bsly
Well-Known Member
Day 01 - Salem OH to Columbus OH - 160 miles, 3 hours. Stayed overnight at friends (Yam Roadstar).
Day 02 - Columbus OH through Kentucky to Chattanooga TN - 470 miles, 11 hours (we stopped a lot, lengthy breakfast & traffic congestion on I-71). A third friend road his full dress Harley from Florida and met us in Chattanooga where we stayed at a hotel overnight. He had a longer ride but still beat us by about 15 minutes! LOL!
Day 03 - Chattanooga TN to Stecoah NC - 135 miles, 2 hours 35 minutes (beautiful ride through Cherokee Forest). Arrived at Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah and set up tent camp. Later we road 80 miles round trip to the nearest Wal-mart via 28 (full of fun curves). I learned to fall behind on purpose so I could enjoy the twisties catching back up with the slow cruisers. We got snacks, beverages, & a few bits of gear at Wal-mart. Had dinner back at Stecoah Diner a mile from camp (great burgers & fries!). Sat around the fire at Iron Horse, drinking beverages & mingling with other guests. Met another forum member from FZ1OA who was camped right next to me with his 1st Gen FZ1. About midnight a fourth high school classmate who lives four hours East in NC arrived on his Suzuki Boulevard.
Day 04 - Shower and breakfast at the Iron Horse (I had eggs, sausage, toast, hash browns & OJ). The four of us road the Blue Ridge Parkway (awesome views), got off at Rt 267 descending 3500 feet in 35 minutes through the Pisgaw Forest. I coasted most of the way. Had lunch at Hawg Wild Bar-B-Que near Brevard. We drove North a ways where our Suzuki Blvd friend headed for home and the three of us headed back to camp. Had dinner at the Stecoah Diner again (Philly Steak & Cheese with Onion Rings), yummy and good prices! Fell asleep at like 8PM, exhausted.
Day 05 - Shower and breakfast. Headed to the Cherohala Skyway, we pit stopped at Deals Gap and watched hundreds of bikes come & go. Took some pics of the tree of shame and bought a T-shirt for wife. I wanted to ride the Dragon, but my friends had already done it on a prior trip and it isn’t much fun on a heavy cruiser (which they both have). The other end was blocked by a rock slide so if you rode it, you had to turn around and come back. I think I enjoyed the sweeping curves of the Skyway more than I would have enjoyed the tight turns of the Dragon anyway. I'll hit it next time! We ran into rain on the Skyway and turned back early to stay ahead of it. I broke away from my friends for about 4 miles on the Skyway and finally got some decent lean angles. Stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant (I forget what town). Later back at Iron Horse we had prime rib, baked potatoe & ice cream brownie desert before sitting around the fire to mingle with other guests again.
Day 06 – Shower, packed up our gear and headed for home at 7:35AM. 600 miles through NC, TN, VA, West VA & OH. Four stops for gas including a 45 minute breakfast and a 45 minute lunch. Took me 11 hours and 45 minutes to get home.
Total riding: 1847 miles. (482 miles during 3 days of camping, the rest traveling). Highest Altitude 5970 feet above sea level (day 04). 2008 Gen II FZ1 with stock seat, stock windscreen, SW Motech bar-back risers, Satan highway pegs, Mivv GP pipe, AIS blocked, header cat intact. Rider 172 lbs, excluding boots, hard armored riding jacket and helmet. Total Other Load 61lbs (17lbs hard case & 44 lbs camping gear, clothes, full rain gear, etc).
Longest distance between fill ups 163 miles, average MPG 44.57, average fuel price 2.73 per gallon, average fill up cost $7.61, total fuel used 41.73 gallons, total fuel cost $114.16. I ran a GPS tracking app on my Droid phone during the entire trip, it tracked my speed, altitude and heading in 5 to 6 second intervals almost the entire trip except for a few times I couldn’t get a satellite signal (such as the West Virginia mountains coming home).
