First Real Road Trip

[golfingirl]

I just had a great weekend away! I took my 06 T100 from Atlanta to Chattanooga on the slow roads. I don't do highways. Too fast and crazy drivers around here. It was my best friend's birthday (she rides a 2012 T100) and she wanted for us to do a road trip for her birthday. Sigh. I was nervous. We mapped a route, sticking to roads we were comfortable on, headsed out Saturday morning, took lotsa breaks to stretch and have coffee & food. We spent a couple nights in Chattanooga then home on Monday on even quieter country roads. On Sunday, we rode up to Lookout Mountain and attempted some crazy switchbacks that were seriously banked and had huge grade changes. Very challenging for us but we made it through then found a a couple gentle roads to finish the ride on. All in all, a successful first time away on my bike.

 

[Rocky]

Fantastic
That's the kind of stuff that many of us do a lot and I'm so glad you got to have the experience too.
It's great for your confidence and now you know what to expect. The more you do these weekends the more you will enjoy it - and you both have great rides to do it on.
You chose the right roads and took many breaks. That's what it's all about - enjoying the ride in great weather away from the crazies with a good friend.
You're hooked now; no turning back


BTW, just this morning I was thinking about you and that we hadn't heard from you in a while.
Glad you're OK and enjoying your bike

 

[golfingirl]

All is well. Thanks, Rocky. I'm very sporatic on forums depending on how busy I am. The good news is, I have been riding my bike a lot since the weather in Atlanta has improved. Tons of rain this summer here. Tropical downpours. It's just like Monsoon season, someone from Mumbai told me the other day.

I think I did get bitten by the road trip bug. I'm still not much of a fan of riding more than 55 mph. The wind wears on me. I have a fly screen but still dislike the feeling of being whipped around. Makes me tense and I just don't enjoy it that much. We did ride on roads up to 65 mph and it wasn't too bad, I just prefer riding around 50 mph. Super comfortable there. My bike loves sitting in fourth gear, around 4000 rpms. The sweet spot. My bike is truly running better than ever. I'm so impressed on how she handles and hasn't given me any trouble. I put 3200 miles on her in 10 months... not much for some but pretty good for me.

I think we'll be riding to the Barber Motorsports track and museum (B'ham, Alabama) in October for the vintage Triumph rally there. Now I have the confidence to manage a road trip and will relax more and enjoy the experience.

I'm itching to do a ride in the Canadian Rockies sometime in the next few years. That's where I'm from (Calgary) and would love the opportunity to experience my home on a motorcycle.

 

[keystiger]

Congrats on the adventures. And best wishes for the Barber trip. That place is AMAZING and well worth checking out.

 

[GRRR8!]

That sounds like my kind of trip! How cool, a pair of T1-hundos, meandering down some back roads!

 

[CarlS]

Great to hear from you and that was a really nice trip. Plus you got some twisties in. I have ridden up Lookout Mountain. You did it just right - a relaxed pace in your comfort zone and plenty of breaks. Now you need to venture north to the Georgia mountains and into North Carolina.

You will really enjoy Barber. I used to go every year; but, sadly, I have had to miss the last three years. If you go, plan to spend at least one full day in the museum; you can easily spend two.

Did you take any pics on your ride?

 

[golfingirl]

That sounds like my kind of trip! How cool, a pair of T1-hundos, meandering down some back roads!

Yep. We were in the minority for sure. Rare amongst Harley's and crotch rockets. We saw one other Triumph Bonneville and the guy riding it got so excited to see us, my friend and I giggled for miles.

CarlS, sadly I only took a couple pics and none worthy of posting. I'm planning in working my way up thru North Georgia next summer. I'd love to find a course on how to ride on the highway and manage the twisties. Can't seem to find anything like that. Until then, I'll continue to read and practice skills.

Im pumped about Barber. I've been wanting to go there for a while.

 

[devo]

Great to see you making use of that bike,3000 plus miles in a year is not to be sneezed at,there are many recreational bikers that wouldnt do a thousand in a year.
Re the wind,we all feel it at first,but do get accustomed to it.I personaly have never ridden with any kind of screen in my life and am wondering if a dart screen may be worse for you than none.For what its worth,try removing it for a spell and allow the bars and guages to break up the wind a bit for you.It may actually be more comfortable.
And lastly,your gunna have to learn to take pics, not just for us but for your own memory's in the years ahead.

 

[golfingirl]

Great to see you making use of that bike,3000 plus miles in a year is not to be sneezed at,there are many recreational bikers that wouldnt do a thousand in a year.
Re the wind,we all feel it at first,but do get accustomed to it.I personaly have never ridden with any kind of screen in my life and am wondering if a dart screen may be worse for you than none.For what its worth,try removing it for a spell and allow the bars and guages to break up the wind a bit for you.It may actually be more comfortable.
And lastly,your gunna have to learn to take pics, not just for us but for your own memory's in the years ahead.

I kinda like that idea of taking off the fly screen. Maybe I'll develop more tolerance to it. I must say, I am getting a little more used to it but if its windy on top of higher speeds... I get tense.

