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Message started by Dave on 11/24/25 at 03:33:34

Title: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Dave on 11/24/25 at 03:33:34

I watched a film last night on this...it is on Roku on the TUBI channel. They ride about 400 miles daily for 8 days....a real challenge on bikes with small engines, small tires and not so forgiving suspension.

Here you go MM.....a new adventure for you on a small bike!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKXqlYv0NWU
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKXqlYv0NWU[/media]

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by MMRanch on 11/24/25 at 20:52:35

Back roads across America : That would be fun. Something that my Small Bike might be too BIG for ? ;D

I've brought up the idea to the RE 350-J fellers , but so far not much response has returned on the idea. The SBBA fellers have the right idea but they are 1972 and older bikes under 350cc. I had a 1971 Honda CB350 (325cc) that had 36HP and was plenty of bike for anything but I'm not sure I want another one ? :) 7,000 rpm @ 70mph :-[

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_cb350K_70.html

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Dave on 11/25/25 at 06:05:11

Doing a Coast to Coast ride sounds cool....but then reality sets in.

First - I don't live near either coast - I am about 500 miles from the east coast and 2,000 miles from the west coast. So getting to an eastern coast to start is about 2 days ride on a scooter...then how do you get back home from the other coast?

In the movie I watched the folks spent around $5,000 for the hotels, food, fuel, tires and other costs associated with the trip. I am not sure if that includes the cost of getting back home after the event. A few of the entrants did it cheaper by stealth camping in places they could set up a tent for free.

For this event - they were on a tight schedule and traveling around 400 miles a day on back roads. Going that far in a day when you are traveling on rural roads and through small towns is not easy to do - they are going to be very long travel days. (Even on my 800cc motorcycle the average travel speed displayed on the odometer data shows 38mph as being my average speed for the last 35,000 miles....riding in the mountains and on rural roads really cuts down on the ability to cover a lot of miles in a day). These folks had to hustle on their little scooters - and some of the smaller scooters just could not keep up the pace and suffered engine failures.

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by verslagen1 on 11/25/25 at 11:22:08

What about a "tag team" event.
Someone gets a token on one coast and it's passed along to the other coast?

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by MMRanch on 11/25/25 at 16:10:07

Well Dave , Lets start at your house and stop at Versey's ! :)

What are you doing for a "Back Road's Bike " now ?

I've watched a few episodes' of those two guy on Honda 125's

check out the trailer one of these fellers has !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcF8qkJlL3c

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Dave on 11/26/25 at 03:45:09

455745575A49464B40080 wrote:

What are you doing for a "Back Road's Bike " now ?

I've watched a few episodes' of those two guy on Honda 125's

check out the trailer one of these fellers has !

My local and back road bike right now is a 1982 Honda CT110 street/trail bike. It starts first kick and is great for riding over to the neighbors and sometimes up to the hardware store - it just doesn't have enough power (7.5HP) to keep up with traffic for riding on roads where the speed limits are above 35mph....the engine is just working too hard at speeds above 40. On the steep hills I can usually maintain 30mph if I keep the engine buzzing in a lower gear. For some reason Honda never chose to get more HP out of this horizontal engine - Cycle World tested the current Trail 125 and measured 7.9HP.

I had a 1974 Honda CL125S for a couple of years, and that vertical engine makes 14HP! That motorcycle was far better at keeping pace with the local traffic. There is a local CL125 for sale that looks to be in pretty good original shape listed for $1,500.....I might be able to get a deal as he listed it 30 weeks ago and still has it (the listing says he wants it gone before Christmas).

Those trailers they are using on those Trail 125's look nice and light and easy to pull. However - I am pretty sure I would not want a trailer following me on some of those unimproved roads they were on.....a pack strapped to the seat would be more to my liking. Those 125's surprisingly were able to go 60mph once in a while - but with any sort of uphill they were not able to maintain that speed. If you look at the listed power for the current model it is around 9.6HP - even with modern technology Honda doesn't get the kind of HP the CB/CL125 models had back in the 70's.

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Ruttly on 11/26/25 at 08:17:26

That’s a great bike , no rev limiter , easy to swap to a higher compression piston add a pipe & rejet. Also makes a killer cafe bike , here is where you learn to extract & gather speed from the mini thumper. You have no real power so it’s all about wide open and staying tucked in and retraining yourself to never touch the brakes until it’s time to eat or refuel ! ;D

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by MMRanch on 11/26/25 at 08:22:38

Modern Honda XL150? I :)

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by MMRanch on 11/26/25 at 17:12:05

You have no real power so it’s all about wide open and staying tucked in and retraining yourself to never touch the brakes until it’s time to eat or refuel !

;D
Yea , The way we learned to ride in our teens ! :) I still like to ride like that ! ;D Staying off the brakes that is ;)

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_cd175.htm#google_vignette

I think I'd buy another one of these if I didn't already have the RE 350-J which is close to the same thing while ridding it ! :) :)

Title: HRe: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Ruttly on 11/27/25 at 08:58:38

I had one too , but it was a flat track practice bike. Front brake was gutted , bald and recut K70s , fiberglass tank , straight pipes & rejetted carbs. Wasn’t real fast but it was real fun. It was a daily ritual to go harass the local PD , after a couple a months they got real serious about being on the losing end of every pursuit. About the same time a piston was going bad & smoking making it easier to trail me. Then a little birdie called me on the phone and told me they are coming. My smoking hot Honda 175 was WANTED ! Under the cover of darkness I put it in my old truck took it 100 miles away and left it in front of a friends house , he wasn’t home. Later I found out I put it in front of his neighbors house. I had dodged the PD and when they did corner me , I denied it all , bike was gone , never saw it again! I may have accepted its legacy when I was given the bike. Previous owner was a flat track racer and I’m sure he did his share of torturing the PD with it on the other side of town before so generously passing it on to me. ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by MMRanch on 11/27/25 at 10:19:01

The single carb was nice. That 125 single would make a great local putt , putt too.

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Ruttly on 11/27/25 at 17:16:44

That old Honda didn’t have anything on it , bars , tank , seat & rear fender. Like every Honda it always started first kick and able to float the valves without a problem. Wish I had that one back , that would be a worthy project , a fun no pressure build. 8-)

Title: Re: Scooter Cannonball - Coast to Coast
Post by Ruttly on 11/29/25 at 12:32:46

You guys might have an interest in the Lifan KPM 200. 198cc thumper , liquid cooled , fuel injected , six speed , 17” wheels tubeless , inverted wheels fork , single rear shock , disc brakes , chain drive. Been available for the last 4 or 5 years and relatively dependable. Lifan from Taiwan , Lifan builds Hondas for Honda , so they have a good reputation. Have a few dealers in CA , also available on Amazon. If I had room I would have one , been eye ballin them for last 3 years. Header available on Amazon too ! A good looking retro styled standard ! Around 3k depending shipping or if you pick it up. Much to my dismay I’m sure it has a smile remover (rev limiter).
Check it out , I’m sure someone here might like it ! And yes it has a happy button !