Touring/long trips on Forza

[Monty1952]

So I am looking at a trip that's going to be in the region of 10,000km next year. While it's obvious that it would be better on something bigger than the Forza, I wanted to know any experiences people have had with long trips. Any advice on long trips and did anyone move up to something bigger - but of course kept their Forza? Am thinking Route 66 and back through Canada to home in Toronto.

[you you]

So I am looking at a trip that's going to be in the region of 10,000km next year. While it's obvious that it would be better on something bigger than the Forza, I wanted to know any experiences people have had with long trips. Any advice on long trips and did anyone move up to something bigger - but of course kept their Forza? Am thinking Route 66 and back through Canada to home in Toronto.

How long? Bicycle might be suitable.

[homie]

backpack full of fuel pumps?

[SECoda]

I live about 10 minutes from Route 66 south of St. Louis in Missouri. Beautiful scenery once you get out of flat Illinois. I used to be from Illinois.

[yak]

Monty, as you see.... everyone here is a comedian. You can do your extended tour on a Forza but it depends a lot on your approach to driving. There was a tv show with Billy Connally (spelling?) riding his trike across Route 66. You will be tempted to exceed 70 along some stretches. The Forza can handle that but it doesn't seem like the optimal use of a scooter.
Consumer Reports did a report on scooters which noted that there are some times on highways and curvy roads when it helps to have your knees "hug" the gas tank on a regular motorcycle. You can't do that on a scooter.
If you can do your tour in a more-leisurely fashion, the Forza could be perfect. Great gas mileage and comfort. Go ahead and do it. The Forza was built to handle it. Please report back to us ( i have a PCX but will probably buy a Forza next).

[SECoda]

It would be fun on the Forza. I would add some storage to the back. I just bought one for touring in southern Illinois and Missouri.

[Monty1952]

The Forza can handle that but it doesn't seem like the optimal use of a scooter.

Thanks Yak - one other item I have to consider is roadside assistance which is not given or offered I b Canada with the exception of BMW which gives North American coverage. I asked Honda on a plant tour and was told it's not even offered for a fee here. Oh well, lots of snowy days ahead to really think it all through. Another factor I have to consider is a buddy that I may do the trip with who has a larger size 1,000cc touring Suzuki bike he would likely use.

[AKforza]

Sure why not tour with the Forza, Id get some saddle bags and a top box but Id have no problem touring on this bike. While the longest ride I've done on the Forza to date was 275 miles I have a triumph 800xc outfitted for touring and have done some good sized trips with that bike and as long as I was sticking to asphalt Id have no problem doing a long trip with the Forza. Its comfortable and cheap to run and can handle the highway, so why not?

[Z-Mac]

Hello Monty ,

I've done a couple of longer trips with my forza (600-700Km) and the only problem I had was the seat. I'd purchased an air hawk product (cushion) that expended my ride a lot. I think making a longer trip on a Forza is not impossible but might be a bit more tiring then on a Goldwing per say.
I'd recommend you drive up North from Toronto on Hwy 400 then 69 to Sudbury, then Hwy 17 West to Sault.Ste Marie . It is very pretty specially if you go even further North of the Soo by Lake Superior. Awesome scenery!

Let me know when you plan to ride next year and I might come with you :-)


Cheers,

Z

[Monty1952]

I'd recommend you drive up North from Toronto on Hwy 400 then 69 to Sudbury, then Hwy 17 West to Sault.Ste Marie . It is very pretty specially if you go even further North of the Soo by Lake Superior. Awesome scenery!

Z

Maybe that's a spring warm-up trip!

[pja2536]

So I am looking at a trip that's going to be in the region of 10,000km next year. ... Am thinking Route 66 and back through Canada to home in Toronto.

Monty,

I have done several touring trips on my Forza (with another due next Wednesday/Thursday :-) ). However, these have been around 1,000 km and over three days max.

The major drawbacks with the Forza as a tourer are:

• Lack of power for tackling big hills and mountains
• Lack of storage space (I can just about get all I need for three days under the seat) - a top box and/or back pack will extend your luggage carrying capacity
• Lack of range - I get about 250-60 Km before I start looking for petrol

Now for the positives; I have had my seat reupholstered and I believe my Forza is now a much more comfortable bike for touring (Google "Forza seat" images or look me up in this forum for pictures of my seat.

I tend to stick to the speed limit and cruise at 100-110 kph. Stop every two hours or so for fuel and a coffee and look to cover 400-500 km per day (I've done more but I'd rather not). I totally ignore the jibes of my "real motorcycle" riding companions and ride to my and my bike's abilities. Given all of this, the Forza makes a good (not perfect) tourer. A few years ago I traded a Honda SilverWing on a Kawasaki VN900 (on a what???) - the SilverWing IMHO is a really great touring bike, I wish I still had it.

