Yeah I will more likely be buying a bike like the other three guys I am going with and bring the bike home with me. But I wont take it on the plane with me 8) I think we will ship them. we have three or four freight options to use and all Kiwis as well to make it easier for us all round. But in my heart I would love to ride an old Norton but the more I look into it and the advice in these forums its just going to be to hard I think.
Route 66 trip
- Thread starter kiwi46
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slimslowslider
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Please, do follow your heart!
Give it some effort and time to find yourselves a Norton and take the plunge!
I did, approached some US Norton people, found a bike, and had a great 3500 miles trip, 2 up on a 850 roadster, and shipped it home.
Had a few bike issues, but issues make you meet nice people, brings a positive flavour to the trip.
Hope you can go for it. She'll be right mate!
kiwi46 said:
What bikes are your mates getting?
It would get old very quickly if one of the group has a bike that breaks down all the time and you would find that the guys are supportive the first couple of times and then things will get more difficult. This is much more important as you guys look to be traveling on a tight timescale with boats and planes to catch at the end of the trip.
We spent over 20 years in a big truck traveling all over this great country, the Route 66 trip covers some beautiful scenery, and a lot of interstate highway. I like flat ground where you can see for miles, some find it boring. But you go over mountains, too.
If you are coming over in August, you can go to Sturgis! We stay in Keystone, at the foot of Mt. Rushmore. After the morning ride, (before the drunks make it up from Sturgis itself) we sit on the Boardwalk and let the circus come to us....
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAb2Sbi5w9s[/video]
Occasionally, a British bike comes by, but when a Norton pulls up, everybody checks it out.
If you are coming over in August, you can go to Sturgis! We stay in Keystone, at the foot of Mt. Rushmore. After the morning ride, (before the drunks make it up from Sturgis itself) we sit on the Boardwalk and let the circus come to us....
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAb2Sbi5w9s[/video]
Occasionally, a British bike comes by, but when a Norton pulls up, everybody checks it out.
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Here you go. Looks like a nice one to me.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/4310901127.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/4310901127.html
Well chasbmw the other guys are getting Harleys and at the moment looks like late model 1200 sportsters and,or Dyna or soft tail heritage. But they definitely Harleys, such a shame to see three good friends go to the dark side 
. Great vid clip from openroad it must be quite the site and the sound of all those Tractors in one place well it would be a farmers field days experience, oops there I go again slinging shit at the Harley fraternity :mrgreen: .
. Great vid clip from openroad it must be quite the site and the sound of all those Tractors in one place well it would be a farmers field days experience, oops there I go again slinging shit at the Harley fraternity :mrgreen: .- Joined
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We might let you off with a H.D. , IF you get a XR750 .
kiwi46 said:Well chasbmw the other guys are getting Harleys and at the moment looks like late model 1200 sportsters and,or Dyna or soft tail heritage. But they definitely Harleys, such a shame to see three good friends go to the dark side
I just have feeling that a late model Hardley will be a much better buy than a 40 year old commando for your trip, unless you really know the bike and the owner, how about a late model Triumph? A Hindley Bonnie should by all accounts be bullet proof and it gets you out of the Hardley Clone club. If you want to bring a Norton back, that's a different trip.
Started in Denver and joined route 66 just before Santa Fe, rode to LA, up the pacific coast and back through colarado via Las Vegas and monument valley. Hired a Road King and Heritage Soft Tail and as much as I love my Norton the HDs were great and I wouldn't have wanted to do it on anything else, oh and stopped by CNW and saw first hand what fantastic work Matt and his team do, personally I would hire HDs or a Triumph and use the trip to find nice Commando to ship home.
We are having another planning meeting tonight after work and I will run my dream of riding a Commando past my cobbers. But Matt REALY a 750 XL, very cool bike but I would have to ware a cape and boots like Evil Knievel. And Matt remember its Waitangi Day tomorrow so it a national holiday even if you are in Aussie hehehe and if you have a beer its Lion Red as well (sorry folks its a Kiwai thing). I have also been looking at Bonneville's and Thunderbirds to ride after a previous post. And if I cant sell my bloody Speedmaster I will be riding a push bike !!!.
Well I have be meaning to catch back up with this post.
I have brought a bike but not a Norton its a 1997 Thunderbird 900 from Road Track &Trail in Wisconsin, so i will collect the bike and one of my riding mates got a V Star1100 off them as well, So when we go to the Harley Davidson Museum we will collect the bikes and start the ride the next day.
Got a screen and saddle bags but mite change the tyres and chain and sprockets to suite the ride??????.
P.s Road track and trail where great to deal with as we found it very hard to get any answer from emails actually bloody hopeless, chalk and cheese with the response so R,T&T I rate you at the top on service and follow up.
I have brought a bike but not a Norton its a 1997 Thunderbird 900 from Road Track &Trail in Wisconsin, so i will collect the bike and one of my riding mates got a V Star1100 off them as well, So when we go to the Harley Davidson Museum we will collect the bikes and start the ride the next day.
Got a screen and saddle bags but mite change the tyres and chain and sprockets to suite the ride??????.
P.s Road track and trail where great to deal with as we found it very hard to get any answer from emails actually bloody hopeless, chalk and cheese with the response so R,T&T I rate you at the top on service and follow up.
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