| Author | Message | ||
     Xb12mel |
So... As of right now, I am planning a trip in November from Hampton, VA to Pasadena, CA on my '07 XB12Scg. I'm thinking of going a more southernly route. Anyone ever done this? Can you tell me some things that I should look out for? Right now the bike is bone stock (except that awesome Drummer exhaust and Race ECM) But during the time between now and then I'm planning on adding some bags from American Sport Bike and maybe a wind shield. I don't plan on going Interstate any more then necessary, I've got 7 days to get there and 7 to get back, so I'm in no rush. It's a once in a lifetime chance and I think I'm gonna take life by the Buell! But I sure don't want to miss anything because I had no idea it was there. So lets hear it, if you live between here and there (and lets face it, many of you do, send me your suggestions of roads and attractions for this great nation. Oh and also the stuff that I should avoid. Thanks!! Hopefully I'll see you along the way. | ||
| Froggy |
You should be fine. The SCG suspension isn't ideal for soaking up the highway miles due to the lack of travel, but it will be doable. If you haven't yet, take some shorter long distance trips. Try and bang out 400 miles or so locally first in one shot so you know what you are getting into. You may need to get a different seat. For luggage, I was able to pack everything I need into a duffel bag and then bungee that to the back seat. Less than ideal, a Ventura rack would be better if you got the coin. | ||
| Fahren |
If I were to do that, I'd be looking to find the best roads, then I would see which of those roads would lead me by the things/areas/people I would want to stop and see. You have choices right out of the gate: if you head west to the Blue Ridge, do you keep going west into some awesome riding, or go south to more of the same? At the same time, November can be funny in the hills/mountains along the Appalacians. Why don't you start looking and posting first thoughts about roads, ideas, etc., then we can all chime in with our .02 worth? | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
Someone on another thread suggested to write down some numbers from the BRAG section just in case. And if you come anywhere near the San Francisco bay area give me A shout. | ||
| No_rice |
just remember you could easily run into snow/freezing temps if you dont go a southern enough route in november... | ||
| Jlnance |
You should have a great time. Definitely go south. I did it a couple of years ago in late Oct, and went through CO, WY, UT, & ID. It was bone chilling cold. I came back through NV, NM, TX, and it was MUCH better. | ||
| Nillaice |
okay, 'your'e crazy'  there. ... happy? | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I love the seating position on my Scg, and wouldn't think twice about doing a LONG ride. Biggest disadvantage was the lack of luggage space due to the tiny back seat. If you're not bringing camping gear, it shouldn't really be an issue though. I'd look into another seat. I LOVE my select seat, and couldn't imagine doing that long of a ride on the original low seat. Maybe just a good gel seat pad would do the trick though. Pack a tire plugger kit and small compressor! You never know. It could save you a day or two and a couple hundred bucks. And it was mentioned above... print out a copy of the BRAN from this website and bring it with you. If you get stuck just about anywhere in the country, you'll have someone within an hour or two. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
the cortech bags work good on the scg along with the tail bag that you can get. the only bad thing about them are the rain covers. the one tore on the way back from picking the bike up in nashville. you might want to get an extra set for the trip. also get bicycle shorts. a good bit more comfortable allowing more saddle time. good riding/waterproof boots and raingear. and imo, your not gonna see that much taking the southern route but that time of year doesn't offer that much of a choice. | ||
| Xb12mel |
Thanks MikeF, I think I met you at Buelltoberfest one year when you picked up the new bike and rode it back to Ohio. You've got a lot of "Seat time" cred, something I value and respect. BRAN List is going to be the FIRST thing I print out then I'll likely hit Google maps and try to plug in as many from that list to the route of choice. So if anyone gets a call from a 757 number... then the person on the other end of that line is in some trouble!!! (God forbid) I'm looking at the Ventura bags, I think they offer the most flexibility. I'll report on the fit and functionality for anyone interested. Looks like the least exciting part of the ride will be the long flat straights of OK, TX and NM. As much as I'd love to get up into CO, I'm not that crazy that time of the year is just not good for a southern boy like me. I can take the heat, it's that frozen white stuff that bothers me! So, why? Thats the question I get the most often. It's the Great American Adventure! So many people have never been more then a 50 mile radius of where they were born. I've seen a lot of this Great Nation from the sky traveling from City to City and the one thing I always wonder while looking out the tiny window of the plane is... "I wonder where that road goes" Here's my chance to find out. | ||
