Question for Kerry

[jag69]

You have done some significantly long trips on the GS.  I wanted to hear some of your thoughts on the GS's ergos, wind protection, etc..  What are your thoughts on sport-touring bikes (you know .... fairings.)?

[Kerry]

Hmmm.  Well, I would be the first to admit that the GS500 isn't really meant for long-distance touring ... but I use it for that anyway.  It's what I have.  It's also my first and only motorcycle, so ... so far I don't know any better.   :mrgreen:

As for fairings (by that you mean windshields?) I can only comment on the one I have - the National Cycle Plexistar II.  I did my first (and longest!) long trip without any shield at all.  Boy, was I beat at the end of each day.  Good thing I moteled it on that trip!  That's the trip where I learned not to expand my tank bag ... because I had to lay down on it to get out of the wind most of the time.

For my other trips I've had the Plexistar II.  You can see pictures on my web site (link below).  I don't want to dwell on this particular screen because there are apparently other good ones out there as well.  But with a larger screen like this one, the wind blast on your chest is no more.  It actually feels weird the first time you get on the freeway after installing one.  I still get some wind just above eye level on my helmet, but if I get tired of that I just "duck" slightly for a while.  My hands are also protected from the wind, which makes a BIG difference in the wet / cold.

Highway pegs of some kind are a handy ergo to have for long trips.  GSJack has (or had?) some attached to his engine guards.  I have found that my FiveStars engine guards (see the Touring Accessories from Europe page on my web site) make a decent platform for my feet when I need a change of position.  Check the page at Adventure Motorcycle Gear if you're looking for a state-side source.

Saddlebags are another must, but you didn't ask about those so I'll shut up for now.

I hope I've addressed your question to some degree.  Post again for any additional info that you care to hear!

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[jag69]

Thanks for the information Kerry.  When I said "Fairing" I was refering to a bike like your dad's.  I noticed the bike on your August trip.  Have you ridden his bike?  My dilema is that I want to begin taking longer trips.  I love my GS, but it really beats me up at highway speeds.  I have been looking for a bike that doesn't way to much more than the GS and that could be a good "Beginner Sport-Touring Bike".  I like the Kawasaki ZZR-600 and the Yamaha YZF600.  The Katana isn't that bad either.  I will be keeping my GS for the short trips to my local twisties.  

I am also interested in luggage, and any other travel knowledge you would like to share.

If anyone else has a comment please jump in.

Thanks.

[TheGoodGuy]

I did 300 miles without a fairing/windshield..

it wasnt too bad.. but i do agree i was dead tired in the end (well i did have to fix the other bike on the road.. maybe that's why i was tired).

However I did do 400 miles on the GS500 when i first came to sacramento.. rode up the 5 in the middle of summer.. boy was that hot..

[Kerry]

When I said "Fairing" I was refering to a bike like your dad's.  I noticed the bike on your August trip.  Have you ridden his bike?

Ah, OK.  Sorry about that!

No, I never have ridden my Dad's Concours.  Not that he didn't offer to trade bikes several times on the trip!  But 1) I didn't want to know what I was missing ... YET ... not with all those miles to go! and 2) I didn't want him to have to scale DOWN and scrunch up on my GS!

The Concours has been made for a LONG time and has quite a following, but my Dad will tell you that it's built for the open road.  It's apparently pretty top heavy at low speeds, (which was maybe my reason #3: I didn't want to drop the fully loaded beast!) but once you get it above 15 or 20 it takes off, and turns "like it's on rails"!  It comes with integrated hard bags which is a plus, I guess.  But by the end of the trip my Dad was saying that I had changed his mind about LARGE hard saddlebags.  (Huh?  What did _I_ do?)  I think maybe he was tired of strapping all the stuff that wouldn't fit into his bags in such a tall stack on the back of his seat....

Anyway, you and are thinking along the same lines.  A REAL sport-touring bike - yeah, that's the ticket!  I'm not actively looking yet, but I can tell there's one in my future.  If you ever get to test-ride some good candidate bikes, let me know what you think!

[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdea]

I also did about 330 miles without a fairing or windshield.  Enjoyable day, but it was April in Wisconsin, so it was chilly as well.  Since that day, I have been on the search for a windshield I like.

[Kerry]

That ride of mine -- not documented on my site because I didn't have a digital camera back then -- was from Utah to Alabama (2000 miles) and back (1800 miles) in 5 1/2 days of riding.  This was in May of 2001.  The conditions ranged from

* Nice in Utah to
* Snow on the ground going over the Continental Divide (Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado - 10,850 ft) to
* Mid-90's in Texas to
* Waiting for a tornado system to pass in Oklahoma to
* Nice through Arkansas, Memphis and Alabama.

On the way back I seemed to be going upstream - into more headwinds than going east.  Part of that may be because I took a good chunk of freeway as I went west, where I had done almost NONE going east.

There was snow on the ground again as I recrossed the Divide - at Independence Pass above Aspen, Colorado this time (12,095 ft).  That was followed by a COLD night as I pushed on for home.

Suffice it to say that a windshield would have been a WONDERFUL accessory to have for the trip....

[BanannaMan]

I have ridden my GS500E 400 miles in a day....many times.  
A windshied would help big time in the cold and/or wet.
I just could never find one I thought looked good on my bike.

