Captain Slow's Tour Plan

[canucklehead-biker]

Some of you who were at NAFO recently saw my old xs750 triple... fun bike, a real blast for a leisurely wander.

Well, there's a triples owners group as well, and the PNW folks hold an annual gathering - this year is down at Crater Lake OR on the 17-19 August. I got crap last year for not attending (one of the vacuum-operated petcocks started pissing fuel a couple weeks before the trip and never got the parts in time). So this year I swore I'd make the run.

I have some time off, and started looking at possible routes... and came up with the following roundabout route there and back through a number of National Parks and bucket list roads.

Here's the plan:

So... Calgary to the east side of Glacier NP, MT...

Then down to Clarkston WA via the Going to the Sun Road, east side of Flathead Lake and Lolo Pass...

On to Burns OR via the Rattlesnake Grade to Enterprise OR...

*edit* based on a tip from another tripler, Enterprise to Joseph then Wallowa Mtn Road to Hells Canyon Overlook, then 86 to Baker and 7 to intercept 26.. then down to Burns... *edit*

From Burns down to meet another triple in Lakeview OR, then on to Crater Lake NP ...

Spend a couple days running around the Crater Lake area...

Crater Lake to Carson City NV via Lassen Volcanic NP...

Carson City to Salt Lake via Hwy 50 and 6, and the Great Basin NP...

Salt Lake to Grand Teton NP...

Grand Teton to Cody Wyoming via Yellowstone NP...

Cody to Lewistown MT via the Chief Joseph Highway and the Beartooth Pass...

Lewistown back to Glacier NP...

Home to Calgary.

Total is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 6000 to 7000 km ( 3600 - 4200 miles) and 6 National Parks over a couple of weeks (ish).

Interested in hearing from folks about any "must see" things along the way (ghost towns, interesting historical stuff, good eats, etc). This is going to be a leisurely CBA qualifying ride (most days way less than 500 miles) with plenty of time to take pictures and smell the roses while tooling through the west on a vintage triple. Probably the longest ride the old girl's ever done in her 34-odd years - only about 16,000 km (10K miles) on it at present.

Stay tuned...

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Wow very ambitious route on such a bike! I'm thinking about 250-300 miles a day on that bike might be about it. I hope you have a great trip and will be looking forward to seeing some or your trip pics!

First pic I want to see is the bike fully loaded down for a 2-3 week excursion! :blink: ... ...

 

[Pepperell]

I had a 1979 XS750F with a windjammer fairing and Samsonite tribar luggage that we rode the BRP 2 up with camping gear and it did just fine, thank you very much. And it had helmet locks and self-cancelling turn signals to boot. These are/were solid machines with great low end torque. There were a number that made it to 100k with minimal problems.

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Agree with Pepperell - overall excellent bikes and in their day were considered exceptional touring machines.

Loading for a long trip on the bike is more or less like loading for a backpacking trip. If you can carry it for a 2 week backpacking trip, you can carry it for 2 weeks on the bike... actually easier since you can re-stock with food along the way.

I'll test-pack the bike in the next couple of weeks and take some pictures

Griff

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

I had a 1979 XS750F with a windjammer fairing and Samsonite tribar luggage that we rode the BRP 2 up with camping gear and it did just fine, thank you very much. And it had helmet locks and self-cancelling turn signals to boot. These are/were solid machines with great low end torque. There were a number that made it to 100k with minimal problems.

Agree with Pepperell - overall excellent bikes and in their day were considered exceptional touring machines.

Loading for a long trip on the bike is more or less like loading for a backpacking trip. If you can carry it for a 2 week backpacking trip, you can carry it for 2 weeks on the bike... actually easier since you can re-stock with food along the way.

I'll test-pack the bike in the next couple of weeks and take some pictures

Cool! I'm just a spoiled FJR rider and it's hard for me to picture riding that long on a bike like that. But I know they are excellent bikes! I do know way back in the day a 750cc bike was considered the "big" bike on the block...then the GL1000cc "Wing" came out in 1974 from Honda...then the 1200cc came out...then 1500cc...1800cc and now Triumph has a 2,300cc Rocket III bike. Funny how a 750cc is viewed as almost an under-powered mid-range bike now by today's standards. It's a classic now though!

You putting a windshield on the bike for the trip?

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Hey.. I'm a spoiled FJR rider too! I have no qualms about cracking off multiple long days on the Feej, but the triple is a different animal entirely. Hence the CBA approach (on most days). The one day that I'm a little leery about is the Carson City to SLC run on US 50 and US 6. That's gonna be long, and hot, and comes after another long day coming from Crater Lake via Lassen.

Of course I can always stop in Ely or somewhere if I get too knackered. h34r: Kinda nice not to have a set schedule - I can stop when I want... or need to :yahoo:

I can usually get close to 200 miles out of a tank, so my average day is a couple of tanks and a bit, 7 or 8 hours a day on the bike squeezed into a 10 or 12 hour day with breaks and photo ops etc. So not TOO bad. I'm going to take a few long(ish) runs over the next few weeks... first to get my *** more used to the plank they call a seat, and second to make sure the old girl has no mechanical issues that need straightening out pre-trip. Don't expect any - as Pepperell said, they are pretty reliable and well behaved bikes, and this one is really in exceptional shape.

