50cc - Ya Baby!!!! [Archive] - Colorado Sportbike Club Forums

Harry Biker

Fri Nov 8th, 2002, 08:35 AM

:D Hello Gary,
Always nice to have a familiar biker to chat with. We'd love to have another rider!!!

Sadly, I do not have a great bike to do a timed long distance ride with..the FZ1 is really only good for commuting and spanking little Spider's butt's in the tight stuff......yes I'm talking about you,(and I think I've now caught you in the old odometer dept 8) )

The Harley which I'll likely be taking, although is comfy, it's about 10mph too slow for a nice sustained speed,( just under the watchful eye of radar) and the fuel range is pathetic for a tour bike! I guess our friends in Milwaukee felt that a 180 range is far enough between beer joints :wink:
Just kidding we all owe our current Jap rides to our friends in Milwaukee,(read your history Henry)

anyhoo......

Let's do the 50CC this year. We all need the practice anyhow and the 4 corners is, well, HARD TO DO!! However, I do believe it will be done by riders from the CSC in the near future.

Gary, we're doing a practice saddle sore 1K and then we'll have to get back home too, so potentially 2 SS1K's to ride to THE MECCA OF BIKER GEAR/GADGETS in Duluth after the thaw, albeit not to far away from the actual "50CC". So, my suggestion is to really give it some thought,(spend some time on a map and anticipate how you'll be feeling and invision making this EPIC ride that you can brag to your dog about!)

Obviously the Super Hawk ain't the bike to do this on. But I know you have the desire to go long and you've felt that way for sometime,(Vegas # 2)

We should meet up and attend the Cycle World International MC show,(I think it's 12/21) WELCOME BACK AFTER 5 FRICKING YEARS!!!!
AND BUY YOU A STEED WORTHY OF THE IRON BUTTERS!!!!

Try to keep the Super Chicken though as I do miss mine. :(

Keep in touch.
Harry Biker

gary n

Fri Nov 8th, 2002, 09:50 AM

Harry,

I have been following the Iron Butt riders for the last couple of years so I know what is involved both mentally and physically. After last years rally one of the participants had a 10+ page story of his trip from Alabama to Alaska and back. I don’t want to do that but a fast blast across the country and a little more relaxed trip back would be fun. Maybe a detour through Deals Gap/Tail of the Dragon?

I have two 4,000 mile trips under my belt now but the were both under more relaxed conditions. The first was a loop from Montana to Washington, down the coast to Los Angeles and back up through Vegas, the Tetons and Yellowstone - on Honda CL350’s with all our camping gear too. We only spent two nights indoors, the rest of the time was camping with a cheap survival tube tent. The last one was from Dallas to Sturgis in 1999. It was a little easier since we stayed in motels along the way

I’ve had my eye on a used CBR1000 with low miles. That may be the bike to do this on. I can’t spend a lot of money on a bike right now. I have a cruiser I have been trying to sell on consignment in Dallas. If it doesn’t sell soon, I may just go pick it up. I would certainly provide the comfort for trip like this - rubber-mounted engine and a wide, comfy Mustang seat but the gas mileage is worse than yours and I don’t know how you guys would feel about the 2 1/4” straight pipes after a couple of days.

I would really like to do this. I will start my research/preparation now and hopefully it all will come together for me.

Gary

Harry Biker

Fri Nov 8th, 2002, 06:10 PM

:D 2 1/4 rock! Loud pipes save lives ya know :shock:
My Twin Cam ain't exactly quiet either 8)
Henry will likely look like this after riding next to us :D :shock: :) :x :oops: :evil: :twisted:

I wear ear plugs anyhow and will be listening to some Zombie and checking for smokie bandits good buddy.

That is unless Henry the gadget mystro gets us all wired in on the family channel so we can all listen to WHITE ZOMBIE :twisted:

What kind of cruiser ya got?

Anonymous

Fri Nov 8th, 2002, 07:02 PM

..the FZ1 is really only good for commuting and spanking little Spider's butt's in the tight stuff......yes I'm talking about you,(and I think I've now caught you in the old odometer dept 8) )

Don't you be talking smack about me old man! :twisted: :lol:

We only rode the tight stuff together once this year... way back in May, just after I got the R1, and (more importantly), before I started hitting the track. I highly doubt there would be any spanking going on anymore. And yes, I am getting my knee down (in fact, it's down in one of the pics in my sig).

As for mileage, it's kind of hard for me to rack up any significant mileage when practically all I'm doing with the bike is commuting (40 miles round trip) 3 days a week.

I would love to do a 50cc or 4 corners (yes, even on my R1, although I'd have to carry an extra tank of gas), but my wife isn't as understanding as yours, and like I said, my vacation for next year is already spoken for. :(

L8R "Pops",
Spidey

gary n

Fri Nov 8th, 2002, 09:26 PM

Harry,

It's a Big Dog Vintage. It was built to resemble a '62 DuoGlide. Everything is powercoated/painted black except the front end, cam cover, rocker boxes, primary housing, pipes, oil tank, shocks and swingarm which are chrome.

It has a rubber-mounted frame with outboard rear shocks (not a soft tail). 80 inch S&S evolution motor with Andrews cam and S&S Super E carb. It moves ok for a cruiser.

It was originally built for Richard LaPlante, the author of Hog Fever. I've put over 15,000 miles on it and really enjoyed it. I was just looking for something with more handling and performance for the mountains and canyons after I moved up here.

Gary

Harry Biker

Fri Nov 8th, 2002, 10:29 PM

:lol: Spidey, I was just checkin if you had your ears on. You're still my super hero :wink: However, as far as the wife goes...the way I see it, you get 3 weeks paid vaca/year. 2/3 spent w/ the wife & kids,(not to mention all the big holidays) is to be expected.

BUTT....1 OF THOSE WEEKS SHOULD BE SPENT RIDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!w/ the boys and ok girls too,(did the Alicia I know get an RC51?)
and I'm not talking the monthly twist w/ the crew. I'm talking getting away from these contraptions I'm keying on, faxes, pagers,(ok you can keep your cell phone as you never know when the Fantastic Four might need your help, but you know what I mean)

Ok spend yer 3 weeks in Euro Disney in '03, but I am going to your home country for sure in '04,(I really want to do the Cabbot Trail & surrounding area) So be a good little spyder and tell the wife that in 19-20months you're gonna be tour guide to Quebec & Nova Scotia and possibly New Foundland. I don't speak French and will surely get screwed reserving a ferry without you.

Gary,
I read that book,(didn't care for it too much) I surprised you have a "clone"! Why didn't you say so?? Sounds like a cool scoot. I used to have a 96"S&S Ultra Patriot but traded for the FLHTCUI.

I've got a suggestion for you for a higher speed tourer,(assuming you don't get the predessesor to the Mighty XX) in fact I might start looking for this bike too. BMW R100RS all day ergos, 250 mile range a 135 mph top speed, but it'll do 110 mph all day long.

Nick_Ninja

Sun Nov 10th, 2002, 09:37 PM

Harry, like you I wear 1 ear plug :P . I also cram the radar detector into the other ear :twisted: . Electronic countermeasures are a must, especially when riding LONG distances. You can become complacent after long periods of time in the saddle and that blast of synthesized noise can be a life saver and currency saver.

Five summers ago three of us went to CANADA. We covered 7K miles in 23 days. 1500 of those were here in Colorado on Ride The Divide http://www.concours.org/co/rtdmain.htm sponsored by the Concourse Owners Group http://www.concours.org/.

We averaged 300 mile days and sometimes traveled 600 miles in 12 hours. On the way back into Colorado the regulator rectifier on the ZX-11 went out in beautiful Bountiful, Utah (NOT). John Hopperstad, noted MRA #1 plate holder, works for a shop there that we initially were scheduled for a tire change. We spent 48 hours there waiting for a new part FedExed in overnight and then installed.

We ended up leaving Bountiful (just north of Salt Lake City) at 1 PM and bolted south headed toward Montrose, Colorado. We parked the bikes in front of The Red Barn at 7:30 PM. No dilly-dallying occurred on that section of the trip. :twisted:

gary n

Mon Nov 11th, 2002, 04:44 PM

Harry,

I bought the clone because the price was right and I fell in love with it at first sight. I was planning on getting a Harley but not for a couple of years when this one showed up.

I'm on the same page as you about the BMW. I've been looking at the R1100S since the summer. Either the Boxer Cup model or the limited edition race replica model they just released. I just hate to spend that much money. I can get the CBR1000F and have $8-10K left over for traveling money (or keeping the Superhawk). I think the CBR will keep up with the Electraglide and Henrys RF900.

I've been thinking about the 50cc some more and I may meet you two in Houston or somewhere mid-country and do the last half of the cross-country trip and the return trip. This would cut out the Denver to San Diego part also. It's still a ways off so there's time to decide.

Gary

Harry Biker

Tue Nov 12th, 2002, 08:49 AM

:) Hey Jeff,
You must know Randy Bishop? I think I sold him my Corbin saddle off my '99 Concorse. I never did make a ride with this bunch, but I do get their e-mails still for that one day.........

Gary,
I went looking last weekend and Apex Cycles in the Springs has a clean '94 cbr1000 red white & black,(nice paint job) for under 5K$. Also in the Springs, the local BMW shop had that race replica r1100s with the fancy cowling, carbon fiber head covers and paint job. The bike is stunning!! It's also ironically 1300 cheaper than the standard R1100S,(I think because it lacks ABS) The bike is so good looking you may not want to ride it though. They alo have the 3 R1100RT's all w/ 20K + miles on em and he'll sell for $10,500,(in a month you could likely knock another grand off). Same dealer also has a very clean Triumph Trophy 1200 for $7500 and you can find it on e-bay too.

I hope you reconsider doing this trip. You'll have a hard time finding us in Houston and we'll be on the clock,(not to say that couldn't happen) but we'll hopefully be doing more of these longer rides in the future. Plus, I'd like to attempt one of the famous rallies such as the Utah 1088, you know what I'm talking about.

Last Saturday,Henry & I got caught,(ok went looking for the snow) and the bikes just got slimed w/ mule snot/muck/snow etc. The bikes were so dirty that it'd be half difficult to buy such a pretty bike,(the r1100s replica) and have it get that filthy. I would not be surprised to see that bike end up in a Guggenheim art show.

gary n

Tue Nov 12th, 2002, 11:12 AM

I REALLY want to do this trip. My concern is that I get bored driving cross country in a car and I don't know how I will be on the bike with the added pressure of the time constraint. The trial run to Minnesota will help sort that out.

A couple of questions.

I know you are tenatively planning on 5/24-6/01. Is that to take advantage of the 3 day weekend? That also means more people doing their holiday travel too - more vehicles on the roads. It could be in the high 90's or low 100's in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. I've gone to the Republic of Texas ralley in Austin, Texas which is held the first weekend in June several times and it has been uncomfortable even in Harley riding gear - half helmet, tshirt and jeans. Living up here we are spoiled with the weather (in the summer), but after living Texas for the last 10 years I know it can get pretty warm by the end of May. Just a thought.

