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Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas - 2023 Edition - Tour stops report -


p6x

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2023 MGTOT rocker patch

This year, I am going to blog it differently; rather than piecemeal following post additions, I will update the first post (if possible; I remember there is a limit to the number of photos one post can contain) as I complete the tour stops.

Everything will be in a single post, at the front of the thread. Easier to follow.

Here's the map for 2023 50 stops( not formatted for phone view): this year, there are three additional "Alternative stops" that can be substituted for any of the 50 contractual ones.

Once I have made a stop, I change the color from red to green. I should report distance and gas mileage. The purple colored stops are those which I will replace with alternates.

 

 



22/23/24-Sep-2023 update: Panhandle/Marfa loop (North and West)

1753 miles (2821 km) - about 27 hours of riding time;

Ten stops; total 50 stops including 3 Alternates, out of 50

Highlights:

-Longest ride so far, with a single day ride of 579 miles (932 km) via US-90.

-The 5:00 AM Mclean to Seagraves trip down the US-70/256 through the Caprocks Canyons

-The Kent to McDonald Observatory 118 road; better than the Twisted Sisters

-The US-90 scenic route back from Marfa instead of the typical I-10

-The I-20 and its 80 mph posted speed, the highest legal speed in the USA! I did take the opportunity to remove the carbon deposits from the V11.

-No more fuel injection issues; I do not have any explanation other than fixing the left cylinder boot that had come out of the admission pipe. If this was it, then was a leak since I got the bike.

Lowlights:

-Difficult to find air at gas stations. It used to be a staple of what you could expect and now missing or not working at almost every gas station I fueled. When I departed from Mclean at 5:00 AM, the temperature was below 70 degF. With such temperature variations in Texas, it is important to be able to check tire pressure.

-Drivers not switching to low beams when crossing you; driving down to Seagraves from Mclean, it was still night and most of the vehicles I crossed did not bother switching to low beams. It is especially hard with trucks with several additional lights. No nice!

-In Pecos, I lost idle briefly. I think it had to do with the extremely high temperature +100 degF, combined with multiple engine starts in a short span of time (I was relocating the bike). Apart from that, the Le Mans was perfect.

-I thought the temperatures would be in the 80's, but no. Most of the trip was well into the 90's or better, excepted for the early Mclean start in the panhandle.

-I wanted to take a picture of the Le Mans under the starry skies of Marfa, but it was raining that night... better luck next time.

-The wind! from Midland to Kent, on the I-20 SW, I had a head wind which was making the fairing waddle left to right continuously. Remember the posted speed is 80 mph on the I-20. Rear view mirrors shaking with the fairing; useless!

-Fuel consumption; I rode this trip as I did all the others before. Yet, I averaged considerably less mpg. I suppose this may be related to having an improved fuel injection, but I have no rationale for it.

In Pecos, there was a ribbon of plastic flying that got caught on my left turn indicator, and overheating on my exhaust pipe. It melted on the pipe and left a black streak which is very hard to get rid off.

 

20230924 Houston Shamrock Marfa Houston itinerary map

 

 

 

 

Fuel Management:

51.838 US gallons total for the trip. I noticed that it is only 1309 miles according to my odometer. Its a considerable difference with the theoretical distance from the google itinerary of 1753 miles....

Another noticeable difference this time around, is my MPG. On the way to Shamrock (Route 66), my fuel efficiency was lower than expected by a lot! I do not have an explanation for it. Also, the 3000 rpm Fuel Injection issue has vanished since I fixed the boot on the left hand side of the admission pipe. The V11 works without any fuel problem. Strange.

Route 66 Marfa fuel management

 

Riding Gear & Miscellaneous

I thought the temperatures will be in the 80's and I was completely wrong. It was still very hot, especially coming down from Mclean once the sun started to rise, all the way to Marfa. Nevertheless, I only wore my Bowtex Elite Shirt, and the SIXS undergarment which I have well documented on this forum. As stated in the summary, I departed from Mclean at 5:00 am, and I would have liked to check my tire pressures, but could not. This used to be a staple of what gas stations proposed. I do not understand why it is not available everywhere. Only Costco seems to have it available.

