KE100 - Slow ride Chicago to Pacific Northwest
- Thread starter ihatemybike
- Start date
digitaldelay
Explorer
I just read this whole thread plus the trip report on ADVRider before looking up what a KE100 was. I kept imagining one of those pedal bikes with the fuel bottle in the water bottle cage, haha.
You might want to at least carry a large MSR bottle of gas for emergencies. Even better would be a 1gal Rotopax if you can find somewhere to mount it.
This will be a cool trip, take (and post) lots of pics!
Jason
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
You might want to at least carry a large MSR bottle of gas for emergencies. Even better would be a 1gal Rotopax if you can find somewhere to mount it.
This will be a cool trip, take (and post) lots of pics!
Jason
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
ihatemybike
Explorer
It's been suggested that I use Gatorade for hydration before the longer stretches and the then empty bottles for temporary fuel bottles.
I need to practice stopping and grabbing pics. I only took two on Sunday's ride.
I need to practice stopping and grabbing pics. I only took two on Sunday's ride.
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
I agree with you, the fact that this bike is not your typical long distance trip bike, the possibility of running out of gas, some kind of failure, and planning the appropriate route is the adventure as much as the destination. I just got myself a '79 Honda XL 185 last week from my brother in law. I believe that I am the third owner. The speedometer is working, and it only has 1200 miles on it. It runs like a top, needs blinkers replaced as well as a few switches, (thanks to my nephew) but it won't need much. I'd love to do something similar to what you are doing. I am going to start with trips closer to home, possibly the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands. We'll see where this little bike takes me.
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ihatemybike
Explorer
Hey all,
I rode the bike from Chicago to The Tail of the Dragon last week. Got rear ended by a Saab 9-5 in Southern Indiana. Aside from a couple scratches I'm fine. The KE's rear fender, tail light assembly, wheel adjusters, shocks and bars were all damaged, but I was able to adjust it enough to continue. I get to talk to the driver's insurance company more today. Hopefully I can get the bike repaired in time for the trip West.
I rode the bike from Chicago to The Tail of the Dragon last week. Got rear ended by a Saab 9-5 in Southern Indiana. Aside from a couple scratches I'm fine. The KE's rear fender, tail light assembly, wheel adjusters, shocks and bars were all damaged, but I was able to adjust it enough to continue. I get to talk to the driver's insurance company more today. Hopefully I can get the bike repaired in time for the trip West.
digitaldelay
Explorer
Glad you are ok. Hopefully they don't write off your bike.
Jason
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Jason
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Cabrito
I come in Peace
Same here. Sounds like that could have been bad.
Keep your head on a swivel out there riders.
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
Bump
ihatemybike
Explorer
Guess I should update.
Insurance company gave me $420 towards the repairs to the KE. So far I've repaired the metal inner fender with a big hammer, the plastic outer fender with a heat gun and have a utility trailer light housing as a temporary tail light. I need to true my rear wheel and replace the shocks. Yesterday was the first day riding the bike in a couple weeks and it felt good to be back on it.
This trip has been put on hold as my wife returned early from her WWOOF volunteer opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.
I was going to look at a couple Astros while I was out there and with her back early was using them as an excuse to still complete this ride, but both vans I was talking to the owners of have sold them. I'm checking the ads almost daily, but I'm not finding much due to me being so specific in what I'm looking for and my current budget. Right now it looks like I'll be putting this ride off till sometime next year so I can afford more van, but I'm determined this ride is going to happen.
Insurance company gave me $420 towards the repairs to the KE. So far I've repaired the metal inner fender with a big hammer, the plastic outer fender with a heat gun and have a utility trailer light housing as a temporary tail light. I need to true my rear wheel and replace the shocks. Yesterday was the first day riding the bike in a couple weeks and it felt good to be back on it.
This trip has been put on hold as my wife returned early from her WWOOF volunteer opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.
I was going to look at a couple Astros while I was out there and with her back early was using them as an excuse to still complete this ride, but both vans I was talking to the owners of have sold them. I'm checking the ads almost daily, but I'm not finding much due to me being so specific in what I'm looking for and my current budget. Right now it looks like I'll be putting this ride off till sometime next year so I can afford more van, but I'm determined this ride is going to happen.
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
We'll be watching.
ihatemybike
Explorer
Still daydreaming about this trip....
Some years ago I did a US tour on a Honda XL175. Carried all my camping gear and food, water and a small fuel can for emergencies (and for my stove). I bought it secondhand in LA and by the time I got to SF I'd done more than 4000 miles (I went via the desert - Mojave, Death Valley etc). I headed on up into Canada via Vancouver Island, across to Calgary and ended up down in Texas over six months later having done 14,000 miles in total. My longest one-day ride was 520 miles from Montrose Co. to Hereford Tx (SW of Amarillo) which I would not recommend - I was well exhausted. The bike ran faultlessly, I had one puncture on a freeway in Ca and a pickup stopped within 10 minutes and took me to a Honda dealer. People I met were overwhelmingly friendly, from Hells Angels to farmers, all loved the fact I was goging solo and slow on this tiny bke. The Honda would sitt happily at 40mph all day long and leaning back on my sleeping bag roll was comfy and I loved it!