Cross Country on a Busa

Frenchy750

Registered
Hello all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. A friend and I are in the middle of a cross country ride, from Rhode Island to California. He's on his BMW Rockster, I'm riding my orange Busa.

We left Thursday, October 5th.

Three days later, we're in Omaha, with 1532 miles behind us. Our goal today - Denver.

I figured I'd be in worse shape than I am, but honestly, the only thing that is sore is the area where my riding pants rub against my fat hips. Other than that, no ache that Advil and Guinness won't solve.

I plan to write up the whole trip sometime after it ends (six more days from now.) But for now I have a short synopsis on my blog at http://frenchysrant.blogspot.com/
 
wow
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ride safe, stop in where possible with updates!

The blog is great, here is a pic of his ride guys...

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i'm jealous...that looks like a great way to spend a few days...stay safe and keep us updated
 
The Busa is a great bike on the long haul. OK, it's not a rolling couch, but with some type of cruise control, a 600 mile day isn't a bad ride.
 
I ride mine all over. Never a problem at least in 10,000+ miles since February!
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Rode a 450 mile loop over the Sierras yesterday topping Ebbett's Pass on hiway 4 heading east and coming back over Kit Carson pass on hiway 88. Helluva ride! Bright sunny blue skies and not too cold until 7,000' or so.
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Not another Busa to be seen as usual but riding CBXs also, I'm used to that.

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The first mileage I ever put on my 04 Busa was to drive it from Bremen, Germany to Amsterdam, NL to Munich to Sarajevo.
Two days from A-Dam to Sarajevo...
Also, I rode my Rune from Houston to San Diego last year in a few days.
 
Day 4

Started out in sunny Omaha, got on to Route 80 around 9 AM. Our goal for today was Denver, and we ALMOST made it.

The wind was BRUTAL, somtimes nearly blowing me into the next lane. I had to lean pretty hard just to go straight, which was fun. Trucks acted as a sort of wind shield, as I passed one, the wond would just stop, until I got to the truck cab. Then I would get buffeted pretty hard, then back into the crosswind.

About 300 miles from our goal, it started raining. No real problem, except the temperature started to drift lower... and lower... and lower.

The cold doesn't really bother me, the wetness gets annoying after a while but is tolerable... but the darkness, with trucks speeding by and throwing spray... well, that was enough to call it a day. We finally called it quits 457 miles from Omaha, in Brush, CO - home of the undefeated Brush Beetdiggers.

I have to say, the Best Value Inn never looked so good. Best $49 I ever spent!

According to the Weather Channel, a wonderful cold front has moved into the Denver area. Perfect!

I have to say, the Busa has ben rock solid. 80+ MPH for hours and hours, and it just goes and goes and goes... I really love this bike. Yeah, cruise control would be nice, so would heated grips, but if I wanted all that crap, I could have bought a Goldwing, or just driven.

The next two days will be interesting... We have to be in Grand Junction by Tuesday night, hopefully the mountain roads will be open and snow free. Figures... after five hundred flat, straight miles a day, I was looking forward to using the sides of the tires, now I might need snow tires!!!!
 
Hey, don't knock heated grips. I haven't found a need for a cruise control of any sort but heated grips do help on those cold mornings as you'll find out
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That's frost and 29 degrees in Dubois Wyoming. Here, my wife's Ninja shows it better:



Looks like a nice ride. Be careful with the snow. It's supposed to snow today and certainly by Wednesday (where you'll probably be on the California coast by then).

Carl
 
Great ride... Keep us posted! Wish I had more time off every year I would diffenitely give this a try. But, since I don't reading your post will have to be my sub...
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Woke up this morning, it was 39 degrees, raining and pretty much miserable outside.

With the weather forecast including snow in Denver, we've conceded defeat for this leg of the trip. Yup, a U-Haul is in the immediate future to get us across the Rocky Mountains. Damn you, Weather Channel!!

It sucks, but waiting it out in Denver for three days isn't an option, since we have to be in Los Angeles for work on Sunday. The forecast for the next three days is crappy, and no place around here seems to have snow tires to fit the Busa anyway, so riding the Rocky Mountains will have to wait for another time.

(We also talked about just pushing the bikes out the back of the damn truck, taking pictures and saying it was cold but great... briefly. OK it was more than a brief conversation, but we decided against it. Never fear, we'll get some great 'U-Haul on the top of the mountain' shots.)

On the bright side, the forecast for Moab on Wednesday - 71 and SUNNY!! Four days to get from Utah - through Arches, Capital Reef, Canyonland, Bryce and Zion National Park - yeah, the trip isn't TOTALLY ruined.

Did I mention my girlfriend is flying out to Grand Junction Tuesday night to finish the ride on the back of the Busa?

I'm also updating the trip with some pictures on my blog at http://frenchysrant.blogspot.com/ I'll work on linking the pictures here tonight, after we return the damn U-Haul in Grand Junction.
 
I was just reading the blog and wow. I had a blue Katana 600 and then on to the Anniversary Busa. Great taste you have my friend. Good luck on the trip and be safe.
 
That hard ride you had serves as a sturdy bookmark for future rides. You'll appreciate the nice rides that will soon follow. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your expedition!

Be safe!
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Today is day 7 of our trip, and our group has doubled. My friend Dan rode his BMW GS from San Francisco to meet us in Grand Junction, and my girlfriend flew in last night. She's never done anything like this, but is SO excited about it, I am actually impressed. We'll see if that changes after the ride today...

Anyway, yesterday we took the day off in Grand Junction, stylin' and pimpin' in our 14 foot U-Haul. Oh yeah, this is the life! Laundry, REI for some better gloves, and what motorcycle trip would be complete without stopping at a dealership to lighten the old wallet?

Abi, my friend on the BMW Rockster finally threw down for the BMW System bags. Those things are STUPIDLY expensive, and you have to buy the locks and emblems separately. Ah BMW...

I wish someone made similar cases for the Busa. Ah Suzuki...

We're going back on the road today, into Utah. The weather is improving by the minute, so hopefully the worst is behind us now.

With four days to finish the trip, maybe I'll FINALLY be able to get off the damn highway and use ALL the tire, not just the middle.

The best is yet to come!
 
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