| Author | Message | ||
     Gearhead |
Just got home from the best motorcycle trip I've ever been on!! As posted earlier, five of us Iowa boys ventured down to Eureka Springs, AR. for a few days of riding the twisties. After riding the 550+ miles down there Thursday, we were greeted by Bryan And Cindy Sumpter, owners of the Edelweiss Inn. Besides the fantastic room rate and great accomidations, Bryan supplied us with five tour maps for rides that he'd laid out. Bryan is an avid rider so we figured these routes would be good. NO, they were fantastic!! First, if you've never been to Eureka Springs there are more curves on the main road that goes through town than most folks ride all year, no joke!! He'd set up routes from 296 to 134 miles with driving directions and maps for our tank bags and since we were there to ride we did the 296 route Friday and a 280 mile route on Saturday. We are all convinced that there are no bad roads in Northwest Arkansas! If you're planning a trip, there is only one place to stay, the Edelweiss Inn, 1-800-870-2529. Bryan even helped me out with a little wrenching on my XB when the kickstand bolt decided to fail. I don't know of a Holiday Inn manager that would do that!! Anyway if you've never gone, do it!! The twisties literally start as you leave the hotel driveway!! | ||
| Dbird29 |
Did you see the cool rock overhangs over the road? Arkansas is a wonderful MC area. DBird | ||
| Gearhead |
Sure did, in Siloam Springs! That whole part of the state is postcard material! | ||
| Rex |
and I used to live there..... | ||
| Court |
Precisely the reason the first B.R.A.G. event was there. | ||
| Loki |
the reason they need to come back. (Message edited by loki on July 11, 2005) | ||
| Gearhead |
Great idea!! Use Edelweiss Inn as the Headquarters. I cannot imagine large group rides on some of those roads! It was hard to keep track of the four other guys I rode with. These roads also require a very conservative right wrist! If you get it wrong on some of those twisties, it's going to be tragic!! Our plan was to travel at a pace that was fun but slow enough to be able to look around and admire the breathtaking vistas. It worked out great!! | ||
| CJXB |
and I used to live there..... Ditto, for more than 30 years, now I'm in the frozen tundra  | ||
| Eor |
I was out and about on the CityX Saturday afternoon...running the Pig Trail and Highway 16...was hoping I would come across you guys on the road. Glad you enjoyed it. Ya'll come back now, 'yahear? And bring more Yankee dollars....  | ||
| Loki |
Brad, Thinking about heading up the 123/16 area this weekend. Or other points north of me. Bry | ||
| Iamike |
CJ- I was thinking of you several times when I'd hear those southern Belles talk (but none of them were as sweet as you). Eor- I rode the Pig Trail and 16 on Saturday, sorry I missed you. I didn't see any other Buellers but did see a million Harleys. I figured they knew how to ride since they would wave even going around the curves. It was fun being in a full lean to raise my hand to say hi to them. | ||
| CJXB |
Iamike, that's sweet of you to say that, a thousand brownie points and one "bless your heart" !!  | ||
| Eor |
Loki, Be careful...our [keep busy] Highway Dept. has been at it the last couple of weeks...there were several fresh patches of asphalt and oil on Highway 16 between Fallsville and the Madison County line....no warning signs posted. I also ran into some fresh sections on Highway 123 between Hagarville and Pelsor yesterday...and on 215 between Oark and Cass today. I'm sure they have been at work on other sections. Every summer it's the same thing.... it seems like everything they do just makes the roads hazardous to bikers during the peak riding season....between the fresh chip/seal, asphalt patches, and brush hogging that throws gravel onto the road. I have stopped and "educated" the mowing crews as to the necessity of coming back through with the brush truck after they have mowed the shoulders....they are completely clueless as to the danger posed by a stream of loose gravel in a blind curve.  I'd like to meet up with you some time... what do you call two Buells with Arkansas plates at the same place.... A RALLY!  | ||
| Loki |
Will have to set something up. Pick a sat/sun with decent weather and away we go. I have been riding 7 from HS to RV and then cutting back over to PJ the last few weekends. 7 with little to no traffic is fun. I need to do 7 north out of RV soon. Been a long time since I have used that section. A shame you did not catch The rally at PJ in april. Watch out for next spring as Blake and others invade again. May be another mini rally later this year. I noticed earlier this year some of the work being accomplished. Just like them to have sections of 341 all tore up with little to no warning. It is a shame that Jones(TCBY) is dropping Buell. Feel free to ping at the profile echo. | ||
| Gearhead |
