NORTH GA RIDERS - Official Thread! Atlanta, N.Ga, TN, NC Riders-Check for latest info

[fleemos]

Going to Monterey and on Bakersfield now. If I did this on the 250 my right hand would shake for the rest of my life.

[DeviantTurtle]

Originally Posted by vman1313

Im am in there like swim wear!!!
See ya Saturday!!!

Cant wait to see the Video, sucks we did not run into each other until the end of the day. But the trail you and meems found was pretty BA Now how to get the rest of the locals to come out and play in the dirt

[DeviantTurtle]

Originally Posted by fleemos

Going to Monterey and on Bakersfield now. If I did this on the 250 my right hand would shake for the rest of my life.

I was wondering why I have not seen you at work.

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by DeviantTurtle

Cant wait to see the Video, sucks we did not run into each other until the end of the day. But the trail you and meems found was pretty BA Now how to get the rest of the locals to come out and play in the dirt

HAHAHA! Yeah, cell phone service there SUCKED to say the least!!! It was nice to see you even if for only a little while. That place was pretty awesome but sucks when wet. Way toooooo slippery on the big bike. I wish I would have found yall earlier, your crew seemed right up my speed for my first time out there...LOL! Hopefully we can do it again soon and get some of these peeps here to join us out there. Let me know when you guys are going back out there. I am ready to go again for sure!!!!

My videos and editing still SUCK but here is a little vid I made for friends and family that dont know any better SECOND VIDEO is of my DUMBNESS!

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[DeviantTurtle]

Nice job

[vman1313]

Who all is hitting up the Motorcycle Show this weekend at the Cobb Galleria?

http://www.motorcycleshows.com/atlanta

[fleemos]

Originally Posted by vman1313

Who all is hitting up the Motorcycle Show this weekend at the Cobb Galleria?

http://www.motorcycleshows.com/atlanta

I'm going there on Saturday a little after lunch. Aiming for around 1pm.

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by fleemos

I'm going there on Saturday a little after lunch. Aiming for around 1pm.

When we going to see pics of your CaliforniaVenture??

[Sipper']

What is it now, 2 months + since we rode? WTH?

[vman1313]

I hear ya but will be the first to say....I HATE COLD WEATHER!

[Sipper']

Me too, but I hate not riding even more!

[ally99]

Hey y'all. Let's ride! Got my new bike!

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by ally99

Hey y'all. Let's ride! Got my new bike!

NICE!!!! When we riding?? ((...AND is that the Kawi place in Nicholson? Thats where I bought mine.))

[Sipper']

Sweet! Good thing it's another Kawi!

[ally99]

Originally Posted by vman1313

NICE!!!! When we riding?? ((...AND is that the Kawi place in Nicholson? Thats where I bought mine.))

Nicholson? I had no idea there was a Kawi place in Nicholson. Where? North Ga Motorsports is in Hoschton.

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by ally99

Nicholson? I had no idea there was a Kawi place in Nicholson. Where? North Ga Motorsports is in Hoschton.

HAHAHA! Ooops I meant Hoschton...had Nicholson on the brain.

[ally99]

If you all are interested in coming east toward Athens, I know of some nice, rural routes and pretty destinations where we could hang out!

[BlueJeepYJ]

Originally Posted by ally99

Hey y'all. Let's ride! Got my new bike!

SWEEETTT!!!!! Cant wait to see it! Its time for a polar bear ride!

[ally99]

Let's do it! I'm on good, new tires!

[fleemos]

Originally Posted by vman1313

When we going to see pics of your CaliforniaVenture??

Here you go
https://picasaweb.google.com/1095715...eat=directlink

On the first day I didn't secure the tail bag and lost it. I lost my nice camera I got for the trip along with other valuables. I thought is this a sign, maybe I shouldn't bother going but then I thought I'm me so eff it we are going.

I didn't have a camera for a few days because I ended up being in the middle of nowhere when I stopped but then I got a $70 point and shoot. It's crap but so are my photography skills so these won't win any awards. In pics I am not smiling it is freezing and for a bald Caribbean dude taking the helmet and gloves off was enough to make me feel like hypothermia was not too far away.

