What’s the best way to get outa Texas?

Discussion in 'Trips & Events' started by sfdownhill, Jun 5, 2018.

  1. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Gentlemen - I’m going to be flying to Austin TX this weekend, then riding a 5th gen back from Austin to San Diego CA. I have three days and two nights to make the trip and would like to incorporate as much non-slab, fun riding as possible. I don’t mind 400 mile days, or finishing a travel segment a bit after dark. I’m resigned to being stuck on the straight, flat and wide for a bunch of the hottest, driest portions - there’s no way back to Socal without traversing a desert. I’m pretty familiar with the Cali end of things, but would greatly appreciate any route recommendations for Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, etc.

    Thanks!
     
  2. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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    Best luck to you! :wheelie:
     
  3. Samuel

    Samuel Member

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    Cool! Safe Travels!

    Are you picking up H3nry's bike?
     
  4. cbx1260cc

    cbx1260cc New Member

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    x2.

    You will be travelling a LOOOoooong way and the weather (HOT) will be a factor for sure.

    Stay HYDRATED to maximise your stamina.

    GREAT to hear about the new bikes.
     
  5. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    i had to carry a 2-litre plastic bottle of gas in my backpack to get across west Texas around Fort Stockton on my Hawk. the gas stations were far apart and many closed by 10pm.

    admittedly, the Hawk tank holds only about 110 miles worth of fuel :eek:
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2018
  6. VFR4Lee

    VFR4Lee Member

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    Google maps says 1300 miles or so by the slab. Anything else you do will add more miles, so seems to me you will be slabbing it a lot if you have 3 days.
    Not that there is much choice in Texas. Get about 1/2 way across New Mexico and you have mountains at least.
     
  7. GreginDenver

    GreginDenver New Member

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    I did Denver, CO to Huntsville, AL last fall which is about the same distance you're going to do. I used one of those clamp-on throttle holders. You get out on the highway and tighten it up and it rests against the top of the brake lever to hold the throttle at a constant setting. It was a good purchase.
     
  8. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Thanks for the animated 5th gen wheelie, mello dude. I'll try to keep it hoisted up on the rear wheel - NOT [I do not possess the wheelie gene]

    Samuel, yes, H3nry and I have been corresponding about the 5th gen known as Red Riding Wheels. He lives in Pflugerville, TX, a suburb of Austin. I have a cousin near Austin with a 2 yr old daughter that I need to meet. I asked my cousin for his new address...he said he lives in Pflugerville. Who'd a thunk?

    VFRLee, holy crap! Thanks for ringing the reality bell close enough to my thick head. I was romanticizing the trip without actually punching up real numbers yet. I'm officially taking four days to get back.

    St Stephen on the other site suggested some curvy Nevada back roads and Flagstaff - he just rode into Flagstaff from California tonight on his Multistrada, laying in some good miles.
    Zeta over there had these suggestions:
    http://www.ridetexas.com/the-twisted-sisters/
    and
    http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/Texas_119.html

    Squirrelman, I'd call your Hawk adventure 'West Texas Fuel' [sounds like a southern rock band]. Carrying two liters is a lot smarter than waiting for someone to bring you two liters.

    CBX1260cc, you are spot on - hydration will be critical. It's hard to remember to take in enough water when the sweat is being sucked away from your skin into dry hot air; you don't feel the soaking reminder that you're constantly offing your body's stores of water.
     
  9. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Yessir, some kinda throttle keeper-on-er is going to be key. mello dude called it a throttle rocker, some say crampbuster. I hadn't thought of setting one up to rest against the brake lever - very relaxed. Probably want be be all alone on a looong straight stretch of highway before committing to turning off the key as the fastest way to shut down.

    Greg, a quick googlemap glance shows 900ish miles from Austin to Durango. I've heard Durango is beautiful, but at 900 miles to the north, and Durango being what appears to be one of the southernmost towns in Colorado, I may not make it into your state this trip. Is it really that far from Austin to CO, or did I mess up my geography again?
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2018
  10. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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  11. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Best way to get out of Texas? Use Scotty's transporter. :)
     
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  12. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Just let me finish filling my giantloopmoto fuel bladder, then beam me up!
     
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  13. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Good luck and safe travels


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  14. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Thanks duccman. It’s hot here...not quite Africa hot. The humidity takes your mind off the heat. I hear you’re back in Cali?
     
  15. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Back for 9-10 months for work. Sure is nice to finally ride after 5 months without.
    Anytime your in CO your more then welcome at our home bud.
    Drove from Huston to CO last March to adopt my new boy
    [​IMG]
    Big ass state fer sure


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  16. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Duccman, glad to see you’ve finally got a suitable partner in crime.

    H3nry is an awesome dude - picked me up at the Austin airport yesterday, then we had BBQ for lunch (a BBQ meal is mandatory upon entering the state). Officially adopted his 5th gen, which he has dubbed Red Riding Wheels. Finished off with an afternoon of getting my Givi top case rack fitted to the motorcycle. I’m maintaining my forgetful practice of not taking ‘before’ photos. Mounting the rack wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been, for two reasons (1) the Wolf exhaust sits where the ECU normally goes, so the ECU had been relocated above the left passenger rearset, which is where the rack needs a support strut to live. We tried moving the ECU forward, but then (2) Henry had mounted the R/R on the outside of the left passenger peg (to give the R/R max cooling airflow). I can assure you that there wasn’t space for the R/R, the Givi rack strut, and the ECU to all fit there - we tried about six different ways to zip tie/baling wire/chewing gum it together there - but no go. Henry had done a very tidy job of preserving a bit of storage space between the exhaust and the seat - he’d even fastened a small storage tray there and insulated it from heat and vibration with dense foam matting. This tray became the ECU’s new home, and all the bits lived happily ever after, or at least all the way to California, I hope.

    Here’s the route that’s looking like the best compromise:
    Austin to Taos
    Taos to Flagstaff (w the ‘avoid highways’ box checked)
    Flagstaff to San Diego via Sedona and Prescott
     
  17. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Do you remember where I relocated mine?
    [​IMG]
    SAFE TRAVELS BUD


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  18. VFR4Lee

    VFR4Lee Member

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    I guess you plan to remove that luggage rack never ever ever ever ever. :Hippie:
     
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  19. H3nry

    H3nry New Member

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    The problem sfdownhill faces isn't the best way to get out of Texas, it's how to get out to the WEST without becoming terminally bored. North toward CO is a different ballowax entirely. He's gotta swing north a little bit to find anything other than I-10, so maybe there are east-west routes around Silver City, NM and the Mogollon Rim, Taos, and so on that won't add too many miles to a somewhat rushed trip. OTOH, miles slip by quickly if you're having fun, and I usta ride 500 - 800 mile days. Alas, I don't know that area.

    We discovered that his Givi rack & tail case don't exactly fall into place with a Wolf Racing exhaust. No surprise - I already found nothing else fits back of the gas tank with that exhaust either, but I'd worked the kinks out over a couple of years. The only real problem was the ECU, which couldn't stay where I mounted it. My R/R and battery box are OK.

    So it turns out Red is gonna have a new rider for her first longish trip. I had hoped to follow in AM's tire tracks and add significantly to Red's odometer, but I think sfdownhill and Red will make a good team. I certainly enjoyed the 4500 miles I rode her.
     
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  20. sfdownhill

    sfdownhill New Member

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    Yep, I remember the electric tail treatment on the cleanest 6th gen I’ve ever seen...
     
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