Really want to do this "old school" - no GPS, no fairing or hard luggage... camping at least half the nights ... and definitely no windscreen. I may find out after a few days on the road that I've made a big mistake, at which point I suppose I can always get a universal screen at a bike shop along the way. That being said, I rode my old Nighthawk sans screen for many years and never felt the need. Full face helmet, ear plugs and a 'Stich pretty much replace a screen and fairing :lol:

Griff

 

[dcarver]

Windshields are for sissies!

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Windshields are for sissies!

Not having one just makes you ride slower and enjoy the scenery

What's the next CBA number? I think this trip might qualify me, Mr President

Griff

 

[Pepperell]

Dug up some photos of my 79 std.

This is from the late '90's IIRC. That's my dad with the white and red cane. My son is behind me on his YZF600R, currently unridden for 5 or 6 years and sitting in my garage. Really pretty bike. I'll haul the cover off it and take a few pics of it some time. Note ATGATT... :glare: (I got religion, now, notwithstanding that pic of me from NERDS!

The saddle bags (and barely visible trunk) are the Samsonite Tri-bar Luggage setup. Similar in shape to what the old Connies had. They were much larger than the FJR bags & trunk. They came with canvas rain covers which are on them in this shot. Also, the Windjammer fairing wasn't stuffed with Yamaha mechanicals ala FJR, and could be stuffed with all kinds of useful stuff. With the FJR I am forced to drag a trailer to allow us to camp in luxury...

This is a photo sent to me by the fellow who bought it from me back in 2003 so that I could buy the FJR. He didn't care for the bags, so he sold them off. Note the seat; I wish I had kept it; it was far superior to the Russell I now have. Then again the XS750 had a longer frame and more room in the seat department, and the seat looked like it belonged on a farm implement...but Damn it was comfy!

In it's day I would have ridden this bike anywhere.

 

[RPrice]

I owned two of them, the first was silver and I purchased it in 1977 with an aftermarket fairing (but not a Vetter), seat, sissy bar and side bags installed (at the dealer). It was a nice looking bike, but that custom seat was extremely uncomfortable for longer trips. I traded that one in on a second one in 1978, and this had a Vetter Windjammer III fairing, and a sissy bar , with no other "farkles". I would strap a backpack to the bar for longer trips, and I installed an oil cooler on the second one, as I was occasionally riding in some real hot weather (Vegas area) the summer of 1979.

I never rode an XS 750 that did not have a fairing! And yes they were considered big touring bikes back then.

I'll try to find some pics.

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Nice pics Pepperell... thanks for sharing !

I remember the triples from my high school days, but they sorta faded from my memory over the years. When I thought triple, I thought Triumph Trident, or the Kawasaki 2-strokes... and there was a fella up the road from us had a Laverda triple, which was simply awesome! So I'd really forgotten the 750/850 4-stroke triples that Yamaha had produced, until I came across this one late last summer at a good price.

Since then I've read a number of old magazine articles where they are really hyped about them as sport/touring machines. I know that when I ride mine, it reminds me of the reasons I started riding in the first place - it is raw, almost barbaric compared to the FJR - I think I mentioned to someone (FWFE?) at NAFO that FJR to XS750 was like going from an F18 to a Hurricane in terms of technology. One thing is certain, I like both of them (although for entirely different reasons).

Long and short... I'm really looking forward to this trip! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

RPrice : I've thought about an oil cooler... the 850 triples had them as std equipment. Most of the time up here in Canuckistan, they are just extra weight, but I can see where it would be really helpful on the run across Nevada.

Griff

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Well ****!!!!!! :***:

Had the triple out for a run today, and it was running like dream - then a sudden power loss, hellacious clatter and the engine seized. :angry:

Plenty of oil, no other symptoms prior... I think something inside that 35 year old engine just let go... will pull it apart and try to figure out if the old girl can be saved or if its :rip_1:

But... the multi-state ride is clearly not gonna happen now... :cray:

****, **** ****.... ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Griff

 

[dcarver]

1341528103[/url]' post='979390']

1341522181[/url]' post='979353']Windshields are for sissies!

Not having one just makes you ride slower and enjoy the scenery

What's the next CBA number? I think this trip might qualify me, Mr President

Griff

Sir Bubba Griff! Go to https://candybuttorg.ipage.com/cba/user/register number 26 awaits you!

1344219331[/url]' post='988642']Well ****!!!!!! :***:

Had the triple out for a run today, and it was running like dream - then a sudden power loss, hellacious clatter and the engine seized. :angry:

Plenty of oil, no other symptoms prior... I think something inside that 35 year old engine just let go... will pull it apart and try to figure out if the old girl can be saved or if its :rip_1:

But... the multi-state ride is clearly not gonna happen now... :cray:

****, **** ****.... ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Griff

oh noooo! Did it roll with clutch disengaged?

Sent on ipad

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Sir Bubba Griff! Go to https://candybuttorg.ipage.com/cba/user/register number 26 awaits you!

oh noooo! Did it roll with clutch disengaged?

Sent on ipad

Thank you Mr President. Nice coincidence, 26 was my number when I played football and hockey in college

Yeah, I got it into neutral and it rolled (noisily) ... I pushed it about 2 miles uphill in the mountains to get up to the pass, where I could have coasted downhill for about 10 miles to the next habitation. Turns out the top of the pass was more like 5 miles, and over 2000 feet of elevation, so not being keen on having a coronary as well as a broken bike, I parked it and got a lift to the gas station at Fortress Junction from a Goldwing rider who happened along. Had my son come out with the truck and we loaded it and it is now in the barn awaiting exploratory surgery.