back from south dakota on my GS-F

[fuelish]

just came back in,,
did an awefull lot of my miles on my GS in south dakota, wyoming, and a clip thru montana. the GS worked admirably alongside the goldwings,Hd's,and beemers during many different riding conditions. in the end no one person suffered more than the other for comfort ....... think about that for a minute when comparing bike cost and model against each other. my biggest complaint with the GS is seat shape wich i plan to modify shortly,,for me it rises up to much in the back for long distance comfort.
some noteable points about the ride and bike:

**the highway pegs i built and mounted ( view my other posts) were essential to this ride and contrary to some thoughts are plenty strong and durable and comfortable for long hauls. **
**stock configuation held its own at very high x-way speeds with the big bikes for long periods of time**
**the gear i mounted on the bike seemed to help the ride,,and did not phase performance with extra wieght and wind drag**
**fuel economy was a god send vrs the large displacement bikes, they filled up atleast 2-1 to mine, out west you need to plan fuel stops or your walking in the middle of nowhere. i did not have that concern to deal with. **

it really was a fun trip thought some of you would like to know how it went,, yea its an economy mcycle i was apprehensive about its capabilities for this run. best i can say is dont be scared to put this bike on the open road, it will handle it.   

[scratch]

Welcome back!  Glad it was a good trip!  And, good to hear the bike can definitely handle it. 

[Kerry]

just came back in,,
did an awefull lot of my miles on my GS in south dakota, wyoming, and a clip thru montana.

I haven't done South Dakota yet, but I'm right there with ya on Wyoming and Montana.  If there's anything they have lots of, it's miles.

the GS worked admirably alongside the goldwings,Hd's,and beemers during many different riding conditions. in the end no one person suffered more than the other for comfort ....... think about that for a minute when comparing bike cost and model against each other.

How interesting is that?    Most of the bigger bikes can leave the GS behind at will, but as long as everyone stays anywhere close to the speed limit it's not an issue.

out west you need to plan fuel stops or your walking in the middle of nowhere. i did not have that concern to deal with.

Yep, a fact of life out here.  I don't know what I would do with a bike that only got, say, 120 miles to the tank.

I'm glad to hear that the "American Ingenuity" highway pegs did their job.  I don't recall you mentioning luggage ... what did you end up using on the trip?  Did your group do any camping or was it strictly a motel/hotel trip?

[fuelish]

i used cortech (sport model) bags for sport bikes,, they have the two side saddles and the center top bag as well. caught them on sale for $160 they fit like they were made for the GS, small looking at first but fits more than i expected. and the bags are high quality and will not scratch any part of the bike once installed. we did the motel/hotel thing because its hard to beat a pool or jacuzzi after a long day, and usually theres a restaraunt for breakfast in the morning. also,,i use a gel pad. but i get them from the kayaking shop as there larger and cheaper than anything for a mcycle, about $35 compared to $125. i simply tied the jel pad to the luggage and layed it on the seat, this way postion can be moved on the fly if needed. if i can find some time perhaps a pic will illistrate better. oh yea,, the worst bike in the group for fuel economy was the v-rod, holding only 3.6 gallons i believe. so we schedualed stops and carried fuel for this. and outside of sturgis ralley week BMW's were the most common machine on the road i saw.