YOU CANT TOUR WITH THAT!.....

[SED]

Love it.  Also applies to old bikes.  Northern Wyoming on the way back to Seattle area - unsupported - 130 years combined.

[PJPR01]

Love it.  Also applies to old bikes.  Northern Wyoming on the way back to Seattle area - unsupported - 130 years combined.

Impressive and beautiful!   Nice pair!

[MotoChuck250]

In the summer of 1983 I was working for the Moto Guzzi dealer in Wichita, Ron Garcia when this thin scroungy looking dude showed up on a Yamaha QT50.

He was going from the Appalachians to California taking back roads.  He could not have weighed more than 140 lbs. and looked pretty bedraggled. He had a bed roll and a small pack that could not have contained more than one change of clothes.  He also had a scrawny sickly looking little dog that rode in a milk crate lashed onto the rear rack.  He said that his bike had been running poorly and it would not get much above 20 mph any more.  Ron and I both guessed that his exhaust pipe would be mostly plugged with carbon and we were right.  I took off the pipe and burned a lot of crud out with a oxy/fuel torch and chipped away a bunch of carbon in the exhaust port of the cylinder.  Ron told him to back off the oil mix just a bit and if he could afford it to start using synthetic oil for mixing. Test riding it, he was now able to get just over 30 mph which was about par for those bikes. I checked the rest of the bike over and sent him on his way charging him a minimal amount. Never heard from him again but always wondered what kind of adventures he had and if he made it to California.

[Arizona Wayne]

  a moped w/shaft drive?  Talk about  low maintenance!

[MotoChuck250]

a moped w/shaft drive?  Talk about  low maintenance!

Yeah! I remember thinking that also.

 The bike had already made it about half way across the country by the time he got to Kansas and the only major problem I saw was the carboned up exhaust system. I can't say as I remember the condition of the tires but I would have pointed it out to him if they had been a serious problem.

[oldbike54]

 Technically that isn't a mo-ped , since there are no pedals 

 Heck fellas , everything from Goldwings to 680 CC Douglass L twins to real 25 CC mo-peds have been ridden around the world , an actual Honda step thru with their build quality and support would be a piece of cake .

 Dusty

[Lannis]

Never heard from him again but always wondered what kind of adventures he had and if he made it to California.

Whether he did or not, I'm sure it was worth the trip.   Perhaps "the journey", and not California, was the destination in this case ...

Lannis

[Sasquatch Jim]

  You can tour on anything.  Proof-http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/3692507-151/from-coast-to-coast-on-one-wheel

[Tom]

'ey Jimmy!  Fixed it for you.  http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/3692507-151/from-coast-to-coast-on-one-wheel

[Arizona Wayne]

'ey Jimmy!  Fixed it for you.  http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/3692507-151/from-coast-to-coast-on-one-wheel

When I 1st started to read this article I thought, this rider doesn't know what he's getting himself into...and found out I was right as he's never been near the western half of the country.  Starting on the Oregon coast he's already seeing parts of the US like never before.  Traversing 40 miles/day is going to make for a long trip back to Louisiana and a lot of stops in the middle of nowhere.  I'll bet he changes his plans.

[Tom]

I wonder if he finished.    I'll try his blog again.  You couldn't tote enough water to get across E. Oregon and Utah.  The article is from the 15th of Nov. 2015.

[Lannis]

When I 1st started to read this article I thought, this rider doesn't know what he's getting himself into...and found out I was right as he's never been near the western half of the country.  Starting on the Oregon coast he's already seeing parts of the US like never before.  Traversing 40 miles/day is going to make for a long trip back to Louisiana and a lot of stops in the middle of nowhere.  I'll bet he changes his plans.

"Greyhound lost his luggage including his unicycle ..."

If you've ridden a bus lately, that statement won't surprise you .....

Lannis

[redrider90]

This is my all time favorite even though it is on "4" wheels. The Straight Story about Alvin Straight at 73 years old and nearly blind traveling 250 miles with his lawn mower to see his dying brother.

[Arizona Wayne]

"Greyhound lost his luggage including his unicycle ..."

If you've ridden a bus lately, that statement won't surprise you .....

