The Big Ride: Epilogue

Today I rode back to my home in Havelock, North Carolina from my trip to Asheville and Deals Gap. In all, I rode about 1,121 miles in the past four days. I also got to see my first burlesque show and canoe down the French Broad River.

I'm pretty beat after the 400 mile jaunt back home, so I think I'm going to keep it short tonight.

I'd like to thank my hosts, Michelle and Jason. I really have a gang 'o fun.

Here's one more picture of the SV on the Gap for good measure.

peace.

The Big Ride (Day 2)

What a day, what a day.

In all, I rode a little over 300 miles today. There's not much that I can say that won't be better with pictures. So allow me to present the abbreviated pictorial version of my journey to Deals Gap.

And yes, I know the photos are huge and spilling off of the page. I don't know how to make them smaller. Sue me.

The first road I explored NC 28, from its junction with US 74 and US 129. There was very little traffic and the temperature was cooler than I had expected. The road was draped with tree branches for much of the way, and got quite technical towards the end. It was a good warm up for what was to come next. Here's a photo of my SV650 at the start of NC 28; well the good part.

Then I reached the Gap. From what I could tell this was a light day. The famous dragon sign caught me by surprise when I saw it. For some reason I was expected to see it off in the distance a bit before I got up the resort. Obviously I had to stop and take some shots of the staging area for the Gap's entrance.

Outside of the lodging section of the resort there is a tree adorned with the wrecked bits of motorcycles that have met their demise at the Gap. It's called "The Tree of Shame". None of my bike's parts are on it. :)

After I grabbed a bottle of water and checked out some of the other bikes in the parking lot, I decided it was time for me to do what I came here to do. So I mounted my trusty steed and we putted out of the parking lot.

This road isn't for the faint of heart. The first thing I noticed was that most of the corners were incredibly banked, much more than I had imagined from pictures and videos. Some of them must have been 25 or 30 degrees. It took me a while to get used to how I should turn into them; most of the twisty roads I've ridden have been much flatter. But after a mile or two, I got the hang of it and developed a good rhythm. It really wasn't all that bad as long as I wasn't riding like a hooligan.

I eventually caught up to a slower group of riders, so I decided that was a good time to pull over and get a shot of the SV on the road itself. I mean, I need proof!

Here's another picture towards the end of the road. Many of the riders will stop here at this overlook to rest and/or turn around to head back the other way.

I kept going north on 129 until I found myself riding along side this marvelous body of water called Chilhowee Lake. I couldn't pass this place without getting some shots. It was quite beautiful.

Here's another one of just the lake itself.

Now, my homie Matt told me about a road I needed to see called the Cherohala Skyway. I believe "magic" was the exact word he used to describe it. So I guess I had to go check it out. After having a disgusting and delicious chili, jalapeño, and cheese burger, I shot over to TN 165 (the beginning of the Skyway) to see what I found. Here's a picture at the beginning of the road.

If you look carefully, you can see the tail of a Dodge Viper heading away from me. I had to pull over to wait for a whole gang of them to get out of site. They were holding me up.

"Magic" is absolutely right. This has to be the most wondrous 43 miles of road in the Eastern United States. There were all types of features; twisty sections, long sweepers, undulating straights, and breath-taking views. I can't imagine a road being more perfect for riding or driving. Now I know why that horde of Vipers drove up this way today. That's about the only road out this way worth traveling. And in case you're wondering, yes it's better than Deals Gap; by a long way.

I was feeling pretty worn out about halfway down the Skyway. My legs were shaking, my attention wasn't what is was this morning, and my earplugs kept popping out due to changes in altitude. Yea, it was time to head home.

I took the Skyway back to Hwy 28, then made my way back to Michelle and Jason's crib in Asheville. I think I did about all I could do, and I was satisfied with my fatigue. I had visited one of motorcycling's holy grounds, and I didn't fall. That was cool with me.

peace.

The Big Ride

Tomorrow's the day. I'm taking off on my bike and riding to my friend Michelle's crib in Asheville, North Carolina. I'm a bit nervous, really. I've never ridden this far on my bike by myself before. I know plenty who have and I'm confident in my ability to make the trip. Nevertheless, I'm still a bit anxious.

The plan is to stay in Asheville tomorrow night, ride out to Deals Gap for the day on Friday, hang out in Asheville on Saturday, then back home to Havelock, North Carolina on Sunday. In all, the total distance is going to be north of 1000 miles. Oh boy...

I'm also going to treat this trip as a sort of mini-pilgrimage. Since my big pilgrimage for this year was cut a bit short, I think this will serve as an acceptable alternative. I'll have time alone to think and consider things. I'm also taking my Winter's Tale work with me, which I plan to attend as thoroughly as the traffic. So far, I'm cautiously optimistic about my progress.

I don't know if I'll have any blog time, but if I do I'll be here. And I definitely won't miss Saturday's Emcee of the Month post. I plan to take a bunch of pictures, so I'll get those on here if I can.

Check you all later!

peace

The Gap

If all goes well, I'll find myself riding this road on Friday.

This is Deals Gap (for more, look here). It's known on a map as U.S. 129 and snakes through the Great Smokey Mountains from Swain County, North Carolina to Blount County, Tennessee. The story goes that this road is 11 miles long and contains 318 corners; almost all of them as spectacular as these. Motorcyclists from all over the world come here every year to ride this ribbon of paved perfection.

And now my trusty SV650 and I are gonna have a go at it.

No matter what happens, there will be pictures. And yes, I will take it easy. Seriously.

peace.

