home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
- Path: sparky!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!pacbell.com!iggy.GW.Vitalink.COM!cs.widener.edu!eff!news.byu.edu!hamblin.math.byu.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!csc.ti.com!tilde.csc.ti.com!cauldron!epcot!achenbac
- From: achenbac@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Jeff Achenbach)
- Subject: Re: What would you ride on a long distance trip?
- Message-ID: <1992Nov18.165749.17423@spdc.ti.com>
- Sender: usenet@spdc.ti.com (USENET News System)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: epcot
- Organization: TI Semiconductor Process and Design Center
- References: <1992Nov17.203709.6242@spdc.ti.com> <1992Nov17.214052.460@mksol.dseg.ti.com> <Bxw183.92L@news.iastate.edu>
- Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 16:57:49 GMT
- Lines: 35
-
- In article <Bxw183.92L@news.iastate.edu> tomes@iastate.edu () writes:
- >In article <1992Nov17.214052.460@mksol.dseg.ti.com> martinn@mksol.dseg.ti.com (niels r martin) writes:
- >>In article <1992Nov17.203709.6242@spdc.ti.com> achenbac@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Jeff Achenbach) writes:
- >>>(in the ads) nice examples going for under $3,000. I wouldn't for a minute
- >>>consider a yacht like a Wing or Electraglide because it limits the places
- >>>you can camp and ride. 10 or 20 miles of dirt and gravel can really get you
- >>>to some fine areas that the Winnebarges can't reach.
- >
- >>I have never had trouble riding my 78 Goldwing on gravel/dirt--of course I
- >>don't drive like a crazyman either.
- >
- >Well, I drive my 81 Wing on all sorts of roads... It's just a matter of
- >practice and restraint. I happen to like an easy chair that will keep me
- >off the ground if the Big Nasty (Tm?) happens. A full fairing and luggage,
- >as well as case guards, goes a long way when the "harsh Realities" comes
- >my way. If that means that I have a machine that is 100 pounds heavier and
- >handles a little slower than a different bike, so be it. I happen to like
- >comfort.
- >
-
- I guess it depends on the degree of nastiness. Some of my favorite spots
- would give you a really hard time, I think, due to limited ground clearance.
- Maybe I underestimate the capabilities of a Wing, but steep downhill rutted
- switchbacks covered in softball size rocks and interspersed with sand washes
- seem a little extreme for such a bike. Of course, not everyone would tackle
- such terrain on any kind of street bike, but sanity has never been one of
- my virtues.
- A graded dirt road isn't a problem for any bike. When you hit the high
- altitude, unmaintained, washed out roads, it's a different story. A P-D
- would be really nice. Personal preference, nothing more. I've toured on
- my Bonneville for the same reasons. Sacrificed some interstate comfort (well,
- actually, a lot) in exchange for riding up the fire trails, rather than
- walking. Gets me to a lot of places I'd otherwise not go.
-
- Jeff Achenbach
-