Ok, where to begin...
The planning for this trip started last fall when we all heard that MotoGP is now officially going to come to our neck of the woods (or at least close enough to it); Indianapolis. We got together to plan routes and organize places to stay and order the GP tickets. This was last October I believe. Since then, the plans changed for a few reasons, but suffice it to say, the plans changed for me mostly because this trip was always going to be about the riding to and from the race so I decided that I'd rather go ride the famous roads in the south such as "The Dragon" and the Cherohala as opposed to whatever we'd be hitting between Bklyn and Indy. As much as I would've loved to hear and see Rossi live in person, I just couldn't stand the fact that I'd still be a virgin when it came to the roads that I've been dreaming about for so long now so...
At the last minute (thanks in part to the wonderful bunch of friends - "The Usual Suspects"), we were able to sell off our Indy seats and plan for a trip down south instead! I starting taking pics of these near weekly "meetings" at the old Diner to keep as a record but the iphone I used to take those pictures is now destroyed, more on that later. Since we had a new destination, I got to work pouring over maps and scouring the net for advice on which roads would be the tastiest choice to take on our way down south. After weeks of planning, routing and then rerouting I had pretty much everything set down to the last detail for the impending trip.
A little background - we (The Usual Suspects) aren't so much a "crew" or a "gang". We're more like a bunch of friends that found each other through constantly riding together as we share the same tastes for riding; 500+ miles days on as technical roads as we can find. There's barely any stopping for these rides other gas and pee breaks and they usually last for more than 12 hours. Not everyone likes to ride such long days so finding folks who are willing to ride for that long and who are fine folks that we get along with is tough. For this trip, the US crew would be split up because some of "US" were still going to Indy, and some of US were out of town for other reasons. 2 of US were out of commission because they either sold their current bike or were working on putting their bike back together from a slight mishap involving a guy in a cage making an illegal u-turn.
My bike needed some work before departure, nothing huge, just normal wear and tear type of things; oil and filter change, a new chain and set of sprockets, new tires, etc. Here's a shot of my new C2T's with ~50 miles on them, little did they know what they were about to be put through -
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A GIANT THANKS to Dave over at Chronic Motorsports (631) 254-6363, not only was he able to squeeze me in at the very last minute, he also gave me a screaming deal on the new tires! THANKS DAVE!!
Our last "real" ride in preparation for this trip found us out on some of our local favorite roads in eastern PA. This is me hamming it up for the camera -
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Cru Jones -
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Dizzle checking in before our long slab ride home -
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After weeks and literally months of planning, the day of our departure finally came! We planned on leaving Wednesday evening (9/10) to slab it out to central PA so that we can start the real riding the following day. This shot was taken 5 minutes before I left my driveway here in Bkyln. Packed with only the essentials in my tail bag and the usual radar detector and gps -
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I arrived at our usual jump off point - Gorilla Coffee. This is where we always meet up for our daily rides and trips. Cru pulls up first -
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The RC's in road trip mode -
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Dizz shows up a few minutes late but shows up nonetheless -
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From here we ride 1.5 hours west to Allentown PA to meet up with Tommy and the Alimony mobileâ,,¢. He left the city earlier that afternoon to avoid most of the traffic. Our meet up place was the Hess off of I78. This is us at our first stop just happy to finally be on the road -
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Bad doughnut, terrible coffee -
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Tommy, the Suspect that sold his bike, didn't want to miss yet another US road trip even if he didn't currently have a bike. So what did he do? He volunteered to drive his car along with us! This would serve 2 purposes. For one, he'd get to take the long awaited break from life that he was long overdue for and get the solitude he needed And secondly, his car, the "Alimony mobileâ,,¢" would serve as the donkey carrying all our gear and then some. Since we now were lucky enough to have such a luxury, we packed his car, excuse me, his Alimony mobileâ,,¢ with everything we thought we might need, and with things we hoped we wouldn't need; all our luggage, spare jackets and rain gear, a gallon of oil, spare parts and even a rear tire, tools, rear stand, floor pump, you name it, we had it!
