Long distance?

[jake]

Been in the Smokies few time. US 28 and Cherohala are my favorite. The Dragon is cool, got to do it once but its a bit over rated to me. Stop by Deals Gap.  
http://www.cherohala.com

I don't think I've been on that ... Might hit that on the way back on my little trip .. Thanks 

[njtturano]

That trip from maryland to soflo took me about 16hrs, i was making good time just had to take well deserved stops for fuel haha. Ass was a little sore, not terrible though i had been doing a lot of riding before hand. Had taken a few 800 mile days in the weeks prior. The main reason i did it straight was to beat a storm that was blowin in the following day. On a previous trip i rode through about 500 miles of rain straight and that was not fun, it totally drains you mentally.
 
 

[kakusaizou]

Did a run to Colorado for 7 days and 5000 miles.
 
-The biggest pain in the whole trip was my butt on the stock seat, I don't know if any aftermarket seat can remedy this. All I could for most of the trip was think about the next pit stop to stretch.
 
-You'll want a windshield, preferably a tall touring one. It'll cut down on will fatigue, rain, and bug splatter. We ran through farmland on highways and one particular section had cows next to the road both ways; my windshield and faceshield literally smoked up with dead flies.
 
-Ride the time of the day where you're most awake. As dangerous as it was, I kept dozing off during day time so I spent most time covering distance during the evening and into the night.
 
-If you can afford it, install actual mounting bars for bags or hard cases. It was a PITA to rig those universal tail bags and take them off every night. The bags scuffed up my fairings with all of the dirt and grime that kicked onto the bags. It was even worst trying to get rain covers on and hope they stayed put; I had to turn back and get one that flew off.
 
-The crampbuster was pretty useful on long stretches of straight roads. Once we got into town though, I just took it off as it became a nuisance.
 
-You better be with someone with a dedicated GPS or plan your routes accordingly. My tank was the smallest of the 3 of us. We took 97 from Valetine NE to Mullen NE and that was a 70mile road with nothing in between. We did not gas up beforehand and I was 35miles into my reserve in the next town, close call.
 
-I didn't particularly like riding the bike at 90mph all day, especially when traffic forces you to. Not only did the bike feel light at the front but it was exhausting fighting to keep the bike steady. Look at this FZ-09 video at 2:02 (

), I had to deal with that type of wobble a few times. I'm still undecided if I should get a heavier liter bike for the next trip. 
That's all I could think for now but don't let those stop you from touring on the FZ-07 if it came down to nothing at all. This may sound crazy but there are actually people and places outside of your little bubble! It's been an incredible adventure riding out to these different places, very people can say they've done it.
 
 

[pantheraleo]

I took a trip down the BRP from top to bottom (Afton to the end, close to Robbinsville) with a group for a long weekend. We left Thursday and got back late Monday. I think we did about 500 miles a day. I was more comfortable than most of my companions. Several were on Supersports, one of them was on a FJ-09. That FJ is a great distance bike, and handles pretty darn well in the twisties. In any case, I found the FZ-07 to be an excellent long distance bike in that situation. The small tank size was more of a problem for me than riding time comfort.
 
Had I been on highways, I would not have the same favorable opinion. To me, the bike is very comfortable up to 60 mph all day long. If you are 70+ for an extended period, the FZ-07's lack of protection starts to wear on me. My height (6'2") may be part of the problem there.

[Kwaipuak]

Hey, back in July/August I did a round trip from Philly to Waterloo Ontario. This was 500miles or so.
The down sides were:
The wind even with the touring screen was a bit much. Felt more wind at 70mph than I did at 90 on my old Ninja 650.
Throttle is damn touchy, just a tiny change in grip meant going 15mph over the speed limit w/o noticing.
Which brings me to the next part, the speedometer is not in my natural line of site, I have to move my head.
No great place to mount an easy pass, in fact it vibrated off somewhere in New York on the way back
And totally my fault, the Cortech 2.0 side bags I had would flop on to the tire and burned em up a bit, I will have to make brackets for the next riding season.
 
So, as you are probably thinking, those are totally minor and inconsequential matters, and you are right.
 
