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I am planning on leaving Lees Summit around 8 [Starbucks @ 291], by pavement to Sedalia by 9 and down M highway a touch and then start gravel. Looking at about 7 hours +/- of gravel around Florence, Stover, Cole Camp & Windsor until 5pm or heat stroke, and back on pavement heading to KC. No set course or goal, just a paper list & map and out looking for interesting roads in a less traveled area. If you got less time, cut and run whenever. I don't expect it be too tough but never been in the area.

That sounds cool, already had plans to ride with my retired buddy. He got a new HD ultra classic and gave me the stinkeye when I led him to some gravel on my new to me GS. Letter roads can be fun, was up around Jamesport again, no dust.

Any time riding is fun. Riding with the HD crowd is usually a hoot as well, provided they can pass up on stopping at every biker bar and taking a few shots

I tried this ride with the abs on the entire time. Mine, 990 stock, has a deactivate button, but its a pain and you have to turn the bike on again for it to work. After listening to James say he prefers it on, but I was worried about it going bonkers and not stopping the bike at all at times. But honestly except for the rear banging like pan on the sidewalk at stops, I could not really tell the difference. Front works fine, never got into some half functional jacked up state (I have gotten the emc to reboot on slick gravelly hill with a lot of failed takeoffs). And I tried my damnest to get it to lock up. I think my earlier phobia of abs on gravel was just lack of skill and going to fast to stop anyways. But still learning.

here is a few shots from the ride....

Reason #37 why not to ride alone. If your dumb enough to cruise up and down a creek & sand bars you might have to come out sometime. Wet sand sucks the moment you stop & right down to skid plate (its standing upright on its own). Had to dig out & drag the bike over to the bridge (its in the shot), tip it onto the bridge, and drag it across to upright it with help. Makes a point for 400s and 650s & real knobbies, and glad I had crash bars on both ends.


Another creek stop with graffiti. Between Sedelia, Florence, Stover, Zona (lake), Cole Camp, Warsaw, Windsor and then back to Warrensburg there are a lot of low water bridges. But did not leave gravel to play in the water again...


Lake of the Ozarks. A lot of hills but the roads are a lot smoother than I expected. I remember crappy rutted roads as a kid down there, not so now.


A lot of flowers blooming, north of Warsaw there where a lot of black eyed susan fields.

Overall about 100 miles of highway and 160 of gravel. It was hot but fun (except for digging and dragging). The less maintained roads are actually more near Windsor/Lee. The rest of the riding area the roads where more like gravel highways.

It is better to turn the ABS off on gravel. Find a gravel road, get to 40 MPH and slam on the brakes with it on and do it again with it off. You will travel almost twice as far with ABS on.

That's not a bad idea to go do some tests on some flat heavy graveled Kansas road this week, I will do that.