Hints and Tips for Riders

[Lonerider]

Wombat asked Lynne (LTP/Lynne the Pillion) and I (Fatman) to put some ideas/suggestions together about Long Distance riding in general, some of these may work for you too.  This is from our experiences and may not suit everyone.
These are some of the key points that are important to Lynne and I prior to and during a Long Distance ride.  These same ideas can be used for any length of ride whether it is a SCDR or an Iron Butt ride.

Before an LD ride.

Prepare a route (I use Google maps) that suits the requirements of the ride you are going to do, e.g., if you have check in at a lunch for a SCDR ride then ensure you have allowed enough km's and factored in the time off the bike for fuel stops/eating and the loo.  Keep stops to a minimum number and the time off the bike to a minimum that suits you, a mile per minute is lost when the wheels are not turning so you can lose time quicker than you gain regain it. We usually stop at roadhouses that way you can get fuel, food and loo stop all in one spot which saves time and energy instead of riding the bike a short distance to the loo somewhere else in the town.
Once my route is set I then enter those fuel stop locations, km's between fuel stops and travel times for each leg and add stop times into a ride schedule, this then gives me my ETA and ETD needed at each location, this is then printed and laminated (in case of rain) and placed in my clear plastic map pouch on top of my tank bag.  We try as hard as possible to keep to these times. 
I then enter that route with the exact fuel stop locations into the GPS so at any time I know how many km's to go until the next fuel, this is handy if your fuel level is getting lower than you expected e.g. with strong head winds or with higher NT speed limits, it allows you to back off if necessary to ensure you don't have to push, or LTP in my case!
Once our ride begins we don't focus on the overall ride only the next fuel stop, we find this helps keeping us focused.  We find it easier to look 300-400km's ahead rather than 1600km's or more.  Soon enough your next fuel stop will be in sight and the jobs done.

What I wear?

Summer Riding

I wear a thin Marino wool base layer consisting of a long sleeve top and long pants (This was suggested to me years ago by Philmor), and I find it works well with wicking sweat away from my body but also doesn't smell much after days in the saddle (at least I don't smell anything, LOL).  I have also used LD comfort shorts but I must admit I think the Marino base layer is equally as good.  Under my full face helmet I wear a helmet liner, keeps it smelling sweeter.  Cordura motorbike jacket and Cordura motorbike pants both with good ventilation

Winter Riding

Same as above but add our "Warm and Safe" electric jacket which connects to our electric winter gloves and the electric pant liners which connects to our electric socks.  Both LTP and I have separate Warm and Safe remotes controllers.  Each controller has 2 knobs, one adjusts temps for the top half and the other knob adjusts the lower half of our heated clothing.  I can't begin to say how good the Warm and Safe product has been for us, during the real cold rides we stay far warmer than before we had it and it helps keeping you more alert as your body doesn't have to fight the cold weather.  A neck sock is a must also and sometimes a balaclava.

What to eat?

We don't eat anything special prior to an LD ride but we do usually have pasta the night before, seems to work ok for us. On the ride we try to only eat light, salad sandwiches, no hot coffee for me (I'm no Doctor but I believe coffee is a diuretic meaning you pee out more fluid than you retain which is not good for hydration?). Sometimes a Coke at a fuel stop for when the water we drink while riding is becoming boring

Hydration

The experts say that if you are feeling thirsty then you are already partly dehydrated, so you must keep on top of that.  I have a 3 litre water bladder that fits in my tank bag with a drinking tube long enough to reach me and LTP, we both drink out of this while riding.  Sip, Sip, Sip is the key to keeping on top of hydration.  Everyone is different so you may need to experiment a little.  If I don't require a pee at every fuel stop (usually up to 350 – 400kms) then I feel I have not drank enough water.  The amount of water consumption will vary depending on the temperature/humidity you are riding in.
We also drink Thortz electrolyte on the run maybe a few mouth fulls every hour or so.
I always ride with my windscreen in the up position, I hate the air hitting me and I think it keeps me less fatigued.  If the temps go higher than around 36C we zip up our jacket and pants zips to keep the hot air off our bodies, again we find this method less fatiguing

Power Naps and Safety

I sometimes have a 10-15 minute power nap if required during a LD ride, these can be really beneficial to your alertness and general feeling.
Safety is number 1 for anyone riding a motorbike, and there has been a few LD rides where LTP and I decided to pull the pin on the ride due to fatigue, and I find this decision to be one of the hardest things to do, I guess after all the preparation that is put into getting the ride happening no one wants to fail.  But I have never regretted stopping a ride for safety reasons, it is not a fail, it is in fact the best decision one can make at that time.

Exercising while riding

It is no good waiting until you are in pain to start exercising while LD riding, it is often too late to recover and the pain just gets more intense.
From the moment I start a ride until the finish I don't stop moving on the bike.  I regularly stand on the pegs to stretch (sometimes for km's at a time), stretch my legs out on the highway pegs, twist my upper body, stretch my arms upwards above my head, stretch my neck from side to side and sometimes get a shoulder massage from behind! (The advantages of having a pillion I guess).  When re-fuelling we often do some stretches also.  Any stretching may help, give it a go.

When filling with fuel

I always try and park the bike to the right of a petrol bowser, this way it is quicker to get the nozzle into the tank, I never put my bike on the centre stand when getting fuel unless if I am checking oil level at the same point (LTP gives a hand), I find the extra energy/exertion for me isn't worth squeezing in an extras 500mm of fuel or so.  I have also seen many guys slipping near dropping their bikes or pulling leg muscles while attempting to put their bike on the centre stand as it takes a substantial amount of energy to do this on a fully loaded heavy motorbike.

[Lonerider]

The only thing I would add to this ( which is probably very obvious ) is:

NO ALCOHOL

Not only for the well known reasons, but it also dehydrates you.