long trips on your xs's

Barb said:
Hi Guys,

That could be cool! I'd love to see some of the machines here, in their native environment! And seafood--ANY seafood--is always wonderful! ('cept octopus....)

We are planning either a big loop around the coasts, with trips inland as we feel the urge, or a giant figure "8", so we can hit more of the inland areas. Last May I rode the Beemer back to North Carolina (Blowing Rock) (RecycleBill, you know where that is, right?). There was a Brit bike rally there that I wanted to attend. The ride to and from was so much fun, I have to do it again, only longer this time!:bike:

As it gets closer to July I will get serious about posting a route and projected (flexible) time-frame. I'd love to meet some of my on-line friends in person---especially if they have a cold beer close at hand.....:thumbsup:
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Blowing Rock is about 2 hours to my west-- 4 hours the route I like to ride.

Also, Hugh, who does those great 270 crank conversions is near Blowing Rock.
 
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First Real ride on a XS650...back in '72 I thought I would go visit my brother in San Antonio TX from Cincinnati OH who was stationed at Lackland AFB. Being 18 at the time and full of it I thought a ride to go see my brother on my '70 650 would be cool.
Well back then ya just packed up and left,no credit cards,cell phones,gps,radios,windshields,fancy helments..just a free map from the gas station and the attendant pointing the way....
Rain suit was a yellow thing and a roll of duct tape to hold it together along the way(didn't work very well) I would pull into rest areas and sit on the curb and sleep next to the bike sitting up or slumped over the bars...nobody cared back then.I did stay at one motel to and from TX for a shower and feel human again.It was a rough ride but I never gave up my desire to ride a bike,in fact I think made me wanna do more riding.
At the time I didn't know I didn't have a great road bike all I knew is I was on the road and on my own:)
Bike did well,speedometer fell apart in TX,plastic top just flew off,think I had 20,000 plus on it at the time,used lots of chain oil due to rain and many chain adjustments.
I still ride a Yamaha because of that bike...
DSC_0058-2.jpg
 
Best night of my life, I was eight. We lived in Baker Nevada. My Dad taught school there. In the summer he always worked as a motorcycle mechanic in Ely, Nevada, 60 miles away. Back then we didn't even have a phone in the house, and my Dad comes home with this Bural Ives looking character. His bike broke down just outside Ely. Broke every spoke in his rear wheel. He had just got off a boat from Austrialia(speeling?) where he'd spent three months touring around the continent, and was headed east some where.
My dad said his bike was loaded for an expedition and the man himself was 250 or close to it. His bike......................a Honda S90. Years later while in the Air Force I was headed home on my XL500 Honda, and ran into several French dudes touring the Us on Puch mopeds. It's the determination not the bike.:bike:
 
His bike......................a Honda S90. Years later while in the Air Force I was headed home on my XL500 Honda, and ran into several French dudes touring the Us on Puch mopeds. It's the determination not the bike.
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Just looked up the S90... gawd, that's amazing! :p

These are great stories... especially to those of us who are still cutting our bike teeth and don't venture far and wide. :) Thanks for sharing these! :)

TC
 
Have ridden my XS-650 on many 250 mile per day rides (2-up) and a couple 550 mile per day rides (solo). I run tall gearing (30 tooth rear sprocket) and use an O-ring chain. It is a good ride and will grind along at 65 just find but back roads at 55 are sweet.
 
Face it gents, we're not in love with a "Freeway Cruiser" with this ol asian lady.

But then again doing most anything, going anywhere you can on one doesn't begin to compare
with the real tough stuff on a bike......

Take this pioneers story for instance! If you can? Even reading about it is a long long hard ride.

http://www.ridetwisties.com/Across America on a Motor Bicycle.html
 
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That was a wicked good story. Took everything he had to make that trip. I can see all the unbelievers huddled around his bike in all the different towns he passed thru.
 
