Wing really, really, impressed me. They’ve come a long way since my old GL1000. The Iron Butts among you might consider this ride a breakfast jaunt, but it was my first “long ride” in 25 years. Felt good to be back in the saddle again.
Glen
