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Originally Posted by
tuscan
J
Not my idea to do I40/I75 in one hit, but some of the boys want to do this in 4 days then get stuck in to the TAT. I'm an iron butt of old - so we'll see who croaks first eh?
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The first part of I40 through CA and AZ I'm familiar with (having dipped on and off it at times) and as you are probably aware, the AZ section follows the old Route 66 (you can deviate off it to Segilman, Williams etc - good spots for food!)... obviously it is more fun on the more minor routes, but you coud spend your whole trip making deviations and that is not really the point as you say... there is still plenty to see (or at least pass through) on that trip - hell, any trip on a bike in the sunshine is great!
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| Thanks for your suggestions - I have all of them on my pre-TAT route except for Deal's Gap area. My initial trip included the Eastern States and Newfoundland / SE Canada, but then the TAT opportunity came up - so it'll have to wait for another time. |
If you do get the chance, do spend a day riding that area around the Cherohala Skyway, Hwy 28 (the snake) and Hwy 129 (the dragon) - it will make you love tarmac again after all that I40!
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| Got a little ride up the length of NZ on monday onwards, then the mods / weight reduction , planning for the Ten will really start. Oh joy. |
Ah, but that's half the fun?! (well, if the modifications work it is of course!)
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| Did your Heros mods significantly reduce the overall weight - I'm guessing that the wheels / forks / exhaust must have accounted for a lot? |
I wouldn't say significantly, but noticeably yes... My bike probably weights in around 10Kg less (with all the rally nav gear fitted)... the wheels were lighter, but then fitting Michelin Deserts and mousses put a lot of that weight back on - running something like TKCs and HD tubes would be a noticeable improvement I'd say...
The exhaust saved 5Kgs - likewise just taking off stuff like bar-ends, pillion peg brackets, the rear light assembly (why is there a hunking great metal plate under there?!)... but ultimately the engine and frame (and tank) are the key heavy parts, and you can't really change them.
That said, even the stock bike rides a lot 'lighter' than the spec sheet suggests as I'm sure you'll agree, and I only up-specced everything because of a) 'racing' conditions, b) I like a challenge and c) I have too much money for sh!t like that...
I took a stock bike to the USA, with just a set of KTM plastic hand guards and some pivotpegs... take the weighty accessories (and exhaust) off by all means, but you really don't need to upgrade the shock/forks/wheels unless you particularly want to...
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| Did I read somewhere that you are thinking of a full Dakar race entry - or is it a dream? What bike if so? |
Erm yeah, see 'c)' above x
I've just bought a WR450 and the JVO rally 'lite' kit (front fairing, fender and twin 10litre tanks, plus all the nav gear mountings)... The Tenere is a fantastic bike (well, mine is) but it is heavy in comparison to the 450cc based bikes... the WR has the same (or more) power, and weighs 2/3rd the weight (that's 60Kgs, or three jerry cans full of fuel!) - even with the rally kit fitted, it will be at least 40Kg lighter than the Ten...
Of course the WR will need a lot more maintenance, but it is a dedicated race bike, and by all accounts, it seems the WR is the 'strongest' of all the 450's at the moment... certainly a high proportion of the Dakar finishers on WRs this year did it on the same engine, including the guy who won the marathon class this year...
The idea this year is to race the NPO series (that is the FIM Tunis and Maroc rounds, plus the Sphinx Rally in Egypt), and enter the Dakar next January... however, it is proving a lot more expensive than I envisaged, so we'll have to see - but yes, the Dakar (which is confirmed in South America again btw.) is the goal for next year...
J xx