My own Gumball rally on a Ducati 748 - Across the USA

[Greylola]

I wanted to share a trip, my first touring experience with you fine folks. In January 2004 I found myself laid off with plenty of time and my very nice Ducati 748. In August a friend of mine invited me out to LA for a week to share a martini or two. Having just found this site and reading about the tours on the west coast, I decided to ride the bike out, if it made it great, if not I would repair and forwardair.com it. I would have my ride on the Pacific coast. As you can see, this is NOT the ideal touring machine, but is IS the most fun for going fast.

I decided also to travel light... very light. I mailed my clothes to my friend and only brought a small fanny pack with: 1 t-shirt, 1 pr/ socks, 1 change of boxers, cell phone, small digital camera, tooth brush, 2 condoms. This way when I found a great road, the bike would be light and ready to race with out all of the luggage in the way.

The Ducati had new tires, chain, oil, and I added a GarminV gps and a Passport radar detector.

I decide to cash-in my 401k for a war chest and would stay at the best hotels that I could find on the way. If I needed anything else, I could buy it in route (rain gear, bathing suit, martini, escorts).

I took 6 days to go from Greenwich, CT to LA, CA. The first 2,000 miles wear straight and boring, traveling at 110 mph in a straight line through corn fields. To avoid speed traps, I would find someone in a fast Euro-Sedan with an ego just a little larger than mine, pass him on the right and wait for the race which I would lose by an 1/8 of a mile. This could go on for an hr. or more... until his break lights lit an a trooper pull out after him. Then I find another, 7,000 miles of speeding without a ticket. I did find that I was not making the mile/day that I would have liked as I stopped every hr. to top off the tank and drink another bottle of power drink/water. I would be passing the same caravans of trucks again and again. But then I was on a race bike with only an inch of padding for a seat and tucked up in a ball behind a small fairing.

[pashnit]

Originally Posted by Greylola

The first 2,000 miles wear straight and boring, traveling at 110 mph in a straight line through corn fields.

David- this is classic! I love that you took a 748 across country - gives ample credence to the adage that you can tour on anything if you really want to!

Love the pic with the lightening - good timing on that shot! It's my new screensaver.

[Greylola]

Glad that you like the lightning shot. My screen saver is still the 22 year old escort in Vegas, but that's just me. With a digital camera you just hold down the button and let it rip, then throw away the shots you don't want. I would have taken more photos, but there was another storm cell coming and the lightning was hitting a lot closer than that. You think that 110 mph through the corn fields was fast... have lightnig strike the ground next to you, thats when you really screw it on.

cheers
David

[uhmeebuh]

Originally Posted by Greylola

Glad that you like the lightning shot. My screen saver is still the 22 year old escort in Vegas, but that's just me.

Don't tease. Got any pics?

Great trip!

[pashnit]

Originally Posted by Greylola

Glad that you like the lightning shot. My screen saver is still the 22 year old escort in Vegas, but that's just me.

Yeah, now that I think about it - I think we need to see that screensaver.

[deaconblues]

WHOA!

Hold the phone.

First shot. I-70, San Rafael Reef, just west of Green River UT. That section of 'freeway' actually qualifies as motorcycle-worthy. I fully intend to ride that come next summer (planning on a "return to my roots" road trip, may include a high school reunion but not sure at present.)

Second shot -- looks suspiciously like I-70 again, someplace along the colorado/utah border, or perhaps east of there? That thar's the road I learned to drive on, folks. Rulison Colorado - oil shale cliffs on one side and stepped plateaus of ranches, sage, and juniper on the other.

Third shot (with the lightning) -- that looks to be more desert terrain, someplace between Green River and possibly Salina Utah? hard to be sure... but the vegetation is so familiar I can almost smell the sage.

[zxcised]

Ahhhh... I see you drink Ciroc! I generally have Grey Goose, but I have been getting Ciroc every other time. It's a different after taste than the pototato type vodkas.

[Greylola]

Here are a couple more...

[Greylola]

I had made a radar detector mount on the wind screen and a GPS mount on the triple clamp. The power cord for the radar fell into the front wheel on day 2 of the trip and I was traveling too fast to fix it.

[pashnit]

Originally Posted by Greylola

The power cord for the radar fell into the front wheel on day 2 of the trip and I was traveling too fast to fix it.

You make my laugh Dave!