Long rides, small bikes

[webbcraft2150]

Seems the Harley Joke thread has generated some talk about the Iron Butt and long rides on small bikes. Lets hear about your long rides on little bikes. My two would be Albuquerque to Denver on a RD200, talk about rowing a gearbox!! Next one would be Albuquerque to Gallup on a knobby tired DT400. The DT was actually faster than the RD after a sprocket change. I am sure it was the DT ride that fried all the nerve endings in my hands, and other places

[Pat Kelly]

I pedalled 152 miles thru the mountains by Lake Tahoe (the Markleeville Death Ride) on my bicycle. 5 mountain passes (Monitor twice, Luther, Carson, then Ebbitts), 15,000 feet of climbing (and decents ). Did it in 9 hours. This was in 1987. the route has since changed.

I did ride my Suzuki TS185 from San Diego to Phoenix once. That was a rough one. The TS was set-up as dirt as possible. The worst 9 hours of my life.

[Dragonrider]

I had over 100,000 miles on my Yamaha 125 (two cylinder street bike---cute little thing)...

I went everywhere on that bike...pike's peak, oregon, all over the southwest.

Imagine my surprise when I found out I was supposed to have a license...

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Across the UP of Michigan on a DT 250 via Fire Roads and Snowmobile trails from Kinross to Marquette, up to Houghton and then down to Menominee, then back east to Kinross via the center of the UP and most of the Hiawatha National Forest. Camped in the woods, great way to celebrate graduation. Have no idea how many miles, took seven days. 1977, what a year.

[Trikerneil]

Not far by your standards I'm sure. I did Swanage in Dorset to Sunderland (365 miles) in one day, two up with camping gear, on a BSA 441 Shooting Star.
I was much younger then

And yes BSA does stand for Bl**dy Sore *rse

[Jerry]

Year: 1977.
1974 Honda 450 twin
Me and the wife, plus camping gear
LaCrosse, Wisconsin to Denver, Colorado. 945 miles each way.
Lost some gear, rode from Sterling, CO back to La Crosse in one day...about 820 miles.

In 1995 - '96 I was commuting about 152 miles a day on my '82 Yamaha Maxim 400 twin.

[don07tncav]

Back in 1977 I went 2 up on a RE-5 Suzuki from Southern IL through MI to the UP and back down through Wisconsin in four days.

My tail was literally rubbed raw and I had to stand the last day or so riding.

It was a great trip though the gal I went with did fine.

[DiverRay]

1974 LA, California to Ft. Bragg, NC on a 650 twin Yamaha. Sissy bar, army duffel and no fairing. Sleeping on the bike in the Arizona desert the first night, and on a table at a rest stop the last night.
5 day ride, could not do it again, but once it was over it was a great adventure!
Ray

[RS Thornton]

I drove a Honda 185 twinstar for awhile, took from London Ontario to Dryden and about a month later drove it home. Pretty sad when the logging trucks are using that passing lane to go around a bike.

[Czekus21]

Hey Bruce... I think you need to chime in here.... How about a 450 Kawi from Canada to Been Blossom Indiand, then the rides during the rally,,, Then back home..

[Pain]

I put 60k on my sr250 in the early 90s, just travelling. Unfortunately I didn't know much I would miss it and sold it a few years ago when I got my xs.

I really miss that bike

[GNEPIG]

.. i rode my harley 350 sprint from connecticut to florida in 1991, 1600 miles in two days. i didnt like i95, so i went i81 on the west side of the mountains. for the most part it was a good ride, no mechanical failures to speak of and traffic was not to bad. it rained the whole second day and the water would trickle back onto the spark plug and cause it to act funky. there was no frame down tube in front of the motor to put a set of highway pegs so i had no place to move my feet to and the seat felt like i was sitting on a bag of rocks after the first day, i had sores on my @ss for weeks after
.. if given the chance i would do it again tomorrow, i love adventure

[xssiveone]

Originally posted by Czekus21
Hey Bruce... I think you need to chime in here.... How about a 450 Kawi from Canada to Been Blossom Indiand, then the rides during the rally,,, Then back home..

I was just thinking about that Steve. Actually, it's a 550 but what's 100cc's among friends.

Actually, the longest ride I did on it was from the rally that HamJam put together in Prince Edward county. The ride home that is... Maxim Phil and Lenert wanted to go home via Orillia. Left at about 8am... parked in the garage about 12:30AM. Almost 600 miles... all but 130 of it on 2 lanes.

I wanna do it again!!! Only with warmer, dryer weather.

Brian

[oldbiker648]

You guys probably don't want to hear about my 150 mile night ride on secondary roads after midnight to get my Honda 90 from Pittsburgh to Penn State in 1968. The bike had an old plate from the PO and I never even got it registered with PA DMV until the State College police department busted me one day months later. They were a motorcycle hating bunch and gave me major trouble with the 305 Scrambler I brought up the following year and the RT-1 360 Yamaha I had during graduate school after 2 years in the Army. The SOB's finally managed to get my license suspended in 1972 after a series of BS busts. The thought of a long trip on a small bike scares the bejesus out of me today. Give me an XS11 so I can outrun the cagers when I need to.

[oldbiker648]

Darn, I just thought about the 400 miles in one day with the 305 Honda coming home from the Jersey Shore in 1969. Straight into a 40 MPH headwind for the first couple of hours, then the cold front hit and I rode the last 250 miles in heavy rain and 50 degree temps on the PA Turnpike with no rain suit or warm clothes. I would have happily traded the Honda for a bus ticket and nearly cried every time an empty pick-up truck passed me. That was my "Deliverance" trip.