Lannis

In `99 3 of us new MC retirees had just retired from our day jobs and decided to go to that years Dayton Bike Week via Greyhound Bus since we now had more time than $ and GH had just gotten over a strike where you could ride via GH for $159 round trip.  I had a Navy buddy who would pick us up @ the Jacksonville GH station when we got there and take us to Daytona.  My ticket was different than there's even tho all 3 of us were leaving from Sacramento, Ca.  Even tho we all started together we found out the cross country Express changed @ Dallas, Texas.  No longer was the trip express.  Instead it turned into local runs all the way to Florida.  Which made it more interesting.  By the time we made it to Jacksonville I found out my extra cargo got there before I did.    That was because I wanted to stay with my buddies.  Since there were no showers to & from by Florida we were pretty ripe.    In fact in Georgia the black GH riders thought we were white trash.     Anyway, if you really want to know what this USA is really about you need to ride a GH bus across it to get a real education.    1 of us flew back rather than bus back. 

[Numbercruncher]

I am as guilty of anyone when it comes to having the perfect bike for the perfect trip and think it is much more important to just make the trip happen.

But I do have my limits.

A step through, scooter or other moped like device is certainly easy enough to handle but the comment about cracking subframes is much more likely to happen on a toy like one of these.  For long distance I would not want anything less than a 650 single but even a KLR 650 is in the 400 pound range.  I might be able to make a trip on a bike like a Beta dual sport but that would be for that fantasy trip where everything is off-road and under 60 mph.  My only concern with rougher roads like you'll find on the way to Alaska is the calcium chloride which can ruin a nice bike. Even while ADV riding I don't want much more than really rough gravel as I am all about the sight seeing. 

So for me there are really at least two bikes needed for long distance travel and maybe 3.  A very off-road worthy bike like an Africa Twin or BMW F800GS and then a straight touring bike with zero ADV capability where I'll be on pavement all the time.  The problem is that I grew up off-road and I am drawn to forest roads like a labrador is to water.  So while I might really like a new Mulxistrda and if I had bucks I would certainly own one, a Stelvio would make a lot more sense.  That bike has plenty of torque for passing at speed and heavy loads and with the 19"/17" tire combination I can get a little bit of a knobby tire and have the comfort needed to take it on the aforementioned off-road excursions.

But the step through/moped/scooter for me would be a fantasy ride just to prove that the Al-Can could be traversed on such a bike.  And yes it can.  If you go 10mph on the rougher sections.  And let's not forget that many people on those smaller bikes are older/female/or very small in stature and would LOVE to ride a bigger more powerful and comfortable bike if they could.  The bigger engines make high speed running a lot easier and the power makes passing evasive maneuvers safer as well.

NC

[Arizona Wayne]

That American Indian MC world traveler Dr. Frazier rides whatever size bike is appropriate for the journey, renting small bikes like in Polynesian countries/islands.  His home is in Montana.  He writes articles about his world trips for different bike mags including http://citybike.com

In the November issue of CB there is an article about the V7III (pg.20)and the rider compares it to the V9 he's ridden.  Think you will enjoy this article.

[MMRanch]

For one of my trips for the years of 2016 and 2015  , I took my 30 HP Suzuki LS-650 to South Texas for a week long ride .   Yea , it don't take much HP to run down the Super-Slab at 70-75 mph. even with a rear seat full of luggage .   It took two days to get there both times .   Its about 1200 miles from middle Tn. to South Tx.   Some near 3500 mile extended weeks.






how to upload pictures online


Stone-Hinge in South Texas ... well , a copy !   

[Aaron D.]

I think adventure riding is still wrapped up with big dirt oriented stuff, which can hold folks back from going on adventures.

[Arizona Wayne]

For one of my trips for the years of 2016 and 2015  , I took my 30 HP Suzuki LS-650 to South Texas for a week long ride .   Yea , it don't take much HP to run down the Super-Slab at 70-75 mph. even with a rear seat full of luggage .   It took two days to get there both times .   Its about 1200 miles from middle Tn. to South Tx.   Some near 3500 mile extended weeks.






how to upload pictures online


Stone-Hinge in South Texas ... well , a copy !   