The bike handled great, was comfortable for up to 2hrs seat time, which became water/bathroom breaks for 15mins and another 1-2hrs of riding.
Got lots of compliments, even had the Canadian Border guard ask "IS that the new MT-07?!" And then we chatted for a bit as there was no one behind me.
 
If I were going to do it again, I would make sure the bags had a bracket, if I went with a group who rode for longer stints, then I would get an upgraded seat. My GF and I considered riding another 500mi or so to Quebec, but the pillion seat would have sucked for her, but less forgiving than the Ninja 650, and I don't know if it would have worked with my bags.
 
 
Oh, one last thing. I had to switch back to the OEM blinkers as you could not see Wicked's awesome led brackets with the bags. But since his mod takes all of 2mins to switch, this was a non issue (seriously, go buy a set)

[gregjet]

Definition of a "touring motorcycle" : a motorcycle you tour on.
At this displacement the mt07 is bigger than the vast majority of bikes people toured on until the end of the 60's and they were nowhere as comfortable nor as powerful and some of the bikes half the this size. And NONE had fairings and all had aweful seats.
I have doe 2 big trips Townsville to Adelaide (9000km total return) and Bundaberg-Phillip Island-Victor Harbour- Bundaberg (7000km) . The first on a CX500 and the second on a TR650 Husky. NEVER felt the need for more power except when chasing a Suzuki GS1000R across the Hay plains at speeds I shouldn't have been going.
Many years in Australia there is a group that do a big tour on postie bikes ( Honda CT 110 specials).
I should point out that touring at consistently over the speed limit will pretty much ensure that sooner or later you will be touring without a licence . The speed limit enforcement on wide open almost untrafficed roads is ridiculous.

[marthy]

Agree with you gregjet. I never got the idea being "not enough hp" for a touring bike...
 
I pound a solid 55K miles on my FZ6R over 5 years (+16K on the FZ09) and never in a million years I felt like I needed more hp to cruise for a 2 weeks trip. The 6R has about the same hp and minus 15 ft.lb of tirque on the FZ07 and it was absolutely perfect to cruise around.
 
The way I see it, touring ride there's 3 things you look for...
1. Comfort
2. Reliability
3. Fuel range/economy

[e30kawi]

Done a few 400+ mile in a day trips, the seat it my only real problem though if your out in the sticks keep the tank topped up as I have near run out
a few times, it will do 200 miles on a full tank but a bit more would help.

 
 
200 miles to a tank!? How big is your tank? That's insane, I ran out dry last week, don't remember the exact trip mileage but I am willing to bet it wasn't closer to 200

[gregjet]

"200miles ie. 320km) I would get about that if I am touring ( without panniers but with waterproof bag)

[Guest Ralph]

I do the Round Britain Rally so end up in out of the way places sometimes
later in the day when not many fuel stations are open and have managed
to push it to 240 miles on a tank on two occasions but your not going
to get that round town.

[twowheeladdict]

One thing I didn't notice posted is gear. On a Naked bike, gear selection is very important to reduce fatigue. Whether you are choosing mesh because it is hot out, or rain gear or leather, etc., make sure it fits correctly. Loose gear will flap around and catch in the wind. Too tight and it will cut off circulation or restrict movement.
 
I prefer perforated leather jacket and pants, tall leather boots with Gore-tex, comfortable gauntlet gloves, a neck gaiter, and an aerodynamic FF helmet. I carry waterproof breathable rain gear, and a heated vest liner in case things change.
Keeping hydrated is very important. I wear a hydration bladder with a hose that fits into my helmet so I can siphon I want instead of waiting for a break.

[Guest Ralph]

Hydration is very important if you feel your self loosing your edge get a drink.

[gregjet]

Adventure suit with lots of adjustable vents. Love mine. On the Phillip Island trip 2degC and raining on the way down, 44degC and sunny and dry 40mph winds on the way back ( all in 10 days...ya gotta love Aussie weather). Body was reasonably comfy the whole way. Hands was another matter as, because I come from the tropics I only had kevlar mesh gloves.
Because I go touring, I have a Carbon upper fairing based on the Cagiva Raptor air shield with the bottom extended. No wind pressure all day. Makes the most difference of everything. They really should make a touring version of the MT07 with a fairing . Even a top faired adventure version would suffice.