p6x Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 An early disclosure for 2024; I am in! who else? Here's the map with the 50 regular stops, and 5 Alternates. The "gray" stop is the Lonestar rider and it is mobile as he moves to support his "Ride for a Cure" charity. @PJPR01 This year, we have more stops around Houston; I picked the Louisiana border for the official Texas state welcome sign. It is the closest to H'town. 25-Feb-2024: Stop #15, #46, #27: 3 stops; total 5/50 (two stops when I picked up my flag at the Flying L Ranch, but I was not on my motorcycle. Highlights: Since the V11 had its setup and remap, it seems the 3000 rpm engine missing is no longer there. Lowlights: The fuel consumption has worsened notably; prior to being tuned-up, I was usually above 40 mpg on highways. Today, I did an average of 38 mpg. After fueling at College Station, the V11 refused to crank. As I was wearing ear plugs, I am not certain what was the issue. The oil pressure and neutral light intensity diminished during my attempts, so current was drawn. It may have been the solenoid. I selected the fourth gear, and attempted a jump start. It did not work, but the starter worked after and I could restart. Needless to say that I did not switch off the engine at the next and last stop of today's plan. Now I need to go back into troubleshooting. March 5th, 2024: Stop #20, #33, #36: 3 stops; total 8/50 (no report as I did those stops without my motorcycle. March 23rd, 2024: Stop ALT#2, #29; 2 stops; total 10/50. This was 150 miles, and ideal temperature. The ferry crossing was perfect; both time I got on the boat immediately, no waiting time. With that new map, the V11 has turned into a gas guzzler. The low fuel warning came up at exactly 150 miles. This trip was mostly highways. Before, I would have been way above 40 MPG. But no more hickups! March 24th, 2024: Stop #25; 1 stop; total 11/50. This Red Roof Inn+ is 10 minutes away from where I live, on I-10. Not much of an effort. April, 19th 2024: Stop #12, 14, 16, 48; 4 stops; total 15/50. About 266 miles or so. All the way to Louisiana and back. I used this outing to test my Snugs-Moto. The concept works incredibly well; no wind noise, and crystal clear audio. I will report the experience under the appropriate topic. The retuned V11 works like a charm. No more protest or hesitation. Unfortunately, the flip side is the reduced gas mileage. As you can see in the application I use to monitor the fuel. I topped up the tank this morning, and I was surprised to see a 42.2 mpg! this used to be pretty standard before the tune-up. I fueled up at a Shell Station, and 93 Octanes. Usually, around where I live, I only get 91 Octanes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJPR01 Posted December 16, 2023 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Nice!! Thanks for the map! Much better distribution for us this year! I finally watched the video a couple nights ago…quite a few new stops to visit. The welcome to Texas sign is a fun one to chase…I usually stop and take a picture like that when I am crossing back from Oklahoma in May coming back from a Guzzi rally in Kansas…now I have to think about the long slog again back to Marfa! That’s a big trek just for one stop! Some of the other ones I will try to get if I can make it to the National rally in June on the way to Oregon heading up towards the northwest portion. Lots of planning needed this time and promises to be another fun year!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p6x Posted December 16, 2023 Author Share Posted December 16, 2023 9 hours ago, PJPR01 said: Nice!! Thanks for the map! Much better distribution for us this year! I finally watched the video a couple nights ago…quite a few new stops to visit. The welcome to Texas sign is a fun one to chase…I usually stop and take a picture like that when I am crossing back from Oklahoma in May coming back from a Guzzi rally in Kansas…now I have to think about the long slog again back to Marfa! That’s a big trek just for one stop! Some of the other ones I will try to get if I can make it to the National rally in June on the way to Oregon heading up towards the northwest portion. Lots of planning needed this time and promises to be another fun year!! I have suggested quite a few stops along these three years, and I can see not a single one made the cut. Not that I mind, but the San Jacinto monument as an alternative we already had it as a stop in 2021; mind you, I am not going to complain since it is right around the corner in La Porte. Many Courthouses too. There is a full solar eclipse in 2024; Marfa will be a popular destination to observe it. I was hoping he would put some stops on the US-90; such as the Judge Roy Bean museum. Noticed the Big Bend Biker's hotel has gone from the sponsor's list. I really liked the motorcycle covered parking and accommodations. But the new owner is looking for a different kind of guests, wanting turnkey excursions to the park. Too bad... