huxtablejones
09-18-2006, 08:28 PM
Well, I did it. First the ride report from another forum:
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25665&pid=297198&st=0&#entry297198
And here are pics:
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=si&img=16937
My apologies for the gestures, it's part of a fairly twisted tradition from another forum I frequent.
Things I learned - some about riding and some not ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
My schedule worked out to be a stop every 2 hours or so ~ 180 miles. traffic was rolling at a great pace so I wasn't blasting past them and still making good time @ 80-90mph.
I should have drank more water. I figured I should have needed to pee at every fuel stop if I was drinking enough. I actually dehydrated a fair bit and had a monster headache the next morning. I didn't buy any fancy camelbak thingie, and won't for the next one - but I should have had at least 20oz of water at each fuel stop.
I should have packed more cold weather stuff. I nearly froze outgoing on 40 between Asheville and Knoxville - and i DID freeze incoming. I hadda peel myself off the bike when I got home. 10 miles at 60 degrees= no biggie. 100 miles at 60 degrees = bigger issue.
Definitely - keep a credit card or debit card or something outside yer wallet. n a pocket, in a side case, somewhere. If all my stuff had been in my wallet when I lost it I'd have had to cut my trip short. And hitchhike home. As it was, my preteen daughter is having a high old time ridiculing me for losing my wallet ;)
Keep moving on the machine. Put yer feet on the passenger pegs. Hang one cheek off the seat and stick a leg straight out to the side. Stand on the pegs. Lay on the tank. Stretch in any way you can. Do this BEFORE you start hurting.
Truckers are your friend. Flash your lights when they are clear to merge. Pay attention to the speed they are travelling. If they are sticking to the speed limit they know something you don't - prolly there's a cop or wreck over that next ridge. If you find one making good time in traffic, get in the left lane just behind him and help him through traffic. he might just help you avoid LEO. He might just follow you off to your next fuel stop and shake yer hand and shoot the breeze for a while. Nobody knows how to avoid LEO like a professional driver who's paid by the mile..
Earplugs cut down on fatigue. Weird but true.
Clothes that don't flap in the wind cut down on fatigue. Weird but true.
Don't ever ride beside a cage - confirmed. This saved me at least once on this trip when some jackass yanked it into the left lane without looking in any of his mirrors.
If you don't have an mp3 player get one...the music helps the time go by, and you can still hear as well as you could if you were in a car with the stereo going.
On a VFR800 in 6th gear VTEC kicks in about 110 or so, or at about the 20th position of a 30 bike column of Harley's that are taking up the left lane of I-40 and are oblivious to the mile long stack of traffic behind them. The leader of said pack will not like you passing his group at 130 or so and may give you the advrider.com salute as you blast by.
It's really hard to distinguish the advrider.com salute from a howdy wave at 130mph. If you give the howdy wave to the leader of a 30 bike column of Harleys who is giving you the advrider.com salute as you blast by at 130, the single advrider.com salute may turn into a double advrider.com salute. Other members of said column of 30 Harleys may join in to make it a group effort..you'll want to make sure your next fuel stop is well ahead of said group of Harley riders. There's nothing worse than a herd of pissed off accountants all in one place ...debit and credits flying around all willy nilly - it can get hairy in a hurry.
Harley riders get friendlier as you get closer to Texas.
In Mena, Arkansas everybody wants you to join the Christian Motorcyclists Association. If you make reference to an 11th commandment "though shalt run an SS1000 in my honor" they won't appreciate the humor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So yea. I was reading the other thread about the whole not understanding why...so yall hang on while I wax poetic for a bit:
Some folks live their whole lives and never push the boundaries of what they believe they are capable of. They are content to talk about what they think they can do, pontificate upon what they might do if they were to ever be in a certain situation, ruminate on the subject of what this guy they know did. Now...is an SS1000 the most dangerous thing in the world? Naw, hell naw. Matter fact I would be willing to bet that you could find some folks on an ST1300 with a Spencer seat who would say it's not a huge deal.
I hate interstate riding. I detest it. But you know what? I got to ride the Ozarks this weekend. I got to see my bud in Texas. I met a woman who builds trikes for a living at a gas station in Texarkana. I met a man who was riding the Ozarks with his son on their dualsports. I saw a house where the guy is so convicted in his religious beliefs he made huge signs covering his house to profess it to strangers. I met a Harley dude who was walking back to pick up a fork bag that had fallen off who "didn't know you sport bike guys stopped to help people". I met a dude who retired from the Air Force - works on B-52's but intimidated by the mp3 player loading process.
All on an SS1000.
Nevermind the IBA, I could give a rat's *** about their tag plate or certificate. I may or may not even turn in the paper work.
We're but random souls on the same carnival ride, I implore you: RIDE this mother****er, don't just sit and watch it go by.