My Gear List:
HJC Helmet w/ mirrored visor, clear glasses, Fieldsheer mesh jacket w/ CE armor, mesh gloves
Storm IM2700 locking hard case custom mounted to back seat
(dimensions approx 25 x 20 x 9, 49ltr capacity, weight 17lbs)
Alps Mountaineering Catalyst 2 tent & footprint (awesome tent bought just for this trip)
Alps Mountaineering Razor Sleeping Bag cover / Summer Bag
Marmot Trestles 30 Sleeping Bag (used between the summer bag and air pad for more comfort)
Big Agnes Sand Mountain insulated/inflating Sleeping Pad
Small Pillow bought at local department store
REI Minimalist Bivy Sack (not used, taken just in case)
Black Diamond Orbit Lantern (LED)
Panasonic FZ28 Digital Camera, Case & Accessories
Droid Eris Cell Phone & Cigarette Lighter Charger
Small Flashlight several large Ziploc freezer bags
Nylon Cooler that holds 6 bottles and ice
Waterproof PVC Duffel w/ 6 days clothing (jeans, shorts, shirts, hoody, underwear, socks, ball-cap, etc)
Non-waterproof Nylon Duffel w/ Full Rain Gear (pants, jacket, gloves, reflective vest), Sandals, towel
Personal items (first aid kit, bug spray, sunscreen, soap, shampoo, deoderant, toothpastes, shaving, etc.)
8 bungies with plastic hooks to secure both duffels to top of the hard case
I had a fabulous experience riding through the curvy hills and mountains of western North Carolina. It offered the prefect combination of motorcycle riding and the great outdoors/nature, providing some of the most spectacular views imaginable. I will go back, preferably in a car with the bikes in tow on a small trailer. The ride down and back on the FZ1 really wore me out and made me sore, but I enjoyed the experience and have no regrets. My rear end and legs are still sore after two days of rest!
Gear I didn’t have but would take next time:
A large tarp, tarp pole and cord to create an awning out over the tent.
Day 02 - Columbus OH through Kentucky to Chattanooga TN - 470 miles, 11 hours (we stopped a lot, lengthy breakfast & traffic congestion on I-71). A third friend road his full dress Harley from Florida and met us in Chattanooga where we stayed at a hotel overnight. He had a longer ride but still beat us by about 15 minutes! LOL!
Day 03 - Chattanooga TN to Stecoah NC - 135 miles, 2 hours 35 minutes (beautiful ride through Cherokee Forest). Arrived at Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah and set up tent camp. Later we road 80 miles round trip to the nearest Wal-mart via 28 (full of fun curves). I learned to fall behind on purpose so I could enjoy the twisties catching back up with the slow cruisers. We got snacks, beverages, & a few bits of gear at Wal-mart. Had dinner back at Stecoah Diner a mile from camp (great burgers & fries!). Sat around the fire at Iron Horse, drinking beverages & mingling with other guests. Met another forum member from FZ1OA who was camped right next to me with his 1st Gen FZ1. About midnight a fourth high school classmate who lives four hours East in NC arrived on his Suzuki Boulevard.
Day 04 - Shower and breakfast at the Iron Horse (I had eggs, sausage, toast, hash browns & OJ). The four of us road the Blue Ridge Parkway (awesome views), got off at Rt 267 descending 3500 feet in 35 minutes through the Pisgaw Forest. I coasted most of the way. Had lunch at Hawg Wild Bar-B-Que near Brevard. We drove North a ways where our Suzuki Blvd friend headed for home and the three of us headed back to camp. Had dinner at the Stecoah Diner again (Philly Steak & Cheese with Onion Rings), yummy and good prices! Fell asleep at like 8PM, exhausted.
