Texas to Cabo to California...2,100 miles

[smcdonn]

Alright well I just put the poor ole bike through a good torture test. 2,100 miles in 6 days. About 350 miles were trails and dirt roads through copper canyon in Mexico, the rest were hiway. Either way I thought I would post some pics and make some people jealous.. Man I love reliable bikes!

[mickeydee]

?? im so jealous.theres still a lot of snow here. beautiful pics:thumbsup:

[DJCDRZ]

Awesome man! What was your longest day (time and mileage on the bike) and how'd your ass hold up? I plan to thow some slab miles on the Z this summer!

I see you have a Giant Loop bag...I ride with the guy that invented it. Great gear!

Dan

[brian0128]

Impressive trip!

[rsfoxrider]

looks like you had a blast

[smcdonn]

Longest day was about 700 miles and around 13 hours in the saddle. San Ignacio to about 50 miles past Tecate. I was suprised but my A$$ held up well. Stock seat too. As for the Giant Loop bag, as an engineer and a rider I applaud your friend for developing this great bag. Wish it had some smaller pockets but overall it was one of the only sets of gear that actually held up through the riggors of copper canyon. Almost everyone elses bags exploded or came apart.

[c good]

Fantastic Photos. With all the crazy news associated with Mexico lately did you have any problems? Also, what mods, other than the bags, bigger tank, etc. have you done to the bike? Thanks for the pics. c good

[Bonerov]

Very nice! That sounds like exactly the type of trip I would love to take some time soon. Thanks for sharing the photos.

[teebes]

Very cool!!! Was this a solo experience? Oh, and any more pics - please

?

[smcdonn]

Cabo to the USA was solo. The ride to Cabo I was with friends. We had absolutely no problems. There are some dangerous areas in copper canyon and we did run into a group of fellows with automatics although they didn't seem interested in us. Possibly just hunters although I didn't bother to stop and ask them.

Mods to the bike are as follows: 43T rear sprocket, IMS tank, 3x3, drilled core in muffler, JD jetting kit, Giant Loop rear bag, Wolfman tank bag. A new DID x-ring chain and sprockets were installed prior to the trip along with a fresh set of rings, new timing chain and a MCCT. I also installed the E base gasket and regret it as I ran into some cheap fuel that caused some slight detonation when I was trying to pass a few trucks. Overall though the bike performed great.

[mbeck76]

That is awesome!! so what tires are those on your bike? how did they hold up? and handle through the different terrains and on highway?

Thanks

[dirtwiz]

WOW...that takes some big Kahunas to make that trip with the problems going on the south of the border. I am headed to Cabo in a couple weeks but will be flying unfortunately....great pics and it's nice to see another stock seat rider get the "Buns of Steel" award. You make me proud.

[Jim Hale]

Very cool. It never ceases to amaze me what an excellent enduro this bike is. I am also curious what tires you used. I would think Avon Distanzias are a tire for a trip like this as they're great on the road and satisfactory even on gnarly trails.

[Drizzt]

I spy with my little eye a giantloop! Does this bag hold everything you need except for the small items in the tank bag and the sleeping bag? Did you have a tent? What was your camp set up(assuming you camped)? Thanks for sharing, I'm interested in doing trips and would like to know the setup good for this kind of stuff.

[smcdonn]

Tires were Maxxis 6006's. They held up just fine, although after about 400 miles of trail and dirt road and another 1700 miles of pavement, the rear was pretty much shot. I could have milked another 300 miles out of it if needed but lets just say it was pretty well done. They handled great both highway and dirt but I will say another guy on one of the KLR650's was running some cheap Kenda's that wore like steel. Not so sure how the traction was but was impressed with the wear. The Giant loop bag held everything I needed. Lots of socks and underwear, couple of long sleeve shirts, tools, tubes,etc.. I didn't take any camping gear as the picture with the sleeping bag was actually me picking up another guys gear since his straps failed. We stayed in motels every night. If I was to do it again, I would pack a tent and a bag as it will save you quite a bit of money. I will try to get some more pics up for you guys. Oh and don't believe all the horror stories about Mexico, it's a fantastic country with great people...once you clear the border.

[durangoman]

great pics ?

[Goebz]

You have a better butt than I .

Nice job.

[guiri]

? im so jealous.theres still a lot of snow here. beautiful pics:thumbsup:

...and I'm jealous of your snow

Purdy scenery there bro. Good trip!

[tiemann1]

You have a better butt than I .

Nice job.

No kidding; 700 miles a day on a stock seat???

[smcdonn]

Not 700 miles a day average. I only did that once! And that was the last day of the trip. I was ready to get back to the real world!!! It's a little too easy to indulge when top shelf tequila is only $10 a bottle! ?