California, Florida, Maine, Washington, back to Cali

[ccodesid]

Its been awhile that I've wanted to share my adventure with other fellow Fz07 riders. In this post, I just want to write to show that the FZ07 is more than capable of long distance trips. Even without a windscreen, and after crashing at 50+ mph. Last summer, July, I left with two other buddies to travel the 4 corners of the continental US within 60 days. The group consisted of a Harley Davidson Seventy Two, 20+ Suzuki street bike, and my amazing FZ07. The trip ended up being 11k+ miles of just pure bliss, and it was all thanks to this bikes ability to handle everything thrown at it (except a coyote). Even riding through monsoons and Florida showers seemed to make no difference to the bike.  
 
To pack I commissioned a custom sissy bar be made for the bike and strapped on an old hiking backpack to it and just threw on a cheap pair of $100 saddlebags from Cycle Gear, which in turn saved my bike during the crash. About the crash though.... While riding through a hot couple hundred miles of Texan highway,  a coyote decided to try and cross in front of me. Now let me just say, before this trip I had a total of only three thousand miles under my belt. Not much. So I admit my inexperience led me to clutching the front brake, hitting the coyote, and having the front wheel wash out from underneath me. Being the squid I was, I had been riding in a tank top and shorts that day, but thankfully had been wearing an Icon vest. The bike slid on its left side for what seemed to be 50 feet. Handlebars and wheel were out of line, the left side of the handlebar was completely bent, and the left footpeg shattered off. Amazingly all the bike needed after being picked up to be put back in running order, was to swap the passenger footpeg for the rider's peg (fit like a charm). I was able to ride it 60 miles back to Austin and replace the handlebars, and the bike ran like new. 
 
 
The trip ended up being 11k+ miles of just pure bliss, and it was all thanks to this bikes ability to handle everything thrown at it (except a coyote). Even riding through monsoons and Florida showers, the bike never cared, all it wanted was to keep going.

[rxSpeeD]

Sounds like fun, minus the coyote part. Ever since I first got my bike, I've always wanted to go on a long road trip. The longest distance I've ridden is from Los Angeles to Vegas on Thursday(270 miles) , riding around Friday and Saturday(around 300 miles, rode to Mt. Charleston, Red Rock, Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire) , then riding back Sunday(270 miles). Total mileage of about 900 miles in 4 days.
 
I want to ride to the east coast to New York and back this year and hopefully I get the opportunity to do it.
 
One thing I've noticed on longer rides is how tiring my shoulders get. My butt is fine but the wind was killing me. I had a small cheap metal windscreen from eBay but that did nothing to help with the wind. Did you make any mods for comfort? Touring windscreen, heated grips, hand guards, etc?
 
 

[motomeek]

Nice. Any photos?