Author Topic: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....(Now With Pics!!)  (Read 10602 times)

Offline H2RICK

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Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....(Now With Pics!!)
« on: September 27, 2010, 07:40:33 PM »
Normally, I'd have ridden my KZ650 on this ride........but things worked out somewhat differently this time around, as you'll find out below. Read on if you need something "soothing" before going to bed. Better than hot milk and has ZERO cholesterol. Very Happy
I also extend my humble apologies to all my KZ650 friends who were expecting a completely different story than this one.

Third Annual Classic Ride
Sept. 24, 25 & 26, 2010

The magic number this time is 1573 kilometres.....or 977 miles in 3 days. Not as much as last year which ended up being 20% longer......but also 1 day longer, so I guess it’s a wash in that regard.

Engine start was a little late on Friday morning after Frank and I had breakfast with Fred (Grand Poobah of the Water Buffalo afficionados in this end of the world) who couldn’t come on the ride and Big Al, who had decided after last week’s ride cancellation that he was going to reschedule the ride for the weekend of Oct. 1. I had told Al that I was going THIS weekend, no matter what, because you just can’t depend on the weather at this time of the year. Bandit Frank had said that he would go along with me because he’s between jobs and hadn’t gotten in much riding this summer anyway. At this point, with NO classic bikes in prospect for the ride except mine, I figured I might as well bow to the inevitable and ride MY Bandit instead of the Kawasaki KZ650. So the Classic Ride became the All-Bandit Fall Colours Tour !!!......with TWO Bandits......mine and Frank’s 2007 blue 1250. From small acorns, mighty oak trees grow......or something like that.

We finally rolled south out of Calgary in brilliant sunshine and coolish temps with a few high clouds. A quick stop in the village of Longview after the first hour or so to check the bikes and loads over to make sure everything has settled into place with no “loose ends” flying about. All was well with the bikes/loads so we headed off down Highway #22 toward the junction with Highway #3. Highway #22 winds its way southwards on the eastern edge of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is quite scenic.......IF you haven’t seen it MANY times before, which both of us have. So, we wound on the throttles and motored along at a brisk clip in the vicinity of 130/140 km/Hr (~80/90 MPH). It’s a good road but not particularly challenging......just lonnnnggggg.......about an hour’s worth of riding, what with the usual weekday traffic.

We finally arrive at the junction, turn right onto the famous Highway #3 (the Crowsnest Pass Route) and head for the famous Crowsnest Pass area where the road makes its way through the Rockies. The actual pass is not too high so that’s a good thing. This road was the only Canadian route through the Rockies and various other north/south mountain ranges until the Trans Canada Highway much further north was completed in 1961. Until that time, the Crowsnest Pass Route was quite busy with all kinds of trans-mountain truck and tourist traffic. The road is still kept up to a very good standard even though it’s not anywhere near as busy as it used to be......so it’s great for riding even if it’s not as challenging as some would prefer.

We stop in Blairmore for our first fill up.....and Franks’ water cooled, fuel injected modern engine actually uses only 0.7 litres less fuel than my “antiquated” SACS-engined old-school “dinosaur”......so apparently fuel economy is NOT a reason to buy the “modern” Bandit as compared to the older bikes.....even IF the emissions meet EPA and Euro standards !!! Frank weighs a little more than me....but I’m carrying somewhat more gear than him so it’s been a fair test, IMO, because the bikes are really the same except for the engines.

The weather has cooled off somewhat and the sky has clouded over more than I’d like and is NOT looking promising to the west where we’re headed. Frank puts on his rain pants and we both put on our waterproof gloves....just in case.


