2015 FZ1 Forum North America Meet Up

Which weekend do you prefer?

  • July 11th/12th

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • July 18th/19th

    Votes: 1 14.3%

  • July 25th/26th

    Votes: 6 85.7%

  • Aug.1st/2nd

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    7
Dustin

Dustin

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It's official, this event is going to happen on the weekend of July 25th and 26th in Colorado. City to be decided

Event thread here

So, I was thinking next year might be a great time to arrange a forum meet up for us North American members. I've already met a whole bunch of people from this place and made some lifelong friends as a result.

I think Colorado might be a good 'central' option that offers tons of great roads and killer views.
RC_7.jpg


I know it can be extremely difficult to accommodate everybody but let's throw some ideas around.

:)
 
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Colorado has something for every motorcyclist around. I have no idea yet what 2015 will bring in regard to travel, but I will be back to Colorado again to finish what I started. The Colorado experts might want to chime in as to when it isn't Monsoon season. I at least, know when that IS.
 
I am interested in this as well.

So far for 2015, I am planning to hit The Dragon again, finish what I started in Maine - without having the bike flooded this time, and the big new trip will be Glacier National Park. I'm pretty sure I'll be hitting Colorado Springs again for the annual Firefighter Memorial too - I believe it's usually held in September. A buddy it talking about a camping trip to the Ozarks, so I may find myself there on a bike as well.

Looking forward to seeing what becomes of this forum meet ...
 
So this sounds great already! There's obviously tons of details to work out but I think this could be a great meet up.

The first question is; what's the ideal date for everyone? I'll try to make a poll for the thread with some choices to help narrow it down
 
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Oldschool said:
The Colorado experts might want to chime in as to when it isn't Monsoon season. I at least, know when that IS.
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Hmmm, I'm surprised Lytehouse hasn't chimed in on this since she brought it up last night. Guess we are in though. I'm no expert, but since I end up planning a lot of CO trips for us, and most of my buddies for that matter, I'll go ahead and provide some input..

Weather...well normally July and August are monsoon season. 2014 was closer to a normal year and maybe even above normal as far as moisture (unfortunate for you Lee). Previous to that we were in a drought for years and the riding was great all summer, but not so great for homeowners with lawns because of watering restrictions, it was so dry. For road riding and lower elevation dirt (less than 10,000 ft), June can be a good month (early June can be risky). You can still get a freak storm, but they get pretty rare the deeper you go into the month. The high mountain dirt passes can be blocked till the middle or late June depending on the previous snow season, possibly even going into July for passes like Imogene/Black Bear/Pearl etc. Normally we do a lot of in state trips in Sept since the weather is pretty dependable for being great, except in 2013 when CO got hit with the 1000 yr floods in Sept which many of you may remember from the news. That was pretty much the beginning of our more normal moisture with one of the best ski seasons I've ever experienced and the return of summer monsoons in 2014. This latest cold snap put down some good snow in the high country for us hopeful skiers, but there is still a lot of winter left, so normal snowpack or not for 2015 is TBD. Normal monsoons usually means nice mornings, clouds building up around 1pm, rain between about 3-6pm, and clear skies when you are ready to cook out. End of the day, CO is an arid climate, the weather is not usually as wet as most places and all summer is great, just always have your raingear ready.

Location...SW CO is our favorite. Lots of great on and off road riding down there (Ouray, Silverton, Telluride area). Anything around Gunnison Crested Butte, Salida, Buena Vista would be another good choice for paved or dirt. Pretty much anyplace west of the front range is good for paved riding. I'm not as well versed on off-road riding along or north of Interstate 70.
 
Thanks for all that info John! With that in mind, does the middle of July seem like a reasonable date to shoot for? Maybe the weekend after the 4th of July

For locations, I did think southwest Colorado would be great
 
Yeah I mentioned it to John last night, the computer was already shut down and I had to be at work earlier than usual this morning. So here's my official reply:

:woot::woot: Party At Our Place!! We're in!
 
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Here is a useful tool for planning routes, especially paved ones that will suit this group.

Colorado Map - Butler Motorcycle Maps

I can vouch for this map as I have a copy of it at home, along with half a dozen other states. I have used them in the rain (Colorado) and they truly are waterproof. Better than that though, they have all the best motorcycling roads highlighted and have blow ups on one side that show better detail on the BEST sections. The only thing better is an experienced local to guide you around.

Of Course this is more my speed.

IMG_01781.jpg
 
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Klurejr said:
I bet I could do that on my Bike... lol. Just need some Knobbier tires and luggage and I am ready to go.
Click to expand...

The picture shows the easy section, and it was tricky further along it with a section of square rock the size of soccer balls. Both my buddies (one on a DRZ 400) crashed on the section that would be behind me in the picture, a steep switchback, one of many. I wouldn't take a pure street bike over Ophir pass and it is one of the easiest regardless of the tires. It might be doable, but it would not be fun (except maybe for the onlookers).

[video=youtube;X4SmIylI0B8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4SmIylI0B8[/video]
This guy came from the Telluride side, so the opposite of what we did. The conditions were rockier for us in the section where he meets the first two bike, so obviously vary from season to season. I found another video where a Harley is ridden to the summit so anything is possible.
 
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Another Resource for planning rides. The GPX files are linked to the right of the map under the rating. Just click to download.

75 Motorcycle Roads in Colorado USA

Motorbike Ride : US 550 / Million Dollar Highway / Coal Bank Pass / M...

There are lots of great roads in and around the Durango, Ouray area. Both have decent facilities like hotels etc. Lake City is another interesting place but with more rustic accommodations. This is just from my very limited "tourist" perspective. If in Lake City, check out "Southern Vittles just a block west of Main Street. Great Food. "Poker Alice" has great food as well, even though it doesn't look like much from outside.

Also, for anyone planning a route to Colorado the same site can be used to string together the best (if not most direct) route to and from Colorado. After all, it is the journey....

Here is a little something for the gps crowd that I quickly threw together.
 

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  • Colorado SW Paved-modified.gpx
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I am putting some serious thought into attending this GTG.
It takes 26 hrs of straight riding, just to get to Denver..so I'll probably tow the Fizzer to our Chicago office and park the cage/trailer there for safe keeping and ride the rest of the way there.
 
Oldschool said:
The picture shows the easy section, and it was tricky further along it with a section of square rock the size of soccer balls. Both my buddies (one on a DRZ 400) crashed on the section that would be behind me in the picture, a steep switchback, one of many. I wouldn't take a pure street bike over Ophir pass and it is one of the easiest regardless of the tires. It might be doable, but it would not be fun (except maybe for the onlookers).

[video=youtube;X4SmIylI0B8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4SmIylI0B8[/video]
This guy came from the Telluride side, so the opposite of what we did. The conditions were rockier for us in the section where he meets the first two bike, so obviously vary from season to season. I found another video where a Harley is ridden to the summit so anything is possible.
Click to expand...
My Tuono will not make that road!
 
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