Hi all, what better state than Nevada to attempt my first SS1000 (in miles), riding a motorcycle in the USA for the very first time, and riding a 6-cylinder engine for the first time also. Having previously driven cars on the right-hand side of the road, and ridden motorcycles in other countries before, this ride comprised many firsts for me. 
Here's the anti-clockwise route I actually rode on the day.
Having landed in the USA from Australia, I collected the rental BMW K1600GTL without issue - despite the dealership having one of their bikes stolen only 10 mins before I arrived. They did a great job getting me going, despite having the theft on their minds. I babied the BMW back to the AirBNB I was staying at, noticing both its increased weight compared to my R1250RS, and how slippery the black tar road surface was under my boots... the lack of grip gave me more concern than reminding myself to 'keep right'.
Only light sleep was had, but enough. I was excited to get going, as this ride was many months in the making. I even had some stickers made just for the occasion. Gear on, wheel the bike quietly from the backyard to the street, then carefully ride to the first gas stop for the day - at 522am. The original plan was to refuel here again as my last stop, but as the map shows, that did not happen.
Once out of Las Vegas, the scenery heading toward Crystal Springs opened-up. Beautiful like the Australian Outback, but different and of its own beauty. I made sure to stop at the ET Fresh Jerky store for a couple of staged photos, since I had brought the alien head mask especially for those location shots. I inadvertently kept on highway 93 until stopping for the front-on photo. I had become too relaxed to realise I would not pass through Hiko if I kept going. Having doubled-back to Hiko avoiding the cops strictly enforcing town speed limits, I then realised my planned gas stop at 'Hiko' was closer to Crystal Springs than Hiko... so I doubled-back again. This easily ate-up 30-45 minutes in back-tracking, which concerned me somewhat this early in the journey. There must have been some unexplained phenomenon in the air, as my DBR photo next to the Odometer corrupted on my phone - which has never happened before. Thankfully, the next DBR was at Ely - well within the maximum DBR distance allowed.
As the temperature decreased, the storms started to present themselves. I pulled over to a side-road to get a photo of the dark skies, as I headed further north. Snow-capped mountains also started to appear, painting a picturesque landscape with orange-coloured Globemallows beneath the snow line. This was the one photo opportunity I regret not stopping for. Closer to West Wendover, I did stop for the Great Salt Lake Desert which shimmered as it met the horizon.
Having memorised the Nevada In-state tips about West Wendover, I thank those who kindly provided those tips, as I easily found Wendover Will and did not take a wrong turn toward Utah. After refuelling, Interstate 80 was my first 'real' interstate - as I had not seen an 80 MPH speed limit until now. I know some people dislike interstates, but if you come from Australia and use one for the first time... Interstates are amazing! The road surface is superb, everyone around me had great lane discipline, and the higher speeds I personally found to be much safer than the 62 - 68 MPH Australia limits. Trucks that slowly ascended hills kept their hazard lights on - making themselves more visible to overtaking traffic... nice.
I made sure to find Mona's Ranch at Elko, as one of our dear friends has the same name. She got a kick out of this photo. No time to stop for more than a photo though!
Storm cells were either side of me from Elko to Winnemucca. The 800 pound BMW cut through the wind gusts and squalls fairly well. Passing semi trucks required a bit more concentration and lane placement. I could feel the top case act as a sail, pulling me sideways within my lane occasionally. Beside the wind gusts, I was shielded from the weather quite well. Only with the worst squalls did I need to slow to 70 MPH temporarily.
Whilst refuelling at Winnemucca, the full force of the storm hit. In the line to pay for gas, a gentleman asked if I'd travelled for the 'mini-Sturgis' (his words) Run-a-Mucca motorcycle event. Unfortunately not, but it's now on my list with Sturgis.
Everywhere I went, everyone was so nice, open and friendly. Many a laugh was had when I was asked why I was riding in this weather today. The rain was so bad at times, another first for me was when needing to take a photo of the DBR against the Odometer without shelter. I devised a solution where I went back inside the store to place the DBR in a plastic bag so that it was readable, then take the bag & hold the DBR within it next to the Odometer. Thankfully, this worked and only consumed about 10 extra minutes of time.
So it was in Reno where I lost most of my planned time, after getting to this photo spot. Reno looks like a cool city at night. I had a nice chat with one of the security guys outside the Nugget - who loves his BMW motorcycles too.
