Milton - Vancouver on R6 - July 2012

gjones4487

gjones4487

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Hello,

I picked up my first bike this past october (2002 R6) and am planning on taking July off and riding out to Vancouver.
The plan so far is to ride thru northern ontario to thunderbay and down thru the states to North Dakota (got family there) for a couple day break, and then head out from there and travel thru the states up into vancouver, couple weeks in Vancouver and then head out and come back home thru canada, maybe even a pit stop in Calgary.
Any one have any specific roads i should ride on the way? or any routes i should take on my trip?
Also if anyone is interested in joining let me know and we can hook up and do a couple rides before a month long trip.

Cheers, Geoff

..posted in Rides/Hook ups, wasn't sure where to posy. Im new to this forum thing, sorry if it bothers anyone.
 
Sounds like a fun trip. I should be doing the Calgary - Vancouver road about once a month.
 
gjones4487 said:
Any one have any specific roads i should ride on the way? or any routes i should take on my trip?
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Almost any road in the Kelowna/Nelson area is amazing....3a runs along the west side of Kootenay lake, take it north out of Creston catch a ferry across the lake, take 31 north to Kalso, then 6 back down to Nelson...amazing tree covered mountains with twisties and lakes everywhere...you can't go wrong out there for road choice....watch out for deer especially at dusk and dawn and next to the water, and really watch out for moose at night north of Superior.

Have fun..
 
do a couple rides before a month long trip.
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do a couple of LONG rides and make sure you can handle longish days - the bike will be fine - the rider is newish. ;)

You will be space challenged so figure out what to take well ahead of time.

Good luck.

If you have that long to ride and you are a new rider then I'd be in the Touring section asking about routes section by section.

Ontario has some excellent roads and run through some of them on the way to say Manitoulin Island by ferry instead of slab to Sudbury would be my suggestion.

You might as well do Yellowstone and Missoula plus Mount Ranier with that kind of time to spend.

Then there is tons in BC. Lots of riders will have good info for you in the touring forum.

You will need a very good layering set up for hot to cold conditions. The right choice is critical, the wrong choice could be a month of misery.
 
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rashidme said:
sounds like fun. Don't forget this http://www.universalcycle.ca/store/product/26631/Photon-Cruise-Control-BK-7-8in/
Good luck with your trip and dont forget to post pics/info etc.
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Wish I had that when I rode from Hamilton to Thunder Bay....
Remember to roughly map gas stops, since there are a few areas that you have a bit of distance between major towns/cities, not a fan of the little stations when looking for 91 octane. Think about stops every 1-2hrs.

You will enjoy the stretch from Sault Ste Marie to Marathon, only straight bits are long hill climbs, or descents, followed by a nice corner.

On the way back you might want to think about taking the Tobermory Ferry, bikers get on first, and get off first, unless you are really late, and it is a nice break. I went to the top deck and had a nap... just don't get lost, like I did, even though I found some nice roads!?

Ride safe.

FYI
The scary looking bikers guys are friendlier then you think. :)
 
roninspawn said:
You will enjoy the stretch from Sault Ste Marie to Marathon, only straight bits are long hill climbs, or descents, followed by a nice corner.
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I have driven that a couple years ago and love it in a car looking forward to it on my bike.

roninspawn said:
On the way back you might want to think about taking the Tobermory Ferry, bikers get on first, and get off first, unless you are really late, and it is a nice break. I went to the top deck and had a nap... just don't get lost, like I did, even though I found some nice roads!?
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Thanks i will definatly look into that. and i have a GPS but getting lost is sometimes a big part of the adventure :D:cool:
 
I'll be heading to Vancouver, probably in June. No suggestions on roads I'm afraid, other than be prepared to be bored for much of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, unless you go well off the Trans Canada, or south, as you're planning.

Pack wisely and make sure your gear is well secured to the bike. Sport bikes can be a pain in the *** to secure gear to. Bungie cords stretch and the stuff flops around. Soft luggage will scratch the crap out of your paint if you aren't very careful. I have a rack that bolts to the bike and I use compression straps to hold my bag to the rack. That way I don't find myself reaching back all the time to check and re-arrange the gear.

The Photon throtle lock is available from GP Bikes for less than the above link, FWIW.
 
Buy some good under garments, like the VnM stuff that a member sells here or some sort of moisture wicking stuff. Marks Work Warehouse has a pretty good selection.
 
+1 on VnM.

Oh, and you'll want to plan your tires too. If you're running sport tires they'll be worn out before you get back. I'd suggest sport tourers. Even then you need to plan. I expect to get no more than 8-9k out of a pair of Dunlop Roadsmarts (I'm getting about 5k on Q2's) so I'll be making sure they're nearly new before I head out. Alternative is to find a shop in Vancouver that will change them for you and mail yourself a set from Pete's (that's my plan B).
 
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Get Shinko 009 Tires. They'll last forever and they're cheap; they're perfect for touring.
 
I actually ended up picking up a map book of riding roads for BC and Washington. I plan to be trying them out around the same time so remind me closer to the time and I'll either come with ( if the timings work) or send you some maps/directions.
 
Griffin said:
+1 on VnM.

If you're running sport tires they'll be worn out before you get back. I'd suggest sport tourers.
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What is the difference between Sport and Sport Touring Tires? other than the hardness?
 
gjones4487 said:
What is the difference between Sport and Sport Touring Tires? other than the hardness?
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They last a lot longer.. my bike came with Bridgestone Battlaxs, I've done around 7000km and still got half tread left. I've never ridden on sports tires but I get by just fine in the twisties with my setup
 
Hi Geoff,

send me PM and I'll reply with GoogleMaps links to a tour of southern BC I did last year on an 08 VFR. Details to follow.

Anyone else that's interested, PM me also.
:)
 
gjones4487 said:
Hello, Everyone

I quickly through together the approximate route I plan to take.
Let me know what you all think.

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=...l=46.012224,-99.228516&spn=33.13703,86.572266

Cheers, Geoff
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Looks like a supersupersuperslabbbb!

Hit as many green patches on the map as possible. If you modify your route, you can hit Yellowstone National Park and all those other parks in Idaho. Go through South Dakota instead of North Dakota and hit the Badlands National Park as well as the Black Hills (Rushmore) area.

I dunno about you but this looks fun to me :D http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=...l=43.800836,-103.476791&spn=0.268111,0.676346
 
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