Oregon, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, etc

[pdedse]

Wonderful pictures and ride report pdedse!

I do miss the wide open spaces of the west and mid-west from time to time since I grew up in ND.

In the Northeast, panoramic views are rare and most of my riding is trees to the right and trees to the left. When I first moved here it felt claustrophobic!

I lived in AZ for 9 years before accepting a job in OR. I've thought a lot about that claustrophobic feeling...I think it's a combination of the trees swallowing up the light, the horizon is not longer flat and straight, often times it's not there because of hills and forests, and here in OR the clouds come in as a massive frontal system and it lowers the ceiling so to speak. When I go ride along the Columbia River or out on a boat on it, I feel free! Yes, the NW is beautiful and all that, mountain curves are fun of course, but it's that openness that makes me happy when I ride the states of this trip.

Your photos from outside Denver are terrific. God's Country for sure.

Thanks Inhouse Bob, some of the photos pre-Denver are flatter than KS...I'm gonna assume you mean the post-Denver photos in the mountains. Indeed, beautiful, makes you feel like taking a lot more time to "do it right".
Day 11: Green River, UT to Elko, NV: 425 miles
Woke up to skies that still showed evidence of the thunderstorms that lit up the sky throughout the night. In OR west of the Cascades, we don't get much thunder and lightening, and I miss that. Took my time getting ready for there looked to be some storms still lingering in the Price, UT area, an hour north of me.


Finally found the type of motel I should have been looking for more when I began the trip. $50 a night instead of the $75-90 I was paying while traveling east. I had thought about carrying camping gear to keep the costs down, but in the end, I thought about the type of places I like to camp and often times it's in out of the way places on forest service roads...not that a CB1100 can't, but it's not how I wanted to finish a long days ride. I go on to eastern OR on my KLR to do trips like that, but I'm only riding 100 miles a day on unpaved roads, already in the area I want to camp, much easier. So it was the charm of places like this

Hiway 191 north between Green River and Price was a gorgeous stretch. Finally off 70 for good, two lane traffic, slower, more relaxed, a very good way to start the day

In Topeka, I found a knee-pad, you can see it in the photo above, it's a 1.5" pad used for kneeling when you do house projects. It worked very well! Raised the seat higher for me which helped my knees and hips feel more loose, and my back end wasn't sore at all by the end of the day. The bungee straps used to hold down the passenger seat bag held it in place if I needed to stand on the pegs briefly. So that made 3 seat pads for the ride back home. Maybe I should buy a new seat, but the pads cost me a total of $25, more in my budget.

[pdedse]

It never really warmed up much throughout the day. I started with warm clothes in the morning and didn't feel the need to remove much because it was just cool enough. Hiway 191 turned into 6 west. Gaining elevation after Price



A few riders with Montana plates zoomed by me, good to see others out here too. Towards Provo, UT

Had never seen Salt Lake before...I'm sure it looks prettier other days


And then I was back on another super-divided hiway, 90 west.

But once you're out there and the Salt Lake City traffic thins, it still has the feel of an isolated area, even tho 90 is a major east-west route.
I was a little unsure of the gas availability between Salt Lake and the NV border at Wendover, so I did pack a few bottles with extra gas. Turns out I didn't need them because the distance was something like 95 miles between stations, but it was nice knowing I had 'em along.
As with any trip, there are a few spots that come up where one should have taken more time to appreciate what's there. So it was with the Bonneville Flats area. This was actually several miles before, but being the first time I had seen these, I immediately stopped to take photos. Once I had these it seemed redundant to stop again, even tho in the back of my mind I wanted to walk out on them and take some more photos. Had the perfect chance at a rest stop, but my mind was thinking other things and I blew right by what I wanted to do. Then 10 miles later...do I go back? That's hard for me to do some times.




It was good to see the NV border...me destination was Elko, some 150 miles to go and it was only around 3pm, so plenty of time.

