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Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Want to go for a DAMN Ride? So do we! :whoop:
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Firebolter
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Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Firebolter »

This seems like a good trip! Only take 12-14 hours to drive to the UPA from the DC area. Having ridden some of Michigan which was awesome, I have been told that UPA is WAY better, so this would be a EPIC big DS ride!


https://advrider.com/f/threads/upper-pe ... es.627424/
Lots of cool bikes---
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Boom Boom
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Boom Boom »

That makes me want to get a big bike...
I was all set for a UP single track ride this spring then their Gov went bat shit crazy like Pa Gov.
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by smdub »

This looks really cool. I want to do more riding. I forced myself to commit to the DAMN KAT trip and go do something vs just talking about it.

I don't want to go too off topic but I think I'll ramble on a bit here. Mike, your comment about a big bike resonates w/ me. I have a great friend who is a dual sport trip nut and did the TAT a few years ago. He's going out west soon or I would have talked him into riding the DAMN HM/KAT trip w/ us (hes done both before.) While he has a big bike (990?) hes hard core on the enduro side of hard. Says his old DRZ-E was perfect TAT bike. Don't want anything larger, esp in the sand and for all the hard options. Our new 500s, while lighter than the DRZ, is "more than needed but will allow even harder stuff." The tour of Idaho is on his list (and right up his alley.) Anyway, I've had good adversarial conversations w/ him about a compromise TAT bike. Like the KAT, it has a LOT of dirt road and even paved sections (and by the looks of it this Mi UP trip.) He has his big bike, I have my 1L Duc. I have no NEED to ride anything that powerful. Yes, Its HUGELY fun on the street but I've done multi state road trips on little 600s just fine. I sure don't want to wrestle a 500# bike off road though! STOCK, My 500 is 254# wet. A DRZ-S is 317# wet. A '19+ KTM 690 = 346# wet. A Yama T700 or KTM 790R are both ~450# wet. W/ the newer bikes that you get much better suspension than the DRZ (though that can be fixed), efi (sorry I *HATE* carbs), and 6th gear. Oh, and you get 6000+mi suggested oil change intervals, which is HUGELY longer than my 500. Just trying to figure where one draws the line on how big/small a bike really needs to be. I guess most of it falls to having the experience doing these types of rides and making the personal tradeoff decision of comfort vs capability. Does it make sense to go out west, rent some of the other bikes and do a multi day trip/tour on them to see what types of things you like?
Stephen (not Steve) - '08 Monster S2R1000 / '20 Husky 701LR / KTM '20 500 EXC / '17 150 XC-W / '21 E-XC / '21 890R / '19 Sherco 300FST / Sur-Ron LBX / Segway X160 / Sur-Ron Ultra Bee
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Firebolter
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Firebolter »

Maybe it's just me, but EVERYTIME I do a ADV type ride and ride a big bike (F800GSA or my Desert Sled) I say to myself, I WISH I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT A 500 (or similar bike). I mean, unless you are going to do more than 30-40 miles at a time on the pavement, and on Interstate, mid size bikes work great. Oil changes don't worry me, you can drop just the oil and not change the filter for that one change, especially if you started fresh.

I rode the Desert Sled last year on the S500 as a marshall. I rode the A options on it. Once I geared it correctly, It was not bad and would have been really good with real tires. The Duc 800 Desert Sled is the only other bike I would even consider for UPA or a TAT like event, but if you take your 500, you can also do some single track while you are up there and when it gets ugly, you'll be smiling while big bike guys are struggling.

For me, 500 (0r 450/650 DR/WR etc.) all the way. These kind of events are exactly why I bought it. I almost bought a KTM or Husky 690/701 or the SWM 650 when I was looking this last winter but I kept coming back to the 500. Being able to "TRULY" do it all with the least sacrifice and that sacrifice would be sustained Interstate and most of these rides don't have that, so 500 it is. I mean I felt that way when I had the 525. Sold it, bought the F800 and missed the 525 so much!

My buddy Mark from Kauai, bought a 2017 KTM 500 here at JT's, flew in, we picked it up. He added his gear and took off and rode the TAT by himself. He had nothing but good things to say about the bike post ride.

Remember the one DAMN guy who rode his WR250 all the way up the ALCAN? I mean on a 250! He had something like 20K miles on that bike and it just kept going.
Lots of cool bikes---
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Rut Row
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Rut Row »

Firebolter wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 7:46 am This seems like a good trip! Only take 12-14 hours to drive to the UPA from the DC area.
More like 13-16 hours or more. I've done that ride.
Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
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Firebolter
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Firebolter »


More like 13-16 hours or more. I've done that ride.
So have I, you drive slow old man- :duel:
Lots of cool bikes---
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Wingfixer »

Firebolter wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 12:07 pm

More like 13-16 hours or more. I've done that ride.
So have I, you drive slow old man- :duel:
Pfft, 12 flat! :deal:
F*** work.
Ride motorcycles.
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Rut Row
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Rut Row »

Firebolter wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 12:07 pm

More like 13-16 hours or more. I've done that ride.
So have I, you drive slow old man- :duel:
Old guys need lots of potty stops :shrug:
Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
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Marylander
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Marylander »

Rut Row wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 1:13 pm Old guys need lots of potty stops :shrug:
I don't know what you're talking about. Hold on, I just stood up so now I've got to pee...
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Re: Michigan Upper Peninsula 1200 mile DS ride

Post by Bucho »

Firebolter wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:21 am Maybe it's just me, but EVERYTIME I do a ADV type ride and ride a big bike (F800GSA or my Desert Sled) I say to myself, I WISH I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT A 500 (or similar bike). I mean, unless you are going to do more than 30-40 miles at a time on the pavement, and on Interstate, mid size bikes work great. Oil changes don't worry me, you can drop just the oil and not change the filter for that one change, especially if you started fresh.

I rode the Desert Sled last year on the S500 as a marshall. I rode the A options on it. Once I geared it correctly, It was not bad and would have been really good with real tires. The Duc 800 Desert Sled is the only other bike I would even consider for UPA or a TAT like event, but if you take your 500, you can also do some single track while you are up there and when it gets ugly, you'll be smiling while big bike guys are struggling.

For me, 500 (0r 450/650 DR/WR etc.) all the way. These kind of events are exactly why I bought it. I almost bought a KTM or Husky 690/701 or the SWM 650 when I was looking this last winter but I kept coming back to the 500. Being able to "TRULY" do it all with the least sacrifice and that sacrifice would be sustained Interstate and most of these rides don't have that, so 500 it is. I mean I felt that way when I had the 525. Sold it, bought the F800 and missed the 525 so much!

My buddy Mark from Kauai, bought a 2017 KTM 500 here at JT's, flew in, we picked it up. He added his gear and took off and rode the TAT by himself. He had nothing but good things to say about the bike post ride.

Remember the one DAMN guy who rode his WR250 all the way up the ALCAN? I mean on a 250! He had something like 20K miles on that bike and it just kept going.
Lighter weight bikes all the way!
I have a nice van. If I never have to ride my bike on the highway EVER again that will be just fine.
My old crappy DR650 is fine and does the job. The newer generations of 500s are really sweet.
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