Do you plan on getting/using radios to communicate bike-to-bike? I have a Nady MRC-11 that I have used several times and it does a good job up to about 85mph when the wind noise starts to make it difficult to hear. But it is really good at slower speeds. The Nady unit is a lot cheaper than Chatterbox or the others. It retails for $129 but we got them for $85-$90 on the net. It is a handheld unit with a earpiece/mike and a push-to-talk button. I have put the handheld unit in my jacket pocket, on my belt or in my tankbag.

What are is your tenative schedule? Friday night and Saturday to San Diego? Sunday/Monday for the 50cc and Tuesday thru Sunday to sightsee and get back home? Or were you planning on resting a day in San Diego before leaving?

Harry,
Did you notice many miles are on that CBR in the Springs? The one I have been looking at is a '96 with less than 3700 miles. They are asking $4799. It is the black/charcoal gray color. I think I would like the red better. You're right about the BMW race replica being too pretty of a bike but that white and blue really grabs me.

Gary

Harry Biker

Tue Nov 12th, 2002, 01:48 PM

Gary,
You can do this ride! We can all do this ride! We'll entertain ourselves by picking on Henry :shock: :roll:

Obviously bike selection, tunes, the ability to communicate w/ one another will all help. Touch base w/ Henry....Henry, ya got your ears on??
re: communication devices. I have a CB and will likley be using that in addition to Henry's creativity w/ the family channel units from Motorola, but your system may be better. Also, speeds above 85mph will be of short durations. My preferance would be for all of us to use cb's as we can also be entertained by truckers.

Call Apex in Colorado Springs for the mileage,(sorry I did not check) Although the bike you've found sounds like a great buy.

You are right re: temps. NO way around it, we'll get hot. With good gear,(such as evaporative shirts etc) and the ability to drink while riding we'll be ok. Plus, we should cover a considerable distance of the desert @ night.
Yes then we can look forward to the humidity, but hey, that's why only 209 people have done this ride thus far :wink:

The dates were designed so we could all have 9 days to do this ride and take advantage of the Memorial Day Holiday. Most of us should only have to use 4 days of vacation time to get the 9 days off. It is also designed to have ample time to get to the starting point and give us both rest and a more relaxing pace to get home. Yes I-10 is boring for parts of it. Other sections east of Houston aren't bad. We're still in the planning stage of return route, but I gave a few suggestions to Henry earlier,(he's shy and prefers e-mails to this forum) Anyhoo, I suggested: Returning to New Orleans, or going to Hilton Head and the Dragon and then avoiding super slab on way home. It's all open for discussion.

As far as getting to SanDiego to travel West to East,(which was not the easiest decision, but it currently is felt for numerous reasons that we should travel that way) I'd like to see others that may just want to go to Vegas ride out with us. We can spend the night their and relax or crank it up to San Diego and chill out their prior to departure. Remember, although this is a very tough ride, it is my opinion that it will only be the 1st leg of the trip,(getting to Houston) that'll be so difficult. The 2nd & last leg will be a breeze! :twisted:

Memorial Day is the 26th, our big day for traveling. We'll need to watch out for drunks and yes we will have an increase in traffic. That should only be an issue in the biggest cities. We'll schedule our departure to avoid # 1 Houston's traffic both entering and leaving that city. We'll likley miss San Antonio's evening rush hour too. I think,(I'm not looking @ a map) that leaves El-Paso and Tucson to contend with which should not be too big of a deal.

I'd like to suggest that people interstested in doing this 50CC get together. Perhaps we could check out the MC show 12/21 or 12/22 and then grab a bite to eat to further discuss our options. Just think Gary, you could be the 1 and only person to ever ride a 50CC on a Super Hawk and surely you'd get your pic in Red Rider magazine :D
Yes, I know it'd be cooler to get your pic in Iron Horse Chopper rag but ya gotta start somewhere.

The Duluth ride besides being a practice ride for those that have not had the pleasure :roll: of sitting in the saddle for so long will also enable us to be registered w/ the IBA and is actually required to have a documented saddle sore 1K prior to doing the official 50cc,(thanks for checking that out HT) So, this is what you can earn: a license plate frame from the IBA,(like Dietrich has-yes even posers can get those apparently :D )
You can also earn,(if you pay for it) a SS1K, BBgold and the 50CC plaque/pins etc. Plus the Dragon pin. Not a bad way to spend 9 days :!:

Anonymous

Tue Nov 12th, 2002, 03:57 PM

Well, I might be in for this - but I definitely want to try some smaller trips first to build myself up for it. Actually I would consider taking my superhawk on this one (just drop it in 6th and cruise) just for the novelty of it, but I'd want some modifications first, like a new seat, clipons, higher windscreen, cruise control :mrgreen:, and some feet hangers on the front. Oh, and a jerry can strapped to the back... hahaha. We'll see, maybe the yamy will be ready soon and I can start riding that around - I'm still disassembling it at the moment, but the engine feels in top shape (not running yet, but it cranks under battery power just fine).

I know 500 miles would be ok, so I'd say a 1k would be good to try out, though I definitely either want my cruiser running, or my hawk modified before that.

Also - what is the proposed route, anyway? Denver to someplace in Cali I assume (but how? May as well make a nice NW-coast loop back down and enjoy the scenery, with 9 days I'm all for it), then the clock starts. Cali, through TX (by the way Harry, I've driven in San Antonio's rush hour before - it's like sunday afternoon around here, shit you'll think you're out in the country compared to Denver traffic - no worries!), I agree New Orleans would be a good stop, :D especially for some food in the french quarter if there's time to shoot down that way (not sure how the interstates run through there). Prolly just a straight shot over to some place in Florida by way of hillbilly country (I don't know any Florida geography as to where the closest coastal stop would be from there). Then how were you planning to get back home? Any way you shake it there will be a whole lotta nothin in the middle of that leg. However once completing the requirements in Florida (for several types of awards it would seem), I think some SLEEP and relaxation on a beach for an afternoon would be niiiiice. Bikes 'n babes ... what more do you need!

I'm actually getting myself psyched up for this, assuming I can stay employed between now and then and can build up my tolerance with some smaller rides, I think I'm in!

Oh in response to a previous post Harry, this forum will stay here as long as you want it to. Might change the name of it to a more generic touring category, but there are enough people in the club who like to take trips that I think it'll be worthwhile.

Harry Biker

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 08:25 AM

Saweet! Now we can have 2 SUPERHAWKS!!!! :wink:

Unless I come into some $$$ I'll likely be on the Ultra Classic Electra Glide which as mentioned earlier does not get a great tank range and thus I was planning on carrying extra fuel which I'll carry for the Hawks too if needed,(being an ex-owner I still have a soft spot for those awesome bikes).

Mods are a must though on everyone's bike! I'm sending in my "touring seat" to Sargent MC saddles for a denser foam. Henry's already got his cruise control for .50 cents figured out and is working out the radio deal.

Is limiting the # of riders needed? Maybe. Maybe not. Of primary concern depending on total # of riders is a break down plan. ie. what do people want to do with this? Should we partner up meaning if a Zookie tranny fails should one of us stay while the others complete the ride??
I think so. However...I will not stay with a rider that just peeters out, but I don't see that as really happening. I know all of you that have posted here and have ridden with all but one of you and that guy currently has the fastest bike out of all of us and has a new Corbin to boot :!:
The other concern should we get more than say 5 riders,(I think only 5 people have verbalized interest) is gas station stops and timing....

Obviously you know by now if you've read any stories from the IBA or similar that you have to plan things like gas stops. Ideally we'll need a 45 minute stop so we can actually get off the bikes and get something good to eat,(Power Bars are good for the 1st 18-20 hours only) and refresh mind and body. To make this happen our gast stops can't be longer than 20 minutes,(and it actualy may be less than that depending on frequency needed. Can a Super Hawk traveling no faster than 85mph get 125miles??

I'll need to fill and we tentativley have planned stops in between the 150-175 mile range. Assuming with a planned running out of gas on the Hawks and you add 1 gallon in a quick,(like 3 minute) fill up to get to the planned stop I think everything will be fine.

It's been difficult to make final plans as the only commitments that I know of thus far is myself and Henry.

This I know......I think- Leaving Denver by way of Vegas,(maybe spending the night especially if Vegas # 3 people want to just go play in Sin city) and arriving San Diego no latter than dinner time on the 25th.

Most likely leave San Diego early enough on the Holiday,(or just before midnight) to arrive in Houston no later than 11pm,(with the thought being we can avoid both rush hours in Houston and escape that city no later than 5:30 am & get 6 hours sleep) FREE LODGING/FOOD in HOUSTON.

Arrive Jacksonville 850 miles (+ or-) later and RELAX. That gives us 5 days to kick back,(and the beach sounds great to me) and get home the scenic way.

SO, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO THE INTERNATIONAL MC SHOW ANYHOW RIGHT?? LET'S PICK A TIME AND DATE AND PLAN TO MEET UP THEIR AND AFTERWARDS DRINK A BEER TO GET MORE INPUT. or........

Let's pick a poser run and get together for suggestions such as best route home? Anyone have connections in either coast that'd be willing to sleep us? etc.

Nick_Ninja

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 09:28 AM

HB and HT,

I have friends in Fontana, CA that we could ask about hanging for a night. That's about 1.5 hours from Vegas down by San Bernadino. Don't know anyone anymore in San Diego cuz they all retired from the NAVY over six years ago.

Mods are #1 in my book. Especially the bar risers. I'm using GEN-MAR risers as of now because HELI-BAR didn't make any till last month for the ZZR. Gas stops are a must just to keep focus. Lighting and reflective markings are necessary too to maintain visability while traveling on the DARK SIDE.

I'd be into getting together for telling lies and drinking beer somewhere to get all items on the table for discussion. You name the spot and time.

Anonymous

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 10:24 AM

Harry,

With normal riding (i.e. generally nice, with the occasional drop-and-fly through traffic) I can get 140 miles before the RLOD. With some recent changes I actually got 170 miles out of a tank! (160 at the RLOD) - I'm going to explore those further just out of principle, but I have no idea how far I can get if I just put it in 6th gear and cruise at 85mph. I'll have to experiment with that out on I-76 or something where traffic won't suck so bad. I'd like to see stops at 130 miles max just to be safe, though I might be able to push her a bit farther - I just don't want to be in the middle of nothin with no gas. Though carrying some extra will help ease my mind on that one.

I'm curious ... has a sportbike ever done this ride? You mentioned that superhawks never have, I'm just wondering. I know the Harley's outnumber everything else by orders of magnitude I'm sure (for the ones that have actually completed the thing).

Nick_Ninja

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 12:05 PM

If you want to see who all has compleated what ride (ALL IBA RIDES) and on what type of machine go here :

http://www.ironbutt.com/rides/ssbbfin.htm

Many different types of bikes and models but here is the winner:

:arrow: Oldest and smallest Motorcycle to finish the 50cc Quest:
Doug Stout 1972 Honda CB350

gary n

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 12:27 PM

Harry,
You don't need to plan gas stops for my Superhawk. There is no way I can ride it for 5000 miles in 9 days. I guess I'm too old. If I go I will have something with better ergos and range.

Ralph,
I found a 6 gallon aluminum tank for the Superhawk. i think it's made in England and it was going to be $600-$800. The only other large tank I could find was from CarboTex and it was $1300 for a carbon fiber tank.