[Cormanus]

Fantastic photos. Again. Like the Ferret, I like mountains, so that escarpment really appeals.

Are you allowed to ride on the salt flat? Although you'd probably not want the stuff too near the bike.

[pdedse]

Fantastic photos. Again. Like the Ferret, I like mountains, so that escarpment really appeals.

Are you allowed to ride on the salt flat? Although you'd probably not want the stuff too near the bike.

I wasn't too sure. At the rest stop people were out there walking on them, taking pictures, and I at least had in mind to walk out there, but kind of spaced it off.

From this site:

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/salt_lake...flats.html

"Motor vehicle use is limited by seasonal closure during the spring when the salt is moist or has standing water on the surface. Closure dates may vary and will be posted by sign."

From this vid, watch min 2:30 to 3:30, looks fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpmsyLP8cK8

Don't watch this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vd3jbZpHoE
The last 1.5 hours into Elko were a bit rainy off and on, and quite chilly. Felt good to finally pull into town and find a hotel. The next day I would make it back into Oregon...I could feel the trip coming to a close. Moonrise over Elko, NV

Day 12: Elko, NV to Burns, OR: 360 miles
Temps were a brisk 37 degrees at 7am, so I thought it would be best to take my time, let the sun rise a bit more and warm up to a balmy 45 by 9, which sounded a bit more reasonable. Back to full clothing mode. But it was going to be a bright, sunny day and I would actually catch up to some hiway that I've ridden before. On 90 still, west of Elko, love the sage aroma



At Winnemucca, turned north on 96 towards McDermmitt, which is right at the NV / OR border. Gaining elevation...saw two very healthy looked foxes along this stretch...larger than what I've seen elsewhere.


At some point, I really want to take 140 towards Denio, but gas stations really are limited...as in, there aren't any within the cb1100 range. Another day on the KLR650. I had made it back to Oregon


I filled some extra gas bottles at McDermitt and this time I'm glad I did because mileage was 148 between the two towns. Supposedly, there's gas at Burns Junction after 40,50 miles, but I'd been thru there a number of years back and it was closed. Not much out here. I love it.


Maybe 12-15 cars between Burns Junction and Burns itself. Agriculture lets you know you're getting close to Burns.

Found a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner

Hotel...cheapest of the trip, but not exactly the nicest. Didn't care! It was my last night! View from my door

[pdedse]

Day 13, last day: Burns to Gresham, OR: 364 miles

Another chilly morning with blue skies. Right away, I started thinking about deer in the fairly early morning. Saw a few dead ones on the side of the road, then in the distance blue lights on the opposite of the road. As I passed, there was an elderly gentleman standing with a sheriff officer in front of his SUV with an obvious dent in the front bumper / grill about a foot deep...hmmm, wonder what caused that? Then I saw a gorup of 'em about 100 meters off the side of the road, perhaps 12 of them, laying down in a grassy field. Please, not on my last day, not any day!

Fill up if at Riley if you've got less than 104 miles left



These guys weren't small either


More sage...it and creosote are among my favorite smells


Three weeks plus trip and over 5000 miles on the road, it's starting to sink in that it's the last day of riding as I see areas familiar to me. On the long mc trips I've taken--six now of 5 days or more, 4 of those longer than 2 weeks--I always feel that I could keep going. What's over the next horizon? Sometimes I just want to keep riding, like that's what I'm supposed to do, it's my job, right? Sometimes I think about a RTW trip...reality of time and money prolly says otherwise, but I have done a couple of trips in to MX and Central America. I think I'll get to South America at some point. I'm interested in those mountains and plains they have down there. The distance from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Tierra del fuego is 1500 miles, some 2350 kilometers. And they say it's flat, boring and windy...just like western KS! I tell myself it could happen.
Arriving in Bend was somewhat of a shock to the system. Hadn't really been in traffic since Denver, and in Bend it doesn't seem to flow well. But after my last Subway stop (12th of the trip, I should do a commercial for them), wiggled my way thru town, found 20 again and was on my way towards mountains that I was going to ride thru, not along side of.