From what I gather, there are 2 main parts of Reno connected by a freeway section and lots of off-ramp loop roads. This is where I came unstuck without navigation lane guidance. I had forgot to ask the rental place how to put my phone in the cubby-hole on top of the BMW dash. Never used a cubby-hole type before. Until this point, I just had the phone connected by Bluetooth to give turn-by-turn general navigation without maps. With these K1600 models, they also need a WiFi connection to display maps and lane-guidance. Having the phone outside of the cubby-hole, does not form a strong-enough connection for the bike to display maps and lane guidance. On face value, it seems BMW have reduced the WiFi signal strength on purpose, to promote use of their cubby-hole. I have no need for the cubby-hole, as I run a portable USB battery pack to top-up my phone, GPS or Sena. The cubby-hole also makes paying for gas a pain - as the windscreen needs to raise before you can get your phone. As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan. If I were to use it, I would keep an old phone connected throughout an entire ride, and use my everyday phone for payments, GPS distance, SW Tracker and so-on.
I attempted to leave Reno for about 1 hour going backwards and forwards between the 2 main parts of this city. I then pulled-over and had to work-out how to place the phone in the cubby hole via a combination of YouTube and Dial-a-Wife guidance. The cubby-hole on these BMWs just isn't intuitive, clunky, and all the more frustrating at night losing time. To the credit of YouTube and my wife, I was able to get maps and lane guidance. By that point, I decided to abort my planned route of Carson City and a final photo opportunity at the Chicken Ranch Brothel - instead heading straight for Fallon and direct to Las Vegas. As it was, the time estimate confirmed I wouldn't make Las Vegas before 6am - but I had to try.
Traffic was light toward Fallon once exiting I80. The temperature dropped again too - so I was super happy I packed and connected my 12v heated jacket, as this kept my fatigue at bay, and concentration high. I also had time to consider how far I could get before the 24-hours ran out. Initially I thought Pahrump would be possible (the Chicken Ranch Brothel), but with darkness comes needing to be more careful with reduced visibility. I really missed my Denali D4 spotlights heading into Hawthorne, where I refuelled. Manufacturers should really address this, by making headlight high-beams truly useful & safe when riding in pitch-black highway conditions. The technology is available to include in stock light housings, which would prevent need for fitting auxiliary lights. I'd love to one day have a manufacturer option of D4, D7 or LP9 level light output for my high-beams when choosing new-bike optional extras.
Anyhow, I stuck to my plan of following the tail lights of other vehicles going at a decent pace, wherever possible. Throughout the whole ride, I had not encountered any animals or wildlife on the road, nor roadkill. After refuelling again at Tonopah, I started thinking if I would consider getting a K1600.
No doubt the bike has many positives for covering long-distances: shaft drive, heated everything, weather protection, technology and fuel economy/range. The seating position was good, but not that much better than my current RT-spec RS (its more like an RT than an RS). I also liked the K1600 mirrors, central locking and little compartments which I used as a coin-tray when I paid cash for gas. The engine and suspension are buttery smooth, but I wasn't totally convinced. The navigation cubby hole had thrown me off, and the heavier weight had me thinking how nice my R1250RS was weight-wise. I only used the K1600's reverse system a couple times, so I don't think that feature would be a key decision point for me either. I concluded that I would need to take the Bagger version of the K1600 for a test ride. By then, hopefully they may have Adaptive Cruise Control - and I'd be able to try some highway boards with the B model.
My final thought before pulling into the 76 at the Area 51 Alien Centre, was that it was a shame I didn't get to see the landscape whilst riding at night after-dusk from Reno. I expect the scenery is just as spectacular as what I was privileged to see during the day. I'll be back for sure, and most likely to ride Highway 50 through the centre of Nevada too.
With the DBR at Amargosa Valley being 458am, there was no chance I'd make Las Vegas in 20 minutes - so I made this my final SS1000 stop. 1192 miles (1918 km) in 23 hours 36 minutes. The bike's trip computer stated an average speed of 67 mph and average consumption of 37.9 mpg. Pretty happy with that!
I made it back to the AirBNB in Las Vegas without issue. The Sunrise was magical that morning, casting its warm light over the land-of-the-free, and home-of-the-brave. Over the 25 hours, 13 mins since leaving the first gas stop, the BMW Connected App stated I had been riding for 20 hours, 23 mins. Distance-wise, the Odometer was 1255 miles (2019 km) and the GPS was 1277 miles (2055 km).
