Ride from Portland, OR to Salt Lake, UT on a 2016 BMW GSA. I left at 5:36am and arrived at 9:20pm. Actual driving time was 11:29, Due to eating, gas and bathroom stops the trip took 14:44.
That was so enjoyable to watch and listen to. Appreciate you for not putting music to your videos, and also letting us hear the wind noise. I just close my eyes and remember the feeling. Keep the rubber side down and take care.
Thanks for sharing. LOVE mine. Prefer it even to my wonderful K1300s. Pulled a couple of 500-600 mile days both single and two-up with it, and it is great. From Utah to Ventura, CA and also Utah up around Colorado in a big loop. 115 Deg to 15 Deg. No issues. And we just rode around the unmaintained dirt 'Routes' of the Navajo Nation Reservation over the weekend to boot. Amazing machine.
I rode through Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota last summer and the wind was insane throughout all of those states. I'd imagine Utah wouldn't be much different.
Yes, I have ridden through strong winds in Montana and South Dakota before. It is amazing how the winds can be blowing for 100s of miles in those areas. In Utah strong winds usually only last for sections under 100 miles so you eventually get a break.
I recently rode from Raleigh, North Carolina to Naples, Florida in one day. It was a little over 800 miles on a stock bike. The GSA is the best all around touring bike.
Barrett Powell Very cool. I’m pretty excited about getting ready for my GSA ride from Fort Myers to Deals Gap next month... and it’s going to be a one day ride as well. 👍
Hey, Mark! I enjoyed watching this video. Made me feel like I was on a mini adventure - only without having go anywhere or do any work myself. :) Looks like you had a blast.
That's one hell of a ride distance wise Mark,it's more than Plymouth England to John O Groats Scotland.After thoughts are that it would probably take twice as long over hear because we have road works everywhere we travel.
Yes, our roads in the western US are designed for faster travel. The speed limit for that ride varied from 65mph to 80mph with most of the ride being 75mph or 80mph. I usually ride around 7mph over the posted limit so it was not too bad.
I can't remember my actual MPG. It is under 40mpg at speeds over 70mph. Speed limits on that route vary from 55 to 80mph. I generally ride from 5 to 7mph over the speed limit. I also stop every 150 or so miles depending on where the stations are. In-between gas stops, I try and find a rest stop to go to the bathroom and get something to drink. On long rides I like to stop every hour but keep each stop to around five minutes.
We need to go riding sometime. Not this weekend but sometime soon. I'm selling my DRZ if you know anyone who might be interested. Hope to put it on Craig's List in a week or two.
Hi Mark... I have question related with your gear... I mean, gloves, suit, boots... for raining... seems that you use different pair of gloves... I'll appreciate if you tell me the exact gear that you used for this long distance ride... thx
For years I had a really nice set of waterproof gloves that I really liked. They were probably Gortex as my hands would not sweat in them. Currently I'm using some cheap Bilt gloves that I don't really like. They don't breath so my hands sweat in them. That is why I change out of them when it quite raining. My boots are hightop Goretex hiking boots. The Jacket is from Olympia. It is a great jacket for the price. I live in Oregon and ride to work most days so I probably ride in the rain close to 100 days per year.
I am thinking about selling my 2014 Super Tenere and going 2018 GSA. Its more money but I plan on doing some longer multi day rides. Tenere is not quiet cutting it. Thoughts?
I have never ridden a Tenere but they seem like nice bikes that would be similar to the GS. I'm leaving on a 3k mile trip on my GS tomorrow and am looking forward to it. The first day will be 800+ miles which is not too bad on the GS. I much prefer 600 mile days though.
I appreciate your videos as I'm considering this bike myself. What riding gear do you use to stay dry in all that wet riding and how well does it work?
I just use an Olympic dual-sport jacket with a liner that is a little over five years old. I was using Tourmaster pants but just replaced them with some Built pants. They keep me dry assuming I'm only in the rain for a few hours. On longer rides (six hours in the rain) I end up getting wet. I have an old one piece rain gear that will keep me totally dry but I have not used it in years.
Not too sure about the split screen. It may have just looked like a split screen. I'm pretty much stuck with the GPS display or the bike info display. I have adjusted the GPS settings to display things I like.
It does that during navigation when taking an off ramp on the freeway. It will also show a sample sign of the exit sign sometimes. I really like how well the GPS navigation works.
That is the Gopro. In Oregon I was going around 70mph, in Idaho and Utah I'm going between 75 and 85 depending on the speed limit. I generally ride around 3mph over the posted speed limit.
I personally prefer a harder seat for a long ride. I think that is why stock seats tend to suck. I think bike manufactures make soft seats so they feel good in the showroom.
Yes, my wife enjoys riding on the bike. She does not like to ride more than a little over six hours per day though. She thinks the stock seat is comfortable and she does not complain about wind.
Yes, the stock seat. I had planned on getting a Sargent seat after this ride as I have liked them in the past. The stock seat did so well I'm keeping it for now. Last year I did the same ride on an FJR with a Sargent seat and felt much better. The GS is more fun though.