Got behind several trailer homes in a long no-passing zone, but once I was able to get around them, had 20 seemingly to myself. Something looked a bit different

Where were my sweeping views that I had grown used to? No more 50 mile visibility. Just that curve in front of you a few hundred yards down the road. Gas station attendant came out to assist me with my credit card at the pump--forgot that in OR you don't pump your own gas, unless you're on a mc then they let you. So annoying. They still insert the card for you and select the grade. Petty annoyances that shouldn't bring down the euphoria of getting closer to home...except I just wanted to keep riding! My son studies at OR St. U and he had just started his junior year. I didn't get the chance to see him off due to this trip, so we had a nice dinner together. Then, back on the road, on that "beautiful I-5" stretch to Portland...veer back east one more time this trip to Gresham, and arrived with a huge, full moon that symbolically was illuminating the way home. Maybe that's a bit over the top, but it worked for me.

[pdedse]

Well, it's been a week since I've returned, and I still haven't even started the CB since I got home. It sits still road dirty from the 5500 miles. I did ride my KLR650 to work every day this week and my commute totaled 50 miles for the 5 days. First day on the KLR, it felt very much like it must feel to saddle up a squirrel for a ride. I think I'll clean up the CB today, for I have a mash of OR-WA-ID-MT-WY-SD-MN-IO-IL-MO-KS-CO-UT-NV bugs on it. Except for my headlight, my mom couldn't stand the sight of it and had to wipe it down for me.

My thoughts on the gear, the bike and the ride...

Gear and mods:
I put on SW Mo-tech engine guards, bought for $80 from a member here, and then right before the trip, slapped on a pair of $20 hi-way pegs to the guards. Very good move. I rode more than 95% of the time in normal position, but it felt great to stretch the legs at times, leave them forward resting on the pegs for 15-20 minutes at at time. Often times, I found myself putting just one leg forward. In short, it gave me more leg movement and that was welcome because I was frequently on the road by 730 or 8am, and would finish between 5-7pm.

My luggage was a pair of saddlebags, nothing special, an $80 set that I already had. I did put protective tape on the rear chrome blinkers and on the shocks where the bags would rub otherwise. That did the job nicely and kept any scratches away. I also used a leather HD bag that sat on the passenger seat. I like it because it gives some support to me back. Bungee chords and straps hold the saddle bags and the HD bag in place. So no movement of turn signals, very simple setup. And instead of tank bag, I use a lightweight backpack, just big enough to carry water, some food, map, extra gloves, small things very accessible.

That's really about it as far as the gear goes. Packed tools, tire plug kit, compressor, bike locks, extra straps, running shoes ect. in the passenger bag, and clothes in the saddle bags. I forgot to bring my rain cover for the bike.

