XV1100SE

When they came out with the VRod people complained that it wasn't a "Harley". And if you look at the different models they have, they have something for everyone. As for market share, if you look at the number of Harley's on the road compared with other brands I think they do have the majority, especially in the States. Can't go thru a small town without there being a Harley dealer. We've only seen 3 Yamaha dealers during our trip. I tried to find sales numbers but by the number of bikes you see, HD is the leader. Did find one stat for Australia which showed they had the top 3 bikes in sales of touring/cruiser models.

Happy belated birthday Bob ! Hope you enjoyed your day !

Noticed Freebird has been silent on this. Maybe because he is out shopping for HD clothing???

Coming towards Cody yesterday I had a group of riders catch up behind us. On a straight stretch of road I waived for them to pass me and started to move to the right side of the lane to give them room. As I'm moving over the lead rider passed me on the RIGHT. I'm pulling a trailer so it is a little wider than the bike but why on earth would he pass on the RIGHT??? Just a warning... if you get riders that want to pass you, be aware that some will try passing on the right side. If you wave them by.... make sure they aren't trying to sneak past on the right.

We stayed in Cody last night and will stay another night here today. Nancy wants to see the wild horses so we booked the tour for 5:30pm tonight. Going to "do the town" today. Suprising with so much time off how quickly it goes. From here we are going to have time to do Yellowstone, Beartooth, then straight from there to Saskatchewan. Won't have time for BC or Alberta. That will be another trip.

This wasn't to trash HD. My brother owns an AMF Sportster 1000 and he had problems with the fly wheel or something. If it didn't start on the first kick you wouldn't get it started. But its a nice looking bike and he still rides it. My comment was directed at how many HD riders have to have the clothing. I have two Pioneer Motorsports shirts and nothing else that says Yamaha on it. I don't need it to ride and don't feel the need. My feeling on clothing is similar to the exhaust. Keep it subtle and let the bike do the talking. Yamaha missed out on the Venture. Lack of advertising, promotions, support. Great bike but needed something to keep it "current". Not saying that they needed to go to FI but doing so would have made it more appealing to the masses, as would anti-lock brakes. I wave to all riders, even scooters. Doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you ride. By why be a rolling billboard ?

As we approached the Sturgis area... from Iowa/Nebraska.... it has been neat to see the ratio of bikes to cars increase to the point where going thru Custer State Park 99% of the vehicles on the roads were bikes. Even on the highways at least 60 % of the vehicles must have been bikes. Now as we get further away from Sturgis (working our way thru Wyoming then Montana) the ratio is dropping but still nice to see so many bikes on the road. Keep seeing 2nd Gen's but going the other way. I've waved but no response. Saw a black Venture parked at Devil's Tower but didn't see the owner. Even saw a couple RSTD. Hoping to meet or have a chance to talk to other VR.org members on the trip.

Oh... and WHY do HD's HAVE to have loud pipes??? And why do they keep revving the engine? Is it to know the engine hasn't self imploded? Is it to keep the engine running? Is it to be totally obnoxious ???? Having loud pipes doesn't stop someone from turning left in front of you.

No... I'm not trading in my RSV. I wouldn't dare after how far we've gotten on our trip from Ontario to Saskatchewan (thru Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and now in Wyoming) with no loss of oil or coolant despite a mix of Interstate and gravel roads. Bike is dirty (didn't cover it tonight so the rain can wash it) but 100%. Okay... so what I'm convinced about is this. From what we've seen of Harley riders in any State is that it seems to be a requirement for them to wear some form of Harley clothing. We've seen the obvious dealer t-shirts (other than maintenance, why do they HAVE to have a shirt from any dealer they come across ???), hats, bandanas, pants, boots, gloves... probably socks and underwear too. I'm convinced that Harley Davidson is a clothing company that sells bikes. This isn't a joke. This is an accurate statement. I know they don't sell trucks but Harley riders even have to have trucks with Harley labels all over it. I don't like to advertise for anyone. If Harley wants me to wear their shirts they can pay me to do it.... and even then I wouldn't. On a side note... during our travels I'd say that 80% of bikes on trailers or loaded in the back of a truck is a Harley. Are they broken down? Are they afraid to ride them any distance? Do they want to keep mileage down to avoid/delay expensive repairs? Again... 80% is accurate, if not on the low side.

In Gillette Wyoming tonight. In a hotel tonight. As we came into town it started to rain heavy and rather than go another hour in the rain to a (possibly wet) camp ground we checked in around 5pm. Saw Devil's Tower today. Headed to Cody then Yellowstone.