I pulled this from the Iron Butt site and organized it. These are all the finishers of the 50CC.
4 BMW K75
4 BMW K100LT
5 BMW K100RS
7 BMW K1100LT
13 BMW K1200LT
2 BMW K1100RS
4 BMW K1200RS
1 BMW R100RT
11 BMW R1100GS
1 BMW R1150GS
2 BMW R1100R
12 BMW R1100RT
1 BMW R1150RT
7 BMW R1100RS
1 H-D DynaWideGlide
2 H-D Electra Glide
1 H-D Electra Glide Classic
7 H-D Electra Glide UltraClassic
1 H-D Police FXR
5 H-D Road Glide
1 H-D Road Glide/sidecar
8 H-D Road King
1 H-D Sportster
1 Honda CB350
1 Honda CB750
1 Honda CBR1000
1 Honda CX500
37 Honda Gold Wing
1 Honda Gold Wing Trike
1 Honda Hurricane
1 Honda Pacific Coast
2 Honda Shadow
9 Honda ST1100
1 Honda V65 Sabre
2 Honda Valkyrie
1 Honda VTX
8 Kawasaki Concours
1 Kawasaki Nomad
2 Kawasaki Voyager
3 Kawasaki Vulcan
1 Kawasaki ZX-1100
1 Suzuki Bandit
1 Suzuki GS850GL
1 Suzuki GS1100
2 Suzuki Intruder
1 Suzuki V-Strom
1 Triumph Sprint
1 Yamaha FJ1200
1 Yamaha GTS1000
2 Yamaha R6
1 Yamaha Venture
1 Yamaha Virago

Nick_Ninja

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 12:37 PM

:arrow: Here is a site that specializes in fuel cells for the petrol challenged :? :

http://www.eti-fuelcel.com/home.htm

Nick_Ninja

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 02:09 PM

Here is the SAMPSON site for custom made fuel cells :P :

http://www.sampson-sporttouring.com/fuel-cells.html

Anonymous

Wed Nov 13th, 2002, 05:40 PM

I pulled this from the Iron Butt site... These are all the finishers of the 50CC.
...
2 Yamaha R6

WOW, 2 R6's did this?!?! :shock:
I'm impressed!
http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/smilies/cool.gif
http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/smilies/spidey.gif

Harry Biker

Thu Nov 14th, 2002, 08:12 AM

Man you guys are good w/ yer keyboards!! Glad to see we made it to page 2.

Thanks for showing the list of bikes Gary. Makes me think I'd like to be the 1st and only FZ1 rider to do this ride,(course that likely won't stick)
Gary, if the weather were to hold perhaps we could balst on down to Big D to get yer clone????? Course you'd have to ride "B" :shock:

I agree w/ the insect...2 R6's on this ride...AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Wall crawler, Have you thought about my challenge for you to show us your home country next year?? Perhaps it's time for the wife to visit the parents again so you can come play with your scooter trash friends :lol:

Henry,(who's currently MIA) would just love this......
but I was looking @ the map last night & thought, yep, for the distance we'll be covering to 50CC we could make Prudo Bay :twisted:

But that can wait I suppose. Course Henry, we could add to our collection...1st the Pacific, then the Atlantic,(we could get a little Gulf of Mex if we wanted) and then we could get the ARTIC OCEAN :!: :!:

Nick_Ninja

Thu Nov 14th, 2002, 09:42 AM

Here is a link from another bunch that is out there getting a 50cc dose 8) . It seems that they have reasearched this quite a bit.

http://personal.bellsouth.net/m/n/mnwj/50cc.html

towneh

Thu Nov 14th, 2002, 11:44 AM

greetings ALL,
i've talked a lot to reps of MTF who also have a lot of goodies pertaining to 50cc and the like. they have a level of co-ordination and planning that would cause NASA's department heads to swim! here is their URL:

http://publish.bsu.edu/00amleduc/MTF/50cc/50ccsd.htm

they are beginning to set up data, etc for their 2003 c2c ride which will occur in March.

other items:
NADY units; very cool with the AUX input and the squelch/spark canceling feature but it is still a FRS. not meaning to diminish its value here but it is nice that we can still pick up the same freq so we can still use our 'old' Motorla Talkabouts.... I move that we hook Harry's on-board cb/stereo featured on his U-Glide (read:"Millennium Falcon") to a NADY unit so that we all have 'trucker talk'/tunes!!! I'm going to order up a couple of VOX earbuds (#50256) for my Talkabouts this week and testing will begin soon afterward. Gary, could we meet up with Harry in say 2-3 weeks for some random testing utilizing your NADY?

i plan to chat with my family (s.o. side..) who live at the end of route 8 ( a popular place to start the 50cc in San Diego) in the near future. i don't know how they will take it and their place is small. The fact that they are 60 to 70 yrs old may come into play as well....

i'm going to start laying out the route/validation gas stops for the Aerostitch wonderland. i've already done a lot with the 50cc route but still playing variables for the mid-point... although it would be nice to have it where it would be free (Harry's dad's place), there is a lot to be said for a straight thru..... the iba folks have no problem with a loop back to the 'free' option so long as we sufficiently document the route we take (see the iba rules for route documentation). the route/validation gas stops that the MTF takes which can be best described as "straight thru..." is available for our use; it is accurate and tested..... FREE! planning continues....

so, make fun of me on my old, quiet sportbike will you !?!?! :twisted:

later,
henry :D

Nick_Ninja

Thu Nov 14th, 2002, 01:28 PM

I will be packin camping gear. Mission Bay has a campground.

gary n

Thu Nov 14th, 2002, 02:26 PM

Henry, I don't know if you remember but I met you on the the ride we did to the Bucksnort Tavern on ride-to-work-day this summer. As for bikes - I think yours is great for this kind of trip but they are even harder to find than the older CBR1000F's I'm looking at.

I'm not tied to the Nady radio, it's just bought and paid for so I would rather not duplicate it. I didn't even think about CB radios until Harry mentioned it. I would prefer to have one to listen to the truckers for road conditions, smokey reports and just general entertainment for those long straight stretches. Does anyone know who makes a earpiece/mike and push-to-talk button? Now, do I mount an 8' whip to the swing arm or dual firesticks on the bar ends?

Harry, I'm not quite ready to pick up that bike in Dallas. I'll give them a little more time to sell it. And I certainly don't want to ride *B* all the way down there. If I go, it will be this winter so I have time to do some mods before spring.

towneh

Thu Nov 14th, 2002, 08:56 PM

greetings all,

gary>>>
yes, i do remember you now. it is a good thing there weren't a lot of people with us that day....

absolutely, keep and use your NADY unit. it has special features that are specific to use on a motorcycle. many of the places that sell it include a headset (?) that has PTT (push-to- talk) and the unit is VOX capable. here is a URL to see what i'm talking about:
http://www.wildwestelectronics.net/mrc-11.html

if you don't have one of these jewels, you could search the net to find one at a good price.

i've got a pair of Talkabouts; one for my spouse and one for me. i've done the net search for the Talkabout VOX earbud X 2. i'd get them anyway because we've found the key microphone/speaker units to be bulky. i'm anxious to try the earbuds on the motorcycles with harry and you.... lets find out if we can tolerate the 'plain jane' radios.

jeff>>>
camping at mission bay sounds interesting. i think i need a compression bag for my sleeping bag. i've got to start budgeting for necessary 'toys'.

tires, tune-up, radar detector, radio(?), fuel cell(?), flip-up windshield, heli bars(?), aerostitch suit and wiper, and some bags (i.e. saddle/tail)....... say....... Santa ?!?!?

later,
henry :D

Harry Biker

Fri Nov 15th, 2002, 06:53 PM

It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!

Camping!? I'd camp on the coast! Hopefully there's no sand flees :shock:
Also camping on the way home in or near state/National parks would be awesome. My bike will easily chill > 1 case of beer 8)

However, I'll likely hotel it the last sleep before the Bun Burner Gold. Call me a wuss if you will.......I may also choose this route over sleeping @ Henry's relatives if I end up on the floor,(which I'll assume is likely). Don't forgert campers that unless we use a police department,(which should not be our 1st coice for a witness) that you'll have to break camp potentially quicker than usual.
That may be an issue in Houston too,(sleeping on a floor) as theirs only so many beds/couches so we should think more about that.

I remember the last guy that called me a wuss...for leaving the pool area in Vegas the night before the trip back. I went to bed @ 10:30-ish for a 5am wake up call. He went to bed between 3:30am & 4am after drinking 20 beers!!!!! My hero!??
I must admit @ that moment I did not feel worthy :cry:

Course, after gassing our steeds
a whopping 90 miles after departure and this hearty sole,( 1/2 founder of the CSC) collapsed next to the ice machine & couldn't get up very well....I started to feel better about myself :D

It's starting to sound like we just might have 4 riders!!!

Gary, you don't like riding "B"? :lol:

I have a little story.........long story short.
I had a "Clone" that I wanted to trade for a Harley "bagger" in Vegas. 30 minutes before my departure my neighbor showed up w/ $15,500 cash and bought my bike. I also had $4K on me. So I called my friend who was to do the ride w/ me and told him to meet me @ my house as we had a change in plans.

He was not happy either that he had to ride me "B" all the way,(we took turns) but there was no way I was not going to take a bike vs a car/truck.

Anyhoo...500 or so miles into the trip it hit me like a brick!? Why was I now going to Vegas to buy a bike doh!! Not to mention I had just shy of $20K cash on me,(not a safe feeling) So I opted to buy my friends bike right there! He said nope. For the next 100 miles I kept raising the price and the greedy bastard kept saying no.

I ended up buying the bike I'll be most likely riding the coasts with you guys and his bike......it blew up 1 week after getting home :lol:

Nick_Ninja

Thu Nov 21st, 2002, 10:17 AM

So HB,

What is the reasoning of traveling this proposed route from WEST to EAST :?: :?:

Why would you want to go against the sun and time zones :?: :?:

Just asking and still open to either or....... :shock:

towneh

Thu Nov 21st, 2002, 11:44 AM

hi jeff,

harry thought the drive to the west would be shorter before getting into the 50cc. we'd also like to invite the Sportbike crowd to join us enroute to Las Vegas..... But, west-to-east riding was mostly for my benefit being a total 'newbie' for long distance riding AND that we'd be 'fresher' for the start.

in theory... going west-to-east we experience riding into shorter sunrises instead of longer longer sunsets goin' the other.....
(deep thoughts by jack handy...)
anyway you look at it, it is a LONG time on the road under just about any/all conditions.

later,
henry (aka neo-fyte :)

Harry Biker

Thu Nov 21st, 2002, 03:16 PM

Henry pretty much summed up my thoughts, but I'm on a break so I'll add to it.

We'll not only be fresher to start the timed run leaving Cali vs Leaving Florida, but we'll also be fresher @ dawn then dusk.

Yes we do lose out on a little day light traveling the opposite direction the sun is setting, but I don't know about you, but I've been on rides in the desert as the sun was setting, sweat and sun screen dripping into my blinding eyes for whatr seemed like 4 hours straight or more, it was not fun.