I'll tell you right now from Texas to the west coast with that tiny gas tank you'd be in a world of hurt unless you carried a lot of gas  too 'cause out west gas stations are not near as common as back east.  If you can't go at least 200 miles on a tank you better carry more gas. 

[Aaron D.]

We did carry extra fuel out west on our bikes-which don't get anywhere NEAR 200 miles to a tank (which I also believe to be a good range) but we never needed it.

[wavedog]

Fuel range is king. Especially for me when I ride the west. My old K75 had great range. My VFR not so much. Many times on the VFR I had to turn around, find fuel and an alternate route. I liked the range that my 650 Oui Strom had. It allowed me a great degree of freedom to wander. And get lost - which I did. Good thing I carried two extra gallons of gas. I would ride a hundred plus miles, turn off onto an interesting dirt road, ride into the mountains for a hundred miles and camp for a few days then try to find my way back. Needed the extra fuel. GPS? Naw, I am a sextant and chronometer man, myself.
 Riding in the eastern U.S. fuel is more readily available. Smaller tanks are ok.
My brother has about nine or ten motorcycles, one of which is a Harley FL touring model of some sort. Which bike does he day trip on most of the time for rides up to 150 miles? The Honda Ruckus of course. Strap on a tent, sandwich, bottle of comfort, gallon of gas and head out to the hills for an overnighter.
 Years ago my mom and dad used to ride Yamaha HT-1 enduros in Japan and did some light touring. Dad got a CB-350 and he and mom toured Japan on that bike. Touring on small bikes is a great way to see the country. Unfortunately, in the U.S. it is a great way to get run over.

[Gliderjohn]

Sorry for the crappy picture but I toured all over the midwest and the Ozarks with this 77 GS400. My luggage was a homemade paisley duffel bag strapped to the back seat. In stock condition the only time I couldn't cruise 75mph was against a strong wind and uphill. Later put in a big bore kit, cam, bigger carbs, and a port and polish.  Was a lot of fun in the Ozarks.



GliderJohn

[ScepticalScotty]

Smaller bikes come into their own when the going gets tough, like in the middle of Botswana or Vietnam.

[Lannis]

Smaller bikes come into their own when the going gets tough, like in the middle of Botswana or Vietnam.

You would think so, but (as I've commented before) some people insist on adventure riding across them on gigantic half-ton-gross 100 horsepower machines.

It's been suggested that the reason they do that to make it more of a challenge, and maybe that's right.   Seems a silly sort of challenge though, like through-hiking the Appalachian Trail with an iron weight chained to your leg or with a bowling ball under your hat ....

Lannis

[Lannis]

Well I can say this, I crossed the Andes  and got up to near 20K feet. There were two of us on new R1150 GSs about 550 lb + 100 # of gear.
They only have 75 hp to the rear and we needed the gear we were carrying. Across the pampa seca the wind was fierce (worst I had ever seen even in the Sahara) and a long way between good gas!

Anything less than that panzer would have been more than a challenge. So equipment selection depends on what the mission is.

Santiago to Buenos Aries.

:-)

Horses for courses ... if you're pulling a big load up to 20,000 feet, then yeah, you need a big tractor.

I guess I'm referring to the hosts of travelogues I've read where people are crossing 1000 miles of muddy jungle, crossing 500 creeks on rafts and canoes, riding over miles of axle-breaking rocks ... and the whole tale is about cracking subframes, broken rope bridges, rafts sunk with the bikes on them, bike overturned in a gully and you can't get it out.

All things that wouldn't/might not have happened on a 250.    The stories from people with light bikes tend not to have so much of that .... ?

Lannis

[Gliderjohn]

Kirby1923 really is the the "Most interesting man in the world." as noted earlier on another thread.
GliderJohn

[ohiorider]

I'd have had the same up-righting issues with 'old faithful' if I dropped her.  Which I did, in a muddy parking lot in Colby KS, in 2005.  My issue was ..... the lot was so muddy, that when I almost got the bike back on her feet, the tires would slide away from me in the muck.  Being 5'7", I couldn't lift at a good angle.

But I loved traveling on this old gal.  A good highway bike ..... not all that heavy.  A range of close to 190 miles per tank ... not great but ok.

We're both ageing, the bike a bit more gracefully than I am!

Bob

[twowings]

Stay thirsty, my friends...