| Author | Message | ||
     Jyd |
I say "rally" because so far it's just me. Sadly, I live on Oahu (yeah, cry me a river), and I am having all kinds of hassle getting my 2001 Cyclone shipped out here (but this is also a good excuse to buy a Uly and blaze all around the islands here when they finally build the superferry). Anyway, before I sell the Cyclone to my unsuspecting little brother, I am going to take a month and drive from Kansas City, MO to Bozeman, MT to Seattle, WA to San Francisco, CA and back to Kansas City, MO and see as many national parks and dirt roads in between as I can possibly fit into one month. If you want to join in for part or for all of this little pseudo cross-country misadventure, you are more than welcome to. If you want to "sponsor" this rally, then you can send cash and I will think of you while I'm drinking beer in my tent. *Philosophy* of the ride: In keeping with Buell engineering I plan on staying off the superslab as much as possible (can't be helped for some stretches), wandering aimlessly around twisty backroads, and seeing all kinds of familiar and unfamiliar national and state parks. I want to be at a family reunion on Whidbey Island near Seattle on August 12 (2006), so I will probably start late July and finish late August. Northern route first because that area can get freakishly cold as early as late August, or so I'm told. This also puts me around the Badlands (and Sturgis) in early August, but I'm not huge on that scene so maybe just driving through early on might be fun before all the locals get sick of bikers. I plan on camping as much as I can until I can't stand my own smell, then couch surf with a few friends along the way or hit a motel just to "freshen up". If you have specific questions about the route I can give more details. Friends who ride motos and live or have lived in Wyoming, Montana and Oregon gave me suggestions about the best routes through there ... the rest I just picked to get max exposure to national parks and to stay off interstates. I don't have a flashy tricked out XB or anything to show off, just a stock M2 with a lot of gravel nicks, but I love riding it, I love open spaces, I want to see the west, and it will be a long time before I'm back on the US mainland. So come one, come all. I'm not a Buell fanatic - bring a ricerocket or chopper if you want, but I like Buells (I'm on my third one) so I wanted to post here. Longest previous ride was Charleston, SC to Key West, FL and back (on a Blast, and I am 6'2"), so if you have long-distance riding suggestions, thoughts on what gear to bring, spare parts and tools to carry along, recommended dealers to pit stop at along the way, then I am all ears. I will probably more actively solicit advice as August draws near, but I don't think you can plan too early for this sort of thing. I'll take a lot of pictures so even if no one comes along hopefully it will make a good story when I'm done. (... and on this slide, here's where the engine seized in the Nevada desert thirty miles from the nearest town ...) Anyway, have fun and hope someone's interested. Jyd | ||
| Dtx |
Adam, You need to talk to Larry, JJ and Tim under the KCLW section. Last summer they rode their Buells from KC to Glacier National Park in Montana...AND BACK! Their screen names are Kccyclone, Hanses25 and Thansesxb9rs, respectively. |
