January 3rd, 2011, 11:04 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Travel pictures, anyone?
Riding in the winter reminds me of those fantastic days in the summer, when I was riding down the West Coast from British Columbia to southern California. These pics were taken in the Big Sur segment. In these gray, wet and icy days of winter, I thought they would raise your spirit. Enjoy.
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January 4th, 2011, 07:37 AM | #2 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
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/moved to Pictures area
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January 6th, 2011, 09:12 AM | #3 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Ryan
Location: San Francisco
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Big Sur is tha business.
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The Sunday Best | Current mileage: 50,000 |
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January 12th, 2011, 07:12 PM | #4 |
Motorcyclist
Name: James
Location: Maryland
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Ninja 300 ABS Posts: A lot.
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Great pics, looking forward to the warm weather.
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January 12th, 2011, 09:14 PM | #5 |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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With our old motos in front of the Colosseum (yes the actual one in Rome!)
Outside Grindlewuld and Interlaken in Switzerland: Over the San Gottardo pass in Switzerland: |
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January 12th, 2011, 09:28 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Enviable. Did you guys ship your bikes over? Cost an arm and a leg? What about border crossings? What documentation is needed? I'm thinking about going to the EU maybe next year.
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January 12th, 2011, 10:04 PM | #7 | |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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Quote:
Lots of photo speed traps in Europe which can be thoroughly disregarded because whats the point? Not like they can bill you here |
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January 12th, 2011, 10:24 PM | #8 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Brian
Location: Detroit, MI
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Green Posts: A lot.
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Very sweet. So all in all how much did that whole trip cost you? Fee's and everything?
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January 12th, 2011, 10:43 PM | #9 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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January 12th, 2011, 10:51 PM | #10 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Brian
Location: Detroit, MI
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Green Posts: A lot.
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January 13th, 2011, 02:02 AM | #11 | |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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Quote:
Shipping motos from Galveston to Italy was ~$1400 each I think, then we had to pay ~$300 in taxes/import fees/bribes to the Italians at the other end. Moto insurance for 2 months just to get us around the EU was around $50, and luckily AAA was able to supply int'l drivers licenses for like $25 as well as travelers insurance for about the same, which covered emergency hospital fees and such. This was all about 3 years ago so its kinda fuzzy. We stayed at hostels/campsites/friends houses the whole time, and usually averaged about 20-25 euros/night. Basically the whole costs of actually being there ended up being about $70/day on average I think, which isnt too bad if you think about how much traveling generally is. GEAR tips: We had only a tank bag, a rear seat bag & backpacks. Didn't want to go with saddlebags because traffic would have sucked with those on, and we definitely busted through a ton of that. We packed to be as multi-functional as possible, but still brought a lot of extra stuff. I wouldn't recommend bringing motorcycle boots, I'd wear ankle high but comfortable hiking or military style boots for the single reason that if you need to go on hikes or walk around, these will be much more functional and comfortable than moto boots, especially in dirt or mud. This also means that you don't need to pack tennis shoes for walking or hiking. If you're gonna ride in the rain, get one of those rubberized 1-pc shells, and use a lightweight moto jacket underneath. Regular jackets aren't waterproof worth a crap, and our most miserable day was spent riding through 400 miles of near-freezing rain. Instead of my fake 2-pc touring Fieldsheer suit that used a ton of space, I would much rather have packed a lightweight rain suit, and worn a summer jacket and armored jeans underneath, with more layers if cold. This leads to layers, with a summer jacket, super lightweight windbreaker underneath and thermal layers under that will keep you warm in almost anything. Armored kevlar jeans with thermal layers underneath will also be good enough for most any normal riding, and you can also multi-purpose the jeans for every day use. Then come the gloves, we had lightweight summer gloves and leather gauntlets for colder weather. Bad idea. What would have worked better would have been the summer gloves with a ski-style fingered shell over the top of those that are waterproof and windproof. We literally had to ride until we couldnt use the front brakes anymore wiht our fingers, then pull over and warm up before continuing. Bad times. As for riding there, it was really easy to ride in Italy, if you're not a complete sissy. They have NO fear of anything there, so you need to ride aggressive just to stay up. There would be 14-year old girls on scooters blowing by us while talking on their cell phones with purses balanced on their laps in heavy traffic. We'd also see these funky 3-wheeled Piaggio carts hauling ass down mountain roads taking racing lines and hitting apexes with hay in the back of them. Also the police were pretty useless, but in a good way. We got hassled by some police in Italy and basically their only question they could come up with was "why are you here?" then proceeded to search TQ for weed. Didnt make much sense but they didnt give us much trouble! Didn't have any other run-ins with the law. TBH there was so much on that trip I'd really need to make a (more) giant posting about it. But it was definitely epic, although not to rain on your parade, because I still haven't ridden big sur yet and I've lived in cali my entire life. How sad is that! |
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January 13th, 2011, 03:01 AM | #12 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Quote:
We west coasters should ride the entire west coast. However, here is my own confession. I rode down from Vancouver on April 1, and reached San Diego around April 20, with stops at friends' places along the way. Unfortunately, it was grey, wet and somewhat cold throughout Washington and Oregon, and did not dry and warm up till northern California. The rest was pure pleasure. The expenses were minimal - fuel and food, that's it. Yes, please do write an epic piece. I'll be the first to lap it up. |
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January 13th, 2011, 03:49 AM | #13 | |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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January 13th, 2011, 10:33 AM | #14 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Quote:
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January 13th, 2011, 01:19 PM | #15 | |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Quote:
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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January 13th, 2011, 02:50 PM | #16 |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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Ok so you guys got me thinking last night, so I uploaded a bunch of higher-res photos of the moto trip to photobucket.
http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y62...view=slideshow I'll work more on the album tomorrow because I had some uploading problems, but here are some highlight photos. Tuscany: Florence: Cinque Terre: Ducati Factory in Bologna: Venice: Switzerland: France/Paris: London: You guys are killing me. Now all I wanna do is go on another trip! |
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January 13th, 2011, 03:20 PM | #17 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Effing awesome, gents! Keep the good stuff coming!
