1 Birkin, 1,600+ miles, 3 days and a 13 year old co-pilot

[lotusman1951]

Ship it to Camp Hill and do the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Fall. Focus on 500 degrees of heat 10 inches from your hip and 12 from your feet, 105 Db into your ears. Unless you have latex or gel seat foam, spine compression, if it rains, you need a wiper for the inside of the windshield. This proposed trip is a SM introduction into what can be a lifelong love with pleasure in one hour increments-USA7 members should not encourage this adventure. Its not dangerous-just wrong.

 

Kevin Kearney

nearly 50 years of lotus driving

[Alfonse]

Actually, if that is the beautiful dark gray 7 that was Mighty Mikes, it will have more comfortable seats than mine. I would also be comfortable that it should be a relatively mechanically uneventful trip as far as problems. Congrats on buying that beauty!

 

It also has the wind deflector screen behind the roll bar, and might even have a half-hood. All of those will add to the comfort level, except the half-hood makes getting in and out a bit more adventurous.

 

I would probably ship it, but I'm not as young as I used to be.

[MightyMike]

Feel free to PM me with any questions about the Infinitybox (formerly ISIS) system. Regarding the comfort of the seats, I was sore as hell for several days after my drive from Houston. You may want to load up on motrin while driving. Eye protection with or without the top is a must.

[ropaSeven]

You might try locating some seven car owners along your travel path. There are long stretches between Denver and Kansas on I-70, so plan fuel stops closely. Goodland is first stop in Kansas, then Salina, Topeka and lastly Kansas City. In a normal car Denver to Kansas City is a good days drive (at 75 to 80 mph). Denver to Goodland will be flat, not much to see and could be very windy cross traffic. Kansas on I-70 will have some rolling hills. Missouri will be flat again with a few hills. There are some Locost, Caterham and Stalker owners in the Lawrence and Kansas City area. I think there are Stalker and WCM Ultralite folks in the St. Louis area. The side doors are very good for longer trips and if the car has a Birkini it will be very helpful keeping the sun shadowed. All others suggestions are valid.

 

Dale

Wichita, Kansas (South of Salina)

Birkin S3 Zetec

Stalker V6 3.4

Lotus Europa S2 Renault

[ropaSeven]

I forgot -- TA/Flying J and Petro - Pilot truck stops have apps for your smart phone and will locate those along your route.

 

Dale

[US Texas 7]

I say go for it Yeti. Must agree with everyone, even lotusman has some good points. Wife and I picked up our Ultralite S2K near Detroit and drove home to Waco Texas. 1300 miles in three days was a blast and would do it again today. We had no problems. Things I would recommend are Catz Eyez sky diving goggles. They are vented but keep everything out. HeadSweat cycling coolmax shorty to protect your head (from your local bicycle shop). Long sleeve shirts to keep sun off your arms. Can of Fix-a-flat. Chamois to dry the INSIDE of the windshield. Rope to secure baggage if needed. And a tarp or car cover just in case. Take back roads when possible and stop often. I have done this in all kinds of open cars and airplanes the past 50 years, every one was a great adventure. You and your son will remember this forever. Robert

Edited August 19, 2016 by US Texas 7

[jimrankin]

Yes, attenuators are sometimes called "earmuffs" but are designed to reduce noise, not keep your ears warm, and yes they are what you wear at the range.

Most police departments do not allow "headphones" on the highway as they are adding inside" sound while reducing outside input making it impossible to hear sirens etc. Attenuators are legal on motorcycles and open cars as they reduce noise less than a sealed car interior, especially if the car driver is playing music at 100DB ;-).

[jimrankin]

You might also thing about purchasing a set of communicators like made by Fox and others. They come with a throat mike so no wind noise being picked up in an open car and have the choice of one or two ear buds. Beats shouting back and forth especially if you are wearing the attenuators or helmets.

[Taber10]

Most police departments do not allow "headphones" on the highway as they are adding inside" sound while reducing outside input making it impossible to hear sirens etc. Attenuators are legal on motorcycles and open cars as they reduce noise less than a sealed car interior, especially if the car driver is playing music at 100DB ;-).

 

Joan and I drove the CAT7SV from Ben's place back to Florida's Panhandle in 2007. We wore our Bose Noise-cancelling headsets most of the way, usually removing them in small towns. Just outside of Childress, Texas and Sherriff's car approached from the rear, and followed us into the town. We of course immediately pulled off the headsets, I dropped mine into my lap so he wouldn't see them from behind. At a light in town, he pulled alongside of us, very close, and I happened to look up to see his passenger--a uniformed officer--staring right down at the headsets. But, when the light changed he took off, and outside of town we resumed wearing the headsets. They really help. But I like the idea of an intercom setup, like motorcycles use, but I'd like to find something that isn't designed to go with a helmet, like the ones I've found, or as expensive as the aircraft systems seem to be.

[Al N.]

I did 1200 miles in 3 days with a 16 year old "navigator", in a 1961 Series 2 that was fresh off a rebuild but not quite sorted. From Denver to LA.

