Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman did something similar by going Eastward from London to New York, over 19,000 miles total. 'Course, it was on a pair of BMWs (I'm biased) which are certainly more comfortable & powerful over a long haul than a Ninja 250.
The Prudhoe Bay stretch out to the Haul Road is pretty impressive on a Ninja 250, but the rest of that is perfectly reasonable.
Perhaps my friends aren't exactly normal, but the Ninja 250 will do 100 on the freeway if you hold it open long enough and comfortably do 600-800 mile days if you set it up right.
Friend of mine rode his 250 home from our campout in Susanville, CA to his home in Surrey, BC in one day a couple summers ago.
Lightweight means easy on the tires and drivetrain, a 250 Ninja makes perfect sense and 250-Production is the most-fun (and cheapest) class in racing. The main travel issue is wind-gusts off big-rigs (avoid highways, and take byways, duh!) and punching through weather - and not falling asleep.
Long distance rides are the only thing that compels serious Harley nostalgia in me. Before that last hit & run, my dream was to ride from some western European seaport (handy for shipping the Sportster) to St. Petersburg, Russia, in the summertime.
Mattexian has a point. The URAL, AKA R60 BMW made on purloined machinery, is one of the neatest bikes for the buck I've ever seen.
However, my dream machine, classic division, is still the Norton 850S. No faster than a 750 Commando, but you could keep head gaskets in it.
Modern machines, God help us, have you looked at the Buell Firebolt? Less than 400 lbs, well over a hundred ponies, all coming on line at 3,000 rpm. Plus that insane suspension, and the cleanest line anybody ever put on a death machine.
Yeah, I'd probably highside the first time I cranked it all the way, but who's going to live forever? Damn I'm in love. Or maybe lust.
Do you think that bottom mounted muffler makes the rear tire stickier and more adhesive?
I managed to get from Port Kelang, Malaysia to Bangkok, then to Singapore, then back to Bangkok and back to Singapore on two wheels in 1972. Suddenly, almost instantaneously, finding yourself doing a hundred klicks in six inch-per-hour rain (think .30 caliber rain drops) presents a braking test to remember.
dream? nightmare? miracle of survival? crazy as a loon? pick one. jtc
ReplyDeleteEwan McGregor and Charley Boorman did something similar by going Eastward from London to New York, over 19,000 miles total. 'Course, it was on a pair of BMWs (I'm biased) which are certainly more comfortable & powerful over a long haul than a Ninja 250.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a ride. My longest cross-country motorcycle trip was only about a third as far, thirty years ago on a three cylinder two stroke.
ReplyDeleteThe Prudhoe Bay stretch out to the Haul Road is pretty impressive on a Ninja 250, but the rest of that is perfectly reasonable.
ReplyDeletePerhaps my friends aren't exactly normal, but the Ninja 250 will do 100 on the freeway if you hold it open long enough and comfortably do 600-800 mile days if you set it up right.
Friend of mine rode his 250 home from our campout in Susanville, CA to his home in Surrey, BC in one day a couple summers ago.
holy crud. i can't imagine a trip like that on a bloody 250. i'd have a hard enough time imagining it on a 500!
ReplyDeleteYou had me up til Ninja 250. Yeesh.
ReplyDeleteI require my motorcycles to have a larger displacement in CCs than I have weight in pounds. (New rule I made up just now. ;) )
I think I'd prefer to do any cross-country riding on a Ural, like Mr. Cob did, all around the USA. (Here is part 5 of the series.)
ReplyDeleteLightweight means easy on the tires and drivetrain, a 250 Ninja makes perfect sense and 250-Production is the most-fun (and cheapest) class in racing. The main travel issue is wind-gusts off big-rigs (avoid highways, and take byways, duh!) and punching through weather - and not falling asleep.
ReplyDeleteLong distance rides are the only thing that compels serious Harley nostalgia in me. Before that last hit & run, my dream was to ride from some western European seaport (handy for shipping the Sportster) to St. Petersburg, Russia, in the summertime.
ReplyDeleteMattexian has a point. The URAL, AKA R60 BMW made on purloined machinery, is one of the neatest bikes for the buck I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my dream machine, classic division, is still the Norton 850S. No faster than a 750 Commando, but you could keep head gaskets in it.
Modern machines, God help us, have you looked at the Buell Firebolt? Less than 400 lbs, well over a hundred ponies, all coming on line at 3,000 rpm. Plus that insane suspension, and the cleanest line anybody ever put on a death machine.
Yeah, I'd probably highside the first time I cranked it all the way, but who's going to live forever? Damn I'm in love. Or maybe lust.
Do you think that bottom mounted muffler makes the rear tire stickier and more adhesive?
@ Adrian K - how in the hell did you get a 250 up to 100?! You must have had one hell of a tailwind. I couldn't get a Happy Happy Funbike past 88..
ReplyDeletewv - boneminn - "bottom end" is the only thing the 250 has. hehe.
I would like to ride an XR400 through Nepal, or maybe just goose it around the Nilgiris down south, or maybe over the Grossglockner.
ReplyDeleteI managed to get from Port Kelang, Malaysia to Bangkok, then to Singapore, then back to Bangkok and back to Singapore on two wheels in 1972. Suddenly, almost instantaneously, finding yourself doing a hundred klicks in six inch-per-hour rain (think .30 caliber rain drops) presents a braking test to remember.
ReplyDelete