suggestions for first big trip

[2wheelingdawg]

I leave Wed for my first big trip on my FJR. I am also new to long distance riding. If anybody has any suggestions for riding or sights to see, i would appreciate it. My route is planned pretty simple. leave Atlanta on Wed after work, camp out in N Ga at TWO. On Thursday am ride to Cherokee, Nc, pick up the blue ridge pkwy and head north. I found a bike campground in Va right off the blue ridge. Camp thursday night in Va. On friday am, finish blueridge and head west over to northern WV. then turn south down us 219 toward Lewisburg, and arrive at mom's house on Friday evening. Spend the weekend in WV and leave early Monday am and slab it back home to Atlanta.

 

[daddysbike]

Clicky

Be sure to follow the links I put up for all three days.

Have a great trip!

Steve

 

[Bama FJR]

Make sure to bring your rain gear

 

[Herkypilot]

2Wheelingd,

I'm planning on a ride not too far off from yours for EOM next month. I've been in those areas with a car and enjoyed it very much. I'd have to agree with the above - prepare for rain. It would be a bad idea to join up on the FJR assitance list sponsered by J.R. on this site. Never hurts to have an FJR friend not too far away to help a buddy in need.

Herkypilot

 

[DonRed7]

Mid july i did a spin down to Charlotte NC,....put 5600 km's on the clock in 5 days with a day or so fluffing around NC. It was a "trial by fire" but i felt ok with the pain of the relatively long days in the saddle(I was being a hard ass and would not let the discomfort slow our progress as it was somewhat of a business trip). I did realize,....and prolly do more so now that it's a signifigant commitment to do such a ride with time constraints involved. I really should do a trip report because it was an excellent learning experience as well as a lot of fun =riding buddy (boss) a HD man who is typical of the "RUB",... yet,.. pretty cool regardless and enjoy's life when not at work. Anyhoo,.. Two quick things that stick out in my mind

1) About 11 hours in on the first day which would turn into a 15ish hour day,.. I didn't think things were going to be good (stock seat wise) and i had to do something to change it's position (as i've always thought that the stock seat both rotates my pelvis forward and keeps me fighting a constant forward tendancy) so i had to get inventive and the result was to put the front seat tongue in the Upper position and leave the rear of the seat on the the lower mount spots with a pair of shorts in place under the front rubbers to help support that spot. This,...And advil were an immediate relief but the damage to my(40 yr old/self tortured) back had allready been done. If i had the seat like this from the time we left,..i would have been fine/painless in the lower back dept for the trip.

2) A couple of 1000km day's back/back after THIS trip mean nothing to me on the FJR.....Just a sunday drive now. *note to self* BUY New seat for over 2000 km's

Oh one more,....

I am VERY happy with the machine,... It does everything i expected from it's Rock solid high speed comfort to it's "realtively heavy sport bike feel"

Oh and i'll try and give ya all a couple of good (riding with a guy on a HD) stories in the next day er' so....

vibe's still bug me a bit.....

Cheers

-Don

 

[257robertsimp]

If you go through Big cabin on the skyline drive stop and eat a meal in the restaurant. Great scenery. The skyline drive is the national park area on the blue ridge parkway.

 

[DonRed7]

And make shure you bring At least a throttle rocker,....I would have been F'd without this $20 item!!!

-Don

 

[UHOH]

^^^ agree on Throttle Rocker or Cramp Buster that fits on the throttle grip.

Stop in at a couple of shops until you find one; purchase makes longer days more pleasant

in planning your route figure 40 - 45 mph average from the time you leave in the morning

till you shut off for the day. leaves time for stretch breaks, gas, lunch.

enjoy

 

[the twins]

I might make a couple of points for you;

If you don't have a trunk.

1.) I found that in packing the FJR for a solo there is not really a place to strap your luggage etc.. to the back seat, especially without scratching the back end of the bike. I over came this with two short (about 8" long, eye on both end) motorcycle tie down straps cinched around the passenger handles which allowed me to take a short bungee cord to the rear foot peg area. This enabled me to keep from scratching the paint around the back seat.

