Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas, 2024 edition

[p6x]

Here's the map with the 50 regular stops, and 5 Alternates.

@PJPR01 This year, we have more stops around Houston; I picked the Louisiana border for the official Texas state welcome sign. It is the closest to H'town.

 

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25-Feb-2024: Stop #15, #46, #27: 3 stops; total 5/50 (two stops when I picked up my flag at the Flying L Ranch, but I was not on my motorcycle.

Highlights:

Since the V11 had its setup and remap, it seems the 3000 rpm engine missing is no longer there.

Lowlights:

The fuel consumption has worsened notably; prior to being tuned-up, I was usually above 40 mpg on highways. Today, I did an average of 38 mpg.

After fueling at College Station, the V11 refused to crank. As I was wearing ear plugs, I am not certain what was the issue. The oil pressure and neutral light intensity diminished during my attempts, so current was drawn. It may have been the solenoid. I selected the fourth gear, and attempted a jump start. It did not work, but the starter worked after and I could restart. Needless to say that I did not switch off the engine at the next and last stop of today's plan. Now I need to go back into troubleshooting.

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March 5th, 2024: Stop #20, #33, #36: 3 stops; total 8/50 (no report as I did those stops without my motorcycle.

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March 23rd, 2024: Stop ALT#2, #29; 2 stops; total 10/50.

This was 150 miles, and ideal temperature. The ferry crossing was perfect; both time I got on the boat immediately, no waiting time. With that new map, the V11 has turned into a gas guzzler. The low fuel warning came up at exactly 150 miles. This trip was mostly highways. Before, I would have been way above 40 MPG. But no more hickups!

 

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March 24th, 2024: Stop #25; 1 stop; total 11/50.

This Red Roof Inn+ is 10 minutes away from where I live, on I-10. Not much of an effort.

 

 

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April, 19th 2024: Stop #12, 14, 16, 48; 4 stops; total 15/50.

About 266 miles or so. All the way to Louisiana and back. I used this outing to test my Snugs-Moto. The concept works incredibly well; no wind noise, and crystal clear audio. I will report the experience under the appropriate topic. The retuned V11 works like a charm. No more protest or hesitation. Unfortunately, the flip side is the reduced gas mileage. As you can see in the application I use to monitor the fuel. I topped up the tank this morning, and I was surprised to see a 42.2 mpg! this used to be pretty standard before the tune-up. I fueled up at a Shell Station, and 93 Octanes. Usually, around where I live, I only get 91 Octanes.

 

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May, 4th 2024: Stop #2, 3, 4, 6, 37; 5 stops; total 20/50. Trip report included below.

 

The Texas weather has impaired my plans to make more stops. However, yesterday I found a temporary lull in the surrounding wet madness. I rode to Dallas, with the objective to spend the Sunday at the International Dallas Guitar Festival. However, the Sunday forecast was bad, so I decided to go back home instead.

Since its tuning, the V11 works really well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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May, 25/26th 2024: Stop #22, 34, 42, 28, 30, 21; 6 stops; total 26/50. I have done half the stops. Trip report, road book, refueling and pictures below.

The road book, below the map, includes departure and arrival times at destination.

The beginning of the journey from Houston to Freeport was relatively easy in a very hazy morning, that prevented the sun to roast us too early! noticed a lot of bikers in Freeport.

The second stop, the half moon lighthouse, the haze is still present, but it is already starting to be very hot.

The stop at Kingsville, was the best. I never knew that the King Ranch was the largest ranch in the USA, and larger area than Luxembourg or Maryland. There are tours organized and I have put this on my list. I only saw the museum, but there is a lot more than just that!

The Palo Alto Battlefield historic park was a miss! although it said the park closes at 17:00, I arrived shortly before 16:00 and found the entrance gate closed. I went through the exit, and only managed to take the tour photo before a surly lady came to tell me they were closing in no uncertain terms. Anyway, another place I would need to visit again.

Overnight in Harlingen with a scrumptious steak, properly cooked at the Texas Road House!

The following day, 26th, a few miles before Floresville, at a gas station, a guy came to talk Guzzi. This is more frequent than you think. Either because they never heard about the brand and are intrigued, or because they used to have one. This particular guy was looking for a Copa Italia, and owned many motorcycles. Mostly BMW, with some Aprilia and Ducati. We discussed the pros and cons of owning a Guzzi.