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJPR01 Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 The museum would be perfect…I stopped there a decade ago on the way to Big Bend….would be very much in the spirit of the Tour. Another good one, let’s say a modern one, would be the launch pad site in Boca Chica for the Musk rockets…extra bonus points for a night time launch with rocket flames!! Pity that he doesn’t take your suggestions, I wonder how many he gets? I thought the ice cream trailer on the corner near Luckenbach would be an interesting one….they make gelato out of buffalo or bison milk and have a great place inside for lunch…and a massive parking lot…ideal for motorcyclists to visit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p6x Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 On 12/16/2023 at 9:18 PM, PJPR01 said: The museum would be perfect…I stopped there a decade ago on the way to Big Bend….would be very much in the spirit of the Tour. Another good one, let’s say a modern one, would be the launch pad site in Boca Chica for the Musk rockets…extra bonus points for a night time launch with rocket flames!! Pity that he doesn’t take your suggestions, I wonder how many he gets? I thought the ice cream trailer on the corner near Luckenbach would be an interesting one….they make gelato out of buffalo or bison milk and have a great place inside for lunch…and a massive parking lot…ideal for motorcyclists to visit! I communicated with him about having a stop in Houston, such as Iron Supply Powersports in Katy; the owner matches the criterion for being a sponsor, e.g. Texas family owned business, and the owner was willing to sponsor the tour. However, the tour director told me there was no free spot to have them in 2023. For 2024, we lost BMW Alamo, the biker's hotel, the Harbord Kourt in Coleman, but we did not get Iron Supply added to the list. I am guessing the tour director has his own road map and objectives, and his requests for tour stops may be a form of courtesy, and he never asked for sponsors. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p6x Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 On 12/16/2023 at 8:24 AM, PJPR01 said: Thanks for the map! Just in case, if you click on any stop, the stop number and address comes out on the left of the map! For the record, stop #39 was correct on this map right from the get go. I don't use the addresses provided by the tour; I search and confirm before. I suppose you got the double email about 39... I was hoping to register a Red Quota as a second motorcycle this year.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJPR01 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Thanks P6X...indeed, received the 2 mails yesterday as well...I saw a couple of corrections. Am also hoping to be at Flying L to pick up the number flag early and get a few stops along the way...nice to get a few weeks advance start on the tour. There may be a nice gathering of folks there from 10-2... I registered 3 bikes this year for the Tour...we'll see which one wins the lottery for the first set of stops! I hope you find the Quota soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p6x Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 45 minutes ago, PJPR01 said: I hope you find the Quota soon! I thought I had, but it seems to be another stab in the dark. It has been one year since I started my quest, and Craig's list or Facebook Marketplace are more misses than hits. Unfortunately, there seem to be no Moto Guzzi Quota ever on CycleTrader, because it is not free to list. Sellers on CT are more reliable than those on free platforms. So far, the only good experience I had was the Craig's list Quota seller in Boise. We even kept in touch. All my other attempts were negative for multiple reasons, either sold, no reply, only selling to local. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p6x Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 PJPR01 and I went to Bandera for the early remittance of this year's tour flags. The frisky morning did not stop the riders to congregate for this event. 39 degF does not seem to be that cold, but when you factor the wind and the humidity.... Lots of first timers, many couples, many Harley Davidson motorcycles... This lady travels everywhere with her dog! for this chilly morning, he was in an isothermal bag right behind her. The dog wore a coat... Another Lonestar lady on her tricycle... I had seen many with two wheels on the back; this one has two wheels in the front... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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