Da 3 - Continued

This is just some of the details of the rip so far that I didn't put in my previous posts (mostly technical).

The Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z I'm riding has proven to be a great bike for this kind of trip. It is fast and rock steady at highway speeds (my top speed per my GPS is 95 mph while passing some cars). We have ridden many hours steady at 80-85 mph and the bike purrs like a Singer sewing machine. For those young readers that don't know what a sewing machine is, ask your grandparents.

Because it is 300 lbs lighter than the Harley Davidson (HD) the S10 (Super Tenere) jumps around a bit more in gusty winds which we have had at several locations on the trip.

Fuel burn rate for the HD compared to the S10 is very equal. The S10 may be getting 1 mpg more than the HD. We would compare gallons filled at each fuel stop; example S10 4.4 gal and Hd 4.8 gal.
Average is around 37 to 38 miles per gal for both bikes. We have had to burn a variety of fuel from 87 octane with ethanol to 94 octane with no ethanol. The only performance difference I can see is the miles per gal drops significantly with the lower grade fuel. Jim says he can hear his engine pinging some on the 87. Bothe bikes are supposed to use 91 octane but we knew this would not be available the further north we rode from AK1.

Comfort - This was a big concern for me when I switched from my HD to the S10. So far the S10 has been "bearable" for long hours in the saddle. My only complaint is there are no highway pegs on the bike so I can change positions. The handlebars are more straight(dirt bike style) rather than pulled back cruiser style (HD). This forces me to set more upright and not laid back like a low rider. I'm actually going to buy some foot pegs today if I can find some to add to the crash bars. I'm hoping they will at least let me put one leg at a time on the pegs to relief some of the cramp you get from long hours staying in the same position. More on this after I add the pegs.

Helmet - As I stated in an earlier posts I bought a expensive Shoei full coverage modular helmet for this trip. So far I have a love/hate relationship with the Shoei.

Bad - I can't ride anything above 45 mph with the chin section up. This means I can't drink water or coffee while on the highway; bummer. I finally took off of the crash bars the two bottle holders so I can add the foot pegs because of this. The Shoei is heavy compared to my 3/4 helmet. After a while your neck feels this extra weight; getting used to it but still a factor. Peripheral vision is restricted; I can't see very far to the rear when I look over my shoulder while changing lanes. I have to take off my glasses every time I put the helmet on/off. When I bought the Shoei the store one  felt tight so I ordered an XL. The XL even felt snug for the first day but it is not as tight and in fact I think it is a little too lose now since I get lots of wind noise and air flow that I didn't get the first day. Lesson learn is wear for a week on long rides before taking it on a 8000+ trip.

Good - Better protection for my hard head. The fog proof shield works perfect. This will be more important as we get into cold and rainy weather. It does have good vents to open for air flow and I crack open the shield as it gets warmer. Even with the shield all the way up I can ride at 80 mph without much of a problem.

Helmet selection - Still undecided. I'll wait till AK to see if it needs to be shipped back home while I buy a cheap 3/4 to ride the rest of the trip.

That's enough for now. I have to take my skid plate off of the bike and get it to the Yamaha dealer to mount my new K-60 tires and oil change.