Need route planning help around Ambassador bridge

[Dangerous Dave]

For the last several years, I've been doing this charity ride called The Lake Erie Loop. It's about 655 miles around Lake Erie (starting and finishing at a campground in Wellington, OH) and basically, he who goes around fastest wins...but all the money raised goes to charity. I'm in it for the cheap plastic trophy and a year worth of bragging rights. There are three competition classes. Class I is "unlimited 50" (any big-bore kit you can fit on a 50cc), Class II is 125cc, Class III is 200cc. Classes II & III get a slight bump in displacement for vintage bikes 30 years old or older. There's also a "Tousist class" for those who want to play along, but don't want to listen to 9000 rpm for a whole day. There's actually a very nice article about the loop in the May issue of Rider magazine.

In 2007 I set a new Class I record on my Derbi GPR50 (72cc "big-bore" kit) of 13 hours and 31 minutes. Last year the wife and I did Tourist class on the FJR so we could go see Niagara Falls on the way. This year I'm hoping to make an assault on the 125 class with my Derbi GPR125R. I've already fitted a 2 gallon auxiliary fuel cell (Tourtank 2.0), a Vista Cruise, and a sheepskin seat cover. A little cable and fluid maintenance and I should be good to go. Here's a few pics.

Aaaanyway, I know there's a shutdown where NB I-75 dumps you to the Ambassador bridge (bikes are not allowed through the tunnel). MDOT website is clear as mud about where you can and can't go, and I'm not sure I trust my Garmin software on this one either. Surface streets are pretty easy on a little bike. I'm just looking for the most efficient way to get from NB I-75 to the Ambassador bridge (yes, I have my passport). I'll be passing through that area mid-to-late morning on Saturday the 6th of June if that has any bearing. Any insight anyone can give me on this (in light of the construction) would be greatly appreciated.

Tanks!

 

[TCMike]

Can't help with your question, but I have a question for you. I'm going to the August NASCAR race in Michigan, and am thinking of continuing on around Erie. Never been out there, is their any tips, routes, spots not to be missed, etc...along the way that you could divulge?

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Can't help with your question, but I have a question for you. I'm going to the August NASCAR race in Michigan, and am thinking of continuing on around Erie. Never been out there, is their any tips, routes, spots not to be missed, etc...along the way that you could divulge?

Well honestly, in all the years I've been doing the loop, I've never actually stopped in Canada for anything more than fuel (it IS a timed event). But Niagara Falls is a must-see if you've never been there. Pretty incredible and you could easily blow a day there if you like to do touristy type stuff. Worth the stop and see even if you don't do the touristy stuff. Sorry, that's all I've got for you.

 

[Bungie]

Sorry I can't help you out, but this ride reminds me of the Mad Bastard Scooter Rallye held ever 2 years around like Ontario. Google it!

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Sorry I can't help you out, but this ride reminds me of the Mad Bastard Scooter Rallye held ever 2 years around like Ontario. Google it!

Yeah, a couple of our guys do the Mad Bastard. Most notably, a Canadian chap named Bobb Todd who was the overall winner of the loop last year on a (Canada only) CBR125RR. Bobb's gotta be about 70, and looks remarkably like the Monopoly banker. Pretty sure he's an IBA guy too. The man will ride just about anything all day, and does it well. I doubt I can beat his record from last year (10 hours 58 minutes!!), but dammit...I'm gonna try. There's a brief mention and pic of Bobb and the rally HERE.

 

[Mizz Bustanut]

Try calling 1-800-DETROIT (1-800-338-7648) which is the number for the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Someone there should be able to tell you

anything you want to know or find someone that will have the answers.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Try calling 1-800-DETROIT (1-800-338-7648) which is the number for the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Someone there should be able to tell you anything you want to know or find someone that will have the answers.

Thanks Mizz B. I doubt that I'll get a "motorcycle friendly" answer from them, but it's better than nothing, and should at least help me pinpoint road closures and detours. It's a timed event, so every little "edge" you can get over the other competitors helps.

Tanks,

 

[Bustanut joker]

Can't help with your question, but I have a question for you. I'm going to the August NASCAR race in Michigan, and am thinking of continuing on around Erie. Never been out there, is their any tips, routes, spots not to be missed, etc...along the way that you could divulge?

Stop in Owosso. I'll get ya drunk an abuse ya.. Check with odot, bearly,or MikeH if ya need directions.. :evilsmiley03:

:jester:

 

[Old Michael]

Stop in Owosso.
:jester:

OW!!!! osso.

Sleep on your back.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Stop in Owosso.
:jester:

OW!!!! osso.

Sleep on your back.

You forget I have sheep er friends? I guarantee you'll "roll over" at some point during the night.. :lol:

:jester:

 

[extrememarine]

DD,

The suggested detour is (as you come north), is to take I-275N to I-94 E, then to I-75N. Since you want to get to the bridge, it looks like you could just take I-75 N to exit 47 (clark st). That is where it is closed. It looks like you can exit I-75 N at Clark street, then take Fort St (m-3) North along the expressway towards the bridge.

I have always run I-94 / I-275 to bypass downtown somewhat. This is my best guess, I will ask at work in the morning to see if anyone has been down that way in the past couple of weeks.

You could also just run I-94 up to M-10 (Lodge fwy), and drop back into the downtown area that way.

-wr.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

DD,Since you want to get to the bridge, it looks like you could just take I-75 N to exit 47 (clark st). That is where it is closed. It looks like you can exit I-75 N at Clark street, then take Fort St (m-3) North along the expressway towards the bridge.

-wr.

