Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas, 2024 edition

[activpop]

Six months for what?

[p6x]

10 hours ago, activpop said:

Six months for what?

I will tell you the detail when I get the invoice today;

To recap:

-I purchased the bike in February 2024; I rode it from Arizona to here.

-I got the State Inspection done right away, did the Texas registration.

-I drove the bike to MPH Houston; the intention was to have a complete inspection and evaluation. I did the same with my V11 once it got here from Florida.

Every time I gave away my motorcycle to MPH, it took no less than six weeks to get it back. Hence, one of the reason to have minimum two.

I do not know why the output is so low, but I suspect I am not high on the priority list. Every time I go there to check, Davey is working on those vintage BMW. I actually see many more BMW than MGs. The Quota was promised to me for the beginning of July, but Davey went on vacation.

Given that MPH is about the only shop that accepts to work on older motorcycles (except for Japanese), I am not going to make a big deal out of it. Life taught me to be patient. My V11 filled the void, and I cannot ride two bikes at once. I only use MPH for the major work. The one that requires equipment I do not have, and I also need to take into consideration that my garage is more a sauna than a place where a mechanic can accomplish great work. I do the routine maintenance, the one that I can complete quickly.

I have been toying with the idea to sell my 911, and install a proper lift table, air supply, work bench... but this would not suffice; I need a full-blown AC to be able to do anything. It is not even a problem of being uncomfortable, but it is physically impossible. I perspire so much that my glasses fall off my nose each time I look down.

[PJPR01]

Today I complete my last stop…#50!

On my way up to Kansas for a couple of days at a small rally…

There are still 2 or 3 more stops I’d like to do just for fun and historical significance…

Along the way I managed to fit in a few other important musical locations for renowned artists from the past…I’m sure some of you will appreciate the stops!

Some of the night riding was just spectacular!

 

Edited September 20 by PJPR01

[p6x]

I just finished mine this week-end too; on the Quota!

I was aiming to do 54 leaving out the Texarkana Post-Office out, but I had not anticipated that the stops in the Panhandle were so distant one with the other. The light was coming down, and still had to get to Amarillo where I had planned to overnight.

Then on the Saturday, I rode back all the way to Navasota, where I stayed to make it for the Pediatric Brain Cancer ride today.

Today's was a very interesting experience for me. I will relate it in the appropriate section...

So congratulation to you for completing the 50 stops!

Next year too?

Edited September 22 by p6x

[PJPR01]

Excellent!! Yes…the upper left and far West Texas felt like a real stretch…I did 2 days, approx 1200 miles leaving home to get those last 14 stops…felt great but it’s a long couple of days of riding!  All in all just back from Kansas a few hours ago…did a nice 2000 miles from Wednesday last till today. 
 I had a nice stopover at the Hotel Texan and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast chatting with the owner.  

I’ll do next year as well…it’s a great excuse to ride!!

 

Looking forward to hearing about the group ride!

Edited September 23 by PJPR01

[p6x]

9 minutes ago, PJPR01 said:

I had a nice stopover at the Hotel Texan and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast chatting with the owner.

Did that too...

He also got a brand new bike this year. It seems like the Goldwing are popular!

[PJPR01]

[activpop]

3 hours ago, p6x said:

It seems like the Goldwing are popular!

Looks like they make them in red too...

Edited September 23 by activpop

[p6x]

6 hours ago, activpop said:

Looks like they make them in red too...

If they were made foldable for storage...

Kidding aside, at the Pediatric Brain Tumor fund raiser, I met a fellow who owns 17 motorcycles! when I asked where he stored them, it turned out this guy owns an aircraft hangar at an airfield nearby.

He keeps at home the flavor of the day or week, and when he feels the need to change, then he rides to the hangar to swap. He showed me some photos, and he also has several aircrafts in that hangar.

Obviously, he lives in an other dimension where space is not an issue. He was riding a Triumph Tiger 900 for the occasion. I was thinking:-"would you mind hosting my own herd?" but Montgomery Tx is too far away to be considered a solution to my bike storage problem...

[activpop]

On 9/20/2024 at 4:36 AM, PJPR01 said:

Some of the night riding was just spectacular!

 

And cooler too. That Wing must punch through the air quite effortlessly. Nice ride!

[PJPR01]

Very much so...temps most of the day were 98F to 102F....when it gets down to low 90's or high 80's, it feels positively cool!  You're right about the wing...very smooth, one of the things that "hooked" me was the new sharper design compared to the older versions, and it's lighter as well compared to the prior models.  It's truly a dream to drive...having spent the last 15 years on Guzzi's, all of which I still ride a lot I'm tickled to have a Wing that is this smooth...

[p6x]

@PJPR01

At the Pediatric Brain Tumor event, I saw one of those BMW K1600 GT up close and personal.

I give you that the 6 cylinder murmur is envouting, but the bike itself looks like... something else. I don't find it enticing at all. I understand it must be confortable, and well suited for those endless rides on 287, but for the rest, I don't find anything that could trigger a purchase.

After my trail riding on Sunday, I think the sweet spot lays around an Adventure/Dual Sport ride. The Quota is a joy, but it is very crude at the same time. Around all those modern Tenere and Super Tenere, GS, KTM, Africa Twin, I lacked the necessary smooth fueling of those vertical/flat twins. The Quota single feed is really jerky, and it is the biggest drawback. I now understand why some owners return to carburetors. When you are taking a curve on gravel, you don't want to lose the rear because the power kicks in brutally.

This trial by fire brought back the idea that a Stelvio 1200 may have been the right choice. I don't know how it would have felt in those terrain rides, but the power delivery would have been smoother.

 

[Tomchri]

8 hours ago, p6x said:

@PJPR01

At the Pediatric Brain Tumor event, I saw one of those BMW K1600 GT up close and personal.

I give you that the 6 cylinder murmur is envouting, but the bike itself looks like... something else. I don't find it enticing at all. I understand it must be confortable, and well suited for those endless rides on 287, but for the rest, I don't find anything that could trigger a purchase.

After my trail riding on Sunday, I think the sweet spot lays around an Adventure/Dual Sport ride. The Quota is a joy, but it is very crude at the same time. Around all those modern Tenere and Super Tenere, GS, KTM, Africa Twin, I lacked the necessary smooth fueling of those vertical/flat twins. The Quota single feed is really jerky, and it is the biggest drawback. I now understand why some owners return to carburetors. When you are taking a curve on gravel, you don't want to lose the rear because the power kicks in brutally.

This trial by fire brought back the idea that a Stelvio 1200 may have been the right choice. I don't know how it would have felt in those terrain rides, but the power delivery would have been smoother.

 

Another mapping goes a long way. Had a visit a few weeks ago from a guy on a Quota  (RED) with mapping from was it Beetle. He wasn't completely happy. A good friend with a Quota installed his mapping, success.  Took him 9000km with tuning/mapping.  That said he is a real computer -.,,.-.

It's worth checking an ugly Duc too, dual purpose bike of dimensions. Just installed Dunlop Sport Smart TT on my Multistrada, NICE, very NICE. No offroading for me.

Cheers Tom.