Stop #36

This was my first stop after 8 hours out... this is the old bank vault with the jail right behind it... I should have explored more, but I was trying to get some rest, and the sun was pounding me at 1:00 pm!

20230922 Benjamin old bank vault

Stop #22:

The depot was built in 1909 and is a typical example of the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. It was used as a passenger station and offices for the main line of the Quanah Acme and Pacific Railroad. Today it is a Museum full of memories from those days when railway was a main mean of transportation.

42 stop 22 Quanah Acme & Pacific Railway Depot Museum

20230923 Quanah Train depot and Museum from the front.

Stop #7:

This stop needs no introduction, since Route 66 is very well known; lots of tourists in the U Drop INN historical cafe, and a Tesla charging port right behind the complex. I bumped into foreigners following the Route 66, by car though... I would have waited for the night neon, but it was only 4 pm when I arrived, and the U Drop Inn closed at 5, so I would have had nowhere to wait. Elvis allegedly sat in a booth in this Inn, he was staying at an hotel nearby in between performances.

20230922 Shamrock Conoco Tower Station 20230923 U Drop Inn cafe Shamrock forum 20230923 Elvis corner at the U Drop Inn Shamrock

Stop #5:

The "Devil's Rope" Museum, a.k.a. barbed wire. For those of you interested in history, the barbed wire as we know it was patented by American Joseph Glidden in November 1874. It was an amelioration of the invention of the French Louis Janin in 1865 himself having taken the idea from another Frenchman, Léonce Eugène Grassin-Balédans in 1860. Barbed comes from the French "Barbel", hence the French name of barbed wire: barbelé.

The great contribution from Joseph Glidden was a fast way to deploy it, using reels. The Museum contains all kind and variety of barbed wires, including those not so nice used during the first and second World Wars.

 

20230922 McLean Devil's Rope Museum

Overnight at the Cactus Inn, Mclean TX

A unassuming hotel, clean and owned by an elderly couple. I found that some families are living in this hotel on a permanent basis. Like the driver of that truck parked upfront.

20230923 Cactus Inn Mclean

When you ride early in the morning, using the back roads, you are practically alone and able to absorb so much of the beauty surrounding you. I had a schedule to keep, unfortunately, but needless to say that I could have taken countless gorgeous photos.

 

20230923 dawn over buildings

Texas is full of wind turbines! when it is dark, they have these red blinkers on, and if there is no visible moon, it looks eerie to see those lights above ground, but nothing else....

20230923 dawn with wind turbines

Stop #45, Hotel Texan Seagraves;

I stayed there last year, but they had no vacancy this time around. For a good reason, when I arrived there, they were preparing for the annual town festival. Some of the people setting up nearby invited me to stay, and I wished i could have had. But the road to Marfa was still long.

 

2023 Hotel Texan Seagraves

Stop # 24 Permian Basin Museum, Midland TX;

What Texas is all about, or used to be all about maybe? oil and gas. I did not have time to visit the Museum, but I will one day. It contains a lot of the historical technology that started it all. Midland is a bustling city with a lot of jobs looking for willing people.

 

46 stop 24 Midland Derrick at Permian Basin Museum

Stop #12, Odessa TX;

Fortunately, only a few miles away from Midland. I was told a lot of the oil and gas workers live in Odessa since Midland is now so expensive.

47 stop 12 Odessa Longhorn Statue

Stop #14, West of the Pecos Museum, Pecos TX.

I will not keep a good souvenir of Pecos. The town was a gigantic traffic jam, mostly due to 18 wheeler going in or out. This is also where a long plastic ribbon got caught on my left turn indicator, and melted on my exhaust pipe. It is very difficult to remove now.