We roar off towards our next stop at the town of Fernie where we stop for a quick lunch. The sky is now quite threatening so I put my rain suit on and, sho ‘nuff, it starts to sprinkle on us as soon as we get through the Hole In The Wall. This is a short mountain tunnel which has the reputation of being the dividing line between cooler weather to the east and warmer weather to the west....but the La Nina weather pattern this year is reversing normal weather trends. The rain gets heavier and the sky gets darker as we work our way through a couple of road construction areas so that now our bikes (which started the trip in spotless condition) are fairly coated with grunge. Grrrrr......but that’s part of riding, isn’t it ??!!??
In one of the construction areas the road builders are packing up some of their equipment and moving it onto other jobs so we get to follow/pass a couple of large pieces of equipment being towed on low-boy trailers. I’m in front with Frank behind me and all of a sudden the truck in front pitches a smallish rock (turns out it’s about as big as the end joint of your thumb....more on this later) which just grazes my right cheekbone, clips my helmet and disappears after scaring the dickens out of me. I just may have to rethink this open face versus full coverage helmet question a little more, if you get my drift.
We whiz through the hamlet of Elko which is NORMALLY a VERY hot place, even in September......but not this year. The rain has stopped but the sky is still threatening so we’re not quite ready to shuck off our rain gear just yet. We leave Highway #3 and turn south onto Highway #93, heading toward the border crossing at Rooseville, BC and Rooseville, MT. They only have one lane open at the US border station so we get in line and wait our turn. I get across with no probs....but Frank has some kind of US work permit in his passport that the US Immigration Service wants to discuss with him. While waiting for Frank, I decide to take my helmet off....and lo and behold....what tumbles out but the rock that nearly broke my cheekbone. It must have slipped in the slot between the upper and lower side pads and then nestled into the ear pocket. I never felt a thing while riding for about and hour !!! I've really gotta rethink this helmet thing, I guess.....:wink:

After 30 minutes or so, all is sweetness and light between Frank and officialdom so off we go, headed for Eureka, MT, a smallish place with no redeeming “tourist” values that I can see.....so we blow through it and head to Whitefish, MT, our final destination for today. The sun is shining more and more and the temps are climbing somewhat but this is NOT normal weather for this part of the world. The fall season here is usually quite warm and clear with very little moisture.....until the first snows invade sometime toward the middle/end of October.
The road to Whitefish is uninspiring but what DOES catch my attention are the myriad of small white crosses on steel stakes in the ditches on both sides of the road. There was a sign informing us that the Montana Highways Department erects these crosses at sites of fatal traffic accidents with one cross for each fatality in a particular accident. One stake I noticed had FIVE crosses
arrayed on the top of it !!! The road between Eureka and Whitefish has what I would consider to be waaaaayyyyyy more crosses on it than is, frankly, comforting to my mind......but I suppose that’s the idea....to get you thinking about being more careful on the road. I know it worked for me. :wink:
We pulled into Whitefish, checked into our motel and got our stuff unloaded. The owner is a Canadian and he recognized me from my last two stays here on our other Classic Rides so that’s nice. The weather is a little cooler than I’d like but it’s fairly sunny so that’s okay although it is late afternoon so the sun is disappearing faster than I’d like.
It turns out our next door neighbours are a German couple on a driving tour of the Pacific Northwest states and are staying in Whitefish for FIVE days. Now Whitefish is a nice little town with lots of friendly people but, honestly, I can’t see myself EVER staying there for five days in a row....unless I was skiing on the local hill. Different strokes, etc. It turns out that the German guy is a train buff and so am I so we had quite a yack about trains. Frank is from German stock, speaks German quite well and has been to Germany to see his relatives and travel around so he and our neighbour got along famously, as well. The German gent was quite interested in the differences in government between Canada and the US at the various levels so that consumed quite a bit of explaining time, too.
Finally, Frank and I stroll off to a fast food joint down the road for a bite to eat and one or two local brews called Black Star. Nice beer....but the label seems to suggest that it’s now made in Milwaukee instead of Whitefish. According to the label it was first brewed in Whitefish in 1856, IIRC.
Dinner finished, we walk back to the motel in the crisp evening air. We’re sitting on a picnic table outside our room yacking about the day’s ride when we hear what sounds to be a motorcycle in terminal distress coming into the parking lot. Wait....it’s not ready to blow up!!!.....it’s our buddy Big Al riding his Ducati 900 Monster with its dry clutch rattling like crazy as usual. With him is Roy on his brand new 1400 Concours which, of course, we couldn’t hear because of the noise from the Duc. The boys decided Frank and I might get lonely so left Cowtown in the mid-afternoon and rode at warp 10 to make it to Whitefish before dark and surprise us. Well, we certainly were surprised, to say the least !!! They had gone to our favourite rib joint called the Back Door in nearby Columbia Falls hoping to walk in and surprise us in the middle of our meal because we usually go to eat there when we’re in town. Frank and I, however, had decided it just wouldn’t be the same without a bunch of guys to dine with at the rib joint so ate in Whitefish
instead.....so the first surprise was on Al and Roy !!!


