I rode my mighty 83 GS1100E. My brother rode his brand new Triumph Rocket III classic, nephew 1 rode his 98 BMW k1200RS, and nephew 2 rode his 02 Suzuki SV?650S......and Bro In Law rode an 93 Yamaha Venture.....
Met each other in Eureka...a 325 mile ride for me, a 375 mile ride for them....last Friday.....absolutely wide open desert....In my ride west to meet em, at times saw 130 indicated....not sure of real speed.....but darn fast on a naked machine....mostly cruised between 90 and 110......the others said they were cruizing east around 100 to 120...with bursts for the little Suzuki to 130, the Triumph 140 and the Beemer....150 plus (all indicated). Yamaha enclosed trailer behind a sweet Motorhome...
Anyway...Saturday was the day to all ride together...departed Eureka around 10 am.......headed north on hwy 278 to Elko...120 miles or so...beautiful 2 lanes, miles of straight and level and miles of twisties and sweepers..and 1000 foot plus elevation changes.....and fabulous vistas (observed when stopped and laughing and lookin' at our bikes of course)......had to do roll ons in various gears, speeds etc......here are some results.....and we are at 7000 feet (on average) my machine still 'tuned' for sea level....realize CV carbs can compensate a bit but sure could - should - have been leaned out anyway..other machines injected......The Yamaha did not participate in the 'speed challenge(s)'...but tops out at 125 indicated....minor wobble due to rear bags...?
Big Red absolutely the quickest from 0 to 100...then passed by the BMW and Triumph.....650 still not a factor until 120...then was gaining....went by....then I passed it again as I passed through 135 indicated........had Triumph in sight...but Beemer ...gone........in 3rd gear roll ons at say 60 mph, Triumph leaps ahead about 10 feet and stays there, BMW falls away a little, 650 falls away quite a bit, . then shifting through the gears and going for top end, I am able to keep with the Triumph....separated by maybe 10 feet to 130 plus.....Beemer goes by heading I am sure for 150 plus.....and the 650 is in the mirrors...and easily can do 130......I am 6 feet, 210 lbs....broad shoulders....big barn door going up against the wind......and the grin factor....big mouth (even inside of a full face helmet) scoops a lot of air too! Anyway, in each situation each bike proved strengths at different times---and together.....and what is amazing is just how strong the GS1100E really is........absolutely no way was Grand Rouge "put on the trailer." We stopped at a Suzuki/Yamaha/ KTM/ Kawasaki dealer in Elko.....old and young sales and servive and parts guys there.....all came out to see the eclectic collection of machines......the Red GS1100E...'what is that?' the young guys asked...the older ones knew........ and someone said..."yer travellin in fast company...great place to be."
We east out of Elko for Hwy 229 south, then short left/right to hwy 93 south to Ely. On Hwy 229, we took some great pics and some video of high speed runs solo and together.....laying on the center line with the Beemer swooshing by at 140 plus....Yikes...."carrier deck" cool. Triumph at 140 or so, GS1100E at 130 plus...and 650 at 130 or so...Will post as soon as my very computer/ camera savy 650 - riding nephew has material from all cameras sorted out......all of this done in daylight....never saw more than 10 cars....except for the 20 miles or so of Interstate 80 that bracketed Elko.....good look out for deer......and Smokies...yep...saw 1...and he waved.....gotta love it...I realize "saw" means there could have been stuff and folks we did not see.....
And with regard to the post heading......curious what speed difference any of you have experienced re naked and faired machines....Grand Rouge I am sure has a lot more to give......that said, he is a magic carpet...and a time machine....as are many of the GS series machines that we "GS Resources" ----family----- ride. And the ride from Ely to Eureka...70 miles of just quiet side by side..trading positions.....and within 10 miles of the posted speed limit.....3 valleys and a couple of summits....one at 7800 feet......had a great Prime rib dinner together......we were served around 9:30 PM.....a great day...400 plus miles......and grins still worn......Now I am back home.....and lookin' out at Grand Rouge...alll clean and shiny...oooohhh...that beautiful 'King Kong Ball Stomper' of a Black engine......maybe a Colour Tune and Sync.......probably kick the snot outa.....welllll.....sure is fun to contemplate the possibilities.
Hope this make you smile.
Best Regards
Dallas aka Grand Rouge.....(Big Red)
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