Black Devil is Willin'

~~~
Heya my Fellow Grisistas!!

I've just completed another solo long-distance RideAbout on GRiSO:

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7200 miles in 22 days across the western USA - from Sept 19th through mid-October. I am sooo lucky the weather was in my favor. Seemed as soon as I got home the rains came - everywhere.

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Safe to say - GRiSO Is Willing!!

Started in Nashville, TN
1st waypoint was the GP Track; Road America - up in Wisconsin near Lake Superior

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the Tech:
2017 Black Devil - 8400 mi start / 15,600 finish
Mistral Hi-Pipe w/o dbk
Beetle Map - Thank You B!!
Pirelli Angel GT 2 rubber - 36 lbs F / 42 lbs R
Dave Moss suspension tune - for street
JW Speaker progressive headlamp
Car horns
GTM crash guards - yes, they work w/o trans energy to expensive bits
Givi windscreen
Rear int fender + front extension
Corbin seat
Folding shifter & brake pedals
Clipped hand levers
21 Brothers 50 ltr U bag


Waypoint 2 - Black Hills of South Dakota

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Waypoints 3 - Sturgis and Deadwood, South Dakota

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Stats:
7200 miles in 22 days - USA w/of the Mississippi

Best mileage leg:
91 octane
154 mi to Res light
Avg speed: 76 mph
Avg mpg: 40.5
Air temp: 65 degF
Avg wind: 3-5 mph cross

The Pirelli's felt great all the time and wore the miles very well. They were new 2k before this trip, endured a track day at Barber MSP, and still have a couple/few thousand miles rubber left on them.

-- At cruising speed GRiSO's speedo registers ~ 4 mph fast.

a tad chilly tent camping!

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Waypoint 4:  Devil's Tower - Wyoming

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my 'Errant Adventures':
- flat rear tire in a cool rain in the high South Dakotas - Of Course!!
(permPlug repair at mBike dealership nearby - whew, Providence!!)
- laid GRiSO down slowly when buddy pulled up too close at a Stop and laid us both over - pretty KeystoneCops funny. No damage to G, the L engine guard gave a whisp of paint, while my bud's BMW shifter pedal got bent - we pulled it mostly str8..

Waypoint 5 - after a lovely stop with a cousin in Boise - Western Idaho, where A River Runs Through It

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WayAcross 6 - I-20 across eastern Oregon where the road runs str8 through the high desert and gas stations are 120 miles apart.

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Waypoint 7 - Willamet Natn'l Park - from smoldering forests with tight-winding roads - down into the Redwoods towards the Oregon coast

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Waypoint 8 - Camping in the Redwoods felt like I'd died and gone to heaven.

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Waypoint 9 - the Oregon Pacific coastline

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From there I headed down the Avenue of Giants on Hwy 101 from Oregon to CA and in to Santa Rosa, where I hung with a dear old friend who took me up to Inverness

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I had my Mid-trip maintenance done by *Chris at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - **** farginGreatGuy!!

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- reg Valve Adj + Fluids change & gen tighten up. (kik stand was loose)

Next - down into Mill Valley & San Francisco where I picked up another old friend; Grant Jarrett, who rode east with me into Yosemite.

After Yosemite we headed further east to Las Vegas, but getting there entailed driving through a windstorm that sported 60-80 mph bangin' full 90 degree crosswinds - for 50 miles. We watched 3 semi trucks blow over, and as we got thru the state police closed the freeway.

On turning due east we initially had to run through a choking/white-out sandstorm which pitted our visors as we crept on.

So - Las Vegas was good for a two day hang as I changed out my air filter and cleaned out all my switchgear with penetrating oil. Several baths later our riding clothes started to lose the sand and grit..

- Got my C19 vaccine booster while I was at it - no neg reaction.

From there we did a daytrip up to Zion Natn'l Park and Bryce Canyon. One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

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From Vegas I turned east - solo again towards the Grand Canyon.

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Along the way I came across a standing rock - about 25' high - which i dubbed; 'Jimmy'.

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From there I entered the Grand Canyon from the North, then followed the south to the Park rim. It was too late in the day to run the road down inside the canyon by the river - which would have been ideal, but it was closed and getting snow cold.

