Bit off topic here ... sorry

Great airplane! What a great job you had!
I flew with the late Giles Kershaw in the late 70's in Antarctica, he flying for BAS. (British Antarctic Survey) He and another Canadian pilot ferried a new Otter down from the factory using temp long range tanks. They flew to a BAS station on Antarctic peninsula.

I was lucky they came calling at Palmer Station (USARP). Most amazing pilot I ever met. He did stuff in an Otter you would not believe. Landing and taking off on random tabular ice bergs and doing mail drops was, ah ... exciting!

I also flew in Otter's with the Argentines, and years later all over Ethiopia with a Pilot that knew Giles before his untimely death. I have Otter stories!

Just to swerve gently back into the slipstream of the nearest big rig, I'd like to point out, as someone who rides a 125cc bike because he wants to, that the current 4 stroke crop are miles away from the 125's of yore. What with overhead doodads and balanced thingamajigs they vibrate far less than they used to. With better manufacturing processes, and higher consumer expectations, they won't shake themselves to pieces either.

A modern small bike (or scooter) can be huge fun, comfortable, and possibly more relaxing to potter about a continent on than a bigger, heavier bike that is straining at the leach to get up and go.

Most of it is about mindset though, vulnerability comes largely from within, a small bike loaded with luggage is almost as wide as a big bike so just as noticeable (or not) to the trucker coming up from behind, and to many road users the novelty of seeing something unusual on the road will I believe catch their eye and attention more than A N Other big bike.

If a guy touring on a 125cc gets knocked off, people say it wouldn't have happened if he'd been on a big bike. But accidents happen no matter what the bike. Let's not forget that old Ewan McActor got a hatchback up the backside despite being on a massive motorcycle, following two other guys on massive motorcycles.

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I am with you, Alexbrit, but at 200cc. Yes, I would push it up to 250cc, but my bike only comes in a 200cc. I commute just under 33 miles, roundtrip, a day on a Chinese 200cc enduro.


I had picked up a used version of my bike with some issues about 2 years ago. I found the distributor in So. Cal. and was very surprised in their service when I needed parts. I was also pleasantly surprised that the engine never needed servicing--it was usually a clutch cable here, a relay there. I rode for a year and a half and put 10k miles on it (based on 600 miles a month because the speedo/odo was already broken when I bought it with unknown mileage--it is Chinese after all!). So I can say with some confidence the bike has at least 10k miles on it.


I then decided a new one would be better. Back in April I ordered a brand new bike in a different color, and have been commuting on that putting 3400 km on the odo so far with only a few issues with light bulbs.


My commute is predominantly on two lane rural roads, the fastest posted road being 50 mph. However on the last 6 mile stretch on this road, my fellow commuters must know something I don't because they are easily topping 70 or 80. When they cannot pass me or others who don't want tickets, they seem quite frustrated, and are the only issue I see on my whole commute. However, the last few weeks, I have been seeing several of them pulled over (for long stretches of time, it was almost as if the police had forgotten about doing any kind of patrolling, so as the saying goes, "no cop, no stop" at stop lights was incorporated to be "no stop for top speed"), so speeds have been keeping much closer to the posted limit. My bike easily keeps a steady 60 to 65 mph, LOL.


Tying it in to my original post regarding the ride I found on advrider, I would have no hesitation taking my bike on a similar cross-country trek. There are a few parts I would carry (relay and CDI) and tools, but I would not be too concerned with the bike not making it. The old bike's engine still runs, even after sitting for long periods of time, so I know this 200 is stout! I would probably sort out a more southern route since I live near the Mexican/US border--Cannonball Baker's ride way back in 1914 from San Diego to New York in 11 days is intriguing, but I would do it as a tour, not a speed run (not sure how much speed he got back then, and as far as my bike goes for speed--did I mention it's Chinese?