Thinking about making this trip around July this year. Not sure why but I was in the Air Force in Charleston 1971-74 and thought I would go back to see what it?s like now.I don?t doubt my 83 GS 1100E or 82 Yamaha Seca 750, but the longest trips I?ve ever been on have been a couple hundred miles. Mechanically both bikes are perfect but the big Suzuki is slightly bigger and heavier. Both get 40-45 mpg.Neither burn or leak oil. Anyone done this route?Northern or Southern route? Not really looking to sightsee but get there and back with least hassle.
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Washington state to South Carolina
- Thread starter red1100
- Start date
Northern route or Southern route... Since your planning on going in July I'd take the northern route. Then drop south around Chicago, you want to hit Kentucky and Tennessee. I'd take your 1100e horsepower is your friend on long stretches of highway. I did a 6,000 mile southwestern loop on my 79 1000e I loved it! Cross country trips on a Vintage motorcycle is awesome! You got to do a little sightseeing along the way. Ride five miles off the highway and find a local diner or bar/restaurant. There's a lot of friendly people out there. Keep us posted on your adventure. 
Thanks I?ll kick that around. I?ve only driven this once before when I got out of the Airforce in July of 74. Northern route in a 73 Dart 318/3spd towing a trailer with a74 gt750,73gt250 and 71 Ossa pioneer inside. I?m leaning more for the GS cause I have a set of hard bags and trunk that I would bolt on just for this trip.
Agreed. Liter bike for the win, especially if you're planning to do highway miles. It's nice to have that handful of torque on hand if needed when dealing with idiot car drivers.
Make sure your charging system is up to snuff.... mine once left me stranded 200 miles from home when it failed.
Make sure your charging system is up to snuff.... mine once left me stranded 200 miles from home when it failed.
I'd do the northern route too but I would definitely drop south before getting to Chicago like Storm said. One question though - why not do some sightseeing? It'll break up the monotony of the ride and, when you run through Kentucky/Tennessee, give you some really nice roads to explore.
Keep in mind we are here to help if you get into trouble though.
Keep in mind we are here to help if you get into trouble though.
I am/was considering attending the Brown County rally in Bedford, IN. the end of June and planned out a route going from where I live to Boise,Id to Wilmington, NC, via Bedford. I modified my plan to suite yours on Qoogle maps : https://goo.gl/maps/pLkKuM2th7B2 I had planned on a visit on to a family member in St Louis area, but you can easily change that out or remove the Bedford loop.
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Having ridden 10's of thousands of miles on 650's and below I have decided when I am touring, I need a liter bike or bigger. On my trip in 2016 while riding my 1100g through eastern Montana and getting blown around by cross-winds I considered the advantages of a heavy motorcycle. The greater the mass the greater the resistance to a wind force. I'm not ready to use a 1000 lb Goldwing or Harley but our 1100's give a nice mid-point......
Go through that bike with a fine toothed comb. Fork oil, valves & gaskets, charging, tires, spare cables & Rr, tools, ect. I didn't change my $30 valve cover gasket when I adjusted my valves before my trip and it cost me $250.00 and a days delay in my trip. I was lucky in that there was a Suzuki dealer in the town I broke down in!
Go through that bike with a fine toothed comb. Fork oil, valves & gaskets, charging, tires, spare cables & Rr, tools, ect. I didn't change my $30 valve cover gasket when I adjusted my valves before my trip and it cost me $250.00 and a days delay in my trip. I was lucky in that there was a Suzuki dealer in the town I broke down in!
I just went through a bunch of maintenance,flushed all fluids,valve adjust,carb clean and sync,new pads,tires,battery. Luckily I had just sold an 821100E that came with a truck load of new parts some of which went on mine.Ill have to look at my paperwork for the electrical.I bought this thing new and on the advice of other GS folks I replaced it with Electrix? I believe that?s the brand name. That was late 80s I think,45,000 later never a problem. I?m not familiar with this brown county deal. I?ll look it up today. Looking forward to a good trip.
Steve
GS Whisperer
Others have given you suggestions on which bike and which route, I'll offer a suggestion on timing. :-k
If you move it up a couple of weeks, you can join Charlie G and visit us at our rally in Indiana.
If you leave mid-July (or a few days earlier) and don't mind a little detour, you can stop by for a picnic lunch in West Virginia.
