Smokies, Blue Ridge Parkway and Honda Hoot Pics

To the Smokies!

First ride on Foothills Parkway, toward Deals Gap

Just rode the Tail of the Dragon!



Somewhere in the Smoky Mountains National Park



On the Blue Ridge Parkway, heading for Mt. Pisgah



Mt. Pisgah Inn

Camping at the Mt. Pisgah campground

Returning to Cherokee, NC on the BRP







The Geico Bike

Trying out the GoldWing

Victory Motorcycles

Trials riding demo by a world champ

Riding demo by the Knoxville Police Blue Hawks

Click here for more pics from the trip!

Getting ready for the Smokies/Honda Hoot trip

I had registered for the Honda Hoot in Knoxville a couple of months ago when I used to ride the VLX. Now I'll be showing up on my Suzuki! We'll be leaving this Saturday for Gatlinburg to ride some of the scenic routes (see map below) in and around the Smoky Mountains before attending the first two days of the Hoot (on the 20th and 21st).

I've been trying to get the bike as comfortable as possible for the many hours of riding. The Volusia 's passenger pegs are notorious for putting the passenger in a cramped and uncomfortable position, so I had to get a peg relocation kit. Angie and I tested them out on Saturday and they didn't seem to help much. We might try to swap the right and left mounting brackets to move the pegs forward a couple of inches. I put a luggage rack on the bike and also ordered a driver's backrest but haven't received it yet.

Scenic routes around Gatlinburg/The Smokies.

Another excellent motorcycle safety ad from the U.K.

First ride on my new Volusia !!

I picked up my my 2001 Volusia from Bernie this morning. Perfect day to take the new bike for a 150 mile test ride! After lunch with Bernie, I headed out to Rabbit Hash, KY on some back roads, taking my time getting used to the bigger bike. I met Rob "Dice" Giles there, who I had gotten in touch with last year through the FreeRiders Club. He took me on some great roads to this neat place called Jane's Saddlebag near Big Bone Lick state park-he knows the best routes in this area and rides his Vulcan pretty hard. Rob also had a couple of highway pegs for sale in the store at Janes' Saddlebag- he generously gave them to me for free. I need to get adaptors so I can install the pegs on the engine guards, allowing me to stretch out my legs on long rides. We rode for a couple of hours on KY routes 338, 18, 20 and 8 before I headed back home. Overall, I am extremely happy withe the bike. The exhaust note, however, is very muffled and could be a bit louder. I plan remove the baffles or get a set of Vance and Hines pipes in the near future. The other issue I had with the bike is a high-frequency vibration in the handlebars and footpegs at steady cruising speeds in the 3rd to 5th gears. My right arm and foot were quite fatigued by the end of the ride. Maybe it just takes some getting used to. Hope to do some more riding tomorrow if the weather stays nice.



Notice my new Fieldsheet Titanium armored mesh jacket for summer!

Lunch with Bernie


Rabbit Hash, KY

Rob "Dice" Giles with his Kawasaki Vulcan 1500

Jane's Saddlebag

Born to ride, forced to work!!

My VLX is gone!!!

I sold my VLX today. I hadn't planned on selling the bike this year, but Bernie, a co-worker ( and the chief of the Imaging Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital ), made me an offer I couldn't refuse on his 01 Suzuki Volusia. I had been thinking about getting a bigger bike anyway. I'm a little sad to see my first bike in the US go but hopefully the new owner will have many great rides and memories on it. I'll have pictures of the new bike and possibly the link to a new blog soon. Meanwhile, here are some pictures from my past rides on my VLX.