[Felix]

... and finding Cheeseboards and Bumble Bees with original engines and trainees .....big money!

Which one is the cheeseboard? I never heard that one before!

 

[Felix]

I like to hear about some of the good experiences people have had with the 05-06 models. I hope I can say the same with the one I picked up with 2700 miles on it. if I can get 40k miles out of it without to many issues I will be happy. Now I will have to decide which bike to take on some of the slightly longer rides, either the BMW K1200S or my 2013 FJR1300

For road trips, stick with the Yammie until you get a feel for the beemer. Use the k-bike only for "shake down" rides, i.e., day trips, Saturday morning blasts, etc. Once you're fairly confident, then flip a coin.

That said, I don't practice what I preach. I bought my used '09 K1300S two years ago over the internet from a private seller. I flew to Seattle, bought the bike, and rode it back home to Dallas in 3 days. Oh, and I accidentally left my phone home, so if anything happened, I'd truly be stuck. There are no pay phones anymore. Talk about scary times in the wild west!

 

[Felix]

Thats funny. Not sure how old you are (Im 68) but if you are close to my age remember we used to do that all the time in the 70's and 80's. However there were pay phones. I still bring my Atlas and study my routes.
3 days to Dallas, from Seattle, you were flying. I have done a few trips like that. Back in 75 with my 74 Z1 I did San Diego to Minneapolis hitting I-35 in Texas (where we saw the only cop) then up to Minneapolis in 36 hours.

Wow, riding cross country on a Z1 is impressive! I've never ridden a naked bike long distance. They were certainly reliable bikes, so no worries there.

Here's how I dealt with the no-phone problem. Firstly, knowing that hotels have complimentary computers off the lobby (usually), I took the Hilton shuttle from the airport to the hotel, where I could contact home and the seller, by email. Secondly, I scrapped my original Uber plan, and asked the concierge to call me a taxi, so I could meet the seller and pick up the bike. Thirdly, it wasn't until later that day, after checking into a motel room for the night, that I finally had access to a phone. I called my wife and had her FedEx my phone to a Holiday Inn in Tucumcari, New Mexico, where I hoped to be in 2 days. The next day, it was just gas and go to Provo, UT for the night (and another call home), and ditto the day after to Tucumcari. I was ripping it up pretty good through Utah, too.

Yes, I was flying for sure. My first full day on the road took me through a spot called the Technology Corridor or something like that, and was in either Washington, Oregon, or Idaho (not sure which - it's kind of a blur now), where I was running between 100 and 130 mph for at least 20 minutes and hardly no one else on the road. Man, that was the fastest road I'd ever ridden!

Oh, and I'm also 68, but I didn't have a cell phone in the '70s or '80s to forget. I love my paper maps and get new ones before every trip, by contacting the DOTs of the states I plan to pass through (they have the best maps). I also like the regional maps from AAA for a bigger perspective.

 

[Felix]

Nope, I was heading for points south, i.e., Boise, SLC, Albuquerque. I only stayed on I-90 until I turned SE onto I-82. That must have been somebody else blurring up the countryside! Nice place to do it!

 

[Felix]

These modern bikes are amazing. My buddy and I took his New Pan America down to Phoenix where my FJR is now and we were passing semi's three deep through Nevada reaching 130 in a blink of an eye in light rain no less. On the Z1 it took a bit to get her just past 100.

Wow, I didn't know the Pan Am's had that kind of power. Cool!