I laughed out loud at your comment tat I should take pics. One of my hobbies is photography and I have to actively stop myself from taking pictures. I think I'll take my SLR to Barber. Then I promise to post some good shots!

 

[CarlS]

We like pics!!!

 

[devo]

I laughed out loud at your comment tat I should take pics. One of my hobbies is photography and I have to actively stop myself from taking pictures. I think I'll take my SLR to Barber. Then I promise to post some good shots!

Good to hear,,now you have no excuses.As said elsewhere by the man with the bird,when you stop to smell the roses,grab a pic as well.
You may have noticed in the odd pic of my bike here, that the only bag on it is a tool roll.
This is used primarily for carrying a little canon A2000IS and a wallet,they are the ony things I always carry on the bike.If I am going after a serious photo I will select the appropriate lens and filters for my SLR and pop it in a snorkel bag over my shoulder with a dog clip attached to a rear belt loop for security.
Oh, and btw, now that we know you are a self confessed shutterbugwe will be looking forward to your entrys in the photo comp.

 

[birdman5]

Going off your user name I guessing you're a golfer? I love golf too! And my son is the pro at a local golf course, but since I bought my T-Bird, I've had a one track mind and that is taking fun rides like the one you just took. I am hooked on riding again like I was when I was younger.I used to take a ton of pictures way back when too. I currently have a Canon EOS 20D which was state of the art when I bought it but phone cameras have passed it up now megapixel wise and I never invested enough in optics. When riding now, I just use my own phone camera and I'm satisfied, but my next one might be the Nocia Lumina 1020 to get the best quality phone camera available. Just haven't decided if I can deal with a windows phone yet.

 

[DaveM]

Nice to hear you had a great outing and as you get used to the wind you will not even notice it that much.

 

[devo]

I currently have a Canon EOS 20D which was state of the art when I bought it but phone cameras have passed it up now megapixel wise and I never invested enough in optics.

But megapixels is not the be all and end all by any means. My son owns one of the origonal nikon d1s at 2.something mp and I have seen a 3 foot blow up of a pic off it and it was superb.
Its all about the glass,and you cant fit a 50 or 70mm dia front lens on a cell phone.

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

I just prefer riding around 50 mph. Super comfortable there.

Good for you, If it makes for a great and safe trip for you, then that's the way to go. So glad that your enjoying you Triumph. Can't wait for the Canadian Rockies pictures.
Take care

 

[shanered6]

sounds like you had great fun and that's what its all about ; HAVING FUN ! I think you may of cought the adventure bug now

just next time remember that camera coz ! :worthless:

 

[Rocky]

I understand what you mean about the wind blast at higher speeds. That can be bothersome at first, but over time you will get used to it and you will be much less nervous. But in the meantime you're doing the right thing - working up to it and not taking any chances. Good for you.
That said, I avoid the four-lanes unless I'm in a hurry to get to a secondary road.
3200 miles is great so no need to be embarassed about that. Many of us don't ride that many.
Going to Barber will be wonderful. We will look forward to some pics
I have a Canon SLR, but find I take my Canon point-and-shoot most of the time since it fits so nicely in my jacket pocket.
I rode from Whistler to Calgary two years ago and the Rockies are wonderful on a motorcycle.
I hope you get to do it soon

 

[hemibee]

Great to hear you have the first road trip under your belt. Now you are set to do plenty more.

 

[birdman5]

But megapixels is not the be all and end all by any means. My son owns one of the origonal nikon d1s at 2.something mp and I have seen a 3 foot blow up of a pic off it and it was superb.
Its all about the glass,and you cant fit a 50 or 70mm dia front lens on a cell phone.

Yes, I guess I only slipped it in there at the end but, I haven't or didn't invested enough in optics for my Canon. That is where the real expense is if you want good glass. One of the things I like about the Nokia phone is it has Zeiss optics and I can fit it in my back pocket. What I don't like is it takes like 6 seconds to save an image so no rapid fire when needed. It saves 2 images with every shot, one approaching 40 megapixels and one at 5 megapixels. Another is, what do I use for a tripod like devise for slower shutter speeds? Phone cameras have some major drawbacks for sure!!

 

[golfingirl]

I understand what you mean about the wind blast at higher speeds. That can be bothersome at first, but over time you will get used to it and you will be much less nervous. But in the meantime you're doing the right thing - working up to it and not taking any chances. Good for you.
That said, I avoid the four-lanes unless I'm in a hurry to get to a secondary road.
3200 miles is great so no need to be embarassed about that. Many of us don't ride that many.
Going to Barber will be wonderful. We will look forward to some pics
I have a Canon SLR, but find I take my Canon point-and-shoot most of the time since it fits so nicely in my jacket pocket.
I rode from Whistler to Calgary two years ago and the Rockies are wonderful on a motorcycle.
I hope you get to do it soon

Whistler to Calgary is exactly what I'd like to do. I think that would be a fantstic trip. Sigh. Someday...

In the meantime, I promise to take some pics from Barber. I hope I have room for my SLR, if not I have a decent Sony point & shoot, and frankly the iPhone takes fab pics too! Fingers crossed the weather will hold out.