The higher speed limits in the USA sure allow one to travel greater distances more effectively, compared to Australia! I'm missing them already. Until next time USA...
Here's the anti-clockwise route I actually rode on the day.
Having landed in the USA from Australia, I collected the rental BMW K1600GTL without issue - despite the dealership having one of their bikes stolen only 10 mins before I arrived. They did a great job getting me going, despite having the theft on their minds. I babied the BMW back to the AirBNB I was staying at, noticing both its increased weight compared to my R1250RS, and how slippery the black tar road surface was under my boots... the lack of grip gave me more concern than reminding myself to 'keep right'.
Only light sleep was had, but enough. I was excited to get going, as this ride was many months in the making. I even had some stickers made just for the occasion. Gear on, wheel the bike quietly from the backyard to the street, then carefully ride to the first gas stop for the day - at 522am. The original plan was to refuel here again as my last stop, but as the map shows, that did not happen.
Once out of Las Vegas, the scenery heading toward Crystal Springs opened-up. Beautiful like the Australian Outback, but different and of its own beauty. I made sure to stop at the ET Fresh Jerky store for a couple of staged photos, since I had brought the alien head mask especially for those location shots. I inadvertently kept on highway 93 until stopping for the front-on photo. I had become too relaxed to realise I would not pass through Hiko if I kept going. Having doubled-back to Hiko avoiding the cops strictly enforcing town speed limits, I then realised my planned gas stop at 'Hiko' was closer to Crystal Springs than Hiko... so I doubled-back again. This easily ate-up 30-45 minutes in back-tracking, which concerned me somewhat this early in the journey. There must have been some unexplained phenomenon in the air, as my DBR photo next to the Odometer corrupted on my phone - which has never happened before. Thankfully, the next DBR was at Ely - well within the maximum DBR distance allowed.
As the temperature decreased, the storms started to present themselves. I pulled over to a side-road to get a photo of the dark skies, as I headed further north. Snow-capped mountains also started to appear, painting a picturesque landscape with orange-coloured Globemallows beneath the snow line. This was the one photo opportunity I regret not stopping for. Closer to West Wendover, I did stop for the Great Salt Lake Desert which shimmered as it met the horizon.
Having memorised the Nevada In-state tips about West Wendover, I thank those who kindly provided those tips, as I easily found Wendover Will and did not take a wrong turn toward Utah. After refuelling, Interstate 80 was my first 'real' interstate - as I had not seen an 80 MPH speed limit until now. I know some people dislike interstates, but if you come from Australia and use one for the first time... Interstates are amazing! The road surface is superb, everyone around me had great lane discipline, and the higher speeds I personally found to be much safer than the 62 - 68 MPH Australia limits. Trucks that slowly ascended hills kept their hazard lights on - making themselves more visible to overtaking traffic... nice.
I made sure to find Mona's Ranch at Elko, as one of our dear friends has the same name. She got a kick out of this photo. No time to stop for more than a photo though!
Storm cells were either side of me from Elko to Winnemucca. The 800 pound BMW cut through the wind gusts and squalls fairly well. Passing semi trucks required a bit more concentration and lane placement. I could feel the top case act as a sail, pulling me sideways within my lane occasionally. Beside the wind gusts, I was shielded from the weather quite well. Only with the worst squalls did I need to slow to 70 MPH temporarily.
Whilst refuelling at Winnemucca, the full force of the storm hit. In the line to pay for gas, a gentleman asked if I'd travelled for the 'mini-Sturgis' (his words) Run-a-Mucca motorcycle event. Unfortunately not, but it's now on my list with Sturgis.
Everywhere I went, everyone was so nice, open and friendly. Many a laugh was had when I was asked why I was riding in this weather today. The rain was so bad at times, another first for me was when needing to take a photo of the DBR against the Odometer without shelter. I devised a solution where I went back inside the store to place the DBR in a plastic bag so that it was readable, then take the bag & hold the DBR within it next to the Odometer. Thankfully, this worked and only consumed about 10 extra minutes of time.
So it was in Reno where I lost most of my planned time, after getting to this photo spot. Reno looks like a cool city at night. I had a nice chat with one of the security guys outside the Nugget - who loves his BMW motorcycles too.