We all hit the sack quite early since we were all pretty beat......Frank and I from riding in the rain and the road construction and Al and Roy from riding at warp 10. They, however, had at least managed to dodge the rain and had decent weather all the way down so were able to make very good time on the trip......about 2 hours less then Frank and I......although in our defence I have to say that the route that Al and Roy came on was about 1.5 hours shorter than the route Frank and I took.
My Bandit has consumed ZERO oil. I'm watching the consumption closely because I've finally changed her over to Amsoil synthetic just before leaving on this trip. So far, so good. End of Day 1.
More blather AND pics to follow as time permits. :bandit:
« Last Edit: October 04, 2010, 11:01:39 PM by H2RICK »
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline Red01

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2010, 12:32:57 PM »
 :clap: Looking forward to what Paul Harvey would say... the rest of the story.  :beers:
Paul
2001 GSF1200S
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2010 Concours 14ABS
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Offline H2RICK

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2010, 11:01:35 AM »
Thanks, Paul. A guy can use all the encouragement he can get when it comes to writing. I'm currently working on the Day 2 and Day 3 segements. Stay tuned.
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline H2RICK

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2010, 03:56:35 PM »
Day 2, Saturday, started off later than the usual 7:00AM “follies” which was very nice for a change. Roy and Al had worn themselves out with their lightning ride of yesterday so we all finally rolled out of the sack about 8:00AM or thereabouts. Our neighbour Reinhold was up early and greeted us with a zillion questions about where we were headed, how long it would take, etc etc. We finally checked out of the motel and headed out to our favourite breakfast stop in Kalispell, about 20 minutes away. We dined hearty and then took a short hop to the local....... yes, .......HD shop where the OTHER guys checked the place out for “bargains”. I, OTOH, stayed in the parking lot with my Bandit as far away from the place as physically possible while the boys checked things out. A guy can’t be too careful, ya know. :wink:
Amazingly, there were other brands of cruisers in the parking lot besides HD’s. I saw at least one Vulcan and one of those large Victory things with all the fairings and uniquely-shaped bags, etc.
The boys came out empty-handed after about 15 minutes or so. I guess the distress-sale items had already been scooped up earlier in the season.
Headed south on Highway 93 alongside beautiful Flathead Lake in the morning sunshine, we aimed for the turnoff to Highway #28 at Elmo. Around the corner on #28, we were greeted by a large sign courtesy of the Montana Highways Department folks that there was construction ahead and that the road was not really suitable for motorcycles. Being the risk-takers that we are, we rode past the sign, headed for Plains, MT, our next waypoint. Sho ‘nuff, after about 15 minutes or so, we came to the construction area with another warning sign regarding the unsuitability of the road surface for motorcycles. The road was being TOTALLY rebuilt with much wider ditches/shoulders/roadway, etc......and a gravel surface as far as we could see. We stopped for a quick conference where Al and Roy decided to backtrack and take the long way around and meet us in Plains......much later.
Frank and I, OTOH, knew our Bandits were reasonably competent as rough-surface machines so we headed off at a reasonable clip on the gravel with me in the lead.
Har, har, har......after about 10 minutes, the road was brand new pavement with nary a soul in site. We stopped for some pics of the new highway so we could have a few laughs on Al and Roy when we met up in Plains.



