Time for a long road trip

[Rich A]

I might add a comment regarding helmets on road trips. Try to make sure your helmet is comfortable for the long haul. Most of mine have gotten at least a little uncomfortable after 3 to 5 hrs. The worst have become downright painful after 1 to 2 hrs.

Rich A

[Gliderjohn]

As the owner of a 2012 Norge, it is a great road bike that will eat the miles but...in any significant side wind the wind will curl up from the windward side and dope slap the crap out of your head, I mean bad. Change of windshield or different height settings make no difference.
GliderJohn

[Chuck in Indiana]

As the owner of a 2012 Norge, it is a great road bike that will eat the miles but...in any significant side wind the wind will curl up from the windward side and dope slap the crap out of your head, I mean bad. Change of windshield or different height settings make no difference.
GliderJohn

Yep, BTDT..

[Rough Edge racing]

 I looked at the bikes I mentioned..The owner is 81 years old and say in the last few years he has lost the ability to ride a bike safely..Two BMW's.. A 73-1/2 750 with a Windjammer fairing, 80,000 miles in original condition..It has not been used in 12 years, the engine turned over with the kick start....I'm not interested in a 750 BMW drum brake bike for touring...The second bike is a 2000 1150RT with 9500 miles. Last ran in 2009. I was in excellent shape, but..The owner said he tried to start it 8 years ago but the fuel pump didn't run...I didn't like the style all that much, the fuel pump problem might be just a fuse, a pump or an expensive ECU.Seems a bit odd the guy let it sit all this time rather than repairing it..Both machines would need total servicing ,new tires, batteries....He said both for $3500 with titles in his name....My neighbor is on the fence about buying them to resell once they are running....
  I'm far more interested in a big bore Guzzi or Ducati  ST2.....

[Moto]

As the owner of a 2012 Norge, it is a great road bike that will eat the miles but...in any significant side wind the wind will curl up from the windward side and dope slap the crap out of your head, I mean bad. Change of windshield or different height settings make no difference.
GliderJohn

Well that is one thing in favor of a Griso with a flyscreen and a cruise control as a long distance tourer. No buffeting, though rain protection requires an additional screen.

The riding position of a Griso is also a matter of taste, and even I have to admit that it gets old on long hauls, especially for my legs. The passenger pegs aren't that much better, I find.

Moto

[malik]

The 1150 BMW? I've Guzzi riding friends who have or have had these in their stable, and, once sorted, have been singularly impressed. But, the styling is, shall we say, unfortunate. A Guzzi big block sounds a much more appealing alternative - a 2V 1200 Sport, a V11, even an SP - now you're cooking with gas. Don't settle for reasonable, or sensible, get something that excites. For Me, it's the 1100 Sport that does it - I have found it to be the most most comfortable long distance tourer ever - 5'11 (used to 5'11 & 1/2), 175lb, & reasonably flexible - muscle aches at the end of the first day, not a twinge thereafter - a bit of a challenge to fit gear onto, but then you're not camping - but that bike is exciting, just sitting there, parked, exciting at idle, that lumpy engine & rattle of the floating discs crawling in 1st, & on the open road & sweepers - sublime. Mind you, it's not the ideal bike for gravel roads, nor for sustained tight twisties but it makes up for it everywhere else.

[ScepticalScotty]

1200 Sport with hard luggage seems like a really good option to me. I tour all over the place on my Breva750 with 2 x HB cases and a Guzzi tankbag. Happy as Larry.

Great advice to start out with 4 day trips, sort of like breaking yourself in gently. I believe there is such a thing as "bike fit" where if I have not done a longer trip for a while I get really tired the first day or two before I settle into it. As Luap says, take your time and see the sights. Especially on the first big one. Chill out.

I often tour with a freind on his Norge and our plan is we have no plan! We have a good breakfast, set off about 9am, very light lunch in the middle of the day (bagette and cheese in France, jamon serrano and cheese baggette in Catalonia, and then ride until 5 ish and start looking for a hotel. Shower get changed and hit the town and see the sights!! Repeat next day etc etc...

