Touring with a Gold Wing and R12R

[LeonardoNYC]

Was going to put this in another of the subforums but since it involves an R1200R (me and mine) thought I'd post here. Been touring for 20 years and all long tours have been solo (long tours for me are a week and about 2,000 miles round trip) so I am used to going at my own pace , choosing my own roads and rest stops etc. And frankly I find this way very cathartic like most of us probably do.

I live and work in NYC and our annual corporate meeting is in Nashville TN..about 950 miles each way. There's a guy I work with who's early 50s and not a very experienced tourer and rides a 2005 Gold Wing. We were joking that we should ride to our annual corporate meeting together and the joke turns into reality and we want to do this.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best do this tour together? I am slightly concerned our riding styles might differ though I am not Kenny Roberts by any means but my longest tour with someone else was 5 hours up to Lake George NY. I am thinking three days of riding with someone I have never rode with may be awkward for us both. I am thinking maybe we start each morning riding together and then after the first break or two we agree on a city to meet in at night. That way we can ride a bit together but also take whatever breaks for scenery and eating and rest we want?

We have not discussed roads to take but with a Gold Wing he may prefer highways and while I don't mind interstates occasionally I will rarely spend more than a 1/3 of touring day on interstates and usually less.

Any suggestions, tips greatly appreciated.

[dbrick]

On the one hand, you're taking a trip together, and that usually means spending some time in one another's company, staying together at the end of the day, eating together, and so on. On the other hand, you've only traveled separately, and don't know each other's rhythms and choices.

I think you're right to acknowledge the issues. Planning some bits of together and some bits of apart sounds reasonable. Could you talk with your GW friend about this stuff?

[MTBeemer]

Riding with another person, especially on a long trip, can be very trying. I ride the majority of the time with my wife, but we do it so often that it is second nature. When I ride with some of my buddies we do not necessarily stay together in a formation, but rather use a link-up technique. We set an intermediate destination and agree to meet at a specific place. We tend to ride on rural roads through small, one horse towns, so it is easy to say we will meet in a town and not worry about finding each other. Works for us. One guy may want to ride very quickly and others may be on a photo shoot. The link-up technique can reduce aggravation even if you do have to wait for your riding partner to reach your designated link-up point.

[mogu83]

I think the machines involved are irrelevant and all comes down to personalities and riding style. I occasionally ride with a person on a 1800cc Wing and from what I've seen, in the hands of a skilled rider, the Wing might be a rude awakening to a R1200R rider.
Naturally IMHO

[Scriber]

Why do you want to ride to the meeting together? Is there any way that answering this question and finding a mutually agreed upon solution to your dilemma can give you insights into your work?

[LeonardoNYC]

Good Question. The gentleman I will be riding with was a former colleague back in the 90s when we both worked at a different company. We were friendly back then but not good friends. About two years ago he joined our company and we have become friends and he's senior to me and we work on some projects together and work really well together. So the reason to ride is to take advantage of a few days of riding together and then attend our conference in TN.

For myself I want to experience the tail of the dragon in TN which has always been a bit far for me to make it there and back in 7-8 days. If I ride to nashville I won't need to use two days of vacation time as that would be travel time to and from the conference. So this way I can get in a day or two at tail of the dragon and still only use 5-6 vacation days in total.

[deilenberger]

Having lead a few longish rides (3,300 miles or so..) I'd suggest you do a check day before starting out together. Find a place about 250 miles round trip and travel to it and back in one day. This will give you some idea of rider compatibility. Take a variety of roads - see how it works for both of you.

There have been trips I'm on where I was very glad to see the last of one or more of the participants.. for various reasons, but generally just riding like a-holes (following too close, passing when they shouldn't, riding in opposing lanes that HAD traffic, a-hole sort of things.) Most other things you can work out - but a-hole riding is not fixable, and will catch up with you somehow. Funny thing - most of the other people in our club will also no longer ride with these people. They become known.

Right now I have about 6 people that I *know* I can do long trips with, who also have said they like the way I plan and lead a ride. That's a real joy since it does mean I can usually find a few of them who want to go places. FWIW - the best and usually fastest ride is often solo (Harry does a lot of that).. but sometimes for safety or security is might be nice to have someone along.

Just a suggestion - plan the trip with an extra day each way. That takes the pressure off of "have to be there.." which can cause stress and make riders do stupid things. It also allows a buffer if the weather turns to crap and you have to hole up for a bit to let a front get past or something. Make it a 4 day trip each way, but take the days as if it will be a 3 day trip. I've always found a good use for the "extra" days I planned into trips.

When you want specific ideas for roads between NYC and Nashville - lemme know. I've ridden a bit in the backroads of Virginia and West Virginia -- and there are some wonderful roads there.

[jkhomes]

Nick Ienatsch's "The Pace" is one of the most recognized articles about riding in a group. Bluetooth communicators are all the latest rage, and the BT Next is supposedly compatible with other brands. The flat six on the Goldwing is a great engine, like a boxer twin on steroids. Some of they guys I ride with, I really have to watch my mirrors. I prefer to slow down for them in the straights and still enjoy the esses. I bet you guys will do just fine.