Taking some pics, we heard a roar from back the way we’d come......and here come two dresser HD’s and one of those stretched out Iron horse/Saxon/Big Bear choppery things......and Al and Roy close behind!!! It was later revealed by Al that he and Roy had still been stopped at the beginning of the gravel examining their options when these other three guys roared past them and into the gravel. Al and Roy figured if that choppery thing could handle the gravel, the Duc and the Connie should have no probs, so promptly followed along behind the HD guys. By the time they caught up to us, they’d already been dicing it up with the choppery thing in passing and repassing manoeuvres with speeds as high as 180 KPH (~110MPH) on the nice new pavement!!! The boys were amazed that something that looked as unstable as the chopper could actually attain speeds like that and still stay between the ditches !!! The kicker in the whole thing was that NONE of the three HD guys was wearing a helmet !!!!

Frank and I caught up to the three “brand loyalists”and promptly blew them off. We pulled into a gas stop after spying Al’s and Roy’s bikes at the turnoff to Hot Springs. About 5 minutes later, the “brand loyalists” pulled into the gas station with ferocious scowls on their faces......but I’m still not sure whether that was their typical “game faces”....or they were PO’d that they’d been passed by “non-brand loyalists”.....in a straight line contest, yet.

Regardless, they roared off in a cloud of unburned hydrocarbons ejected from their non-DOT-approved “mufflers”, headed for Plains. Meanwhile, we finally quit taking pics, Al finally got the Duc gassed up and WE headed for Plains, too. We caught up with the “brand loyalists” who were nicely into the swervery at the top of the 2 mile descent into Plains.....and blew them off one more time in all the twists and turns. Mr. Chopper Guy was taking it VERY slow and easy down the hill so there was no honour in passing him.....but MY “satisfaction meter” was off the scale.
The weather was absolutely fantastic as we headed for Thompson Falls on Highway #200 which is quite scenic, especially alongside the Clark Fork River. We rolled into Thompson Falls, had a quick stop to rehydrate and shucked off some gear because the day had turned quite a bit warmer. Headed north on Highway #200, we then turned off onto Highway #471 and headed west to Thompson Pass.



#471 is quite deceptive because lower down it is a high speed road with gentle curves and a good surface......but as the elevation increases, the corners get tighter and the surface deteriorates....so it’s VERY easy to get “behind the curve” sooner than you’d imagine, no pun intended.
Dangers dodged, we reached the top of the pass at 1470 metres (4800') ASL. The view from the lookout point is spectacular, allowing you to look waaaayyyyy into the Idaho “panhandle” to the west and north with a sheer dropoff into the valley far below right at the edge of the lookout.
The road down on the Idaho side of the pass is no piece of cake, either. 8% grades with decreasing radius curves of various sizes for 15 minutes or so WILL keep you covering your brakes and working the gearbox for all it’s worth.









Once down in the valley bottom, I convinced the guys that we really needed to ride over ANOTHER pass (this one unnamed) that will take us on a shortcut to Wallace, ID, where we’ll stop for a late lunch. After some warnings by me about the hazards on this route (no corner signage, no guard rails, gravel in the corners, etc., etc.) the boys could hardly back down, could they!!??!! Off we went and after a 30 minute adrenaline-filled ride of off-camber corners, sheer dropoffs of at least 300 metres (1000') with no guardrails, 180 degree hairpin turns and assorted other fun stuff, we arrived in Wallace, safe and sound......although I think the other guys WERE wondering about my sanity for suggesting such a route. I’ve been over that road three times, now, and I think it’s great....although I’m glad I “scouted” it twice on my KZ650 on our two previous rides and pretty much knew what to expect. I’m sure if I’d gone over it the first time on my Bandit, you might not be reading about THIS year’s ride.
We pulled into the Red Light Garage which is one of those funky back-road café places with a great menu full of good food. We finished lunch with huckleberry shakes that are to die for. The owners, a husband and wife team, are getting to recognize the crazy Canadian riders who come down there every September for the great weather and excellent riding roads.