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Pictures Do Not Do The Grand Canyon Justice - AT ALL. It's a must see up close in person dealy..

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From Flagstaff I turned east again and headed for Taos via the backroads. I love Taos - such a sweet town with the Rio Grande and hot springs on it's banks, and Wheeler Peak mountain. The place is mellow and beautiful.

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After Taos I sprinted down to Santa Fe to have lunch with another old friend.

I'd been gone from my wife Jeanie for nigh on 3 weeks so I was chaffing to get home. Thus I headed str8 through New Mexico, the Texas panhandle (where they can only put up 90 octane hi-test!!) - on through Oklahoma, Arkansas, then back home to Nashville.

It was a really great trip; definitely a bucket list venture. I loved riding solo, and GRiSO performed like the champ we all know him to be. - Solid, fast, reliable, secure. I love this bike - it takes America in stride, never missing a beat.
Of course in my 7200 miles I didn't see another Guzzi among the hordes of grey-bearded Harley codgers.

Cheers to all you friends. I hope to see you out there on the road.

Thank you for looking in - I hope you've enjoyed this post!!

- Brett

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Brilliant Post Brett
an epic ride and great pictures
thank you

I would have to do 3 laps of this little island to get those miles

Great report and pix, Brett; thanks.

Have never done anything as epic as yours, but also think the GRiSO has been a grand tourer for the numerous multi- (but not 21!) day rides I have asked of it.

Went through your report a second time with Kathi.  She asked if Jeanie missed you as much as you professed, or if your comment was "for the record."  

Seriously, three weeks is a long time for most guys -- at least for me   -- without "supervision."

Thanks again for going to the trouble of capturing all of that. Memories for a lifetime.

Bill

Yeah, Jeanie and I decided that our being apart 3 weeks was one too many - for comfort.
- We both missed each other way much by the end, and were glad I was back.

Epic trip, truly inspiring. And like you, I trust my Guzzi
to get me home every time. Great job and thanks for sharing....

Great report, Brett! I've hit most of the spots on the western half of your loop. New Mexico is a treat for sure!

Pete (Street)

Legend

What a trip

Thanks for taking us along on a great GRiSO trip!

Fantastic!!!!

Thank you mates, for all the encouraging replies!!

A couple points i left out was prep, rider gear, and riding approach while out far from home;
- I'm definitely an ATGATT / allTheGearAllTheTime dresser with a full exoSkeleton of armor bits under and in my Olympia textile suit . When I'm thousands of miles from home i become conservative about how I ride, wearing a full complement of safety bits including Sidi Adventure 2 boots, AlpineStars knee guards, armored shorts and shirt, and even a neck brace supporting my helmet. Several different pairs of gloves all got used for light/warm days to heated gloves, to a pair of Dianese Gore-Tex leather gloves for rain.
Incidently, the Dianese' GoreTex lining failed as it came out of the gloves with my hand, and re-insertion of that lining was a real PITA. For $185 / pair that certainly should not have happened. I'm still haggling with Dianese about this, even though the gloves are technically out of warranty. Wish me luck!

I also attended a track day on GRiSO down at Barber Motorsports Park to tune up my handling chops at speed. Highly recommended!!
Long and heavy but fast, GRiSO is always a sport.

Cheers!!

Lining coming out of gloves is a pet peeve. Won't use gloves with Thinsulate for that reason - OK until it gets wet, then you can't get fingers into the gloves, then the lining comes out. Good experience with Held's Air n Dry gloves - two chambers in it, one warm, the other perforated & letting in the airflow. Good for touring, but do get shabby after a few years of very heavy use. The most expensive glove I've ever bought (other than heated gloves), excellent, but did not last well considering the cost. Waterproof for a while, but usually resort to the Overgloves when it's wet. Very glad I had them on the 140 day, 30,000km trip around Oz. when I do another trip like that, I'll probably spring for another pair.

MalG wrote:

Lining coming out of gloves is a pet peeve. Won't use gloves with Thinsulate for that reason - OK until it gets wet, then you can't get fingers into the gloves, then the lining comes out. Good experience with Held's Air n Dry gloves - two chambers in it, one warm, the other perforated & letting in the airflow. Good for touring, but do get shabby after a few years of very heavy use. The most expensive glove I've ever bought (other than heated gloves), excellent, but did not last well considering the cost. Waterproof for a while, but usually resort to the Overgloves when it's wet. Very glad I had them on the 140 day, 30,000km trip around Oz. when I do another trip like that, I'll probably spring for another pair.

