Night Ride

JWR · 07-30-2009, 05:47 PM

Sorry no pictures.

My buddy Ed and I have been talking about a Dragon, Cherohala Skyway
night ride.

This past Sunday, 7/26, we met up at 7 am with the Batman on his 1200 Kaw.

We went to Deals Gap, had breakfast, then rode the Skyway.
We always stop at Tellico Outfitters and see MiniMike.
The miles for this ride is about 175.

We enjoyed the morning ride so much, we made plans to meet at 8 pm Monday evening.

Going thru Deals Gap at sunset was really nice.

As we approached The Skyway fog and a light rain set in. We stopped at a new service station for Ed to put on his rain gear. The station was closing and the owner came out and asked about our riding plans.
She went back into the store and came back with 3 hotdogs and said she always gives away any that she has left at closing time.

The rain lasted past 4000 ft or about halfway thru the 51 mile ride.

After we ran out of the rain and fog we stopped at an overlook and had a nice late night snack and just remarked on how lucky we were to have such great riding in our backyard.

After a quick stop in Tellico Plains for Ed to refill his Virago 250, we make it home about 12:45.

Did I mention Ed traded his GZ for the Yamaha????

My Ole GZ now has over 11k and doing fine.

Jerry

alanmcorcoran · 07-30-2009, 07:11 PM

Sounds epic, although I don't like riding in fog or rain, especially at night. Did you have a lot of company? (Ideally, not.)

JWR · 07-30-2009, 07:24 PM

I don't think we met 3 autos on the skyway.

A really nice ride. The weather is always iffy over the 4-5000 ft range.
This was expected, and we were prepared for the worst.

We are planning a Blueridge Parkway and Skyline Drive ride for next month.

Water Warrior 2 · 07-31-2009, 01:16 AM

Sounds like fun. I do enjoy a night ride myself. I ride a Vstrom with really excellant headlights. I would suggest a SilverStar bulb to improve the GZ headlight if you get into the habit of night riding. It might help you see the forest rats a little sooner. Ride Safe, Ride Often.

JWR · 07-31-2009, 05:35 PM

Only saw one forest rat and it was stepping over the guard rail off the roadway.

07-30-2009, 05:47 PM	#1
JWR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisville, TN Posts: 1,413	Night Ride Sorry no pictures. My buddy Ed and I have been talking about a Dragon, Cherohala Skyway night ride. This past Sunday, 7/26, we met up at 7 am with the Batman on his 1200 Kaw. We went to Deals Gap, had breakfast, then rode the Skyway. We always stop at Tellico Outfitters and see MiniMike. The miles for this ride is about 175. We enjoyed the morning ride so much, we made plans to meet at 8 pm Monday evening. Going thru Deals Gap at sunset was really nice. As we approached The Skyway fog and a light rain set in. We stopped at a new service station for Ed to put on his rain gear. The station was closing and the owner came out and asked about our riding plans. She went back into the store and came back with 3 hotdogs and said she always gives away any that she has left at closing time. The rain lasted past 4000 ft or about halfway thru the 51 mile ride. After we ran out of the rain and fog we stopped at an overlook and had a nice late night snack and just remarked on how lucky we were to have such great riding in our backyard. After a quick stop in Tellico Plains for Ed to refill his Virago 250, we make it home about 12:45. Did I mention Ed traded his GZ for the Yamaha???? My Ole GZ now has over 11k and doing fine. Jerry __________________ Jerry Truth is there are lots of great bikes available and not nearly as many good riders out there riding them... "A man's got to know his limitations..." Login or Register to Remove Ads
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07-30-2009, 07:11 PM	#2
alanmcorcoran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,926	Re: Night Ride Sounds epic, although I don't like riding in fog or rain, especially at night. Did you have a lot of company? (Ideally, not.) __________________ [hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq] http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More…
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07-30-2009, 07:24 PM	#3
JWR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisville, TN Posts: 1,413	Re: Night Ride I don't think we met 3 autos on the skyway. A really nice ride. The weather is always iffy over the 4-5000 ft range. This was expected, and we were prepared for the worst. We are planning a Blueridge Parkway and Skyline Drive ride for next month. __________________ Jerry Truth is there are lots of great bikes available and not nearly as many good riders out there riding them... "A man's got to know his limitations..." Login or Register to Remove Ads
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07-31-2009, 01:16 AM	#4
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Night Ride Sounds like fun. I do enjoy a night ride myself. I ride a Vstrom with really excellant headlights. I would suggest a SilverStar bulb to improve the GZ headlight if you get into the habit of night riding. It might help you see the forest rats a little sooner. Ride Safe, Ride Often.
	0

07-31-2009, 05:35 PM	#5
JWR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisville, TN Posts: 1,413	Re: Night Ride Only saw one forest rat and it was stepping over the guard rail off the roadway. __________________ Jerry Truth is there are lots of great bikes available and not nearly as many good riders out there riding them... "A man's got to know his limitations..." Login or Register to Remove Ads
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