Motorcyclists, Check In Here!

[OldIronFan]

Took advantage of an extra day off for Veterans day and did an IBA Veterans Day Gold ride last Friday. 

Goal of the ride is to visit at least 4 veterans related sites such as VA Hospitals, VFW posts, National or Veterans Cemeteries, or other Veterans memorials. Each site must be at least 150 miles apart and you must travel a total of at least 1,111 miles which is a nod to World War 1 and the origins of Veterans Day, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. You must do this all in 19hours and 18minutes or less, again a nod to the end of WW1 in 1918. 

I set out at a bit after 5 am Friday morning in the rain and stopped by my first location in Smyrna, VFW post 8422. 

I made my way around 840 headed West toward Memphis. The rain was heavy at times but began to clear once I passed Dickson and the Duck river. The cloud cover delayed the sunrise though so I was nearly to Jackson before I saw much sun. 

I reached Memphis and the Memphis National Cemetery where I got off the bike for a few minutes to walk around a bit. It was a really pretty morning so I made a slow lap around the grounds enjoying the sunglight coming through what remained of the leaves on the tree canopy before snapping a photo at the gate. 

From there I set off further West toward Little Rock and the Little Rock National Cemetery. Really pretty grounds here as well and another slow lap around through falling leaves was done. 

I got back on the road and made my way into Oklahoma where I filled up at the 570 mile mark of the ride just over 9 hours into it. I began my trip back toward home and Tennessee from there. 

My next stop was the Fort Smith National Cemetery back in Arkansas. Seemed like a nice little town and I think it would be worth a trip back to explore it and the hills north further. 

Made my way back through Memphis and to the outskirts of Jackson. I was well under my time limit at that point so I decided to get off the interstate for a bit and stop at another location. I quick GPS reroute and detour to Hwy 70 had me rolling right on by the Jackson VFW Post 6496. 

From there it was familiar roads and a short sprint home. I made it back to my chosen finish location at 11:55 pm covering 1126 miles in 18 Hours and 29 minutes. 

I did run into a few traffic related problems, namely two significant vehicle fires. The first was in Arkansas where a tractor trailer was full engulfed in the east bound shoulder which had closed I-40 east bound and significantly slowed the West bound lanes. The second was another significant vehicle fire. This time in Tennessee and a bus on the East bound side between the Tennessee river and Dickson. I saw the brake lights from a good ways out and began slowing. We came to a stop and sat for about 15 minutes. I guess they opened up a couple lanes at that point because we began inching forward and I covered about 3/4 of a mile before I saw the bus and the firefighters rolling up hoses. There was not much left of the bus so I could not identify it but a couple hundred yards up there were 2 to 3 dozen poor souls wrapped in blankets with some bags and luggage so I assume it was a greyhound or similar. Hope they did not have to stay out there long because temps were in the upper 30's at best. I was thankful for my heated jacket and grips. 

It was an enjoyable and memorable ride to honor our Veterans sacrifices. If you are a Veteran thank you for your service. The cemetery grounds are always sobering. To quote a line from a TV show I heard recently, "The best of us don't make it home". 

Edited November 14, 2022 by OldIronFan

[gregintenn]

OK. I’m a motorcycle owner. ^^^OldIronFan is a rider.^^^
 

My hat’s off to you, sir, and thanks for sharing your trip with us. My rear end hurts just thinking about it!

[OldIronFan]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

OK. I’m a motorcycle owner. ^^^OldIronFan is a rider.^^^
 

My hat’s off to you, sir, and thanks for sharing your trip with us. My rear end hurts just thinking about it!

I will take the compliment and thank you. I have had the opportunity to put about 10,000 miles on this bike since I got it right at the first of June this year. 

I pale in comparison to some of my riding acquaintances though. I know folks that regularly put 10,000+ miles on in a month or less and easily clear 100,000 miles a year. Granted most of them are retired and have that level of free time. 

[gregintenn]

I’m retired. I just don’t have that sort of dedication.

[OldIronFan]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

I’m retired. I just don’t have that sort of dedication.

You should see what I have up my sleeve for next year. I have 3 weeks of vacation rolling over to go with my 3 weeks for next year. I will be checking off 1 of my 4 bucket list rides if all goes according to plan. It will be the easiest of the 4 most likely but it is a start. 

