Route 66 trip

If any of the flavor of old rt 66 remains, it will be on the business route off the interstate....lots of traffic lights, but possibly more enjoyable....especially in NM and AZ. Stop in and have a 72 oz steak in Amarillo...it's free it you can eat it all!

I hit Kingman once at 9:30 PM. in August.....it was 114 F. I asked the station attendant how hot it was during the day....his answer "who knows...the dial stops at 120!"

Do it! ...You'll have the memories.....Priceless!

Slick

i think its also important to remember with enough LSD almost any road can be interesting - even route 66! :shock:

If you are camped along the road next September, you might think you have just done some LSD when you see five 1930s Vincent Atwins go by. Two from England, two from the US and one from Canada, all planning to do the complete route.
Sounds like they should have a support car filled with oil. Atwins are famous leakers, many years ago nicknamed "the plumber's nightmare " I can't imagine what they would be like riding in 114f!

Glen

I don't think even LSD would make I-40 interesting across Ok, the Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico.

Time Warp said:

You could do it on a unicycle as long as the tyre/tire was pumped up.

Plenty of Norton / Route 66 posts...

http://www.nortonownersclub.org/noc-cha ... /328155423

http://www.ntnoa.org/route66.htm

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I did it in 2012 on my 1960 Dominator 99. In fact, that's me in the black Aerostich in the previously posted photo. Pretty funny seeing yourself unexpectantly on a photo.

It was a great ride. Sure, there are plenty of other rides you can do. It's a Sir Edmund Hillary thing. Do it because it's there.

How did the dommie hold up?

Glen

Had some vapor lock at an indicated 125 degrees F, so had about 50 miles on the truck. The mag was pretty tired after the ride too. It's running great now.

Yeah it could be a boring route but you'll see things you won't see anywhere else. Pashnit.com and Adventure Rider Forum discuss other routes and offshoots. If you do go Route66 i'm 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. I have a machine shop, van, place to rest an eat. It'll be fun whichever way you go.

Luke

One highlight of the trip was the Hotel Ignacio in St. Louis

http://www.hotelignaciostl.com/

It's a motorcycle themed hotel, with an attached moto-dealer and motorcycle museum. That's worth the trip back to St. Louis just for that!

Gee Guys you have given so much information so thanks for that and its much more than I thought I would get, It looks like a rethink of some our plans is needed but please any ideas you have please share them. Also I have been looking at a possible bike to purchase for the trip, its in Portland but no address yet , any bike shops suited to pre-purchase inspection of and Commando and if they can undertake repairs. Thanks Jeff.

="Gino Rondelli"]One of the stunning roads we found was In the North of Washington state, Highway 20 I think it was.

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capehorner said:

I think you would be better off riding the Lewis and Clark Trail over LOLO pass. It's a beautiful ride, good camping sites and I am about 20 miles away so you would have a place to stay here in Montana. Also Glacier and Yellowstone national parks.

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+1 on these two comments. Yellowstone is a hoot with all the geothermal activity, and the roads around and through are wonderful 2-lane highways. Lolo Pass either beckons you to twist the throttle, or stop and try your hand at fly-fishing every pool along the way.
Washington Hwy 20 goes up over the Cascades for what seems like a climb that never ends, then into either Sandpoint of Coeur d'Alene, both nice towns. Phenomenal bike roads! I thought it was interesting that I saw more Canadian than US plates when I traveled Hwy 20; apparently, we Yanks don't know just how good we have it. Google "Burlington, WA to Sandpoint, ID" and push the route north. It says 8 hours, but that can change depending on how "spirited" the riding becomes. Oh, yeah!

Highway 20 goes over Rainy Pass. It isn't named that as a joke. If I were going east to west I would hold in up Winthrop and wait for the all clear signal. I was through there a couple of years ago and stayed at the Virginia Inn. Affordable, rustic cabins along the river. The kind of place a motorcyclist feels at home. The run west could easily take you out to Anacortes, south on Whidbey Island to the ferry across to Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. Lots of great riding opportunities in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. Jeepers, so many roads, so little time!

We did the loop east over Highway 20, up the Okanogan into BC and then west on Route 3 through the Similkameen valley. Wonderful country. I fell in love with Keremeos when a young lady at a roadside stand cut up some fresh peaches and hand packed them with homemade ice cream into a big paper cup for me. I sat there in afternoon sunlight in the shade of the orchard and felt like a king.

We crossed back into Washington state at Highway 9 to stay off the Interstate. There were motorcycles everywhere. Apparently we where not the only ones who wanted to take the two lane south. Highway 9 crosses 20 at Sedrow Wooley to complete that loop. Of course we could have gone further west in BC and gone on out to Vancouver Island, which is a great motorcycle destination.

Man, I need to retire! I better go buy some lottery tickets.

Russ

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

kiwi46 said:

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

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This was Northern India end of 2012.
If a Royal Enfield can handle thousands of kms of these roads a properly prepped anything will handle a tourist road in the USA.

kiwi46 said:

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

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Mostly that depends on how fast and how far your friends want to ride each day. I think we all got carried away with dreaming about motorcycle trips, for that I apologize. But the fact that riding a 400 pound motorcycle for long distances on US Interstates is going be less fun than on two lanes with less traffic is worth considering. Passing a row of large trucks on a Commando is a special treat because of the buffeting and airborne debris. You will want a full face helmet just to avoid sandblasting your face. I avoid the Interstates when I am in a car! I live in Alaska in a city with access only by air and water, so I don't get to do road trips very often. When I do, I want to enjoy them and I hate being packed on Interstates between trucks and people who are in a hurry to be somewhere else. I don't know if you have spent time in the U.S. but consider the difference between, let's say Highway 1 south out of Auckland, and highway 12 north out of Dargaville. I know which ride I would enjoy the most. It might be a good excuse to explore a wind screen. I don't have one and have thought about it as an option for long trips such as you are proposing.

Russ

If you aim to do 200-250 miles a day on the back roads and life will be fine

All this talk of road trips then a email comes through last night.
Ruta 40 Argentina in 2015 booked.

kiwi46 said:

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

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I'm thinking Moto Guzzi for long hauls! They are cheap, less than 5,000 USD in most cases and very dependable. Not that I don't love Norton's, I own three of them but I'm not sure if I'd jump on an unknown Norton and take off across the US on it.

V7Sport73 said:

kiwi46 said:

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

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I'm thinking Moto Guzzi for long hauls! They are cheap, less than 5,000 USD in most cases and very dependable. Not that I don't love Norton's, I own three of them but I'm not sure if I'd jump on an unknown Norton and take off across the US on it.

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I'm sure you don't mean a chrome bore Moto Guzzi.

Time Warp said:

V7Sport73 said:

kiwi46 said:

So am I being realistic about riding on a Command and my friends riding Sportster or similar type and size bikes.

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I'm thinking Moto Guzzi for long hauls! They are cheap, less than 5,000 USD in most cases and very dependable. Not that I don't love Norton's, I own three of them but I'm not sure if I'd jump on an unknown Norton and take off across the US on it.

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I'm sure you don't mean a chrome bore Moto Guzzi.

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Since the chrome lined cylinders were discontinued for Nigusil in 82, I didn't think there were any chrome bore Moto Guzzi cylinders still on the road. Surly any caring owner would have updated his bike by now.