Today we had a clear day in the low nineties, which qualifies as "cool" for a 'Zonie, so I went for my first long-ish outing on the 'Nado.

Since the valve adjustment and the switch to premium fuel I haven't heard any detonation and she pulls stronger from low RPMs, so I figured it was time for the honeymoon to be over. No more *****-footing around. No more feeling like I have to stay kindasorta close to home. It is time for this machine to earn my confidence - time we took the kinda ride where it can't break because if it did I couldn't walk home ... in a day.

We packed up some light travel stuff, and with Mrs. O on her Polaris & I on the 'Nado we tore off eastward toward the next village. The first 2 segments were powerline trails and El Paso Gas trails, which are all 1st & 2nd gear travel. The third section was 20 miles' or so worth of railway access roads which let me spend quite a bit of time in high gear, punctuated every mile or so with a deep gully or dry riverbed crossing as the tracks follow along the feet of a mountain range.

For most of the journey we could see the distant traffic on I-10 running parallel to the south of us - nicely picturesque. This stupid little photo from my phone absolutely does NOT communicate the high-desert beauty, but FWIW we had miles and miles of this:




Twenty-eight miles & 115 minutes from home (including a two mile doubleback when we missed a necessary crossing point) we rolled into the one and only gas station in Mescal, Arizona.

Tornado fuel consumption: .47 gallons.

So, Tornado owners, if you're been curious about fuel consumption there you have it. I've wanted to get some kinda grasp on fuel useage for planning purposes - longer trips and such - when am I likely to need fuel? Gee, I've been riding X hours... do I need to worry yet?

This days' experience puts my Tornado at close to six hours' range per tank and nearly 60 MPG for this kind of mixed-gear travel.

After tanking up the machines we tanked up ourselves just down the street. At BJ's Irish Pub we killed 2 burgers, several cold brews and about an hour of our lives, then headed back the way we came.

Much of the trail was directly beside the tracks - especially the faster sections. When you round a curve and suddenly meet a mile or more of westbound freight train at full middle-of-nowhere speed couplea feet from your eastbound high-gear elbow that's kinda a rush ... but when one of 'em sneaks up behind you, that can startle even a big dull guy like me.

A stiff headwind buffered most of the return trip. I arrived home caked with dust, with 2 sunburnt arms and 2 windburnt lips stuck in a HUGE smile.

The Tornado performed flawlessly all day. Nary a glitch. It's time for me to relax and put to rest any fears about "onea those cheap Chinese machines".