48 stop 14 Pecos West of the Pecos Museum

As mentioned in the recap at the beginning of this report, the 118 road from Kent to Fort Davis is a motorcycle rider's paradise. Twist and turns, up and downs. The catch is there aren't many vehicles on this road, and there isn't any connectivity either. Don't overdo it because there are plenty of places with sharp drops, and you are mostly on your own. Probably a good reason to never ride alone? you can see the McDonald Observatory further up, and the cloudy skies was a good indication that I would not catch any stars that night.

20230923 Kent to Observatory

Stop #28, McDonald Observatory TX;

The ride to there was unbelievable fantastic, and more was awaiting from there to Fort Davies. I left that site at 4:30 pm, to head to my last stop of this 2023 tour: Marfa.

49 stop 28 McDonald Observatory Frank N. Bash Visitors Center

Stop #34, Marfa lights viewing area, Marfa Texas.

It is going to rain soon, I took the pictures for the tour, and decided to go to the hotel and come back at night. The sun was trying hard to go through the clouds at this moment.

50 stop 34 Marfa lights viewing area 20230923 Marfa rainy clouds

On the way back to Houston from Marfa, I chose to go through the US-90 instead of the I-10. The US-90 should be considered a scenic road as it is really crossing some beautiful landscape. Here's a photo of the bridge crossing the Pecos.

That's all folks! 2023 Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas is complete...

20230924 US-90 bridge on Pecos



22/23-Jul-2023 update: Dallas/Abilene loop (North and West)

1050 miles (1690 km) - about 17 hours of riding time;

Eleven stops; total 40 stops including 3 Alternates, out of 50

Highlights:

I did it! I rode in the currently challenging extreme temperatures of Texas.

Met many interesting characters along the way, a lot of kindness and courtesy extended by strangers. I mean people stopping to ask if I was ok. Definitively, there is still some good in this world.

Lots of compliments directed at the Guzzi, even if people have difficulty to differentiate a BMW from a Guzzi.

Not a single issue with the V11 even in 116 deg F (46.6 deg C) which is the maximum temperature recorded on the Formotion thermometer between Albany and Abilene. That being said, the engine missing at low revs was exacerbated.

Lowlights:

From early morning until about 09:30, temperatures were bearable. Afternoons temperatures made the ride strenuous at times. I will expend about weather conditions below.

The Formotion Thermometer sheared from its support during the trip. This is the second time. I had installed it on a rubber boss for this trip, but that did not suffice to impede its loss.

Unfortunately, because I am doing the stops marathon style, my timing does not always coincide with the business hours of the places.

 

 

20230722 Dallas-Abilene Loop

 

 

 

Fuel Management:

 

As reported here, I had to refill the tank with 87 Octanes fuel since nothing else was available. This was the 200 miles / 48.0 mpg entry. I was outside Abilene and the reserve light came on. Although I could not feel any difference, I stopped at each successive gas station to mix higher octane fuel. This is why I have three entries with lower mileage in between refills.

The 48.0 mpg/200 miles and 35.0 mpg/60 miles are most likely not accurate because I did not fully refill the tank with 87 Octanes, but I did for the successive refuel.

Also, the "Alon" Gas stations mostly found in rural Texas only propose 90 Octanes premium.

In any case, I am confident my Le Mans does about 45 mpg average on highways, and 35 average in the city.

20230724 Fuel log Abilene:Dallas loop

 

Riding Gear & Miscellaneous

I did the trip using the Bowtex Elite Shirt, and the SIXS shirts and padded shorts.

In these extreme temperatures complicated by humidity, nothing is going to spare you the heat. The Bowtex offers some minimal protection against abrasion and hard falls, and SIXS gear is really the best I have found for this kind of weather. The Shirts are lighter than sports shirts, and the padded boxer shorts really help to alleviate the backside pain on long rides.