 

We survived and the car made it. But it was an adventure, I tell you. Pack no more than a backpack each, assemble a tool kit of essentials when you are there. Travel with a spare gallon of gas in the boot. Oh, and helmets. Definitely helmets.

 

I'd recommend a day on the front end to familiarize yourself with the car as well.

[JohnCh]

I did 765 miles solo the day I bought my car, and 635 miles with a passenger on the way back from USA2005. I've also covered several thousand additional miles on subsequent tours, which included both freeways and backroads. As a device for covering a lot of freeway miles in a day, se7ens suck. Period. They are noisy, drafty, and "just" a bit lacking in creature comforts. However, blasting down deserted back roads for miles on end is a different story. If you love cars and the joy of pushing a communicative steed, there is simply no better experience. The positive and negative aspects of se7ening combine to make a memorable experience, which is just the sort of shared adventure that helps people bond. Prepare yourself and your son for the good and the bad and ensure you spend part of the trip on winding back roads and you'll create a memory that you can both talk about for years to come.

 

-John

[Yeti]

I have seen several people mention helmets. I guess being a bit naïve, why a helmet? What kind of helmet?

[Blokko]

I've driven long distance a few times in the UK (Normandy beaches in France to the Trossachs in Scotland for example) and for me the only things that made covering large distances bearable were headsets with comms and a 3.5mm audio jack so we could natter and listen to music, plus a SoftBits for Sevens Half Hood (for the crappy British weather). I know that the aeroscreen guys use helmets when transiting but I'd have thought it would be very hot and uncomfortable to try that in the US.

[Davemk1]

This may have been addressed but i don't recall seeing it...........but, and this is with all due respect and then some, have you driven a Seven before? If you have then you will have a good idea of what lay ahead of you and that is a very good thing. If not I would suggest doing what you can to take a drive, or get a ride, in one before embarking on your adventure.

 

I've owned two Sevens (a Birkin and my current Westfield) and many friends think it would be really fun to long distance tour in one.........and then I give them a 20 mile ride and they most often change their minds. Many will say something like "I know what it would be like because I got a ride in a Miata once" and the difference between a Seven and a 'normal' car like a Miata is much greater than most would anticipate. To me they are much more like a very low 4 wheeled motorcycle than they are a car.

 

I've loved most every mile I've logged in Sevens over the years (about 30,000 miles and counting) but I've never been seriously tempted to make a long distance road trip or spend any time on an interstate highway. But a sunny and cool weekend morning and some empty back roads and I'm in heaven.

 

I hope it all works out for you regardless of what you end up doing. These things are so much damn fun.

 

Enjoy.

 

dave

[Kitcat]

Helmets help quiet things down (but still use earplugs) and a layer of safety. A full face adds additional protection to your face wh/will get pinged by errant pebbles, etc, even with the windshield in place. Some express concern over possible legal violations. I never had an issue using a helmet in my 1000's of miles of road use of my se7ens. A bit like not putting on the front license plate here in Ohio. Yes, that breaks the law, no, I never got a ticket for it.

[Al N.]

Why helmets? Have you ever seen the face of one of the Stalker folks after a day of their Ambush meet? It's covered in soot/oil in pretty much every place that isn't covered (by goggles, etc.). Of course, they are usually grinning ear to ear.

 

Eye protection/general protection aside, I think helmets really help with the wind buffeting you'll experience driving a seven for prolonged stretches at speed. Frankly it beats you up and tires you out. 20 miles in one is VERY different than 2000.

 

As for what type? We bought motorcycle helmets. For my wife/daughter, Bell Mag 8 (not full face, but deep shield); for me, a Schuberth Concept 2 (full face, and pretty tricked out). With my new vintage car, I am seriously lusting after a Chapal period-correct helmet and visor, but have not plunked down the cash for that just yet.

[Yeti]

How does having the top on and the doors change the equation?

[scannon]

How does having the top on and the doors change the equation?

 

Yes but use a half hood/bikini top to keep some air flow through the cockpit. With full top and side curtains it will get unbearably hot inside unless someone has installed air conditioning. An alternative would be the full top with one or both side curtains off the car.

 

Drink lots of water.

 

I drove my Se7en from Denver to St. George, UT a couple of years ago in August in 105F temps with the bikini top and side curtains. Most of the time the passenger side curtain was on and the driver's side off. It was hot but not unbearable. I arrived in good condition.

[MichaelD]

The weekend I got my car I was home alone with nothing to do but drive my new toy. 103 degrees and 1500 miles later I had lost about 10 lbs and had one heck of a sunburn ans a smile from ear to ear.

 

Have a blast. Drink plenty of water and keep an extera gallon or two for the seven. just in case.

[Kitcat]

Not sure how the Birkin set up works but I did long trips in my Cat with the doors off but the top up and the rear window zipped out. Sitting in the open sun can be pretty tiring for days on end. So the top gives shade but the open doors (with wind deflectors in place) made for a nice balance of flowing air away from the sun.

Edited August 23, 2016 by Kitcat