2017 Colorado/Western Rally

[XJOK2PLAY]

Howard,
Count me in, so Kawi will be represented.

Bike's in the shop right now (Bobby's-Stillwater Kawasaki) finally getting a valve adjustment check, TB synch, tune, and fluid flush. Next up- the flash.

I put this off about as long as I dare to.
(40,500 miles.)

I had something unexpected happen to the bike while coming back from Bohn's house, traveling on US169, a two lane, in Kansas back in October.
It was VERY windy that day, high gusts, unstable wind pressure.
I passed by a semi, (he was coming from the opposite direction) carrying a ton of air pressure behind him. I had my tall Cee Bailey windshield up about 2/3rds of the way. The strong wind pressure hit the top of the screen, forced it bacckwards so hard that it broke the bracket inside the bike!! The screen suddenly laid back towards me, funneling all that wind straight up in my helmet! My head flung back, and all I saw was sky in a split second! Yikes!
But didn't lose control, thank God! But it sure startled me.
It was like getting hit in the helmet by a baseball bat.

Managed to just lower it all the way down and rode it home. Made a bracket repair, and started searching for a replacement bracket.
After no luck, I decided to get it replaced under warranty, and get the rest of the stuff done at the same time.

Should be all tuned up and ready to make next summer's Colorado rally!
It's been a long time since I've been in Estes Park and Trail Ridge Road.
Definitely on my "want-to-ride" list, so hoping this happens! That'd be way cool!
Count me in.
Bob

[MaximPhil]

I've found that under most conditions the best you can average is about 50 MPH all things considered. In other words, if you take your distance and figure an hour for every 50 miles of travel you are going to figure your travel time pretty close.

Now, riding alone I can move faster than in a group and 12-14 hours a day is about as much riding as you want to do so 6 to 800 miles a day is about what can be done comfortably. Speaking from experience.

I like to get most of the distance behind me the first day so the last leg can be leisurely and relatively short so I'm not wiped out for the rally ride the next day.

But, that's just me.

Hi Greg,
I agree when travelling on Interstate type roads. Will be slower for two lane. Everyone needs to set their own pace and stay within their ability.
I always consider Google Maps as Riding Time + Service Time = Travel Time.
Service time is the time to Fuel the bike Feed the rider and a leg stretch and bathroom breaks. Service time is what each individual needs to determine for them selves.
Phil

[dbbrian]

Great discussion

This discussion is really great for me, not being experienced at planning long trips. However, the "make it in 24 hours" comment was my sick sense of humour, in case that was missed

I would like to share a new app that I have been using lately called Waze. I have it on my phone (Samsung S7) and bought a mount made for a bicycle that works great on the XS.

I've used the Waze app a few times both in the car and on the bike. It is remarkable how well it predicts the arrival time. It is designed to receive constant user updates, so you get notifications as your drive about construction, accidents, police sitting on side of road, etc.

You can plan a drive in advance, and it will use historical data that can be used to select departure time to avoid the heavy volumes and see the ETA.

Of course it does not predict your personal stops times.

Now, I just need to talk my pragmatic riding buddy MaximPhil into this trip

[BA80]

Hi Greg,
I agree when travelling on Interstate type roads. Will be slower for two lane. Everyone needs to set their own pace and stay within their ability.
I always consider Google Maps as Riding Time + Service Time = Travel Time.
Service time is the time to Fuel the bike Feed the rider and a leg stretch and bathroom breaks. Service time is what each individual needs to determine for them selves.
Phil

This discussion is really great for me, not being experienced at planning long trips. However, the "make it in 24 hours" comment was my sick sense of humour, in case that was missed

I would like to share a new app that I have been using lately called Waze. I have it on my phone (Samsung S7) and bought a mount made for a bicycle that works great on the XS.

I've used the Waze app a few times both in the car and on the bike. It is remarkable how well it predicts the arrival time. It is designed to receive constant user updates, so you get notifications as your drive about construction, accidents, police sitting on side of road, etc.

You can plan a drive in advance, and it will use historical data that can be used to select departure time to avoid the heavy volumes and see the ETA.

Of course it does not predict your personal stops times.

Now, I just need to talk my pragmatic riding buddy MaximPhil into this trip

Phil, that analogy works pretty well on any decent paved road give or take an hour. Used to drive truck. 68 Kenworth with a 318 Detroit. (POS) Averaged 30MPH.

db...you will be going about 1650 miles, approximately 33 hours riding time. Approximately 3 days under normal conditions. It could be pushed down to 2 1/2 days if you do some iron butt riding. 3Phase can tell you.

[motoman]

Howard,
Count me in, so Kawi will be represented.

Bike's in the shop right now (Bobby's-Stillwater Kawasaki) finally getting a valve adjustment check, TB synch, tune, and fluid flush. Next up- the flash.

I put this off about as long as I dare to.
(40,500 miles.)

