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Took a little ride this summer.

16K views 57 replies 24 participants last post by  twowheeladdict 
#1 ·
over 7000 miles. 15 states. 4 weeks total. 300 Gbs of memories.

NM, CO, WY, SD, MT, ID, NV, UT, AZ, TX, OK, AR, MS, AL, TN

The versys handled the trip great!

Ready to ride!


No, they don't do nuclear powercell conversions.


Colorado fires put a damper on some of our proposed routes.


The ranger assured us that the smoke was blowing the other way so we set up our tents in Mesa Verde only to wake up with soot on our gear.


Mesa Verde was definitely worth a stop on our tour.


Then we ran down the road to 4 corners.


That was a hot ride so we had to run as fast as possible.


Leaving 4 corners we knew we needed to get up in elevation. On the road to Ouray, CO we got our first look at summer snow.


Ouray is a quaint tourist town on the million dollar highway. Nice and cool and great views. The hotel had a hot tub as well.


That's just the first two days. More to come...
 
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#28 ·
Back over Beartooth pass the next morning and into Yellowstone. Awesome ride!

Some captures from the GoPro videos. I haven't yet figured out how to make the videos small enough to upload somewhere.




Starting our decent from the top of the pass. You can make out some of the roadway down there.


Saw some folks pulled over and discovered why. The water was roaring over those falls.


Entering Yellowstone!


1st animal sighting. Yogi Bear! Couldn't get a better shot because a ranger was already there keeping everyone moving.
 
#29 ·
Yellowstone was diverse in scenery. Definitely worth the trip. If you want to camp in the park you need to make reservations or show up early for a campsite. We didn't find one and had to head out the west gate to West Yellowstone, MT to find a campground.








Be prepared for some interesting aromas around the park. Sulfer and other nasty oders.




 
#32 ·
We left out the south entrance of Yellowstone and entered the Grand Tetons














Summertime view of ski slopes in Jackson, WY


We decided to cross into Idaho.


1st view of the Snake River. Started thinking about the Snake River. Didn't Evel Knevel attempt to jump the Snake River? Need to look into that.


We were getting close to Idaho Falls and decided to pull in under this shade tree in a fuel station so we could look up hotels. They were too expensive, and then we noticed the sign painted on the side of this Willys Truck. Local Campground and not too far away. Cool!
 
#34 ·
Finally got more photos uploaded.

The goal today was to get to Twin Falls, ID to see where Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Canyon.

This was the only day we had to ride in the rain. It actually made Craters of the Moon National Monument more interesting. Please don't ask the ranger if that is where they faked the moon landing. They don't like that. ;)









The rain lifted before we got into Twin Falls. The lady at the Visitor Center told us that people base jump off this bridge and also end their lives here as well.


Awesome view of the Snake river here.


Can you believe someone defaced this monument. Some people!


For you young ones who don't remember Evel.






Of course you can't go to Twin Falls without seeing the falls.





Today's Route
 
#36 ·
Thanks. The only issue was keeping the chains cleaned and lubed. By the time I got home the chain was shot and even lost most of the O-rings.

Travelling the same roads at the same speeds requires a lot more concentration and skill on the big cruiser than the Versys. That would mean less sight seeing and absolutely no dirt roads. I was on the right bike for this type of adventure, but thinking that a full size adventure bike will be in my future.
 
#37 ·
Today we decided to ride through Nevada and go check out the Bonniville Salt Flats. We were hoping to find a museum, but all we found were casinos on the Nevada side.



and the salt flats on the Utah side.



We did ride out to where the Race area is supposed to be.



The sign was pretty abused.



Didn't want to ride on the salt but set a new record on the access road. :eek:

Ended this day in Provo, UT
 
#39 ·
Yes, stock sprockets. The bike cruised at 80 with no issues and the power in the mountains was great. My thoughts are that you chose the gearing that meets your riding style. If my riding was a lot of 'in town' riding combined with 'interstate' riding I would consider changing the gearing or bike. My riding with the Versys is mostly lane and a half wide country roads to tow lane roads with jaunts on the interstate to avoid a traffic area.
 