Here is a link to The Pace. http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/flash ... _ienatsch/

[Scriber]

Good Question. The gentleman I will be riding with was a former colleague back in the 90s when we both worked at a different company. We were friendly back then but not good friends. About two years ago he joined our company and we have become friends and he's senior to me and we work on some projects together and work really well together. So the reason to ride is to take advantage of a few days of riding together and then attend our conference in TN.

For myself I want to experience the tail of the dragon in TN which has always been a bit far for me to make it there and back in 7-8 days. If I ride to nashville I won't need to use two days of vacation time as that would be travel time to and from the conference. So this way I can get in a day or two at tail of the dragon and still only use 5-6 vacation days in total.

Work relationships can be a complication in social situations sometimes. Taking a ride together can increase the pressure. Did you feel you were completely free in deciding to ride together to the conference? Do you feel completely free to negotiate how the ride will go with someone who is your senior at work?

[mogu83]

Leonardo - it's a 900+ mile ride, two days (maybe three), forget the psychoanalysis and go for it. Best case scenario you will find a new riding buddy, worst case you make up an excuse and ride home alone. I do it all the time.

[Scriber]

I don't know anything about psychoanalysis. But it seems like one of the big issues for the OP is that he found himself agreeing to go on a ride that he has doubts about. Firstly, he seems to have doubts about going with someone else. Anyone else. When you have limited time off, and you value the time you can take for yourself, it's difficult to give some of that time to someone. Now he is going to have to negotiate the ride, and that likely means giving up something more than just personal time.

The second issue is that the guy is his senior at work. I'm going to guess the OP has too much respect for the guy to lie to get out of finishing the ride with him. Those kinds of lies are hard to cover up when you have to work closely with someone. He also might have too much respect for himself to do something like that.

So it sounds like he is going on a ride with someone, when he'd rather go alone. The guy he will be riding with is his senior at work -- a guy he's never ridden with before who has less experience riding and touring. And finally, they are headed to a company meeting where their work relationships will come back into play. Depending on the character and personality of the senior guy, this could get complicated.

To the OP, I may have missed the mark here with regard to your ride. But if I haven't, I suggest being honest with the guy about the dilemmas the ride creates for you, including the potential for the challenges work roles might create in negotiating and planning the ride. You might ask him if there is something you can both learn about managing projects (projects that include people of differing levels of leadership and responsibility) while negotiating and planning your trip. That would throw the ball in his court to help address the issues you face.

BTW, there is a great talk at Ted.com by General Stanley McCrystal about how military leaders have to be prepared to be mentored by folks in the lower ranks. This is so because of the complexity (technology, diversity of the force, cultural dynamics of missions, competing political agendas, etc...) the military faces these days. (http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal) Maybe it will give you some insights into the dilemmas the senior guy might be facing in riding with you.

[LeonardoNYC]

thanks so much for the insight from everyone! While this person is senior to me at work, I do not report to him and have been on a friendly with him for years.
With the FB killing the definition of what a friend is I do consider this person a friend but not a close friend. He is mentor in a way. I am going to do some thinking on this one. Might be ok to ride together in the mornings and meet up somewhere in the evenings but I can I also see where that might hit a snag or two.

Oh, and the ride home will be indeed solo as I will be attending the BMW fest in North Carolina and have already mentioned I will be taking vacation time for that.

Thanks again.

[Sander Abernathy]

On the morning of departure keep your helmet in hand and tell him it looks like he has a low tire. While he's checking it say "Let's race" put on your helmet and take off.

[Catchina]

On the morning of departure keep your helmet in hand and tell him it looks like he has a low tire. While he's checking it say "Let's race" put on your helmet and take off.

Ha that's hilarious... Of course you don't need to resort to any tricks to beat a pig (gold wing) if you have an R

[Patch]

So you are only riding with him one-way to the conference ... go for it. I see the plusses you identified as "work-covered travel days" to get you to Nashville, so post conference you can head to Cherohala, Dragon, etc... then home and all on your own schedule. The minuses are you don;t know what the ride there will look like with your prior travel tempo and his being unknown at this time.

I'd say - you're getting paid to ride 950 miles ... and with him as higher-up I also see a nicer hotel waiting for the end of Day 1

I'm not sure your industry ... but in mine I've ridden with a subordinate and with an exec-level supervisor for some similar events and prior to each we connected "off work" time to compare throughs, notes, and distances/routes. We're not friends - but are friendly, and ave riding in common. 950 miles makes 2 long days, especially with the 'mental prep' for the meetings that you'll be doing in your head while on the road so I'd bet interstates will be most of the trip. Getting off highway between NYC and Nashville will add in a lot of time and miles. This will probably be best served by saving it for your return trip.

Lastly - do you both share the same dedication if the weather turns sour? On a GW he'll be more comfy than you (likely) but if neither of you fancies a lot of miles in the rain that can turn personalities quickly.

I say go for it!!

[Dr. Strangelove]

have check points and cell phones. Plan gas stops and meet. It may be just fine. All the talk and reading and analyses will pale vs actual experience. You won't "know" until you do it. I'd say go for it; the reward outweighs the risk. I mean it's only a couple of days or so, right? And you're riding back solo? His wing will be as capable as your RR on that ride. And if he's not, you'll "recover" on the ride back.
My 2 cents

[LeonardoNYC]

Thanks for all suggestions on riding and roads. Turns out our corporate sales meeting is now moved to later in the year and I think I will be able to ride there myself.