Switzerland reminds me a lot of British Columbia. You guys should come up here for a ride. The summer here is cool and dry, perfect for what we have in mind, and much less expensive than Europe. |
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January 13th, 2011, 03:46 PM | #18 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Scott
Location: Carlise Ohio
Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): Yahama v star 650 classic Posts: A lot.
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Steve, those are some nice pictures!! I just checked out all them on your photobucket. Awsome! makes me wish I could do something like that!
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January 13th, 2011, 06:37 PM | #19 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Brian
Location: Detroit, MI
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Green Posts: A lot.
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DUDE! That is Ridcccculous... Extremely sweet. Some of those tips on gear work well here in general too and interesting idea on buying a bike and then selling it before you leave. Gah, I gotta find time to take a few days off and just go off somewhere. You guys have given me an itchy butt to ride.
On that note. I live in cali for the past 8+ years and still havent ridden big sur either. Granted i've only had a bike/M1 license for a year. I have driven it and man was it fun. Would love to take the bike there sometime. My bucket list is getting longer and longer by the day thanks to this forum. |
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January 13th, 2011, 10:19 PM | #20 | |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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Quote:
As for number two, there were a few variables. Neither of us wanted to try to sell off our bikes super fast and then buy one there, because the exchange rate wasn't very good at the time we went. Also, we wanted to be sure that our bikes would be in good enough condition to handle the 2800 mile trip without problems, and basically shipping them was insurance that we weren't going to have mechanical problems. We really didn't trust buying bikes from random Italians, because you really never know what you're getting. This allowed us to plan the trip around avoiding major mechanical breakdowns, which simplified things. Crashing, though, was always on top of our "lets not do that" list. Judging how expensive everything was in Italy, and how super expensive larger motorcycles are there, we probably did the right thing. I'll work on uploading more/better pictures and doing a full write up. He and I are attempting to go on a South America trip later this year depending on money/vacation... but this time it will most likely be more of an adventure experience than a road trip! |
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January 13th, 2011, 11:10 PM | #21 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Quote:
Here is a follow-up question. Would you feel more secure buying a bike from the Brits, and riding from the UK to Italy instead, and selling the bike in Italy? What countries in S. America do you guys want to visit? Do you plan to ship the bikes down, or ride them down through Mexico and Central America? Either way, it promises to be an adventure alright. Just make sure not to get kidnapped for ransom! |
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January 14th, 2011, 01:49 AM | #22 | |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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Quote:
As for south america, I'm thinkin Lima, Peru to Buenos Aires which is about 3000mi or so in a month, but again, it all depends on what route we take or what we wanna see. I really want to buy motos down there, and go the crazier route of using unknown bikes for super cheap and just seeing where we get. Some of those roads arent much of roads as we know them, and the atacama desert is at 12,000 feet or above, with some of the passes getting close to 16,000 feet. It could be an amazing trip, but the possibility of danger is much higher because of the environment. Though with well thought-out gear (dual sport helmet, better rain gear, glove warmers), a different style of planning (less destination oriented, more journey as the goal) the trip could be amazing. Its definitely poorer, so theft will be more of an issue, so we'll need to be a bit more nazi about that than last time. But, I'm sure if it works out it could be amazing, and MUCH cheaper (~$4k if all goes well!). South America in every way looks awesome. Watch the Top Gear episode where they have their adventure from Brazil to Chile |
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January 14th, 2011, 03:23 AM | #23 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Brian
Location: Detroit, MI
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Green Posts: A lot.
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Also a good point. Unless you get the chance to really check out the bike, it'll be difficult to completely trust it. All in all i'd say the experience outweighs any cost so you probably made the right decision.
Still though. Talk about a unique vacation. Most people talk about how they went to this place and that place and walked around with a tour bus but man... this is something to really talk about. Gear is always going to be an issue. I often wish I had a Mary Poppins wallet to store everything and anything I want in another dimension until needed. That would be ideal. |
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January 14th, 2011, 11:25 AM | #24 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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Hey Steve, is this "Death Road" (Yungas Road) the route they took? If not, it's all yours.
Uh oh. |
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January 20th, 2011, 06:43 PM | #25 | |
Greenman!
Name: Jack
Location: South NJ
Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 Posts: 109
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Quote:
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January 20th, 2011, 06:53 PM | #26 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Anthony
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250; 1996 Suzuki Katana GSXF 600; 80s Yamaha 650 Special; 70s Kawasaki 350 Triple Posts: 448
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January 20th, 2011, 07:16 PM | #27 | |
Greenman!
Name: Jack
Location: South NJ
Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 Posts: 109
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Quote:
Posted via Mobile Device |
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January 20th, 2011, 09:46 PM | #28 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Brian
Location: Detroit, MI
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Green Posts: A lot.
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I believe Bell might even have a photochromatic visor that darkens during the day. I'd love to get one but scorpion helmets fit me so well and have a very good fog free coating. It's hard to beat.
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