#40 · (Edited)
Leaving Provo, our goal was to get to Moab, UT. Seeing Arches National Monument, and Canyonlands National Monuments. It was too warm for camping and rooms were too expensive in Moab so we ended up pushing on to Monticello, UT so it was a long day including rolling through the parks.

There is something about historic towns with unique landscape in the background that I really like to photograph. Helper, UT

Home of the Western Mining and Railroad Museum.

The terrain and landscapes in Utah are very interesting. I am used to riding on roads where the trees line both sides of the road and when you come across a vista you must stop and take it in. Utah was just one continuous vista.
























We got to the hotel a little before dusk which was a good thing. Saw several of these heading to cross the road in front of our hotel.


Today's Route
 
#42 ·
From Monticello our goal was to make it to Capitol Reef National Park. I would say this an awesome day! Great roads, fast riding, fantastic scenery. Views we just don't get to see back east.









Capitol Reef is an oasis in the middle of the Utah desert. It is an amazing place that should be visited if you tour Utah.









 
#48 ·
2 Wheel, I think that front tire on your V is a Shinko. Is that right and are you using a Shinko (Raven) on the rear? I have them on my V and like them. I have seen negative comments on them but they have worked well for me, on both of my bikes.
Yes, Shinko Ravens front and rear. Got over 8000 miles on them right now and they still have some life left. The front tire did slip a couple of times on some tar snakes on beartooth pass. Do not like tar snakes. :eek:
 
#52 ·
The seat is working out great for me. I can slide up close to the tank and have my knees down while riding in supermoto mode, then slide back on the seat and get full support and comfort for extended riding. Even provides some support to the upper thighs. I even did an 800 mile day with that seat on the second to last day of my trip and no issues whatsoever. Like anything else, no one seat is perfect for everyone, but this one is for me. I also had Terry make a seat for my Mean Streak, and will have other seats ideas for him to make in the future.
 
#54 ·
I had just added the Concours to my stable prior to the trip so there was no time to prepare it. I would not have taken the concours to many of the places I took the Versys. I think I am learning that an adventure style bike is the perfect bike for touring and sightseeing on. The Ducati Multistrada sure would be fun, but lack of support in the US would make it not practical. Probably the same with the Tiger Explorer. That leaves the yamaha super tenere. Dealing with the chain for all those miles was a PTA.

I guess you can look at it this way. On the long distance boring sections I would have enjoyed the Voyager more. On the cruises through the black hills and sturgis I would have enjoyed the Mean Streak more. On the dirt sections I would have enjoyed my new KLX250S more. On the fast curves I would have enjoyed the Concours more. I still think I rode the perfect bike for the majority of the ride, but I will not desire to do that long of a ride on a chain drive bike again.
 
#55 ·
Thanks for the input on best bikes for the different rdies of your trip. What type of maintenance did the chain require besides cleaning and tightening.. thanks again for sharing the awesome pictures and descriptions. How did your companion make out on the 600 chain driven more sport oriented bike?
 
#58 ·
Without a centerstand lubing was a two man job and we didn't carry a torque wrench and breaker bar to do adjustments. The ZZR ended up with some tight spots in the chain and was spent by the end of the ride as well. The best time to clean and lube your chain is at the end of the day and it was just one more thing to do in addition to setting up camp and wanting to relax. The ZZR has carbs so I never wanted to follow when we were at altitude because it would run rich and no cats to burn off the extra fuel.
 
#57 ·
I kinda of like the Connie, I got to ride a friend's for a week after I was out of the hospital. If I had the money for another bike I'd likely buy a Connie BUT for most of my riding I think the Versys is a better choice for me.

I mainly do short to mid range ride on back roads and the Versys shines there being lighter and more "Flickable". BUT I wanted to go to Florida and the Connie ate the miles up at a faster pace and was more comfortable the longer I was on it, the extre weight came into play to the good in on this ride, The "V" gets beat around a bit on the "Slab" by the slip stream from big rigs while I found the Connie to be somewhat more stable. I was on the "Slab" as little as I had to be taking the "Less Traveled Roads" but of some of the real back roads I could tell it was a heavier bike.

It's all a trade off to gain a bit here you lose a bit there.
 
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