A lot of riders want to start the common challenge of riding 1000 miles in 24 hours, which requires all the tools and things you need before you start this challenge.
In fact, a lot of riders think it’s a very simple challenge where you just need only a motorcycle, but in reality, it’s really not like that, and if you do not prepare properly, you can even risk yourself.
And that’s the reason for writing this post, to show you the step by step procedure of all you need to do to ride 1000 miles in 24 hours successfully.
The following are the things covered in this guide:
- The fundamentals you need to know before beginning your ride
- How to Ride 1000 Miles in 24 Hours in 3 steps
- Step 1. Build your route plan
- Step 2. Prepare your motorcycle
- Step 3. Take the right equipment
- Tips for more effective 1000 miles riding
The fundamentals you need to know before beginning your ride
Before you take your motorcycle and jump on this challenge, there are some questions you need to ask yourself to know if you are ready for this challenge and if it is safe for you.
How long does it take to finish a 1000 Miles Motorcycle Ride? Usually, it will take you between 15 to 18 hours to finish a 1000 Miles, but with that, it all depends on you and the break you would make in road time for eating and resting.
Is it difficult to ride a 1000 Miles with a motorcycle in 24 hours? Yes, even though there are much more difficult challenges. Riding over 1000 Miles is not easy, especially if you do not have experience in riding long distances or have not done any motorcycle challenge. According to Bun Burner, only about 53,000 riders managed to do this challenge.
Can you ride 1000 miles in 24 hours with any type of motorcycle? Yes, you can do it with all types of motorcycle from the weakest to the most advanced as long as you have a good engine that works. I personally know a lot of riders who did it with 125 cc engine in less than 24 hours.
Does riding of 1000 miles in 24 hours with a motorcycle dangerous? The short answer is yes, there has always been a risk in any type of riding, but when it comes to this challenge, there is one factor that raises your level of risk which is fatigue, and this is so because when you are tired, you are much less focused and effective. So, it is very important that you stop on the way to rest even for a short time.
What is the average speed that you have to ride to finish 1000 miles in 24 hours? You have to ride at an average speed of at least over 40 mph to finish the challenge in 24 hours. Under this speed, it will be very difficult and even impossible.
How to Ride 1000 Miles in 24 Hours in 3 steps
Step 1. Build your route plan
The first thing you will have to do, of course, is to plan the routes you will ride, and when you do this, you must remember and make sure that there are places to sleep, good weather, gas stations and more. In general, there are 4 key things that you need to pay close attention to when planning your route:
- Select Roads – choosing good roads is a very important part of building your route plan and you will need to make sure that the roads you ride on will allow you to ride at high speeds and not at slow speeds which can greatly hinder you. Also, make sure there are no traffic jams and not many traffic lights or stop signs that can significantly inhibit you as they are usually found in the big city.
- Make sure you have a place to sleep –if you are planning to sleep in the halfway, it is very important to make sure you have a good place to stay such as a hostelry, friend’s house or even a hotel that will allow you to sleep for at least 3 to 5 hours. I personally would not recommend you sleeping in the field because it will put a load on you and it will waste you a lot of time to dismantle and assemble your tent and equipment.
- Make sure there were gas stations on the route – you will need to refuel your motorcycle from time to time, so it is very important that you have several gas stations on your route where you can stop to refuel. It is also important to make sure that gas stations were halfway and not at the beginning or end of the road. However, if you do not want to stop for fuel, you can take fuel tanks with you and refuel for yourself.
- Check the weather – when it comes to going for a long ride, so many riders forget to check the weather which can slow you down significantly, especially when it is rainy and if you still want to ride in winter, it is very important that you take riding gear in winter. If you want to know how to prepare yourself for riding in the winter, I will recommend you read the post I wrote. Click here to view.
It is very important to take your route plan seriously as it can take an hour to even a few hours to prepare if you are really serious. It is very important that you are patient until you find the best route for you.
Step 2. Prepare your motorcycle
One of the most important things you will have to do before you go for 1000 miles riding is to make sure your motorcycle is properly maintained and has no technical issues.
And why do you probably ask if it is important to check and prepare your motorcycle? Well, you will need to check your motorcycle because if you notice there is a malfunction in your motorcycle on a normal day, it sucks, right? Then think of having a malfunction in your motorcycle that prevents you from riding and you are a few hundred miles from home, not fun, right? And because of that, you will have to check the motorcycle and prepare it for the ride.
You must prepare all the following section of your motorcycle
- Tires and Wheels –Make sure the tires are well inflated and are strong enough and also make sure your wheels are strong enough and durable. And if you want to ride in the winter, I would even recommend you stroke them.
- Grips – It looks small, but before you go on a long ride, it is essentially important to check that your grips are well padded with a sponge to help ease the pain you had when riding which is very common in a couple of hours riding.
