Took the ZX out on an epic ride yesterday along with OldMan. We joined the Stockton Motorcycle CLub for their annual Bill's Birthday Bash ride. About 9 others guys, most grey haired like me. Bill just celebrated his 66th birthday. He bought himself a Multistrada.
So we went up over Tioga Pass in Yosemite National park. Weather was great although a lot of smoke from fires permeated the air. On the way down the eastern flank of the Sierras, Bill was bookin. Probably doing around 80-90 through the many sweepers. Along the way he passes a white SUV. Well guess what? As I was going by the SUV lights up all the Christmas tree lights. It's a freaking ranger. I went on by and blended in with a Harley group for a bit. The ranger stayed behind the car he was tailing so I took off. Whew! Did NOT need another ticket.
After lunch in Lee Vining on the shores of Mono Lake we went up 395 to Hwy 108. Bill graciously says, " if you guys want to go fast just pass me and we'll meet at the rest stop."

Uh... Yeeeah riiiiight. He took off on that Multistrada and soon was out of sight. And I was trying to stay up with the guy. Hauling the ZX through 1st gear up and down hairpins soon had my arms screaming in pain. Well, I finally caught up with Bill. At the rest stop. Don't ever forget that some of these "old guys" can ride. Another guy looked like a mountain man or a hippie. Scraggly hair and beard. Rode the whole trip on a RC51!!! And he was fast too.
So, total mileage 450 miles. Got home hot and tired but happy. Think I'll start doing this ride annually too.
Sorry no pics, my phone camera don't work.

Mad

In case non-California members don't know details, here is the map. It was a fun ride and Bill and Mad were so fast nobody could even follow them closely. As soon as they start riding, we didn't see them till the next pit stop.
At the beginning, in front of famous 50's diner in the middle of nowhere. The restaurant was surprisingly packed for the location...literally middle of nowhere.

My sweet ZX with Ferrari from Florida. This guy and his friends must have money to burn. They shipped their Ferrari from Florida to Burbank to drive around. They will ship the car back to Florida once their journey is done.

MadDevil's KingKaw. Super fast with a new top case.
MadDevil (on the left) talking to a new Wee Storm 1000 rider from Sacramento
This guy on RC51 looked much older than I was. I bet he took Advil when he went home.
Bill in the white shirt.

It was a fun day with many fantastic curves and some scary moments (some hairpins on Hwy 108 were totally ridiculous)! I rode a total of 507 miles with an average fuel consumption of 48 mpg.

* Last updated by: OldMan on 9/19/2016 @ 11:24 AM *

Looked like a fine day to be riding but.....48 mpg on a zx14?

Total mileage was 507miles and the gas used was 10.5 gallons. I kept all gas receipts and mileage was on Trip B (I reset Trip A at every gas stop). I typically get 37 to 40 mpg for my commute and back road riding. I ride very gently for sure. On the way home, I tried to follow Mad but gave up on the idea

39 is my regular average , and I really AM an old man ;) I thought maybe you had discovered something that we could all benefit from... I do a bit of 1000 mile plus rides and an extra 10 mpg SURE would not hurt my feelings LOL

Before someone comments, let me say that I certainly did not buy the 14 for its mpg performance :) ...

* Last updated by: chrly on 9/19/2016 @ 12:07 PM *

Keep you bike in a good shape - clean air filter, engine oil, and correct tire pressure. Chain is lubed and correctly tensioned. Fairing always waxed (less wind resistance). And stay skinny - more weight you carry more gas you need to use. I am 5-8 and 141 lb as of this morning. I bet I gain 1-2mpg more than a 6-5 guy who weighs 230 lb. I didn't buy ZX for the fuel economy, either, but the way I ride bikes is I guess too gentle. Everyone expects me to ride fast when they see my ZX. I guess it may be time for me to move onto something else but the biggest issue is that I can't find anything I like beside my ZX. Yamaha FJR1300ES seems attractive but they don't come in red anymore and I don't want to pay $18K+tax. I tried KTM and Duc and didn't like them. I love my Orange/Black Ninja.

I did additional analysis. We filled up at Sierra Station on Hwy 108 in Long Barn. From there to my home (well nearest gas station 1 mile away), according to Google is 163 miles. My trip A at the time of filling was 161.5 mile. So Google is pretty accurate. It took 3.199 gallons to fill up the tank. That is 50.48 mpg. I guess some other areas the gas mileage wasn't as good and as a result an averaging 48 mpg.

I think the average improves with the average speed. Commuting sucks gas. If you get your average speed up in the 60 to 70 range you will see better mpg. I'm 220 and I have seen 48 to 50 mpg out on the open road at speeds from trouble to impound. Our bikes like it when you let them loose.

Great pics Oldman, looks like you guys had a great ride!

* Last updated by: david5525 on 9/19/2016 @ 8:18 PM *

That looks like a lot of fun. I'm glad you didn't get busted by the park ranger. I also had a close call about a month back. I was doing at least 130 and cut the throttle when i saw a car approaching from the opposite direction. When it passed, i was decelling to 100 mph and i saw it was a sheriff SUV. No lights, not even brake lights but better believe I slowed way down.

" I'm glad you didn't get busted by the park ranger." Well, actually Bill and Mad passed unmarked ranger/cop SUV at a significantly higher speed than the speed limit (I believe it was way into "goodbye driver's license area) and the SUV lit the light but for some reasons didn't chase them I was far behind and didn't worry about it as when I approached the area the cop was already gone. It was a lucky day for Bill and Mad

Great report dudes ... and glad OM came in to post pics. Tks.