I had something unexpected happen to the bike while coming back from Bohn's house, traveling on US169, a two lane, in Kansas back in October.
It was VERY windy that day, high gusts, unstable wind pressure.
I passed by a semi, (he was coming from the opposite direction) carrying a ton of air pressure behind him. I had my tall Cee Bailey windshield up about 2/3rds of the way. The strong wind pressure hit the top of the screen, forced it bacckwards so hard that it broke the bracket inside the bike!! The screen suddenly laid back towards me, funneling all that wind straight up in my helmet! My head flung back, and all I saw was sky in a split second! Yikes!
But didn't lose control, thank God! But it sure startled me.
It was like getting hit in the helmet by a baseball bat.

Managed to just lower it all the way down and rode it home. Made a bracket repair, and started searching for a replacement bracket.
After no luck, I decided to get it replaced under warranty, and get the rest of the stuff done at the same time.

Should be all tuned up and ready to make next summer's Colorado rally!
It's been a long time since I've been in Estes Park and Trail Ridge Road.
Definitely on my "want-to-ride" list, so hoping this happens! That'd be way cool!
Count me in.
Bob

Good to hear your plannin' to 'make-the-ride'! Anita & I will plan to 'make-the DRIVE' buddy......drive?....yep, I know. After totaling the STeed, Venturer still sits polished up(original and bike show quality) and under bike cover in man-cave.
Sorry to hear bout your bikes windshield issue(dern plastic molded crap nowadays).

[3Phase]

Yep, Brian, I got the smiley.

Like Greg said, break it up into 2 1/2 to 3 days or you won't like it. A rider in a 1,000 mile Iron Butt ride only has to average ~42mph for 24hrs so 47 to 50 mph for 32hrs is pushing it. You will figure this stuff out, believe it.

Two 16hr days of riding would be two 18hr days on the road with the 2hr foolin' and fuelin' breaks. Sleep and wash your nasty ASCII so you can hit the road again before the crack of dawn for another 18hrs, then wolf down something you can't really see or taste and sleep like the dead when you get to the campground sometime long after O dark-thirty.


Bob, you have to come, we need that second Kawi for commo and to keep the Yamahas in line and headed mostly in the same direction, right?

[Bonz]

Glad to hear you survived the windshield episode, Bob. I have thought many times "I wonder how much more (wind, buffeting from vehicles) it would take to snap off my windshield or break the mounts where they attach to the plexi"?

I am sure I will be flipping a coin whether I ride the 80SG or the ZRX1200. How ever I am already leaning toward the ZRX simply because as I continue to age it has a nicer riding position for my knees. Maybe it's time to find the SG a home where it will get ridden more. At this point I don't need an XS1100 to feel at home around here. Just thoughts at this point but a good time to think out loud.

Already looking forward to seeing all the old faces and I'm sure there are lots of new ones considering this as well. It's going to be fun! Yamaha rocks the Rockies for another year!

[BA80]

I got all winter to patch up the broken stuff on Ol' Okie and I'll most likely head that way too. Ordered a new set of hard bags the other day and I gotta get some cracks in the fairing repaired. Maybe I can scrounge up another 'jammer V or a Venturer fairing in the next few months.

Maybe I can talk some of the other wild eyed southern boys to take a day trip with me.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Here's a picture of the bracket that broke. (Big brown "Y" shaped...)
This is underneath a black plastic cover that is under the windscreen.



The C14 has an electric windscreen. The electric motor sits beneath the brown bracket, cables and pulleys work the two arms that the screen attach to, and the brown bracket bolts on each side, and ties each arm together. There's a verticle metal rail in the middle, and the brown "Y" bracket has a piece that wraps around that rail. That controls any movement at the top of the screen.
Looks and sounds pretty well built, right?

That "Y" bracket's made out of cast aluminum, and the part that wraps around the back of that vertical rail is about 1/16th inch thick.

Surprised it's lasted 4 1/2 years!
From now on, I definitely need to lower the screen before any high speed runs...


I tried to just buy the bracket... nope.
Kawasaki sells the entire electric assembly. All $870 worth.
Glad I had warranty!
This is the first and only thing I've had to have warranty work for, though. Not bad reliability.

It was definitely one of those moments where "first you say it, then you do it..."
Lol!

[BA80]

Plastic motorcycles........

[Bonz]

I love the dialogue these threads get going! Good to see you all posting up and doing well.

Bigfoot, we should have some opportunity to test your question out again in 2017. Hope we don't find an answer though...

[BA80]

He just keeps thinking of the good lookin' lady officer that pulled them over in Arkansas. I think he's hoping for a repeat.....

[Bonz]

LOL! Haven't seen one of those out here yet.

[tcoop]

This sounds like it will be a good time. Hopefully my wife will be all done with her chemo and will be able to make the trip with me.

Now just need to find the time to get the bikes in shape for the ride.

[motoman]

A nice possibility for next summer! I'm a maybe.

Nice Dean!...........if I'm gonna show-up in a cage, you DEFINITELY can make the LD trek and show up on the STeed! Least that way you won't have to witness another T-bone on two wheels from me.