In the Captain's chair of the Alimony mobileâ,,¢, Tommy was all set up to act as the visual director of the trip. He set up his digital SLR camera (duct taped to the dashboard like a real man would do), his laptop was also up and running to record all the time lapsed video and regular video.
Here's a shot of the inner workings of the Alimony mobileâ,,¢ -
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Here are a couple of shots of the Alimony mobile â,,¢ packed to the gills with our crap -
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After a long boring slab ride out to Somerset PA, we settle into our crappy little motel room for the night. Tommy shot some video of us riding through a few tunnels that night and after seeing those videos I finally had a real appreciation for how loud my bike truly is.
Our 1st floor room was luckily right near where we parked. We able to tear off the screen and throw our luggage and selves through the window without having to use doors like normal people would. This is Cru entering our room -
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Gear porn -
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The next morning we wake up, make sure the bikes are good to go, then proceed to a crappy breakfast at the "Park and Eat". Here's a shot of Dizz topping off his rear tire -
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After breakfast we head on out to Fallingwater. It's a famous house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family. I've always wanted to go here and see firsthand this amazing house. It's cantilevered design is truly stunning to see and I'm happy that I finally got a chance to see it.
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Cru and Dizz -
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Again -
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Post breakfast, preride, L to R, Tommy, me, and Cru -
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After Fallingwater, our "real" riding began for the trip. We headed directly south into West Virginia for some of the most amazing roads imaginable. I didn't have the time to stop and take any pics because we were too busy riding, but rest assured, WV arguably has the best roads in the country. Smooth pristine pavement, little to no traffic, and there isn't a straight road to be seen!!
We stop for the night in Lewisburg WV. The next morning with breakfast consumed, we head out to start our first difficult day of the trip. It's gonna be all twistys until the very last leg of the day heading into Asheville NC. On our way towards Asheville, we had planned on hitting up some great roads that I've heard about, and a few that I've never heard anything about. One of the roads we hit was 421 in Tennessee aka "The Snake". While the road itself was fun, it wasn't the end all be all of the trip. It was ruined by it's own fame and as I later found out, was also heavily patrolled by some of TN's finest. Here's a shot of the little video camera we used to shoot all the riding videos. It did an amazing job considering it's bargain price ($130) -
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The sign at the beginning of "The Snake" -
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In the valley -
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Here's a link to the videos. That's me riding at the front, and Cru doing the filming. Dizz is riding 3rd so you won't see him in the videos. Thankfully, Tommy decided not to edit in music for the videos so that you can hear the roar of our v-twins at work. Since this is our first time on this road, the pace ain't usually what it is -
Part 1 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyAS_0nllzE
Part 2 (with a twist) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co7rf50W4qE
In part 2 of the the videos you'll see that I get pulled over. Since I was entering a hairpin and already committed to the turn I couldn't stand the bike back up and slow down for the po po that was sitting there parked right in the turn's apex. Luckily they didn't a get speed reading on me since it was a hairpin but since I was around 9k rpm, they certainly heard me coming long before I got there. They gave me a bs ticket for failing to stop. Whatever. This is a shot of one of the cruisers and my little piggy -
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The end result -
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From the snake we found ourselves on some more amazing roads. There were too many to list. Needless to say I found out the hard way that my original route was too ambitious and we had to cut out the last few bits in order to make into Asheville at a decent hour so slab it was. No matter how much I hate the slab, I do have to say that I enjoyed this stretch of it heading into Asheville. Being in the mountains even on the highway in this part of the country was truly beautiful. The mist, the trees, the vistas, all of it. Tommy, and Dizz have better shots than I so but here's the best my little point and shoot can do -
Sunset at the overlook slightly north of Asheville -
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We pull into Asheville around 9pm and find our hotel, the Haywood Park. It's located right downtown where all the shops, galleries, and restaurants are. After the crappy motels thus far, we needed a bit of luxury.
