Anyone interested in a James Bay Road trip? | Page 8 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Anyone interested in a James Bay Road trip?

Mad Mike said:
2) What is the proposed average speed for the James Bay road portion of the trip -- ADV (130ish) or ST (>160ish if possible)?
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Is this a normal bike speed for touring? I dunno I am on a cruiser and I stay around the 120K mark generally. Just what I am used to works for time and fuel consumption. Plus I like looking around a scenery even if it all looks similar, just soak it all in.
 
sburns said:
Is this a normal bike speed for touring? I dunno I am on a cruiser and I stay around the 120K mark generally. Just what I am used to works for time and fuel consumption. Plus I like looking around a scenery even if it all looks similar, just soak it all in.
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The JBR is fairly well known for being a very long stretch of road with with basically unenforced speed limits - needless to say the QPP have better things to do than send a cruiser hundreds of kilometers into the middle of nowhere to run a speed trap.

Accordingly there's no shortage of stories of people taking advantage of such accordingly on 2 wheels, with a few having come home with harrowing tales after hitting the frost heaves at said high speeds.
 
sburns said:
Is this a normal bike speed for touring? I dunno I am on a cruiser and I stay around the 120K mark generally. Just what I am used to works for time and fuel consumption. Plus I like looking around a scenery even if it all looks similar, just soak it all in.
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My 5 speed Road King is happy to cruise around all day long at 130-140, if you chose to your Ultra would be plenty comfortable at those speeds especially with the fairing and 6 speed transmission.
 
sburns said:
Is this a normal bike speed for touring? I dunno I am on a cruiser and I stay around the 120K mark generally. Just what I am used to works for time and fuel consumption. Plus I like looking around a scenery even if it all looks similar, just soak it all in.
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certainly it's bike dependent
ST's don't work well at the speed limit
and they push you to go faster

got my first cruiser last year and I'm fine with the speed limit now
different sort of enjoyment, scenery, stop and go, enjoy the day

but for tripping, yeah, an ST and spirited riding can't be beat
but always under the right conditions
 
OT, but I wish my VTX had a 6th gear. Beyond a certain speed it really winds out.
 
blackcamaro said:
My 5 speed Road King is happy to cruise around all day long at 130-140, if you chose to your Ultra would be plenty comfortable at those speeds especially with the fairing and 6 speed transmission.
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Oh I know it does reach those speeds and then some, without issue, as I have done it. But do I want to be doing that all the time, not really. I like cruising and rip it when really needing it :cool:
 
sburns said:
Is this a normal bike speed for touring? I dunno I am on a cruiser and I stay around the 120K mark generally. Just what I am used to works for time and fuel consumption. Plus I like looking around a scenery even if it all looks similar, just soak it all in.
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Speed depends on the bike and the local law enforcement. In an un-martialed area, it's up to the rider. A midweight ADV cruises comfortably on good roads at 130, an ST running through Montana might be running 220kmh.

I have never done this route, sounds like road conditions limit the speed.

Jeff96 did the run last summer. If I recall he was heavy loaded on a 250cc bike, probably ran at well below 130KMh as an average speed. Perhaps he can elaborate on the size and frequency of frost heaves and what he thinks would be practical for an ADV, cruiser and ST.
 
You can definitely hit 160 on there for good stretches. The difficulty is that not all of the heaves are as noticeable as you'd think until you actually feel that kidney punch. Everyone is going to judge for themselves at what speed and what level of risk they're willing to take. I don't plan on riding on any highway at 160 km/ hr; that's my bias. I can't say what speed is 'safe'. Zero I suppose.

Construction zones aside, it's a little rougher than a typical rural paved road, but not especially difficult to ride. Because it's so remote, road kill or other hazards are less likely to be dealt with before you encounter it. Also the remoteness makes the consequence of an accident potentially much more severe.

A lot of my trip was the North Road and other gravel roads. Compared to that, the JBH is very easy to ride.

