Let's go to Arkansas

[odot]

Minor tidbit of info. AR has wet and dry counties. Russellville (and Mena) are both in dry counties. If you plan to partake of adult beverages after the bikes are parked for the evening, plan accordingly.

Do we know if there's a wet county nearby or should we plan to transport from a distance?

.

If I were going on this trip here's what I would pack.

1. One bottle of jim beam.

2. One bottle of maker's mark.

3. One bottle of stoli's vodka.

4. One bottle of captain morgan.

5. One six pack of coca cola.

6. One change of underwear.

7. One change of socks.

8. One can of orange juice.

Um...I think I will quote myself.

 

[beardo]

Well everyone, I've been keeping an eye on this thread and I've decided to join all of you for some great riding in Arkansas!!! I'm going to be heading down Thursday from Kearney, MO and heading back home Monday morning. That fjrchik is one great lady!!! We've been PMing each other this evening and I've got my hotel reservations all set for the trip. Many kudos to her!! Now I just have to wait... and we can all pray for good weather!

@dbx-- I'll PM you tonight, but I wanted to check and see when you plan on heading down there and back. If things would work out, I didn't know if you would want to ride down and/or back together. Anyway, I'll send you a PM.

@fjrchik-- Is there a consensus on any of the routes that we will be riding on this trip?

If so, and if anyone has them programmed in map source, I'd like to get copy of the map source file with routes. I'm not sure who all has Garmin GPS units, but if you do have maps I'd love to get the map source route files from you.

BeardO :clapping:

 

[odot]

hey...I'd break out my map but the rain is killing everything. Better to ride there and then figure it out.....heck...that's what I did with reno.

 

[fjrchik]

Well everyone, I've been keeping an eye on this thread and I've decided to join all of you for some great riding in Arkansas!!! I'm going to be heading down Thursday from Kearney, MO and heading back home Monday morning. That fjrchik is one great lady!!! We've been PMing each other this evening and I've got my hotel reservations all set for the trip. Many kudos to her!! Now I just have to wait... and we can all pray for good weather!
@dbx-- I'll PM you tonight, but I wanted to check and see when you plan on heading down there and back. If things would work out, I didn't know if you would want to ride down and/or back together. Anyway, I'll send you a PM.

@fjrchik-- Is there a consensus on any of the routes that we will be riding on this trip?

If so, and if anyone has them programmed in map source, I'd like to get copy of the map source file with routes. I'm not sure who all has Garmin GPS units, but if you do have maps I'd love to get the map source route files from you.

BeardO :clapping:

i have asked Bounce to kind of be in charge of routes, or at least working them out with all of you since he has a ton of experience in the area. he has posted one long ride and one short ride already. no doubt more will be created over the next few weeks. and he has a garmin gps, as do i, and he'll get these all out to us in plenty of time.

 

[Bounce]

Excellent thread on The Pace

I have 3 loops defined. ~180 miles (South), ~190 miles (highway 123), and ~350 miles (Push Mountain).

There's also a ~280 mile figure 8 that combines parts of the 2nd & 3rd loops (but not Push Mountain).

The "up there" route is ~450 miles from the north-central area of the metroplex and includes a west-to-east pass of Skyline drive. There's some initial slabbing to get out of the metro area before we jump off and hit the secondary roads.

The "back" route might be similar since there are few "fun" ways in-and-out of the metroplex. The idea I'm shooting for is to minimize repeated use of the same AR roads (so I'm still researching the return trip).

Pre-ride briefing stuff:

The plan is to have enough printed routes to hand out to those going on any of the pre-fabbed loops. That will minimize the pressure for anyone to ride anything other than the ride they are comfortable with. A mid-point stop will be discussed before leaving so we have a rallying location. We can get someone to ride "sweep" or not depending on everyone's desires.

It is my recommendation that anyone going "exploring" have an agreed upon mid-point check in time and an estimated return time to reduce concerns and to provide us with some way to help in case the worst happens. Letting someone at the ride (or your SO) know your general area of exploration has proven to be critical under the worst of circumstances.

