BBG from Vegas to Montana...

Mark Owen

Premier Member
#1
Just finished my first Bun Burner Gold.

What a RIDE!

The Prep
Spot Tracker. Aerostich Darien pants. Moto Skiveez sport rider shorts and Moto Skivezz socks. SWMotech quick lok tank bag.

Review
Spot Tracker-Fantastic. Did just what it was supposed to do. Called my wife a couple times and she was noticeably happier about my doing this. She had been following the whole trip and knew just where I was. Biggest surprise and unexpected side benefit of the whole thing.

Aerostich Darien pants
First off. With one caveat, I loved them. Quick accessibility for bio breaks. Fit well while seated. Thoroughly waterproof. Comfortable. All you could want.

Except...they were a good 4-6" too short. Almost to the top of my Sidi Canyon riding boots while seated on the bike. Resulting in a good draft of cold air coming up my pants. While standing, they appeared to be long enough, but seated it was a different story. Part of what makes them so comfortable, I suppose.

But, if they can't alter them to make them longer, I would look for something else. Not a big thing, but something that wears on you when it starts to get colder.

Moto Skiveez shorts and socks
Socks. Comfortable. Didn't wind up in my boots. Supposed to help your calves and circulation and what not. Never thought once about my lower legs, so I guess they work.

Shorts. Pretty amazing. Felt like I had a towel stuffed between my legs while walking around, but sitting down. Whoa, MOMMA! Between these shorts and my Beadrider beaded seat, I never thought about my ass once.

Not. Once. In 23 straight hours.

SWMotech quick lock tank bag
Worked great. The quick lok mechanism makes fueling up a breeze. Bag is too small, but that's my fault. I really want to find a way power to it, enough to power 4 USB connections. Right now I have dual USB coming in from the front Powerlet outlet, and a second one coming from the passenger Powerlet outlet, running the cable under the seats, and up the tank into the front of the bag. I would love to have ONE cord running to the bag, ignition dependent, that would power everything in the bag.

Beyond that, the bike, a 2015 R1200RT, was flawless. This bike was MADE to be doing 92 down the freeway, and it shows. At 5,000RPM, 92mph (a GPS indicated 89 which sailed by 4 speed traps in a row, in an 80mph zone, within 6 miles of each others without receiving a single blip of blue light) the bike just smooths out and settles in. Just a joy to ride on a trip like this.

The only real problem was Salt Lake City. Hit there around 4pm, IIRC. Traffic like I've seen nowhere else but L.A. Took us a couple hours to get through SLC. Which meant the rest of the ride had to be pretty regimented because, after that, we really had to watch the clock. And the stress of being that behind before we even hit the halfway point, was frustrating, because we knew if anything else went wrong, we were screwed.

But it didn't, so it was just go, go, go from the time we got out of SLC, until we got home.

All in all, pretty epic. It's got me thinking about 3,o00 in 48...
 

Scott Parish

Premier Member
#2
Congratulations Mark. BTW - I have Aerostich AD1 pants and they ride up a bit as well when seated. I find the best thing to do after getting rolling is to stand on the pegs and do a little adjusting which can help a little. Another thing to try is moving the knee pads up or down an inch or two as it impacts how much the pants are pulled up below the knee when your leg is bent.
 

Scott Parish

Premier Member
#4
Thanks, Scott. I actually sent them back and had them altered. Cost a little money, but totally worth it. Now they're as they should be.
What did they do? How much. I might need to do the same because I'm getting tired of standing up readjusting every time I get moving on the bike. The wife especially doesn't enjoy the show when she is on the back. :)
 

Mark Owen

Premier Member
#5
What did they do? How much. :)
It was $230. $100 for the alteration and $130 for an "existing suit fee". Which basically means they're charging you because the have to remove the zippers entirely, and make a new set of pants from the knee down. Had I known how they fit, I would have ordered them 4-5 inches longer to start with. But, live and learn. It wasn't their fault, and they were very nice about the whole thing. It did take a while, so prepare for that. Worth it in the end even if it was a little pricey.