Lunch completed, we ride through downtown Wallace to....wait for it.....”THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE”. Yes, it’s actually in downtown Wallace, Idaho and the pics prove this claim to be true. Who knew ?? (Pic to follow when available....it’s all Roy’s fault, ya know.)
We then jumped onto I-90, headed east for our next waypoint at St. Regis, MT. This Interstate in this part of the US is VERY challenging, what with the higher speeds involved, road curvatures, elevation changes, steep grades and the usual amount of traffic, especially 18 wheelers. One mistake here and they scrape you off the road. This is NOT the flats of the prairies, I can tell you that.
We made it to St. Regis, took a hydration break (and, honestly, a de-stress break) and then saddled up to head east on Highway #135 to the junction with our old friend, Highway #200. Nice scenery you can enjoy along the south part of the Clark Fork River because the road is not challenging and there’s very little traffic. Once on #200, we headed further east for Ravalli, MT to join up once more with Highway #93. #93 heads north towards our evening stopping point which is Polson, MT on the very south end of Flathead Lake.
We made a 30 minute stop in a wide spot on the road called Dixon. There is a vast collection of various pieces of very old industrial equipment and we walked through it trying to identify the various items. There’s a hand cranked blower for a blacksmith’s forge alongside a single bottom plow right next to a line driven pillar drill. Neat old stuff, for sure.



The sun now slid down the western sky quite rapidly so it was time to make tracks for Polson. We pulled into Polson just as dusk descended and got checked into our motel.
After a bite to eat, we relaxed on the benches outside our rooms with a few beers and Al had his once-a-trip cigarillo. The evening was absolutely calm and we had a nice view of the lake from our front-row seats while we yacked the evening away. End of Day 2.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2010, 10:59:34 PM by H2RICK »
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline H2RICK

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2010, 10:19:25 PM »
Day 3, Sunday, and another restful start to the day. None of this “It’s 6:00AM and let’s hit the road.” crap. The morning was warmish but mostly cloudy.....and off to the northeast where we’ll be heading looked less welcoming yet.
We checked out of the motel after wiping the heavy dew off our bikes with a bundle of old towels supplied by the motel. The Bayview Motel in Polson, MT is definitely “rider-friendly” and very economically priced too, for a resort hotel. This is the third year we’ve stayed there and I’ll be visiting them again.
Off for breakfast at Betty’s Place Diner just up the road. Strangely enough, all the waitresses are named Betty!!??!! Good breakfast food and we got a table just before the rush started. By the time we got our food the place was absolutely packed and some folks were even seated out on the patio.
Breakfast finished, we gassed up on the way out of town. Over breakfast, we had decided to head up Highway #35 on the east side of Flathead Lake. This is a nice scenic ride with some challenging sections and LOTS of cottages/residences along it for at least half the way, so vigilance is called for, what with people entering the highway from both sides in odd places and around blind corners. We negotiated #35 safely and joined up with US Highway #2 to head east for Glacier Park....but Al has roared off and left the rest of us behind. We would NOT catch up to him for the rest of the ride. He was on a “mission” to get back to Cowtown for his son’s birthday that very evening.
For the three of us, US #2 is another deceptive road that starts off as a high speed flyer.....until you leave West Glacier. The road then becomes VERY challenging with lots of twists and turns and elevation changes. At this time of the year, the road is usually wet in the morning in the many shaded spots from the overnight dew and this year was no exception. Very little traffic and lots of incredible scenery.....with very few places to pull off and take pics, unfortunately.
We made it through to East Glacier and the weather finally cleared up some....but now we had the leading edge of a low pressure “wave”  right behind us. These waves occur in the mountains especially at this time of year. We stopped at an abandoned gas station in East Glacier for a break and a huge wind hit us, thus announcing the oncoming wave. The gusts were so strong that if we hadn’t been sitting on the bikes, I swear they’d have been blown over.
We decided to take the Highway #49 shortcut through the mountains rather than head out on the prairie to Browning and then cut back. The winds out on the flats would have been dangerous in the extreme for motorcycles.....so we thought.

However, as it turned out, the front followed us through the mountains on this twisty and very narrow road. We stopped for a photo op about halfway along the road and the wind was actually blowing some of the rocks off the mountainside onto the road !!!.....and it kept trying to rain on us !!! Check out the front trying to catch us.