I had an incident on the return leg of my last trip where I had the back tyre go flat but in a way that my tyre repair/blow-up kit was of no use. Luckily, the auto club I belong to accepted my motorcycle membership from the roadside and arranged a tow to the closest Honda dealer. I always thought road-side assist was not worth the money - I have now changed my mind (25 km was too far to push a Forza.

I hope that helps. Good luck with your trip it sounds fantastic. I would love to come over to the USA sometime and ride Route 66 (probably on a Harley-Davidson Sportster :-) )

Regards,
Peter

[Monty1952]

The major drawbacks with the Forza as a tourer are:

• Lack of power for tackling big hills and mountains
• Lack of storage space (I can just about get all I need for three days under the seat) - a top box and/or back pack will extend your luggage carrying capacity
• Lack of range - I get about 250-60 Km before I start looking for petrol

Peter

Many thanks Peter for taking time to give me this useful information. Unless you had a Godwing or a big hunking BMW touring bike I suspect the storage is always a challenge. Now to the power and gas/petrol. Power I think is my biggest concern. Of course you can always make do with the Forza power and be content with the challenges that presents but I think I need to make a longer trip of 1000km+ to feel that challenge and just judge from there whether I can live with it. Gas guage is the only disappointment I have so far with the Forza. Not sure if it's the same on all but mine goes about 80km and not moving from full. Then another 120km from showing full to showing empty.. Then I still have about another 100 km or 4 liters when it's fully resting on the bottom of the guage. While I have never had any kind of transportation with what I regard as an accurate gas guage the Forza defiantly forces you to keep an eye on the KM you have done since last fill up.
Having said all this, I am having a blast with the Forza and since I got it 6 weeks ago my car has gathered dust. It's now day to day on whether it's time to put it to sleep for the winter. Have been out when roads are dry but temperature is quite a bit below freezing with the wind chill but snow is falling as I type this so I think it's going to be back to 4 wheels!

Best

[SECoda]

I rode a buddies Harley Sportster (his 2nd bike) quite a bit before he got another Classic. The seat was awful and I was numb after a couple of hours.

I hope that helps. Good luck with your trip it sounds fantastic. I would love to come over to the USA sometime and ride Route 66 (probably on a Harley-Davidson Sportster :-) )

Regards,
Peter

[Monty1952]

I'd recommend you drive up North from Toronto on Hwy 400 then 69 to Sudbury, then Hwy 17 West to Sault.Ste Marie . It is very pretty specially if you go even further North of the Soo by Lake Superior. Awesome scenery!

Z

Maybe that's a spring warm-up trip!

Looking at the map I was also thinking that going up the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory and taking the ferry to Manitoulin Island might be another interesting way of doing it. Any thoughts on that Z-Mac?

[pja2536]

I rode a buddies Harley Sportster ... The seat was awful and I was numb after a couple of hours.

I wholeheartedly agree; but (with all due respects) that's NOT the point. As an Australian, I couldn't come all that way to ride Route 66 and not do it on a Harley-Davidson (or perhaps that marvelous looking Indian Scout )

Regards,
Peter

[SECoda]

Ah - I see your point. The nostalgic experience of it - Easy Rider. Try it for an hour or two but keep your Forza handy.

[Z-Mac]

I'd recommend you drive up North from Toronto on Hwy 400 then 69 to Sudbury, then Hwy 17 West to Sault.Ste Marie . It is very pretty specially if you go even further North of the Soo by Lake Superior. Awesome scenery!

Z

Maybe that's a spring warm-up trip!

Looking at the map I was also thinking that going up the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory and taking the ferry to Manitoulin Island might be another interesting way of doing it. Any thoughts on that Z-Mac?

Sounds good

[kcpcx]

I've ridden a motorcycle from my parents' place in central PA to my house in Kansas City a number of times. That's probably roughly an 1100 mile ride assuming you take the most direct route, which I sometimes did not.

1300-1400 miles is probably the farthest I've ever ridden one way on any given trip.

Some observations from my modest long haul experience:

It's nice to have a relatively flat bench seat similar to that found on my current 1988 BMW R100RT. It allows you to move around a bit when your butt gets tired. I rode a BMW K75 from Kentucky to Kansas City one time which had the factory low seat option. This restricted your seating area significantly, and made it a lot less comfortable. The more wiggle room you have on your seat, the more comfortable you are on a long ride. Looking at the stock Forza seat, the relatively narrow amount of room allotted to the rider would be a concern of mine on a long ride.

A soft seat that feels comfortable initially is not necessarily what will be comfortable in the long term. For instance, the Corbin seat on my RT feels like a rock initially, but is pretty good hours later. The Kawasaki Concours I used to have had a stock seat that was much more comfortable initially than the Corbin is on my BMW. But after an hour, you were begging to to get off the Kawi and you'd be fine on the BMW RT's Corbin.