Day 05 - Shower and breakfast. Headed to the Cherohala Skyway, we pit stopped at Deals Gap and watched hundreds of bikes come & go. Took some pics of the tree of shame and bought a T-shirt for wife. I wanted to ride the Dragon, but my friends had already done it on a prior trip and it isn’t much fun on a heavy cruiser (which they both have). The other end was blocked by a rock slide so if you rode it, you had to turn around and come back. I think I enjoyed the sweeping curves of the Skyway more than I would have enjoyed the tight turns of the Dragon anyway. I'll hit it next time! We ran into rain on the Skyway and turned back early to stay ahead of it. I broke away from my friends for about 4 miles on the Skyway and finally got some decent lean angles. Stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant (I forget what town). Later back at Iron Horse we had prime rib, baked potatoe & ice cream brownie desert before sitting around the fire to mingle with other guests again.
Day 06 – Shower, packed up our gear and headed for home at 7:35AM. 600 miles through NC, TN, VA, West VA & OH. Four stops for gas including a 45 minute breakfast and a 45 minute lunch. Took me 11 hours and 45 minutes to get home.
Total riding: 1847 miles. (482 miles during 3 days of camping, the rest traveling). Highest Altitude 5970 feet above sea level (day 04). 2008 Gen II FZ1 with stock seat, stock windscreen, SW Motech bar-back risers, Satan highway pegs, Mivv GP pipe, AIS blocked, header cat intact. Rider 172 lbs, excluding boots, hard armored riding jacket and helmet. Total Other Load 61lbs (17lbs hard case & 44 lbs camping gear, clothes, full rain gear, etc).
Longest distance between fill ups 163 miles, average MPG 44.57, average fuel price 2.73 per gallon, average fill up cost $7.61, total fuel used 41.73 gallons, total fuel cost $114.16. I ran a GPS tracking app on my Droid phone during the entire trip, it tracked my speed, altitude and heading in 5 to 6 second intervals almost the entire trip except for a few times I couldn’t get a satellite signal (such as the West Virginia mountains coming home).
My Gear List:
HJC Helmet w/ mirrored visor, clear glasses, Fieldsheer mesh jacket w/ CE armor, mesh gloves
Storm IM2700 locking hard case custom mounted to back seat
(dimensions approx 25 x 20 x 9, 49ltr capacity, weight 17lbs)
Alps Mountaineering Catalyst 2 tent & footprint (awesome tent bought just for this trip)
Alps Mountaineering Razor Sleeping Bag cover / Summer Bag
Marmot Trestles 30 Sleeping Bag (used between the summer bag and air pad for more comfort)
Big Agnes Sand Mountain insulated/inflating Sleeping Pad
Small Pillow bought at local department store
REI Minimalist Bivy Sack (not used, taken just in case)
Black Diamond Orbit Lantern (LED)
Panasonic FZ28 Digital Camera, Case & Accessories
Droid Eris Cell Phone & Cigarette Lighter Charger
Small Flashlight several large Ziploc freezer bags
Nylon Cooler that holds 6 bottles and ice
Waterproof PVC Duffel w/ 6 days clothing (jeans, shorts, shirts, hoody, underwear, socks, ball-cap, etc)
Non-waterproof Nylon Duffel w/ Full Rain Gear (pants, jacket, gloves, reflective vest), Sandals, towel
Personal items (first aid kit, bug spray, sunscreen, soap, shampoo, deoderant, toothpastes, shaving, etc.)
8 bungies with plastic hooks to secure both duffels to top of the hard case
I had a fabulous experience riding through the curvy hills and mountains of western North Carolina. It offered the prefect combination of motorcycle riding and the great outdoors/nature, providing some of the most spectacular views imaginable. I will go back, preferably in a car with the bikes in tow on a small trailer. The ride down and back on the FZ1 really wore me out and made me sore, but I enjoyed the experience and have no regrets. My rear end and legs are still sore after two days of rest!
Gear I didn’t have but would take next time:
A large tarp, tarp pole and cord to create an awning out over the tent.
