G
GS Jim
Guest
Thirty years ago this summer, I was wrapping up college in Houston, TX when I met Pierre, a french kid who was planning a cross country trip on a clapped out 1960 Honda CB450 (I think, see pictures). He was returning to France, but his ticket was from Los Angeles, so being a biker, he decided to do the rational thing and ride cross country to catch his flight.
He suggested I accompany him for part of the way, so being 21 and not knowing any better, I said sure. After checking the oil level and adjusting the chain on my 1977 Suzuki GS550, I threw my "gear" on the back and securely fastened it with bungees.
It never occurred to me that Addidas sneakers, open face helmet (no face shield) and jeans might not be adequate long distance riding gear. As it turned out, neither were my canvas duffle bags. One day into the trip, under a steady downpour, I realized the merits of water proof gear! They say necessity is the mother of invention, we thus handled our waterproofing needs with large trash bags, which worked well for our luggage and not so well for our feet.
It rained steadily during the first couple of days of the trip. To my repeated consternation, Pierre who led the way a fair bit, would increase his speed whenever it started raining. After several such episodes, I asked him about that at the next gas stop. I'll never forget the answer, he said "you know how my old moteur overheats, yes?" I said, sure - so what? He replies, "well, ze rain cools my moteur and allows me to go faster". I understood the depth of his folly when he allowed to ride his bike the following day, That POS Honda had no real front brake, very little oil left in the forks and a seat probably designed in a medieval dungeon. After 20 mins I was desperate to get off and back on my trusty GS.
Our route took us from Houston to Dallas and into the Panhandle heading towards New Mexico. We visited Santa Fe and Taos Pueblo, which was one of the highlights of the trip and then rode north to Colorado where we visited Mesa Verde National Park. We eventually headed west (the direction Pierre was supposedly heading!) and crossed into Utah towards Glen Canyon.
At this point, I did a quick mental calculation (who says a business degree isn't good for something?) and determined I had just enough gas money to make it back to my sister's in El Paso, TX, about 700 miles away. Since I could go no further, Pierre and I parted ways; and this being 1981, I completely lost touch with him in the intervening years. I would, however, like to someday thank him for getting me into motorbike touring; and if by some miracle he sees this post, contact me at almuli2004@yahoo.com
I'm amazed when I compare the gear of that 1981 trip with that of my current touring set up (waterproof saddle bags, GPS navigation, heated grips, armored waterproof riding suit). Being fresh out of college, I had little money, no credit cards and (obviously) no cell phone If disaster struck, I would have had to depend entirely on the kindness of strangers.
I attach a few pictures of the trip.
The full slide show can be seen at: http://s654.photobucket.com/albums/uu264/Almuli/1981 Southwest Trip/
This is me
This is Pierre in Taos
He suggested I accompany him for part of the way, so being 21 and not knowing any better, I said sure. After checking the oil level and adjusting the chain on my 1977 Suzuki GS550, I threw my "gear" on the back and securely fastened it with bungees.
It never occurred to me that Addidas sneakers, open face helmet (no face shield) and jeans might not be adequate long distance riding gear. As it turned out, neither were my canvas duffle bags. One day into the trip, under a steady downpour, I realized the merits of water proof gear! They say necessity is the mother of invention, we thus handled our waterproofing needs with large trash bags, which worked well for our luggage and not so well for our feet.
It rained steadily during the first couple of days of the trip. To my repeated consternation, Pierre who led the way a fair bit, would increase his speed whenever it started raining. After several such episodes, I asked him about that at the next gas stop. I'll never forget the answer, he said "you know how my old moteur overheats, yes?" I said, sure - so what? He replies, "well, ze rain cools my moteur and allows me to go faster". I understood the depth of his folly when he allowed to ride his bike the following day, That POS Honda had no real front brake, very little oil left in the forks and a seat probably designed in a medieval dungeon. After 20 mins I was desperate to get off and back on my trusty GS.
Our route took us from Houston to Dallas and into the Panhandle heading towards New Mexico. We visited Santa Fe and Taos Pueblo, which was one of the highlights of the trip and then rode north to Colorado where we visited Mesa Verde National Park. We eventually headed west (the direction Pierre was supposedly heading!) and crossed into Utah towards Glen Canyon.
At this point, I did a quick mental calculation (who says a business degree isn't good for something?) and determined I had just enough gas money to make it back to my sister's in El Paso, TX, about 700 miles away. Since I could go no further, Pierre and I parted ways; and this being 1981, I completely lost touch with him in the intervening years. I would, however, like to someday thank him for getting me into motorbike touring; and if by some miracle he sees this post, contact me at almuli2004@yahoo.com
I'm amazed when I compare the gear of that 1981 trip with that of my current touring set up (waterproof saddle bags, GPS navigation, heated grips, armored waterproof riding suit). Being fresh out of college, I had little money, no credit cards and (obviously) no cell phone If disaster struck, I would have had to depend entirely on the kindness of strangers.
I attach a few pictures of the trip.
The full slide show can be seen at: http://s654.photobucket.com/albums/uu264/Almuli/1981 Southwest Trip/
This is me
This is Pierre in Taos
Last edited:
, I don't know. I can't for the life of me recall Pierre's last name, so no chance thru "official" channels. I might try to thru a french Suzuki forum, if that exists.