Prior to my trip I ordered and received a top cover for the Guzzi, from "More Shade" at ETSY's marketplace. I am glad I did, because not everywhere was I able to park my bike in the shade. Not so much to avoid having a "hot seat" but rather to spare the tank from the UVs.

I wore the Quies Earplug designed for Motorcyclist; they are more comfortable than the Alpine. The rings are smaller which combines with larger extraction tab, make them easier to extract. Unfortunately, with this kind of temperatures, it was unbearable to have ear plugs. I took them off at the first gas stop. More testing is required. Hearing Aids and Riding Care to Share your experience?

More Shade Motorcycle Cover Eden

 

HEAT!

It was really hot!

The first few hours from 05:00 until 9:30 were fine. Especially outside of Houston on the I-45 to Dallas. From 09:30 onward, riding became unpleasant at times. Opening your visor would equate to opening an oven door and getting a whiff of potentially burning air.

The Formotion temperature were taken during stops, and with the gauge in the shade. During my ride from Albany to Abilene, on the highway, the thermometer read 115 degF, with the thermometer protected from the wind and direct sunlight. Suffocating!

I also noted that while traveling you could feel temperature differences; probably due to changes in humidity. For those of us who have been in a sauna, it is the same feeling as when you pour water on the stones. The temperature is the same, but the heat index quickly increases.

I did not carry any water, and did not drink between gas stops. But that's me. I have worked in deserts before, and I think I am resilient to heat. In any case, there are numerous stops offering fresh water along the way. Now, I admit that if I had had a break down, I may have regretted to not carry water with me. I simply have no room.

I have seen very few motorcyclists during this trip. The majority of them were in San Angelo, on a Sunday morning for church. No helmet, T-shirts only. I bumped into another Texas Grand Tourer at the Vintage Cars Museum in Weatherford. It was his last stop, and he told me he had done the rest in May.

Stop# 6 Moto Liberty Addison (near Dallas):

They are a tour sponsor, returning each year.

30 Stop 09 Moto Liberty Addison

Stop# 37 Rider's Biker Supply Lewisville (Near Dallas)

Sponsor, returning each year.

 

31 Stop 37 Rider's Biker Supply Lewisville

Stop#15 Decatur:

I did not understand the meaning of that mural.

32 Stop 15 Medal Dice & Mural Decatur

Stop# A3 Jacksboro (this is an alternate stop):

This is the chamber of commerce of Jacksboro; unfortunately closed. This was the third alternate stop.

33 Stop A3 Jacksboro Chamber of Commerce

Stop# 30 Vintage Cars Museum Weatherford:

The museum was open when I got there. I looked at these cars with nostalgia, trying to imagine how it was to navigate the cities with them.

I actually had the opportunity to ride in a Cadillac DeVille in the 80's, while in New-York. This was an incredible challenge to park.

There's also that Suzuki 250, which seems to be at the wrong place. But it looked pretty nice!

34 Stop 30 Weatherford Vintage Cars Museum

Vintage Cars Museum 1Vintage Cars Museum 2

DSCF2474

 

Vintage Cars Museum 4Suzuki 250

Stop# 9 Mobley Hotel (1st ever Hilton Hotel) Cisco

Conrad Hilton was in Cisco to purchase a bank. Instead, he purchased this hôtel which was making good revenue by renting the same rooms to multiple individuals. This was called "hot bedding". There were some oil workers, working 8 hour shifts, and not enough hotel rooms. The lack of Hotel rooms got Hilton interested. The rest of the story is that we now have Hilton hotels all over the world. The hotel was restored by the Hilton group recently, and you can visit it. But I could not since I arrived before visits started.

Mobley Hotel (1st Conrad Hilton Hotel)

Stop# 44 Sinclair Gas Station Albany

There are plenty of these former gas stations, restored by the cities. Memorial to the older days.