1) Trans Labrador Highway, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia
2) Tuktoyaktuk, Dawson City, and Prudhoe Bay
3) Ride the entire lower forty eight plus Alaska
4) Ride the entire perimeter of Australia.

ok five dreams if I am being honest but this one is becoming a bit of a long shot. 
5) Prudhoe Bay across the Darien Gap to Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego 

[gregintenn]

20 minutes ago, OldIronFan said:

You should see what I have up my sleeve for next year. I have 3 weeks of vacation rolling over to go with my 3 weeks for next year. I will be checking off 1 of my 4 bucket list rides if all goes according to plan. It will be the easiest of the 4 most likely but it is a start. 

1) Trans Labrador Highway, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia
2) Tuktoyaktuk, Dawson City, and Prudhoe Bay
3) Ride the entire lower forty eight plus Alaska
4) Ride the entire perimeter of Australia.

ok five dreams if I am being honest but this one is becoming a bit of a long shot. 
5) Prudhoe Bay across the Darien Gap to Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego 

Wow! I just don’t have that sort of traveling bone in my body. I expect any of those trips would be a lot of fun, but I could never see myself doing something like that.

[OldIronFan]

44 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Wow! I just don’t have that sort of traveling bone in my body. I expect any of those trips would be a lot of fun, but I could never see myself doing something like that.

Yeah I would rather be on the road than anywhere else. I missed my chance in my younger years. I was all set to leave a few keepsakes with my folks, sell everything else, and live/work on a boat for most of the year. Instead I got married and thought a house was a good idea.

I don't think there is anything I would prefer to do more than travel. When I discovered the joy of riding in my 30's it woke up that wanderlust again and has not subsided much in the 20 years since. Still have a fair bit of commitments and a career plus I still have that house and the wife but I hit the road as often as I can reasonably do it. 

I have the the quote "Not all who wander are lost" tattooed on my calf along with some travel/navigation artwork. 

[Erik88]

I took my bike to Windrock today. First time there. What a blast! This little bike was really impressive. I was able to ride 22 miles and had 37% battery left when I finished. 

On the way down the mountain I saw the regen function work for the first time. While coasting it actually recharged the battery a little bit. 

My rookie move was underestimating how muddy I would get. I should not have worn my good coat. 

I tried to avoid the mud puddles for a while but eventually stopped being a sissy and just tore through them. I just wish I had someone to ride with. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Darrell]

Bugs in your teeth and mud up your back... does it get any better than that?

[gregintenn]

Looks like a really fun ride, Erik! Thanks for sharing.

I took my old Hog for a spin this afternoon. Nothing like that though.

[jaytex1969]

On 9/15/2022 at 11:30 PM, Rob112o said:

82 Honda FT500. She is a blast to ride through the mountains.

 

That was my first bike, the '82 Honda FT500 Ascot, WAY back in the "1900's"!

 

I currently have 2 Valkyries and a Yamaha Zuma.

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by jaytex1969
(image deleted due to forum storage limitations)

[peejman]

1 hour ago, jaytex1969 said:

That was my first bike, the '82 Honda FT500 Ascot, WAY back in the "1900's"!

 

I currently have 2 Valkyries and a Yamaha Zuma.

 

 

2 Valkyries.... with 12 carburetors between them.

Friend of mine has one with about 100k, runs like a top. 

[jaytex1969]

1 hour ago, peejman said:

2 Valkyries.... with 12 carburetors between them.

Cheaper by the dozen! 

I had the Tourer before I moved to Tennessee. (it has 155k miles and runs like a top, also)

Right after buying the place in Knoxville, I found the Interstate for sale on Knox craigslist. (it has 31k and should last me the rest of my days)

Before even going to my new house, I jumped in a rental car from the airport and delivered the payment for the Interstate, my first official act in Tennessee. I had to ask the seller to babysit it for 2 months while I finished moving.

The hardest part right now is rotating the three of them out of the garage regularly through the winter to keep them all happy. These damned first world problems!

[BigK]

27 minutes ago, jaytex1969 said:

The hardest part right now is rotating the three of them out of the garage regularly through the winter to keep them all happy. These damned first world problems!

I've ridden the one closest to the door way more times than I care to admit, LOL

Once my grandson was old enough to reach the rear footpegs, he liked riding so much that I finally sold the 2 I didn't ride much (KLR 650 and NC700X) and kept the one he fit on with me the best (Super Tenere). My wife got so jealous of us riding that she took the MSF and got herself a Vespa to join us on short local rides.

[gregintenn]

My wife surprised me by seeming to enjoy riding behind me, but she has no interest in having her own bike.

[Rob112o]

9 hours ago, jaytex1969 said:

That was my first bike, the '82 Honda FT500 Ascot, WAY back in the "1900's"!

 

I currently have 2 Valkyries and a Yamaha Zuma.