We rode thru Sturgis this afternoon. Between the Badlands and Sturgis we saw several 2nd Gen Ventures but no one waved, honked, called out on cb.... We didn't stop (other than at lights and stop signs) so couldn't really look for Ventures that were parked let alone their owners. Definitely a site to see with a the bikes and people. We are in Sundance Wy tonight staying at the Mountain View RV Park and Campground. Anyone headed thru Wyoming keep the place in mind - nice park.

We camped at Badlands park last night. Woke up at sunrise and took pictures of the sunrise and shadows on the hills. What a way to start the day. We finished off the loop of the Badlands this morning then headed for Sturgis. If anyone hasn't been to Sturgis before, you should add it to your list. Just the sheer number of bikes and people is something to see. We arrived around 2pm and kept at a steady but slow pace (too many stop signs). As mentioned before, Sturgis was not our destination but a pass-thru point... and that is what we did. At least we can say we've "been" there (and yes, stopping and walking around would really be "being" there... but driving thru was enough for us). Tonight we are camped about 28 miles from Devils Tower. Recommend Mountain View RV Park and Campground in Sundance Wy. Friendly people, clean bathrooms, well stocked and inexpensive store... has laundry and pool table. Paid $35 for a site with power (recharge the camera batteries again) and water. Tomorrow... Devils Tower and ..... Nancy wants to see the wild horses in Cody and the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Park are on our must see list. Starting to count down the days until when we have to be in Saskatchewan and still have Wyoming and Montana to see. BC might get cut from our route as we plan out route and days.

Went thru Custer State Park yesterday and saw Mount Rushmore. Saw another 09 Venture in Custer Park and a black Venture at Mount Rushmore. Anyone own these ? Headed to the Badlands today, thru Sturgis, and off to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Will be in Montana in a couple days on our way up to BC or Alberta.

Spent last night at a KOA right by Mount Rushmore. Yesterday we saw the Mamoth exhibit at Hot Springs (recommend it), the Wind Caves (recommend it), rode thru Black Hills, Custer Park (saw Bison), then did the twisty ride up to Mount Rushmore. Rode thru the town of Custer with bikes lining both sides of the street and down the middle of the road. I've never ridden the Dragon but I've never been on a road with so many turns and 180's. For anyone wanting a fun ride, do this road ! Today, Badlands. Not sure what else yet. And a recommendation... have spare batteries for your cameras or a way to charge them off your bike as you ride. By the time we got to Mt. Rushmore, both our cameras batteries were dead. Used our Blackberry's to take pictures of Mt. Rushmore.

Rode from Scotts Bluff Nebraska to Hot Springs South Dakota today - about 263km (164 miles). Was about 90F when we started and going North from Scotts Bluff the temperature reached 110F... but amazing scenery.

In Scottsbluff Nebraska tonight. Started the day in light fog and 68F temperatures. Fog lifted by 10am and by 2pm the temperature had risen to 120F on the thermometer (weather web site said it was 98F but in the sun... was 120F). This is an interesting trip in seeing different areas of the States. Nebraska started relatively flat with miles and miles of corn and today we are seeing things like Chimney Rock, Jailhouse Rock, and canyons. Met Phoneman1981 (Mark) and his wife Lee and grandson Brenden. Want to thank them for their hospitality and meeting us.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your sister-in-law. Our condolences to your family. Don and Nancy

During our trip we've seen a couple 1st Gens and a couple 2nd Gens... usually going the other way. My reaction is to turn to channel 29 on the cb and call out if there are any Venture Riders out there. No response. When you pass by another Venture.... what do you do other than to wave?

In Ogallala Nebraska tonight. Pitched the tent, started the fire.... and a lightning storm came thru the area. Managed to do our dinner over the fire in time and pack into the tent before the rain started. The camp hosts said it was supposed to be a heavy storm. Bike is parked on gravel. I put a kick stand plate under neath it and to be safe put a couple logs of wood under where I would expect the bike to touch down if the sand gives way from rain or being soft. I don't have a swivel hitch so I disconnected the trailer from the bike and chained the trailer to the picnic table. Over the past couple of days we've seen a 1st Gen and a couple 2nd Gens... but no response when I called out on the cb on channel 29. 520km today

