Shifting Gears Episode 12

So Ken, you and your co-rider Terry you’ve logged a lot of kilometers on that motorcycle… how many?

Ken

So far on this one, over a hundred and sixty thousand.

Dave

And the Goldwing you owned before this?

Ken

Well over two-seventy.

Dave

So that’s well over four-hundred thousand kilometers on two Goldwings alone.

Ken

That’s right.

Dave

What draws you to touring on a motorcycle versus a car or a bus or a train?

Ken

It’s just being out there and being able to enjoy everything on the scenic part of driving around.  It’s the ultimate sunroom – you can look in any direction any time and see stuff you might not have seen travelling any other way. And it’s a little bit free spirit.  We’ve stopped at places where people have come up to us  and want to talk and talk and talk but we wouldn’t have experienced that if we’d been in a car.

Dave

Right.  We’ve covered, in these last twelve segments everything from the proper riding gear to take along on a long tour, the equipment, the additional tools and things to take along just to make sure that you keep moving and enjoying your experience.  What about just on the day to day, fuelling ourselves… any thoughts on eating too much, too little, how to stay hydrated?

Ken

Yeah you want to make sure that there’s a proper balance, you want to stay hydrated, you want to make sure you eat enough but not over eat.  I find sometimes if you have a huge meal and then you get on the motorcycle you’re not burning a lot of calories so you can start to get a little too mellow, a little lethargic and that can make it a risky ride.

Dave

Yeah.

Ken

So just keep your self at an even keel.  Stop and try something different at the side of the road, at a roadside market.  Doesn’t have to be structured meals.

Dave

Right.  We’ve talked a lot about how to extend your day but also recognize… I guess we should talk about recognizing when the day’s getting too long.  Like when you start to get tired… I mean we’ve talked out battling fatigue and vibration this whole series of segments but we haven’t talked about, when is it time to pull over.

Ken

I think it’s something, it’s a personal thing.  Some people have the ability to go much longer, there’s a whole league of people called the Iron Butt riders.  It’s beyond what I would call enjoyable but there’s a challenge out there for those kind of people.  You have to know within yourself, if you stop enjoying the ride put it away for the day, it’s not a marathon.

Dave

Yeah and if you start getting tired, fatigued, woozy, you know it’s time to pull over and call it a day.

Ken

That’s right – you’re supposed to get out to enjoy it, don’t make it a chore.

Dave

Right.  And finally one thing I’ve picked up from you doing these segments over the last twelve weeks is the camaraderie.  You took a lot of equipment with you just to help other people enjoy their trips.  So it’s not just about your journey, it seems to be everyone else on the road that’s the brotherhood if you will of motorcycling.  And sisterhood.

Ken

For sure, if you can keep that camaraderie alive and on the positive side let’s face it, if you get a large group of people there’s that much more chance that the chemistry might not work. So if you can keep it light hearted and positive even when someone’s having mechanically challenged day and keep them the move, everybody comes back a winner.

Dave

Yeah. Well this has been such an eye opening experience, I’ve learned so much from these twelve wing-it tips… thanks so much Ken.

Ken

Thank-you Dave.

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