I'll be leaving Rapid City in the morning for a trek eastward across South Dakota to the southwestern Minnesota town of Pipestone. It's about 400 miles each way, with perhaps another 50 miles of local riding while there.
I expect to run the GTS300 at about 65 mph on the speedo, which should be 60-61 mph actual. That seems to be a cruising 'sweet spot' that the bike likes, and should yield some decent mpg numbers.
I'll ride 400 miles on Monday, putt around the Pipestone area on Tuesday, then 400 miles on Wednesday for the return ride.
I'll be carrying 3/4 gallon of extra 'reserve gas' under the seat, and also a small container of engine oil.
Oh, sure, I could ride one of our other motorcycles rather than the Vespa, but where is the challenge of ripping a ross the state on a '22 Triumph Rocket 3R, or my wife's 1200 Triumph Speedmaster....or even my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650????
It should be a fun trip on the GTS, and something of an old-fashioned, minimalist adventure ride.
I'll report back over the next several days on how it's going from 'The Road', with photos, of course.