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Where did you ride today?

46K views 286 replies 70 participants last post by  pizza_pablo 
#1 · (Edited)
I did 205 miles today through West Utah mountains and desert.
Today's route was Utah 201 west to I-80 west. SR 138 to Grantsville, Mormon Trail to SR 199. SR199 west over Johnson's Pass, with some nice twisties and beautiful tarmac. I took SR199 to Dugway, then headed north and looped back to Johnson's Pass on the old Lincoln Highway. As I headed back towards SLC, I could see some thunderstorms up ahead so I filled my tank in Tooele, did a 180 and headed south on SR 73. made it back without getting hit by a drop of water, but my bike was a mess because all the roads in the Salt Lake valley were soaked from the storm that had just passed. My wife said she was worried sick because it was really high wind, lightening, hail, and tons of rain. Glad I missed it.

While out in the middle of nowhere I hit a top speed of 141, I very quickly came up on some rolling terrain that made me back off because I didn't have enough view of the road ahead. That's the fastest I've gone on a bike, and the bike had plenty of stuff left. I'll have to admit... that was freaky. FREAKY FUN!!!

The bike was just amazing. Freeway, twisties, backroads... It just does everything so well.
 
#4 ·
While out in the middle of nowhere I hit a top speed of 141, I very quickly came up on some rolling terrain that made me back off because I didn't have enough view of the road ahead. That's the fastest I've gone on a bike, and the bike had plenty of stuff left. I'll have to admit... that was freaky. FREAKY FUN!!!
This bike is so smooth, although I only took it to 110, not as fast but can imagine it is stable.

Wish I could ride there in Utah and to Moab.
 
#6 ·
If you ever make it to Utah, do a tour of the National Parks. From SR89 (a beautiful curvy state road once you get south of Spanish Fork canyon). My favorites are Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Arches (Moab). Goblin Valley and Canyon Lands are nice too. ;)
Don't hit it on peak season. They are all way crowded now.
:(
 
#5 ·
Nice.................................



;)Yep!

Where did I ride today you ask, M through Fr. all over L.A. (my new poem on behalf of my new work companion)

Won't talk about speeds (rpm only/ you can figure out the rest), yet will say that the feeling is mutual. Great handling bike at any gear, any rpm, fully loaded top and side cases, or none she just keeps on ticking.....................and yes with 190/55's at any conditions, etc.......... hitting 50k and rides better than at 12k after breaking in.
She screams with happiness, and never hesitates (love this mid range!).
Who says commuters don't have fun?
 
#16 ·
Ride through Ma Ma Creek back road through to Clifton then through Allora into Warwick for lunch and then home via Cunninghams Gap
Always good riding with mates


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I knew you were in Australia because everything is slanted.
 
#13 ·
Harley's and Victory motorbikes
My back ground is riding Harley's most of my mates ride Harley's Victorys and Indians and a couple of Trumpys
My mates are comfortable with whatever I ride and some of them have big S and S motors making good power and can ride
Riding bikes to me is as much about the people I ride with as my bike choice that is why I have tattooed on my back Free To Associate


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#17 ·
Wound up on a dirt road, handled it better than I'd expected. I just got back from about a week on and off road on a BMW GS. Was cruising some back roads in my area on the GSXS, turns out the route I knew back to town was closed, did some exploring trying to find an alternative route that wasn't the highway, all dirt roads to dead ends. Nothing too crazy, but now I gotta wash my chain.

Mike d, didn't realize you're Utah too. I'm way up North in Logan (cache valley) near the Idaho border. I have a buddy on a Duck Monster in SLC. Couple weeks ago we did Emigration over to East Canyon State Park via SR65, then SR66 to Morgan and I84 to Ogden. He's out for the season now (shoulder surgery for snow boarding accident).

Also, if you've never done the Monte Cristro run, it's a must. I84 to Mountain Green, SR167 (Snow Basin) over to Huntsville, then SR39 (Monte Cristo) to Woodruff. I then go (actually I usually run this the other way) to Garden City and then Logan Canyon (part of SR89) back to Logan.
 
