PCX Ride from NJ to CA - PART I

[vito]

Remember that Denver gets snow in the summer some times. (I have been in every state except Alaska, many times in my life. There is a lot to see but be prepared for anything.)

Not since July 1872 and even then it didn't settle! (Lived there for 30 years) Now, up in the mountains a little different!

I guess you win as the oldest person here, being that you were in Denver in 1872!

[Brando]

Regarding bears - We do a lot of camping and I carry this device with me just in case we run into any bears. So far, I've never had to use it.
https://amzn.to/2I5Juf9

[Mel46]

Here is a quote from the weather channel:
"There has been measurable snowfall twice in June in Denver, 0.4" in 1919 and 0.3" in 1951. Four times there has been a Trace of snow recorded for the month, most recently in 1974. The average June snowfall in Denver is 0.0". The average temperature during June in Denver is 67.4°.Jun 1, 2015"

[vito]

Denver may not be the issue. Leaving Denver and heading West, the grades in the foothills can be very steep. Using my Dodge Durango to pull a small camping trailer, which I have no trouble pulling at 70 mph plus on level ground, kept me to a top speed of about 40 at times. Similar grades on secondary roads might bring the PCX, heavily loaded, almost to a stop. And as to weather, I lived in Denver in the early 1970's and recall more than once while camping in the summer, in the southwest corner of the state, to wake up to find my tent covered in snow. Taking this trip on a scooter shows real guts.

[NADman]

Rain at a few degrees above freezing is worse than actual snow.

[Old Grinner]

Thanks to Old Grinner mentioning the days of 55 mph speed limits I've had the song -I can't drive 55 -stuck in my head for days.

Your welcome!

In metropolitan areas it may have been OK as I remember it but once you got out into long stretches of endless straight highway it could seem like it took forever to get anywhere. It did probably save countless lives though considering the times. Now when people should be slowing down due to traffic density they go faster than ever. They drive like a bunch of stressed out fish in an undersized tank considering the quantity. Fun to watch them compete for space and try to get out of each others way.

[Mel46]

Well, I didn't really want to get into the advice giving, but I drove my little VW Beetle through the Rockies in the late '60s - early '70s and it had a hard time keeping up with traffic. I dont see the PCX as much more powerful than my little bug..

...and the desert was horrible too! Salt Lake City is big but 5here is a lot of nothing around it. And Nevada?? Hot and dry.
I came back by way of Phoenix and the temps were reading 123°F. Reaching New Mexico was about as hot, though the elevation was climbing there. Like I said, I have crossed this country multiple times in the past. Just be prepared for anything.

[Limey]

I guess you win as the oldest person here, being that you were in Denver in 1872!

Actually I was born in 1849 and remember it well - more fake news! LOL

[Limey]

Here is a quote from the weather channel:
"There has been measurable snowfall twice in June in Denver, 0.4" in 1919 and 0.3" in 1951. Four times there has been a Trace of snow recorded for the month, most recently in 1974. The average June snowfall in Denver is 0.0". The average temperature during June in Denver is 67.4°.Jun 1, 2015"

Denverites don't call that snow - it's dandruff!

[Inoplanetyanin]

Well, I didn't really want to get into the advice giving, but I drove my little VW Beetle through the Rockies in the late '60s - early '70s and it had a hard time keeping up with traffic. I dont see the PCX as much more powerful than my little bug..

...and the desert was horrible too! Salt Lake City is big but 5here is a lot of nothing around it. And Nevada?? Hot and dry.
I came back by way of Phoenix and the temps were reading 123°F. Reaching New Mexico was about as hot, though the elevation was climbing there. Like I said, I have crossed this country multiple times in the past. Just be prepared for anything.

Sure, weather can be a challenge but I think it's an amazing thing that we experience weather (be it extreme heat, rain, strong winds)... Too many people spend most of their lives in cubicles behind glass windows and don't have the opportunity to feel the nature as one does on a motorcycle riding through all those conditions.

[zroger73]

Too many people spend most of their lives in cubicles behind glass windows and don't have the opportunity to feel the nature as one does on a motorcycle riding through all those conditions.

And, some of us have little or no desire to.

For me, riding is almost exclusively a late-Spring through early-Fall activity provided it's not raining and is no cooler than 70°F or warmer than 95°F. I'm just not one to expose myself unnecessarily to uncomfortable conditions.

I enjoy nature when it's comfortable to do so. When it's cold, hot, or wet, I prefer to be in a climate-controlled area.

When I was a kid and a motorcycle was my only means of transportation, I was more willing to brave the elements.

[vito]

As I get older my parameters for weather and riding have narrowed. I will go out when it is as low as 50 after a long winter of not riding, and then once its warm I might not go until and if it is at least 60. In the hot summer months, if it goes over 92 I pretty much stop riding. At 93, the air blowing on you heats you up rather than cools you down. If I am sweltering its just not fun, and fun is the only real reason I ride. And that applies to both my motorcycle and my PCX.

[Cube]

Denver may not be the issue. Leaving Denver and heading West, the grades in the foothills can be very steep.

Very true, but a lot of the back roads are also much lower speed limits than I70. Even on I70, the semis creep along in the right lane on the hills and people just pass them without incident. Also, time of day and day of week can work in your favor as heavier traffic days will also slow the average speed noticeably.

As far as rain gear, we get daily afternoon storms for weeks at a time - and you will get soaked if you get caught in one (ask me how I know). I always carry gear unless I'm willing to get soaked.

[Inoplanetyanin]

Ordered a cheap rain jacket from amazon, only 13$. I don't plan to take the freeways and the PCX speed is plenty enough, in fact, I rarely open it up all the way. 20 days of actual riding at around 3000 miles, should give me a comfortable range of only 150 miles a day. If some days i'll ride double, I can have days spent in town without going anywhere.

I know that if hard pressed, PCX could be placed on the slab and with WOT at 65 could cover 800+ miles, albeit it would be a long day in the saddle, something that can be done.

Still trying to decide which route to take. Seems the weather will be hotter in southern states so I will probly go through Michigan peninsula and Minnesota.

[NeroM]

If you have bicycled a TA route, you should know the answer to your questions.
Consider the 2020 Scooter Cannonball route.
Get some Adventure Cycle maps.

[Inoplanetyanin]

I rode from CA up to Washington, then Montana and then across Canada into NY. So it bypassed the states I am planning to ride through this time. Hence, the questions.
Yes, considering cannonball.

[springer1]

If you have bicycled a TA route, you should know the answer to your questions.
Consider the 2020 Scooter Cannonball route.
Get some Adventure Cycle maps.

+1

[relic]

Many years ago 1974 a dude travelled across the US and wrote a book- Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance -tried to read it but was a little too heady for me.
Really liked the title though. Inoplanetyanin may you achieve a state of Zen on your journey.

[Inoplanetyanin]

So I finished the ride and wanted to post the photos and share details but the thread has been moved into what seems like a dead area of the forum where few pcx owners are likely to visit regularly.

Is this so or not?

[Jge64]

Its not...most of us use “active topics” to bring up the most recent posts no matter where it is.....