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Think you're a dedicated, hard-core, long-distance rider? Think again!
Bob Davis has you beat. In fact, he has everyone beat and a Guinness World Record to certify it. Davis, who lives in Eagle Lake, Maine, rode 12,163 miles (19,574.45 km) in 2 months last season aboard his 2005 Yamaha RS Venture, destroying the old record!
Tony Lenzi had set the mark in 1985-86 by riding 7,211 miles and then Yves Leblanc edged that by a ¼-mile 2 years ago. "Heck, I'd ridden 9,000+ miles that year and thought, I'd like to just shatter that record," says Davis.
So he did, running enough miles to nearly equal a drive from Bangor, Maine, to San Diego, Calif., and back, twice.
The official rideBut "officially" setting such a record is a lot harder than just climbing on the sled and running a ton of miles each day. First, Davis had to pay a $630 entry fee to Guinness and then follow all their rules and safety procedures to assure the record was well documented. Just applying to make the attempt took several days, he says. Naturally, he also had to pay for all the gas, food and accommodations on his 60-day odyssey.
The 55-year-old Davis carried a logbook that was signed and witnessed at every stop along his route, which extended from Maine up into Quebec and New Brunswick before returning to his home base in Eagle Lake. He even had to have the local police and his Yamaha dealer verify his odometer's accuracy met DOT and law enforcement standards.
Then there was the several months of planning. He had to figure various routes, arrange for friends to meet up and ride with him along the way, plan fuel stops and set up accommodations, and decide what equipment, parts and personal items to take along. For the trip, he had a couple saddlebags full with his personal gear, a survival kit and a large tarp. Behind him he carried a big red bag loaded with spare gloves, a 2.5-gal. gas can and extra oil for oil changes en route.
But to be honest, Davis says, his planning started 3 years earlier, when he bought his new RS Venture, deciding a 4-stroke motor is what he needed for longevity, and began riding it thousands of miles. He got to know the sled and learn its maintenance needs.
"I learned when I needed to change wear and tear items, so I wouldn't get stranded on a trail somewhere," says Davis, who retired from the Marines in 1996, first settling in North Carolina, then moving to Maine. His training as a helicopter pilot and post-maintenance test pilot also played into his record-setting run, as he learned all about thorough preparation prior to his test flights in the military.
Maintenance is importantOne lesson learned in cranking through about 22,605 miles on his Venture prior to his record run - wheel bearings need to be replaced about every 8,000 miles. So, on his trip he ran the first 6,000 miles and then swapped out the bearings, just to ensure he'd be in good shape as he headed toward home.
Still, all the planning in the world can't prevent trouble from finding you on the trail. At one point he ran through some slushy lake water and the ice froze quickly enough to snap his driveshaft. Then, on day 58, just 146 miles from home, he broke a rear suspension spring, which was replaced as he continued to finish the run.
In his opinion, the Venture performed flawlessly, and with 36,033 miles on the odometer, it's hard to argue the sled's reliability.
Before the ride, he did a valve train check and found 3 exhaust intake valves slightly out of shim, again this was after 22,000+ miles. He's still riding on the original factory engine and only a few mods were made to the sled in the past three seasons. Davis has added Kimpex wheels that were a bit bigger than stock rubber wheels to cut track resonance some, plus mountain skis were added. Those skis with gold dualies help with much needed flotation in deep snow, but reduce handling a bit on the trails. In the interest of full disclosure, he says the middle rear shock was replaced at 30,000 miles too. Davis ran his first track for nearly 16,000 miles, and now has a softer compound Camoplast track, which has been good for 21,000 miles on his RS Venture, so far. "The track is still in pretty good shape," he says. The sled though, was the least of his concerns during the run.
From a personal endurance standpoint, Davis says his accomplishment may not sound so tough. He ran a steady pace, averaging about 202.71 miles a day, but logging 3,032 miles in one 11-day stretch in Quebec. Yet, he said the mental aspect was the hardest, as he had to convince himself to make the commitment to a 200-mile ride daily for 60 days straight.
"After a number of days you get burned out, but you have to have a 'get the job done' mentality. You can't have a day off," he says.
To keep himself mentally sharp, he drank no alcohol on the trip and tried to eat healthy and get plenty of rest in the evenings. But Davis notes too that he drove conservatively, which helped keep his fatigue level lower and kept the sled in top shape. Davis says aggressive riding was kept to a minimum.
He says his wife, Susan, was 1000% behind his attempt at the record. She's a native of Marathon, Ont., and now a Defense Department teacher, working in Germany from September to June. Plus, his brother Paul Davis and other friends, such as T.J. Johnstone and neighbor Phil Cyr, rode long legs of the trip with him. Other friends that ran a lot of miles with him include Albert Guimond, David Woronick, Dick Bodner and Robert Darrah. All ran Yamahas, he says, except one who was aboard an Arctic Cat Jaguar, also a 4-stroke, and one on a 2-stroke Ski-Doo.
Davis credits their camaraderie with keeping him motivated each day. "Some of these guys are real life-of-the-party type guys," he says. But each day they helped set the pace and kept him going.
He estimates about 50% of his trek was in Maine where there were record snows last season. The rest of the trip ran through New Brunswick and Quebec.
Weather along the way was pretty good, Davis says. In Quebec there were some tough trails, especially after a big snow. One time a fresh 4 feet of snow on an ungroomed portion of trail in Quebec, caused him to use an alternate route to his next stop. There also were 3 days of -20 F weather and a couple of -34 mornings, he says.
Davis' interest in snowmobiling got an early start, riding a 298 Olympic with his brothers on the family's farm in upstate New York. But he says he was a more casual rider then, taking a sled out anytime he was home from college and military service; his career took up most of his time. Now, his riding is a passion, where cranking off 5,000-9,000 miles a winter is not unusual. In fact, Davis and his wife logged 3,000 miles in two seasons touring together.
Would he do it again?"Certainly, it's mentally and physically challenging. If someone broke it early on, let's say within a couple of years, I would consider regaining the record again. Having said this, the bar has been raised to a level where I hope the record would last for some time. I'm sure someone will try to break this record.
"Age is certainly a disadvantage when riding these greater distances. It's much harder to recover physically from riding daily averages of 200 plus miles for 60 days. Overall, it was a lot of fun. I really have enjoyed the experience," Davis says.
His immediate plans are to put 4,000 more miles on his Venture, so he can hit 40,000. But he also is waiting for a new '09 Venture GT to arrive. He says it'll be fun to compare the new one with his old reliable workhorse.
FOR THE RECORDSled: 2005 Yamaha RS Venture
Record miles: 12,163 (Jan. 11-March 11, 2008)
Previous record: 7,211 miles
Location: Maine, Quebec, New Brunswick
Total miles on sled: 36,033