- Seat – Another important thing to make sure is that you have a comfortable and cushioned seat that can provide you comfortable riding. It’s not every seat that can provide you a comfortable riding, and because of this, I highly recommend you buy OEM jelly seats, which you can export at a very cheap price on Amazon. I was very surprised when I see the price they are sold at click here to view.
- Saddlebags – If you have loads of equipment, among the best things you can do is to tighten the motorcycle saddlebags with straps which will greatly ease the load of equipment.
In general, these are the main parts that are important for a comfortable riding of the motorcycle. In addition, it is very important that you check and ensure all the other parts of the motorcycle are working properly such as crane wheels, crane, pedal, cable, throttle lights, battery, headlights, mirrors, turn signals, oil, rack, chain, etc. If you want more information about motorcycle maintenance, I highly recommend you check this post click here to view
Step 3. Take the right equipment
The last part is to get the necessary equipment you need, and when I say equipment, I am not only referring to safety equipment but I am also referring to the other equipment that you need like food, cleaning fuels and more.
You must take all the following usual safety gear and other very important equipment along for 1000 miles riding.
Safety equipment
- Helmet– I have said this times without number on the site that wearing a helmet is by far the most important safety equipment you will need to wear. If you want good looking helmets, I would highly recommend you to see my sales page that will show you the best helmets that are available in the market today click here to view
- Boots – Boots help you protect your feet and give you plenty of balance and stability when, riding. I also very recommend you to check my sell boots page to see the available boots in the market today click here to view
- Layers – If you ride in winter, it is very important that you have several layers of clothing such as a raincoat jacket and long pants.
- Goggles – In my opinion, the biggest mistake you can make is not going along with your goggles, especially when you ride 1000 miles and even more. You may ask why goggles are important when you ride at high speeds? Goggles will save your eyes and keep them protected from the wind and sand. I personally know lots of stories of riders that did not mark the challenge and retired because they did not bring their goggles with them. What hurts their eyes even in a situation where they couldn’t see the route was very dangerous.
Other equipment
- Toolkit – It is very important to make sure you bring a toolkit that includes screwdrivers, rods, screws, cables, drill bits and anything else that can help you deal with all kinds of little problems that can happen on your way when you ride on long distance.
- Detergents – When it comes to detergents, every rider has his or her eyesight and I think that detergents are important to clean your mirrors and helmet. Detergents may include spray material and a cleaning cloth.
- Snacks and Food – Small snacks can be great to give you the energy you need, plus if you want to bring food with you, make sure that this food can withstand a long of 1000 miles. I personally would recommend you buy food in the gas station or at the market while riding and not bring food with you.
- Water – It is very important that you have at least 3 liters of water, especially for riding in the summer months.
- Garbage Bags– If you know you’re going to make a lot of junk, it’s very important to keep clean and hygienic, so you have to bring some plastic or garbage bags with you.
- Earplugs – This may seem very small and unimportant, but trust me, you don’t want to suffer from the noise your motorcycle makes, especially when you are riding a very long distance of 1000 miles. So, do yourself a favor and put them under your helmet.
- GPS – GPS is very important to know your route well and I personally do not recommend that you use the phone’s GPS because there is a very high risk that it will fall off while riding, and because of this, GPS built-in motorcycle may be the best option.
- License – You always want to make sure you have a driver’s license for cases that the police officer stops you, I recommend that you put the license under the seat of the motorcycle so that it is not likely to fall off the motorcycle.
Tips for more effective 1000 miles riding
Ride with another friend – I can tell you from my experience that doing this challenge alone is a lot less fun than going out and doing it with a friend. Riding with a friend not only gives you more fun and experiences but can also help you divide your gear so you can help one each other.
Try a short distance ride first- A very important tip to help those who are unsure about this challenge for them is to try to ride a distance of 200 to 400 miles first and only after you see what it feels like before you ride a 1000 miles challenge.
Eat properly – It’s very important to eat in good quantities and bring healthy foods such as meat, protein, vegetables and not unhealthy snacks that lower your efficiency and energy.
Confirm at Ironbuttand that you have made the challenge – After successfully completing 1000 miles in 24 hours, you can confirm this at Ironbuttand and enter the list, just remember to take along all fuel receipts.
Do not ride too fast – Although it is a challenge that needs to be completed in a limited 24 hour time, it is still not necessary that you ride at crazy speeds that can danger your safety. In addition, riding in too high speeds will hurt your fuel efficiency, and because of that, it is very important that you ride at an average speed.
Do the challenge in good time – When I say a good time, I mean while you have the power to do the challenge and when the weather is good for riding.
Do a sleep rest – Usually, most riders will be able to finish a 1000 mile ride in 15 to 18 hours, so why can’t you give yourself a few hours to rest, which is very important and will give you more energy to do the challenge.
Thanks for reading, until next time