More importantly, I highly recommend that you keep plenty in reserve so that AR's pig trails don't bite you (so we don't need anything from the above paragraph). Remember these are rural roads with Ma and Pa poking along around the next corner, or a livestock trailer dumping snail-snot-slick stuff in just the place you wanted to apex.

 

[SMC]

Wishing you all a great, enjoyable and safe ride. Wish I could go with you all, but have to fly a trip on Sunday.

Maybe some day in the future I'll get a chance to meet you all and even join in on a ride.

Scott

 

[Nosecone]

I have gotten off the fence and decided to join the Ride Around Russellville. Looks like the SW FOG is not going to happen. Anyway I made a room res at the Best Western independent of the group's block of rooms. I used my senior status and got a room that I could get my wheelchair in and out of easily. :lol:

 

[fjrchik]

I have gotten off the fence and decided to join the Ride Around Russellville. Looks like the SW FOG is not going to happen. Anyway I made a room res at the Best Western independent of the group's block of rooms. I used my senior status and got a room that I could get my wheelchair in and out of easily. :lol:

great John! glad your gonna join us! i'm curious - did u get a cheaper rate than us?

 

[beardo]

I get off the air at 9:00am and I plan on leaving the radio station shortly after that. I hope to be in Russellville around 5:00pm on Thursday. I'm a non-smoker and early-riser... so if anyone wants to share a room, let me know!
@GalaxyBlue... I'm coming down through Springfield from Sedalia. Do you want to ride down to Russellville together?

@FJR1300-- Are you still planning on leaving for Russellville on Thursday morning? If so, I wanted to see if you and GalaxyBlue would mind if I were to ride along with you guys? If you're going to be going through Sedalia then I'm assuming that you would be going through the Warsaw area. If so, I thought maybe I could meet up with you somewhere along that point in your route, as I will be coming from Kearney, MO... just a little north of Kansas City. I also send you a PM.

BeardO

 

[fjrchik]

quick recap (so i can keep up on the number of rooms we need):

Confirmed:

chik & bounce

fjr1300 & galaxy blue

dbx

fjrrider

mbottoms

tejasfjr

fjrayj

eric r

beardo

nosecone (got his own room)

foggy (got his own room)

this leaves 3 single rooms left on my reservation of 12. plenty of time yet for anyone who can't commit yet. but it might be better to take one of these rooms and then cancel it later. they have a 48-hour cancellation policy, fyi.

also, i'm saying it right now, so be clear - i'm not covering anyone's room who doesn't show up and doesn't let me know by Tuesday, October 3rd that they aren't gonna make it. you will owe me for your room when i get home. i'm more than happy to do this for everyone, but if your gonna back out, you better let me know before i get charged for it. ok. lecture over.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

I get off the air at 9:00am and I plan on leaving the radio station shortly after that. I hope to be in Russellville around 5:00pm on Thursday. I'm a non-smoker and early-riser... so if anyone wants to share a room, let me know!

@GalaxyBlue... I'm coming down through Springfield from Sedalia. Do you want to ride down to Russellville together?

@FJR1300-- Are you still planning on leaving for Russellville on Thursday morning? If so, I wanted to see if you and GalaxyBlue would mind if I were to ride along with you guys? If you're going to be going through Sedalia then I'm assuming that you would be going through the Warsaw area. If so, I thought maybe I could meet up with you somewhere along that point in your route, as I will be coming from Kearney, MO... just a little north of Kansas City. I also send you a PM.

BeardO

I say hell yeah! Come on down!

The plan so far is to come to Springfield and head down from there.

125 to Arkansas is one of my favorite routes, And the fun starts in Springfield! We will definatly have the sidewalls scuffed in by the time we get to Russelville!