The CB1100 for long distance...I bought mine new in Jan and had put 1600 miles on it prior to the trip. The dealership did the 600 mile because they gave me a good price on that at purchase time. So there wasn't much bike prep to do. I checked the chain play before leaving and it was on the tighter side, right at 25mm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the spec is 25-35mm. After 2500 miles I checked it again in Illinois, and there wasn't any change. I did the oil change right at 4000 miles and I oiled chain at the end of each day's ride 'cause my daily average was 425 miles over the 13 riding days. Oil change was easy-peasy, got 4 liters back in as I rocked the bike back and forth over 30 minutes to let as much oil as possible drain out. All good for return trip. I checked the chain tension again in Denver on the way home, still right at 25, maybe 27mm. Haven't checked it since I got home. So 7200 miles on the bike now, and the chain was adjusted at the 600 mile point, and nothing after that. Rear tire is definetly squared off a bit, but both front and rear seem to have plenty left, I'd say at least 2k miles if not more. On the return trip, I seemed to notice come clicking and other noises that may not have been there on the first half of the trip. Would notice noises at the end of day, after 400 plus miles. Hard to make a determination on that. I'm 6'4" with 34" inseams. The bike is a bit short for me, but so are most other bikes. I used two seat pads totaling 1.5" on the first half of the trip, and other 1" pad on the way back. That third one helped a lot, taking end of day soreness away. What else can be said about the bike? It's awesome! Af first, after purchasing, I was wanting a little louder exhaust. But on this trip, with earplugs in, full face helmet, colder days had on scarf type of thing to keep the chill out...all that made for a very quiet ride. I could hear some wind, but barely, barely hear the purr of the engine. That was kind of cool, especially out in the long stretches of nowhere. I felt like a bird flying through the desert. I have no windshield on the bike. I've ridden just a few bikes with over the years with, and they all simple make the wind flow were, forcing it right smack into the to of my forehead. Now on windy days (mostly the whole way back) I paid the price, but as long as I moved around on the bike, stretched my neck a bit at the gas stops, walk around some at all the stops, I was good. I feel like my neck muscles are stronger than they've ever been before! Gas mileage...who cares, really. I suppose all loaded up 45 was common. Windy days, low of 37. Coming down the west side of the Cascades (drop from 8000 to 1000ft) got me 57. Mainly I checked for when I would have to ride a long stretch with few gas stations. A couple times I filled some water bottles with an extra 30-40oz of gas just to be sure, after 40-50 miles I would empty them in the tank just for peace of mind. So the '14 standard's 3.8 gallon tank was fine by me. I know of a couple at ADVrider that rode these bikes from back east to to Panama and did just fine on them. I didn't take my on any real stretch of unpaved road, just wasn't the trip for that type of thing. But very nice ride at any speed really. Did 70-80 most of the time on the bigger hiways...bikes hums, same at 65. I had little interest in sustaining any speed over 80mph.

The ride: I had about 3 weeks to do this trip. I wanted family time, meaning this wasn't a trip to slow down every single day and take the lesser road traveled. I tried to mix up the interstate with the secondary hiways. I have a KLR650. It's taken me to Guatemala and back, Mexico, Baja. It's on '07 with 40k miles. I know I could have ridden it for this trip...but I really wanted a more road worthy bike. Plus, I would have been tempted to explore every gravel / unpaved road out there in the west. So I bought this bike knowing full well it would be the one I would use for this trip. In fact, this trip was one of the main reasons I bought the CB1100. I would like to do a similar ride every other year on the CB, do a different route to visit my family. I think I will take tent next time. This time I didn't, and I didn't really regret that. The route was a good one. Tried to slow down at times to see some new things, but I left Yellowstone out there. That's ok, because it's close enough to do on another trip. Had to back out of a plan with a good friend in Kansas City who wanted to take me down to Arkansas to the Ozarks, but time and family committments wouldn't allow for it.

A huge thanks to all of you for checking this report out, for your kind comments. If you're passing through Gresham, OR, let me know if you need to save on some hotel money.

So there it is...just got off the phone with my mom. She wonders when I'm coming to visit again. I told her soon if she promised to clean my headlight...maybe help me with the oil change next time. She's 91...she's got quite a legacy in her kids, I visited 6 of the 7 sibs I have. We all get along, would do anything for each other. That's gotta be one of the things she's happy about. A very good woman.

[Cormanus]

pdedse, thanks again for takin us along on this ride. Fantastic to have the contrast between the mountains and the wide-open spaces. While my preference is mountains and roads that twist and turn a bit, I've never regretted trips to the flatlands as they have their own beauty which is well worth a look—even if only to remind oneself that the world really is round!

This CB1100 is a great bike isn't it? I was thinking of a way to describe it and the words 'no-fuss' came to mind. You just get on it and ride all day and it keeps on going quietly and efficiently hauling you and your gear—even a big load—without a murmur of complaint. And, as you say, when you get home, you have the feeling that you'd just rather keep on riding. That couple you mentioned from ADV rider were from Belgium, is that right? They joined up here briefly. As I recall they were going on into South America but had to abandon the trip because her back needed serious treatment. They rode their CBs through pretty much everything and they took it all.