We managed to just barely keep ahead of the storm and we made it into St. Mary for gas as the front veered off to dissipate itself on the prairie. I had never been on this road before so I got quite an introduction to its “charms”. I’m sure it’d be fun on a nicer day and I’ll have to go back some time to ride through there again.....without the wind, hopefully.
Gassed up, we headed north toward the border and home. We decided to take ANOTHER cutoff
up Highway #17 to the Chief Mountain border crossing point. The wind had dropped down to a tolerable level and was behind us now. I had ridden this route before and it’s another beauty with stunning scenery and very little traffic. The leaves on the trees at this altitude were already changing and we were treated to an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours.


Formalities completed to enter back into Canada, we headed off for Pincher Creek. As we headed northwards, the wind started to pick up speed again and switched to the west......90 degrees to our travel direction.
Pincher Creek IS known for the winds it experiences and the “wind farms” on the various prominences around the area attest to this fact. By the time we got into town, the wind was blowing quite briskly.....maybe around 80 km/hr (50 MPH) or so. No fun to ride in....unless it’s directly behind you.....which it was not. A quick break and onto Highway #3 for the short jog over to Highway #22 and the long trek northwards back to the village of Longview, where the whole journey really got started.
The wind was now on our port quarter which was a little bit better than having it right on the beam....but it was still tiring. We finally made it back to Cowtown and, believe me, home had never looked so good, what with all the dodgy weather we experienced. I was BEAT after riding in all that wind.....but everyone survived and Al DID make it home about 2 hours ahead of us in plenty of time for his son’s birthday party.
Both Bandits ran along flawlessly and handled all that the roads and the weather could throw at us with no drama whatever. What else could you ask for from ANY motorcycle ?? Just gas, ride, rest and repeat.....for as long as you can handle it. As a bonus, my new Ventura rack has now worked out perfectly for both of this year’s rides. This piece of kit is highly recommended, by me at least.
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline Dragbike

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2010, 10:28:10 PM »
Hey Rick,
Thank You for Sharing!  :thumb:
I really enjoy when folks tell about their trips and adventures.
I am just not that good with words or I an't got no way to say well!

Brent
01 Bandit 1200S
99 FLHTCUI Ultra Classic Electra Glide
89 GSXR 7/11 w/turbo
88 GSX600F Katana w/1127 :)
82 Harley FLT
79 Harley Super Glide FXEF
I’m getting Old--- I remember when Sex was safe and Motorcycles were dangerous!

Offline Red01

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....(Now With Pics!!)
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2010, 02:38:35 PM »
 :bigok: Sounds like fun!  :beers:
Paul
2001 GSF1200S
(04/2001-03/2012)
2010 Concours 14ABS
(07/2010-current)


Offline H2RICK

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....(Now With Pics!!)
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2010, 10:30:07 PM »
Thanks for the compliment, Dragbike. I have a little talent with words but I'm no fiction writer, that's for sure. More like maybe a travelogue writer. I just tell it straight up with no embroidering. Maybe the story would read better with some 'drama' but fortunately for me/us there was no drama to report.....and that's the way I like it.

Paul, I really like the backroads of Montana and Idaho because of the lack of traffic most of the time and the ever-changing scenery. As well, the people are so friendly, it's almost like being back in Alberta....or the interior of BC.....or anywhere in Saskatchewan. One of these years (when I'm fully retired....or maybe sooner if I'm lucky) I intend to do a lot more riding on the backroads of the western US. There's a lot of places to see in Nor Cal, Oregon, Washington, etc etc. I do/do want to make it to the Lolo Pass in the near future, that's for sure. Who knows what stories await ??? :motorsmile:
Ignorance is curable. Stupidity is terminal.
2006 B12S (my new LD road ride)
1976 Suzuki GT550A Mint/Stock w/5K original miles
1978 Kawasaki KZ650C2 Mint/Stock w/2K original miles
1973 Kawi H2A Semi-hot rod
Various other projects in the wings

Offline LowRyter

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Re: Classic Ride 2010 ??? Well, kind of.....(Now With Pics!!)
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2010, 09:38:58 PM »
Nice trip.  I'd really like to make it sometime....perhaps when I retire this summer or or next?
John L

1998 Red Suzuki GSF-1200S
1998 Red & Cream Moto Guzzi V11 EV
2001 Greenie Moto Guzzi V11 Sport