I did end up with a lot less pictures than I had hoped for because I was caught up in the experience and so blown away by stuff i saw I forget to pull out the camera.

[fleemos]

Also heated glove liners are on sale, I ordered a set.

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/f...d-glove-liners

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by fleemos

Here you go
https://picasaweb.google.com/1095715...eat=directlink

On the first day I didn't secure the tail bag and lost it. I lost my nice camera I got for the trip along with other valuables. I thought is this a sign, maybe I shouldn't bother going but then I thought I'm me so eff it we are going.

I didn't have a camera for a few days because I ended up being in the middle of nowhere when I stopped but then I got a $70 point and shoot. It's crap but so are my photography skills so these won't win any awards. In pics I am not smiling it is freezing and for a bald Caribbean dude taking the helmet and gloves off was enough to make me feel like hypothermia was not too far away.

I did end up with a lot less pictures than I had hoped for because I was caught up in the experience and so blown away by stuff i saw I forget to pull out the camera.

NICE!
I am so wanting to do a cross country trip. If you get a second will you do a quick write up...maybe covering what you think you need on such a trip, what you took that you didnt need, what you didnt take that you should of, and any other info that would help someone that wants to do such a trip.
AGAIN...NICE!!!

[DeviantTurtle]

Would yall be interested in doing a MX & BBQ meet at my house possibly this month or next? Was thinking about Dec 28th or Jan 25th 2013. You can bring your own dirt bike or use one of mine

Vman1313 its not that little track that I had before, as you can probably guess I have taken it to the next level.

[ally99]

I only have a street ride, but I'm desperate for some good weather to ride her! We need a ride y'all!

[Sipper']

Originally Posted by ally99

I only have a street ride, but I'm desperate for some good weather to ride her! We need a ride y'all!

Thinking about a Friday ride, want to?

[ally99]

There's this crappy thing called work that gets in the way of any week day fun. I wish I could.

[Sipper']

I'm typically off on Fri-Sun but worked last Friday. Since it rained I didn't loose any quality time....

[ally99]

a 3-day weekend every week would be a dream come true!

[Sipper']

It is when weather is good...

[Sipper']

Well, since I couldn't find anyone that wanted to ride Friday, I decided to stay at work and build a few rifles....

Maybe next weekend...

[fleemos]

Originally Posted by vman1313

NICE!
I am so wanting to do a cross country trip. If you get a second will you do a quick write up...maybe covering what you think you need on such a trip, what you took that you didnt need, what you didnt take that you should of, and any other info that would help someone that wants to do such a trip.
AGAIN...NICE!!!

Things I recommend you have(some are obvious but I'll list for completenes):
+ tire pressure guage
+ air pump
+ some type of hydration system, I had an outdoor backpack I got at Walmart and so I just got the bladder for it.
+ I have a Boost(uses Sprint network) mobile phone, I got a Verizon prepaid phone for $20 in case I got stranded somewhere I would have two networks to try.
+ chain lube
+ I carried a little bit of engine oil in a small bottle to top up
+ I had that all in one tool from Cycle Gear( http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/A.../p/36593_00000 )
+ a head light( I always prefer to carry this over a flash light as it leaves my hands free)
+ tire plug kit and pliers
+ if you can make space for this then I also recommend ( http://www.jpcycles.com/product/721-...FUsV7AoduSoAbA )
+ rain suit incase your suit isn't waterproof
+ extra thermal liners if you are doing it late in the year like I did (last week in October), if you have heated gear then even better because you'll need it at high altitude in places like Flagstaff. I had the freeze out stuff from Cycle Gear, it was adequate everywhere except my fingers froze in Flagstaff and I had to stop every 25 miles to warm my hands on the engine. Heated gloves or glove liners are a must.
+ weather radio(very important)
+ real gps(not a phone because when you don't have data you might be screwed)
+ a cell phone charger for the bike
+ some weather app on your phone that has radar capability
+ cleaning stuff for your visor(I killed more bugs than the Orkin man on this trip)
+ winter(waterproof) gloves as well as summer gloves
+ multiple credit cards because the credit card company will block you after a few days of stopping for gas 4 times per day.
+ neck winter protection
+ clear and dark visors