Sinclair Gas Station Albany

Stop# 39 Fort Phantom Hill near Abilene

Interesting story, but I did not find any rattle snakes. Probably too hot even for them!

Fort Phantom Hill signFort Phantom Hill

Stop# 48 Harbord Kourt Hotel Coleman

Coleman was my overnight stop for this trip. I could not get one of the 5 rooms they typically rent unfortunately. Sold out; third year in a row. I had dinner at a local Texas dinner, and was the only one without a cowboy hat... I felt odd.

I am still finishing my digestion since the amount of food they give you could probably nourish an entire school for several days! and all that for a few dollars less, not more!

38 Stop 48 Harbord Kourt Motel Coleman

Stop# 31 Railway Museum San Angelo

I got in San Angelo around 09:30, and the city was bustling with people going to church, including a lot of Harley Riders with their better halves in tow. Again, the museum was opening at 13:00, so I had to continue to my next stop.

39 Stop 31 Railway Museum San Angelo

Stop# 26 Mural in Eden

This was my last stop for that trip. The return to Houston was just as hot as the rest

40 Stop 26 Mural Eden

That's all for this trip! see you on the next one...



26-May-2023 update: Frio Canyon loop (South West)

620 miles (998km)-10hours 25 minutes ride

Five stops; total 29 stops out of 50

Highlights:

Did the FM 337 (one of the three twisted sisters) from Medina to Leakey, coming from Bandera's Flying L Ranch. Last year, in 2022, at the same stop the V11 would not start again, forcing me to abort and go back home.

At the Texas Motorcycle Museum, I could see a Moto Guzzi Daytona RS up close and personal for the first time!!! the bike is stunning!

Lowlights:

I installed a bracket to hold a camera so I could record the 337 run on video. Unfortunately, this is a camera equipped with gimbals, and the actuating motors are not strong enough to withstand the wind. I did some trials before the trip, with the camera perfectly behind the screen. But I changed the placement and found out the hard way that if exposed to the wind, the gimbals lock and the camera stops recording. I realized my mistake, and made a second attempt, keeping the bike beneath 40 mph. I will check the footage and post it if interesting.

At the Frio Canyon Motorcycle stop, as I was backing up the Le Mans to park, my foot slipped on gravel; I nearly dropped it.

2023 Frio Canyon Loop

Fuel details for the trip:

I started on May 26th at 06:00; tank top off on May 31st after running errands.

Something to take into consideration: the more refuels with less mileage in between, the greater the possible error.

The three main refuels during the trip are all around 47 mpg and almost exclusively without any traffic.

In the city, the mileage is around 40 mpg.

Frio Canyon fuel consumption report

 

Stop #32, Alamo BMW in San Antonio

25 Stop 32 Alamo BMW San Antonio

Stop #10, Flying L Ranch in Bandera

26 Stop 10 Flying L Ranch

Stop #23, Frio Canyon Motorcycle Stop near Leakey. See the gravel on the ground? hazard when backing up the bike on the incline....

27 Stop 23 Frio Canyon Motorcycle Stop

Stop #21, C-47 Aircraft, Gillespie county airport near Fredericksburg

28 Stop 21 C-47 aircraft Gillespie cnty airport

Stop #29, The Texas Motorcycle Museum, Johnston City

29 Stop 29 Texas Motorcycle Museum

 



01-May-2023 update: North East Texas

644 miles (1036km)-10hours 36 minutes ride

six stops; total 24 stops out of 50

Highlights:

In Corsicana, a driver stopped to talk  to me while I was taking the Clint Eastwood Mural picture. He saw the bike, and told me he had a V7 Sport Guzzi when they came out in the 70's.

In Gladewater, a young rider and his girlfriend came to chat about the Moto Guzzi brand which there weren't aware existed.

In Jefferson, met a retired Policeman who did active duty on Moto Guzzi 750 and later 1000. he shared some photos of him while on duty riding those bikes. He was quite emotional telling me that since he retired, this was the first time he saw a Guzzi.