/drama
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25665&pid=297198&st=0&#entry297198
And here are pics:
http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=si&img=16937
My apologies for the gestures, it's part of a fairly twisted tradition from another forum I frequent.
Things I learned - some about riding and some not ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
My schedule worked out to be a stop every 2 hours or so ~ 180 miles. traffic was rolling at a great pace so I wasn't blasting past them and still making good time @ 80-90mph.
I should have drank more water. I figured I should have needed to pee at every fuel stop if I was drinking enough. I actually dehydrated a fair bit and had a monster headache the next morning. I didn't buy any fancy camelbak thingie, and won't for the next one - but I should have had at least 20oz of water at each fuel stop.
I should have packed more cold weather stuff. I nearly froze outgoing on 40 between Asheville and Knoxville - and i DID freeze incoming. I hadda peel myself off the bike when I got home. 10 miles at 60 degrees= no biggie. 100 miles at 60 degrees = bigger issue.
Definitely - keep a credit card or debit card or something outside yer wallet. n a pocket, in a side case, somewhere. If all my stuff had been in my wallet when I lost it I'd have had to cut my trip short. And hitchhike home. As it was, my preteen daughter is having a high old time ridiculing me for losing my wallet ;)
Keep moving on the machine. Put yer feet on the passenger pegs. Hang one cheek off the seat and stick a leg straight out to the side. Stand on the pegs. Lay on the tank. Stretch in any way you can. Do this BEFORE you start hurting.
Truckers are your friend. Flash your lights when they are clear to merge. Pay attention to the speed they are travelling. If they are sticking to the speed limit they know something you don't - prolly there's a cop or wreck over that next ridge. If you find one making good time in traffic, get in the left lane just behind him and help him through traffic. he might just help you avoid LEO. He might just follow you off to your next fuel stop and shake yer hand and shoot the breeze for a while. Nobody knows how to avoid LEO like a professional driver who's paid by the mile..
Earplugs cut down on fatigue. Weird but true.
Clothes that don't flap in the wind cut down on fatigue. Weird but true.
Don't ever ride beside a cage - confirmed. This saved me at least once on this trip when some jackass yanked it into the left lane without looking in any of his mirrors.
If you don't have an mp3 player get one...the music helps the time go by, and you can still hear as well as you could if you were in a car with the stereo going.
On a VFR800 in 6th gear VTEC kicks in about 110 or so, or at about the 20th position of a 30 bike column of Harley's that are taking up the left lane of I-40 and are oblivious to the mile long stack of traffic behind them. The leader of said pack will not like you passing his group at 130 or so and may give you the advrider.com salute as you blast by.
It's really hard to distinguish the advrider.com salute from a howdy wave at 130mph. If you give the howdy wave to the leader of a 30 bike column of Harleys who is giving you the advrider.com salute as you blast by at 130, the single advrider.com salute may turn into a double advrider.com salute. Other members of said column of 30 Harleys may join in to make it a group effort..you'll want to make sure your next fuel stop is well ahead of said group of Harley riders. There's nothing worse than a herd of pissed off accountants all in one place ...debit and credits flying around all willy nilly - it can get hairy in a hurry.
Harley riders get friendlier as you get closer to Texas.
In Mena, Arkansas everybody wants you to join the Christian Motorcyclists Association. If you make reference to an 11th commandment "though shalt run an SS1000 in my honor" they won't appreciate the humor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So yea. I was reading the other thread about the whole not understanding why...so yall hang on while I wax poetic for a bit:
Some folks live their whole lives and never push the boundaries of what they believe they are capable of. They are content to talk about what they think they can do, pontificate upon what they might do if they were to ever be in a certain situation, ruminate on the subject of what this guy they know did. Now...is an SS1000 the most dangerous thing in the world? Naw, hell naw. Matter fact I would be willing to bet that you could find some folks on an ST1300 with a Spencer seat who would say it's not a huge deal.
I hate interstate riding. I detest it. But you know what? I got to ride the Ozarks this weekend. I got to see my bud in Texas. I met a woman who builds trikes for a living at a gas station in Texarkana. I met a man who was riding the Ozarks with his son on their dualsports. I saw a house where the guy is so convicted in his religious beliefs he made huge signs covering his house to profess it to strangers. I met a Harley dude who was walking back to pick up a fork bag that had fallen off who "didn't know you sport bike guys stopped to help people". I met a dude who retired from the Air Force - works on B-52's but intimidated by the mp3 player loading process.
All on an SS1000.
Nevermind the IBA, I could give a rat's *** about their tag plate or certificate. I may or may not even turn in the paper work.
We're but random souls on the same carnival ride, I implore you: RIDE this mother****er, don't just sit and watch it go by.
/drama