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jeff96 said:
You can definitely hit 160 on there for good stretches. The difficulty is that not all of the heaves are as noticeable as you'd think until you actually feel that kidney punch. Everyone is going to judge for themselves at what speed and what level of risk they're willing to take. I don't plan on riding on any highway at 160 km/ hr; that's my bias. I can't say what speed is 'safe'. Zero I suppose.

Construction zones aside, it's a little rougher than a typical rural paved road, but not especially difficult to ride. Because it's so remote, road kill or other hazards are less likely to be dealt with before you encounter it. Also the remoteness makes the consequence of an accident potentially much more severe.

A lot of my trip was the North Road and other gravel roads. Compared to that, the JBH is very easy to ride.

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e did the North Road (Rue Nord) on the second trip up when we rode the Taiga. That's a great stretch of gravel road up through Nemiscau. Again all those frost heaves get a lot smaller on the KLR with long travel suspension
W
 
jeff96 said:
A lot of my trip was the North Road and other gravel roads. Compared to that, the JBH is very easy to ride.
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Is your bike setup for gravel? I've hit some gravel and dirt roads on the North end of Pickering, doable but not great with my cruiser.
 
Not really. I put on some sport touring tires that have an aggressive tread pattern. That's about it

It helps to keep loose and let the bike find its way. The tendency is to tighten up and be rigid.
 
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There is enough curves that speed is fun on the JBR but the frost heaves will either jar your teeth or severely test your suspension on a curve. ( think big sweepers, no twists )
Something like a Vstrom will float over them and still maintain speed and I see much of it has been repaved.

Also there are long rather boring stretches which tempt you to push your fuel limits ....there is only so much taiga you can take but there could be caribou in there ....we saw one.

AFAIK it is a private road and not patrolled by QPP.
 
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jeff96 said:
Not really. I put on some sport touring tires that have an aggressive tread pattern. That's about it

It helps to keep loose and let the bike find its way. The tendency is to tighten up and be rigid.
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Oh which tires?

I'm still a newish rider and getting the feel for some situations. But at times I think I should have bought an adventure touring bike, not that I regret my bike, I just find myself in these unconventional places, or want to explore more off pavement.
 
many have tread that route especially in Ontario with few decent roads for pavement but lots of gravel places to explore

Mind you 4 hours south that equation changes ...Pennsylvania is lots of fun on a street bike.

Something like a Vstrom tho lets you explore with confidence off pavement and still burn up the twists.
 
sburns said:
Oh which tires?

I'm still a newish rider and getting the feel for some situations. But at times I think I should have bought an adventure touring bike, not that I regret my bike, I just find myself in these unconventional places, or want to explore more off pavement.
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So many cool bikes to ride and only one lifetime in which to ride them.

https://fortnine.ca/en/kenda-k671-cruiser-st-rear-tire

Like most reviews, some people love them and others hate them. I think I got better traction in gravel than I might have with other road tires, but it's difficult to know. I did hit deep standing water at 110 km/hr with no issues. (The water yanked my foot off the peg) They've worn well and are cheap

My new/old Honda GL has a 16" rear wheel, so dual sport rear tires are out for this one. I'm thinking Kenda Cruisers on the back and a Kenda dual sport tire for the front.

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Riding even a big cruiser or touring bike like a Goldwing on gravel isn't the end of the world, it's all in understanding that despite behaving differently, it's not necessarily inherently unsafe so long as you have an appreciation for the different behaviours, and the different way you need to ride to manage them.

I have ridden my VTX at 80KPH down gravel roads without a care in the world since I trust my bike and I know it's not going to do anything stupid unless I do something stupid to begin with. Yes, there's different levels of gravel, and if you get into a really loose mixture (IE, fresh construction zone pea gravel type crap) you need to manage that differently versus a packed gravel road that you'd traditionally see under normal conditions, but again, you manage that as it's thrown at you.