Some tips
- instead of buying those motorcycle gps units for like 600 I bought a cheap waterproof gps mount from ebay and it did a great job for me. It isn't waterproof as I tested it under the faucet before the trip but because it's on the handlebars the fairing protects it from most of the rain so it was okay. The one I used ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/271321143460...84.m1497.l2649 )

- in Texas I almost ran out of gas so be careful when driving through there. I say you start looking for gas around the 100 mile mark. With luggage and going by at 80-90 the FZ6R runs out of gas at 150 miles. I didn't really check but I think in other states I never went more than 60 miles without seeing a station, remote parts of Texas it felt like 80-90.

- check the weather radio the night before and on gas stops for the latest reports.

- I used an Aplinestars Drystar suit for the trip and it did an amazing job. I never felt cold with the liners and a fleece base layer on. The one complaint is that with the knee armor the velcro is at the bottom of the compartment so sometimes it opened up and the knee armor moved out of place. This happened when putting on the pants if your foot happened to get caught on the armor.

- if you purchase a hotel room from Red Roof on your mobile then you get $5 off. The one in Las Vegas was reasonably priced and not too far from the action.

- the Choice Hotels app was pretty useful as well.

- Intellicast weather app worked well for me and it's free.

- somewhere along the trip you will need tires. I went to Motorcycle Superstore and the site wouldn't allow me to ship to a store in Las Vegas even though they said it should work. I called the store and arranged with them directly to have tires for me when I got there. I recommend you do the same as well.

- on the first day I left late and decided to stop just to fill up and then get a move on, that day I felt pretty sore and wondered if I could make this trip. The other days I would walk around for 20 minutes, listen to the weather radio and I felt no pain. Make each gas stop a real break, it helps a lot and I know people always emphasize this, do it!


Almost running out of gas story for those who want to hear it:

I got down to two bars on the gas gauge and stopped to check on the GPS where the nearest gas station was, it said it was 16 miles off the next exit. I had went a little off an exit(4 miles) before and then the next exit had a gas station that I could see from the highway so I decided to just go on. I got two exits away and I was down to one bar. I pulled out the GPS and it said the nearest gas station was two exits back(16 miles off the exit too), I pulled out my phone and Google maps said the same thing. I had to ride 55 mph in a 80 zone back to that exit, by the time I got to the gas station the whole dash was blinking. My recommendation, don't go below quarter tank in Texas. The exits are far apart, the station can be far off the exit and sometimes the gas staion on the exit is closed. In Arizona they weren't far off the exit but sometimes they were closed so be somewhat cautious there as well.

Story on the weather radio:

This thing saved my behind big time. When I was in Albuquerque I checked the night before it said at 1pm the following day a storm coming from the Flagstaff area would get there with winds as high as 50mph and zero visibility sand storm. I decided I would not try to mess with that so I went to Cycle Gear and got one of those cheap covers to stay put through the storm. The wind was serious, I struggled to get the damn cover on. The next morning went out for breakfast at 6am and on the news a big rig had flipped over on the highway, with no visibility cars were coming along and just crashing into it, sixteen cars in all. I would have been dead!

It also let me know that snow had fallen in Flagstaff one night and would start up again at 3pm(3 inches forecast) so I got to leave earlier that day to get through Flagstaff by 1:30pm. With the radio and Intellicast app I was also able to follow right behind the really bad storm on the way back.

[vman1313]

@fleemos - Thanks for the write up! It means so much more when it comes from someone you know and trust versus something some stranger has written. I am really wanting to do such a ride. Being a school teacher, I have all summer so I really want to do it. My biggest fears are weather and trying to ride too much in one day.

I am thinking a trip to Key West would be a great test. 900 miles one way...almost 2k when its all said and done. Id say AT LEAST 4 days of riding (2 there - 2 back) with one day there just hanging and having fun.

How many days did it take you? How many miles did you travel over all? How many miles did you average per day or would you recommend?

