The main refresh was done by a pro shop, and it took me about six months after that to work out the remaining bugs. The bike was proving reliable for 100-mile rides up to the Motogiro, but I was still a little nervous going in as it was a big test for the old thing.
The bike ran almost flawlessly, with just some minor struggles due to the high altitudes. 300 hard miles, including hours of rain, miles of gravel, and lots of long second-gear climbs followed by steep, twisty downhills. I didn’t baby the bike at all, running as fast as I felt comfortable for most of it.
Motogiros are two day events, with four main sections of about 75 miles each on the twistiest and most interesting back roads. It’s limited to bikes 1968 or older, and 305cc or smaller, with added classes for sidecars and scooters. There are no maps or GPS - you’re given paper route sheets with distance, direction and road names. Turn left onto Smith Road in 3.2 miles, etc.
The event was centered in Erwin, Tennessee, about 45 minutes north of Asheville, North Carolina, and in the middle of incredible mountain roads. The sections are timed, and there are short agility tests to add to the competition, but for the most part it’s all done at legal speeds with plenty of time buffer. Some riders got really into the competition, but the atmosphere is very friendly - just a bunch of people riding old bikes on beautiful roads.
On Friday I towed the R27 about 350 miles on a small trailer, arriving in time for dinner and the riders’ meeting. Saturday morning we were off, and for the next two days I pretty much flogged the bike, riding for six or seven hours each day.
The Saturday morning section was run in excellent weather, lots of great roads and eight or ten miles of gravel in the middle. I don't know the exact elevations, but we were probably getting to around 5,000 feet/1,500 meters each day. Not massive, but enough to affect the bike. For the most part the R27 ran well, with just a little difficulty starting and idling at the higher elevations. I didn’t touch the carb at all during the event, it was close enough the whole time.
At the end of the first day the bike was put on the center stand and left, in the rain, for the night.
A side note, for gear I used a small tank bag and a small bag strapped to the rear rack for spares, and the stock tool kit in the tank toolbox. For navigation, I had a route sheet holder that let me roll the paper directions as I went, and a Beeline device to measure distance and time. My bike has a stock odometer which probably would have been enough, but it doesn’t read in 1/10ths of a mile so it’s not ideal for the Motogiro.
The Beeline was terrific. It’s a small round screen that mounts on the handlebars and talks to a GPS-based app on the phone, which I kept in my tank bag. It gave accurate distance measurement, and worked perfect with the paper directions. It’s also a navigation aid, so when I got way off course and had given up trying to find the right route, the Beeline was able to guide me through the rain and back to the start. All seamless, no maps, no need to pull the phone out or even take off my gloves.
Sunday morning started with good weather. There was lots of road grime, and the speedometer had some condensation in it that burned off after about an hour, but otherwise the R27 was ready to go. I spent the morning riding in a pack, along with two other R27s, several two-strokes and a few other odd bikes. It included some really steep climbs - the four speed transmission did well overall, but keeping momentum was a challenge between revving out in second and lugging in third.
On the less steep climbs, the flats and downhills the bike is just excellent. The brakes, original to the bike, worked well and gave me plenty of confidence. The Heidenau tires worked extremely well and were very predictable with good grip on the pavement, gravel and wet. With the twisty roads, cruising at 45 mph or so was about right, and I hit high 60s a few times on longer stretches. Average speed overall was probably in the mid–to-high 20s with all the hills and tight curves.
The Sunday lunch break was at a rest stop at a fairly high elevation. After sitting for about 20 minutes, I had some trouble starting the bike and ended up flooding it. I swapped out spark plugs and was able to get it going with a dozen kicks or more, and had to mind the throttle or it would stall. Once moving all was good, and the idle smoothed out at lower elevation.
The rain returned for the last few miles of the event. I got soaked loading the bike and it was pouring for almost the full seven hours drive home.
This was an exceptional test for an old bike, and the R27 absolutely proved itself. The old Bing struggled a little with the elevation but never gave up. The electrical system was solid, the suspension was perfect for the variety of surfaces and speeds, and the tires and brakes were predictable and performed well. I was comfortable at all times, and unfatigued at the end.
When I got the R27 from a friend a couple of years ago, I was hoping to have a fun bike for occasional back roads. Every time I ride it I’m more impressed. It’s proving to be a reliable, comfortable, well handling bike. It’s slow by modern standards, but it’s completely capable for all-day, challenging, spirited rides. It’s now the favorite of any bike I’ve owned, I absolutely love this thing.
A big thanks to all the people here who support these old bikes and clueless owners like me online and by phone. I would be lost without VBMWMO.