The Ol' Switcharoo

So I just finished fully converting my 2000 SV650S controls from clip-on handlebars to standard upright ones. It took me pretty much all day yesterday and I decided to do a 200 mile shakedown ride today to give it a try.

I am totally and completely in love.

The bike feels so much more usable and rider friendly. I found myself grinning involuntarily more than I think I ever have on any motorcycle. And yes, there are a couple things I miss from from having clip-ons, but for the riding I want to do the bike is much more suited.

Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

No More Back Pain: It wasn't extreme with the clip-ons, but it was just enough to worry me and make me uncomfortable for the rest of the day, especially after long trips.

Eagle Eyes: Something about sitting more upright allowed me to see the road better. The change isn't much, either. But moving my position really helped my awareness.

Hooliganism up 40%: The front end is much livelier than I had imagined. I've never had the bike lift the front wheel in 2nd. Scaring grandmas and making little kids smile is more irresistible. And no, I'm not doing wheelies for miles and draining the front cylinder. But little, quick ones are fun!

Slalom King: The increased leverage of the handlebars gives me more confidence around town. I feel more agile and nimble, which coupled with better visibility, is quite nice.

Cons:

Set Sail: It's a bit more difficult to get under the wind on the super slab. My upper body felt more like a sail than it did with the clip-ons. Not bad, tho. I'll figure it out.

Where's the Tire!?: I have lost a bit of feel with the front. The added body weight on the clip-ons did give me a better sense of what the tire is doing. So I'll really need to get used to trusting this lighter front end.

Love Lockdown: My ignition lock doesn't work anymore. Bummer. I really liked using it. It's okay, tho. I do have an alarm, so at least that's something.

Man in the Mirror: I couldn't remount my Napoleon mirrors. But it's all good. I think I've outgrown them anyway. It's time to move on!


Here's a full list of everything I purchased for the change over:

N model throttle cable (used)
N model brake lines (used)
N model choke cable (new)
N model clutch cable (used)
N model upper triple (used)
N model bar risers (used)
security torx set (new)
Superbike(?) bars from my friend Matt (used)
universal brake reservoir mount from Woodcraft (new)

The total for all of this, including some this-and-thats I had to pick up cost around $170.

There were a few surprises.

I couldn't figure out how (or was too scared) to remove the carbs to undo the throttle cable, so I just figured out a way to do it with them in. It was kind of a pain, but worked out fine.

I drilled a hole in the bar for the throttle-side control cluster in order to fit that little pin that keeps the controls still. It worked okay, but I still got some movement.

Hence...

I had to come up with a way to keep the control clusters from swiveling around on the bar. I ended up buying some stair tread tape and sticking it on the bar then sandwiching it with the clusters. It worked like a charm.

Here are a few pictures from today's ride. I really need to find a riding partner so I can start taking actual shots instead of my bike sitting still beside some trees and street signs. But it'll do.

peace.

I'm Getting Lost

I spent the entire day working on my bike. As you may or may not know, I have a 2000 Suzuki SV650S. You can check it out here. The modification I made was removing the lower-slung S model clip-on handlebars and replacing them with a more upright handlebar set-up.

What I noticed before I stored my bike for the winter was that my lower back was taking quite a beating during my longer rides. The slight lean forward to reach the bars would cause significant strain after a while. And since I tend to spend a lot on my bike when I decide to ride it, it was a point of concern.

By adding bars that will allow me to ride in a more upright position, I'm hoping to alleviate the excess tension in my back and shoulders. Therefore, I'll be able to ride for much longer and have a much nicer time.

Also, I do a lot of commuting around town on my bike. The bars I've fitted will give me much more agility and maneuverability in service of negotiating the concrete jungle.

So tomorrow, I'm getting lost. The hope is that I do about 200 miles or so and really get a sense of how my bike works now. Plus, I really want to get lost. I'll take my camera and try to get some nice shots for tomorrow night. Until then...

peace.

Reunited!

Today I rescued this beauty from the icy slumber of winter storage:

This is my 2000 Suzuki SV650S. I bought it in 2008 and I've put at least 15000 miles on it during our time together. We've had wonderful riding experiences in five states and two countries. It has a 649cc 90° v-twin engine and Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart tires. Since we've been together, I've upgraded it with Galfer Wave brake rotors, Napoleon Bar End Mirrors, a Gorilla security alarm, Trail Tech Vapor gauges, and a 2005 Kawasaki ZX-10R rear shock absorber. And the work hasn't ended. This season I plan to convert it over to more upright and back-friendly handlebars and remove the slightly more aggressively positioned clip-on bars.

For the last four months, my SV had been in storage in a facility on the outskirts of Philadelphia. This morning my cousin Nina and I loaded up into my Nissan Xterra and drove out to the storage unit. When I lifted the door and saw my bike sitting there covered and undisturbed, I felt like Marty McFly opening the cave where Doc Brown had hidden the DeLorean. It was like finding a lost treasure.

I rolled it out into the sunlight to install the battery and see if I could get it started. It took a little while, about five or six minutes, but I finally choked and gassed it to life. It sounded better than I remembered. When I first got into motorcycles I was initially drawn to the sound of an inline four. But now the sound of a high performance v-twin engine does it for me every single time.

After we let it warm up for 10 minutes or so, I put on my riding gear and hit the road towards home. And even though the temperature must not have been much over 40° it was a magnificent feeling to be back on my bike again. I can't get away from the pleasure I feel when I am a part of the environment through which I'm traveling rather than passively observing it from the confinement of an automobile. When I got home, my fingers were stinging with pain and my nose was running faster than Usain Bolt. And I had loved every minute of it.

Get ready. You can be sure more motorcycling blogs will be coming soon. C'mon spring!

peace.