The other issue is the option of free lodging and an automatic witness who's a cop in Houston for the VERY difficult "BB Gold" that I'm/we're shooting for. If we go the other way, I'll need to find someone in the middle of almost nowhere.

towneh

Mon Nov 25th, 2002, 08:36 PM

greetings all,

i'm somewhat disappointed with our (harry et moi) attempt with the frs on the motorcycle... they were way too light, the mikes were too fickle, and there was a lot of erratic feedback.

i'm guessing that the NADY units with the helmet mike/earpiece do great things with squelching/suppression and the like.... (Gary, please 'chime in' here if you've got experience that answers the begging question of performance!!! -- aye or nay please).

i have found the 'going rate' is around $80 which yields the unit, ptt
headset, shi, etc.

Gary, do you have the helmet headset AND have you used it with others while cruising down the road ?

thanx,
henry

Harry Biker

Wed Nov 27th, 2002, 09:01 AM

Greetings fellow would be travelers. I know it's cold out,(course I did ride mine today :lol: ) and it may be difficult to have the neurotransmitters fire to think about anything other than turkey and/or Santa, Hanuka Charlie for our Jewish friends......

But, we have some decisions to make.

step1) decide if you're gonna ride! After that you're home free :twisted:

My request would be something like this.....

You've commited to 50CC by 2/1/03 and

Any reservations needed prior to and during the 50CC are made by 2/28/03. Also, we will not change times/routes/lodging after this date either,(for the timed ride).
I do not care if people want to go see Disney World prior to going home,(I don't) or anything else for that matter. Once the clock stops and we sucessfully complete this ride some may choose to hang out and/or take a different ride home or go see their Aunt Nellie.

If for some reason you find yourself unable to commit by Feb 1st, but feel something may open up in your life that would still allow you to do this ride, I don't have a problem with that. Just don't expect to make changes to the itinerary and you may be on your own come motel/camping time.

Also, I feel and apologize if I've already stated this- that we should limit the # of riders riding the entire stretch together to 4. If we end up w/ 6 riders,(which would be great), I believe we should have 2 groups of 3 or something like that as we can't afford a delay w/ 6 people waiting in line to use the john etc.

In addition, it's perhaps better to choose now if you want to partner up with another rider for things like breakdowns etc. I can assure you that nobody riding in my group will be left stranded for the buzzards, however, it's kind of a 1st come 1st serve kind of deal. I have chosen to ride this ride to the finish or be a DNF,(did not finish) if either myself or Henry has a catastophic bike failure. Thus, if Henry's Zookie implodes, both of our rides are done. If another rider's bike fails, I'll get them to safety and meet them back in Denver after I finish this ride.

Do we currently have anyone else that has fully commited to this ride besides myself and Henry?

Nick_Ninja

Wed Nov 27th, 2002, 10:17 AM

I am going. :D :!: I am camping. 8) I am finishing. :!: I am going crazy waiting for this date to arrive :shock:

Harry Biker

Thu Nov 28th, 2002, 03:18 PM

And Jeff makes 3 :D :!: AWESOME!
What about camping after the 1500? Is that your plan @ least for now?
If so, we are shooting for Beumont area just East of Houston.

What are you thoughts as far as getting to San D. Would you prefer to iron butt it early on the 24th,(for the record, I could leave as early as 3pm on the 23rd if that interests anyone), or sleep in Vegas, or even bypass Vegas all together and travel South and then West vs I-70-I-15.

Are you planning an getting a CB?
Harry

Nick_Ninja

Fri Nov 29th, 2002, 03:09 AM

For the record I would prefer to travel with the sun and the time zones. (period).. If your reasoning is situated solely around accommodating fellow CSC travelers for a pre trip yak yak in Vegas well.......... they could join up on an East to West itinerary and cruise @ whatever speed deemed necessary to make San Diego. THEN WE COULD PARTY OUR ASSES OFF IN SIN-CITY TIL THE COWS COME HOME. Still I'm open for discussion....... REMEMBER -- THIS IS OUR TRIP. I DON'T FEEL A COMMITMENT TO ACOMODATE THOSE WHO ARE NOT COMMITED TO THE FULL BLAST. I would rather make the commitment to travel more hours to the east then to the west without guaranteed accommodations in the Huston area. Any way you look at it there will be one night on the road (6 hours at best) then crank in’ it on to the last stop…… get my drift. I’d rather spend my debauchery moments in Vegas than in Jacksonville FL. (Unless we do this in MARCH and go to DAYTONA :!: )

gary n

Fri Nov 29th, 2002, 10:14 AM

Harry,
I will have to hold out until closer to February 1 to commit. It will depend on how things are looking at work and if I get a bike that will work for this adventure.

Henry,
About the radios. I have used the Nady units on two separate weekends. Each weekend we rode about 700 miles. Here are my thoughts.

We have the MRC-11 units with the flexible metal gooseneck connecting the earpiece and microphone. I think it works best if you position the mic right under your bottom lip. I zip tied the push to talk button onto the throttle cable housing which worked really well. The radio can be clipped to your belt, put in a jacket pocket or in your tankbag. My friend used a special fanny pack from Radio Shack that has many pockets for communications/audio gear. He was also able to fit a CD walkman and other stuff in it too.

The radios worked well up to 80-85 mph. after that it was getting a little hard to hear because of the wind noise. They were really good at slower speeds (45 mph and slower)- when you are entering a town and deciding where to stop for gas/food. 3 AAA batteries lasted all weekend and were still good.

The only negative about the Nady units is that you do have to contend with all the wires. The Chatterbox units which attach to your helmet eliminate them but are much more costly.

After thinking about this for a while, I think I would prefer a CB radio if a compact one can be found that has a earphone/mic and PTT capabilities like the Nady radio. It would be nice to be able to listen/talk to truckers for road conditions etc.

If you are going to be on the toy run I will bring it with me so you can see it.

Gary

Anonymous

Fri Nov 29th, 2002, 10:31 AM

Let me see what I can come up with for CB's... Maybe I can bust out my mad bike-ninja skillz and rig it up for bikes, i.e. better cable management, 12v to run off the bike instead of needing to replace batteries 5 times during the trip, etc.

Assuming I go I'm also planning on some GPS navigation, plus we should all have tankbags with the paper backups (i.e. maps!) just in case.

Harry Biker

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 11:38 AM

Democracy works for me. Thus I say we take a vote. People that have commited get 2 points and people that have yet to decide get 1 point /vote.,(that sounds fair right)? I only know of 6 riders thus far that should be voting: Harry, Henry, Jeff, Ralph, Gary and Dalton.

Just to clarify 1 last time my rationale for going West to East,(and it's not for potential sporties to get to Vegas, that was last on the reasoning rictor scale)

#1) I'll assume I currently have the most experience in long distance touring ABOVE 1000 miles in 24 hours-maybe not, but....the most I've ever ridden in 24 hours thus far,(and it's not worthy) is 1130 miles in 19 hours. Although I actually did feel fresh @ that last gas stop and new I could've gone further, I was pretty fried the next day.

It is 1750 miles from Denver to Jacksonville,(taking the East to West route) and that MAY be just far enough to fry out some riders or even 1 rider so as to prevent them from even doing the 50CC! Do we want to risk that?

#2) Give me the setting sun @ my back ANY DAY vs the setting sun blinding me for hours in my face. I'll go out on a limb here and state that nobody prefers to drive with the setting sun blinding them! I believe all drivers/riders/walkers would prefer to have the sun go down as you head EAST. Now, add semi high speed and time zones keeping that sun up longer in your eyes. I experienced that yesterday skiing and was blinded for 2 runs while on the lift and it sucked!! Obviously this is a non-issue traveling North or South, but you want to travel extreme West in the desert!?

So, what's the real issue here-? Could it be FEAR? Fear of the dark, fear of hitting a deer etc. etc?? I respect the potential hazzards that the dark can bring out. especially with deer, but the reality of this EPIC ride is we will not escape the dark. Will 2-3 more hours of blinding light increase your odds? Is it more dangerous to be riding in the blinding light that gets magnified in the desert sand vs. 3-4 bikes riding close together with their high beams & PIAA's lighting up the night,(not to mention the cooler temps)

#3) If we time it right, we should be able to lessen the degree of intense heat that will be west of El-Paso. Yes, I know the entire trip will be hot, but not as hot as it is in desert of Cali, Arizona and New Mexico.

#4) Automatic cop/biker witness!!! who lives 1470 miles from SanDiego, thus making one issue easier for the BUN BURNER GOLD,(did I mention I really want this pin) and free lodging IF we wanted it.

#5) Jeff's camping- which means he can literally sleep almost anywhere,(don't forget your "screaming meanie"). For the remainder of us less- hardy riders, it'll be easier to find lodging after 1500 miles going West to East vs the other way. Van Horn TX. anyone?

So, that is my "story" why my vote is to travel West to East-"2-points",(nothing but net) :lol:

If you vote the other way,(and please everyone vote) don't forget your 8)

SIDE NOTE: Henry came up w/ a pretty good way to carry extra fuel. REI and similar stores carry fuel bottles primarily used for backpacking/camping. The 1 liter bottels sell for approx. $10.they are very light aluminum, have an o-ring to stop leaks and they are easily portable. I think I'll be using these in place of the plastic gas cans. Chances are, these won't be needed except for maybe a Super Hawk. However, I have experienced while traveling a planned gast stop in the middle of Wyoming and this station actually ran out of gas themselves!! Talk out feeling like you just got punched in the stomach! So, ideally every rider carries a little extra fuel.

ONE LAST THING....
With the toy run next Sunday, assuming you're riding in it- Can the 50cc-ers get together after it for lunch and discussion? Should be a good opportunity to get together.

Harry Biker

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 11:45 AM

Jeff,
I just got Rider mag in the mail and they have an article titled "operation silk purse" that may interest you & your spunky ZZR-12.

Harry Biker

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 11:46 AM

that would be, "silk purse" not sill purse :oops:

gary n

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 12:42 PM

Here's a complete package for the CB radios that I found. It's a little pricey but not bad for all you get - just plug and play.

http://sierra.safeshopper.com/41/505.htm?227

In case the link doesn't work it's at:

www.sierra-mc.com

Anonymous

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 02:43 PM

Harry, I'm down for meeting up after the ride next Sunday to talk about stuff.

Gary, thanks for the link! I almost forgot about the weather radio part, YES we need that! We're travelling through Texas and points east right in the beginning of the strongest part of storm season (plus tornado alley coming back home). There is a high probability we will experience severe weather along this trip including high wind, rain, hail, maybe worse. Plan on it and pack accordingly.

Sounds like that CB package would work well, now what about the helmet headsets? That package needs a 12v power cord too, and probably some bike rigging. If people are not comfortable messing with the power on their bike like that, I'd be happy to have a "rig day" whereby you can all bring your bikes over to my house, use the BBQ grill (someone's buying my burgers for this), and I'll hook it all up for ya, since I have pretty much everything one might want for electrical jobs here already.

