Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Rides, Rallies, & Events A Kiwi's Nth American Tour... Pt I

I've been home for 3 weeks now so if I don't start this now I never will...
The 6 weeks we spent on the road was a truly awsom experience, something I thought would never happen, taking your bike to the other side of the world and doing some serious milages...
Met so many good people, all polite and friendly, seeing our number plates and wanting to know why and where we came from [Noooo, we're not Aussies]...
Such amazing scenery you have in Nth America, truly spectacular...
Our group from "down under" all got along quite well and I've made many new friends from around the country...
I did 12,000km or 7,500 miles on this trip, but it wasn't without misshap, on my mum's birthday I hit a deer in Canada and it put me in the ditch and into the only sign for miles... My bike and I limped away from that one so was very lucky indeed...
My Speedie ran really well, no matter what altitude we were at, trying to get Triumph parts though is a PITA, even carring a laptop, you're riding most days, just trying to find dealers [that don't have parts] so you have to order 2 weeks ahead...
I suppose my girlfriend and I were the odd ones out to a degree, only couple with 2 bikes, she the only female rider and we're always the last to leave the hotel in the mornings, most of the group had their bikes warmed up and were gone 7.30 most mornings, I thought we're on holiday...
Would have liked to take heaps more pics but when riding solo you've got to stop and get the camera out, still, I managed to take 1100... Lots of only my bike and some amazing bit of scenery in the background...
Met up with 2 of ya's on this site, Gary at Half Moon Bay and Gordie in Vancouver. Both before the crash... Was good to meet you two, if only very briefly...
Learnt alot on this trip about what you do and don't need, and the type of bike as well, hard bags and a windscreen a must I think...
Arrive LA and make our way up to Canada, across to Sturgis and back to LA... 18 bikes and 28 Kiwi's... And a van with far to much baggage...
Well, here we go... Just some random pics, hope you enjoy, I certainly enjoyed the road trip... If I knew how to put up a map I would, but I don't...
Where we could rest our heads in a bed each nite...
12 July LA
15 July Morro Bay 207
16 July San Francisco 231
18 July Eureka 272
19 July Bend 364
20 July Astoria 250
21 July Victoria 211
23 July Vancouver 70
24 July Whistler 146
25 July Kamloops 186
26 July Jasper 274
27 July Banff 180
29 July Whitefish 370
30 July Dillon 308
31 July Jackson Hole 232
1 Aug Red Lodge 242
2 Aug Gillette 290
3 Aug Sturgis 113
7 Aug Ft. Collins 350
8 Aug Idaho Springs 156
9 Aug Buena Vista 260
10 Aug Moab 300
12 Aug Durango 250
13 Aug Torrey 300
14 Aug Kanab 180
15 Aug Grand Canyon 210
16 Aug Jerome 160
17 Aug Laughlin 198
18 Aug Las Vegas 96
21 Aug Bishop 275
22 Aug Fresno 224
23 Aug Morrow Bay 140
24 Aug LA 207


Queen Mary








Our crated bikes, yes, it's a harley crate






Gary and his bike from this site








SF Bay Bridge


Alcatraz




Golden Gate


Cheap Cars




Crater Lake


My good lady Robyn and I










Mt Hood


Astoria Bridge




Off to Canada

AWESOME!

Thank you muchly mike - keep it coming!

Great pics! You never realize how big those redwoods are until you have something to reference them to.

Glad to hear you folks enjoyed yourselves over here, Mike. Some really nice pics here!

It's too bad we couldn't have hooked up somehow when you came through L.A.

BTW...this bike that you posted a pic of here....

...well, that's Matt Capri's(the owner of SoBay Triumph in the L.A. area) bored and stroked to 998cc and turbocharged Bonnie, which he completed just a few days before he and Alan Cathcart(the famed british M/C racer and motor-journalist) took it the Bonneville Speed Week last week. A couple of days before they left L.A. for Utah, Matt took the bike to the Dyno hoping for about 180 BHP and actually got...GET THIS....232 BHP with 8 pounds of boost.

Once up at the salt flats, where your fellow countryman, the late Burt Munro, became famous for his feats of daring, Matt set a new record for an unfaired less than 1 litre motorcycle at 169mph on his first practice runs, that with only 4 pounds of boost.

Unfortunately, while the motor stayed in one piece and seemed to be running very well, an exhaust valve guide failed inside it, and blew oil into the turbocharger causing it to fail, and thus his attempt at a second and "real" run was foiled.

(just thought you might like to know this, seeing as how you posted a pic of this machine)

Thanks for the pictures, and glad your stay was a good one.
Its kinda cool to see what visiters to the US find interesting enough to take pictures of here.

Great pics, hopefully a lot more to come

Thanks!!!!
Continue enjoying life, it's a good thing.