Adam

 

[dbx]

125 to Arkansas is one of my favorite routes, And the fun starts in Springfield! We will definatly have the sidewalls scuffed in by the time we get to Russelville!
Adam

If you mean US-160 over to 125, then yuck. I rode that stretch last time, and what a disappointment. It has everything I don't like in a road: gravel in some of the corners, sweepers that don't have enough hang time to be called sweepers, lots of pavement patches that come with transition bumps, general bumpiness, broken pavement, small towns with low speed limits, too many blind driveways and side roads, etc.

125 wasn't bad, though. The ferry ride was cool, too.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

125 to Arkansas is one of my favorite routes, And the fun starts in Springfield! We will definatly have the sidewalls scuffed in by the time we get to Russelville!

Adam

If you mean US-160 over to 125, then yuck. I rode that stretch last time, and what a disappointment. It has everything I don't like in a road: gravel in some of the corners, sweepers that don't have enough hang time to be called sweepers, lots of pavement patches that come with transition bumps, general bumpiness, broken pavement, small towns with low speed limits, too many blind driveways and side roads, etc.

125 wasn't bad, though. The ferry ride was cool, too.

Well,

No road is going to be perfect. I have seen gravel, But any mountain road will have the potential for the same... Right?

I ride that road all the time and it does not get boring. i always find something new everytime i ride it.

 

[Bounce]

I've found few AR roads as well groomed as Deal's Gap. 7 is one, but it's a larger road and, while nice, a little more "cruiser oriented" than I sometimes prefer. The surface was always nice, though. My memory might be fading on me about this topic, but it seems to me that all the narly stuff is subject to potential obstacles and debris; it's a rural public road.

---update--

olathe, ks?

heck, the roads are always swept clean by the winds. what is it, 180 miles (w to whitman afb, s on 65 and then ne on 54) to the nearest curve at lake of the ozarks in MO? :lol:

 

[beardo]

I get off the air at 9:00am and I plan on leaving the radio station shortly after that. I hope to be in Russellville around 5:00pm on Thursday. I'm a non-smoker and early-riser... so if anyone wants to share a room, let me know!

@GalaxyBlue... I'm coming down through Springfield from Sedalia. Do you want to ride down to Russellville together?

@FJR1300-- Are you still planning on leaving for Russellville on Thursday morning? If so, I wanted to see if you and GalaxyBlue would mind if I were to ride along with you guys? If you're going to be going through Sedalia then I'm assuming that you would be going through the Warsaw area. If so, I thought maybe I could meet up with you somewhere along that point in your route, as I will be coming from Kearney, MO... just a little north of Kansas City. I also send you a PM.

BeardO

I say hell yeah! Come on down!

The plan so far is to come to Springfield and head down from there.

125 to Arkansas is one of my favorite routes, And the fun starts in Springfield! We will definatly have the sidewalls scuffed in by the time we get to Russelville!

Adam

Thanks for the warm welcome! I figured I'd try to meet up with FJR1300 before reaching Springfield. I'll have to find out what his plans are and what time he's heading out Thursday morning. Have you guys discussed about what time you plan on heading out from Springfield? Anyway, thanks again for the warm welcome.

BeardO

 

[GalaxyBlue]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I figured I'd try to meet up with FJR1300 before reaching Springfield. I'll have to find out what his plans are and what time he's heading out Thursday morning. Have you guys discussed about what time you plan on heading out from Springfield? Anyway, thanks again for the warm welcome.
BeardO

We have not planned that far yet. But i imagine getting a early start. (leave Springfield by 10?)