Pulling up -
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Dizz relaxing post shower in our suite -
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T and the gang uploading the day's videos -
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Dinner at the Beir Garrden, SUPER nachos!
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We wake up Saturday morning and decide that we need a break from riding since the past 2 days were filled with some of the most intense riding we've ever done. My wrists were sore from constantly going from redline to full on the brakes and back over and over and over again. We decide on a leisurely breakfast and a walk around town to check Asheville.
Hhhmmm French toast!
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Grits, eggs, biscuits and gravy
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Meterfolks around here get to drive around in these cool carts!
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Random shots around town -
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After our walkabout, we went back to hotel to bust a nice long chill.
Tommy hard at work -
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My leg -
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Cru fast asleep -
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After a few hours of relaxing (we are vacation afterall), we decide to find the nearest Bestbuy to buy another Flip camera so that we can shoot video on Cru's bike facing backwards! We drive around town and find the store then we track down a local movie theatre to catch "Burn after reading", the new Cohen bros movie. But first... food. In the interest of time we deicide to go where?
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Ugg, you guessed it...
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Nasty -
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A miserable hour later we drive in circles looking for this supposed movie theatre and we make a pit stop at Dick's sporting goods. Long before we arrived a theme was already established... you had to be there...
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We arrived at the movies (no thanks to the Zumo). I'm on line buying popcorn and find Cru already at it with the video games -
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Back at the hotel we get a good night's rest for our easy day the next day. Did I mention that the bathroom in our hotel room had a separate shower and a dedicated bath tub complete with a television? Sunday I planned on moving out of Asheville and into a deluxe cabin in the woods. We'd get there via a relaxing ride through the Pisgah National Forest and the Smokies on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For those that haven't been on the BRP, do yourself a favor and get on it! Even at speed limit the road is tons of fun to ride, the scenery jaw dropping, and it's quite possibly the most beautiful road that I've ever been on.
Pisgah -
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Eventually we made our way over to the BRP. This is our first stop -
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About 20 minutes later....
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And another 20 minutes later....
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Tommy -
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The last stop on the BRP -
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Ok seriously, this was our last stop, we had to swap out our tinted visors for clear anyway...
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After some confusion (and fear of getting shot - jk) we arrive at the cabin. We find Cru's tires are just a few heat cycles away from needing to be replaced. Apparently the BRP's pavement is very abrasive -
Rear -
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The cabin. It was super deluxe!! Flatscreens tv's with surround sound, a pool table, an old school arcade game with over 40 games, 2 jacuzzis, a sauna, a full sized kitchen, 2 bedrooms with king sized beds, 2 bathrooms, a 360° wrap around deck complete with views, rocking chairs, a bbq grill, the works!! -
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We're in the sticks now!! View from our front door -
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One of the bedrooms -
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Dizz -
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The suana -
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Not sure what day we're up to here but we awake Sunday morning to a delicious breakfast prepared by Tommy, THANKS TOMMY!! Today's the day we're supposed to head out a ride the Dragon and the Cherohala. At this point of the trip, my body was hurting, all the riding we've been doing and all the hours I should've sent sleeping.... To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the Dragon. I felt like it was over hyped, over patrolled and over ridden. It turns out that I was right. We had to ride it at well below the posted speed limit (30 mph) because there was a Blount County officer directly in front of us going exactly 22 mph. After a few miles he pulled over, let us pass, then pulled back out to follow us. In the mean time, I lost count of how many cruiser type of riders hovered on or over the double yellow line. It made for a slow stressful time all the way down the road.
Would I think differently of the road if there were no squids and no cops? While the road itself is beautiful, and would make for a great sportbike road, I have to admit that it's mediocre at best when compared to some of the roads we've already ridden of this trip. Add in the cops and the squids, well, you have recipe for disaster. Earlier that day we heard of a guy on a Gixxer 1k going off of the road and getting air lifter out of there. Apparently he had no gear on (shorts and a tee) and the rescuers couldn't find his bike since it was so far off of the road. If you find yourself in the area, ride it for the sake of riding it, at parade speed - 30 mph and take it for what it's worth. The area around the Dragon has roads as good if not better anyway.
