| 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. | ||
| Biker_bob |
I'm going to Alaska this year but probably on my Ultra rather than Uly, and I've been to all those states from here in KC. Glacier National Park is a must see and I highly recommend Lolo Pass out of Montana on the west side. Hint when you see a gas station on it get gas. I think it is 80 miles between at one point PM if you would like some ideas. If you have never been to Sturgis during the rally and you're that close you should go. It's impossible to imagine the number of bikes and the magnitude of the event unless you have seen it. My trip up there and back was 6300 miles but I was only gone two weeks. I'm very jealous of a month long trip. Everybody should go once. | ||
| Crusty |
My wife and I are riding from Massachusetts to Glacier Nat'l. Park this summer. We plan on going to Niagara Falls, the U.P. of Michigan, a stop in Appleton to buy a T- shirt, across Minnesota through South Dakota to Mt. Rushmore, then up to Glacier. After the Park, we'll head up the Idaho panhandle to nearly the Canadian border to see the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars,then back to Missoula to head south through the Bitterroot Valley into Salmon, Idaho, then we'll head back east, the route to be determined by how much time we have left. I absolutely love traveling by motorcycle. | ||
| Daves |
Sounds like a really cool trip! Crusty,when are you two going to be stopping by? | ||
| Coturi |
When you guys get to Idaho I'd love to show you around if you aren't familiar with the area. There are more than a few amazing rides. | ||
| Kccyclone |
Jyd, make sure you let KCLW (in the SyormFronts)know when your in KC...at the very least we can grab dinner and a beer with ya.... Larry | ||
| Crusty |
Daves, we'll be coming by around the end of July. I can't give you an exact date yet, but it should be the last Friday or Saturday of the month. Coturi, thanks for the offer; I'll be in touch when we get a little closer to July. |
