NewMex riders

[vinnie]

anyone in the area of central New Mexico:

what would anyone consider optimum time of the year to ride the 160 miles or so on hwy550 btwn Alburquerque and Farmington?

Thanks

 

[rogdeb]

Now that's not a bad stretch of hwy to ride any time, providing they've finished digging it up

Last time I was on it there were road works from Nageezi to almost San Ysidro.

 

[kindofblue]

Vinnie,

The 4 lane (2 each way) is finished and it's a smooth, fast road. Speed limit is 70 but most people do 80+. If you run much over 80, have a radar detector on. And be especially mindful of the speed limit when it goes down around Cuba and San Ysidro. Those areas are notorious speed traps.

It's a gorgeous ride during the day. Earlier in the day you're less likely to enounter wind. I wouldn't do it at night though. Too much risk of drunk drivers.

 

[chiri1]

Hey - I live in Farmington so have some "experience" about best times to ride. The spring here is usually windy from March to June so you can run into strong winds on occasion. April is generally beautiful weather for riding and the summer is nice but can get in the mid nineties from June through August. July is usually the hottest period with the temp cracking 100 for a few days to a week - around mid July. Once in a great while, August can break 100 degrees, but not often. Let me know if any of you ride here - I would be pleased to meet some of you on the forum. I don't contribute a lot but do lurk and read what you crazies are talking about. I have a '05 ABS model with a lot of farkles that I added from reading "how-to's" on the various forums.

 

[vinnie]

I appreciate your responses.

My wife and I tow the bike out West once every few years and do some riding.

Love the Cortez-Shiprock-Farmington-Durango loop. Done the Durango-Silverton

ride a few times. Been up on the Mesa a few times. But we've been thinking about

doing the trip on the bike when I retire in a few yrs and so I'm planning and doing

recon any way I can.

When I had the Trophy we used to go to the Triumph dealer in Farmington

for service and also stopped at the "everything else" dealer on Main St. just to see

what they had. Don't know of any other shops in the area.

Thanks again

 

[sgoat]

Vinnie,

Make sure when you're up that way, that you do the Mancos, Dolores, Telluride, Richfield, Ouray loop. From Ouray you can come back over Molass and Red Mtn. Pass(s) into Silverton and finally Durango. Just as much fun riding the route in reverse. I'd suggest traversing the ride between Durango and Ouray during the weekdays, and as early in the a.m. as possible to avoid the tour buses. Have fun!

 

[McRuss]

And do not forget 141 from Whitewater to Naturita/Nucla (or the other way.) Only problem with it is ending up at or starting from Whitewater. The only fun way to get there is over Grand Mesa from Delta/Cedaredge.

Hey Chiri1,

My great-grandfather homesteaded the town of Farmington (Locke Street named after us) and I was born in Durango so I sorta know the roads thereabouts.

 

[chiri1]

Great Vinnie. I just retired myself ( Jan 1) and have not missed work once. I was ready to go.

There are lots of nice rides in the area as indicated in some of the other posts. Also, I like to take the Farmington - Chama - Pagosa loop. A lot a great scenery and one of the few parts of New Mexico that is actually prettier than the Colorado side of the border.

Hey McRuss so you are the Locke clan hey? Most of the infrastructure around here was built by Mormons who settled the area in the 1800's and traded with the Indians. I grew up in Albuquerque so don't know a lot about the native history.

Vinnie when you come, look me up and we can do some riding. My wife has her own bike - a Suzuki cruizer (bleche). She likes it but I aint to crazy about it. I tried to talk her into a Honda VFR800 but she likes the classic "Harley" style. A lot of people think her bike is a Harley go figure.

The local Harley dealer is the big gun in town he also sells Suzukis, Yamaha, and Buell. I tried to get them to order my FJR and couldn't get them to even call so I went to California and bought one from LA Yamaha - they had some in stock. I guess they ordered them and put up the deposit under someone's name and then sold them off the floor. I notice their website says the FJR's are almost always sold out - got lucky I guess.

 

[vinnie]

Hey Chiri1,

I got back into riding (after almost 20 years) on a 1997 Suzuki Marauder.