The obligatory Dragon shots -
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The overlook at the end of the Dragon -
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We ran into another RC owner!
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After the Dragon we headed straight for the Cherohala Skyway and we were pleasantly surprised. This road is about 40 miles long and filled with sweepers, some tighter than others. We managed to cover the entire stretch in just under 20 minutes. This road was tons more fun than the Dragon and we didn't even see another soul!
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Monday night we found ourselves back at the cabin. Rather then braving the tourist trap redneck hell that is Pigeon Forge, we opted to go grocery shopping and have ourselves a bbg.
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Bass by the fire -
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Cru enjoying his pipe -
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Tommy gettin corny -
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Tuesday morning we sadly have to leave our wonderful cabin in the woods and start our return trip back home...
View of the lonely bike (we had to keep them at the bottom of the driveway since there was so level place to park them up top -
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Preparing the 2nd camera... it didn't work out -
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My original plan was to ride through the remainder of TN and into KY before stopping in WV for the night. The plans changed because we decided that we wanted to head back to a certain road that we hit on the way down, it was that good. In fact, it was the best road of the trip. Imagine a road so intense, so demanding and challenging that you're mentally and physically committed for over an hour. A road so technical you find yourself at redline back to full on brakes, then back to redline every 5 or so seconds. A road that has ZERO room for error and is unrelenting. This road demands tons of respect and even a little fear. By far the best road I've ever ridden in my life and I can't wait to go back. But I digress...
The start of our trip home was uneventful. We rode some slab and some small roads through some small towns. These were taken along the way...
Dizz getting his knee down for the first time -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0334.jpg)
Stray doggies -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0335.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0336.jpg)
Cows. Don't know why they were staring at me -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0341.jpg)
Now for some fun. This is an editted version of the videos we shot on our favorite mystery road. All in all, the road is roughly 30 miles long with no intersections, no breaks, and if ridden at over 90% or 9/10ths of your skill level, it still takes over an hour to complete. The video doesn't capture the extreme elevation changes, nor does it represent how tight the turns are but believe me when I say, I was riding well above 85%, going from redline to full brakes with the back end squirming at every corner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caY0WN8ieTc
At the end of this road I was suffering from severe arm pump from braking so hard. This time around though the ride didn't end the way we wished, here's a clue...
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0347.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0346.jpg)
In the video towards the end you'll notice a van parked in one of the last hairpins. It was at this corner that Dizzle target fixated on the van an proceeded to lowside. He was saved from a 100ft fall off a cliff by the gaurdrail and he came away from the accident literally without a scratch - wear your gear folks!! His bike wasn't so lucky. It's still to be determined if if it's totalled or not...
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0343.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0344.jpg)
Luckily for all of us, this is a magic sort of town and within 15 minutes we had EVERYONE at the scene.
From L to R -
EMT, City Councilman, Dizz, EMT, Fire dept, Sheriff, fire dept -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0353.jpg)
The corner of the incident as Dizz's bike gets loaded onto the wrecker -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0359.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0362.jpg)
The set of corners right before this last corner -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0351.jpg)
Back at the wrecker's place -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0365.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0373.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0372.jpg)
What did this mean for the rest of the trip? Well, seeing at how this was the last road before the dreaded slab portion of the trip home, we had to modify the plan slightly. We got a uhaul truck, loaded all 3 bikes into the back and drove until we couldn't drive anymore. Me and Cru in the truck, Tommy and Dizz in the car.
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0378.jpg)
Wednesday the final day of our trip was pretty unremarkable. A crappy breakfast at the local Cracker Barrel, and hours of slab in a truck home...
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0385.jpg)
All the goodness behind us-
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0383.jpg)
The road to hell -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0387.jpg)
The one bright spot in the trip home was my decision to stop at the fabled Cables!