As for the rest, everything went smooth. Nothing to report excepted for the sweltering heat, the incredible amount of bugs that hit your visor. I was a little preoccupied as in one of my trips, a yellow jacket bumped into me, stung me while in motion. I am not allergic, but the pain is excruciating, and the swelling makes you look like an alien.

Anyway, I have done all the stops in the South, minus the one at Frio Canyon, which I want to do with the Quota, whenever I am going to get it back.....

The complete Itinerary:

 

The road book and the fuel consumption. Total mileage: 951.8 miles (1532km). Two days of riding: 7:15 25th, and 6:13 on the 26th. Departing at 06:30 from home, and arriving back at 14:37 the following day.

Again, I stopped at a gas station where only 89 Octanes fuel was available. The Guzzi did not seem to care at all. And it was incredibly hot!

The photos at the stops!

Freeport Museum (closed):

 

The halfmoon lighthouse:

Note  the haziness strains the dynamic range of the camera...

 

The Bee County Courthouse:

For some reason, the tour director enjoys administrative buildings....

 

The King Ranch Museum in Kingsville:

This was the apex of the trip! I have seen the King Ranch edition of the Ford F150 trucks here in Houston, but I thought it was just a crummy label. I was completely wrong! Captain King really came up with an incredible shrine!

 

The Palo Alto Battlefield Historic Park:

I did not even get the chance to ask a question! I was told it was closing time, and I had to bolt immediately!

 

The Wilson County Courthouse:

This one I had been before. I start to remember the places. Previously, it was burned down. It has since been renewed.

 

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June, 22nd 2024: Stop #11, A5, 43; 3 stops; total 29/50. This was originally intended to be a seven stops ride, however at the A5 stop my starter motor acted up, and I decided to cut my venture short. I nevertheless did one last stop that was on my way back home. I kept the engine running.

July, 22nd 2024: Stop #A3, 17, 18, 7; 4 stops; total 33/50. Those were the remaining stops to complete the eastern part of the state, minus one alternative stop in Texarkana which I thought did not add much value.

The road books, below the maps, include departure and arrival times at destination.

Highlights: Stop A3, London Museum and Café gave me a warm welcome and free coffee. I got the story of the explosion that sadly took the lives of many children. Another Museum that really made a difference was the Grand Saline Salt Palace. Did you know that Morton salt is actually getting a lot of his salt from that mine? the museum curator said the salt dome is so large that it could supply the USA alone. I also learned something that I had always wondered about. Many Morton Salt containers have a caution that the salt does not contain iodine, a necessary nutrient. In France, the salt comes from seawater evaporation, thus the salt sold in France always contain Iodine. Because Morton' salt does not come from the sea, Iodine is added or not...

Lowlights: obviously, my starter motor not cranking when solicited was annoying. Especially after I thought it had been cured by strengthening the circuit. But it turned out to be the starter motor itself. Then there was the return from Grande Saline to Home under the continuous pouring rain. Although, this could also be in highlights. I liked the experience.

Here below are the two itinerary combined:

Roadbooks Part 1 and Part 2:

 

 

 

Stop 11: San Augustine;

Interesting deck house. I did not get to climb to the top, the access door was closed.

Stop #A5;

Frontier of the Republic of Texas boundary marker. This stop had a caution since the access was sandy; but excepted for an obvious patch of sand, nothing that a Le Mans could not fathom. Unfortunately, after having taking the photo, the starter motor needed many attempts before it cranked again. I decided to abort the run.

Stop #43: Rusk Campground.

As this stop was along the way back to Houston, I decided to make a quick stop for a picture. I did not stop the engine though.

Stop #A3: New London.

This monument was erected to commemorate the loss of many children after an explosion that took place due to gas seeping in the school. There was a soda fountain bar, the kind that some of you may remember from your younger days. We never had Soda Fountains in France, but I learned about them on my first trip to UK.

stop #17: Gladewater.

This derrick comes back each year.

Stop #18: Gladewater.

Same for the Gladewater Museum. So far present at each of the tours I have participated to.

Stop #7: The Salt Palace Museum, Grande Saline.