[ohiorider]

1200 Sport with hard luggage seems like a really good option to me. I tour all over the place on my Breva750 with 2 x HB cases and a Guzzi tankbag. Happy as Larry.

Great advice to start out with 4 day trips, sort of like breaking yourself in gently. I believe there is such a thing as "bike fit" where if I have not done a longer trip for a while I get really tired the first day or two before I settle into it. As Luap says, take your time and see the sights. Especially on the first big one. Chill out.

I often tour with a freind on his Norge and our plan is we have no plan! We have a good breakfast, set off about 9am, very light lunch in the middle of the day (bagette and cheese in France, jamon serrano and cheese baggette in Catalonia, and then ride until 5 ish and start looking for a hotel. Shower get changed and hit the town and see the sights!! Repeat next day etc etc...

My 1200 Sport has become slightly top-heavy (for me) for riding around town with lots of stops, but for a road trip of several hundred miles a day, my 2v Sport is a delight.  I have mine outfitted with Bagster tank bra (cover,) small Bagster tank bag for rain suit, camera, and a few other odds and ends, Hepco Becker mounts and HB 30 Liter hard bags (with liners.)  Also a rear rack (HB) that doesn't get installed until I need to carry tent, sleeping bag, etc.  Also installed an Aprilia Mana handlebar and adjustable footpegs adjusted slightly forward and lower.

I like riding without a barn door windshield.  The small 1200 Sport bikini fairing, plus the shape of the fuel tank, gives me all the protection I need, in combination with a full face helmet. I'm 5'8", 160#, with 30" inseam.

CARC Forever!

Bob





Here she is, without tank bag and rear rack.  Still ready for a road trip!

[Lannis]

I got back from a 3,151 mile, 7 day trip a couple weeks ago. The only thing I wished for was more time.  I averaged 450 miles per day and the longest day I had in the saddle was 12 hours flat at 804 miles. That was way too much and exhausting.  Plus, I visited 3 sets of people for around 36 hours each too. I wish now that I could have stretched it out to 12 or 14 days and went to see the Grand Canyon while I was only 100 miles away from it.  The way I did this trip was not too much fun, but much needed "me time".

Advice: Take your time. Enjoy things. If you see a historical marker sign, check it out. I say this because I wish I had.

Next year, I'm gonna do another solo trip to the Southeastern states and take my time. I might even tame the dragon.

Fay and I are in the middle of what's turning out to be a month long 7 or 8000 mile ride. We're being flexible, stopping to see what we want, picking each day's route the night before from a road atlas. My max cruising speed is 75, our average speed (ignition-on time) is 45.6, we stop at pretty overlooks, stay in older courtyard motels ($66 tonight), we'd never make any time if we were camping. We're in a groove now and the ride is getting better. Oklahoma 'the hard way' tomorrow, starting at the west end of the panhandle and taking 64 and 60 across.

Lannis

[jumpmaster]

Fay and I are in the middle of what's turning out to be a month long 7 or 8000 mile ride. We're being flexible, stopping to see what we want, picking each day's route the night before from a road atlas.

My spouse & I have done 4 1K+ mile trips this spring & summer, the longest one about 2.5K miles.  I'm inclined, on my own, to aim for 700 to 1,000 mile days, but my wife has tamed my enthusiasm considerably down to 350 - 500 mile days.  Her technique is to get us enrolled in Tour of Honor riding, which encourages me to get off the big roads and into small towns along the way to where we're going; I try to pick at least 2 side-trips/stops per day, to break up the ride.  Any similar "hobby" to combine with the ride itself (I.e. national/state parks, famous or obscure old roadside attractions, etc.) will do the same thing. 

[Rough Edge racing]

  Lannis, what bike are you and Fay riding?