 

 

The Ascot is a fun bike. I have a vintage BMW R100, but I find myself always taking the FT. Will admit I wish it had just a little bit more. I feel like the 5th gear is more of an OD. I love the handling of it. Being a resident of TN now I always come up on dirt roads. Which may be another factor why I’m always taking the FT over the BMW

[Erik88]

Question for our dirt bike/dual sport riders. I need a new back tire. Something that can handle mud a little better. 

This tire is extremely popular for my bike but I'm not sure it's aggressive enough for Windrock. 

https://ampedbikes.com/products/shinko-sr241-trials-tires

 

Another option. https://chargedcycleworks.com/collections/surron-tires/products/shinko-244-dual-sport-tires

 

Most aggressive option

https://ebikezilla.com/en/wheels-tires/3036-2085-off-road-tire-kenda-millville-ii-k785-0312-0234-kenda.html#/170-size-70_100_19_19_rim

 

 

 

[gregintenn]

25 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

Question for our dirt bike/dual sport riders. I need a new back tire. Something that can handle mud a little better. 

This tire is extremely popular for my bike but I'm not sure it's aggressive enough for Windrock. 

https://ampedbikes.com/products/shinko-sr241-trials-tires

 

Another option. https://chargedcycleworks.com/collections/surron-tires/products/shinko-244-dual-sport-tires

 

Most aggressive option

https://ebikezilla.com/en/wheels-tires/3036-2085-off-road-tire-kenda-millville-ii-k785-0312-0234-kenda.html#/170-size-70_100_19_19_rim

 

 

 

Obviously, a dual sport bike is a trade off, like a fish and ski boat. It’ll serve two purposes, but not as well as a single purpose built machine. 
 

Aggressive dirt bike tires will work better off road, but will suck on pavement. Pavement will also wear the tread down in short order.

I can tell you this. If you swap the back tire out for a more aggressively treaded tire, bite the bullet and replace the front one as well. If you get a better grip with the back one, you’re going to be fighting the front one trying to slide out from under you.

All that to say I don’t have an answer to your question. LOL!

Edited February 6, 2023 by gregintenn

[Erik88]

2 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Pavement will also wear the tread down in short order.

And that's exactly what happened. 500 mostly pavement miles killed the back tire. My goal this year is to ride a lot more off pavement. It's more fun and I don't have to worry as much about someone killing me. 

[gregintenn]

33 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

And that's exactly what happened. 500 mostly pavement miles killed the back tire. My goal this year is to ride a lot more off pavement. It's more fun and I don't have to worry as much about someone killing me. 

Wise choice, sir!

[peejman]

9 hours ago, Erik88 said:

Question for our dirt bike/dual sport riders. I need a new back tire. Something that can handle mud a little better. 

This tire is extremely popular for my bike but I'm not sure it's aggressive enough for Windrock. 

https://ampedbikes.com/products/shinko-sr241-trials-tires

 

Another option. https://chargedcycleworks.com/collections/surron-tires/products/shinko-244-dual-sport-tires

 

Most aggressive option

https://ebikezilla.com/en/wheels-tires/3036-2085-off-road-tire-kenda-millville-ii-k785-0312-0234-kenda.html#/170-size-70_100_19_19_rim

 

 

 

You don't want either of those Shinkos for mud. I have the 241's on my bike and they're great everywhere except thick mud. They load up in the sticky mud and quickly become useless. I love splashing through the puddles but I stay out of the gooey stuff. 

You want a really aggressive MX style tire for mud.  Big, widely spaced lugs that will clear easily. 

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/kenda-k-760-trakmaster-ii-tires

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/shinko-524-525-series-soft-intermediate-tires

 

[gregintenn]

I put over 200 miles on my bike today. You don’t see many t shirt days in February, but today was beautiful. It’s a long way to Campbellsville, Kentucky from here!

[Smith]

Me and my son put on a couple hundred miles running out to Center Hill lake area today. He had a senior (high school) off day and wanted to ride. Beautiful weather. 

Made a turn onto the the scenic route and found out the S40 gets 160 miles to an empty tank!

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, Smith said:

Me and my son put on a couple hundred miles running out to Center Hill lake area today. He had a senior (high school) off day and wanted to ride. Beautiful weather. 

Made a turn onto the the scenic route and found out the S40 gets 160 miles to an empty tank!

I’m glad that bike has worked out well for ya’ll.

[Smith]

12 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I’m glad that bike has worked out well for ya’ll.

Fat better than I could have imagined. He's wanting to move up cc's, haha but he still loves it. Thanks for helping us out with it!