I know a lot of riders (especially in the touring/cruiser crowd) can be scared (or even mortified) of riding in gravel, but like anything, it's a learned skill with a comfort level that can take some time to build. There are also some who are terrified that the gravel will kick up and scratch or damage their bike, which is a legitimate concern I suppose, but in my case...I don't care much - my bike is for my enjoyment, I'm not saving it for the next person, nor am I worried that a might get a little pit in the paint on a fender or something.

Speaking of the whole "off roading" thing reminds me of bit of a crazy trip I took with a buddy in 2017, chasing listings in the "150 unusual things to see in Ontario" book. Rode basically 5000KM in 4 days and saw a ton of wild and cool stuff, but this "road" we rode down in a little town called Larder Lake (heading to a listing called "Ontarios Stonehenge" sticks in my memory. This is an actual photo of what we rode through.

larderlake.jpg


Now, the washouts and such were at the absolute limit of what my bike could physically manage as I was bottoming out and such...but we got it done. And my buddy was on a decked out Indian Chief, but like myself, he's not afraid of an adventure. ;)

Not far past this spot the road got too poor for our bikes - would have really needed an ADV at that point as we were talking several foot drops and pure loose sand and such. We ended up parking (we knew when to draw the line) and walked the last half K or so to the actual destination for our photos.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Riding even a big cruiser or touring bike like a Goldwing on gravel isn't the end of the world, it's all in understanding that despite behaving differently, it's not necessarily inherently unsafe so long as you have an appreciation for the different behaviours, and the different way you need to ride to manage them.

I have ridden my VTX at 80KPH down gravel roads without a care in the world since I trust my bike and I know it's not going to do anything stupid unless I do something stupid to begin with. Yes, there's different levels of gravel, and if you get into a really loose mixture (IE, fresh construction zone pea gravel type crap) you need to manage that differently versus a packed gravel road that you'd traditionally see under normal conditions, but again, you manage that as it's thrown at you.

I know a lot of riders (especially in the touring/cruiser crowd) can be scared (or even mortified) of riding in gravel, but like anything, it's a learned skill with a comfort level that can take some time to build. There are also some who are terrified that the gravel will kick up and scratch or damage their bike, which is a legitimate concern I suppose, but in my case...I don't care much - my bike is for my enjoyment, I'm not saving it for the next person, nor am I worried that a might get a little pit in the paint on a fender or something.

Speaking of the whole "off roading" thing reminds me of bit of a crazy trip I took with a buddy in 2017, chasing listings in the "150 unusual things to see in Ontario" book. Rode basically 5000KM in 4 days and saw a ton of wild and cool stuff, but this "road" we rode down in a little town called Larder Lake (heading to a listing called "Ontarios Stonehenge" sticks in my memory. This is an actual photo of what we rode through.



Now, the washouts and such were at the absolute limit of what my bike could physically manage as I was bottoming out and such...but we got it done. And my buddy was on a decked out Indian Chief, but like myself, he's not afraid of an adventure. ;)

Not far past this spot the road got too poor for our bikes - would have really needed an ADV at that point as we were talking several foot drops and pure loose sand and such. We ended up parking (we knew when to draw the line) and walked the last half K or so to the actual destination for our photos.
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I like this thinking.PP,you either have some offroad experience or a bunch of miles on you.it's just two wheels and a motor.Ride it like you stole it!
 
Wingboy said:
I like this thinking.PP,you either have some offroad experience or a bunch of miles on you.it's just two wheels and a motor.Ride it like you stole it!
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The funny thing about riding a motorcycle fast on an unstable surface is...the faster you go, the more the gyroscopic force you have to work with, which makes you inherently stable again. Even on gravel, at a fast enough speed, you could fall off...and the bike will just continue on without you - no shortage of videos on YouTube demonstrating exactly that. ;)

It's the corners and sudden changes in velocity and direction you need to manage.

And yeah, I grew up riding in the dirt, so that probably plays a big part in my comfort level with it now.
 
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