#18 ·
I'm in Taylorsville (basically SLC).
I've done the Monte Cristo Loop a couple times, but not for a while, so it's probably time to do it again. I do the Emigration, Hennifer, Coalville route a lot (actually on my bicycle many times). Have you done Wolf Creek Pass? Francis to Hanna via SR35? That's probably the best motorcycle route I've ever done. Also, Mirror lake Highway - Kamas to Evanston. SR150. That's pretty scenic.
We've got some nice routes here in Utah. Unfortunately I usually have to hit a fair distance of slab to get to them.
We'll have to try to meet up sometime.
 
#19 ·
Haven't done either, and wow, SR150 looks incredible! Kinda a catch 22 riding around here, do I want to carve the canyons or take in the views :D

It'd be great to get on some more of the routes in that area. I've got a few folks in the SLC area I visit occasionally, could easily turn a Friday or Saturday night with them into a next morning ride.
 
#22 ·
I didn't ride anywhere today as I am working but my wife who eventually got her way and is now the proud owner of a Kawasaki Z 650 rode out to a lovely lake with our daughter.

I know this is a GSXS forum but in my absence she is riding to places I would normally go.

And there is no way in the planet she will be riding my bike >:D:laugh:

Hopefully I will be home soon and the weather will still be warm enough to get a few ride outs.

Just as a matter of interest, that Z 650 is actually a nice little bike, goes and stops well and is very willing on the twistier parts. I think Kawasaki got it right there.

Just saying :D
 

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#23 ·
I did a fantastic loop today, and it wasn't what I had planned. I was going to do Wolf Creek Pass, but when I got to the freeway I had to take, it was backed up for a mile and at a standstill. So, I just started improvising and ended up with about 245 miles of incredible riding.
The route became Emigration Canyon, East Canyon, Hennifer, Mountain Green, then Trapper's Loop to Huntsville, then Monte Cristo over to Woodruff and back home. On the Monte Cristo Highway I saw two moose playing in a pond only a couple hundred feet from the road. The traffic was not bad at all, and the bike just felt fantastic. Man... I love this bike!
Today's route.
 

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#29 ·
So I assume you're somewhere in Texas. I would encourage folks to add location to their details, since otherwise you have no idea if someone is in Texas or Thailand. <hint, hint>
 
#33 ·
And to get back on topic...I did about 100 miles through scenic, twisty KY backroads, hit the rev limiter in 2nd for the first time (not a fan, the sudden loss of power at WOT at that speed is a little disconcerting), and exceeded the posted speed limit on the freeway at least once. This bike is just so stable at high speeds, it's hard to rein in all those ponies sometimes.
 
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#34 ·
I didn't see it as a contest to win. I was just putting in a plug for location tags. While it seemed a relevant topic to where you ride, obviously the wrong time and place. My sincere apologies to everyone for taking this off-track.
 
#35 ·
I hooked up with USSENTERNCC1701E for about 240 miles of great riding through some of Utah's mountains yesterday.
We met up in Kamas, Utah, and then took SR35 also know as Wolf Creek Pass to Duchesne.
From there we took US-40 to Midway through Wasatch Mountain Stare Park and then up and over Guardsman's Pass to Big Cottonwood canyon then back down S,L.C. The roads were fantastic, the traffic was light, and it was really fun meeting up with Jaren (super nice guy, and a great MC rider). for a day of tearing up the asphalt!
Took a few pics along the way...
 

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#36 · (Edited)
That's a nice looking pair! (Not something I usually say out loud...)

Enterprise - what are those side cases? I may eventually get something like that. I got a top bag that sits on the pillion but not really happy with it. And I'm not crazy about the looks of the ones that stick way out back.

BTW, just finished installing Nitron shock and about to go test it. After being so excited about getting a new shock, now I'm a little ambivalent about the first ride. I've put in a lot of money, time and effort and am afraid I might have an experience like Tony. Not a job I want to do several times. I'll post a review in the Nitron thread later tonight.
 
