Just got back last night from my 3k (give or take) mile roadtrip from the great state of Connecticut, down to Atlanta on my Buell XB9SX and back again. I love absolutely everything about this bike. It completes me. Pictures soon!
Picked up the Skyline Drive/BRP in Front Royal, VA and took it allllll the way from start to finish!! For anyone else making the trip, keep in mind that apparently 90% of the restaurants close up shop in September for the season... I was pretty close to starvation. Also, watch out for wildlife! I Almost ran right into a black bear in the middle of the road within 20 miles and the deer are EVERYWHERE!
Spent the first night at Matthew's Arm Campground at the 22 mile marker.
home
Second day, met lots of cool people along the way, but this guy was by far the coolest (No offense random bikers number 1, 2, and 3 from Virginia, Oklahoma, and Tennasse respectively) Ran into this guy Igor from the Czech Republic at Big Meadows. He's been on the road for a couple of years all over the world! If you can read Russian (I think) check out his website at www.mototour.cz Long story short, he is a badass. I want to do what he does.
Weather got pretty crappy the 2nd day riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Thick Fog, pouring rain. Thank god for Rain Gear. 20 mph in the fog and rain makes for a looonnnnngggg trip. But at the end... I felt like I had really accomplished something.
Next, I hit up the tail of the dragon. Didn't take any pictures there because quite frankly, I was in no mood. It was still raining and I wasn't impressed by the "If you aren't going to ride on it like you stole it, you shouldn't be riding on it at all" attitude most of the people there had. Maybe they were just bummed because of the rain too. Still, glad I did it.
Next stop, friends in Atlanta, and then on to the Barber motorsports museum in Alabama from there. I wept when it was time to go. If theres one thing you must do before you die, it is visit this museum! Truly, a fantastic collection!
I was going to hit up Florida for a day too, but due to the flooding in Atlanta/Georgia, I decided that I needed to cut my trip a day short and head back North. Took a day and a half to get back - all highway. Only exciting part was 95 through New York City. For some strange reason I decided to try my luck on the George Washington Bridge and I
kid you not: this was the most white-knuckle, heart thumping experience ever. Scariest drivers on the
scariest road. I swear I saw a smashed XB airbox cover on the median somewhere too.
All in all, a damn good time! I was happy to be home for about an hour or so before I started getting the itch to go out riding again. :-(
Some other random observations I scribbled on the back of a map
-The size of Pennsylvania is rivaled only by how colossally boring it is.
-Make a reservation for matthew's Arm Campground. The guy just asked my name and waved me through the line of cars!
-When you want to take off your raingear, wait until you're 100% sure it's done raining... Then wait longer.
-At the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway, stop at the visitors center and ask for a list of exits with gas. They have a little printout that lists all of the exits along with mile markers off the BRP that have gas stations
-Bring detailed Atlas or individual state Maps. The $2.99 road atlas you bought at the convenience store just doesn't cut it.
-Trust the local yocols. They know what they're talking about
-Sunoco stations generally have 91 Octane gas
-No matter how short and tempting I-95 looks on the map... Never ever trust the GW Bridge
Thanks! It was a great trip. And yes, the guy is hardcore. I have more pictures of both the actual trip/landscape, Igor on the World Tour, and the museum but I didn't want to spam/fill up the whole post with them. I would highly recommend the same route to anyone. SLD and BRP are fantastic motorcycle roads!
You are the man.Damn, living in Hawaii is like Buell Prison.You only can go in circles again again again.Kind of like a big prison yard.You guys and gals have it made on the mainland as far as roadtrips go.Great pics!!!!!!
Yep! Just me, the Buell, and the open road. Although until the weather turned crummy, I ended up meeting/talking to and riding with a number of random people along the way who just happened to be headed the same direction. That's one thing that I love about the motorcycle community. Generally speaking, they're a pretty friendly bunch. No doubt in my mind that if I needed any help or anything, someone along the way would have been more than willing to lend a hand. Didn't see a single other Buell-er though! sad!
Me off having fun for a week at a time on the bike and the wife home with a pre-teen and a know it all 7 year old. I would have to sell the bike to pay for a lawyer and find a place to live. Some day.