Thanks again. Go riding again as soon as you can so we can tag along again!

[pdedse]

pdedse, thanks again for takin us along on this ride. Fantastic to have the contrast between the mountains and the wide-open spaces. While my preference is mountains and roads that twist and turn a bit, I've never regretted trips to the flatlands as they have their own beauty which is well worth a look—even if only to remind oneself that the world really is round!

This CB1100 is a great bike isn't it? I was thinking of a way to describe it and the words 'no-fuss' came to mind. You just get on it and ride all day and it keeps on going quietly and efficiently hauling you and your gear—even a big load—without a murmur of complaint. And, as you say, when you get home, you have the feeling that you'd just rather keep on riding. That couple you mentioned from ADV rider were from Belgium, is that right? They joined up here briefly. As I recall they were going on into South America but had to abandon the trip because her back needed serious treatment. They rode their CBs through pretty much everything and they took it all.

Thanks again. Go riding again as soon as you can so we can tag along again!

Thanks for the comments throughout, Cormanus. Yes, that was the couple. I was actually in Costa Rica at the time of their ride and we had made tentative plans for them to meet up with me as I'm there with study abroad groups every other year. Alas, I had to leave CR before they got there. Personally, I would have chosen a different bike to go thru Central America primarily because a much smaller displacement bike can do all you need to do, and a dual purpose bike can take you to places that I wouldn't be comfortable on the CB1100. But I did like their attitude with the CBs. My ride in Costa Rica? A Honda CGL125!

[the Ferret]

Haven't been posting to this for the last week because I was on our annual Men's Fall Trip which I will be doing a seat time report for. At night i would check in with my I pad and do a little modding and answer a few "easy" threads but wanted to wait until I got home to digest the rest of your report pdedse and I'm glad I did was well worth the wait and just a fantastic seat time report. Glad everything went well and you arrived home safely.

Had to laugh about you saddling up a squirrel comment. My CB went on the Mens Fall Trip this year but not with me in the saddle. A nephew from Nevada flew in to join us this year and I loaned him the CB as it was closest to what he rides back in Nevada, an NC700. I rode the ST. This morning I got up to go for my morning ride as usual and couln't wait to get back on my CB. After 7 days and 1400 miles on the ST, it felt so light and responsive, maybe too much so. I was riding down the road and said to myself "this thing is so tiny". I'm only 5'6".... I can't imagine being 6'4" and riding one. It has to feel like a mini bike.

Anyhow, thanks again for the great report. I enjoyed it immensly. The pics and narration were all outstanding.

[pdedse]

Haven't been posting to this for the last week because I was on our annual Men's Fall Trip which I will be doing a seat time report for. At night i would check in with my I pad and do a little modding and answer a few "easy" threads but wanted to wait until I got home to digest the rest of your report pdedse and I'm glad I did was well worth the wait and just a fantastic seat time report. Glad everything went well and you arrived home safely.

Had to laugh about you saddling up a squirrel comment. My CB went on the Mens Fall Trip this year but not with me in the saddle. A nephew from Nevada flew in to join us this year and I loaned him the CB as it was closest to what he rides back in Nevada, an NC700. I rode the ST. This morning I got up to go for my morning ride as usual and couln't wait to get back on my CB. After 7 days and 1400 miles on the ST, it felt so light and responsive, maybe too much so. I was riding down the road and said to myself "this thing is so tiny". I'm only 5'6".... I can't imagine being 6'4" and riding one. It has to feel like a mini bike.

Anyhow, thanks again for the great report. I enjoyed it immensly. The pics and narration were all outstanding.

Thanks, Ferret, glad to know that you enjoy the road reports, I cetainly do. Clarification, you thought the cb1100 was tiny or the other bike you were riding?