| Holling |
The problem with november is the days will be short and you will have to average over 420 miles a day to stay on schedule. You will probably be doing some cold night riding. Can you not do this during the summer? | ||
| Scottykrein |
If you don't already have one, look into some type of cruise control or pick up a Cramp Buster. | ||
| Etennuly |
Like Holling said, can you go earlier? I intend to do a similar trip in the next year or two, but would not plan on leaving later than mid September. | ||
| Superdavetfft |
Get a beadrider seat pad... for $35 it's well worth it. I did a couple cross country hauls last year and it made them SO much more comfy. Admittedly the thing is a bit ugly but by butt was happy! dave | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
It can be done and I wouldnt hesitate to do it myself but just be sure to prepare yourself. You will need to get your butt in shape for that kind of mileage. sit on your bike while your watching tv if you have to. I put mine in the kitchen and watched a lot of movies getting a lot of seat time while I could still watch my kids.  Something else I didnt count on during my high miler was how much cooler weather would slow me down. The stops get longer and more frequent. An Scg does not offer much wind protection and 45 degrees at 80mph for hours on end will get to you if your not dressed for it. In an emergency socks and duct tape will do wonders BTW if you do not have heated grips.    This worked much better than I could have ever imagined BTW | ||
| Bartimus |
a badwebber rode from the southwest coast to the northeast coast, to help fight cancer, on a cyclone... http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/681 7/73361.html I'm sure he can give you some tips. | ||
| Mtch |
I used a ventura rack on my 07 Scg. It gives a bit more room on the seat. I used a drybag instead of ventura's own bags. That and a zero gravity screen are the only comfort mods, good enough to cruise at 80-90 mph. I might try hand guards next time, but the weather was dry most of the time. As for distance, I rode 620 miles home from scotland in one day though it did take me 14 hours, but I was in no rush as I had a couple more days off when I got home. Stopping every 100 miles for fuel and food made the trip easier. near ullapool on the west coast of scotland  (Message edited by Mtch on January 29, 2010) (Message edited by Mtch on January 29, 2010) | ||
| Xb12mel |
Wow... thanks guys. The socks and duct tape looks like a quick fix, hadn't considered that. Nope, can't go earlier in the summer and I'm heading out there for a trade show that I must attend. Getting the 'ol "J.O.B" to foot the gas and meals as opposed to flying out. But I have to be in Pasadena on Nov 1 for work. I've done a 500+ on the way to Buelltoberfest a couple of years ago and I figure having to stop for fuel every 150-170 miles aught to offer plenty of time to stretch the legs. Yeah, the shorter days are going to suck, but I figure the temps shouldn't be too bad. I know in VA, Nov temps are around 75°. I figure it's got to get warmer the further west I go. especially if I stay to the south. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
Buy a pair of this gloves!  They look like garden gloves. I bought them in finland at a gas station. they isolate very well against the cold and rain. the yellow is some kind of cotton/polyester and the orange is rubber The brand is FAMOVI-THERM. buy them not to small ,I had the XL but if you have big hands buy XXL or more I wish you good luck on your trip!  | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
if you do any camping look into camping hammocks if you are near trees  very small and easy to set up. http://hennessyhammock.com/ http://www.junglehammock.com/ packed is about the size of a loaf of bread.and weight is about 4-5 pounds. | ||
| Shiftredline |
Check out: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49 0510 He is one of the members here | ||
| Xb12mel |
