Talk Morgan Forums Community Welcome Forum Hello, and how far?

Hi All,

I'll be getting a Roadster, my first Morgan in April, and was planning on a trip to Switzerland in the summer.

I was curious what distance is it sensible to plan to cover each day, before the wind, noise, water leaks etc drive us nuts? I'm still in my 30's if that makes any difference

Many thanks,

Nigel

The most I'll drive my racer on the road is 3hrs at a push.. 2 is about when I've had enough TBH.

The Aero can be all day no problems..

A Roadster I suspect is probably 3-4hrs.

I'm 30 also...

Roadster has enough Nm to keep you going without tiring yourselve,
also suspension is a lot better than before (well, compared to 1978),

my most is 9hrs on one day
and yes, I was tired, and the gearbox was so hot I had to put a book in between my leg and the leather covering the box

most tiring: being sick and still going to the Ring, 750km
then I had a buddy driving me home

7hrs on a day with a few nice stops are "easy"

BUT: YOU HAVE TO USE EARPLUGS!!!!!!
I've got a stock of 60pairs under my seat for 2010!!!!!

Welcome Nigel.

Another factor to consider s your height. If you able to get down, behind the screen, this will help with buffeting and wind noise.

As 1560 has said, ear plugs are a good idea for longer journeys; however, it is the buffeting on the top of my head which I find more annoying on long journeys in a convertible (however, the top of my head sits above the top of the front screen )

The longest non stop I've driven A Morgan for is 36 hours ish including food and fuel stops, but I was only 17 then, been in the car for 20 + hours many times thow and never been a problem.

Just treat it like any other car, I would think you want to drive for about 3-4 hours before having a rest for 30 mins to an hour, they prefer A and B roads to motorways so take that into account when planning your route.

And if you have the oiler system swapped for grease nipples take a grease gun with you if your going that far.

Nigel,
We do South Wales to Le Mans a couple of times most years in a 4/4 and have also done SW to the Italian Lakes through Bavaria.
Simon's observations re windscreens are very close to my heart because I'm 6'3"
I also think Jim M's comments are very to the point- especially M- ways or A Bahns- there is something very disconcerting about the realisation that you are only level with every juggernaut driver's hubcaps!
Never have done earplugs but if your head does protrude above the screen then I'd agree with what the others have said
One thing you might want to consider - and I know different people have different views on this- is to keep the weight within the axles, ie not hang a big case on the luggage rack. For this reason I use fitted luggage but, as I say, opinions vary
regards,
G

Having done a lot of roof down euro touring in the aero I find that 2 hour stints with short breaks (essential for refuelling anyway) works well. More than 10 hours on the road tends to be too much as after that your reactions are not so sharp.

Heading to switzerland my routine is usually something like

Night before - head to chunnel for 8pm over the chunnel and stop around rouen / reims.
Day 1 early start and drive to destination.

That means its only 1 day spent on the road, the bonus being that the speed cops are in bed and the roads are clear around calais during the night before section..

When we, Mrs H3 and I, took delivery of our roadster in fall 08, we made a 4000km Tour de France with it, straight from Morgan France.

Our average distance between hotels was around 200km on b roads, relax.

I think you can make a lot more as the roadster is a comfortable & performant car (more than you think), but, in this kind of journey, the road is the pleasure as well as the hotel.

An other parameter is the weather, the kind of road you plan to do, etc etc...

200km on a nice sunny b road, under the hazel trees, with little rabbits crossing and a sexy pic-nic stop at noon, are not the sames on a rainy motorway jammed by bulgarian lorry drivers...


H3

Hello Nigel,

last December I picked my 4/4 Sports up in the UK and drove it all the way to Switzerland.
The first day I just drove for 300 km until Calais. Most of the time with the hood down. Took me more than 4 hrs due to the heavy traffic in the UK. That was a bit stressful as this was my very first longer drive in a Morgan and I have a LHD...

The next day I covered the final 700 km from Calais to Switzerland on the french highways with the hood up (due to light rain) in 8 hrs. Absolutely no problem. I felt comfortable during the ride and just squeezed a few coffee stops into my schedule.

Thanks for all the information guys, much appreciated.

Mrs is now checking out the luggage in the other thread, this could get expensive...