Running with the Big Dogs

By Rob Morel

Joe Gresh’s recent story of high-mile motorcycle rides reminded me of my 1,000-mile ride several years ago.  I rode my Zongshen RX3 250cc motorcycle on an Iron Butt 1000 back in 2016.  That ride was 1,000 miles in under 24 hours.  It required documenting start and stop times, and providing all my fuel receipts to prove I actually did it.

The 1000 miles took just under 20 hours to complete.  I made 11 gas stops, burned through 23.1 gallons of gas in 1,055 miles, and achieved an average of 45.65 mpg.  My total fuel expenditures were $57.90.  I ran the lowest grade of gasoline for the first 500 miles, and then I switched to mid-grade fuel.  That resulted in an extra 2 to 3 mph on the top end, and more power to get over the hills.  I didn’t need to downshift as much.  I used 20W-50 premium synthetic oil.

What amazed me was the flogging the little 250cc motor took. I literally rode it at full throttle (at 65-70 mph on the GPS for 70-80% of the trip) going up and down interstate hills where the speed limit was 70 and 80 mph in Oregon and Idaho. The motor seemed to take it all in a stride.

I made judicious use of the gearbox to keep the engine above 6,500 rpm, which I had to do to get over mountain passes and curvy hills (usually in 4th or 5th gear).   I never had to run the engine above 8000 rpm. On one long downhill stretch I held the throttle wide open to gain speed to get up the next hill; that sprint showed 75 mph on the GPS.  Usually, though, I ran at 65 to 70 mph on the GPS with 80 mph cars passing me like flies on the way to the milk barn.

I really didn’t make any changes to the bike.  The gearing on my motorcycle was up two teeth from standard on the rear sprocket.  Stock gearing would have been fine.  I had a nice gel seat.  I was okay until higher temperatures arrived.   Then it became an uncomfortable ride.

The bike never once gave me trouble or left me wondering if I would make it home.  In fact, it impressed the Harley, Indian, and Victory guys I rode with.  They soon left me with their higher top speeds, so I was riding solo for most of the 20 hours it took to complete the 1,000 miles.  I made it to the last refueling stop maybe 15 minutes after they finished.

While not the best choice for Iron Butt riding, that little 250cc Zongshen motorcycle showed that it can run with the big dogs and finish what it started.

---