I recently switched out the gunfighter seat for a solo and passenger pillion so that I could haul my girlfriend on long rides with me. So this holiday weekend I decided to take us up to Shenandoah along Skyline Drive and back to Richmond with an overnight stay in Waynesboro. It was a long haul and I discovered what to do and what NOT to do for these long rides.
1. Get plenty of rest the night before. 5 hours of drunken sleep is not enough.
2. Have saddlebags or take nothing but the clothes you're wearing. Screw a backpack!
3. Adjust the rear shocks for the lady. That pillion is rough riding after an hour. And you'll get to hear about it every time you come to a stop, which when you take the scenic routes happens often.
4. A map helps. Sometimes your "photographic memory" and the notes you jot down at the last minute just don't make sense when you really need them to and you will hear about that, too.
5. Keep the pocket of your jacket with the notes you jotted down zipped. They will escape out at a moments notice.
6. Sunblock sunblock sunblock.
7. Summer + Leather = HOT! Wear mesh.
8. At least after this ride you won't need much of an excuse to ride alone next time.
Overall we both had a great time, but man, my neck was sore as hell from the wind (maybe add "get a windscreen") and the solo seat just isn't as comfortable as the gunfighter. I had to abbreviate the trip from my original plan due to all the discomfort. We'd packed shirts and kept gatorade bottles in the backpack which put a strain on her back and she said the pillion pinched against her sciatic nerve after a while (I suppose that was a result of not adjusting the shocks). But man, what a ride! There were a ton of bikes. Lots of waves. I kept thinking guys were on a lot of trikes until i realized they were hauling trailors.
Other than that the speedy held up well for the entire trip. I love that machine.
Here's a pic of me on The Black Pearl in the Shenandoah:
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