A Long, Hard Sportster Ride
These guys are some hard riders.
We were headed east on I-70 from Salina, Utah, and pulled off onto a scenic viewpoint. It actually was very scenic but what caught my eye at the same time were three motorcycles parked in a group. Of course I struck up a conversation with the riders.
Turns out these guys were from Green Bay. They had left Green Bay for Chicago where they picked up old US Route 66, which they took all the way to Santa Monica. They then turned north and rode up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, then turned east for Las Vegas. Now they were on their way back to Green Bay.
And what were they on?
“Let’s see, you’ve got two Sportsters and the other . . .”
“It’s a Sportster, too. They’re all Sportsters.”
“Wow, that a lot of miles on a Sportster.”
“Yeah, we get that a lot.”
“So when did you guys leave Green Bay?”
“A week ago.”
Holy crap! A week? Microsoft Streets & Trips tells me that’s about 4,000 miles. That’s about 570 miles per day. On Sportsters!
“Oh, we’ve got the peanut tanks so we have to stop for gas and stretch our legs every hundred miles or so.”
They said their longest day was about 600 miles, from San Francisco to Las Vegas. And they did skip some portions of Route 66 because it was taking a lot more time than they expected. But they said they were only doing 300 to 400 miles per day most days. Yeah, somebody’s math is a bit unclear. Maybe they started eight or nine days ago, not seven.
Nevertheless, that’s one heck of a ride, just burning up the miles day after day. And for pete’s sake, on Sportsters?!
Well, if that’s your thing, go for it, guys. I know three guys who will be talking about a certain bike trip for a long, long, long time.
Biker Quote for Today
The trick is not minding it hurts.
Tags: Harley Sportster
