Not to be confused with riding a motorcycle naked. I think the max I did was about 300 miles and that was a long time ago. I bought the Guzzi for the hell of it to do slow rides on the Blue Ridge. I now realize it's been about 30 years since I had any kind of a bike with no fairing at all. Many of them small fairing like interceptors and Yamaha FJR's but still they had a little something. Even with a quiet helmet and good gear going above 65MPH for a long distance isn't for me. A fun "real" experience to be sure but sometimes retro isn't as good as I remember. . Image Unavailable, Please Login
I rode 850 miles around the Colorado Rockies on a 1960's Austiran Puch 250cc last summer, took 5 days and lots of oil! By the way, that's a beautiful guzzi Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think you're tougher than I am. On the Puch, is that an air cleaner above the crankcase on the forward part? Fun bike. I want to make the leap to the fun of retro but it's turning out to be a little more real than I anticipated. .
I sure wouldn't say I am tougher than you. This ride kicked my but! I was with a group of >250cc vintage bikes so we spent a lot of time fixing on the side of the road. It was fun. Yes that's the air cleaner (intake) This Puch was one of the most reliable bikes on the ride. Very well built and pretty tough as I had it wide open for hours at a time.
In the mountains at altitude too. How fast would the bike run? Could you keep up with traffic? Sounds like an experience to be sure.
Top speed was probably 60 mph due to altitude etc. Our trip was mainly back mountain roads and we had a support vehicle in front and back for safety. We would pull to the side regularly to let traffic pass as we were in no hurry. We plan to do the trip again this year and have an easier route planned. Most of the people who are signed up are from out of state. It is a fun experience. I am going to join a similar ride in Texas this coming fall.
I went to our website we built for the trip to find our route maps from last year but it has already been updated with our 2021 routes. If you have facebook check out our facebook page for pics and video from our 2020 ride including some maps, our website shows the route for this coming years trip. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2531025547222743 https://smallbikeride2021-05.webself.net/tripoutline
Funny. The Boulder route is one I rode almost every Sunday at sun up for years. I would do either the North route or the South. The big surprise to me is that these are pretty long routes on a small bike with lots of elevation. Looks like fun.
Yes they are, we would ride anywhere from 8-10 hours a day with lunch stops and mechanic stops. This years will be less grueling and more adventure as we have many coming from out of state to enjoy Colorado. I will be riding a 1966 Benelli 250cc and I am trying to finish a Moto Guzzi Lodola 235cc and bring it as well this year. If your back in the area you should join us, we have plenty of extra small bikes you could use..
The bikes are simple but have to through a lot of parts. Points, pistons, sprockets, cables, you know, just the stuff that breaks or wears out quickly. How do you find and get the parts? Is there a community you can reach into or are you having things made? Really interesting hobby.
Image Unavailable, Please Login I did 750 miles non stop from OKC to Hayes, Kansas to Parker, Colorado on a chopper and thought that was tough. But here is a picture of my son. He graduated from CU Boulder and headed west to the Grand Canyon then to Vegas then to Salt Lake City then to Mt Rushmore then back east to Boston. 3500 miles in a week. He rode the trek from South Dakota to Boston 30+ hours without sleep. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
That is nuts. Really nuts and that's truly a naked bike. I was thinking back and I did do a long day in 1980. El Paso Tx to Boulder, CO on a Kawasaki Z1R. 900 miles. It wasn't a pleasant bike on a good day but I didn't know any different. It had a small qtr fairing that blocked about .05% of the but not really a naked mike like the Harley. It was cold. I remember tucking behind trucks to try and be a little warmer. Not a recommended move.
From College in NY back to home in VA... 500 miles. Twice on a Triumph T100C and once on a '68 ElectraGlide with a '37 Sidecar. Not really naked but numerous 500 mile trips on my TransAlp back and forth from Suches, GA to Shenandoah, VA
I consider the 1260s to be a naked bike, I did add the micro front screen.. which only really mattered on the stretch from Uvalde to Marathon.. the rest of the time it was “ok” not having the full fairing of the zx12R I have a full face helmet and earplugs to make the 2800+ mile trip and have some semblance of hearing when we got back to Dallas. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have ridden my Ducati Monster about 280 miles in one day, going from my house all the way out past Julian, to Alpine, and back to the South Bay. I have an aftermarket windscreen and a Corbin Seat alternative to use on longer rides, but for the most part, I ride the BMW for long distance work. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think I might be losing my zest for long distance stuff. I rode about 300 miles yesterday on the RT mapping out some routes in Western NC and Eastern TN for an upcoming trip. A fair amount of note taking and stops which added to it but by the time I got back I was ready to get off. I've turned the corner and become a pure enjoyment motorcycle wuss. It has to be 60°-85°, daytime, minimal traffic roads, and all my stuff has to fit just right. My favorite is the naked Triumph but that involves a lot of breaks. I think I'm the anti-adventure rider. One other note from yesterday is how friendly everyone was. Every Harley rider did the low wave, everyone was talking to everyone at lunch. People are happy to be out and about. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You have to love the BMWs, I have an 03 K 1200 RS, and its the one I choose for long rides, 350-530 miles is my limit. I love my BMW, I bought it with 40k miles from the original owner, now I have 60k in i think 4 years. Thank you
You're RS is just getting broken in . My RT is a 2010 that just turned 5000 miles yesterday. I keep thinking I should buy a new one but I can't think of any reason to do so. Plenty of power. I think the electronics and touch screens are a distraction. I like the LED's but I don't ride at night.
I’m surprised no one mentioned the inspirational message on the gas tank. “You can do it”. See picture. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Rode my 91 Harley Springer Softail to Sturgis and back from Riverside, Ca. in 1993. An adventure for sure and found out you can almost doze off on long rides.....surprisingly it was the wrist and hands that bothered me the most, from the vibrations, not my butt or legs. No windshield, just saddle bags and camping equipment, raw style. Got drenched numerous times and rode long enough in rain to empty water from the boots.....I was mid thirties then and it was a tough ride then. We where making fun of the RV guys trailering their scoots and calling them “wussies” (Well another word, but keeping it clean)as we blasted by them.... But by the time we got there at the KOA, we looked at each other and said “next time we are doing what those wussies did”...... We spent the first day recovering while the wussies where fresh and out riding. We stayed almost a week or so in the area and it was a blast. Took the long route home through Yellowstone. My bro I rode with is gone now and this is one of my top life experience memories. Ahh to be young again !
Most I think I've ever done was on my Sportster, I think I did about 60 miles across the Jersey Shore and that was painful. Mind you, before my children were born, so this is over 20 years ago. I couldn't do that now.
I rode LA to West Texas and back on a naked Suzuki GS1100. I think it is about 1100 miles each way. Back in the 55mph speed limit days. I was 22 so only stopped for naps on picnic tables. Ordered a cool fairing from Canada - Hannigan I believe. Made trips much easier. Haha! Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
This is excellent. The GS1100 was a great bike. Not so sure about sleeping on picnic tables even at 22yo. My worst naked bike experience was only 400 miles or so. Boulder to Moab over Vail pass at about 40°. Swear to God I was cold for 2 weeks after that.