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If you move it up a couple of weeks, you can join Charlie G and visit us at our rally in Indiana.
If you leave mid-July (or a few days earlier) and don't mind a little detour, you can stop by for a picnic lunch in West Virginia.
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Personally, I would avoid interstates, Particularly any Interstates around the great Lakes. US 26 Runs between Seaside, OR and Ogallala, NE, which isn't that far from the GS Rally. US 20, which runs from Newport, OR to Boston, is too close to 80/90 around the Great Lakes. 224 or 30 are is largely small towns and Farmland South of the Great Lakes. US 2 runs from Everett, WA to the Maine Coast, but I think its way too far North for your purposes. It peters out for a bit in Upper Michigan, as well. The original intent was a segment through Canada. Todd Cannon, (Big T here) has tons of great info on roads less travelled between the PNW and Wyoming. His advice has always lead me through places I was very happy to see, on roads I was very happy to be on. The great ones Google, along with your GPS, avoid. US 20 and 26 are sometimes the same. I like US 14 over the Bighorn Mountains, too. US20 happens to be the main highway through Yellowstone, as well. If time isn't of the essence, I would consider consulting with Todd for the Western part, and this list for other parts. That has worked great in the past for me.
You can't miss no matter which way you travel.
You can't miss no matter which way you travel.
Running through the rain in the northern tier of the US isn't bad that time of year, it tends to get pretty warm. Both I-80 and I-84 are hands down the two most boring routes across the US, even going up to I-90 is better and US-2 rocks from Eastern Minn through WI and Michigan's U.P. Hook a right at St Ignace and shoot south down I-75 then US-131 to Indiana.
Regarding highway travel - I used to avoid it as much as possible. Perhaps I?m changing, but over the last few years, I?ve come to enjoy flogging my non touring bike on the interstate. I wouldn?t want to do it all day, but I?m fine these days for a couple of hours.
I read an observation a few years ago that while rural / small town riding is great, the ever increasing amount of traffic and lights can become a problem if time is a consideration.
About five years ago, I was riding home from Maryland to NJ. I was determined to avoid all highways, as I didn?t want to deal with a litany of tolls at the bridges and tunnels, plus if figured that on a Friday in October, traffic would be light..... it took 8 mostly miserable hours to do what took about 2-1/2 - 3 to do on the highway going there.
I read an observation a few years ago that while rural / small town riding is great, the ever increasing amount of traffic and lights can become a problem if time is a consideration.
About five years ago, I was riding home from Maryland to NJ. I was determined to avoid all highways, as I didn?t want to deal with a litany of tolls at the bridges and tunnels, plus if figured that on a Friday in October, traffic would be light..... it took 8 mostly miserable hours to do what took about 2-1/2 - 3 to do on the highway going there.
Glen, things are a bit different out in the west. Most towns you encounter may have a stop sign and are typically much farther apart. So, riding state/ federal highways is not much slower than the interstates.
That said, there are tons of roads between La Center and Illinois that should not be missed on such a trip.
That said, there are tons of roads between La Center and Illinois that should not be missed on such a trip.
I need to travel further.....
Now that you mention it, I have experienced that deep into Pennsylvania on state roads where one can buzz along at a decent clip for a while, then be slowed to an in town speed for several blocks then quickly resume 55-65 mph.. Thanks for the reminder. That is fun riding.
Now that you mention it, I have experienced that deep into Pennsylvania on state roads where one can buzz along at a decent clip for a while, then be slowed to an in town speed for several blocks then quickly resume 55-65 mph.. Thanks for the reminder. That is fun riding.
One other issue about riding out west is the availability of gas especially on the back highways. It is not uncommon to have 90 miles or more between gas stations (Ellicott to the Kit Carson CO line on Hwy 94 is one example). From 2009 to 2012 I lived just 10 miles past this sign and would sometimes find myself in trouble the next morning if I hit reserve before leaving here on the way home.
road sign by Scott Baker, on Flickr
road sign by Scott Baker, on Flickr
Great thread. What amount of time are you planning in which to do this trip?
I ask, because I've been tossing around the idea of riding from Phoenix to Cleveland this summer.
I ask, because I've been tossing around the idea of riding from Phoenix to Cleveland this summer.
