[BlackBoar]

I'm very excited about the Fort Henry Kingston Trip and still looking forward to it. But. A few weeks ago, a good friend at work said he was riding to the Tail of the Dragon in late May. Maybe I'd want to go. Turns out our schedules lined up and I want to do that ride so bad. I was really on the fence about which trip to do.

I told Mrs Boar of my dilemma and I said "I think I'd rather do the longer trip to the Dragon" She looked at me like I was an idiot and said "Do both". I said "I love you."

:dance:

So, I'm well into the planning and prep stages for a big ride to North Carolina, maybe some camping in there too. I've been buying and changing out some gear, and reading maps. This will be my longest trip and the first crack at MC Camping. Stay tuned...

 

[spooph]

woot! So exciting!

 

[BlackBoar]

Installed the new side cases today. Givi E21 top loading boxes on Givi side racks. Pretty easy install with the exception of re-positioning the rear turn signals. That was a bit of a pain, and the re-locator brackets make the signals look like an afterthought and not really part of the bike.

But the cases are great. Very happy with the fit and finish. My old top case I had for 4 years was a Givi and they do make a very good product. The price of this set up was reasonable too.

Even with the cases off, the frames look OK. Just another part of the trellis sub-frame. Not that it matters much, the bags will likely be on all the time.

And this is some of the other kit I've been putting together for the trip:

Top left is the Mini Foot Pump, very compact and no power source needed. Room in the bag for my tire plug kit too. Hope I never need that. Beside that is my very compact 2 lbs sleeping bag. And in front is my Aqua Quest waterproof bivi tent. (all this fits in one side case with room to spare!)

 

[Felix]

Real smooth setup BB!

Have to show us a photo of the camp setup. I want to see what that bivi is like.

Those panniers are really nice they suit the bike instead of sticking massive pelicans on there.

Felix

 

[BlackBoar]

Thanks Flix.

Here's a look at the tent. After 10 years in the Canadian Forces, I'm not a real fan of camping. But at the same time, thanks to the military, I came to learn a thing or two about minimalist gear for camping, and I expect this tent with a ground sheet, my mil spec air matress and light weight sleeping bag will do for a night or two of Summer climate sleep outs.

Aqua Quest Waterproof One Man Tent Review - YouTube

 

[FHG2088]

Very nice Boar! Wish I could do something like that, I think you're going to have a blast though!

 

[BlackBoar]

Finalizing trip plans. Just have to get through these night shifts then we take off on Sunday the 20th Three riders going. Me on the Versys, plus a Suzuki GSF650 Bandit and a Honda ST1300.

We'll be doing an all-day blast down I-75 to the Knoxville area. Then for 4 or 5 days we'll ride the Devil's Triangle, Tail of the Dragon, Blue Ridge Pkwy and 421 The Snake.

Just about have my gear together, the last piece was a 34L dry bag from Bags Connection. I'll post a gear pic soon. For now the long range forecast - which has the reliability of witchcraft - looks pretty rainy for that week. I REALLY hope not...

 

[Zandit]

Not happy, I'm very jealous!!!

 

[Bulletproof250r]

Not happy, I'm very jealous!!!

Yup. I second that.

 

[Blue Ghost]

....We'll be doing an all-day blast down I-75 to the Knoxville area. Then for 4 or 5 days we'll ride the Devil's Triangle, Tail of the Dragon, Blue Ridge Pkwy and 421 The Snake.

If you get time, think about doing the DiamondBack. It's about 150 miles east of the Dragon with a lot of great roads getting there.

Enjoy your trip and safe riding!

 

[BlackBoar]

Thanks for the linky Ghost, looks like a good one. We were looking for exactly that, some good side trips off the main roads we'll be riding. High probabilty of riding the Diamondback now!

 

[Blue Ghost]

Thanks for the linky Ghost, looks like a good one. We were looking for exactly that, some good side trips off the main roads we'll be riding. High probabilty of riding the Diamondback now!

Hwy 28 (part of the Moon Shiner route) sits right at the Deal's Gap Motorcycle Resort. If you take Hwy 28 to Hwy 19 to Hwy 441 it will run into the Blue Ridge Parkway. BRP runs smack into the Diamondback.

 

[Onslaught]

You are going to have sooo much fun Boar. I can't wait to take the 1k for a dragon run.

 

[BlackBoar]

Heading off first thing tomorrow morning. Straight shot down from home to just past Knoxville, Tenn. 982kms on the GPS. After that it will be more scenic and a better pace for a few days before the straight blast home Friday or Saturday.

Here's the gear shots:

See ya on the road...

 

[FHG2088]

I would love packing tips from you, its so compact and neat. Nice job, hope you are having a blast!

 

[BlackBoar]

I'm back! The trip was amazing. The roads were amazing!! More info to follow in a detailed Ride Report, with pictures of course. Here's one for now...

 

[Bulletproof250r]

Awesome BB. Good to see ya back in one piece. Can't wait to see the pics. There is talk amongst the bikers I work with about a Dragon trip. Since 75% of them work in my department I don't know how we will all be able to do the trip cause if we all took off to do it then the plant would shut down.lol

 

[BlackBoar]

Day One:
Just like home, long straight roads. Or road, really. The I75. After 2 hours on the 401 across Southern Ontario, we crossed the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor to Detroit. The border crossing was a breeze. The U.S. customs officer was a rider who told me about his HD Heritage Springer and wished us well.

After that it was a straight shot South on I75. This was the neccesary evil of riding down to the good roads. And, as you'll see, it was totally worth it.

I was caught off guard by the lack of helmet laws in Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. It looked really odd to see rider after rider zipping down the super highway with no lids! I was tempted to try, but alas, I kept my helmet firmly in place.

There was no change all day until just before the hotel. Part of I75 had collapsed into a sinkhole and we were detoured onto 25W. This was our first windy curvy road, and I would normally have been excited, but with 10.5 hours and 900+kms of travel behind me, I was not in good mental shape to deal with a twisty.

We arrived at our Days Inn for the night. 11 hours, 989 kms. Slept like a baby. This is the 3 of us the next morning ready to roll. The smiles hide the saddle pain...

 

[Zandit]

This is going to be good, Look forward to the rest of the pics Boar!

 

[FHG2088]

eagerly awaiting the rest of the story!