I'm such a poser...

[conradvr]

Hope you don't mind me piping in here.  There are some great sport touring bikes around, I ride a 1996 VFR750 on long trips, it just goes and goes and goes and you can easily cover large distances in a day and not feel buggered at the end of a ride.  The bonus is my also wife finds riding pillion great on the bike with a comfy seat and good ergonomics.

The other much underrated tourer is the Suzuki GSXF, a mate of mine has one of these, it has a good seating position and he too can cover large distances in a day in comfort.

The plus of these bikes is they are also great fun in the twisty stuff and they will do +300kms on a single tank.  There are also heaps of luggage options available for these bikes.

Other bikes that can easily tour if you don't want fully faired are the Suzuki Bandit and the Yamaha Fazer.

If you can ride the GS well, then these bikes shouldn't present you with much of a problem.  (For the long distances you don't want a bike that has too much pressure on your hands and shoulders like most sports bikes ie. R6)

From the land of Oz with many many kms between stops
Conrad

Thanks for the information Kerry.  When I said "Fairing" I was refering to a bike like your dad's.  I noticed the bike on your August trip.  Have you ridden his bike?  My dilema is that I want to begin taking longer trips.  I love my GS, but it really beats me up at highway speeds.  I have been looking for a bike that doesn't way to much more than the GS and that could be a good "Beginner Sport-Touring Bike".  I like the Kawasaki ZZR-600 and the Yamaha YZF600.  The Katana isn't that bad either.  I will be keeping my GS for the short trips to my local twisties.  

I am also interested in luggage, and any other travel knowledge you would like to share.

If anyone else has a comment please jump in.

Thanks.

[96gs]

I have ridden my GS500E 400 miles in a day....many times.  
A windshied would help big time in the cold and/or wet.
I just could never find one I thought looked good on my bike.

I'm such a poser...

damn. i have never seen a GS packed up like that. all i have when i ride is my gear and a wallet. i say good work on packin up like that      hey kerry, you think you could do better?  :dunno:

[Kerry]

96gs,

I guess you've never flipped through the Trips pages on my web site.  To see last year's setup (for my trip to British Columbia with my Dad), check out the first couple pictures on the Day 1 - From Home to Wyoming page.

I didn't have as much gear on my first long trip because I spent the nights in a motel room (or family member's homes) rather than a tent.  In fact, I was packed up with the same tank and tail bags as BanannaMan but with slightly larger Tourmaster saddlebags.

I don't have the pictures up yet for the 2002 ride to British Columbia with my brother.  On our last morning we talked to a lady in the laundromat of the RV park we tented.  She commented on the paraphernalia that she had seen spread around our campsite.  "No way did ALL that stuff come off of those 2 bikes!"  (Both were GS500s.)

What the heck - I took a break to whip out some of the pictures that will eventually end up on the trip pages.

Ready to head out

After our first night - at the KOA in Ely, NV

After our 3rd night - at the KOA in Eureka, on the California coast

Riding through the redwoods - my neatness has already suffered...

Day 7 - On the ferry from Balfour to Kootenay Bay (in B.C.)

Our last morning on the road - holed up in a light drizzle

That last one was in the RV park where we got the comment from the lady.

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[BanannaMan]

Nice pics!

That must have been one awesome trip!  
(and probably a GS500 record)

[Kerry]

That must have been one awesome trip!  
(and probably a GS500 record)

Naw.  I've seen a picture of a GS500E at the Arctic Circle sign - on the way to (or from) Alaska.  I wish I could find it, but the link disappeared with the old version of this message board.  

[Kerry]

Got a few more for ya, 96gs!

These are from my first (sorry) attempt at packing for a camping trip.  I did such a loose job ... good thing the campsite was only 5 miles up the canyon!

BTW - These pics will give you some idea of the size of the Tourmaster Cortech saddlebags.  I was beginning to think I hadn't taken any pictures of them.





While I'm at it, here is what the campsite looked like when I arrived in the evening:


And this is what it looked like when I crawled out of my tent in the morning:


EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[Manix]

And this is what it looked like when I crawled out of my tent in the morning

I wish someone had taken a picture of the expression you must have had on your face.  

Next summer I was planning to take a trip to northern Norway, Nordkapp to be exact. And I know a guy who rode all the way from Finland to Riviera with his Kawa ER-5 + wife.  

That would be a cool trip (voyage) to make with my GS but I think I'll settle for Norway...

[Lars]

[Kerry]

Next summer I was planning to take a trip to northern Norway, Nordkapp to be exact.

I couldn't find Nordkapp in my MS Streets and Trips program, but I found a web page that talked about North Cape and listed various villages including Honningsvag.  Is this in the right area?  If so, your trip (from 1 to 2 on the map below) looks like a BLAST!  There must be some gorgeous country up there....



EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[Manix]

Yep, that's the place. I've been told that the fjords are fantastic. Great scenery and twisty roads. Really looking forward to it.

And then there's the midnight sun-experience but that's nothing new to me.  

Fully loaded GS near the river Teno

Like riding on the Moon

More scenery with a GS

Time of day: 23:20

Simply beatiful

All the pictures above are linked from here.

[Kerry]

Looks like a great ride!  Make sure to take pictures of your own, and post them for us "land bound" folks!

[Manix]

Will do.