| Author | Message | ||
     Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont:  i gotta get one of these for the ThunderDome. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont:  Mike, JB2, and Mikey's Cyclo...er, Hog. Mikey USED to ride an M2 (another interesting story i'll let JB2 share if he chooses), but you can see he probably, um, fits the 'Glide a little better.  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  thru miles, smiles, and tears, our ride has finally come full circle. Big Jim: ride far. ride free. ride forever. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 27, 2004) | ||
| Countryx |
Jerry, I just stumbled onto this thread and have been browsing around...some very nice work. I was surprised to see that you stopped and spent the night in my home town of Clarksville. I would have greatly enjoyed meeting you. I think I saw you guys because I recall seeing a yellow Strom in town about that time. Thanks for taking the time to share your journey. Oh...we don't talk funny...yall do.  | ||
| Jb2 |
"if i had, it might have been my LAST one." There's a certain state of mind that comes along with "puttin' on the feedbag", no time for pics. Just have to paint those pictures with words.  When it's time to ride, it's time to ride. We'd, by choice, drug our heals for several days in Colorado and Ivan was imposing. It was actually a great day to absorb all the experiences of the previous nine days. There was certainly a lot to recall and contemplate; the places, the people, the ride. Mike Breedlove is a thread by himself. I will say God received a huge man into his fold that fateful day and gave our family one in return who's nearly as big. Brotherhood of the road Brotherhood of the bike Brothers, like Buellers Brothers, like Mike .................. Brother Mike | ||
| Edmanning |
As the adventure unfolds I'm kickin my own selfish ••• for not headin down to Breedloves. These pics have brought into focus the value of friends. Thanks for all the work Ferris. I could have lived without the salt air a bit longer Jim, I'll try not to make the same mistake again. People are worth alot more than places. Hillbilly | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Country X, sorry we didn't have a chance to meet up. can't remember where we stayed during what was left of the night (prolly have the name in my stack of receipts somewhere), but we weren't there long, as duty called. sorry about pokin' fun at you guys, but you DO talk...distinctive. stick around, i'll be getting back to Arkansas on days 18 & 19... JB2: nice, bro. Ed, thanks again for your words. next time i know you'll join us for more, but i'm amped for the time we got to spend together THIS time. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
ok, well, i'm gonna move on. it's hard to know what to say about JB2 and his Dad - Big Jim - that i feel comfortable speaking here about. i know he was a good man, as JB2 has told me so. and, i had the good fortune to meet Big Jim, and ride with him, during the BRATPAC Rally that JB2 organized in '99, and it was obvious when you met him what he was all about. he's the reason, really, that JB2 is who he is. i felt a little awkward standing at the spot that Big Jim was killed. you wanna say something to your buddy, something that says how much you care, but the words come hard, and you hope that the look in your eyes conveys your message. this trip had meant a lot to both of us, and altho it was hard to be here, i was glad i was. ride in peace Big Jim. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  it was great to be here again - it'd been exactly five years - and i was suprised how many bikes were here on an early Monday afternoon. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  the obligatory Deal's Gap photo. had to wait forever for a couple on an FJR to get THEIR obligatory Deal's Gap photo, then when they FINALLY finished they walked off with their bike still sitting there, in the way. politely as i could i asked them to get their EFFIN' RICE ROCKET OUT OF THE EFFIN' WAY (chill, just kidding...), during which time i discovered they were foreign tourists and barely spoke any English. they were apologetic, i told 'em it was cool, and wished them a happy trip in our country. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  it's fun to check out the other armament at the Dragon. i'm pretty sure i could get in some serious trouble on this. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  and a ZX-12, right? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  hmmm, seems the guy has a particular weakness for Harleys. wuss. woulda liked to have run him - maybe i coulda painted a picture of a cow on the side of the V-Strom afterwards. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  had to go around my elbow to get to my thumb, but Tennessee finally gets added to the list, as three bikes bend into the Dragon's second turn. only 316 more to go. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  and from the same spot, my OTHER missed "Welcome to..." shot gets checked off. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  this is the view from a popular turn-around spot on the Dragon. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  and this is the turn around itself, along with a decent assortment of scoots for a work day. i got into a knife fight with the fourth bike from the left in the pic above - a blue VFR Interceptor - on the return run on the Dragon. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  one of the happy consequences of the skirmish with the VFR was finally beginning the process of removing the pesky peg feelers. after the recent Oktoberfast weekend, this feeler is now entirely gone, and the peg itself is starting to show signs of severe emotional stress. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont. the V-Strom really impressed me on the Dragon, confidently demonstrating why it gets so many high marks in the mags. there's a fair amount of wind-up in the bike stuffing it back and forth thru the corners, so it helps to pitch it in, wait a beat for the package to relax, then hammer time, hard thru the apex, back up on the tire, the front end all light and feathery as you bear down on the next bend. the motor is a torque train, pulling hard from the bottom, even harder in the mid, and REAL hard at the top, then acts like a big compression brake when it comes time to drop outta warp and carve the next corner. can’t say enough about the ergo's on this thing. sure, it takes me a step-stool to climb on, but once there the dirt-bike riding position is A Marvelous Thing, and if you think a fugly old V-Strom can’t hustle down a gnarly road, let’s go riding some time. the brakes are great, the stock Bridgestone Trail Wings stick like glue (who knew?), and did I mention the motor? looking forward to the day that Erik and his merry Elves get to unleash another big-bore sport-touring bike upon us. heck, make it a world-class adventure-touring bike and this V-Strom’s future would be in serious jeopardy.  i had such fun digging grooves in the Dragon that I stopped at the store on the way back and picked up some moto-tats for the Strom. they look good on there, and the bike certainly earned 'em. to be continued... ps: hi Mikey! (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 29, 2004) | ||
| V2win |
JB2, I would like to hear your thoughts about that VFR your riding. Pros and cons. Thanks, John | ||
| Jb2 |
V2win - The VFR is a fine machine. Nothing really to pick apart on it. I'm short so the seat height is a little long for my liking. The bike could be lowered but since it's pretty close to "time for a new bike" I'll probably not tackle that project. Great power, handling, torque, comfort - everything the magazines say it is. The Honda saddlebags rock($1000.00)! Easy to use, huge, waterproof, easy off and carry like a suitcase. There are tons of aftermarket parts and upgrades available for it. When you consider that this bike can be had for around $9000.00 new and the Honda reliability that goes with it - it's almost a no-brainer. That said, I have to be honest and say I'm ready to off it for an ST1300. One thing this trip reaffirmed was that I am hopelessly in love with the Colorado Plateau, the deserts and the canyonlands(1500mi, one way from my house). That and the Route 66/California trip we originally had planned will happen in the next year or so. I need a bike that I can ride a 1000 miles a day...comfortably. No doubt the VFR falls short in this department and the ST1300 would be the better choice for me. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont  almost forgot: "At the Gap there be Dragons," and you can purchase all manner of items that will tell you so. must be true, as even their gasoline is dragon-injected. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  this is a little east of Deal's Gap, on Hwy 28 for those of you keeping score. it's a sublime road, perfect pavement, the corners beautifully banked, no traffic (on a weekday, well AFTER Labor Day weekend), and the cool, lush fall colors are spectacular. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  a little further east, in the direction of Fontana Village. quiet, peaceful, still. shoulda stopped longer, next time i will. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  about landed on my head trying to get, of all things, an "artsy" shot of the freakin' Fontana Village sign. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  there. not as "pretty", but much safer. i'm beginning to undertand why the Strom is the color it is - it goes with so many things... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  east of Fontana Village, still on 28. was running short on time, but wanted to get a shot of this gaggle of bikes parked in front of The Flying Suzuki (no, not MINE...) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY ELEVEN, cont.  ...THIS one! not sure what the story is, didn't take time to ask. the owners of the fleet started meandering over when i pulled up, like sportbike riders will sometimes do when an interloper rolls up, but i had no time to visit, and left in a blaze of tire smoke and crossed-up wheelie. not really. i SUCK at wheelies. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on October 30, 2004) |