Barb said:
Hi, Jackstraw,

Nope, not iron.....more like lead by the time I arrive! Other than that, it's only one mile at a time, and anyone can ride a mile, right? Then another one....

This summer my uber-friend Sonny and I are taking a couple of Beemers (his 2010 650 single and my 1979 R80/7) and circumnavigating the USA. I'd love to meet up with anyone within riding distance of the edge (more or less) of the country. Riding a BMW, I'll need the occasional shot of XS, just to keep me on the "straight and narrow"! :laugh:

Thing is, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than on a bike, covering pavement. Building them is fun (except for the broken nails and skinned knuckles), but my first love is riding, then riding some more!
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If you make it to the Bangor Maine area, I will show you the absolute BEST place to get REAL Maine lobster and steamers :thumbsup:
 
bluebikerblan said:
Even reading about it is a long long hard ride.
Click to expand...

I think the trick is to force yourself to read every word, until you get into the swing of it.

The most interesting thing is his descriptions of the the things around him. Here's the present route through the "40 mile desert" that has claimed so many lives and where he wonders how anyone could keep their sanity. My, how times have changed. Sanity needs to be guarded from a whole different thing these days, when soccer moms cross it in an hour talking on a cell phone.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou....901309,-118.891296&spn=0.703751,1.766052&z=9
 
flthead said:
not on my xs ridgid , but did 600 miles plus on my '50 pan last summer ,from nj to the amca southern meet in denton nc . year before rode it out to ohio:bike:
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If you're going to the amca southern this year the look for me on my XS. It's not an antique quite yet but I love old motorcycles.
 
You're kidding right?.....Every year for many years when it was the way, you rode your bike to the rallys from wherever and back.....Loconia, Daytona, Sturgis you saw and still do see plenty of rigid long riders. Damn few if any "Trailer Queens" then.

For years I had a right of first refusal on a buddy's 37 Knucklehead. At a run to Lee's Ferry, AZ he told me he was selling but; insisted that I ride it back to central Utah first...(since I admitted that I hadn't ridden a rigid long haul). We traded bikes for the run back, he on my 78 1/2 Low Rider...I on his 88 ci 37 Knuck. I made it 250 miles before calling "Uncle" and trading back. passing on the purchase.

But: lots rode many rigids long, long runs and still do... like this guy for example.

http://hotbike.automotive.com/22008/0710-hbkp-1937-harley-knucklehead/index.html

Here's a scanned pic from that ride in 86' (on the way to Lee's Ferry) on the Low Rider.

Sorry! Old guys do tell "back in the day stories more than they should" Blue
 

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From Blue's link, does anybody know the reason for the asterisks below? Is it some religious thing? I think the last one is "damned". Another is "suspiciously".


pausing every 10 feet to take a ******e.

walking and pushing my bicycle and stopping every few minutes to "******e" myself.

I had to stop every 30 yards and s****e

who eyed me su****iously

*** Rialto in New York."

and told me I ought to get off the road altogether with my ****ed "bisickle."
 
G'day,

I used to ride my 72, that I built up purely so I could to work every day on the cheap. Was a 112km trip one way from door to door. 224 km's a day, 5 days a week. Did it for just under 10 months. Only thing I can say is LOCTITE EVERYTHING!! I've had screws and bolts work themselves out of heaps of shit, even with spring washers! Including dropping a muffler off!

I've got pretty sexy forearms from holdin on now tho.... ;)
 
Love the post, Barb! You're an ANIMAL (and I mean that in the most positve, admiring way). I rode my original XS650B from Nashville to my brother's in Knoxville (just 180 miles, on the "old" highway - no interstate - ) and thought I had done a great deed! Great stuff....keep it up!
 
Hey, Barb: You said you may be touring the country (four corners?) this summer. I live in Orange County (south of L.A.) and would love to host a visit. I am waiting to get my just-purchased XS650B from Detroit so may not have it in time for your visit, but coffee and conversation are here near L.A. if you feel like it! Just let me know...seven 1 four, two six four three seven nine eight.
 

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