So... My daughter is getting married in June in NC and I'm in CO. I'm throwing around the idea of riding out on the VFR instead of flying. Pros: Therapy for having to see the ex and her family 1st road trip on the VFR (bought it last August) Therapy for having to see MY family Tail of the Dragon and all the good roads in NC (more than I can count) Cons: Having to slog it on the Interstate through Kansas It seems I've answered my own question: Is it worth it to slog it out on the Interstate for such a long way. Did I mention the therapy part? :LOL
Sounds like the ride would be good for you. If you have some extra time, look for a different route home.
Funny, because I also live in Colorado (Aurora) the first thought that ran through my mind was F-ing Kansas! But otherwise, I'm in favor of the ride to the wedding. I've done the ride to Huntsville, Alabama. It's all good after Kansas. Mail your comfortable stuff ahead to the destination, carry as little as possible for the ride. Enjoy.
I have made the trek across Kansas on a bike and as terrible as it is in a car, it wasn't so bad on a bike. What I did was leave before sunlight, then ride across the prairie watching the colors change the prairie as the sun rose. I didn't even stop for coffee until I was good and underway somewhere in Kansas. It was fine.
The last (only) time that I rode a VFR across Kansas, I stopped in at the rest station just past the border. The nice little old lady there invited me to sign their visitors log. She watched as I wrote my name and answered (3 hours) for the column entitled "how long will you be in Kansas". She looked up at me with a shocked look and said "oh my, you must be flying low...". Ha, I'll never forget that !
Do it, you’ll be kicking yourself What year bike do you have? And have you upgrade the RR? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Can't put too high a price on riding therapy, give yourself extra time and ride. Great time of year for it. Friends/I took a pickup/trailer loaded with dirt bikes from Huntsville to Silverton via OK. Long drive, but not Kansas . ACE
Its a 2014, I've got 11K miles on the clock - 3K are mine from August til now. I haven't done anything to it yet except put new Pilot Road 5's on. I plan on getting it serviced before I leave to make sure everything is up to snuff. I bought my daughter a Volvo XC90 for her first car (white) and she named her "Pearl". So I've dubbed the VFR "Pearl 2.o"
Great story Brian! After consciously making the decision yesterday, I'm getting stoked about the trip. I"ll be sure to document for y'all.
Props to Reg - I'll do just that: Hit the road before sunrise, take in the colors and try staying under Mach 2, (The tag on my old ZX11 was "BLORADR"
ok quick costing exercise: Working on 1800m each way. Fuel 20 x full tank = $2.50 x 5 gallons x 20 fills = $250 Food - 4-6 days - $150 Hotel - 4-6 days - $300 So realistic costs of $500 to $700 just for the trip & 4 very hard days or 6 hard days - this is just for the trip. I'd ship the bike to the wedding area early - that will cost $300-500 with insurance. Fly there - $150-200 Get on bike ride back & take your time..
Two years ago I was in a similar state of mind (as Igrok, the original poster on this thread). Similar circumstances at the time, plus almost all of my family lives in Alabama so I spend a lot of time visiting. Two things were pushing me to ride my 5th Gen from Colorado to Alabama: The idea of doing a long ride was very interesting/attractive, plus the very attractive idea of having my 5th Gen available in Huntsville to ride all over Alabama during the visit. The fact that I'd have to bring the bike all the way back to Colorado was a bit of a problem. After a lot of thought I realized that my long-term solution was to purchase another 5th Gen, ride it to Alabama and keep it there permanently. I did exactly this and it's been a perfect answer to the problem. Here's the Alabama 5th Gen (a 2001) Here's the Colorado 5th Gen (a 1999)
interesting Greg - since I'm paying for the wedding, buying another bike is out. As for the quick cost Pete, I'm not going to need the hotel for 4-6 days as I can stay with family while I'm out there. As for the trip, I'm looking at camping - much more comfortable to me than a hotel. I'm like you Greg, excited for a longer trip than just a few hundred miles. I'm coming back through Arkansas and Oklahoma (Never been through the Ozarks before)
The hotel costs are for the trip - not whilst you are in NC. How many miles are you looking doing each day - its circa 1800m each way. 900m = 2 days each way 600m = 3 days each way 450m = 4 days each way even camping has costs, you will still need to eat - lol Thats why sending the bike out early allows you to get there with no issues via plane, get the wedding sorted out then do your trip on the way home after THE REQUIRED ATTENDANCE has taken place.
1531 miles one way. Plan on taking 3 days to travel (around 500 - 550 miles per day). Day 1, end up somewhere near Kansas City - Camp for $15.00 Day 2, end up somewhere on the other side of Paducah, KY - Camp for $15.00 Day 3, Stop at my brother's house in TN and refresh, before driving the rest of the way in (about 3.5 hrs). I'll have a USB power outlet on the bike to charge the phone and the gopro. My return trip is going to go through Arkansas and Oklahoma. I've never seen the Ozarks and there are some pretty nice roads down there (motorcycleroads.com)