3rd week in May for Florence Oregon Rhody Days it is Oregon's Sturgis. YouTube- Motorycles - Florence Rhody days YouTube- Florence, OR motorycycle rally May 2007 Next year we should try and meet ?<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Home again home again: Dudes/ettes: We be back, 4,038 miles round trip; no major incidents , one leaky rear shock,(discovered on the final 600 mile push yesterday....) stayed at the resort at deals gap both going down and coming back! Just an amazing place! friendly riders of all types; knee draggers, touring types, and "harley folks",Very cool place to experience... Harleys, Aprillias, Repsol Hondas, bmw's and a few 'wings,sharing the road ands resort, swapping stories,laughing and backslapping. The dragon and highway28 should be on every riders "bucket list." Too much fun...Really the highlight of the trip. Say what you will about Honda "Goldwings",in North America they flat out work..Especially "two up". I am satisfied we got a "taste" of the keys, no way you can "do" Key west with only 4 nights, too many bars, too many reefs to snorkel...We spent a day out at fort Jefferson ( Dry Tortugas national park) a day snorkeling off key west and kayaking a mangrove "island", Ran the dragon , cherohalla skyway, made a loop through the Smokey mountains national park (but bypassing the Gatlinburg*tourist mecca")... Good times had by all. Saw my first 2008 concours (in real life) at the gap those are really fine!!!
Other than fun, how did you find the Dragon? One of my highlight rides, it was. And 28 (if you can avoid the fuzz) is an unsung super ride. Welcome home.
challenging, two- up, I was kinda afraid to push the ol' interstate, if I hugged the inside line it wanted to shake its head and we scraped the center stand alot... the blind "never ending corners got my adrenaline going. Don't take the bravado wrong.. we were no threat ( "obstacle"; more likely?) to any other bike ( my gawd some of those guys can ride; Scary fast!) We don't have corners like that "near" us, only in the south west of Wisconsin along the mississippi bluffs and "coullee country". We also came upon a downed rider/passenger on the cherahola, Somebody( a "moe -ron") trying to get into a scenic over look stopped traffic in their lane on a blind right hand corner. The inevitable chain of events lead to a heritage softtail going down and a women smacking the back of her head. She was wearing a half helmet ,she might have caught some of the bike (backrest?) to the base of her skull.When we got there: She and a companion were being tended to by other riders, they were safely off the road, scratched up a bit, ems was called, she had a good regular pulse but her companions had to talk to her to keep her conscious.. That slows you down a bit... http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbPage.aspx?e=3956781&g=06&s=375 (redjackets white helmets)
I posted something above about my ride down thataway. There was one point where I was riding with a couple pickup cohorts, one of which was not very experienced. We held up a couple knee draggers for a minute or two. Your wing should have had no problems (if you took off the center stand - keeping up with most. Fabulous machinery. I understand the hesitancy to push with two up. My riding time with two is mo more than 5 hours total, and not with this scoot. Wouldn't take the Dragon 2 up without a lot more practice, that's for sure. Looks like you have seat time to make it worth the try. Glad you enjoyed the rush, that is part of it. That head shake is worrisome. Checked the head bearings lately? IIRC, that was (and still is) a famous weak point on big Hondas. Very cool shots they got of you. Record the date someplace so you can find them again. They got only one of me, I had just downshifted and was pushing a bit after taking time to wave at them; I guess they don't save those.
You may be right, steering stem bearings may need a little adjustment. Took me a day to get comfortable up there, remember the basics and and look through the turn,coming into those 20 mph right handers, I caught myself eyeing the pavement that appeared perpendicular to our entry, almost like I was riding into a "T" intersection .raised the "pucker factor"as I tried to horse it around. Got pretty smooth by the time we ran 28 on the way back. Talk about pucker factor a guy in the next room was up there riding his new r1200s, he was bragging on the boxers torque and compression braking( no shifting in the hills! Until he said he accidentally bumped the lever and down shifted at a most in opportune time; That'll soil your aerostich,lol!)...
hehehe. Yep, that'll do it. If he had the soft clutch, he didn't get the rear tire screech that causes the "pucker" to suck in vinyl. THAT is an experience not to be missed, wiping out specks of seat cover with denim at the next stop. Heading down a 4 lane not too far from where I lived, I had a guy pull out to pass a car while I was next to him in the left lane. I had no place to dodge to, so had both tires screaming for mercy and the engine hit the rev limiter 'cause I pulled in the clutch while braking fore and aft and didn't roll off the loud handle. Not sure which of us got the biggest pucker, him from the noise or me from the sheer idiocy of the move, but vinyl has sharp edges when broken up that way -- (But that triple DOES make a nice howl --)
Ghrit; Went back in and re read your trip report, nice job,we've got alot of the same pictures too! Funny, I missed that same turn on 28 by the horse ranch and ended dazed and confused by the dam too!!( Actually turned left when we should 'a continued straight up that slight hill.How far are you from the dragon? We're around 900+miles.. Bet riding the sprint was a blast there? Watched youtube video last night, of "yellow wolf" road race his gl1800 down the dragon , honestly we merely "motored" around down there 3rd and 4th gear speed limit maybe +10...I had been warned about speed cops by the "sporto" guys at Wisconsin motorcycling.com. Kudos to ya! Riding the dragon in the rain takes more cojones than I've got sweating on the sheepskin!
virtual harley test ride: http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/harley-test-ride-p1.php to make up for that one to the harley folks...: http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2008/harley-davidson-metal-soundtrack-p1.php
yea yea yea, funny though I dont see any Harleys in this Video.... Requiem for a biker - Channel: Maxxi on LiveVideo.com
Well, it's European, not too many HD there yet. None the less, I can tell you cars are a hazard. (Before you land on me, I know it's the operator, not the car.) If one is moving, he's out to get you. Keep your head on a swivel and your mind in the game.
Though I used to dabble in divisive"harley bashing"... I realize it's pointless,and this last trip I met some really friendly members of the faithful who have changed my mind on the whole issue....yes "sportos" get busted up regularly;but harley folk are not immune...Underneath all the bs is still the feeling of open skies,cool wind, acceleration and curves..no matter whos' brand is on the tank.
Great . I thought ( "them vs us" harley bashing)that was the point of the last 3 posts( i.e. No harleys in the requiem vid="sportos get whacked"); perhaps I misread you. Carry on; Ride what you like, I do too..no offense meant or taken