Between what I read on MDOT's website and Mr Garmin's recomendations, this is what I was leaning towards anyway, so you probably just cinched it for me. So Fort St will definately take me to the bridge without it being a total clusterfuck?? Mr Garmin says so, but sometimes I think he's hitting the crack pipe. If you're pretty sure this works, it certainly looks direct enough to me. Unless I hear back from you to the contrary, I'll assume this is all good.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Mizz Bustanut]

Stop in Owosso.
:jester:

OW!!!! osso.

Sleep on your back.

I'm curious . . . . . . do you know that from experience????

:lol:

 

[TCMike]

Can't help with your question, but I have a question for you. I'm going to the August NASCAR race in Michigan, and am thinking of continuing on around Erie. Never been out there, is their any tips, routes, spots not to be missed, etc...along the way that you could divulge?

Stop in Owosso. I'll get ya drunk an abuse ya.. Check with odot, bearly,or MikeH if ya need directions.. :evilsmiley03:

:jester:

Sounds tempting, but I've heard rumors. Can't remember for sure......had something to do with livestock, vasoline, and gas mask. :grin:

 

[gearman]

Sorry for the threadjack, but how does one go about acquiring a Derbi? I can't seem to find an online reference to US dealers. Canada perhaps?

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Sorry for the threadjack, but how does one go about acquiring a Derbi? I can't seem to find an online reference to US dealers. Canada perhaps?

Scooter giant Piaggio acquired Derbi (as well as aprilia, Gilera, Vespa, and Moto-Guzzi) and pulled Derbi's US dealer network a couple years ago. A real bitch since there are still alot of Derbis in the states. Derbi started as a bicycle company in the 1920s. The name Derbi comes from DERivitive of BIcycles. They come up on Ebay with fair regularity. I have a bad habit of hoarding Derbi parts off Ebay since you can't get any parts here in the states. You can buy alot of high performance stuff for them in the states still, but oem parts typically have to come from the UK or Spain. I easily have enough spares in the garage to build another bike, including a complete, running engine on my workbench. I bought both my Derbis off Ebay. I don't ride the 50 much anymore because it developed an overheating problem that I haven't been able to resolve. Pity, because honestly, it's the most fun motorcycle I've ever owned, and I've owned about 25 bikes in as many years...usually 3 or 4 at a time. Everything from a YSR50 to an R1 to a VTX1800. If I could resolve the overheat problem, I'd ride it everyday. I did for years. Derbi is still alive and well though. In fact, they won the 125 GP world championship last year in MotoGP. Made me proud to say I have a 125 Derbi...even if it is a re-badged Yamaha engine in a Benelli frame.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Ok, good news, bad news. Good news is I won the overall event and bested the second place aprilia Scarabeo by almost an hour. 656 miles in 11 hours 17 minutes (official GPS verified time and distance). Bad news is I missed breaking the 125 class record by a scant 18 minutes. I almost made it. I turned onto the last state route headed back to the start/finish line with just minutes to spare to break the record. Wouldn't you know it, the local high school was having their commencement ceremony at that time and traffic was bumper to bumper in both directions. Traffic barely moving and nowhere to pass. It became quickly apparent that it just wasn't to be. So close.

Highlights and lowlights of the trip.

I ran away from the pack in the first 50 miles or so. The Honda CB175 and CB200 which are usually the ones to beat dropped out with mechanical failures early on. From there it was my race to win or lose, and all my planning went straight down the crapper pretty early on. I don't know whether to attribute it to aerodynamic drag from the auxiliary tank, or just the fact that I was running 10.5k rpm for hours at a time, but fuel consumption was much higher than normal! I ran out of fuel TWICE along the way (thank goodness I was carrying a spare quart in a fuel can)!

Soooo many fuel related problems. First was the high fuel consumption. Second was the fact that the standard tank doesn't seem to hold nearly as much as the owner's manual states. Third was a problem that the cap on my auxiliary fuel tank wasn't venting properly, and it wouldn't flow enough fuel to keep up with the demand unless I left the cap loose. After running out of fuel for the second time 1/4 mile from a gas station, I got to the station and the damned Canadian pumps wouldn't accept my American credit card. That stop took almost 25 minutes...far too long. And because of the higher than normal fuel consumption, I had to do a splash-and-go stop on the last leg or I wouldn't have had enough fuel to make it to the finish, so I ended up making 3 fuel stops instead of 2. On the last leg of the trip, I was on Interstate 90 from Buffalo, New York, through Pennsylvania, all the way to Cleveland Ohio, with the throttle pinned wide open and weaving through traffic at a whopping 82mph trying to make up lost time. Oh well, hopefully I'll learn from my mistakes. I'm very certain that if I had actually planned for the higher fuel consumption, I could have set a new all-time record for the event. There's always next year. The Derbi ran at 10.5k all day long with nary a wimper and the only failure it suffered was two of the three taillight bulbs crapped out somewhere along the way. I can live with that.

I got a beautiful cherry plaque for being the overall winner which is something they did new this year (instead of the usual cheap plastic trophy). The turnout was a bit slim this year due to the poor economy with only 20 entries total. Riders were straggling in all night long and two participants didn't get back until the next day!

Here's just a couple pics;

Screen shot of the trip data from my GPS at the finish...........Clearly all the fuel issues took a big bite outta my time, 'cause I didn't stop for much else!

Most of the participants behind me and the championship winning Derbi (I'm the short guy in front holding the plaque)

And if you thought my auxiliary fuel tank was creative, check out this Honda CT110 from Canada with an aux tank made from PVC sewer pipe!

Lets just say, we're an uncommon bunch, but a good time was had by all. Next year I have to break 10 hours 19 minutes (the all-time record for the event). I better start planning now. Thanks to all who replied to my original question. The trip across the bridge and through customs was mercifully uneventful. I won $81 for being the overall winner which I donated back to the charity. Next year I'm going for the record! :yahoo: