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I am still riding my old '85 Shadow. Last year, I used it on a two month (10K mile) USA tour. This year, I think I'm going to use it to ride back up to Montana for a family reunion. Still flipping the coin. I could take my truck, ham gear and have all sorts of fun. Or I can take the bike, tent, tiny CW (morse code) rig and have all sorts of fun.

I'm leaning for a bike ride.

So how far would you ride an old bike?

regards,

OK, my R850R beemer is a 1996 but ihave just done a 4500 km trip. I think it all depends on your faith in the condition of the bike.

Guess it would also depend on your skills as a mechanic. But an older bike is probably easier to fix roadside anyway as less electronic complications.

I have certainly done long trips in old cars! Went to Scotland a few years back in old banger (did 1500 miles). Wasn't sure if car would make it but decided that with breakdown cover (+ onboard mechanic) it was worth the risk. Had there been a terminal failure would have just abandoned the car & got breakdown to send us home by train.

Guess you wouldn't want to walk away from the bike tho?

I think it depends on how well you know your old bike and how well it's been maintained. Even then, you should treat it like an antique (older than 24 years and it qualifies) thus ride it carefully and with more caution than you would a new bike.

10,000 miles I would think is too far on a old bike that has many miles on it already, unless it's been extremely well maintained (your Shadow does look the part). Take some spare parts with you, you'll need to also do a few oil and filter changes on the road as well and maybe even tires! I don't think I'd ride my old 1982 Yamaha Seca 10,000 miles even when I knew it was in the best shape I ever had it, thus I'd buy a newer bike to do the run.

Mike

I think what everyone else is saying, Hippie, is that nobody knows your bike like you do. If you feel comfortable doing it, then I say go for it. You know what you're signing up for, having done long trips before, so just make sure both you and your bike are ready for it--plenty of rest, plenty of water, check the bike over as best you can before starting out, keep on top of the maintenance, etc. Again, you've done it before so you know what you're signing up for.

It does sound like a lot of fun and even though I'm sure you already know, some of the scenery between CA and MT is absolutely beautiful. You can take the southern route and get the mountain views and elevation changes between CA and NV, then the desert landscapes from NV to UT, and then right next to three national forests/parks on your way through ID to MT. Plenty of scenic places to make a nice overnight stop with some sightseeing or just a nice backdrop for a relaxing ride. The northern route looks just as promising, although I must admit to never having been through OR, but you can't go wrong with that many national parks to ride past.

Depending on the timing of your trip, you may want to consider even extending it a bit and leaving some extra room to pick up souvenirs along the way. Whichever way you decide to travel, please take some pictures to share with us and if you find a nice hidden gem along the way let us know, I'm sure someone on the boards will go and check it out.

jaskc78 wrote:I think what everyone else is saying, Hippie, is that nobody knows your bike like you do. If you feel comfortable doing it, then I say go for it. You know what you're signing up for, having done long trips before, so just make sure both you and your bike are ready for it--plenty of rest, plenty of water, check the bike over as best you can before starting out, keep on top of the maintenance, etc. Again, you've done it before so you know what you're signing up for.

It does sound like a lot of fun and even though I'm sure you already know, some of the scenery between CA and MT is absolutely beautiful. You can take the southern route and get the mountain views and elevation changes between CA and NV, then the desert landscapes from NV to UT, and then right next to three national forests/parks on your way through ID to MT. Plenty of scenic places to make a nice overnight stop with some sightseeing or just a nice backdrop for a relaxing ride. The northern route looks just as promising, although I must admit to never having been through OR, but you can't go wrong with that many national parks to ride past.

Hi jaskc78:

Yeah, I know the bike pretty well. It's old like me About Oregon, I hope you can make it up there for some riding. I have had so many amazing rides up there and the roads, mountains are just too much fun not to enjoy.

There are some real odd-ball routes I can take. I'm thinking about some of the eastern Oregon routes. I would have to strap on some extra fuel however.

Last year, I did the full length of highway 101 from Washington state back to Eureka--that was simply mind blowing. I love riding the coast here.

I see you mention riding a wheel chair--I do hope this is very temporary!

Regards,

It's off and on, thankfully more off than on lately. Waiting on a hip replacement, the docs don't think my hip is bad enough yet so I sit and wait for it to get worse. Nobody wants to do it because I just turned 33 and having a major hip replacement that young raises a lot of questions at the state med board level.

Yikes. That sounds rough. I hope things go well for you. At that age, it's got to drive you crazy waiting!

Best of luck.

Regards,

I've got a friend who restores old Beemer airheads and has done tours of several thousands of kilometers each on his R60 (a bike from the early 60's). His logic is that, chances are, he'll be able to fix anything that's likely to break on it. Like others have mentioned, it really depends on how well you know your own bike (and how much you'd enjoy roadside wrenching).

a_hippie wrote:......................

So how far would you ride an old bike?

regards,

As others have mentioned....knowing how roadworthy the bike is and being able to do repairs while on a long trip is the real issue.
I still have an old low mileage ( 16K ) 1979 Honda 750F that I wouldn't be afraid to ride to Ca and back to Ohio on with just a little prep and new tires and battery.

BTW...nice looking Shadow