[fleemos]

Originally Posted by vman1313

@fleemos - Thanks for the write up! It means so much more when it comes from someone you know and trust versus something some stranger has written. I am really wanting to do such a ride. Being a school teacher, I have all summer so I really want to do it. My biggest fears are weather and trying to ride too much in one day.

I am thinking a trip to Key West would be a great test. 900 miles one way...almost 2k when its all said and done. Id say AT LEAST 4 days of riding (2 there - 2 back) with one day there just hanging and having fun.

How many days did it take you? How many miles did you travel over all? How many miles did you average per day or would you recommend?

It took me 14 days and it was just a bit under 5700 miles total. Most days I did a little over 400, two days were well over 500 with a maximum of 572 in one day. I lost a whole day in Albuquerue and almost half a day in Elk City OK because of weather.

Weather should be mild in the Florida area, rain by itself was never a problem for me, just stopped to close the vents, put the rain covers on the bags and then off I went. I say your estimate of two days is right on, I want to ride to Key West as well and I might do it next year.

Glad to help you out with info Tony, if you need links to any of the gear I mentioned that I didn't like to feel free to let me know.

With all that time off you should definitely do it, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. That is probably why I have so few pictures, the experience blew me away that I just completely forgot to take pictures. I plan to do it again in a few years, might get a Ninja 1000 with hard cases next time.

If you are doing it on the Ninja I would invest in a better seat like the Corbin, it is pricey but it will be worth it. Luckily the FZ6R seat is nice and comfy, the bike was perfect for the trip which is what I had in mind when I bought it. The 24K valve adjustment interval and super smooth engine made it the clear choice when I was searching.

[ally99]

Originally Posted by fleemos

Tool/p/36593_00000[/url] )

What an awesome, specific, well-written post! I would have never thought of the extra credit cards and extra phone. Thanks for such an awesome resource! You might consider posting it on the Ride Reports forum so more people see it. You made a lot of great points!

Originally Posted by vman1313

@fleemos
I am thinking a trip to Key West would be a great test. 900 miles one way...almost 2k when its all said and done. Id say AT LEAST 4 days of riding (2 there - 2 back) with one day there just hanging and having fun.

Key West? Oh hell yes. What a great idea!

[DroHernandez]

Originally Posted by vman1313

@fleemos - Thanks for the write up! It means so much more when it comes from someone you know and trust versus something some stranger has written. I am really wanting to do such a ride. Being a school teacher, I have all summer so I really want to do it. My biggest fears are weather and trying to ride too much in one day.

I am thinking a trip to Key West would be a great test. 900 miles one way...almost 2k when its all said and done. Id say AT LEAST 4 days of riding (2 there - 2 back) with one day there just hanging and having fun.

How many days did it take you? How many miles did you travel over all? How many miles did you average per day or would you recommend?

I'm down for this. Anyday.

[ally99]

How about in June? We'll spend a couple of nights down there!

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by ally99

How about in June? We'll spend a couple of nights down there!

YES!!

[ally99]

So lets ride before June though! I'm dying to take my new bike on some mountain roads! Too bad next week is so cold. I'm actually off work.

[Sipper']

Get thee some gear!

I rode to my sisters for Christmas and when I left it was 30f. No electrics, just had three layers total. Strong base layer, insulated second layer and an insulated windproof third layer, "Silk" face mask, smartwool socks, surgeon gloves under my summer leather gloves and I stayed totally toasty on the 30 mile trip. Only my fingertips got chilled!

When you get some gear then I might have someone to ride with this winter....

[DroHernandez]

Originally Posted by Sipper'

Get thee some gear!

I rode to my sisters for Christmas and when I left it was 30f. No electrics, just had three layers total. Strong base layer, insulated second layer and an insulated windproof third layer, "Silk" face mask, smartwool socks, surgeon gloves under my summer leather gloves and I stayed totally toasty on the 30 mile trip. Only my fingertips got chilled!

When you get some gear then I might have someone to ride with this winter....

I have the gear and I'm down to ride whenever. I'm selling the ninjette soon, but whenever you want to ride let me know. I work at the Lawrenceville Cycle Gear.