Man this was one awesome write up... and indispensable information to boot! (and I quote) Stats: Miles: 5854 Time moving: 46hours Major mechanical issues: 2 (Belt & tire) Minor mechanical issues: 2 (Blinker & Aux Light) Days on the road: 12 Animals killed: 2 birds, 1 bat, and a deer in MO with a HUGE headache (dad's truck, not the bike) approx. 2.6 million insects of different species. Times I used my tent: 1 Money given to hardluck cases: $36 Fuel: More than 118.073gal (not everyplace gave me a receipt) States visited (1st time only): 20 Time arrived: 3AM (3 hours past my expected arrival) GPS issues: I have a Nuvi 200 and before I left, I downloaded new maps. The first issue was that I didn't have enough room on my computer for it to expand. Figured that out but then there wasn't enough room on the GPS for the maps either! It would only let me do sections of the country. So I loaded the Southwest areas. As soon as I left Kentucky, it was pretty useless. And the last issue: just before, and I mean seconds before I was gonna snap a shot of the Trip Data, my sleeve brushed the screen and cleared it! I was gonna cry. Really cry. But instead I just got mad. Really mad. Lessons learned: Don't carry too much extra stuff. Before you leave, do some work on your bike with the tools you plan to take with you. If you can't do it at home with those tools, you won't be able to do it on the side of the road with those tools either! I was able to fine-tune my tool kit before I left and it worked out nicely. Turns out that I'm the hotel-type, could've ditched the tent and had more room. Also brought alot of extra clothes, but since I had a riding suit, didn't wear much of it. Doing laundry is a pain, either bring more changes, or just buy new stuff as I go. Of course I would've liked to stop more places and given myself more time, but that couldn't happen this trip. The camelback was indespensible! Leave enough room in the saddle for some movement. Once I did a little creative re-packing, the rest of the trip was more comfy. Have more than 800 songs on your iPod. Take a small AM/FM radio along just for something different and road advisories. Truck stops don't sell em BTW. Just because there are two chicks making out in the pool with you, does NOT mean you're invited. No, there are no pics. See below... I made out with the broken belt. One call and I had all my contacts to get a replacement on the way. If you know your route (I did) then figure out help along the way. At least you'll know if you're screwed or not when you break down. ALWAYS take pics. There was some interesting people along the way that should've made it in here; the nice Italian couple at the Cadilac Ranch (riding from Miami to LA) the drunk Indian, Nikki & Dakota at the first campout, Red the ex-Marine, and that cute little number in Vail that parked next to me right before the belt showed up. I think I mentioned the lesbian pool party? This is one HUGE country! I had no idea how it would be to cross the continent. And this is a semi-civilized country, gives me a whole new respect for guys who blast across the wilderness. Don't travel on a budget. It's nice to have enough money to just get what you need when you need it. That's all I can think of now. Thanks for reading and for posting. Smiley And to you Smiley my man (if your out there) Thanks for doing the research for me... my trip should go much smoother with this in my back pocket! | ||
| Froggy |
About the belt, throw on a brand new one before you leave. New belts are a pain in the ass to put on, but old belts are stretched a little. Bring the old belt with you, so in the unlikely event it snaps, you still got the spare that can be thrown on quickly and easily from the side of the road. Tires: You are looking at a good 6000 miles give or take, and if your tire isn't fresh when you leave, you probably will need to change it on the way. Take a look at something like a dual compound tire to help it last longer. | ||
| Sportfit |
I'm from Hampton (KHS '78) and live in LA. Lemme know when you get here and I'll take you on some canyon runs in Malibu. Enjoy the journey. Texas, BTW, is much too big a state -- go around. Hills of VA & NC are beautiful. Albuquerque gets real COLD, and Phoenix is a nice relief. Be safe. | ||
| Sneth |
plan your fuel stops ahead of time. 120 mile tank limit is very.... limiting. Especially when you are with touring bikes that go 200+ easy. Those people will get annoyed at stopping so often. | ||
| Court |
Everyone should do it once in a lifetime. . . Nothing more fun than just getting on a bike at 6am . . knowing you can ride till midnight if you want and having no particular route or schedule in mind . . The time I took the Buell around I hit 37 states and just wandered for 31 days. I think I have another one of those in me now that I've found the Ulysses. | ||
| Tankhead |
I rode from NJ to the four corners area and back the summer of 08. Three weeks on my trusty City-X. Not one lick of problems. A trip I will never forget. Good Luck. My trip report (though I never finished) is in tale section. |