Lowlights:

Because of road flooding, I could not take the quickest itinerary between Jefferson, my last stop, and Houston. I had to take the 59 to Center, then the 96 to Jasper, the 190 to Jefferson, and resume my planned road. From 619 miles it became 644. This Eastern part of Texas has lots of forests, single lane roads, lots of lakes, nice to ride however....

On the 190, a truck towing a boat on a trailer turned left in front of me. I do not know if he saw me, but I had to brake in emergency to avoid hitting the trailer. The speed limit is 75 mph on these roads, and the guy turned left all of a sudden. No turn indicator. This was a close call. If I had not been pressed by time, I would have chased him to make him aware that he had cut in front of me.

MGTT2023 Gladewater loop map 6 stops

Fuel Details for this trip; Notice the differences in gas prices with Houston and the rest of the towns I visited...

my fuel mileage is pretty good on the Le Mans. One detail, I tuck myself behind the windscreen on highway rides. It probably helps a lot.

IMG_0598

Stop#11 Clint Eastwood Mural in Corsicana

19 Stop 11 Clint Eastwood Mural Corsicana

Stop#1 Transformer Statue in Terrel

20 Stop 1 Transformer Statue Terrel

Stop#17 Derrick in Gladewater

21 Stop 17 Derrick Gladewater

Stop#18 Gladewater Museum Gladewater

22 Stop 18 Gladewater Museum Gladewater

Stop#16 Old Fire Truck Gladewater

23 Stop 16 Old Fire Truck Gladewater

Stop#46 Jay Gould Railroad Car Jefferson

24 Stop 46 Jay Gould Railroad Car

 



Trip done on Monday 24th, April 2023; page updated on Thursday 27th, April 2023. Count: 18/50

Texas Side Cars loop; 5 stops; 1 alternate.

Itinerary: 539 miles (based on Google Maps; Total riding time 09:00 hours (estimated).

MGTT 2023 TSC Loop 24-Apr-2023

Fuel details for this trip:

IMG_0588

 

Stop #4: Donnie.

13 Stop 04 Texas Side Cars Donie

Stop #49: Old Fort Parker Grœsbeck.

14 Stop 49 Old Fort Parker Groesbeck

Stop #19: Gulf Gas Station Waco.

15 Stop 19 Gulf Gas Station Waco

Stop #42 Humble Gas Station Lampasas.

16 Stop 42 Humble Gas Station Lampasas

Stop #40 Hill Country Motorhead Museum Burnet.

17 Stop 40 HiiCountry Motorhead Museum Burnet

Stop ALT-2 Henrietta the Hippo Hutto.

18 ALT2 Henrietta the Hippo Hutto

 


Trip done on Monday 20th, March 2023; page updated on Tuesday 21st, March 2023.

Gulf Loop: around 400 miles total. 40 to 50 degrees F:

Fuel details for this trip:

20230320 Fuel Consumption

20230320 Gulf Loop

Stop #33 former Kingsbury post-office:

 

09 Stop 33 old post office Kingsbury

Stop 38 Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum:

10 Stop 38 Chisholm Trail Museum

Stop #20 Edna Movie Theater:

 

11 Stop 20 Edna Theater

Stop 43 Hotel Blessing:

I was warned beforehand! one of the best buffet for homemade real food... they only accept cash unfortunately.

 

12 Stop 43 Hotel Blessing

 


 

Stop #ALT1 Pete the Mule (in lieu of Stop #50 Lonestar Rider who is doing a 48 States ride):

Pete the Mule

Stop #02 Buddy Holly Center:

Buddy Holly Center

Stop #03 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum:

12th Armored Division Memorial Museum

Stop #41 Historic Comanche Depot:

 

Historic Comanche Train Depot

 

Stop #8 History of Coryell County Mural:

 

History of Coryell County Mural

 


 

INITIAL Mileage before starting the 2023 tour;

 

B4 tour initial mileage

 

Stop #27: Navasota Classic Rock Coffee Co. & Kitchen:

01 Stop 27 Navasota

 

Lady #683: I did the same mistake parking with the front end first here. This is an incline and with a heavy bike, you cannot get out anymore. Fortunately, the car parked on her left hand side moved.

