Dan's Motorcycling Page

Motorcycling updated 1-24-04

I started Motorcycling in 1979, while still in Indiana. I've since had 4 Suzukis, and currently have a 94 BMW R100GS, and a Honda 97 ST100. I just sold a 95 BMW R100RT. Here is a really good picture of a Honda like mine . I wish I had taken it, I don't know who did

The bikes

1976 Suzuki GT380. I bought this bike in 1979, while still living in Kokomo Indiana. A friend steered me to a KZ400,which turned out to be sold when I went to pick it up. I bought the GT380 instead, and I think it was a better bike. A two stroke triple. I had this bike when I came to Colorado. The kids and I had a lot of fun on it, camping and stuff.

1978 Suzuki GS550C. I bought this bike in 1981 with about 5000 miles on it. I put about 17K on it, and like the GT380, the kids and I had fun on it. This was a great bike, it took me a year to sell it, can’t understand why.

1982 Suzuki GS650G. I bought this bike, new, from Pueblo Suzuki, in the summer of 1983. This is the first bike I took a long trip on, and got as far as Heber City Utah on a DoD trip, in 1988. The odometer died the second year, and I rode it at least a year without one. I estimate I put about 30K on it. It took a whole week to sell this one.

1980 Suzuki GS1000G. Well, we seem to want bigger and faster motorcycles as we get more experience, so I sold the lovely little GS650G and bought this one. It was 9 years old with 6100 miles, when I bought it, in the spring of 89. I owned this one about 6 years and put just over 50K on it.

94 BMW R100GS. I was riding the Suzuki over some unpaved passes, and it, and I were getting beat up, so I bought the new GS thinking it would be a better compromise for on-off road use, and still be big enough to tour on. It does indeed work better on unpaved roads, but is a major disappointment in horsepower after the Suzuki 1000. Still, there are a lot of features I really like. Light weight, quick handling, long travel suspension --- Spring 2004, I have 69K on it.

95 BMW R100RT. Bought this one from a long time friend, and old kayaking buddy, Elsa Long. I have wanted one these since I saw one the first time. It is much better suited for the open road and long trips on pavement, than the GS. It has most of the same advantages, and the same disadvantages, It is geared taller, and more pleasant to ride at speeds above 65mph, but doesn’t have the plushness, and quick handling, when the going gets rough. I rode it to Sipapu, in 98, and to Strawberry AZ and Paonia in 99, before selling it. Had I not ridden an ST1100, and lusted, I'd still have this one.

97 Honda ST1100, Arrest me red. The more I ride this bike, the better I like it. I rode this bike around a 1200 mile loop in SW Colorado, Memorial day weekend, and went to Indiana on it, in early June, 99. In the Spring 2004, it's just shy now of 50K miles.

I've got a hankering for a R1150GS, that a friend is selling, but I have to sell both current bikes to be able to afford it.

So far I've wired in a voltmeter, an outlet for my vest, installed Helibars, heated grips and a clearview+3. I took the backrest off, and put on a Givi top case. This was a really good choice. Trips.

I went to Utah with the DoD , in 88. Here’s a picture of Me (left) and Jim Bailey , in Utah.

Last year 3 friends and I went to Canada, through Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone, Glacier NPs and into Alberta. We went through Calgary, over to Banff and then to Jasper. Pictured is my R100GS on the Icefield Parkway, a little South of Jasper AB.

My most recent long trip was to the BMWMOA, international Rally in Missoula MT, in July. I did 820 miles the first day, my longest ever. I could have easily made the 1010 to the rally, but the weather turned nasty as I entered Butte. After leaving the rally, I rode to western Idaho along US 12 (Lolo Pass), which parallels part the path Chief Joseph took his people, while trying to escape the army to Canada. They I went north to Moscow to visit Northwest River Supplies, and then back to the Missoula area and points east. After riding Beartooth Pass back into Wyoming, I headed east to Indiana to visit my parents and go on a canoe trip with Dad and the Explorers. Total the trip was 5100 miles.

I wrote an article on Spline Lubing the R100GS, to supplement one by Bob Paskar and Ron Miller

Clubs

DoD. Mostly a collection of college students, scientists, computer nerds, and engineers tied together originally from readers of the usenet newsgroup, "rec.motorcycles".

Pikes Peak BMW Road Riders . I joined this one after buying the BMW. BMWMOA. I joined MOA at my first national rally.

Favorite Regional Rallies

Top-o- the Rockies Rally, Paonia, Colorado, usually near the end of July. Put on by Colorado BMW Club, and Denver BMW.

Bavarian Mountian Weekend, Sipapu, New Mexico, weekend after labor day. Put on by Land of Enchantment BMW Riders.

Pikes Peak BMW Riders Super Pigout, Put on by PPBMWRR, Colorado Springs. This year, it will be 2 weeks after Laborday weekend, in conjunction with an AMA National road races, at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

Pits Roadrunner Rally, has been in Flagstaff AZ, put on by the Pheonix International Touring Society. This year, it was in Heber Az.

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