so my buddy troy and i have been talking about a camping motorcycle trip for a while now, and we both had the weekend free. we started from SE michigan, just north of detroit and headed up I-75 with no real plan. all went pretty well for the first couple of hours, but then just south of flint, there was a huge backup and a thunderstorm was brewing. once the rain started, we hit the shoulder and stopped under the first bridge we found
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2731725461_880c1b6f17.jpg?v=0)
at any given point, there were 5 or so other bikers stopped under it too, so it really just became a bit of a party. not too bad. once the rain let up, we continued on, stopping in saginaw for some food. this is when troy announced that he had a plan. we'd continue up to the northern tip of the state, and just before the bridge to the UP, we'd get off the highway and follow the eastern coast all the way back down. good enough for me.
he also had a plan of where to camp, so we got back on the highway and continued toward the site. when we finally got close, however, we found that the gas station he was counting on had already closed.... about 10 minutes earlier. he was on reserve and my light had just come on, so we decided to just keep going towards the next town and find a place to camp. if he ran out of gas in the morning, we'd deal with it then. along the way, we found a bar, so stopped to see if they were still open. the bartender said she had some cans of gas, but couldn't find the keys to the shed. in the end, she sold us a 12 pack to go, and we kept to the plan.
after nearly hitting a porcupine--which i'd have to imagine is bad for tires--troy found a set of two-tracks that led to a decent camping area just off the road. there is something about taking a brand new $10,000 sport bike up a sandy two track in the middle of the night that really sharpens the senses.
empties:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/2730110543_7ff3deb8f6.jpg?v=0)
bikes loaded in the morning
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2730104681_8af26ff11d.jpg?v=0)
so saturday, we had one close call with a cop where we had just crested a hill doing about 75 in a 55. his lights came on, but he was chasing someone else. then we spent the rest of the day, following the coast down towards "the thumb" where i knew a friend was having a party at his cottage.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2730945434_9232ec2b4b.jpg?v=0)
we didn't actually buy the wood, but thought it looked funny... note also, the tent hanging from the handle bars
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2730939872_01e9247204.jpg?v=0)
sunday, we continued down the coast till we hit port huron, then took the highway back. at one point, doing about 90, i saw another headlight behind troy. we let the guy pass and when he got up next to me i looked over.... it was a freakin scooter! passing us.... doing 90. insane.
parked at the berkley front for a "victory pint" after about 750 miles
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/2732548392_07588459cb.jpg?v=0)
Nice pics. I live 5 miles from the 'Front, so I can understand it's a natural destination after a trek like that.
I wanted to see the Duc with loaded on the back. What is the other cycle you went exploring with?
why on earth would you stop for food in Sagnasty??
Sounds like a fun trip [thumbsup]
Quote from: hillbillypolack on August 04, 2008, 07:40:48 PM
What is the other cycle you went exploring with?
suzuki DR650... aka "the bike you want when the apocalypse comes"
all i did for cargo was take the cowl off and strap a backpack down with a mesh bungie. could've carried about 3 times as much easily.
he had the tent hanging from the handle bars and a similar mesh bungie setup.
Quote from: Randimus Maximus on August 04, 2008, 07:59:49 PM
why on earth would you stop for food in Sagnasty??
we were detoured through it and starving. outback.
Quote from: cmorgan47 on August 05, 2008, 06:19:27 AM
suzuki DR650... aka "the bike you want when the apocalypse comes"
Oh yeah..I knew that was a DR "dark"! [thumbsup] I had a DR350. It seemed indestructable! I wish I never got rid of that thing! Not much riding when I took it to Ann Arbor from AZ so I got rid of it. :-[ Love the pic with the bike all packed up with the wood!!
You were worried about taking the Monster on the trails?! LOL..that thing needs a little character and dirt on it! I've seen Ducs and MV's camping in places I wouldn't take your friends DR!! [laugh]
Looks like fun though! Wish I would have explored the "homestate" more when I lived there.
Quote from: IZ on August 05, 2008, 07:47:31 AM
You were worried about taking the Monster on the trails?! LOL..that thing needs a little character and dirt on it! I've seen
when we started talking about the "summer of motorcycle camping" he mentioned that there would be some off-road. i responded that "i've seen what those euros do on these things."
it was. keep the front end light, steer with the pegs, throttle will get you out of more trouble than brakes.
in the morning, when i realized that it was actually about 4 inches of sand, i was actually more nervous than when we went through it in the middle of the night.
Quote from: cmorgan47 on August 05, 2008, 08:05:51 AM
when we started talking about the "summer of motorcycle camping" he mentioned that there would be some off-road. i responded that "i've seen what those euros do on these things."
it was. keep the front end light, steer with the pegs, throttle will get you out of more trouble than brakes.
in the morning, when i realized that it was actually about 4 inches of sand, i was actually more nervous than when we went through it in the middle of the night.
Oh yeah..know what that is all about!! Not fun!!
Nice trip, maybe you should get a cheap dual sport and join in on the fun( If you haven't already)!
Quote from: bulldogs2k on August 05, 2008, 08:18:50 AM
Nice trip, maybe you should get a cheap dual sport and join in on the fun( If you haven't already)!
i might next summer. his dad has the exact same bike, but the suspension is set up about 1.5" lower, which fits me better. he's been talking about selling it ever since i've known him.
Quote from: cmorgan47 on August 05, 2008, 09:09:26 AM
i might next summer. his dad has the exact same bike, but the suspension is set up about 1.5" lower, which fits me better. he's been talking about selling it ever since i've known him.
Hehe, I'm doing the exact opposite of you. I'm trying to get a 696 in a few months...or more [thumbsup]
I did a trip last summer that took me along the eastern coast of Michigan. It's a very nice ride. Too bad you had to take the supper-slab all the way up! Looks like you guys had fun none the less.