Thank you!! I'll suss the Helds.
- Wow, they Spencee - but look great!!

Yeah, if Dianese bails on me and sends the gloves back i'll try wearing a thin silk lining glove inside the G-Tx. We'll see.

I have a pair of the Held Steve Classics. Love them, but agree a bit spendy. I forget the price every time I wear them.

Thanks for sharing Brett. The pictures are tremendous and enhance your words perfectly.

BruPo wrote:

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After Yosemite we headed further east to Las Vegas, but getting there entailed driving through a windstorm that sported 60-80 mph bangin' full 90 degree crosswinds - for 50 miles. We watched 3 semi trucks blow over, and as we got thru the state police closed the freeway.

- Brett

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Yeah after many a distance tour on my GRiSO 1100 I've found the lack of a windscreen to be the greatest discomfort.  I run a Dart Marlin the Dart was to small but I'm to vain to put a bigger screen on my GRiSO.

After a particularly bad trip up to the John Day Guzzi Rally in Oregon a few years ago where I had to drop my speed to 50 mph during a 90 mile no-gas portion I dug into my pockets and purchased an AGV Pista.  It was very, very pricy but has proven great on nasty winds and now I can run triple digits on those long desolate runs through Nevada and Arizona.  Talk about pricy the replacement AGV visors are $250 but they do work great!

Fitting Stelvio Handguards cured most of my "frozen hands" problems.

Mark

what a great ride report - thanks for sharing - my hat is off to you and your journey.

not-fishing wrote:

BruPo wrote:

~~~
After Yosemite we headed further east to Las Vegas, but getting there entailed driving through a windstorm that sported 60-80 mph bangin' full 90 degree crosswinds - for 50 miles. We watched 3 semi trucks blow over, and as we got thru the state police closed the freeway.

- Brett

~~~

Yeah after many a distance tour on my GRiSO 1100 I've found the lack of a windscreen to be the greatest discomfort.  I run a Dart Marlin the Dart was to small but I'm to vain to put a bigger screen on my GRiSO.

After a particularly bad trip up to the John Day Guzzi Rally in Oregon a few years ago where I had to drop my speed to 50 mph during a 90 mile no-gas portion I dug into my pockets and purchased an AGV Pista.  It was very, very pricy but has proven great on nasty winds and now I can run triple digits on those long desolate runs through Nevada and Arizona.  Talk about pricy the replacement AGV visors are $250 but they do work great!

Fitting Stelvio Handguards cured most of my "frozen hands" problems.

Mark

Thanks Mark!!

I'm not really a fan of consistent wind blast, and get your stylee/looks comment. I have a Dart screen too, and it does look better. As a kid my dad took me for a ride in a Stearman biplane which cured me of liking wind blast!

The Givi suits me; solid construction, functions well, and looks okay..
Well taken, I do have a pair of hand guards I'll install for the winter.

Yeah, GRiSO is eager to run fast. I tended to keep around 5k rpm.

Wackey, but I kinda liked having the ambient air temp posted. I knew where my comfort levels were..

Great trip by the look of it very inspiring stuff thanks!

Mate, which Givi screen is that, you never mention? Had one off them and it didn't fit onto thicker handlebars and it never got mentioned in "technical" specifications.
Thanks in advance

The screen looks to be from the Givi A600 series. Givi sell a conversion kit, Z278, which all ow you to fit their screens to thicker handlebars.

evev wrote:

Mate, which Givi screen is that, you never mention? Had one off them and it didn't fit onto thicker handlebars and it never got mentioned in "technical" specifications.
Thanks in advance

The Givi screen is an A34 Universal.
- got it with the D45 Fit Kit, both for $143 from Revzilla:
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For the bar mounts i bought a pair of Kuryakyn 1.25" Universal mounts, which will req drilling out the holes to fit the screen's bar mount posts.
Thank you!

Thanks, that is something to work with, otherwise those guys couldn't help, had to send it back to them..