Nick_Ninja

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 06:04 PM

So, what's the real issue here-? Could it be FEAR? Fear of the dark, fear of hitting a deer etc. etc?? I respect the potential hazzards that the dark can bring out. especially with deer, but the reality of this EPIC ride is we will not escape the dark. Will 2-3 more hours of blinding light increase your odds? Is it more dangerous to be riding in the blinding light that gets magnified in the desert sand vs. 3-4 bikes riding close together with their high beams & PIAA's lighting up the night,(not to mention the cooler temps)

With the stock dual beam headlights that I have blazin' out front (and the additional PIAA 1100X driving lamps going to be installed prior to take off) I doubt that night visability of hazzards will be too much of a factor. I have had the unfortunate encounter with two deer in my riding escapades , the last being over 120,000 miles in the past. I don't intend to add a third notch to the Buck Knife :twisted: .

:arrow: Harry, FEAR has nothing to do with my vote to travel East to West. But it really doesn't matter. In 50 hours I'll be snoozin in the Jacksonville or San Diego Marriott (I prefer SanDiego) with an order of room-service, lots-o-champaign, and a fine Havanna cigar. I guess I will see you guys on the toy run :wink: .

gary n

Sat Nov 30th, 2002, 10:42 PM

Anonymous

Sun Dec 1st, 2002, 12:27 AM

The CB kit includes:
Cobra HH38WXST 40 channel cb with weather radio
J&M RHD-10 headset
PTT harness (which accepts any 5 pin din dynamic headset, J&M or Hondaline)
Heavy duty mounting plate with stainless steel hardware

I'm not sure about power, but it should be as easy as connecting to the battery.

Also - that CB is HUGE! The midland is a lot smaller it looks like, and has a neat little adapter with a cig lighter adapter (I can make some plugs for that for the bike pretty quick). I do like those handlebar mounts they have, that plus the headset cable (plus a headset - note this is not included, still need that part) would be nice. I'd also like some way to mix in a CD player or something, and output from a radar detector; their prices for the audio "integration" things are ridiculous, I'm going to check around and see what else I can find there.

The power should be fused, and should likely come off an accessory wire (like headlights or something). Would be the least impactive that way I think. We'll see, as we get closer and get a headcount I can order all the parts at once from some place like digikey and get a quantity discount or something.

I like the idea of riding to the west first, then East on the 50cc as well. If people want to ride with to Vegas that's fine, but I intend to spend as little time there as possible (the town just doesn't do it for me) so I will not be massaging my schedule to meet theirs. That's about what Harry's thoughts were I think too.

I can camp some of the time as well, though after a LONG day of riding, I'm sure as f'in hell gonna want a hot long shower and possibly something soft to sleep on. An entire week of riding and sleeping on the ground, showering in tents, will quite possibly make me want to beat someone by the end.

Harry Biker

Sun Dec 1st, 2002, 03:39 PM

Page 3 :!:

www.jmcorp.com should also be considered. I'm currently using their products in my helmet system and the quality of the speakers is very good.

I do have a weather band on the "dresser", so if you'd have to pay xtra for that consider that I do have one and with a quality cb radio with a range of 5 miles or so, good vision and nose, I believe we'd have plenty of time,(@ least Jeff will :lol:) to out run an F1-F5. On my 1st documented 1K/24 hrs, I missed an F5 tornado by 22 hours which is an eternity, but I swear I could just feel it coming!

Cb's are just a great way to go because they can and do act as a weather band, radar detector, hazzard alert etc. However,while I was drooling on the '03 BMW's yesterday,(Gary, they have $1500 off brand new R1150rt's and K1200rs's and between 500$-1000$ off most other models-assuming you wanted/could go new) I came across their FRS connection system which looked very complete,(for anyone still wanting to go this way).

Ralph, I might take you up on your offer to help me wire some driving lights.
One suggestion for all is to do all mods to your bike way before the trip as many a long distance/endurance riders have learned that the hard way with things like charging systems that could not handle the extra load, shields that caused uncomfortable buffeting and seats that just hurt. I'd also recommend a new battery for any bike who's battery is > 2 yrs old,(I got 3 yrs out of my old battery and got very lucky on my last big trip that it died slowly instead of leaving me stranded- I won't make that mistake again)

Harry

Nick_Ninja

Sun Dec 1st, 2002, 03:58 PM

I currently use a SENG/TA radar mount. It is solid at speeds well in excess of the century mark. They also have available numerous driving lamp configurations with a nifty wireing harness system that looks like a snap to install. (I already have the hookup for the Eclips Electric Vest that will work with this system. :wink:)

You can find them here:

http://www.saeng.com/cutters.htm

Harry Biker

Sun Dec 1st, 2002, 04:50 PM

Argghhh, I can't find my book that has a great packing list. I've seen a few on the net in the past, but uually just end up making my own. Prepping for a trip like this is a good portion of the fun and we all bring some shared and different ideas as to what works. With Xmas approaching my guess is we could all use something to have us well stocked so I'll share some of my thoughts and hope you do as well.

1)TOOLS. If you're only relying on what came with your bike, you're fooling yourself,(even if I'm the only one on a Harley) that nothing will go wrong. My FZ1 tank almost fell off while riding it yesterday!! know you bike!!!
...this list could be very long and Ralph seems to know his stuff so enlighten us.

2)$$$. Speaks for itself. Bring more than you think you'll need. Also, if for some reason you do not have a credit card, clean up your credit now and get one. You'll need it for your gas receipts. Possibly travler's checks.

3) TOWING PACKAGE. Hopefully we do not need this as this will most certainly mean you will be a DNF!! I've only used AAA before, not counting HOG/HONDA or other factory plans. Any one with good info on this speak up. AAA is about $130/year.

4)SPARE BIKE/LOCK KEY

5)TWO TYPES OF LOCKS

6)OWNERS MANUAL

7)EAR PLUGS. May be an issue if you have helmet mounted speakers. If your speakers are "ear buds", you can kill 2 birds....

8)TIRE REPAIR KIT AND INFLATION DEVICE

9)FLASHLIGHT/S-ROAD FLARE

10)SPARE BATTERIES/BULBS/FUSES

11)SUN SCREEN

12)SUN GLASSES X 2 OR VERYING SHADES/FACE SHIELDS

13)MEDS/ IBUPROPHEN,(prophylactic)HEALTH INSURANCE CARD

14)1ST AIDE KIT

15)TOW STRAP

16)MAP/GPS

17)CELL PHONE

18)OIL/CHAIN LUBE/RAGS

19)EXTRA FUEL-this could be dangerous. But hey, life is dangerous

20)BIKE SPECIFIC DEALER LOCATION

21)RAIN SUIT,(even the mighty Aero-Stich is not 100% waterproof)

22)CLEAN-DRY CHANGE OF CLOTHES large zip lock bags work well.

23)"LECTRIC GEAR"/OR COLD WEATHER GEAR-sun burn plus cool desert temps @ night =chilly!!

24)REFLECTIVE VEST OR SIMILAR

25)EMERGENCY WATER

26)REGISTRATION/INSURANCE LICENSE CARDS

27)CRUISE CONTROL/THROTTLE LOCK, @ the very least a trottle rocker

28)GLASSES

29)EYE DROPS

30)KNIFE/LEATHERMAN

31)MUSIC-This can be a life saver.

32)ALARM CLOCK,preferably a "screaming meanie"

33)CAMPING GEAR

34)TANK BAG-for sportbike comfort

35)BICYCLE SHORTS-again for comfort

36)SHIELD CLEANER

37)FINGER RAIN WIPER

38)COOLING SYSTEM-these vary greatly, drinking water on bike is huge!

39)GUM/HARD CANDY

40)CAMERA

41)NOTE PAD/PENCIL

42)ZIP LOCK BAG/S- for gas receipts and other uses

43)RADAR DETECTOR

44)SHOES/SANDALS

45)IBA WITNESS STATEMENTS AND RULES FOR 50CC

46)WEIGHT BELT/KIDNEY-HEAT PAD,(Portable-for the old farts)

47)CIGARS

48)EMERGENCY SURVIVAL KIT

49)SEWING KIT/EYE GLASSES REPAIR KIT

50)FIRE-LIGHTER/MATCHES

51)RIDING CLOTHES-Not gear. I've started bringing wearing old stuff and throwing it out after it's used.

52)RIDING GEAR-armored/reflective/water proof. "Subway" bags work ok for inside non-water proof boots.

53) :?: :?:

Harry biker

Nick_Ninja

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 04:14 PM

Just received word that SAENG/TA will be introducing a new Night Cutter model for sportbikes in three weeks. I've been told there is NOTHING like it out there. I hope it creates visual melt-down when applied to the black surroundings of the Mojave. Turn your mirrors DOWN toward the ground if I'm behind you :wink:

towneh

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 04:21 PM

al right, all right!!!!
i 'checked out" for the holiday weekend!

harry, jeff, gary, nd ralph >>> being the "weakest link" with the old motorcycle and no ld experience.... i opt for the west-2-east route AND leaving at 10pm from SanD and exploiting Harry's dad for a witness/flop-house. :D Then sleep for 6+hours, exiting Hous at 4am (with nominal traffic...), arriving at JacksV approx 7pm with an easy backtrack to the police station for a wittness.

ralph >>> i want to add a three-port cigarette lighter socket system to my old rf..... i've got ideas but another set of eyes keeps me honest! at this point, i want to power a midland cb 75-822 (i need ideas for a fixed baseless antenna also) AND my little GPS. i'm reluctant to add more lighting to my old rocket. the draw on the system adds up quickly and i'd rather not risk an electrical melt-down. :shock:

it would be a wonderful thing if Sunday-Santa were just like today!!!! hopefully my tires will hang in there so that i can be there!
living -on-th-edge,
henry

towneh

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 04:42 PM

oops; didn't see the Dalton ref til i read back thru the threads.....

additional info: i've got microsoft streets and trips software for 2003 that gens maps and turn-for-turn route descriptions which make a nice supplemental doc when you turn your other logging items in for validation!

my vote is in,
henry :)

Anonymous

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 04:51 PM

To add to Harry's list (maybe)

I didn't read his list in it's entirety, but here's another list which will hopefully compliment Harry's:
http://my.execpc.com/~ytk/trippack.htm

I wish I was going with you guys!

Anonymous

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 05:57 PM

Henry,

Adding the cig lighter plugs won't be an issue. And powering a CB will not be hard either, though for all the stuff you're plugging in we'd probably want to add fused wires and some other sort of quick disconnect method, cig lighters aren't terribly vibration resistant (or weatherproof). Wouldn't be hard to do it that other way and the cost would be about the same.

Check out that site with the Cobra package, they had some license-plate mounted antennas you might want to look at. Personally I like that smaller midland radio they have on there (I can't remember if it had weather radio features, will have to check); the 12v power adapter has a plug for an external antenna on it as well, so that and the fixed handlebar mount and you'd have a nice setup that didn't take much power. Not sure what the best route for a helmet headset is really...

I'm going to see what it would take to even maybe build a small circuit in a 2"x3" enclosure I can put in the tank bag, whereby I can mix together all of the audio signals I might want (i.e. CB, mp3/CD player, celly, radar detector) cleanly. I have an idea in my head, I just need to try it out and see what happens. Assuming it works out ok I'd be willing to make them for this group (i.e. the trip group, not CSC as a whole, at least not until I can get the boards mass produced) pretty cheap, since it sounds like we're all going to need something like that.