683 Lady at stop 27

Stop #25: Houston Red Roof Hotel: Red Roof is a sponsor of the tour;

02 Stop 25 Red Roof Hotel

 

Stop #47 Galveston Naval Museum:

03 Stop 47 Galveston Naval Museum

 

 

Approximate calculated mileage Stops 27, 25, 47: 281.3

Mileage report: Stop 27, 25, 47

 

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Nice to see, will cross paths for sure, I'm # 844 this year.  Expecting to pick up some stops this next weekend...should be great riding weather!

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Hey Pascale...I thought I'd run into you on the road this past weekend, there were lots of riders out, and with 3 days of glorious weather, I clocked 980 miles in total.

Managed to get 15 stops in so far, and another 4 scheduled for next weekend.

Stops so far:  Donie, Groesbeck, Corsicana, Waco, Gatesville, Comanche, Lampasas, Burnet, Johnson City, Fredericksburg (with an obligatory stop in Luckenbach of course!), Bandera, San Antonio, Kingsbury, Hutto, Navasota

Next up:  Galveston, Blessing, Edna, Cuero

In May, will get 3 in Gladewater and nearby Dallas / East Texas to get to 25 stops I hope, while on my way up to Cedar Vale for our Guzzi rally there (join if you are interested...nice 630 mile ride up).  Will have to see if I can take a run to Big Bend later in the year...that's a LONG haul.

 

Fun little side note:  I'm about a mile away from the museum in Burnet, and I see a white motorcycle coming my way.  As it gets closer, it's clearly a white Norge.  I turn around about a 1/4 mile down the road, and ride back 1/2 mile, the other guy has turned around.  We stop and take off helmets, and what do you know, it's Larry who used to work at MPH a few years ago.  Nice bit of happenstance in the middle of Hill Country.

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I am in New Mexico at time of typing.

On the way to Santa Fe, I did History of Coryell County Mural, Historic Comanche Train Depot, 12th armored division memorial, Buddy Holly Center, Old Pete Mule Statue. So we have two commons, Gatesville and Comanche.

All five done Guzziless unfortunately. So I maxed out the "no motorcycle" option. I am not going to upload them just yet, in case I do them later.

I am waiting for the spring break to end to get back in the saddle. My next destination will be Alpine, Marfa, and the McDonald observatory, or so the three most Western stops.

I am not too far from Texas, in Alamogordo.

I think NM is also a fantastic playground for Motorcycles.

It is definitively a small world! I have bumped into people from the past at the most unlikely places.

I have laid out my "loops", but have no firm schedule. I am however planning to get to 50 if the Guzzi cooperates. I think that I have fixed all the known issues (grattacapi as we say in Italian), leaks, starter, tank breather, odometer; no more show stopper hopefully.

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  • p6x changed the title to Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas - 2023 Edition - Tour stops report -
3 hours ago, mikev said:

what app are you using to track fuel consumption and mileage?

I use TripLog.

I no longer record my trips with it; only the fuel consumption.

It is free of charge in the "lite" version.

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Updated today, 03-May-2023 for my 6 stops ride in Eastern Texas;

Please refer to the May 1st in the OP.

Riding 644 miles in a single day, 10 hours 36 minutes of riding time is not too strenuous.

I wear the SIXS padded boxer shorts that considerably alleviate the back side hurt.

The major pain comes from the shoulders (the day after), and the legs being too folded because of the foot pegs position.

I don't eat while I ride, so I don't fall asleep.

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Nicely done P6X!