  I'm not the guy for pounding down the Interstate all day long unless I was being chased by killer clowns...I also like a bike that looks like a bike and not a jelly bean with wheels...And a bike with thrust when the throttle is rolled is a must. ..
 I'm thinking now that something like a Guzzi sport or a big bore Ducati with just enough fairing to make it reasonably comfortable is good.  Paying attention to the seating and handlebars to suit me would go a long ways..
  There's many  Buells out there for reasonable prices..I had a Buell but not sure I want to go there again...

[twowheeladdict]

  Lannis, what bike are you and Fay riding?

  I'm not the guy for pounding down the Interstate all day long unless I was being chased by killer clowns...I also like a bike that looks like a bike and not a jelly bean with wheels...And a bike with thrust when the throttle is rolled is a must. ..
 I'm thinking now that something like a Guzzi sport or a big bore Ducati with just enough fairing to make it reasonably comfortable is good.  Paying attention to the seating and handlebars to suit me would go a long ways..
  There's many  Buells out there for reasonable prices..I had a Buell but not sure I want to go there again...

I believe he is on one of these.





An amazing motorcycle for putting down the miles and handles the curvy roads really nice.  Best handling sport touring bike I have ridden.

Electronic suspension, electric windshield, heated grips, accessory outlets, bluetooth, etc. 

[jumpmaster]

I
An amazing motorcycle for putting down the miles and handles the curvy roads really nice.  Best handling sport touring bike I have ridden.

Electronic suspension, electric windshield, heated grips, accessory outlets, bluetooth, etc.

Any mechanical issues in the time you've owned it?  I test rode one last spring, thinking to downsize from my Harley, but my designated passenger wasn't as impressed as I was with the bike.  She's also leery of the lack of a strong dealer network outside of major metro areas...  She has the same issue with the Norge.

[oilhed]

I like riding without a barn door windshield.  The small 1200 Sport bikini fairing, plus the shape of the fuel tank, gives me all the protection I need, in combination with a full face helmet. I'm 5'8", 160#, with 30" inseam.

CARC Forever!

Bob





Here she is, without tank bag and rear rack.  Still ready for a road trip!

Beauty bike.  Great model!  The H&B bags look right, too.

[PeteS]

Rough, you can't go wrong with any 3 cylinder Triumph. 800-1200. My Tiger 800 makes. 82 RWHP, torque everywhere, 12 second 1/4ers, 128 top. Times similar to a buell.  They get quicker from there. You can find them in your price range.

Pete

[Lannis]

  Lannis, what bike are you and Fay riding?

  I'm not the guy for pounding down the Interstate all day long unless I was being chased by killer clowns...I also like a bike that looks like a bike and not a jelly bean with wheels...And a bike with thrust when the throttle is rolled is a must. ..
 I'm thinking now that something like a Guzzi sport or a big bore Ducati with just enough fairing to make it reasonably comfortable is good.  Paying attention to the seating and handlebars to suit me would go a long ways..
  There's many  Buells out there for reasonable prices..I had a Buell but not sure I want to go there again...

We're on our Triumph Trophy 1215 triple. As noted, all day comfort, 130 horsepower so you can pass anything anywhere, low maintenance, handles great. A LOT like the Stelvio except it growls instead of thumps...

[Rough Edge racing]

  I really prefer a two cylinder V twin with just a fairing...I want to suffer a bit...

[Moto]

  I really prefer a two cylinder V twin with just a fairing...I want to suffer a bit...

Well, maybe you *should* consider a Griso. They are pretty good on gravel too, in my experience. (Concerning real gravel, consult Kiwi_Roy's post about his recent trip to the Arctic Circle on his Griso 1100!)