From what I gather, there are 2 main parts of Reno connected by a freeway section and lots of off-ramp loop roads. This is where I came unstuck without navigation lane guidance. I had forgot to ask the rental place how to put my phone in the cubby-hole on top of the BMW dash. Never used a cubby-hole type before. Until this point, I just had the phone connected by Bluetooth to give turn-by-turn general navigation without maps. With these K1600 models, they also need a WiFi connection to display maps and lane-guidance. Having the phone outside of the cubby-hole, does not form a strong-enough connection for the bike to display maps and lane guidance. On face value, it seems BMW have reduced the WiFi signal strength on purpose, to promote use of their cubby-hole. I have no need for the cubby-hole, as I run a portable USB battery pack to top-up my phone, GPS or Sena. The cubby-hole also makes paying for gas a pain - as the windscreen needs to raise before you can get your phone. As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan. If I were to use it, I would keep an old phone connected throughout an entire ride, and use my everyday phone for payments, GPS distance, SW Tracker and so-on.
I attempted to leave Reno for about 1 hour going backwards and forwards between the 2 main parts of this city. I then pulled-over and had to work-out how to place the phone in the cubby hole via a combination of YouTube and Dial-a-Wife guidance. The cubby-hole on these BMWs just isn't intuitive, clunky, and all the more frustrating at night losing time. To the credit of YouTube and my wife, I was able to get maps and lane guidance. By that point, I decided to abort my planned route of Carson City and a final photo opportunity at the Chicken Ranch Brothel - instead heading straight for Fallon and direct to Las Vegas. As it was, the time estimate confirmed I wouldn't make Las Vegas before 6am - but I had to try.
Traffic was light toward Fallon once exiting I80. The temperature dropped again too - so I was super happy I packed and connected my 12v heated jacket, as this kept my fatigue at bay, and concentration high. I also had time to consider how far I could get before the 24-hours ran out. Initially I thought Pahrump would be possible (the Chicken Ranch Brothel), but with darkness comes needing to be more careful with reduced visibility. I really missed my Denali D4 spotlights heading into Hawthorne, where I refuelled. Manufacturers should really address this, by making headlight high-beams truly useful & safe when riding in pitch-black highway conditions. The technology is available to include in stock light housings, which would prevent need for fitting auxiliary lights. I'd love to one day have a manufacturer option of D4, D7 or LP9 level light output for my high-beams when choosing new-bike optional extras.
Anyhow, I stuck to my plan of following the tail lights of other vehicles going at a decent pace, wherever possible. Throughout the whole ride, I had not encountered any animals or wildlife on the road, nor roadkill. After refuelling again at Tonopah, I started thinking if I would consider getting a K1600.
No doubt the bike has many positives for covering long-distances: shaft drive, heated everything, weather protection, technology and fuel economy/range. The seating position was good, but not that much better than my current RT-spec RS (its more like an RT than an RS). I also liked the K1600 mirrors, central locking and little compartments which I used as a coin-tray when I paid cash for gas. The engine and suspension are buttery smooth, but I wasn't totally convinced. The navigation cubby hole had thrown me off, and the heavier weight had me thinking how nice my R1250RS was weight-wise. I only used the K1600's reverse system a couple times, so I don't think that feature would be a key decision point for me either. I concluded that I would need to take the Bagger version of the K1600 for a test ride. By then, hopefully they may have Adaptive Cruise Control - and I'd be able to try some highway boards with the B model.
My final thought before pulling into the 76 at the Area 51 Alien Centre, was that it was a shame I didn't get to see the landscape whilst riding at night after-dusk from Reno. I expect the scenery is just as spectacular as what I was privileged to see during the day. I'll be back for sure, and most likely to ride Highway 50 through the centre of Nevada too.
With the DBR at Amargosa Valley being 458am, there was no chance I'd make Las Vegas in 20 minutes - so I made this my final SS1000 stop. 1192 miles (1918 km) in 23 hours 36 minutes. The bike's trip computer stated an average speed of 67 mph and average consumption of 37.9 mpg. Pretty happy with that!
I made it back to the AirBNB in Las Vegas without issue. The Sunrise was magical that morning, casting its warm light over the land-of-the-free, and home-of-the-brave. Over the 25 hours, 13 mins since leaving the first gas stop, the BMW Connected App stated I had been riding for 20 hours, 23 mins. Distance-wise, the Odometer was 1255 miles (2019 km) and the GPS was 1277 miles (2055 km).
The higher speed limits in the USA sure allow one to travel greater distances more effectively, compared to Australia! I'm missing them already. Until next time USA...
Last edited:
