[Author Index] [Date Index] [Thread Index]
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

[ST] Ride report, April 17



The weather on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous!  My buddy (Shane, the V-Rod
owner) and I hit the road around 9am to get an early start.

First, we zipped up I-985 to Gainesville, then through town to Hwy 136, a
nice windy little road - great for a warm-up run.  Part way in, we come up
behind a pick-em-up truck with a back end that's really low to the ground,
and going really slow.  After 5 minutes of following these guys, they hit a
bump and we found out why - a pile of gravel comes flying out the back,
skipping off the road and bouncing up to eye-level.  We're both hard on the
brakes, then off the brakes and dancing around the rocks like Neo dodging
bullets in the Matrix.  Much to our surprise, neither of us is hit, not even
the bikes!  We pulled off the road to let the rock-hauling yahoos get way on
up ahead, and to collect our wits and let our hearts settle down.

This road, BTW, is the same one from my last ride report where the SUV with
the bent frame nearly slides off the road trying to stay ahead of me.
Another incident like this and I may have to scratch it from my list of fun
roads to ride...

Anyway, continuing on 136 west, we hit Hwy 9/GA 400, and go north to
Dahlonega.  From there, we pick up Hwy 60 northwest to Blue Ridge.  Right
off the bat, we come up behind a truck that's following 3 Harley guys who
haven't figured out how to shift out of 2nd gear.  So we're crawling along
through a few of the more interesting turns; we pull off, let a bunch of
people go past, then take off and catch them after a few minutes.

Finally, they all pull off or head up different roads, and we're heading up
Hwy 60 at a good pace, having a blast.  The few vehicles we encounter all
pull over for us after a bit.  As I zip on head, I look back and see Shane
has fallen behind, so I slow down on the straight and level parts to let him
catch up.  Coming the other direction is a long train of BMW Z3/Z8 roadsters
out for a cruise, followed by a bunch of BMW 1150RTs.  In fact, I can't
believe how many BMW bikes we saw up there; not a single Triumph in sight.
I'm definitely not with the "in" crowd, which I think is a good thing.

We arrive at Blue Ridge right at noon, and stop for lunch.  I notice Shane
checking out his bike; the right heel of his boot, both foot pegs, and the
back of his muffler are ground down from trying to keep up with me (not that
I'm going particularly fast compared to most of you guys; I never even put a
feeler down).  Once again, I ask Shane when he's going to get a "real
bike"... ;)

After lunch, we turned around and took Hwy 60 back toward Dahlonega.  This
direction was a little frustrating due to traffic.  Nobody wants to pull
over and let us past; even so, our stop-and-wait method lets us have some
fun.  Before long, we came up to Hwy 180, which goes north to Vogel and Hwy
129, so we sped up away from the traffic.  This road has some nasty turns on
it, and was fairly dirty due to the snow a couple of weeks back - a lot of
sand and gravel.

Connecting with 129, we turned north for a bit (passing a lot of speed
racers going the other way with color matching leathers and bikes), then
resumed 180 east, again getting caught up behind some 2nd gear-only Harley
cruisers.  Finally, south on Hwy 348 (Richard Russell Scenic Hwy) for some
good curves and great views.  Again, the road is pretty dirty near the top,
so we had to go slow.

The ride back home was boring and uneventful, but I guess 100 or so miles of
twisties is good enough for one day.

I hope everyone else managed to have as much fun this weekend!  I'd offer to
lead trips through the area, but I doubt very much that I would actually be
leading; it would mostly just be me handing out maps and trying desperately
not to get too far behind.  In any case, if anyone wants maps with
recommended routes, I can provide them.

  - Dave



     *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
      The ST/RS Mailing list is sponsored by Jack Lilley Ltd.
          http://www.TriumphNet.com/st/lilley for more info
   http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST, RS and Mailing List info

=-=-=-= Next Message =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=