(Ed. Note: The Single Overhead Cam Four/Forum, an online community devoted to Honda SOHC/4 bikes of the late 1960’s and 1970’s, has loosely organized a relay/rally ride that will triple-transect the lower 48 states and all Canadian Provinces. The ride began in mid-March 2011. Learn more and join the ride when it passes your area. )
The colored states represent territory covered already by the 2011 SOHC/4
Forum Honda Relay Ride Across America.
Big spaces just require big rides, or those guys out west have nothing better to do, or maybe they just have their priorities straight.
Call it what you will, this cross-country motorcycle relay/rally ride by members of the online SOHC/Four forum logged 3,000 miles in little more than a week after spending nearly a month getting the first 2,000 miles in the log book. It started with Bike Week in Daytona on April 12, 2011 and moved up the southeast coast to Virgina, cut east over the Appalachians through West Virginia to Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama arriving at the Barber Museum on April 15. After that the relay was on a tear across the south to Texas and the Southwest arriving in California little more than a week later, April 26.
One hero of this two wheeled treck is forum member CBGhia, or Joe, who logged 1,100 miles in four days on his café’d CB550, a bike he says he never put more than 100 miles on in a day. After picking up the ride mascot, banner and log book, Joe met up with a group of forum members in Austin for a ride through Texas hill country in what he describes as the best roads Texas has to offer. On the leg from Houston to Austin, Joe was joined by Chris, Anthony, Reagan and Tom. And in Austin they met up more forum members, Aaron, Gordon and Cole, at Billy’s BBQ.
A proper collection of vintage Honda SOHC/4 bikes.
Gordon, Joe and Tom headed west from there and somewhere west of DFW Gordon peeled off to head home. Joe and Tom did a lot of west Texas miles, over-nighting at an RV camp and arriving in Lamesa the next day for a handoff to Justin, jarthel to Forum members.
Here’s the wide open spaces of west Texas.
Joe, Justin and Tom handing off in Lamesa, Texas.
Then it was up to Justin to take the next leg into New Mexico, doing another 1,000 solo miles (round) trip to meet up with riders from Arizona. Sadly, New Mexico couldn’t muster a rider to join the rally/ride. That handoff took place in Lordstown, NM with Justin Scottly, RAFster1225 and climbingaz. The Arizona group decided to tap Justin The Lone Ranger of the ride.
Justin and climbingaz.
RAFster and Scottly.
The Arizona crew fought big wind gusts up to 50mph across the New Mexico and Arizona deserts cruising back home. But the big winds were no problem for Scottly’s bike, a totally customized cb750 bored out to an 836. Said climbingaz, “If Satan ever rode a SOHC/4. I have no doubt this would have been his bike – the thing just sounds EVIL.”
Scottly’s EVIL-sounding totally customized bored out 836.
After a short rest in Arizona, the Southwest team moved the ride to Rosamond, CA via Joshua Tree, CA. In Rosamond, the crew hands off to Team California and enjoys a victory lap or sorts at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park.
This advanced pace is planned to continue in the coming weeks, up the California coast to San Francisco before turning back east to Nevada, Utah, across the Colorado Rockies and on to the Great Plains. Great folks, great rides and a little piece of motorcycle lore is what this rally/ride is all about.
See you down the road. – Steve Shanesy