Check it out!!!
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0391.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0392.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0394.jpg)
A world of camo -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0396.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0397.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0404.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0408.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0401.jpg)
After Cabelas it was a long uneventful ride home. We got back to Bkyln around 9pm, unloaded the gear and bike and went our separate ways. Despite Dizz's get off, it was a very successful trip! Fun was had by all, and we finally had a chance to ride some of the southeast's finest!!
Some random pics taken throughout the trip -
For Tommy -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0204.jpg)
Where'd Cru go, I don't see him -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0405.jpg)
Poor guys -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0380.jpg)
The injuries I suffered during the trip. Shows you how much kicking sticking will do...
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0379.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0384.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0195.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0243.jpg)
Classic Porsches at the Gap -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0296.jpg)
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0298.jpg)
Hot bike -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0299.jpg)
2 out of 3 ain't bad -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0395.jpg)
Draggin knee!
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0409.jpg)
Time for new grips -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0369.jpg)
So much for my new tires -
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0368.jpg)
Very nice E! I couldn't have done it nearly as well. Your pics are pretty impressive for a little camera too.
I can't relay how much fun I had on the trip. It truly exceeded my expectations all around. The roads were what I expected & the comraderie was even better than imagined. I can't wait until the next US road trip. [thumbsup]
thats make the beast with two backsing awesome you should have posted this in teh main forum
Incredible write up, incredible trip (except for the accident).
Glad Dizzle is OK.
That sounds like an Epic trip. That road felt like I was watching you warm up your tires and a high speed. It looks amazing. Glad the Dizz is ok. At least it happened at the end of the trip. You have gift for planning these rides and leading a group. Nothing is better than doing what you love w/ a great group of friends. Great story and pics.
Great story. [thumbsup]
Quote from: goldenchild on September 19, 2008, 04:48:32 PM
(http://i398.photobucket.com/albums/pp70/usualsuspectsmoto/IMG_0214.jpg)
Take a close look at my avatar [laugh]
Looks like it was an awesome trip!
JM
Nice write up GC. Looks like you guys had a blast and Tommy seemed to be a key part of the trip. Def. outlines what motorcycle riding is all about. [bacon] [bacon]
Quote from: That Nice Guy Beck! on September 19, 2008, 06:35:55 PM
thats make the beast with two backsing awesome you should have posted this in teh main forum
lol
Nice trip [thumbsup]
Quote from: the_Journeyman on September 20, 2008, 06:53:55 AM
Take a close look at my avatar [laugh]
Looks like it was an awesome trip!
JM
[laugh]
Quote from: That Nice Guy Beck! on September 20, 2008, 12:20:55 PM
lol
There is a setting to allow swears so you don't get that.
GC:
sweet job on the write up.
Glad you guys made it home in one piece.
Eric & US,
Did you hit up Hwy 15 from Sutton to ValleyHead while you were in WV?
Quote from: CDawg on September 22, 2008, 06:42:48 AM
Eric & US,
Did you hit up Hwy 15 from Sutton to ValleyHead while you were in WV?
Funny you should mention that... that was my original route for the last day coming home. 15 working our way west to 250 heading into VA. We decided last minute to abandon the routes coming home in favor of reriding a few of the roads we discovered on the way south. Next time though..
Awesome trip. Thats some next level riding you did there. Once again i'm glad dizzle is ok!
I'm happy you guys had a great time out there. [thumbsup] I'm glad to read that dizz came out ok! ;) (even though the bike isn't :-\)
GC, I enjoyed reading your tale and that's great you guys overall had a exciting adventure. I think all the US adventures in present and in past, a memoir or a published diary/book titled just like in your subject " A Usual Suspects tale" would be fantastic :) Of course, it would include some, if not all, of the pics.
Just make sure all the US writeups here in the DMF are printed and saved offline since you know what happened to them on DML, (just a thought)
Very sick. I can't wait to see some pics. ;)