I'll be picking up those same stops next week on my way to a small Guzzi rally in Cedar Vale, Kansas with a few days detouring thru Arkansas as well riding the twisties before ending up in Kansas.  Hopefully can pick up some of the ones near Dallas on the way back down, then the 4 near Houston (Submarine, Edna, Blessing and Cuero) in a few more weeks time.

Lemans doing well I hope...no more leaks?

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9 minutes ago, PJPR01 said:

Lemans doing well I hope...no more leaks?

I have resolved all the problems.... so far.

It starts when I need it to, and nothing else is wrong if excepted the engine sneezes below 3000 rpm when the outside temperature is Texas standard. The few earlier rides I did in April and March while temperatures were in the 50's and 60's, I had zero coughs.

My next ride will be the Frio Canyon loop.

I am looking forward to the Marfa loop though. I am going to try to take some pics of the Le Mans underneath the stellar skies of the Chihuahua desrt.

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55 minutes ago, p6x said:

... the engine sneezes below 3000 rpm when the outside temperature is Texas standard. The few earlier rides I did in April and March while temperatures were in the 50's and 60's, I had zero coughs.

Don't want to de-rail the topic, but as an aside: Mine does that too. Constant throttle at about 2,800 revs and 50 km/h through the small towns between open road stretches, it coughs occasionally. You mentioned 50° F and that it didn't do it at that temperature. Mine was doing it at about 6°C. :huh2:

Whatever, the subject has been mentioned here recently, seems to have something to do with the map, and actually has nothing to do with the topic at hand. :)

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1 hour ago, audiomick said:

Don't want to de-rail the topic, but as an aside: Mine does that too. Constant throttle at about 2,800 revs and 50 km/h through the small towns between open road stretches, it coughs occasionally. You mentioned 50° F and that it didn't do it at that temperature. Mine was doing it at about 6°C. :huh2:

Whatever, the subject has been mentioned here recently, seems to have something to do with the map, and actually has nothing to do with the topic at hand. :)

The infamous injection misses around the 3000  rpm is a never ending topic which has multiple threads in all the V11 Guzzi forums. Supposedly cured with a map change, or a proper tune-in.

I wished mine did not do it, and I took all the steps to attempt to mitigate the problem. However, I can't get Guzzi Diag to communicate with the interface. This perfectible injection is annoying the perfectionists that live in all of us Guzzi V11 lovers. But I am going to keep going until i finish the susmentioned 50 stops.

Then I am going to look for my Unix manuals, and open that communication port using the Terminal window on my Mac. During my oilfield days, our applications ran on Unix, so I should be able to sort it.

Till then, I will continue to accept the rebukes from the V11 to run around 3000 rpm, which is, just by luck, the most often used engine regime. Ha!

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I had the infamous 3000 RPM cough at stop lights when it was hot out on my Rosso Corsa..and never did totally get rid of it..despite trying many things.

Then after a complete rebuild on my  Scura it was doing the same thing at 3000 in in-town traffic on hot days..I tried everything I could think of , or could read about on the subject..It drove me crazy (er).... Finally I loosened up my valve clearances a little and it seemed to stop..and had still stopped a couple months later when I sold the bike...I don't know if that was a coincidence or what..but that is what happened..:huh2:
 

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5 minutes ago, KINDOY2 said:

I had the infamous 3000 RPM cough at stop lights when it was hot out on my Rosso Corsa..and never did totally get rid of it..despite trying many things.

Then after a complete rebuild on my  Scura it was doing the same thing at 3000 in in-town traffic on hot days..I tried everything I could think of , or could read about on the subject..It drove me crazy (er).... Finally I loosened up my valve clearances a little and it seemed to stop..and had still stopped a couple months later when I sold the bike...I don't know if that was a coincidence or what..but that is what happened..:huh2:
 

I have seen tight valve clearances create the same scenario, you are right, it wasn’t happenstance. 

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