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Bean
 Senior Member
260 Posts
Pinellas, FL
USA
Kawasaki
94' Vulcan 750
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 Posted - 09/17/2009 : 9:30 AM
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I relocated to FL from CA. Couldn't think of a better way to get the bike there then to ride it. So that's what I did :)
Left from the Sacramento area, NE to Tahoe, through the salt flats to Salt Lake City, then along 70 to Denver continuing east towards Nashville then south from there.
Averaged 600 miles/day over 5.5 days. Didn't suffer too much iron butt but I did get a back support mid-trip to null some lower back pain. As expected Colorado was the highlight but I was pleasantly surprised by the very south of Tennessee which has a freeway I could only describe as a scenic downhill rollercoaster. Words can not describe the best parts of this trip so I won't even try.
I brought along several cameras. Primarily my trusty Canon SD1200is, a VholdR and a ContourHD.
I haven't had a chance to edit the video so for now here's pictures from the Canon and a few stills from the ContourHD.
NorCal
NV Desert
NV Desert
NV Desert
NV Desert
South UT
Colorado River
Frisco Colorado
Frisco Colorado pan
Kansas
St Louis Arch
Bike loaded up in IL
Kentucky
Nashville TN
Atlanta GA
Florida, raining as usual
Enjoy!
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Edited by - Bean on 06/07/2010 2:09 AM |
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MattInFla
Standard Member
178 Posts
[Mentor]
Casselberry, FL
USA
Harley-Davidson
Road King Police
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Posted - 09/17/2009 : 9:50 AM
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Welcome to Florida. I see you met our inevitable summertime afternoon showers.
Take heart, though - the dry season is coming with cooler temps and clear blue skies just made for riding.
Looks like it was an amazing trip. |
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Bean
Senior Member
260 Posts
Pinellas, FL
USA
Kawasaki
94' Vulcan 750
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Posted - 09/17/2009 : 9:56 AM
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Many thanks. I actually grew up here so I've had an idea what I was getting into. Lived in SoCal for about 5 years, NorCal about 2, now back to FL. I didn't start riding till I was in CA so I'm looking forward to rediscovering FL on the back of a bike.
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rayg50
Advanced Member
862 Posts
[Mentor]
NYC, NY
USA
Honda
Shadow Spirit 750DC
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Posted - 09/17/2009 : 7:17 PM
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Nice photos, I hope you post more. If you hadn't posted the link to the camera I would have spent time wondering if you took your hands off the bars to snap the picture.
I got back a couple of weeks ago from a great trip to Nevada. While there we did a trip from Scottsdale to Las Vegas along 93, through the desert, in a van. Your photos brought back some nice memories. I was surprised by the number of bikes I saw along the way. Of course it had cooled down to 108 from the 114 when we first got there 2 days earlier. I'd say the mix was 50 - 50 between ATGATT and sunblock.
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capozzir
Senior Member
254 Posts
Leesburg, VA
USA
Honda
GL1800B
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Posted - 09/18/2009 : 9:10 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Bean
I relocated to FL from CA. Couldn't think of a better way to get the bike there then to ride it. So that's what I did :)
Left from the Sacramento area, NE to Tahoe, through the salt flats to Salt Lake City, then along 70 to Denver continuing east towards Nashville then south from there.
Averaged 600 miles/day over 5.5 days. Didn't suffer too much iron butt but I did get a back support mid-trip to null some lower back pain. As expected Colorado was the highlight but I was pleasantly surprised by the very south of Tennessee which has a freeway I could only describe as a scenic downhill rollercoaster. Words can not describe the best parts of this trip so I won't even try.
Enjoy!
Great shots of NV! I really want to get out to that part of the country. Looks like you did a little exploring along your trip too. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on what looks like was a great road trip. |
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Indiana Randy
Moderator
1956 Posts
[Mentor]
Fort Wayne, Indiana
USA
Honda
2000 Magna V4 750
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Posted - 06/07/2010 : 6:01 AM
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Congrats on a successful LONG trip! Nice pics.
Where did you sleep? How did you prep for the trip? What was the most surprising thing of the trip for you? Any issues with your bike? |
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aidanspa
Advanced Member
1458 Posts
[Mentor]
Omaha, NE
USA
Harley-Davidson
Heritage Softail
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Posted - 06/07/2010 : 3:41 PM
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Congratulations on your successful journey and thanks for pics. I'm looking forward to your excellent, as usual, video.
By the way, I see you managed to find the most exciting feature in Kansas...another rider! 
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Bean
Senior Member
260 Posts
Pinellas, FL
USA
Kawasaki
94' Vulcan 750
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Posted - 06/07/2010 : 3:42 PM
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Thanks!
I slept at Super8's most of the way. tried a couple other hotels but Super8 was the best for the dollar. I would have loved to camp out each night but I wasn't sure about the laws/danger/security of doing it.
This was a relocation so I had pretty much all of my gear with me and many expensive gadgets.
Preparations were probably similar to what you'd hear among this group. Many checks on the bike, oil, tire pressure, electrical issues, etc, etc.
If you look at the "Bike loaded up in IL" picture in the first post you'll see how loaded the bike was. Extra fuel, tools, seafoam, tire plug kit, bike cover, leathers/gear for any type of weather, food, lots of liquids.
Basically I was prepared to break down at any time with enough stuff to either fix the bike or wait a full day for a tow truck. Which is a mentality I recommend for anyone on a long ride. Knowing you have everything you need in the event of a horrible failure will also allow you to enjoy the ride that much more instead of worrying about all the what ifs.
The only issue I had was that at first my MPG was somewhat disappointing. My bike's only a 750 and after some trial and error I concluded my speed was more of a factor then anticipated. My bike is most efficient at 75Mph. This much I already know but the slope which it drops off above that speed was far more significant then I would have guessed. At 75Mph I can kiss 50MPG but at 90Mph it drops all the way down to the lower 20s!
The trip was full of surprises, scenes and other bikers. The biggest surprise was probably the downhill mountain freeway in southern TN. It was late in the day so I didn't have the camera rolling (too dark) but traffic was light and it was one hell of a ride going into GA! I thought I was on a roller coaster for awhile there.
I'm still getting settled in here but soon I'd like to take a ride up to the Carolinas and see those mountains again.
That couple in KS as well as another solo biker kept spotting me all the way through MO. We were all heading towards the east coast so we rode together for a few hundred miles. Our community is good people :) |
Edited by - Bean on 06/07/2010 3:55 PM |
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