Atlanta to Nashville

[burkbuilds]

Most of the runaway truck ramps are on I-24 coming off of Monteagle Mountain. I've never run that stretch on a motorcycle, but I've probably done it 50+ times in an automobile over the years, and yes that is the stretch Johnny Cash is singing about in the song. I've come over that mountain in the dark with fog so thick you could hardly see much past the hood of the car, but once you top over, there's no place to stop until you hit the bottom so you just hang on and pray that you will make it. One of the things you pray for is that nobody stopped in front of you either, because if they did, you will probably collide with them, and then somebody else will collide with you and, well you get the picture, so just keep going.

Hey, most of us "red necks" are pretty friendly despite the reputation we got in the "Deliverance" movie. I did have a guy that worked for me once that said he wasn't prejudiced against anyone . . . except Yankees.

[BillInGA]

Okay, here is your opportunity to say "I told you so" again. I guess sometimes I just have to see for myself. Anyway, here goes: Although I really like the 16T front sprocket for driving around town, I think I will change back to the 15T for the long trip. The terrain I was riding on was mostly rolling hills and it was a particularly windy day. I didn't see a weather report during the ride, but I would estimate the winds at least 15 gusting to 25 mph.

The combination of terrain and wind often made it impossible to hold 5th gear going up hills, and sometimes even on the flats. When the wind blows, it really sucks. It is entirely possible that I will see some headwinds possibly up to the 20 mph range, especially on the trip west. So I think the 15T may serve me better in those situations and I'll accept the trade-offs from going back to it.

Performance on the freeways was a mixed bag. Sometimes I was relegated to doing 55 in 4th gear and other times I could maintain 72 going uphill. Wind was a determining factor, but so was traffic. I typically maintain at least 2 seconds separation from the vehicle in front of me (about 200 ft at 70 mph). Even at that distance, vehicles from semis down large pickups blocked enough wind that I could maintain speed going uphill.

Both riding on the freeway and into a 20 mph headwind on a state highway required a bit of effort. The next day my forearms were a little sore from hanging on to the handlebars. And speaking of sore, there's a spot in the middle of my upper back that was burning after about 3 or 4 hours. I've since done some research and apparently it's not terribly uncommon. I've also found some exercises to strengthen the muscles in that region and help alleviate the pain.

I bought some Skull Candy Ink'd earphones for both noise attenuation and to listen to music on my iPhone. I'm happy to report that they performed well on both counts.

As for my seat, well let's just say I was ready to be off the bike at the end of the day. I have a pair of bike shorts, but I elected not to wear them on this ride. I wanted to have a baseline to compare against future changes. I think almost anything you could do would improve the level of comfort (or, rather, decrease the level of discomfort) of the seat. I'm sure a gel pad, at the very least is in my future.

Fuel economy varied between 56 and 62 mpg. I'm not terribly thrilled by it, but I'm sure the wind had a large impact on this as well.

[JWR]

If you search Ride Reports, you will see my trip of Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive.
The Blue Ridge is 45mph, Skyline is 35mph.
The whole trip was just over 1400 miles. We did it in 3 1/2 days at a very relaxed pace.
We had over 400 mile of fog and rain, which got us below the speed limit at times.

The GZ did a great job on that trip.

Have fun.

[music man]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

I bought some Skull Candy Ink'd earphones for both noise attenuation and to listen to music on my iPhone. I'm happy to report that they performed well on both counts.

I have been using those exclusively on my bike since I started riding a few years ago, and they are great, and cheap.

I honestly don't know how people ride on long trips without listening to anything but the wind and the sound of an engine for hours on end, that would drive me insane, but hell I don't even go to the store down the road from my house and back without listening to music on my bike. :rawk: :smallrawk:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

Maybe burkbuilds and I can escort you from Rossville to Kennesaw. :rawk:

As long as there aren't any back woods, dead end roads involved in the "escort" !! :shocked:
:biggrin:

P.S. My mother was born in Florida and my great-great grandfather was an original settler in Georgia (Cobb county). Does that take away some points from my "yankee" score ???

:crackup

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

The next day my forearms were a little sore from hanging on to the handlebars. And speaking of sore, there's a spot in the middle of my upper back that was burning after about 3 or 4 hours.

This sounds a LOT like you don't have a windshield. If not, you REALLY need one. Without it, you are having to hold yourself on the bike in a 60 MPH wind and it's not surprising that your forearms and back are sore. A small to medium size shield can actually increase your gas mileage a bit because it will have less total wind resistance than your head and body.

If you DO have a decent windshield than you seriously need to relax a bit !! :roll:

[Water Warrior 2]

Rider's backrest.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Rider's backrest.

Interesting that you should say that.
I now find that attaching all 3 of my pieces of luggage to my sissy bar automatically gives me a back rest in just about the right position.
IIRC, doing the same thing on the GZ pushed me forward too much.

[BillInGA]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

P.S. My mother was born in Florida and my great-great grandfather was an original settler in Georgia (Cobb county). Does that take away some points from my "yankee" score ???

:crackup

Well, having grown up in Southern California and West Texas I don't consider my either a Yankee or a Southerner. I'm a Westerner. So, I don't get caught up in the whole Blue/Gray thing.

[BillInGA]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

This sounds a LOT like you don't have a windshield. If not, you REALLY need one. Without it, you are having to hold yourself on the bike in a 60 MPH wind and it's not surprising that your forearms and back are sore. A small to medium size shield can actually increase your gas mileage a bit because it will have less total wind resistance than your head and body.

If you DO have a decent windshield than you seriously need to relax a bit !! :roll:

You're are correct - no windshield. I ordered my windshield last week, but it didn't arrive in time for my ride to Nashville. I ordered the Slip Streamer SS-28 Sport Fairing. It is somewhat similar to the Plexistar 2 and your Memphis Shades Santa Cruz. Although I think mine is a bit shorter. You can see it in my latest Tag-O-Rama posts.

My windshield arrived on Monday and I've been riding with it all week. I agree that it makes a significant difference. The biggest difference is that I can cover the brake and clutch at highway / freeway speeds instead of using my entire hand to hang on. It's a much more relaxed riding position. Another bonus is that it makes riding in cold weather much more comfortable, cutting down on the blast of cold air hitting me in the chest.