Harry Biker

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 06:40 PM

:D Spidey,
It's very cool that you're contributing,(I appreciate you forwarding that list). You know you're a frickin Super Hero!! Did Superman cave to Lois Lane?, Did Aquaman cave to Aqua chick? did Batman cave to Robin? yuck!
We could really use an almost fast bike bike just in case someone get's ascared and has to be zoomed to safety by the impressive 998! :lol:

Ralph,
Sign me up w/ you whatchamacallit thingy!! I'd love to be wired in to make a phone call while riding!! I could order a pizza or make prank phone calls to the insect while @ warp speed!

Henry,
Welcome back. I thought you/we wanted to depart @ 4am to keep people's sleep schedule a little more on the norm vs the "graveyard-shift"?

Soooo it sounds like the tribe has spoken,(although Dalton's a tad quiet) re: go East young men!! :D Where are the women bikers ?? Alicia???

Now onto the next question....
What is the best time to start the clock in San Diego? Give us your input and of course consider Houston traffic. Also consider if you can sleep pre-ride to awaken @ ----------? My vote is 4 or 5am to give the best? possible odds of getting some sleep.

Anonymous

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 06:48 PM

So, just to clarify ... we're of course sleeping in SD before riding like madmen (or women if any go) to Houston - where we are staying again for 6 or so hours, then riding like madmen (or women if any go) to Jacksonville, where I know I for one will be sleeping a lot, then riding back at a semi-non-mad pace? Getting confusing...

Also - what is the expected stay in the land of steers and queers? I think as long as we don't hit the main rush hour traffic we'll be ok there, the Houston highways are actually designed kinda nice with the fast moving traffic separated away from the exit/on-ramps by large pieces of concrete. Still, we should have a good alternate strategy for getting around there. I know some peeps down there as well, I know time will be uber tight but if we're eating dinner down there or something it'd be cool to meet up with them. (the gixxer.com crew...)

towneh

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:06 PM

Anonymous

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:42 PM

hello ralph,

the 75-822 by midland handheld cb comes with a rubber-ducky antenna and consumes 6 AA cells BUT reduces to a mobile unit living off a 12v source and external antenna. for a nice picture and features see>>
http://www.durhamradio.com/midland-75-822.htm

Yep, thats the one I was looking at. Shop around, I'm sure we can get 'em cheaper. Especially if we can do a group purchase of this stuff all at once, that should get us some discounts.

i like how my shoei full-face helmet fits so i'm reluctant to cut up my helmet interior for speakers.... instead, i'm thinking about some jack
re-configuration so that i can use something like these Koss earplug speakers. http://www.aerostich.com/isroot/riderwearhouse/sitemap/products/3081.html
i've also found a few places that sell small, low-profile microphones that i could glue in place on the chin bar of my shoei..... i'll probably buy this kit
http://www.soundradio.com/mc_cable.html
and integrate the Koss earplugs in lieu of the speakers. additionally, i'm thinking of solutions to their posted limitation (i.e. not capable of multiple audio input devices to-date...)

Well, that box I was talking about building would let you plug all sorts of stuff into it, including multiple microphone outputs for things like cell phones. I think that soundradio.com headphone thing would work well. I put some small headphones in my Arai not too long ago (took them back out eventually) and didn't have to modify anything to do it.

btw, thanx for more ideas for an ext antenna..... i know there is some dark science pertaining to ext antenna cable length for reception.... :wink:

Remember, the antenna cable is (and should be) shielded. you will not gain anything by messing with the length of the cable, except that longer wiring means more signal loss - though we're talking 6 feet max so it's irrelevant. If you want uber signal, get the biggest antenna you can put up with... However we're all going to be within 200 feet of each other so I don't think it'll matter. I'm planning on getting one of those license plate antennas, I think that's a great idea personally and automatically makes the wiring neat since I can run under the fairings and inside the frame without having to modify anything - literally bolt-on.

What I'm also considering is a small LED battery/electrical system monitor on this power adapter I want to build. I already have the design done for it since it's part of another device I designed a few months ago that I plan to build and sell; basically you have a row of LED's that indicate your charge condition at all times, so you don't wind up with problems somewhere in the middle of the desert. It would be like $5 extra in parts to include it... I'm going to build this stuff and use my bike as a guinea pig, and you guys can decide if you like it. I'm only going to make one design however (i.e. the power harness will come with the LED monitor, it's not an option) so whatever I end up with is what you guys end up with. :mrgreen:

towneh

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:46 PM

hello harry et all

" I thought you/we wanted to depart @ 4am to keep people's sleep schedule a little more on the norm vs the "graveyard-shift"? "

well harry, the truth is i learned that i have a 'fickle' mode. i got to thinking about the heat of the cali/newmex/tex deserts and how there would be less traffic when EVERYONE ELSE is sleeping. that became appealing to me along with an easy witness source/etc. (yogi never responded and i'm not keen about trying to use people from the MTF tour in march) reliable people are a valuable asset! 8)

btw... you are right, my current battery is 4 winters old w/o trickle tending! REPLACE!

"more input...johnny 5",
henry

i need to find a place that i can post the "turn-for-turn" route descriptions so that we can come to some sort of consensus (sp?) :idea:

Anonymous

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:55 PM

btw... you are right, my current battery is 4 winters old w/o trickle tending! REPLACE!

You don't ride in the winter? Even if I'm not riding I make a point of running it every week or so for about 20 min to warm everything up, charge the battery, keep the fluids fluid, and burn out any condensation.

i need to find a place that i can post the "turn-for-turn" route descriptions so that we can come to some sort of consensus (sp?) :idea:

You can't post 'em here?

Nick_Ninja

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 07:56 PM

Henry, are you an insomniac :?: I like the idea of cruising through the desert at night myself, that way it really doesn’t matter which direction I’m headed. Because of this I will load my system with x-tra lighting :shock: and radar electronic counter measures :roll: before the cell/tuneage/cb stuff. Info only -- Dalton is NOT on the internet but I’m keeping him informed. He’ll ride with the consensus (if he goes at all).

towneh

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 08:20 PM

alllrrigght!

ralph>> i occaisionally ride the winter providing the option for ice riding is VERY nominal. yes, i do run it for a bit on every Sunday (the neighbors really appreciate it). as for the posting of 'trial' route descriptions here; i'll do it but i don't like to 'clutter' (i.e. as the routes evolve the old stuff will need to be removed so there won't be conflicting data posted....) thanx, i try it tomorrow evening... :idea:

jeff>> i've had the opportunity to work for several places where you get so charged up by the mission that you've got absolutely no idea what time it is or how long you've been at it!!! i will gladly fall in behind you with my low-beam blazing! while i appreciate radar detection devices, the cb provides a multitude of services (entertainment, smokey reports, and bike2bike commo). but then again, spaghetti cableing does not look cool

maybe i am an insomniac :roll: ,
henry

Anonymous

Mon Dec 2nd, 2002, 08:34 PM

Remember, you can delete your posts on here, or one of us mod-types can do it for ya if the need arises.

I don't like spaghetti wiring either. :D I keep everything nice and neat. I'll do all this stuff to mine so you can "try before you buy" so to speak.

Harry Biker

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 08:11 AM

Reminder-
lunch after the toy run 12/8!!
Ideally, this group rides the parade together so's we can park together. That means we need to pull the bikes in line @ Aspen Grove and most important park together once we arrive @ the hospital. There could be 10,000 people and it gets a little cluster-fu--ed in the parking garage.

I'll see you all @ Panera in HR @ 8:30am.

Any suggestions for a post-"good deed ride" where we can actually chat too? Pete's Kitchen??

Harry

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 12:08 PM

Wynkoop Brewing Company
1634 18th St.
Denver, CO 80202

http://www.wynkoop.com/images/STORE/CATALOG%20Pictures/Wynkoop%20Stop.png

Anonymous

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 12:31 PM

You actually went out and took a picture of that?

:lol:

Harry Biker

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 12:57 PM

The "Koop" works for me!
Perhaps we can even play a little 3-ball for a beer or 2!

Jeff, Can you smoke a cigar there?

BTW, I'll be joining you for that post 50CC cigar!!!!!! We should consider a nice dinner as a group too and then light up, pop the bubbly etc. :lol:

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 01:51 PM

rforsythe:

No. I didn't snap that photo. I snagged it off their web site. Works well huh?

Harry Biker wrote: Jeff, Can you smoke a cigar there?

Yes you can!! Upstairs in the pool hall only.

Anonymous

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 02:20 PM

Ok, conflict with the dates...

AMA weekend! It's May 30-June 1. I know I for one am planning to be down there, partying and watching a lot of really fast mofo's go ripping around PPIR.

Thoughts?

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 02:39 PM

Well,

I can bump it up a couple of weeks prior to Memorial Day. How about the week of May 16th. Why you ask :?: Cuz that's when ROAD ATLANTA is TENTATIVELY happening :!:

We could swing back through there and check out a REAL track :!: PPIR is not in the same league as RA.

May 16-18 Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA - TENTATIVE (Doubleheader)

towneh

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 08:21 PM

removed at this location for upgrade; same thread dated Fri Jan 31, 2003

look there for the latest turn-for-turn route description for the 50cc!!!

Anonymous

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 09:02 PM

Henry...

Wow.

Allow me to regain my senses from that one... :mrgreen:

...

Now are we sure there will be open fuel stops on the road like that in the middle of the night? A lot of BFE gas stations (yes, even on major interstates - try driving back from Nebraska at 11pm sometime down I-76) aren't open late. Also I will not make 170+ miles between stops unless I go buy a 6 gallon tank for the thing.

Harry or whoever has done something like this before: What do you recommend for physical endurance to actually handle 23 straight hours on the road like that?

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 09:08 PM

rforsythe wrote:

Harry or whoever has done something like this before: What do you recommend for physical endurance to actually handle 23 straight hours on the road like that?

I've only done 18 hours in one day (800 miles) LOTS-O-STOPS :!: and LOTS-O-WATER :!: . Stay away from the coffee type elixers etc. PACE YERSELF :!: :!: :!:

towneh

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 09:40 PM

yes.... we have to re-work the route to accomodate the range of our most-thirsty cycle.... the posted route was using the range of harry's cycle (-10% for things like wind and aggressive behavior :lol: ). <<OR>> if the local cycle wizards can rig-up something for your cycle...

i've done lots of endurance events on the 2-pedal cycles; you've got to consume the right kind of stuff AND you've got to set your mental framework for the goal. "consume" loosely put starts after a sound rest and follows with nurturing before you need (simple drink such as an electrolyte and simple food like fig bars, power bars, granola bars, etc)
usually the 'sound rest' ref lost to my level of excitement! Jeff has stated the key to it all; PACE!!!

the fuel stops; most of the time the fuel stops are at locations that have been validated (thank you MTF...) as we approach for our departure, i will call the others for validation and check against the latest postings @ MTF.

later,
henry

btw...jeff has talked fuel cells; kind of pricey but very sweet! :wink:

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 09:48 PM

Here are some selected reports from folks that did what we will do soon :!:

I really enjoyed Warren Harhay's documentation of his trip. VERY WELL DONE :shock:

http://www.ironbutt.com/intro/50cc/index50.htm

Harry Biker

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 10:03 PM

1st let me get this off my chest.......OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! :cry:
Thanks, feel much better now :)

OK, so I lied :? I don't feel that much better :(

1st the easy one.....Nick- 800 miles is admirable, but not in 18 hours. Your time, our time must be in the 800 mile range in 12 hours!! This is my normal speed on endurance runs and I got to tell you it was a blistering pace, and I currently don't have the bike to do it on. I've only done that twice and it was on a Blackbird and a Concours,(which had a 7.5 gallon tank) I was also solo, which is faster. That being said however I will still complete @ least the 50CC in the alloted time and I could do it on a scooter,(i'm more worried about the bun burner gold). I believe you must have this same confidence to do this ride or you risk falling asleep while riding!!! Silly as it sounds, I sometimes have and will tell myself that there will be no dying today. I literally will myself to make that sweeper @ 140mph or stay fricking AWAKE!!!!!