They pack up well enough for camping if you ever decide to try that too:

[Rough Edge racing]

 Seller offered me this bike for $3300....Not an Italian V twin but reasonably light weight, simple and looks like motorcycle..It won't be as punchy as a big Guzzi or Ducati but for solo riding it'll run at high speed no problem..I have never ridden a BMW like this, I expect the bike to pitch around some during gear changes and have reasonable handling and smooth at high speeds?  I might go look at it ...

       https://buffalo.craigslist.org/mcy/d/1982-bmw-r100/6698488614.html

[twowheeladdict]

Any mechanical issues in the time you've owned it?  I test rode one last spring, thinking to downsize from my Harley, but my designated passenger wasn't as impressed as I was with the bike.  She's also leery of the lack of a strong dealer network outside of major metro areas...  She has the same issue with the Norge.

I only owned this one 10,000 miles and one year.  In that time I has warped front rotors.  The ride was amazing but the weather protection was so good I couldn't stand riding it from April to October while wearing protective riding gear.  In hindsight I should have kept it for a winter bike and traded my Road Glide Ultra for a Road King Special. 

My local dealer lost Triumph and the next closest was 2 1/2 hours away.  It was summer and I was motivated to make a trade.

It has a tall seat height and holds 7 or more gallons of fuel so it feels heavier at a light than the Road Glide. 

[Huzo]

  I really prefer a two cylinder V twin with just a fairing...I want to suffer a bit...

I reckon that's an astute observation RE..
If you don't feel a bit rooted at the end of the day, you might as well have gone in a bloody beige Toyota Camry wearing your favourite cream cardigan and apricot cravat, with a Stars and Stripes head scarf so you feel a bit "edgy"..!
The damn thing is a motorbike...!
Grisseling about the "buffeting" is soft as...
Wind is the world of reality telling you you're doing something different that the cagers will never feel..
Embrace it..!

[Huzo]

Well, maybe you *should* consider a Griso. They are pretty good on gravel too, in my experience. (Concerning real gravel, consult Kiwi_Roy's post about his recent trip to the Arctic Circle on his Griso 1100!)

They pack up well enough for camping if you ever decide to try that too:

Another few hundred k's North and it becomes ice/gravel..

[Tusayan]

Seller offered me this bike for $3300....Not an Italian V twin but reasonably light weight, simple and looks like motorcycle..It won't be as punchy as a big Guzzi or Ducati but for solo riding it'll run at high speed no problem..I have never ridden a BMW like this, I expect the bike to pitch around some during gear changes and have reasonable handling and smooth at high speeds?  I might go look at it ...

       https://buffalo.craigslist.org/mcy/d/1982-bmw-r100/6698488614.html

An '82 R100S is a pleasant, low key motorcycle with about the same engine performance as a Guzzi of the same era.  Plenty smooth at speed.  The chassis and brakes are not as good as the Guzzi (this was the case until the later paralever equipped BMWs) but depending on how you're built the BMW's comfort may be higher.  A point to watch for on 1980-84 BMWs is receding valves, in 1980 they changed the seat material to address unleaded fuel and in tried-and-true BMW fashion made the problem much worse.   I believe sometime about 1985 they came up with a solution that actually works and to update an earlier bike you need new valves and (importantly) new valve seats.

[Rough Edge racing]

An '82 R100S is a pleasant, low key motorcycle with about the same engine performance as a Guzzi of the same era.  Plenty smooth at speed.  The chassis and brakes are not as good as the Guzzi (this was the case until the later paralever equipped BMWs) but depending on how you're built the BMW's comfort may be higher.  A point to watch for on 1980-84 BMWs is receding valves, in 1980 they changed the seat material to address unleaded fuel and in tried-and-true BMW fashion made the problem much worse.   I believe sometime about 1985 they came up with a solution that actually works and to update an earlier bike you need new valves and (importantly) new valve seats.

 Thanks for the info...I'm 6 foot ,175 lbs ....I have the 900 Monster for hooligan riding, the 79 Triumph 750 for hooligan riding...So a third bike should be a "pleasant low key" bike... it's two hours from home, taking a trailer  money and Pretus Rocks from this site who owns a airhead BMW... The bike has full service records and an actual 66,000 miles...So the valve work might be done...or ready to be done...The seller claims he would not hesitate to ride it cross country ....

