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I don't really have very much experience at the long multi-day rides but I do want to encourage you to keep on thinking about it. I say
About two weeks ago I got an E-mail from my sister, who lives in Arizona now, telling me about the most recent ride she and her closest friend (also a lady) just finished. They rode something like 2,000 miles in 10 days in the west. First they headed north to the Canadian border, west to the Pacific, down into California, and then on back home. My sister is 57 years old, she rides a Classic with bags and tourpack, I believe her friend's bike is similar. So that's one example of a couple of ladies who take that sort of trip (this was not their first long ride) without problems.
Back in the spring when I rode with a friend for 3 days to see the southwest side of this state he (who has been taking similar rides for years) told me that the way he had the storage set up on his bike (650cc BMW single) distance really didn't make any difference anymore, he could go a week or two just as easily as he could go a day or two. That ride had us camping at State Forests and eating what we picked up at grocery stores each evening and heated at the campsites. It cost me roughly $25 a day plus fuel just to give you some idea how that part went.
Storage is the biggest concern and learning how to best pack your bike with the things you need and learning what you don't need seemed to me to be the most important things to get right. Of course the bike has to be mechanically sound and reliable as well as being equipped for long days. Alternative foot pegs and a windshield seem to me to be requirements. If you intend to camp you'll need a tent - get one designated for twice as many people as will use it; if you will overnight alone get a 2-3 person tent as an example, a good thin air mat and sleeping bag are essential. You need to be prepared for rain.
As I said, I haven't done much long distance riding, at least since I was young but what little I have done I've really enjoyed. The last time I did it, which was the end of August, was one of the more enjoyable 3 days I've spent in years. On that trip I was alone and traveled down the eastern side of the state through the mountains and down into the southern coal fields - one of the poorest regions in the nation - where I learned more about my home state in 3 days than I had learned in the preceding 30 years. Before I left I read up on the history and geology of the region, the demographics of the counties, and of course I took my Atlas and GPS.
Really, about all I can say is don't drop this dream. Its a great thing to do and I suspect if you give it a try you're going to love it. Some parts can be a pain in the ass, and indeed there will be much ass-pain* involved too but overall its a wonderful experience.
*When I was 12 I read the Reader's Digest condensed book (5 books condensed to fit in a monthly volume that my father subscribed to) "The Green Helmet". In the first chapter there is a segment in which two lead characters are sitting in bleachers watching the LeManns 24 hour Grand Prix. One character wears a hearing aid, which is turned off, as the other character (his daughter) speaks to him. He notices her and turns the hearing aid up as he explains that it had been off so he did not hear what she had said to him. In explaining he says of the hearing aid when used at a very loud automobile race, "its like a soft pillow for a bony tail". I just thought that was the funniest thing I had ever read up until that time and it has stuck with me ever since.
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