Most of the harley riders move along at a pretty good click. Most of the time we have so many that we will have 2 or 3 different groups split off for different rids, and we end up with a group that wants to do all the fun twisty stuff (where I go) and other groups that just want to cruise to a destination (not where I go). It's not too bad.

Thought it might work out conveniently ?

I'm sort-of the same way about the weather .    

But both bikes have fenders and mud flaps .     I'll have to admit to being spoiled to that 5.5 gal fuel tank ...

The Savage still has its low seat and low center of balance to love so its still my run here and there bike.    Stopping for fuel ever 100 miles is not always an inconvenience .  

Waiting on the weather report .... .... ... ...  

This is our turn for Wednesday Bible Study so , we'll be getting ready for company all day.   Dinner is only hamburgers and smoked sausage off the grill , chips , and chocolate cake .   The group will be smaller than normal this time.  

I'll be glad to see ya when-ever ya get here !  

Mapquest claims the trip is 6 hr-45 min.  I have a somewhat difficult time keeping up with their schedule when it is not interstate roads, as they just don't seem to factor in traffic well when the route goes through a lot of small towns.

I am hoping to be able to get on the highway by 11 AM.  It appears I can make the trip with just 1 stop for fuel - although I may get more fuel as an excuse to stretch my legs and get some bugs off my visor.

It is very likely the earliest I will arrive is 6:30PM....and with the chosen route it may be more like 7:30.

Here is the route I am taking......there are lots of intersections and small towns that could slow me down.  Unfortunately once I leave I-75, there really isn't any way to alter the route to make it faster.
https://www.mapquest.com/directions/from/us/ky/melbourne/41059-9348/7256-kohl...

MM:

Mapquest and the Garmin both claim it is a 7 hour trip - it would be 6 hours if I rode down on boring I-71 and played chicken with all the semi trucks.  The only part of the ride where I can't avoid riding on I-75 t is the 132 mile section between Walton and Mount Vernon KY - if I were to get off the interstate and ride on Dixie Highway it adds another hour to the trip.....and I will miss dinner!

The only way I have found that I can keep up with the time forecast that Garmin provides - is to drive 5mph over the speed limit and drive for 3 hours between stops for fuel/food/relief........that way I have gained 15 minutes to spend at the stop and stay on schedule.  I have to eat truck stop and convenient store food that is already prepared and you can grab quick and eat in the car......so I am likely going to fall a bit behind on the motorcycle.  I have also found that Garmin and Mapquest are optimistic about how fast you can get through the little towns when riding off the interstate - they don't seem to provide adequate time for traffic (and they are never account for the horrible traffic delays in Atlanta...which is the traffic pustule of I-75).

The trip is 353 miles and I should be able to do that with only 1 stop for fuel!

Excited to be riding...and the weather forecast is great for the weekend!
(it is now 47 degrees but will be close to 60 by the time I climb on the bike and head south).

I just talked to Stew.....they had a great day of Sunday riding and all the rain stayed north.

Last week I looked the bike over - the brake pads were good, I changed the oil and filter, and looked at the rear tire.  These were the original factory Metzler tires and they and they had 7,590 miles on them.  The front tire looked good, the previous owner must have done a lot of highway riding as the edges of the back tire had plenty of tread - but the center was worn a bit flat - but it looked like it could make it for a bit longer.........and I figured that riding on the curvy roads would likely help to round out the profile a bit.

This is what the tire looked like when I left:




I made it down to MM's house in Lynchburg TN, and on Thursday we rode off to NC.  On the way we rode past Falls Creek Falls State Park....this is the only scenery shot I took all weekend.




When we got to Tellico Plains I noticed the center of the rear tire was worn down to the carcass rubber in the center!  There was no cord showing and the center of the tire felt plenty stiff - so we rode the Cherohala Skyway on to Robinsville........then I spent the night worrying about how I was going to get a new tire.....and who I was going to trust not to scratch my wheel.  Turns out that just a couple miles up 129 from Robinsville is Wheeler's - and he is a "Roadside Garage" from days gone by.  He has 400 tires in stock, changes 1,000 tires a year - and he got me fixed up in no time at all.  I took the wheel off and he put on a new Michelin Road 5 tire using his "no touch" machinery and he had an electronic balancer.  This guy is the "real deal" - there was a Harley on the rack for an oil and filter change when we arrived, he changed my tire, then before we left there were 4 more bikes in for new tires.

https://www.wheelersperformance.com/


This is what the rear tire looked like 640 miles after leaving home...along with the new Michelin Road 5 tire:




On Saturday we stopped at Lake Burton for lunch....and I saw this bike.  Does it remind you of any of our forum members?



On Saturday we road around in north GA.....and I found out what the local folks do in the winter months - when it is too cold for riding and all the tourists are gone.



It was a good ride weekend.  I rode a total of 1,422 miles and had a great time with MM, Stew and his brother.  We covered a lot of miles, took a lot of curves, scuffed up 8 tires pretty good (9 if you count the one I got replaced), and we enjoyed roads that were not very crowded as most schools have not let out for summer yet and the tourist have not yet flooded the place.  There were a lot of bikes and when we road past Two Wheels of Suches.....we could not even find a place to park and just got back on the highway - but we somehow managed to find a lot of good roads and only a few times did we get slow cars holding us up for a mile or two of twisties.  If you can find good weather - I think May is a good time to go riding in TN/NC/GA.   

I did manage to find at least one picture :  

I'll see if I can find a better angle ?

Dave wrote on 05/13/19 at 07:29:18:
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That is weird.."girlfriends"...sure...

Haha, just messing around.