Did the Dragon on it without a problem. Was #131 in the Marauder-Intruder

Group (numbers over a grand now). Bike was low to the ground (always scraped

bottom on the bike trailer ramp), was fast and handled well. Great first bike!

Yeah, I think that "everything else" dealer must go through conniptions being the

HD dealer and then having to carry all of that other riff raff besides. Shucks!

Gotta tell ya: did the Cortez - Norwood -Telluride - Cortez loop one time on the Trophy 1200

and thought I was going to die on the way back. I think I went to sleep at 7 pm that night.

Don't know if you've been up that way, but that stretch on 666W towards Utah, is the barest, strangest ride I've ever taken. It' s like being on the surface of the moon. Then you gotta climb

up to Telluride and come back down. Hell of a ride! My wife said she'd never do it again unless

it was in our truck.

Ride safe!

 

[chiri1]

Yeah, Vinnie, the SW part of Colorado is not very scenic - you probably picked the worst part. About this time last year, I rode up to Grand Junction through central Colo. and then back the next day along the Colorado River through Moab-- it was a very nice ride. Cold rain and sleet in parts of CO, 90 plus degrees in Moab!

The wife's Suz is an 800 Boulevard - used to be called the Volusia. It's OK but after riding the Yammy, it is a skateboard compared to a Ferrari. The main reason I got it for her was she could handle the weight better than the bigger bikes.

Have you ever tried the Silverton to Ouray route? It goes over some of the biggest mountains you will ever see and it is full of hairpin turns that go down into Ouray. It is straight down 2000 feet if you go off the road - not for weak stomache or if you don't like looking down a loooong way. I get queasy sometimes looking over the edge.

 

[Cnqwst]

Riding in the SW.

Colorado's San Juan Mountain ride (a.k.a. the million dollar highway, each mile of road construction averaged 1 million to build).

I rode with the Roadstargallery (yamaha roadstars) in 2005. Started in Dolores CO, rode 145 S to Cortez. Then W on 160 to Durango.

N on 550 thru Purgatory, Silverton and Lunch at Ouray. Rode 145 thru Telluride, Ophir, Rico back to Dolores.

The Durango thru Ouray portion of the ride classified as "white knuckle". Twisty, narrow roads, few guard rails. Flattens out after Ouray.

In NM.

#1 Cloudcroft (Up to Sunspot Solar Observatory.)

#2 Chama (From Espanola).

#3 Ruidoso (From Hondo).

#4 Taos (From Chama).

#5 Bluewater

This lineup may change if I ever make it to Gila Cliff Dwellings Natl. Mon.

Cnqwst

 

[kindofblue]

Riding in the SW.
Colorado's San Juan Mountain ride (a.k.a. the million dollar highway, each mile of road construction averaged 1 million to build).

I rode with the Roadstargallery (yamaha roadstars) in 2005. Started in Dolores CO, rode 145 S to Cortez. Then W on 160 to Durango.

N on 550 thru Purgatory, Silverton and Lunch at Ouray. Rode 145 thru Telluride, Ophir, Rico back to Dolores.

The Durango thru Ouray portion of the ride classified as "white knuckle". Twisty, narrow roads, few guard rails. Flattens out after Ouray.

In NM.

#1 Cloudcroft (Up to Sunspot Solar Observatory.)

#2 Chama (From Espanola).

#3 Ruidoso (From Hondo).

#4 Taos (From Chama).

#5 Bluewater

This lineup may change if I ever make it to Gila Cliff Dwellings Natl. Mon.

Cnqwst

White knuckle? I think that's one of the best mountain passes for a FJR rider ever built!

As for Espanola to Chama, there's some major road rebuilding in portions of that road. At least there was last July. About 15 miles of terrible, rutted, dirt road. That was a white knuckle experience. And it looks like it's going to be a while before it's done. I just talked to a neighbor who drove up to Chama in November and she said that there are still stretches in bad condition. Check before you go.'

Taos-Chama. From Tres Piedras to Tierra Amarilla is one of the most beautiful highways with high speed sweepers I know of. I've never been on it when it was crowded and the scenery is drop dead gorgeous.