2.) I have some Dry Bags (about 10" Dia. x 30" lg.) for my canoe which are great for sealing and strapping onto the back seat.

3.) I also went and got a large cargo net (About the size 18" X 24" for a four wheeler rack) and took all but two corner hooks off of the net, then I went to the hardware store and found some brass snaps to connect back to the hooks I removed. This allowed me to strap two fixed hooks to the foot peg area and then roll up the unused portion of the net and tie down at the metal strap on the back for the license plate holder. Works great for that loose jacket ....etc.

4.) Speaking of jackets ..... take something warm even if it is a rain suit and some layered clothing as it gets pretty cool this time of year the parkways. This year on Memorial weekend it was only 60 degrees in some places.

5.) And finally ......... 219 at Droop Mountain ....... North side ......... worth running up and down a couple of times.

Have safe trip.

 

[CHRIS_D]

I leave Wed for my first big trip on my FJR. I am also new to long distance riding. If anybody has any suggestions for riding or sights to see, i would appreciate it. My route is planned pretty simple. leave Atlanta on Wed after work, camp out in N Ga at TWO. On Thursday am ride to Cherokee, Nc, pick up the blue ridge pkwy and head north. I found a bike campground in Va right off the blue ridge. Camp thursday night in Va. On friday am, finish blueridge and head west over to northern WV. then turn south down us 219 toward Lewisburg, and arrive at mom's house on Friday evening. Spend the weekend in WV and leave early Monday am and slab it back home to Atlanta.

Good luck on your trip, sounds like it's going be a great trip.

I too live in McDonough. We'll have to meet and go riding one of these days. By the way what dealer did you buy your bike at?

Chris

 

[luvtoride]

I could probably sit here and add lots of roads... but my only advice is watch your speed on the Blue Ridge Pkwy & Skyline Dr. Both are on federal land & a speeding ticket will lighten up your wallet 'considerably". BRP is 45mph & Skyline is 35mph & an entrance fee to the park.

Heidi

 

[GreyGoose]

Get a wrist rocker. Its cheap and worth its weight in gold on a long trip.

GreyGoose

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

There are numerous threads about what you should have. Check out the vendor section and see their ideas too. Some are really helpful on a long trip. Hydration: have plenty of fluid. If you are new to LD riding, remember that your body loses water a lot faster with all that wind around you. Even though you are sitting still, you be feel much more comfortable with water with you. A camel back is my favorite method.

 

[S76]

I could probably sit here and add lots of roads... but my only advice is watch your speed on the Blue Ridge Pkwy & Skyline Dr. Both are on federal land & a speeding ticket will lighten up your wallet 'considerably". BRP is 45mph & Skyline is 35mph & an entrance fee to the park.
Heidi

I earned a performance award on the Blue Ridge last year. 67 in a 45. Only a hundred bucks which is cheap by CT standards, and because it's in a park the points don't go on your license. I thought it a good deal!

I just ran the Parkway and Skyline in the last couple of days. Skyline was socked in with fog, 15 MPH in some spots in mid afternoon. No visability on the lookouts, and the tunnels in the fog where down right scary, but fun. Blue Ridge had rain every day for a few hours in the afternoon and much haze. Temps were from 62 to 75 on top. 89 in Asheville.

I did see an FJR rainbow north of Asheville on Saturday afternoon. It contained 2 silver, one blue, and one black cherry. (At different times.) Very cool to see them as they were part of maybe 12 bikes on the parkway out of hundreds, that weren't cruisers.

I told one guy in a rest spot that his Harley looked nice, it was a Yamaha, my bad. I saw another guy with a custom built chopper thing idling along the road side looking for his tail light that had fallen off. I wanted a picutre of that so bad but thought it not an appropriate time. I did meet one guy in the motel riding a 52 (?) flat head ridged that he modified and owned for many years. He was really nice. A real Harley person, not a poser.