This was interesting as it is one of the sites where Morton extracts salt for distribution in the USA. According to the Museum curator, the salt dome underneath the city of Grande Saline, is so important that it could supply the USA alone for decades to come. However, it lacks one of the necessary ingredient you normally find in sea salt: iodine. You sometimes see it written on the salt containers: "this salt does not contain iodine".

 

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August, 5th 2024: Stop #13, 23, 24, 40; 4 stops; total 37/50. Single day ride from 07:30 until 20:40; 681 miles or 1096 km.

The road book, below the map, include departure and arrival times at destination.

Highlights: Nice ride with nothing going wrong on the bike.

Lowlights: While close to Leakey, there was a sudden swarm of insects which spoiled the fairing, helmet and top of my riding shirt.

 

 

Burnet Motorhead Museum Stop:

 

Mason Courthouse after it was rebuilt following the fire:

 

San Saba Presidio:

 

Leakey's Motorcycle Stop:

 

Edited August 9 by p6x

[PJPR01]

Nice!! Thanks for the map! Much better distribution for us this year!  I finally watched the video a couple nights ago…quite a few new stops to visit.

The welcome to Texas sign is a fun one to chase…I usually stop and take a picture like that when I am crossing back from Oklahoma in May coming back from a Guzzi rally in Kansas…now I have to think about the long slog again back to Marfa!  That’s a big trek just for one stop!

Some of the other ones I will try to get  if I can make it to the National rally in June on the way to Oregon heading up towards the northwest portion.  Lots of planning needed this time and promises to be another fun year!!

[p6x]

9 hours ago, PJPR01 said:

Nice!! Thanks for the map! Much better distribution for us this year!  I finally watched the video a couple nights ago…quite a few new stops to visit.

The welcome to Texas sign is a fun one to chase…I usually stop and take a picture like that when I am crossing back from Oklahoma in May coming back from a Guzzi rally in Kansas…now I have to think about the long slog again back to Marfa!  That’s a big trek just for one stop!

Some of the other ones I will try to get  if I can make it to the National rally in June on the way to Oregon heading up towards the northwest portion.  Lots of planning needed this time and promises to be another fun year!!

I have suggested quite a few stops along these three years, and I can see not a single one made the cut. Not that I mind, but the San Jacinto monument as an alternative we already had it as a stop in 2021; mind you, I am not going to complain since it is right around the corner in La Porte.

Many Courthouses too.

There is a full solar eclipse in 2024; Marfa will be a popular destination to observe it. I was hoping he would put some stops on the US-90; such as the Judge Roy Bean museum.

Noticed the Big Bend Biker's hotel has gone from the sponsor's list. I really liked the motorcycle covered parking and accommodations. But the new owner is looking for a different kind of guests, wanting turnkey excursions to the park. Too bad...

[PJPR01]

The museum would be perfect…I stopped there a decade ago on the way to Big Bend….would be very much in the spirit of the Tour.

Another good one, let’s say a modern one, would be the launch pad site in Boca Chica for the Musk rockets…extra bonus points for a night time launch with rocket flames!!

 

Pity that he doesn’t take your suggestions, I wonder how many he gets?  I thought the ice cream trailer on the corner near Luckenbach would be an interesting one….they make gelato out of buffalo or bison milk and have a great place inside for lunch…and a massive parking lot…ideal for motorcyclists to visit!

[p6x]

On 12/16/2023 at 9:18 PM, PJPR01 said:

The museum would be perfect…I stopped there a decade ago on the way to Big Bend….would be very much in the spirit of the Tour.

Another good one, let’s say a modern one, would be the launch pad site in Boca Chica for the Musk rockets…extra bonus points for a night time launch with rocket flames!!

 

Pity that he doesn’t take your suggestions, I wonder how many he gets?  I thought the ice cream trailer on the corner near Luckenbach would be an interesting one….they make gelato out of buffalo or bison milk and have a great place inside for lunch…and a massive parking lot…ideal for motorcyclists to visit!

I communicated with him about having a stop in Houston, such as Iron Supply Powersports in Katy; the owner matches the criterion for being a sponsor, e.g. Texas family owned business, and the owner was willing to sponsor the tour. However, the tour director told me there was no free spot to have them in 2023.

For 2024, we lost BMW Alamo, the biker's hotel, the Harbord Kourt in Coleman, but we did not get Iron Supply added to the list.

I am guessing the tour director has his own road map and objectives, and his requests for tour stops may be a form of courtesy, and he never asked for sponsors.

