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Hi, my son is planning to drive his Kawasaki ER6 650 from Swindon to Cumbrian next week. He has never drove the bike over this sort of distance before and I am worried sick about it, but he is determined to do it. I think it’s dangerous, but I’m not a biker so I’m not really in a position to comment… therefore I would appreciate the opinions of other experienced bikers. Thanks for your help.
Basically he should be fine. I would say punctuate the ride with plenty of stops, say every 70-80 miles or so. Try to complete it in daylight if possible. If he keeps to a sensible pace there will be no problem. Make sure he checks the bike over before setting off too, tyres etc.
I presume he has good protective gear, and go for layers in order to keep warm.
I have completed many long journeys without major concerns and early my biking career used to ride my 100cc Honda across the countryIn the meantime welcome to the forum and take a look around
https://bikemeet.net/forums/topic/great-posts-pics-across-the-site-part-2/
Thanks for the reply, I forgot to mention that he only passed his test a couple of months ago… does that make any difference?
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Originally posted by HecateThanks for the reply, I forgot to mention that he only passed his test a couple of months ago… does that make any difference?
Not really, if anything he wont be over confident which is a good thing.
Let us know how he gets on.
Tell him to join new members are always welcome.
Have you considered a bike yourself?
Have done lots of trips from the South Coast upto Scotland on my bike, it really is no different from going on a Sunday ride… Just takes longer and the pace is a lot slower so therefore safer!
Main tips are lots of warm layers, waterproofs, at least one spare set of dry warm glove, money for fuel, and ensure that his tyres have plenty of servicable life as motorways eat them and square them off, Chain needs to be adjusted and lubed before the journey and if he has room bring some chain lube with him incase it gets very wet so he can reaply it at the destination! Oh and plan the route before leaving including fuel stops. I could do 100miles at a time in warm daylight going down to 50miles in the cold snow…
… I managed one of me trips to Helensborough (475miles) in 5.5hrs inc fuel/coffee/food/fag stops, the same journey another time took me just over 9hrs! So he needs to ensure he will stay warm for any eventuality.
Oh, full battery on his mobile before he leaves too along with AA/RAC if there is a chance of his bike breaking down!
I think the cold might be putting him off a bit.. he’s now talking about putting the bike into the van. No worries about him breaking down as his Dad will be on hand and he’s a cracking mechanic 
Thank you all so much, your help was very welcome.
Latest update… he is now sitting here eating shepherd’s pie at my dining room table; I nagged him so much he put the bike in the back of the removal van. I showed him this forum and he said he will join and he’s had a good giggle at all of this. Once again.. thanks all!
Tell him that now, because he put it in the van, his bike has now done more miles than it shows on the clock! We’ll keep it as our little secret if he does join the forum. We’ve got a secret handshake too……
Our own Imperial Data has been known to indulge in the odd van trip:
Full story here:
https://bikemeet.net/forums/topic/ride-out-29th-october-matlock/&whichpage=2Thumper has also been known to need a support vehicle too, ask him about his GPz500!
Look forward to seeing your son on here!
I would say stop every hour, if you need to or not, dont just stand there either, move around, stamp your feet.
Tank up before your fuel warning light come on.
Layers, as the other members said. Base layer,insulating layer, windstopping layer, then good protective equipment. Make sure your neck is sealed off from the wind, you loose a lot of heat through your neck.
I also find a good old sing song inside my helmet works wonders, driving into bad weather, prepared, and with a smile on your face is half of the battle won.Had a mate who dropped out in conversation that he used to wear ladies tights on the winter journeys. I strongly advise that if you do this, don’t tell your mates about it. And if you do, then please don’t start discussing which denier are the best on this forum, we may attract the wrong crowd…..
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Originally posted by matt splatI would say stop every hour, if you need to or not, dont just stand there either, move around, stamp your feet.
Tank up before your fuel warning light come on.
Layers, as the other members said. Base layer,insulating layer, windstopping layer, then good protective equipment. Make sure your neck is sealed off from the wind, you loose a lot of heat through your neck.
I also find a good old sing song inside my helmet works wonders, driving into bad weather, prepared, and with a smile on your face is half of the battle won.
The good old sing song has saved my life many time’s when riding through the hottest weather, then terenchal rain, and last but not least the cold frosty weather all in one journey e.g. from Nice to Manchester in 24 hours 1100+ miles they should put the good old sing song as a lifesaver in the highway code book.
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