Look fellas, this is something that < 250 people have ever done out of > 6 billion. Why? Cuz it's frickin HARD CORE,(ok and most people don't live in this country)

You can't afford to take this trip lightly or it'll cost you your LIFE. You either feel it in your bones to attempt this ride or you don't. If we did this ride @ Jeff's pace, we'd fail by 4 hours and not get any sleep!!!

I'm not dogging you Jeff as I can tell you have it in you to do this ride and you have a great bike to do it on,(assuming you're comfy), but you must realize your average speed including stops must be raised.

Ralph, Your cruiser almost certainly will be a better bike for this trip. Albeit this is a sport bike club, but this ride WILL HURT YOU and as you've noticed < 1% of the club as commited. If you have not already read several reports so you're as clear as can be,(without actually riding it) on what it will be like to 50CC, do it soon.

We all must get qualified to even start this ride,(assuming you want the proof that you did it from the IBA) and that will occur in the spring on a saddle sore 1K. My guess is we will lose some of you after doing that ride, but it will also give you a guage if you can do this safely.

Assuming you still want to go on the already planned dates, my best suggestion is you definately carry extra fuel and plan on running out of gas and we'll fill your tank on the road,(if you're on the Super Hawk) That's a little odd, but I've done it before on a Sporster that had a 2.25 gallon tank and @ high speed,(for a Harley) it would die @ 90 miles.

I know I'm going off on a tangent here, or as a good friend of mine might say, wow, I stepped on a land mine!!! but I'm not happy about changing the dates. I realize the AMA comes to Colorado once a year. If you really want to see them race then you know what you must do.

I've already requested and received time off and yes, I suppose if the entire group wants to change the dates I may, but it'll cost me another vacation day and I can't see changing the dates unless you are 100% commited.

Here's a few pointers to stay awake on the bike for 24 hours:
1) start getting yourself in shape with cardio and be consistant with it for the next 5.5 months.

2) 2-4 x/month,(for an entire day) eat what you will be eating on the 24 hour ride. Decide now what you will be eating. Henry already knows what he'll be eating, as do I.

3)I'd recommend staying awake for a 24 hour period @ least 2 x's before the ride to practice it. On your 2nd attempt either go workout @ the 20th hour or go ride 100 miles on your bike. Especially pay attention to drug free hallucinations and know that is to be expected.

4)Ride. Ride in the rain. Ride in the cold. I've been riding daily to work @ 6am. I'm even getting used to not pluggin in,(a little) because I feel it toughens me up.

5)If you're a big time coffee drinker or even Mountain Dew etc. cut down so you can make the ride without the stuff.

6) Any time the weather is cooperative enough and you have the time do a 200 mile trip and clock yourself. We must be able to ride 200 miles in 3 hours with stops!

7)Read. There is a new book out from a legendary rider named Ron Ayers. He has a new book out on endurance riding. You can find it @ Whitehorse press or Aero stitch.

8) You tell me? I've never come close to this kind of ride, but I know 2 things... I will not fail and I will not hurt myself. Nor do I want to do CPR on anyone.

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 10:35 PM

An excerpt from Warren Harhay's 50cc Quest after spending the night in a subburb of Houston, TX:

I begin the only exercise undertaken for this trip by repeatedly bending over in each room corner to gather up bits of my riding paraphernalia. This stuff was strewn about the room six or seven hours ago with great abandon in the mad rush to get into bed. No rush now, I'm not going anywhere in this fog.

I hope I don't take myself too seriously on this adventure 8) .

Anonymous

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 10:55 PM

Look fellas, this is something that < 250 people have ever done out of > 6 billion. Why? Cuz it's frickin HARD CORE,(ok and most people don't live in this country)

You can't afford to take this trip lightly or it'll cost you your LIFE. You either feel it in your bones to attempt this ride or you don't. If we did this ride @ Jeff's pace, we'd fail by 4 hours and not get any sleep!!!

I'm not dogging you Jeff as I can tell you have it in you to do this ride and you have a great bike to do it on,(assuming you're comfy), but you must realize your average speed including stops must be raised.

Agreed. And I do feel it in my bones. I've wanted to do a big trip like this (albeit I never imagined half of it in 50 hours or less, but hey, it's all good) since I started riding and have considered even going solo many times since up until this little message thread I didn't know of anyone who would be crazy / I mean tough / no I do mean crazy enough to do it with me.

Ralph, Your cruiser almost certainly will be a better bike for this trip. Albeit this is a sport bike club, but this ride WILL HURT YOU and as you've noticed < 1% of the club as commited. If you have not already read several reports so you're as clear as can be,(without actually riding it) on what it will be like to 50CC, do it soon.

We all must get qualified to even start this ride,(assuming you want the proof that you did it from the IBA) and that will occur in the spring on a saddle sore 1K. My guess is we will lose some of you after doing that ride, but it will also give you a guage if you can do this safely.

Assuming you still want to go on the already planned dates, my best suggestion is you definately carry extra fuel and plan on running out of gas and we'll fill your tank on the road,(if you're on the Super Hawk) That's a little odd, but I've done it before on a Sporster that had a 2.25 gallon tank and @ high speed,(for a Harley) it would die @ 90 miles.

I've been checking with the superhawk list, since some of those guys have done long trips on them before. Getting a LOT of great feedback from them so I will evaluate my bike choice in a couple months. The cruiser will take more work to prep and being a rebuild, I have to trust it for 3000+miles. I dunno if I will have that trust by then. I know I can ride my superhawk off a cliff and it'll run. I will eval the gas thing at that time too, I will either carry external fuel somehow (safety is my concern there, if I go down and it sprays, that could be fatal), or see if I can't score a cheap 6gal tank from someone.

The saddle sore is the 24hr/1,000 mile run, correct? Will definitely be interesting to see how we all hang on that one...

I know I'm going off on a tangent here, or as a good friend of mine might say, wow, I stepped on a land mine!!! but I'm not happy about changing the dates. I realize the AMA comes to Colorado once a year. If you really want to see them race then you know what you must do.

I've already requested and received time off and yes, I suppose if the entire group wants to change the dates I may, but it'll cost me another vacation day and I can't see changing the dates unless you are 100% commited.

Noted. This is why I'm bringing it up now. Just to make sure early on we all know what is expected of each other. This is much more than a group of dudes riding, I expect we will be depending on each other quite a bit to get through this thing. We had better get used to that mode of thinking sooner than later.

Here's a few pointers to stay awake on the bike for 24 hours:
1) start getting yourself in shape with cardio and be consistant with it for the next 5.5 months.

Speaking of which, I need to hit a gym in a VERY bad way. I'm not exaggerating. I've been running nightly (when I remember to) and doing limited working out, but it's cold as fuck outside these days and I just don't stay motivated on my own. Anyone hit the gym in a location reasonably close to me, on a regular basis? Could use a bit of training there too...

3)I'd recommend staying awake for a 24 hour period @ least 2 x's before the ride to practice it. On your 2nd attempt either go workout @ the 20th hour or go ride 100 miles on your bike. Especially pay attention to drug free hallucinations and know that is to be expected.

Done. 50-hour work shift, moving an entire computer data center and re-racking several tons of server and network gear. And many, many 24 hour nights. I'll have to do the bike ride thing. It'll be fun! :mrgreen:

4)Ride. Ride in the rain. Ride in the cold. I've been riding daily to work @ 6am. I'm even getting used to not pluggin in,(a little) because I feel it toughens me up.

You plug in? Shit. I've been riding in without the benefit of heat this whole time! Guess that means I'm more toughened up than Harry... :lol: (ducks) (That line about the ice and the bike in my sig - is half serious - I hate scraping frost off the windshield!)

6) Any time the weather is cooperative enough and you have the time do a 200 mile trip and clock yourself. We must be able to ride 200 miles in 3 hours with stops!

Done that too. What I would actually suggest here, is this - don't do 200 miles of canyons. That's easy. Go find the most open, boring, straight stretch of highway you possibly can and ride that at the pace we will be riding on this trip. 200 miles over 3 hours averages to about 66mph. So, if you can average 70-75mph, that will let you hit a fuel stop with time to spare. Do that one way then back, personally I don't think it's the riding time that bites you on that short of a run so much as the mental desire to HAUL ASS. The mental aspect of this thing is what scares me the most. I know how I get.

7)Read. There is a new book out from a legendary rider named Ron Ayers. He has a new book out on endurance riding. You can find it @ Whitehorse press or Aero stitch.

Does porn count? :twisted:

8) You tell me? I've never come close to this kind of ride, but I know 2 things... I will not fail and I will not hurt myself. Nor do I want to do CPR on anyone.

Agreed. I will complete this thing with my left nut falling off if I have to, but it's not worth dying for. Speaking of CPR ... we do have people going who can deal with that sort of thing? I used to be able to but it's been several years since my cert. I do plan to bring some basic med supplies just in case...

Nick_Ninja

Tue Dec 3rd, 2002, 11:16 PM

Hardly, but I did dabble in the Paramedic field for many years. At one time I was certified as an American Heart and American Red Cross CPR Instructor for many (recent) years.

Got outta that business when I got shot at down in Denver around 6th and Santa Fe (missed me and my partner). Got waaaaayyyyy disillusioned after managing pediatric emergencies (berthing and German Shepard attacks to little kids can leave one with a knot in one’s stomach).

Boulder was better to perform "almost doctor" type skills. Especially on drug overdoses and "gravity attacks" off the Flatirons. I too plan on bringing my Band-Aids and Imodium :? .

Anonymous

Wed Dec 4th, 2002, 12:17 AM

Here is some touring stuff on a fellow superhawker's site:
http://www.moto-rama.com/html/touring_info.html

And these guys were recommended to me as a place to buy stuff, including comm and audio gear:
http://www.aerostich.com/riderwearhouse.store

Nick_Ninja

Wed Dec 4th, 2002, 10:32 AM

Here is yet another site with many links to cool (and some really lame) stuff :!:

http://webmaster10.com/ldr/

http://webmaster10.com/ldr/ld-logo.gif

Nick_Ninja

Wed Dec 4th, 2002, 10:45 AM

I almost forgot. The Concours Owners Group (COG) has many good tips for long distance riding. Including insight on Iron Butt type trips and camping!

http://www.concours.org/long.distance.tips.html

http://www.concours.org/graphics/new-2b.red.gif

towneh

Wed Dec 4th, 2002, 07:49 PM

it's official.....

i just got back the paperwork for my vacation request. i am cleared for departure anytime after 1700hrs on the 23rd of may, 2003!!! the 'yello box' folks would appreciate my return on june 2nd.

later,
henry

Harry Biker

Wed Dec 4th, 2002, 10:03 PM

Ralph,
Glad to hear that you are most likely still planning to roll out 5/24,(possible 5/23 after the yellow sub gets parked :lol: ). It also appears we have the CPR area covered, but I'm not going to be doing anything with you L. nut ! :shock:

So who do you think has the best priced driving lights out there? I'd like to practice a set up on my FZ1 as I'm riding in the dark a lot lately. Would a place like Car Toys be a good place to buy? Is the switch seperate or does that come with the lights?