I didn't stop hardley anywhere along the way. I called it my Power Tour. 2,200 miles in 4 days. It is hard to get 350 miles of Parkway behind you in a day. I did, but that's just gas and go for 12 hours.

The parkway from about 75 miles north of Asheville (Mount Mitchel area) to Cherokee was the best part, tight and technical. At the south end of the parkway from Cherokee, take 441 (?) north through the nat. forest. There is a town called Gatlinburg. It is kinda like a circus town, or like a mini Vegas. I didn't stop but rode through.

Have fun. Be prepared for all weather (Last year I hit an inch thick of frozen hail and rain) and you will do fine.

 

[swingman3]

I earned a performance award on the Blue Ridge last year. 67 in a 45. Only a hundred bucks which is cheap by CT standards, and because it's in a park the points don't go on your license. I thought it a good deal!
I just ran the Parkway and Skyline in the last couple of days. Skyline was socked in with fog, 15 MPH in some spots in mid afternoon. No visability on the lookouts, and the tunnels in the fog where down right scary, but fun. Blue Ridge had rain every day for a few hours in the afternoon and much haze. Temps were from 62 to 75 on top. 89 in Asheville.

I did see an FJR rainbow north of Asheville on Saturday afternoon. It contained 2 silver, one blue, and one black cherry. (At different times.) Very cool to see them as they were part of maybe 12 bikes on the parkway out of hundreds, that weren't cruisers.

I told one guy in a rest spot that his Harley looked nice, it was a Yamaha, my bad. I saw another guy with a custom built chopper thing idling along the road side looking for his tail light that had fallen off. I wanted a picutre of that so bad but thought it not an appropriate time. I did meet one guy in the motel riding a 52 (?) flat head ridged that he modified and owned for many years. He was really nice. A real Harley person, not a poser.

I didn't stop hardley anywhere along the way. I called it my Power Tour. 2,200 miles in 4 days. It is hard to get 350 miles of Parkway behind you in a day. I did, but that's just gas and go for 12 hours.

The parkway from about 75 miles north of Asheville (Mount Mitchel area) to Cherokee was the best part, tight and technical. At the south end of the parkway from Cherokee, take 441 (?) north through the nat. forest. There is a town called Gatlinburg. It is kinda like a circus town, or like a mini Vegas. I didn't stop but rode through.

Have fun. Be prepared for all weather (Last year I hit an inch thick of frozen hail and rain) and you will do fine.

I was on a blue '05, part of that rainbow you saw, no doubt. I also saw a few, including the Black Cherry one. Everywhere we (my wife and I) stopped, we were approached by someone on a sport-tourer complimenting the FJR. One guy on a Honda ST, another on a Goldwing who went on and on how nice the FJR is and how he wishes Honda would put an electric windshield on the 'Wing... etc, etc.

Overall, a great weekend riding in the mountains. Some rain but not enough to make me stop. That cool mountain air was a nice break from the 90+ temps we've had in Charleston lately.

Anyway, if you stop to see only one (or two things) on the BRP in NC, make it Grandfather Mountain and Mt. Mitchell in that order. The rides up the hills are incredible, especially Grandfather Mtn which has a series of four hairpins in a row for the last leg up to the parking area!! The view at the top was amazing, but the ride alone was the worth the $14 admission.

Swingman Sends

oh yeah, definately bring rain gear.

 

[luvtoride]

I earned a performance award on the Blue Ridge last year. 67 in a 45. Only a hundred bucks which is cheap by CT standards, and because it's in a park the points don't go on your license. I thought it a good deal!

S76, although it is true that you are on federal land & your license doesn't receive points against it, I have heard that what you pay for your violation is up to the discretion of the officer that pulls you. I haven't tested this but have heard about it from too many people. I am talking tickets up to $500.00

I've been on the Parkway & haven't seen any police. I've also been on the parkway & saw a lot of them. From what I hear, Skyline Drive is even less tolerant of speeding than the BRP.

Just passing along some relevant info.

Heidi