... and.... learned last night to be more careful parking the bike with trailer behind it. In Winterset the parking for tents was at the back of the park and was sloped and gravel. Imagine the bike pointing downhill (was a slight slope, not huge). I turn off the bike, put the kick stand down, and get off the bike.... Nancy still on the bike. Suddenly... the bike starts rolling forward and the kickstand gets past the point of holding the bike up. I grabbed the handle bars and am struggling to keep the bike from going down. Nancy gets off the bike and goes to the right side of the bike and pulls until it stablizes. I quickly get on the bike, start it, shift into 1st and then put the kickstand down (to kill the engine). After a moment to catch my breath... I moved the bike off the gravel and onto level grass on our camp site, put the kickstand plate down and make sure it was solid. Also today.... in the Loess area... was starting the route for the byway. Had to make a turn right at the start and saw gravel on the corner. Of course I'm taking it easy around the corner.... but suddenly the tire started to slide. "Instinctively" I put my right foot down... MISTAKE as you all know. My foot down did help to stabilize the bike but my foot almost got twisted under the passenger floorboard. I got lucky. Instinct would have said to keep my feet on the floorboards and not risk twisting an ankle. I always wear boots... and this probably helped prevent injury.

Didn't have wifi or cell coverage the last two nights.... Day 4 and 5 Yesterday and today have been all Iowa. We started yesterday at "Iowa 80" which bills itself as "The Worlds Biggest Truck Stop". Surprised how big it is, with dentist, barber, huge gift shop. From there we went to Maquoketa State Park and walked thru the caves. Didn't see any bats but was nice and cool. Thermometer on the bike showed 90F. Next up for day 4 was the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa. Had I realized that J&P Cycles were there I would have ordered more safety chrome ! Stayed at a camp site yesterday Diamond Lake in Iowa. Mileage on the 4th day was 339km 5th day we went to Pella to see the Vermeer Mill. Found a laundromat and did our laundry. Saw the State building in Des Moines.... clear blue skies and 110F on the thermometer. Made sure we stayed hydrated. We've been wearing our Tourmaster jackets and helmets despite the "no helmet laws". Jackets to cut the sun and prevent sun burn and we always wear helmets. Camped in Winterset Iowa. Mileage today was 238km (148 miles). We aren't rushing and are taking our time to get off the highways and see the sites off the beaten path. We didn't get to Winterset until after the info centre had closed (think birthplace of John Wayne, movie "Bridges of Madison County"). Day 6...started out the day around 9am... with the heat today (90F on the thermometer) and the sun (few clouds)... made several breaks but still managed 400km (249 miles). We rode from Winterset to Loess Hills National Scenic Byway Info Centre at the South West corner of Iowa and tried to follow the scenic byway but got confused. Ended up driving 5 miles on gravel roads (Nancy says it was a farmers field but the road was on the gps). Went thru Council Bluffs into Omaha Nebraska. Staying in a hotel in Lincoln tonight to give us an evening to regroup and revise our route and charge our laptop.

We are in Lincoln Nebraska tonight and seeing lots of bikes headed to Sturgess.

I bought a gas cap cover earlier this year ($25 in Canada I believe). Its been great for cutting down the reflection. It is a pain in the a$$ putting it on though. It looks like a miniature shower cap and when you start on one side and pull it down on the other it pos off. Takes practice but can be done. I went to the store and got a 9" fishing leader and looped it thru the side of the cover and under the plastic surrounding the cap and around the bold head (so I won't lose it or forget it at a gas station).

We are in Winterset Iowa tonight. Going to go thru Nebraska next... Sturgis is on route but not our target. We didn't reserve a camp site (tenting) but want to see all the things we can in the area like Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, Badlands/Black Hills, Wounded Knee Creek, Custer State Park. From the looks of it we'll be in the Sturgis area around Monday.

Left O'Fallon around 9am this morning. Gray skies for most of the day. Stopped in Hannibal and walked around for a couple hours. Made it to Walcott, Iowa around 7:30. The last couple of hours riding was in mist/fog. Saw very few bikes today. Only one stood out which was in Hannibal. We were walking back from the paddle wheel boat and saw a Harley coming down the street towards us. A train was coming towards us so we were looking at it and when we looked back the HD was in the middle of the road but on its side with the rider standing over it looking like he didn't know what to do. Trying to make him feel better I said to him that it happens to everyone and he said this was the 3rd time since he got the HD a month ago. Rather than say "get a smaller bike" I started teaching him how to pick up his bike. Before we left home I had put a thermometer on the bike and temperatures started and finished at 70F, peaked at 90F. After averaging about 70-75mph the last two days, we've slowed down a bit... was pretty well doing the speed limit or slightly slower today. Not worrying about making time and stopping when we feel like it. Think we did 400km (250 miles) today. Putting more details in the blog than here.