BBG, Part Eight: So...how was it?

Part Eight:  So...how was it?

I feel good about completing the BBG.  My FJR is stock (including the seat!), with the following mods:

• Ram Bone + X-Grip + iPhone
• BatteryTender USB Charger
• Throttle lock
• Auxiliary lights
• Yamaha heated grips
• LDComfort shorts

All of the above proved beneficial and borderline necessary for the ride.  The Bone with a short arm kept my phone steady as a rock and out of my line of sight, exactly as I wanted.  Not distracting, and not in the way.  The USB charger I plugged into my Battery Tender tail, which is zip-tied to the cables running to the throttle.  I simply wrapped the charging cable around the cable loom a couple times and it was perfect.  Kept the phone charged the entire time, even with the ignition off.

The phone itself was useful for figuring out ETA to the next route waypoint and general communication needs.

Throttle lock - nothing needs to be said.  Poor man’s cruise control, and completely necessary to avoid cramping.  I did my initial SS1K/BB with a bone-stock bike - no aux lights, no throttle lock, no nothing.  That taught me that a throttle lock is a good thing.

Aux lights - to me, a safety issue.  The “light triangle” effect for traffic with just the fork-mounted lights keeps me visible, and the uppers help make a tunnel of light when there are no cars.  Towards the end of the ride, my upper-right light gave in the the constant wind pressure and aimed skyward - a reminder to myself to tighten up before departure and keep a screwdriver/tiny socket on board, possibly in my top case.

Heated grips.  It's amazing the difference a couple degrees makes.  At 3 am in the middle of nowhere, it sure is nice to be able to route some heat to the hands.  A wonderful feeling.

My Schuberth C3 worked great, except for the awful pressure on the final leg - I’m chalking that up to wind. As with my original Schuberth helmet, the integrated sun visor is simply indispensable. No need to fumble around for sunglasses, and remarkably good optics, especially at night.

LDComfort shorts - awesome!  Can’t say enough about them.  I wore a long-sleeve t-shirt, the shorts, and socks under my riding suit and was all-day comfortable.

Seat - well, I wasn’t overly uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t mind trying out a different one just to see what it’s like.

Route planning - I did the most rudimentary planning, not looking for gas stops.  I had a rough idea of the distance between cities, and beyond that, trusted to find gas as appropriate.  I can see where making this type of effort out west, where fuel can be sparse, would require a more diligent effort.

Time of day - I really, really like the late evening departure.  That meant I got to ride through the night, have the sun rise at my back, and have the sun set at my back after the Fargo turn.  At no point was I riding directly into the sun.  A small point, and one I found slightly distracting when I did my original Bun Burner.  This also meant that I finished my ride while there was still a bit of daylight as opposed to having to light up the night twice on the same ride.  It makes for a mental victory.

Me - well, I did it!  I never felt exhausted to the point where I had to stop to nap, though I did have a sleep mask in my left pocket in case I was feeling overwhelmed.  I never needed to use it.  The two times I felt an energy lull, I popped in some Tic Tacs and just kept riding.  Now I know a little bit more about myself, and that I can do 1500+ in a day if I ever need to.

What does the future hold?  Unknown.  The 50CC Quest has long held a certain fascination for me. A quick Google Maps search shows that it's about 2,356 miles from the beach east of Jacksonville to the sands west of San Diego. That's about 34 hours of riding time from an available 50. That would allow for 16 hours of rest, call it 10 to have some cushion. More planning would certainly be required. Gas stops in west Texas. Time of day. When to get around/through Houston. A 23:00 departure would mean Houston around 12:30, and San Antonio around 15:30...

Follow the road.