Still many unanswerd questions, but we're making some progress.
I think we've nailed down 2 issues: West to East and departure weekend date from Denver.

Remember after the toy run-lunch, beer, cigars, pool and discussion.
If we could come away after lunch on Sunday with @ least knowing when we were leaving Denver, when we are planning to start the clock in San Diego, and where we plan to sleep after the 1st 24 hours that would be huge! Any and all questions and concerns should be brought up.

Jeff,
Ever had a "Short Story" or a "Work of Art"? Two of the finest ever made!!
Harvest W&S on 38th? in your neck of the woods has a pretty good selection. I'll assume you've been to Edward's?

Nick_Ninja

Wed Dec 4th, 2002, 10:40 PM

Harry Biker wrote:

Jeff,
Ever had a "Short Story" or a "Work of Art"? Two of the finest ever made!!
Harvest W&S on 38th? in your neck of the woods has a pretty good selection. I'll assume you've been to Edward's?

Now I assume that you are talking stogies here :?: :?:

When you say Edward's -- do you mean Eads N&S shop :?:

P.S. Those night cutters that SAENG makes are a 'work of art' in my book. I just need to find out $cost$ and candle power.

http://www.saeng.com/

http://www.saeng.com/images/2795.jpg

Harry Biker

Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 08:17 AM

Sorry...just testing your Arturo Fuente knowledge. Yes, I was talking cigars. Edwards pipe & tobacco @ Broadway & Hampden is very good, but I've also been to Ede's and Harvest wine and spirits in Boulder.

Thanks for forwarding the Night cutter link. I think that's a pretty easy way to go. look s like approx. $300 for the entire set up.

Any idea how much of a drain the 100watt bulbs would place on a battery. I think I have a 38 amp charging system on my Glide. Harley makes a 45 amp system that I could upgrade if needed.
Ralph, do you have an easy way to assess drainage to the electrical system?? My guess is without contacting a service tech., it could be a real pain in the arse on my Harley because it already has numerous electrical gadgets.

Anonymous

Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 11:03 AM

Well, I do have a meter at home that can probably tell.

38 amps is about right for a bike (for reference - a lot of cars ar 90 amps with a lot more crap running in them)... One thing I want to do is convert everything besides the headlight to LED's, since their current drain is miniscule by comparison. That will free up a lot of juice for other things.

If you're taking the HD then I definitely have to take the hawk, can't be having an HD with the best sounding pipes in the group... :D What do you have electrical-wise on the bike right now that's non-stock?

gary n

Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 12:35 PM

Harry, check these two links out. One is a replacement lamp assembly for you passing lamps. The other is a halogen bulb for your factory passing lamps. There may be other people (including PIAA) that make a high output replacement lamp.

http://www.weekendconcepts.com/hd2.htm

http://www.harley-davidson.com/gma/gma_product.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=85903&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=266951&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=266951&bmUID=1039113081270

Harry Biker

Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 09:24 PM

My glide lights up like a Christmas tree! Non-stock would include: Lights covering the front brake discs; and a multiple light assembly around the saddlebags, trunk etc,(which I can turn on & off). The only other thing I run non-stock would be an electric vest/glove combo.

Chances are the bike can and has handled all of these for 16K miles without a hiccup.

However, there's a chance I'd be running all the above, cruise control, stereo, cb player, stock driving lights, cigar lighter, GPS, radar and additional driving lights and thought I may be pushing it!!!
The last 3 items mentioned I don't currently own.

Thanks Gary, I'll check that out as I would not be needing additional lights if I could make my existing driving lights significantly brighter.

I was farting out C. Springs BMW this evening and saw a GS with additional driving lights and looked @ how they had mounted them including the simple switch. It looked pretty straight forward.

Harry Biker

Thu Dec 5th, 2002, 09:39 PM

Oh and how could I forget.......

Although the S-Hawk certainly has a great sound, mine reminded me of a muscle car-you can't touch this!!!! :lol:

Your Hawk won't even be heard so you might want to go back to stock for the trip. :wink:

I do hope you end up on the Hawk though. You could steal some of the thunder from them R6 boys.

Tell you what I'm willing to do.......$600 + seems a little steep for a larger gas tank, you buy my celebratory dinner somwhere along the Atlantic and I'll carry your gas!. I figure I could eat, smoke, drink for oh say, $100 and you'd be saving $500 big ones. :!: :idea:
Then, because you'd have all this extra $$ you could take the crew out to a fine local establishment :wink:

Anonymous

Fri Dec 6th, 2002, 06:23 PM

Harry, harry...

I never said my superhawk was the *loudest* bike out of the group. Just that it sounded the best... :mrgreen:

Go back to stock pipes? NEVER!!!! bwahahaha No seriously that would suck, I lost a lot of weight going with the carbons (plus the other gains, like power and sound - even handling without all that extra steel hanging out there) and the stock cans are never going back on as long as I own the bike.

I'll keep your dinner thing in the back off my mind, or start a bidding war for carrying my gas. :twisted: I do want to check around though, sometimes these things come up used, and it's a general bitch about the bike anyway so I wouldn't just be replacing it for this trip.

Nick_Ninja

Sun Dec 8th, 2002, 05:35 PM

Let me say this first.....

Glad to hook up with youz guyz @ the 'Koop'. Nice to meet those I had never met prior to this gathering of fellow rider brethren :!:

Harry, Henry, Ralph, et. al.

I spoke with my bud Jay in Fontana, CA. We have an ALL CLEAR to land at the Fontana, CA site on Sat PM. BBQ, Brew, & Jacuzzi will be available (bring foam pad & sleeping bag).

Harry:

It was a VERY good idea to get the bunch together prior to take-off. THIS WILL HAPPEN.

If I don't see you in the future -- I'll see you in the pasture.

Anonymous

Sun Dec 8th, 2002, 06:49 PM

Definitely, it was great to meet you guys (well except Harry anyway)! :mrgreen:

If we know the date we will need the witnesses in San Diego and Jacksonville (I think we do now?) can someone post the final answer? I already have 2 people in SD that can serve as witnesses and my thread has only been out there for about an hour; so, people should not be an issue.

I'm also rounding up some folks on the superhawk list for some Gap riding or something like that.

On gas, I found out I can get the 5 gal tank the new canada/UK superhawks are getting for around $340 US new, so I need to call some salvage yards in far away places and see if I can find a used one. That will at least give me around a 160 mile range. (Though will gaining 20-30 miles really be worth that cost? Guys I need your input on this, since no one else will be able to go past that point whether I have a 6 gal tank or not.)

Mmmm, getting exciting! :D

towneh

Sun Dec 8th, 2002, 08:13 PM

ok jeff; **nice possum** while in TX i'm sure we'll see some armadillos in similar formats...

it was great to gather at the Wyn today... good to put some names to faces. jeff; at your earliest please send me the address for your bud Jay. just another bit of info to tweak the map.

the biggest tweak to all the routes will be fuel range limitation. here is where we stand with what we've got....
jeff's range is probably the best of all (he'll give us numbers runnin' dry)
harry's u-glide hangs about 180 (his Yam close to 200 nd MUCH faster)
ralph's s-hawk is probably around 160 (bigger tank would be good)
my_RF is conservatively holding to 200

happiness would be about 200; a lot of time is lost fueling more often. then again, headwinds can really suck up gas...

here is the sched we discussed...

depart denver on 24 may @0500 -> arrive fontana on 24 may @1630

depart fontana on 25 may @1030 -> arrive sandiego on 25 may @1215

(relax for a couple of hours with a nice meal, some kind of brisk activity to init the body for some slumber, check in at a hotel (tbd) at about 1400, <<<sleep>>>, get up about 2100, suit-up, meet with our witness, fuel-up, sand and water, AND...)

depart sandiego on 25 may @2200 -> arrive hou on 26 may @2030 (15 minute fuel stops include fuel/potty/snack by STOPWATCH)

(final fuel for documentation, connect with witness, sleep for about 6 hours, get up about 0330, suit-up, AND...)

depart hou on 27 may @0400 -> arrive jackv on 27 may @1630 (20 minute fuel stops include fuel/potty/snack by STOPWATCH)

(sand and water, final fuel for documentation, and connect with witness, and SLEEP)

things that are outstanding....
1. hotel in San D (there is Mission Valley Motel 6 (#14 in the Motel 6 Directory) is at 2424 Hotel Circle North, which is right along I-8 at the Taylor Street exit about 2 miles from the Mobil station in Ocean Beach. a 'buddy system' would help to keep things movin' on sched...
2. witness(es) in San D
3. hotel in Jacksonv (Jacksonville Beach-Days Inn Oceanfront Resort
1031 S. First St.,Jacksonville Beach, FL is just down the street from the beach access and fuel station....)
4. witness(es) in Jacksonv
5. fuel range to be used for planning
6. ideas for the return trip (date, speed, route, etc)

still thinking.... :idea:
henry

Anonymous

Sun Dec 8th, 2002, 10:00 PM

Ok...

My range, as it stands now, is not 160. Riding conservatively I can get 140 before the RLOD comes on, and even then my last tank was about 115. Of course I've been doing a lot of wheelies these days... :twisted:

I have SD taken care of for people. Still working on J-ville.

Can you work out, with the 15 minute stops, what our average speed should be between stops? That way we can time it and adjust if necessary along the way, plus I'm actually really curious. Can your software do this automatically? If not I'd be happy to add it all up. Basically I'd like to see the difference between 140 mile stops, and 200 mile stops.

A bigger tank is my first option. Fuel cells are nice, but expensive, and I think I still need to worry about refuelling on the side of the road once I run out don't I? Plus I still have to carry external fuel - whether it's leak proof or not, it's still something highly flammable that isn't contained in a metal enclosure. I could just be overly paranoid about hauling fuel around, I just have this mental picture of fire, which would be bad. (Probably seen too many crash photos, but hey if it keeps me safe...)

We should also plan some contigencies for weather. Not sure what at this point, but what happens if (more likely - when) it either monsoons so bad we can't see the road, hails, or worse? I think I posted previously that we picked the heat of storm season to be cruising through some of the most severe-weather-prone areas of the country. That can eat up a lot of time so we should plan accordingly, and possibly even have some backup routes mapped out in case we need to divert around a storm. Remember, storms down there don't act like ones up here - they are bigger, nastier, and the hail is f'in HUGE (i.e. we cannot ride in it). Fortunately I know some storm chasing folks down there who can give me storm info (like the direction we should take) if the need arises, but premapped routes would be awesome, like maybe a "just a bit north&qu