From my vantage point in eastern Kansas, the best roads for rapid long-distance travel lie to the west and southwest (Colorado and Oklahoma) and north (Nebraska). Given a choice between fast, straight two-lane roads and the interstate road system, I tend to favor the former in the early part of the day and the latter toward the end of the day. Two-lane roads offer somewhat better scenery, occasional slowdowns for built-up areas, and greater flexibility for food and rest stops. Four-lane roads offer higher speeds and concomitantly reduced travel times, but also more truck traffic. Big trucks traveling at high speeds make me nervous and I avoid them when suitable alternative roads are available.

In these parts a 1000-mile journey will take approximately 18 hours, some of which will be during the hours of darkness. How much darkness depends on the time of year: approximately 7 hours in April and October and 3 hours in mid-July. I prefer to front load the bulk of the dark time into the beginning of the trip, when I will be more fresh and alert. But fog occurs more frequently in the morning darkness and must be considered. With darkness also comes reduced ambient temperatures, which to some degree dictate the type and amount of clothing one should wear. In the colder months I use an electric vest and long underwear, along with medium-weight gloves. In colder weather I also prefer 14-inch boots, which cover much of my shins under my Aerostich Roadcrafter suit.

Another consideration in riding during darkness is the possibility of encounters with animals, dead or alive. We have a lot of road kill here in Kansas, primarily opossum, raccoon, and skunk. Deer are also plentiful. With this in mind, I recently purchased and installed on my fairing a set of PIAA driving lights. I have them aimed down the road and out toward the ditches, so that they illuminate both the road and the surrounding area, beginning at the leading edge of the fairing. You would be surprised, as I was, at how many small mammals are roaming at roadside during the night. My hope is that these driving lights will either allow me to spot these critters or their carcasses sooner and take evasive action or will cause the live animals to freeze momentarily while I go by. In either case, I am safer.

Motorcycle preparation for an endurance ride is not particularly difficult. I inspect my tires, with a view to how the tread might look at the end of the trip. If I am close to any fluid change intervals, I change them before the trip rather than after. Other inspection points include but are not limited to fasteners (particularly at the axles), battery connections and electrolyte level, brake fluid reservoir, and on my particular motorcycle the choke bodies (one of them came loose on my last endurance ride and caused drivability problems). The advice not to leave on a long trip the day after a major service is applicable here.

To a large degree I plan all my fuel stops before departure. My motorcycle has a range in the area of 275 miles, but my aging body has a range of more like 200 miles (about three hours). This range decreases if my sleeping bag is strapped to the seat behind me, reducing the room I have to shift around in place. My body's range is also reduced later in the day by muscle fatigue. Time considerations and my ample body fat reserve permit me to subsist on bottled water and food/energy bars for one day. The occasional walk to the bathroom from the gas pump permits leg, arm, and back stretching. Back on the road, I use the rear pegs most of the time after reaching cruise speed. I have tried both a throttle palm rest that mounts to the right grip and the built-in mechanical throttle adjustment screw and find either satisfactory. I wouldn't know what to do with an electronic cruise control if I had one.

One of the requirements for documenting these trips is the collection of credit card receipts for gas. On two previous occasions my primary credit card was frozen after four or five gas purchases and I had to switch to another card. This time I called my credit card company the day before departure and explained my travel plan to the security people. They thanked me for the warning and put a pre-approval notice into my account. I did not have any credit card problems on this third trip.

Endurance riding tests both one's physical and mental stamina. I discovered in the October and April rides that cold air temperatures are debilitating and even dangerous. I had to stop and warm my feet on one occasion and should have, but did not, put on my overshoes. Cold-induced numbness of extremities may also be indicative of reduced mental alertness. In July, on the other hand, one should carry water and use it not only for drinking but also to wet down undergarments. This is particularly important if one wears a full-up riding suit and a full-face helmet, as I do. Speaking of helmets, even with its limited air-flow capability mine permits enough air movement that by the end of the ride my eyes are all bloodshot. My optometrist advised me to use an artificial tearing agent and I will try his advice on the next trip. Earplugs are absolutely essential to reduce wind noise. I don't know how anyone can ride all day without a helmet. Finally, I carry a bee sting kit and a one-day supply of prescription medication for my arthritis.

On two occasions during my recent third SS1000 I experienced what I later recognized and now describe as a mental "zone-out". In one case this condition permitted me to be traveling at 55+ mph in a 35 mph-marked construction zone just as a highway patrol car entered the same zone from the opposite direction. Fifteen minutes in the front seat of an air-conditioned black-and-white Chevrolet Caprice Classic gave me the needed opportunity to regain my mental clarity. About two hours later I watched a truck pull out onto the highway in front of me and then proceeded to close up on it rapidly when it slowed down to turn left off the highway. I did not have to make a panic stop to avoid hitting this truck, but could have reacted much quicker than I did to slow down or change lanes. Both of these incidents occurred about 10-12 hours into the trip. I think that as the day wore on my mind had begun to wander. It could have been the 95+ degrees of heat or the straight and somewhat boring road. In any case, one should guard against mental fatigue.

I normally make my last gas stop about two hours out from home. It gives me an opportunity to change glasses or gloves, drink one more bottle of water, eat a snack, go to the bathroom, or make a quick call to my wife with an ETA. This is also a good time to resolve not to hurry the last leg. It has never happened to me, but I have heard that the most dangerous time and place on a trip is near home. One's average speed cannot be improved appreciably by this late hour. I am particularly aware of my surroundings when I exit the freeway about 30 miles from home. All that remains is the final fuel fill-up and a stop at the police/fire station for witness signatures.

It is difficult for me to contemplate the next endurance ride for about two weeks after the last one. Despite my sore muscles and wind-reddened eyeballs, I ride my bug-splattered motorcycle to work the next day as a badge of achievement. I have not yet felt the need to ride for 24 hours straight or put two SS1000s back to back for a higher-level certificate. In fact, I have been considering the acquisition of a sidecar so that I will be more tempted to ride slower and stop more often. In my haste to make time and miles I have driven past many places that on another day I would have stopped and visited.