Whats the longest road trip you have taken?

Bike will be ready to go soon after its gone through. I'm going from OK to CA solo.
I'm going to ride this 75 Z1 after I go through it and replace what it needs.

-What's the longest trip you have taken on a Z. How did it treat you? would you do it again

I think I'm the "winner" most likely. I took a KZ650 2000 miles in 1980. This got me started on something that will nver end until I'm dead most likely. 1981 went on a 3200 mile trip on the 650. As much as I love a KZ650, they are not the ideal tourer, so got a new GPZ1100 in 1982 and rode it on a 5000 mile trip in 82 and again in 1983. Wonderful bike, but a piece of crap reliabilitywise, so got the 79 KZ1000MKII and rode it 5000 mile trips in 1984 through 1988. I liked riding from CO down to FL and up the east coast is where most these trips were. 1989 brought a new idea, to ride to New Hampshire and party with the bike week crowd and watch the races, then ride to California for the Nascar road race from there and back to Colorado. I forget how far this was, but I think around 7000 miles. 1990 brought a new idea to ride the USA 4 corners tour and do it quickly as I got 2 weeks vacation, so that time rode 10,300 mles in 13 days, then in 1991 I decided to take the longer routt going from Denver down to Key West, FL, up to Maine, then stay in the USA over to Blaine, WA, down to San Ysidro, CA and back to Denver. This ended up 10800 miles in 13 days. I never had $0.02 worth of problem with any KZ on these trips. Had a couple flat tires was the most serious problem I had in 75,000 miles on the road or whatever it amounted to. The part I always thought was funny was my dad had a new GL1200 in 1984, and my uncle had a new Yamaha Venture in 1983. Each year they would take a trip and nearly every year one of them came home on a bus because of mechanical breakdown and 1 month wait for parts. All ancient history now, but I enjoyed the KZs and had great success riding them long distance. Also did the Colorado 1000 miles in 24 hours 4 times on the KZ1000.

Awesome post Ron! That is a life time of riding you described! and a testament to the KZ.
I feel less apprehensive about the ride after reading this.
Any special tool kit specific to a KZ you carried with you throughout your travels?
Also, did you use stock bars, seat etc.. something to make it more comfortable from stock form?
Thanks again for the post.

I always used the stock seat, and had lower superbike bars and a small windshield on the KZ1000. I took everything but the kitchen sink with me. Complete set of tools, spare tubes, oil, 2.5 gal gas can, spare headlight bulbs, masterlink. Tried not to forget anything. Last 4 corners tour I weighed all my stuff I tied on at 150lbs including clothing.

I rode a 80 shaft drive 1000 3000 miles in one week. The final day we rode nearly 1000 miles alone. Woke up in Bethesda Maryland and finished in Milwaukee WI.
Not trying to brag but this was on a $300 bike I bought 2 weeks prior and 2 days before we left the engine was completely disassembled and a 100 pieces on my garage floor.
This was my greatest claim to fame and loved taking this trip. We went though Kentucky, Tennessee, and drove the whole Blue Ridge parkway into Virginia. Spent some time in DC.
My only complaint was I couldn’t sit for more then an hour by the end of the trip and we had to make a lot of stops.
The bike was completely stock and had a Vetter fairing and hard bags. Perfect bike for the trip

where abouts in ok are you leaving from?

leon

Summer of 1976 on a 75 Z1B. Left mid June from London Ontario and went down through Michigan, stopped at Port Huron Kawasaki to put on a double disc kit and a Windjammer. On to Chicago to visit some girls I knew ,then on to Springfield to pick up 40 West through Missouri,Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,Arizona,( Hwy.66 for some )Nevada to California. Had a Yosh 1015 kit,R&T cams and an RC pipe installed in Cali. Spent about 2-3 weeks in Cali and then went up I5 all the way up the coast through Oregon and Washington to Vancouver BC. Started in Vancouver and hit every relative in BC and Alberta I could track down- Mother was one of 13 kids , all but 2 of whom lived in the west and I'd never met 90% of them. Across BC,Alberta,Saskatchewan, Manitoba then crossed back into the US through Minnesota., Wisconsin to Michigan and back to Ontario to return to college after Labour Day.

Best summer of my life, I'd do it every year if I could,knocked a big one off my bucket list with that trip. The Z1 was almost flawless, stock seat and all, hated the look and loved the comfort of the jammer and took it off almost immediately upon getting home.Put on a new chain on in OKC and had the motor work done in LA ,that Yosh motor lasted me years.

about 3 hrs ....it got pretty boring

Cant run with the big dogs here but 4800 in 10 days. Heavy chain lube in 73 and still had to buy one half way running 80. Chain oiler did a superb job of oiling the rear wheel

Took lots of trips on my Z 1000 from 1977 - 1986.
Some trips:
Germany to Morocco.
Went every year to the Bol D'Or in Southern France (Paul Ricard)
Isle of Man (1977 and 1978)
Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Hungary, Cheslovakia (Brn), Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Jugoslavia, Denmark.
In all those years it only broke down once, that was way down in Southern France - burned a hole in a piston.
I put in an electronic ignition and always carried the original plate/points with me - never needed it.

Uuups - forgot. My actual longest road trip was in 1979 (on a CB 750 :whistle: )
The trip took 6 months. Started in Daytona Beach ending in Connecticut covering 40 States or so including a short detour to Canada.
One flat tire in Michigan when crossing into Canada :woohoo:

ron is the winner.
i think he has logged more seat time than most of us will ever will.
got to give it to a guy like him.

ok, so it's not on a z.
the longest road trip i did was from rochester, ny to the thousand islands on a 55 panhead hardtail with 14 inch ape hangers.
a little over 300 miles.
i felt every little bump on that sob.
it was one of the only trips i took that i wanted to put the bitch in the bed of a pick up for the ride home.
my kidneys and back will never be the same after that.