[p6x]

On 12/16/2023 at 8:24 AM, PJPR01 said:

Thanks for the map!

Just in case, if you click on any stop, the stop number and address comes out on the left of the map!

For the record, stop #39 was correct on this map right from the get go. I don't use the addresses provided by the tour; I search and confirm before. I suppose you got the double email about 39...

I was hoping to register a Red Quota as a second motorcycle this year....

[PJPR01]

Thanks P6X...indeed, received the 2 mails yesterday as well...I saw a couple of corrections.  Am also hoping to be at Flying L to pick up the number flag early and get a few stops along the way...nice to get a few weeks advance start on the tour.  There may be a nice gathering of folks there from 10-2...

I registered 3 bikes this year for the Tour...we'll see which one wins the lottery for the first set of stops!  I hope you find the Quota soon!

[p6x]

45 minutes ago, PJPR01 said:

I hope you find the Quota soon!

I thought I had, but it seems to be another stab in the dark.

It has been one year since I started my quest, and Craig's list or Facebook Marketplace are more misses than hits. Unfortunately, there seem to be no Moto Guzzi Quota ever on CycleTrader, because it is not free to list. Sellers on CT are more reliable than those on free platforms.

So far, the only good experience I had was the Craig's list Quota seller in Boise. We even kept in touch. All my other attempts were negative for multiple reasons, either sold, no reply, only selling to local.

 

[p6x]

PJPR01 and I went to Bandera for the early remittance of this year's tour flags. The frisky morning did not stop the riders to congregate for this event. 39 degF does not seem to be that cold, but when you factor the wind and the humidity....

Lots of first timers, many couples, many Harley Davidson motorcycles...

This lady travels everywhere with her dog! for this chilly morning, he was in an isothermal bag right behind her. The dog wore a coat...

Another Lonestar lady on her tricycle... I had seen many with two wheels on the back; this one has two wheels in the front...

 

[p6x]

I have turned the corner; yesterday, 26th of May, I completed the 25th stop, eligible for the 2024 rocker. All documented in the original post, if you care to read it to the end.

Of course, I want to go all the way to the 50 stops.

Tomorrow I will try to get some schedule for my Quota which has been under the care of MPH Cycles since.... the month of February. Of course, I sent the instruments to Germany, got them back end of March, but we are now end of May.

My next ride should be the stops in the Texas Panhandle, hopefully with the Quota....

[PJPR01]

Looking good...nice update indeed P6X!  I will have to make a special trip to King Ranch museum and Palo Alto battlefield (this one in particular interests me as I grew up mostly in Palo Alto, California...so it will be a nice connection).  I plan on getting a cold weekend sometime in the summer or saving it for the fall when it's not intolerable.

I added 10 stops on the way up and back from Cedar Vale from 5/16 to 5/20, bringing the tally up to 37 so far.    Ran the Griso for 1900 miles thru Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and back home.  Just flawless, easy touring and comfort, unlimited power and 40 mpg...unbeatable combination.

At the end of June/return July I hope to add another 10 stops on the way out of Texas and back in as I head to Oregon for the Guzzi National Rally and return.  I am NOT relishing the thought of the killer heat at the end of June and early July however...it's time to buy a cooling vest!

[p6x]

2 minutes ago, PJPR01 said:

King Ranch museum and Palo Alto battlefield

The King Ranch Museum is a very limited gateway to all there is to see in Kingsville. I am planning to go back there for a few days. King Ranch organizes many different tours of their outfit. It is a very well oiled machine. There are many different aspects of the ranch you can visit.

They make turf, they make cotton and they have their own cotton factory. Of course, cattle, horses, and so much more. It is an industrial outfit within its own city limits. The headquarters of King Ranch are in Houston! its huge!

When I got to the Palo Alto battlefield, it was like a barbecue grill there. I am glad I wear the SIXS stuff, because it makes a difference. I have found some new mesh riding shirts made in UK, which I will make a separate thread for.

From what I understood, but I have no personal experience with it, the cooling vests have a limited working time span. Unlike heated gear, the cooling effect cannot be maintained throughout the ride.

Interesting point about the Griso. I am going to post a video about one shown on youtube, in red, which I really liked.

[PJPR01]

[PJPR01]

[PJPR01]