 

[Bounce]

this morning i got the bike coolant topped off (didn't need much, but the yammy placement of the overflow tank doesn't lend itself to the casual splash[1]), the brake and clutch fluids flushed, and everything buttoned back up. it plans to be the ~45th consecutive day of 100°F or higher temps, so my services have been limited to early weekend mornings.

checked out the tires and they definitely need swapping before AR. strange, uneven wear around the circumference. a little above the wear bars in some places (indicating maybe 1000 miles left) and in other places the tread is nearly flush with the main carcass. seems my decision to switch back to pilot roads from these avons might have been a good thing. they never vibrated or felt uneven, i always kept them closely monitored for proper psi (not the recommendations from the owners manual, but those from the avon lovers on the list). as reported before, it's the 7200 miles compared to the early-swapped >9000 that i get from the pr's. i live in flatland, so don't get to use all the tread all the time like some folk. since i already called my source to get a set ordered and installed, that'll be happening shortly.

time to start eyeing the bits of travel kit to get them all in order.

[1] speaking of which, did they redesign the coolant overflow tank access for the '06?

 

[GalaxyBlue]

I ordered a set of Pilot Roads this round just to see how they compare to the Avons. I get about 5000 out of the rear when the wear bars come through.

They will be mounted and ready for the trip! :yahoo:

 

[dbx]

I've found few AR roads as well groomed as Deal's Gap. 7 is one, but it's a larger road and, while nice, a little more "cruiser oriented" than I sometimes prefer. The surface was always nice, though. My memory might be fading on me about this topic, but it seems to me that all the narly stuff is subject to potential obstacles and debris; it's a rural public road.

You might be missing my point. First, US-160 is in southern MO, not AR, and I wasn't comparing it to Deal's Gap. I've only ridden it twice, the first time voluntarily, to check it because of its reputation as a great motorcycle road, (it's not), and the second time while riding with a group doing a loop out of AR, up through MO, and down on 125 across the ferry. Both times, which were about 3 months apart, the road was horrible for the reasons I gave above. Very disappointing. Obviously, others have different standards and opinions, which is fine, but personally I'd go out of my way if necessary to find another route.

Also, my comments weren't about the potential for debris on the road; they were about the potential to find a few feet of good road surface among all the crap. :lol:

---update--
olathe, ks?

heck, the roads are always swept clean by the winds. what is it, 180 miles (w to whitman afb, s on 65 and then ne on 54) to the nearest curve at lake of the ozarks in MO? :lol:

We rarely have high winds here, but when we do, it puts crap onto the roads instead of clearing them off. As for curves, why do any of us go to AR? :yahoo:

 

[SMC]

this morning i got the bike coolant topped off (didn't need much, but the yammy placement of the overflow tank doesn't lend itself to the casual splash[1]), the brake and clutch fluids flushed, and everything buttoned back up. it plans to be the ~45th consecutive day of 100°F or higher temps, so my services have been limited to early weekend mornings.
checked out the tires and they definitely need swapping before AR. strange, uneven wear around the circumference. a little above the wear bars in some places (indicating maybe 1000 miles left) and in other places the tread is nearly flush with the main carcass. seems my decision to switch back to pilot roads from these avons might have been a good thing. they never vibrated or felt uneven, i always kept them closely monitored for proper psi (not the recommendations from the owners manual, but those from the avon lovers on the list). as reported before, it's the 7200 miles compared to the early-swapped >9000 that i get from the pr's. i live in flatland, so don't get to use all the tread all the time like some folk. since i already called my source to get a set ordered and installed, that'll be happening shortly.

time to start eyeing the bits of travel kit to get them all in order.

[1] speaking of which, did they redesign the coolant overflow tank access for the '06?

:blink:

To answer your question, yes Yamaha did redesign the coolant overflow tank and relocated it to the left side, but it's still not easy to get to.

I have a question for Bounce and FJRchik (if I could learn to read, I would be dangerous. Just figured out you folks are going October 6-8/9 to Arkansas, not this weekend)

I would like to tag along, only thing holding me back is I don't know what my flight schedule for October will be until around September 25.

Sooo, this is the question; after I find out what my flight schedule is, and I get the days off and if there is still a room available would you all mind another FJR rider tagging along from Decatur (northwest of DFW)?

I am opting for the Friday leave and get back to the DFW area on Sunday as trying to get a flight schedule with four days off is nearly impossible and an act of God.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Scott