[Moto]

Thanks for the info...I'm 6 foot ,175 lbs ....I have the 900 Monster for hooligan riding, the 79 Triumph 750 for hooligan riding...So a third bike should be a "pleasant low key" bike... it's two hours from home, taking a trailer  money and Pretus Rocks from this site who owns a airhead BMW... The bike has full service records and an actual 66,000 miles...So the valve work might be done...or ready to be done...The seller claims he would not hesitate to ride it cross country ....

You never know. I felt the same way about buying and riding a then comparably old R90/6 on a 1500 mile junket. The shift return spring broke and jammed the shifter hundreds of miles away from anyone who would service it. I wound up riding in second gear all the way up the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Sometimes old bikes are just old bikes, no matter what their reputation was as new bikes.

[Tusayan]

You never know. I felt the same way about buying and riding a then comparably old R90/6 on a 1500 mile junket. The shift return spring broke and jammed the shifter hundreds of miles away from anyone who would service it. I wound up riding in second gear all the way up the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Sometimes old bikes are just old bikes, no matter what their reputation was as new bikes.

FYI for next time, if you flip the BMW upside down you can shift it to third gear and that works better for getting 'home'     An old 'GS in the middle of nowhere' trick.  Or you could use one of these...

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/emergency-shifting-tool.htm  (home made)

http://www.boxer2valve.com/motorcycle/2399541.html (store bought)

As with V11 Sports, shifter springs on airhead BMWs break occasionally, and did so then as much as now.  Its not really an old bike thing.

[Chuck in Indiana]

As with V11 Sports, shifter springs on airhead BMWs break occasionally,

We've cured that V11 Sport pawl spring issue. 

An '82 R100S is a pleasant, low key motorcycle with about the same engine performance as a Guzzi of the same era.  Plenty smooth at speed.  The chassis and brakes are not as good as the Guzzi (this was the case until the later paralever equipped BMWs) but depending on how you're built the BMW's comfort may be higher.  A point to watch for on 1980-84 BMWs is receding valves, in 1980 they changed the seat material to address unleaded fuel and in tried-and-true BMW fashion made the problem much worse.   I believe sometime about 1985 they came up with a solution that actually works and to update an earlier bike you need new valves and (importantly) new valve seats.

I've had an R100RT, and my 79 G5 would out perform it in any measurable way.. and.. not have a boring engine. 
Austin, the kid that is working in my shop, was brought up in a BMW family. I sent him out on the G5, and he immediately started looking for one. <shrug>
Get a Guzzi.. 

[Tusayan]

I have about 150K miles on a LeMans and a 1000SP combined as well as maybe 80k on R100GS's.  The best engine performance would be the LeMans, the SP engine performance is about the same as the BMW. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

I have about 150K miles on a LeMans and a 1000SP combined as well as maybe 80k on R100GS's.  The best engine performance would be the LeMans, the SP engine performance is about the same as the BMW.

Not the same "character" though.. <shrug>  Yeah, I had a 1000SP, too.

[Tusayan]

Read a contemporary test on a small valve Guzzi with 30-mm carbs and you'll find that its probably the slowest accelerating large motorcycle that was then available.

1000SP quarter mile in 14.29 seconds at 91 mph

http://www.yeoldecycleshoppe.com/roadtestlibrary/2016/11/1/1979-moto-guzzi-1000-sp-road-test

BMW R100CS quarter mile in 13.18 seconds at 101 mph

http://www.yeoldecycleshoppe.com/roadtestlibrary/2017/1/5/1981-bmw-r100cs-road-test

(Both tests by Cycle World)

There are other aspects to engine performance that I think overcome the touring Guzzi's notably slow acceleration and make it overall about the same as the BMW in engine performance.  Also, you can install 36-mm carbs and lighten the flywheel, which in combination probably make it accelerate roughly as well.