Ducati Monster Forum

A bunch of friends and I are heading to Vegas in 2 weeks.  There's no room in anyones car for me and I don't particularly want to drive my truck by myself there and back (gas prices).  Given the length of the ride and the heat, would you guys say it'd be a fairly easy ride there or should I just bite the bullet and take my truck.

d o   n o t   r i d e.   you'd end up selling your bike in vegas just to avoid the ride home.

why not fly?  check southwest etc.  you can often get there for very little $$.

never ride/drive to vegas. much smarter to fly back hungover and dehydrated than ride/drive back.

....its going to be like riding through hell!  [evil]  [evil]

so true.  and especially when 90% of ppl want to go (~weekends) the drive to/from can be traffic jam the entire way.  don't.

unless you have a GS1200, a HOG or god forbid a Honda Shadow -  don't ride.

boring assed drive, boring assed ride. But, I'd drive before I left my bike someplace in Vegas.

point taken.  as for the parking situation, we rented a house for the weekend and it's got a large backyard + garage.  so i could park it in either.  i'm still contemplating, while taking in all the advice in mind.

I have done it in August on a Harley and it was HOT, damn HOT!   But fun in a masocistic way.  I just drove there and back in a car over this last weekend and traffic was much lighter than in the past.  I made it home in just under 4 hours leaving Vegas at 10:45am.  There were a lot of bikes on the road.
If you do it, pay atention to how you feel.  If you start to feel overheated, stop at the next stop and cool down and drink plenty of H2O.

Now idealy your "friends" whould spread out amongst the cars; ie. 9 people could ride 3 in each of 3 cars instead of 4 in 2 cars and then telling you that there is no room. ???  Whats that all about telling you that there is no room?

I'm with the others...

(http://apps.carleton.edu/reason_package/reason_4.0/www/images/346391.jpg)

+1

Fly.......

don't check a bag, fly out of burbank or long beach, and you'll never consider driving/riding again.

you have something against lax?

no, i'm just saying those two airports are a lot easier to deal with.  flying out of LB takes at least half the time in terms of airport BS.

if i'm flying southwest, and i am if i'm going to vegas, lax is just as little hassle and you have the added benefit of more flights to choose from.

yeah but southwest sucks.

that's what i said.  theyre actually my girlfriend's buddies and they can be pretty cheap and selfish when it comes to this kinda stuff.  if it were my actual friends i would have a spot without question.  i'm only really going because my gf wanted me to go.  what blows is that i always gives these people rides when they need one.  but when i ask for a favor its kinda like "yeah, can't help you bro."  i mean, one guy has a spot open but its' only one spot so i told my gf to go ahead and ride with them (her best gf and such).  but hey, it's just one less favor i'm willing to give out, yanno? 

when i get home i'm going to look into flight prices.  i still kinda feel up to the adventure of riding through the desert.  if i do, i'm thinking of getting a 2-way radio and a camelbak.  seems like it might be fun and painful at the same time, but i like experiencing new things. 

....what is the girl:guy ratio in this group of ppl who don't have room for you?

and factor a new set of tires into your ride vs. fly equation.

I've thought about doing it but not in August.

[drphil]
As for the girlfriend/girlfriend's friends... time for a new girlfriend or at least a confrontation with the girlfriend about how shitty her friends treat you.  That shit is never going to change and you'll begin to resent her over it.
[/drphil]


Andy

 [thumbsup]

i already do.  =)

guy girl ratio is pretty much equal.  they don't treat me bad (i'm not exactly a chump and these aren't exactly guys that i'm afraid of).  they just don't go out of their way for me like my friends do for my girl.  and my girlfriend wanted me to drive so she could go with me,  i just insisted that she ride with them.  i don't really mind riding out there.   as shitty as the ride situation is, i have to say that i didn't ask for a ride earlier....which sorta makes sense since i only talk to them when she hangs with them. 

i don't think i'll need new tires, mine only have 1000 miles on them atm.

~600 miles of straight, middle of the tire, superslab.... they'll be nice and square by the time you get back.

weave often

My 2 centavos amigo...............................your girlfriends friends are not your friends at all and your girlfriend "wanted you to drive so she could be with you" well then bro, thats the answer to your dilema, drive and be with your "chavala" listening to your music in a nice a\c car.....there are lots of advantages when you drive your own car anywhere................from L.A. to Vegas is a big straight hwy and this time of the year is super HOT, if I were you I drive and the gasoline prices, well, just add that up to all the money you are going to loose gambling anyway........just my 2 cents.

Later.

[laugh]

dude,  if i had the free time i would make the ride with you, its a ride that i have been wanting to take for some time if for no other reason that the road is straight and on certain parts you can and will easily hold 90-100mph for 30-40 minutes straight, which in a sort of lame way is "cool", and me personally i sorta like the constant ride of a straight road..

maybe that is why i'm considering looking at a bmw r 1200 rt, sport touring bike but that is a different story.

good luck with whatever you do.

...aaaaa...fukk it! JUST GO!!

its one of those things youll remember for all your life :)

just take pants

I rode up from LA through Vegas on my way to Miller Motorsports park for the SBK\ WSBK races. It was in June and I thought that was hot. Then I went up to Yosemite a few weeks ago (the 395 admittedly). I was pulling over every 75 miles just for water. Drinking gallons of it and not peeing. It was 120. My buddy who is an old crusty bastard on a big ole Soft Tail just went through Vegas on his way to Sturgis. He said it was the hottest he'd ever been. Doing it is bad, but in August it's just plain nasty. Worse, it's a really boring ride. And then being in Vegas and knowing you have to come back? No thanks. The Greek place in Baker has good Bakalava though - makes for a nice pit stop.

Personally I'd rent a limo, get the girlfriend and one of her hotter friends, liberal doses of Tequilla and create my own travelling Penthouse Forum moment. Jesus man, you're going to Vegas!

 [thumbsup] 

better lock this thread.  there's nothing else to say.

Is your bike water cooled?
LEO factor is high.
Camelback, suspension adjustment, tunes, all a good idea.
Screw the "friends" of the gf.
Just rode through there on the way to and from Colorado on the BMW w/large windscreen. It is a blast furnace.
Good luck with what-ever decision you make.

it's the liquid cooled 05 s4r.  i'm going to my buddy for an idle adjustment and tune up, i guess i should have him setup the suspension for me while i'm there (the ride is way too stiff).   i think i'm going to do it just to say i did it. 

..take pictures!!  [moto]

good luck!

Get yourself a sneaky leaker.

Another option is the "Sneaky Leaker" (www.sneakyleaker.com) for sale in many local shops. It's a device (one for guys and one for girls) that allows you to urinate down through a tube which can stick out of the bottom of your pants. You can stand in the middle of the street having a conversation with people, and no one will have the slightest clue that you are taking a leak! It may sound pretty disgusting, but come to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and you'll quickly understand why people have resorted to this.

at least you aren't doing it in August.

:)


seriously.. just for the record, this idea borders on dangerous.  hope all goes well.

 [coffee]  Dude, you're farking nuts...I can think of a lot cooler things to do (pun intended), just to say I did it, like having a threesome, farting in church,  drinking 3 40oz's before work, driving 'not ' hands free, etc...best of luck.