Manufacturers often spec seats that feel good and sell new bikes on the showroom floor, not that provide good long haul comfort. Hence the huge aftermarket seat industry (Corbin, Sargent, Mayer, etc.)

A heavier bike is pretty nice on a long highway trip. Out here in the midwest, you have fairly high winds sometimes. A heavier bike generally doesn't get blown around as much on a windy day as a lighter bike. More substantial bikes deal with wind gusts from passing 18-wheelers better, etc. In city traffic, a smaller, lighter, more nimble bike rules. On the open road, weight / mass is an advantage to a large extent.

A large fuel tank is nice on a trip. It gets tiresome stopping for fuel constantly. As you get farther west in the USA, fuel stops in less populated areas can become a bit few and far between, especially if you're not riding interstate highways and if you're riding after 5pm. If you only have 150 miles of range, you have to spend a fair bit of time thinking about how much gas you have and where you're going and how likely it is you'll find fuel conveniently. This can even be a small concern on major highways. For example, if I take I-70 from Kansas City to Pennsylvania, fuel is consistently available and is not really a worry. If I take the much more scenic I-64 east of St Louis, you hit a lot more spots the distance between fuel stops is significant, when you take into account the limited range of a cycle compared to a car.

Highway pegs are real nice on a long trip. Most standard motorcycles are able to be retrofitted for highway pegs. It's real nice to be able to have a significantly different alternate foot position if you're in the saddle for hours. I think the lack of this would be a liability on a scooter on a long haul.

Torque or power. You get into some real pretty riding in the hilly parts of West Virginia, for example. In these situations it's nice to have some extra oomph to haul the bike, you, and all your luggage up a long grade on the highway. You don't need a 1000cc bike, but a 650 is a lot more pleasant to ride in these situations than a 250. I rode my wife's old '97 BMW F650 Funduro from KC to Wichita one time. It did fine, but was a relatively tiresome ride spinning that 650 thumper down the road at 75-80mph for 3 hours. The Kawasaki Concours I had at the time would have been a lot better bike for that situation. Another example...we had a Buell Blast for a while, which in my opinion is a super fun little bike that is totally underrated. It was real fun riding within 50 miles or so of Kansas City. Riding it out to my in-laws place 150 miles from here across Kansas became a chore.

Luggage capacity. It's nice to have a bike with large GIVI or BMW style side cases on a trip. A top case is also nice. Not a must, but bags are nice.

Reserve power. Once in a rare while, you might get into an accident avoidance situation where some nice reserve power is real helpful. You need to pass a car right now, etc. Running a smaller bike with less reserve power can be a minus in these situations. I find that multi-cylinder bikes tend to feel torquier (is that a word?) through the powerband and hence more fun to ride on the open road vs. Thumpers (single cylinder).

Rain gear. It's nice to have some kind of suit along with you for rain. Even in summer, it can get pretty cold riding in the rain, and when you get cold your reaction time goes down along with your mental acuity. Staying dry is nice, and it's safer. Of course, toting rain gear along means you need more cargo room. You WILL eventually get caught in the rain, so might as well be prepared.

Anyway, these are just things that pop into my head. I don't doubt for a minute you CAN tour on a scooter, long range. Is a scooter the optimal 2 wheeler for this? Probably not. My BMW is far better than a Forza for a tour across the USA. The Forza is a far better bike for a 20 mile ride around metro Kansas City. But COULD you ride a Forza to Bozeman, Montana from Missouri? Sure you could. I think there are people who have done the Four Corners ride on things like a Honda Reflex. I'll take an old Honda Pacific Coast or something for that ride, though, personally.

[SECoda]

I am looking at using the Forza for max trips of maybe 300 miles (brothers house) but most touring will be 50-150 miles in southern Missouri and Illinois. I just emailed the seat man in Thailand to see what he can do for a Forza seat to move that support back a bit. He did a great job softening my PCX and getting rid of that hump at a reasonable shipped price. My PCX is now for camping and local runs to the store, local touring under 50 miles, etc..

[Monty1952]

A heavier bike is pretty nice on a long highway trip. Out here in the midwest, you have fairly high winds sometimes. A heavier bike generally doesn't get blown around as much on a windy day as a lighter bike. More substantial bikes deal with wind gusts from passing 18-wheelers better, etc. In city traffic, a smaller, lighter, more nimble bike rules. On the open road, weight / mass is an advantage to a large extent.

Some great advice. At well over 400lb, the Forza is not too bad on highways at around 70mph with trucks and fairly high winds in my mind. Still a challenge but not the worst. Add in heavy rain and I get more concerned!
Power in tricky situations and steep hills concerns me more than most factors. Come spring I am going to take a longer trip of 1,000miles or about 1,600km before i make the call.