Touring on a V7, Virginia to Canada

[pyoungbl]

For the past 12 months my riding buddy and I have talked about a ride from Virginia to Nova Scotia.  In the past we have done some long distance vacations so this was merely a different destination, not a new idea.  He rides a Norge.  I planned to take my Stelvio but that plan fell through  one day from departure so I switched to the V7.  Thus, no chance to prep the bike...it was run what you brung.  We blasted out of Portsmouth to Richmond on I64, caught US33 from there to WV, then US220 to Westport PA.  That was a 500 mile day in 91F heat.    rest stop on the Va-WV border.  From Westport we headed north and into New York.  Oh, and it started to rain...heavy rain.
That rain continued as we made our way up to the finger lakes region, then headed east across New York to Vermont.  The next day we crossed Vermont and New Hampshire into Maine...in more rain.  Man, those highways were rough! 
Our next day saw us on US1 headed north where we crossed into Canada at Van Buren.  This crossing is so small that there was no line and it was totally painless.  Thank goodness they had an awning because the rain came back with a gusto.  You can see that there was a black cloud following our trip.     Remember, there is no bad weather, just bad riding gear.  We were (mostly) dry. 
     Once in Canada we made our way across BC to cross over to Prince Edward Island on that 9 mile bridge.  Wow!  Then we spent a night in Elizabethtown.  That's worth doing again.

From there we caught the ferry over to Nova Scotia. 
Of course we had to tour Cape Breton and ride the Cabot Trail.  I  had been told that the Trail was a must do motorcycle ride.  Once was enough!  The east half of the trail was some of the roughest road of our trip and the west half, with nice pavement, had 5 bridges under construction so we had frequent stops for one lane highway and bridge construction.  That was a very long day.  Naturally, the next day brought rain for our ride to Halifax.  Once settled into our hotel we explored Halifax and had a great time. 
found a rum distillery and had to sample some.
The next day found us riding across Nova Scotia to catch another ferry, this time to St. Johns.  Along the way we stopped at the Hank Snow museum.  His big country hit was "I been everywhere".  This seemed appropriate because we feel like we have been everywhere! 
Then over to Digby for another ferry ride.  Now we had to start heading home so our route took us back into Maine. and another smooth boarder crossing.  I took some time to get a new rear tire on my bike since the tread was getting a bit thin for all the rain riding.  Next we took a cog train to the top of Mount Washington.  The 34% grade really gets your attention. 
Continuing on through Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and into Pennsylvania where we stayed in Westport again.  Man, what a fun town. home to little league baseball
another wonderful meal, this time oysters on the half shell.
Then a final blast home, for me that is Portsmouth.
All in all this was a 12 day trip covering about 4200 miles.  The only casualty was one of my shocks started to leak due to the extremely rough roads. .  The V7 performed flawlessly.  Don't let anyone tell you that the V7 is too small for touring.

[Bill Hagan]

For the past 12 months my riding buddy and I have talked about a ride from Virginia to Nova Scotia.  In the past we have done some long distance vacations so this was merely a different destination, not a new idea.  He rides a Norge.  I planned to take my Stelvio but that plan fell through  one day from departure so I switched to the V7. 

****

The V7 performed flawlessly.  Don't let anyone tell you that the V7 is too small for touring.

Great report & pix  ... and endorsement of the V7 as a tourer.

Bill

[alanp]

Wonderful report.  Thanks for taking the time to share.  Sorry to hear about the Cabot Trail.  I did it a couple of years ago on bicycle and had a great time there.  The roads were rough in places, but no construction to speak of.  We were lucky.

I have a brand new pair of stock shocks off a V7II if you are interested.  Do t know what they are worth, but I assume they would fit your bike.  I am sure someone on here knows for sure. 

[Kev m]

The shock failure sounds like a great excuse to upgrade!

[beetle]

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[redhawk47]

Peter,
Thanks for the trip report. Sounds like a great trip except, perhaps, for the rain.
I agree that the V7 is a great touring bike. In May I did Colorado to Arizona and back for the Gathering of Eagles NAR and Overland Expo. Camped out two-thirds and had no problems. About 2000 miles.
Regarding requirements for a touring bike: Ted Simon went around the world on a 500cc Triumph. His trip qualifies as "hard core Adventure touring", and the bike had "road" suspension.

[malik]

Well done & thanks for the report. Glad to hear the V7 performed well (as expected).

Mal

[Muzz]

Great trip report thanks Peter.

I find my Breva absolutely ideal for touring. Enough power but not too heavy to wrestle around if I have to and great fun in the twisties.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks for the pix.. but everybody knows you gotta have 900 lbs. of road hugging weight to tour..

[Aaron D.]

Nice ride, nice report! Too bad the weather wasn't nicer.

I saw Hank Snow in concert in Charlottetown. Actually it was my mom's idea!

[JediMasterII]

Great pictures!

What windshield is that?

Don

[SmithSwede]

Great report and pictures.    Another small block getting the job done.

[pyoungbl]

Jed, that's a Gustaffson custom shield.  I think it's 4" taller than the Guzzi optional shield.  https://bikescreen.com/

Peter Y.

[pyoungbl]

Two guys touring on motorcycles...you get to actually meet people and enjoy the experience.  Any more than about three bikes and you miss a lot, people are less likely to approach and talk.  We met lots of folks:
Chris, the bar/motel owner moved from Portland so he could offer his son a small town experience
Tonya is the General Manager for a hotel/restaurant her family bought 7 months ago.  She's 4'10" tall but her personality makes her seem tall
our server in Charlottetown was from Lebanon, second generation in PEI.  She told us all about the various oyster varieties served.
met these two social workers in PEI, learned about the various drug problems...seems like that stuff is everywhere
two physical therapists in PEI for a conference
the bar tender in the rum distillary told us all about the various kinds of rum
just across the boarder, back into Maine, this man told us all about living in small town Maine...on his way to drop off a load of firewood at his son's house
the Honda/Kawi dealer who put on a new tire...on a Monday...in Maine.  He also collects motorcycles, must have 40 at home.
this guy was fascinating...lives in Florida now but comes back to PA where he owns a couple houses.  He had Nortons and other classic bikes 'back in the day', just sold a Ferarri. 

My point is that motorcycle touring is much more than the destination.  It's an adventure.  Yes, there can be a bit of discomfort.  At the same time, the people you meet all blend to make the whole experience richer.  We try to take photos of all the people we meet so we won't forget.

Peter Y.