Eor, I believe your comment about two Buells makes a rally! In the two day we were there we must have seen 10,000 cruisers and at the maximum 10 sportbikes!! What's up with that? One of those was in kid who came into Jasper to gas up at the same time we were and his rear tire looked like he'd just finished racing in MotoGP!! We all stood there looking at it with reverance. The young guy was very nice and was shocked that we were from Iowa and had riden there, though. We met another sportbike rider while getting gas and spoke to him for 45 minutes about the area and riding. He was very happy to talk to guys who really ride and offered to be our tour guide the next time we come down. After talking to him I figured there are squids and posers even in sportbike/twistie road heaven. | ||
| Shazam |
where's the pics? I wish it were my neighborhood as well. | ||
| Eor |
Yep...this is cruiser country. When I see a group of geared up sport bike riders in the hills I assume they are from out of state...or Little Rock [which is the same thing  ] I might take you up on the offer, Loki. Not surprised Jones is dropping Buell. Tammy in NLR is the only H-D/Buell salesperson in AR that even pretended to care about selling the brand, but she admitted that they just couldn't move them. Denney's in Ft. Smith has a spotty reputation but has changed owners in the last few weeks...don't know what if any changes that will bring to the Buell status there. They have a cap and a rain jacket in the show room...  This SHOULD be Buell country around here. The cruiser culture is just too well entrenched I suppose. I keep "flying the flag" so to speak and talk it up whenever I get an opportunity. I do get allot of questions or comments about the bike at stops but I don't think that curiosity is translating into sales. | ||
| Garrett1998s1 |
Took my wife down there for our honeymoon last October still kicking myself for not taking my bike. | ||
| CJXB |
You sure don't hear of many Buells in Arkansas! There was a guy who rode up here for the Buell homecoming this year, last name Tharp I believe from Pea Ridge, AR don't know if he posts !! I was so excited to see a plate from Arkansas !! CJ | ||
| Loki |
CJ, few and far between...or not seen. Sorry our paths did not cross the other weekend. Except for Jeff at the NLR store, I get a cold reaction upon entering the store. Even though when I pull up and park, just about everybody in the place stops and starts looking out the windows. Same thing happens when I pull into Hardriders in Cabot. As for sellin the bikes....same story another place. Unable/willing to try drawing in the right customers. MY understanding is the handicap starts at the top though. Old school thru and thru and likes the PCC concept. I thought it was kinda funny when I heard about the Pulaski County Choppers. I never thought about Eureka Springs being anyform of sportbike crowd place. Always the cruiser mindset for the area. It would be kinda neat to get all the unknown and unsung Buellies together around here. Well maybe at least once a month or so. South of Conway is another state. | ||
| CJXB |
South of Conway is where I lived for 30 something years way down at the bottom, it is another state !! Same thing though lots of cruisers, I'd never even heard of Buell until I moved to Wisconsin, we had a Harley !! Not many women riders either when I left a couple of years ago, I was only a passenger never learned to ride until I moved to Wisconsin ! Buells and riding though is one of the things I do love about being up here in the frozen tundra, oh and I forgot how much I hated summers there, HOT, HOT, HOT !! CJ | ||
| Eor |
The number of women riders is waaay up here, CJ. From casual observations made the last few months, I would guess that roughly one of every five or six bikes I see on the road around here is being piloted by a woman. I rarely see a group of riders that doesn't include one or two women riding their own. I don't recall seeing those kinds of numbers, even last summer. It's hot here?.... I hadn't noticed.  | ||
| Iamike |
I'd rather have the hot than the damn mosquitoes and flies that we have. It was so nice to sit out on the deck and not be harassed. | ||
| Awprior |
Fish flies and misquitos bothering you, Mike? You've been here, no matter how many tiki torches and citronella candles I have, I still get eaten. Sounds like it was an awesome ride, where are the pics??? For those who don't know: my backyard is the Mississippi. Misquitos (and anything else that flies), this is your backyard.  Next BRAG meeting is next week??? Let me know, I'll be out. Prior | ||
| Gearhead |
I saw a black 12R idling through downtown Eureka Springs when we were getting ready to head back to the hotel, Saturday evening. I hollered but he didn't see my XB parked in front of The Cat House Lounge. Sorry everyone, I don't have much for photos, we were too busy riding!! I do however have photos of me in Ralph, AR. (My first name is Ralph, btw) There wasn't much happening there and since they were flying the Confederate flag I didn't see any need to inquire further. I have a few so I'll try to get them posted. Awprior, there is a BRAG meeting tuesday at the O.P. , hope to see you! | ||
| Awprior |
I'm there. Prior |
