Hi, I was just wondering if anybody uses their F2 for touring or long road trips. Me and my buddy are planning a trip for in the spring to go from our hometown, Richland Center Wisconsin up to the UP, across the Mackinaw bridge and back down the coast to Ludington where we'll take a ferry back over to the Wisconsin side. I estimate the trip to be about a thousand miles. I've never really ridden much more than 75 miles at any one time, which is very little compared to the 250 miles per day I'm planning for the trip. So I thought I would just try and get some more info from the braintrust here.

Does anyone tour with their F2, and have any suggestions?

What kind of luggage do you have?
I just bought a used eclipse tank bag off ebay and I fabricated up some bars that bolt to the subframe to give me something to attach bungie straps to (I'll post a pic later).
I'll probably be buying the super cheap Dowco saddlebags I see online as well.

anything I should pay attention to? Essential tools to take along? what do you all think...

 

Most that I have done is about 300 mi a day, but never in consecutive days. The tank bag is awesome, I havean Icon one that is really nice. I just got a bag and one of those web bungees for the back, I have all the stock rear tubes back there so It worked like a charm. Bring some chain lube and maybe some extra oil, just in case and of course the tool kit, tire gauge.

 

Elmer,

Get a tire repair kit with CO2 cartridges, a rain suit and warm clothes. We did the around the lake trip last year the second week of October and had rain the first two days. 34 degrees in the UP in the morning. Oh, watch the Mackinac Bridge we crossed with a 60mph crosswind, leaned over all the way across. The bridge authority has a sight where you can check conditions.

http://www.mackinacbridge.org

Loved every minute!

 

I'm going to go ahead and resurrect this thread just because I'd really like to get some more input from people who ride longer distances on their F2. I'd like to make it a bit more comfortable so I don't need to make a chiropractor appointment after my trip.

Is there anybody out there that covers a decent amount of distance on their F2's? Have you done anything to modify your bike for comfort? How do you haul stuff for an extended trip?
any input is greatly appreciated!

 

Yes, I have traveled all over California,Airizona and Nevada and now live in Michigan. I am also planning a trip except I am leaving from Michigan going north to theUP and then through Wisconson.

 

If my F2 had a title I would tour with it. Much more comfy than my F4. Although the F4 has been from Orlando to deals gap and back. Long trips are not too bad as long as you take frequent stops and stay hydrated.

 

Beyond taking breaks and stretching out is there anything that can be done to add to the comfort level? The buddy I ride with rides a bandit 1200s, so the general limitation is the size of my gas tank. Most likely that will require a stop at roughly 100 mile intervals to stay on the safe side. So thats probably how frequent the breaks will be.
Repsol1: thats cool that there seems to be at least a couple people that like riding around that area, gives me confidence that it will be a fun trip. perhaps at some point I'll PM you and we could exchange points of interest to include in the route.

thanks for the input guys.

 

For comfort you can buy a corbin seat, and bar risers. You can also get some gel grips and for cold days heated grips. Cruise control will help wrist fatigue as well.

 

How much do cruise control kits go for and are they safe?

 

I bought a universal throttle lock from Cycle gear for 20 bucks. Never had it come off or kick off while riding. Hit it on with my thumb and release it too.