#39 ·
Great ride with Mike d. I missed a text from him while I was loading up my gear, and he missed my text back while riding. So, even though it turns out we were just around the corner from each other, we met up about 50 miles down the road in Kamas. An absolutely beatiful ride. Smooth roads, amazing scenery. Even when we ran into construction the roads we still great for two wheels. The traffic was a tad heavy on US-40, but it being Labor Day weekend, not too bad at all.
Guardsman's Pass was one of the most challenging routes I've ever ridden. Fresh smooth tarmac, but a very narrow road with no lines, sharp edge with a 4 or 5 inch drop, bushes and trees right up to the edge, when it got higher up, it was just a few feet out to sheer cliff, a lot of very tight and steep hairpins. Right near the begining I realized that 3rd gear was not going to work for this; had a new experience, down shifting while going up hill in a hairpin. Had another moment later on where I had the feather the clutch to keep from bogging down too much in second. The view was absolutely incredible! I've got a few folks I ride with around the northern part of Utah, and I really hope I can get them on this route some time, though I'll probably recommend they get on their big adventure bikes. The road gets pretty rough right after where we stopped for pictures, but a short while later, it's back to well maintained. I really wish I'd had my camera going for it, but I was out of battery after Wolf Creek.

A couple pics from Duchesne.





A few pictures of our stop on Guardsman's Pass.





And videos from Wolf Creek. https://youtu.be/qBOsu9onMAg https://youtu.be/bX84ubMhRUY

Panorama doesn't fit the forums dimension requirements, Guardsman's https://photos.app.goo.gl/0gHefNEEXRhHyjyB3

Map won't work in mobile apps, have to open in browser https://goo.gl/maps/2HU2YnWc4ER2
 

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#42 ·
Great ride with Mike d. I missed a text from him while I was loading up my gear, and he missed my text back while riding. So, even though it turns out we were just around the corner from each other, we met up about 50 miles down the road in Kamas. An absolutely beatiful ride. Smooth roads, amazing scenery. Even when we ran into construction the roads we still great for two wheels. The traffic was a tad heavy on US-40, but it being Labor Day weekend, not too bad at all.
Guardsman's Pass was one of the most challenging routes I've ever ridden. Fresh smooth tarmac, but a very narrow road with no lines, sharp edge with a 4 or 5 inch drop, bushes and trees right up to the edge, when it got higher up, it was just a few feet out to sheer cliff, a lot of very tight and steep hairpins. Right near the begining I realized that 3rd gear was not going to work for this; had a new experience, down shifting while going up hill in a hairpin. Had another moment later on where I had the feather the clutch to keep from bogging down too much in second. The view was absolutely incredible! I've got a few folks I ride with around the northern part of Utah, and I really hope I can get them on this route some time, though I'll probably recommend they get on their big adventure bikes. The road gets pretty rough right after where we stopped for pictures, but a short while later, it's back to well maintained. I really wish I'd had my camera going for it, but I was out of battery after Wolf Creek.

And videos from Wolf Creek. https://youtu.be/qBOsu9onMAg https://youtu.be/bX84ubMhRUY

Panorama doesn't fit the forums dimension requirements, Guardsman's https://photos.app.goo.gl/0gHefNEEXRhHyjyB3

Map won't work in mobile apps, have to open in browser https://goo.gl/maps/2HU2YnWc4ER2
Oh yea! Thanks for the great vids! Those had me wanting to go up and do it again real soon (like tomorrow - but unfortunately, I have to work).
It's easy to miss all of the great scenery when concentrating on the road ahead, but man... that ride was beautiful and a total blast!
Really nice panorama shot from Guardsman's too!
I knew my post would just be a warmup for the real deal!
;)
 
#40 ·
Nice pics, looks like a fun and challenging ride. Downshifting going up a steep hairpin definitely has a high sphincter factor.
BTW, what's the story on that lone teepee in the middle of that field?
 
#41 ·
BTW, what's the story on that lone teepee in the middle of that field?
I remembered seeing a sign nearby that pointed in it's direction that said "The Outpost"

From what I can find on Google, it's part of "The Talisker Club" out of Park City, can't find too much else aside from that, and one picture I guess is the same teepee. Looks like it's a special event catering area.
 
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