Well..... I made it.
I clocked 613 miles in two days when it was all through and it was some of the best (and hardest) riding I have ever done. We started in Ft Collins, Colorado and went west into the mountains with 43 vintage motorcycle riders. A few people cheated and had modern bikes but overall it was mostly vintage. Among others, we rode with an old Harley, two Indians, a Velocette, a raft of classic Triumphs, some BSAs, two Vincents, and you guessed it..... one Bridgestone. I had the only two-stroke and the smallest engine by a wide margin.
We rode South and West into the Rockies on awesome winding mountain roads and picked up a few of our other vintage buddies from Southern Colorado before heading North towards Wyoming. One of the best things about riding in the mountains is that it is considerably cooler and you can ride comfortably in the Summer. There was quite a bit of snow in the higher elevations but all the roads were clear.
When we went through the Plains is where I was struggled. I chose to ride with my friends (with mid-70s BMWs) rather than a more speed appropriate group. the Beamers with thier weight and 900-1000cc engines easily powered through the significant headwinds and up the gentle grades. Averaging around 80 mph, I routinely fell behind when we hit a rise in the road but I always managed to catch up when it flattened out.
Most people consider me a guy who takes care of his stuff but I'm embarassed to say I abused my bike for two hard days. The mountains were easy but I really wrang it out on the long straight stretches. There were a hell of a lot of guys who were impressed that I kept up. One guy in our group had a beautiful 68 Triumph 650cc. He pulled ahead on the gentle up-grades but I could take him pretty easily on a flat stretch. I generally topped out around 85 mph. Keep in mind we're running at 7000-12000 feet and everyone's performance suffers a lot!
Day 2 was shorter and we went through the Snow Range in Wyoming where they had cut through about 10 feet of snow to clear the roads and the scenery was some of the best in the whole United States. Just Stunning. Especially in Summer! We wound our way back through one of the state parks back to Ft Collins for a short after-ride party. When I finally calculated mileage I seemed to get around 45-50 mpg. Does seem right to you guys?
I'll post photos tonight. I also want to extend an invitation to any Bridgestone owners if you want to attent this event you can stay at my place and we can tow up to Ft Collins. Might save a few bucks. It's always better on a BS. Also, at the end of summer several guys with other small cc bikes may make a similar run. Let me know if you are interested.
Todd W
