3200 Mile round trip finished on my 82 GS850GL

[Blue Falcon]

Well, I did it. Left Orlando, FL on July 8th at 5 am and finished the trip on July 19th at 6pm. Rode from Orlando, FL to Savannah, GA to Wahalla, SC hopped on the Moonshiner 28 and rode it to Bryson, NC and camped in Maggie Valley the first night. Finished up the Moonshiner 28 in the morning, rode the Tail of the Dragon then hit the Cherohala Skyway and spent the night in Sweetwater, TN. Continued on to Carterville, IL where I grew up and had a fun week with the family. On the 16th, rode over for the last day of the Kentucky Bike Rally...hasn't changed much since I was here last 16 years ago. Took all back roads from there, stopped in Oliver Springs, TN and rode the Devil's Triangle, got a screw in my tire, made it to Knoxville and got my tires changed out, found a loose bolt scraping inside the hub. Had to loc-tite and tighten down everything in the hub. Rode on back down 129 from Knoxville to the TOD again. Spent the night in Maggie Valley again, met a bunch of great people and had a fun time. Next day rode part of the waterfalls loop/Blue Ridge Parkway, down to part of the Six Gap thru Augusta, GA and I took 25/17 all the way down from there. Got rained out in Woodbine, GA. Needed to rest anyway. And back home, no issues.

The back roads were way more fun than the highways.

Lessons learned:

Pack less clothes, tools and stuff - won't be camping next time (3-4 days of clothes, rain gear/bike cover/jacket and minimal tools are enough)
Save more money for hotel/motel rooms - my back can't take camping anymore after a day of riding
Raccoons do not make good speed bumps on a bike
Georgia and Illinois roads are awful
South Carolina has the longest stoplights in the world
Take the back roads, they are more memorable
Lots of stores are closed on Monday in Knoxville, TN
Sturgis, KY bike week is not worth 1000 mile trip
Moonshiner 28 is better than Tail of the Dragon
Cherohala Skyway and Blue Ridge Parkway while scenic and beautiful are absolutely boring to ride
People riding new full dress Harley's are too afraid on harder roads...they drive so slow it's dangerous for those behind them
Plan the trip better next time, I planned, but not detailed enough
CrampBuster lever is a must

Stats:

HWY MPG - 42 @ 80mph
Backroad MPG - 51 @ 60mph
Total miles 3,183
Fuel costs $170
Bottled water - 53 bottles @ $1 each during ride times
Stickers/Patches/Pictures/Shirts from the rides $70
New tires/mount/balance $320

Overall the whole trip cost less than $1000, better planning would have got me more out of it. I'll go again to NC either later this year or next spring.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Sturgis should be be renamed "Turgid."

 

[steve murdoch]

Sounds like you had a good time on your adventure.
You are a brave man for tenting it along the way.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Moonshiner 28. It looks great.
http://moonshiner28.com/details/

 

[storm 64]

Sounds like you had a fun motorcycle vacation. Bummer about the nail in your tire. 53 bottles of water? I would have thought more like 55 or 60. Haha☺

 

[TxGSrider]

Thank you for sharing. I'd sure like to do something like that myself. I think I'd probably use motels/hotels instead of camping though.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Sounds like a dream trip
Moonshiner 28 is great - rode it last year (and all those others too)
I would love to ride my 850 up & down the Dragon just to get those professional pictures..
And YES- SOME HD riders are awful - but they spent a lot of money on those bikes to help the economy.
Well done !

 

[Burque73]

That's a pretty awesome trip. I know you were trying to find a bigger tank due to the limited range of the L. How did it work out for you? Were you pretty much ready to stop when it was time for fuel anyway?

 

[Wingsconsin]

That's a pretty awesome trip. I know you were trying to find a bigger tank due to the limited range of the L. How did it work out for you? Were you pretty much ready to stop when it was time for fuel anyway?

Great question ! "L" owners do have this challenge - Mine goes 135 +/- miles before hitting reserve -

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Still beats a VMax!

 

[Redman]

Thanks for report.

Good that the ol' GS made it.

I had similar comment after riding TOD. "Was fun and interesting, glad I got to expereince it, but I enjoyed lots of other roads in the area as much or more."

.

 

[Blue Falcon]

That's a pretty awesome trip. I know you were trying to find a bigger tank due to the limited range of the L. How did it work out for you? Were you pretty much ready to stop when it was time for fuel anyway?

I was having to stop every 60-70 miles for my back so the larger tank wouldn't have made a difference. Maybe if I redo the seat for longer rides.

 

[Blue Falcon]

Here is a pic of me on a corner at TOD, somewhere along the way..I ticked off an admin on the FB GS Owners Group....I have been blocked... my last entry was about having a fun time riding with another group member. Oh well, I guess real riding versus desk jockey riding makes some people mad. lol

 

[Steve]

I was having to stop every 60-70 miles for my back so the larger tank wouldn't have made a difference. Maybe if I r do the seat for longer rides.

You still have the stock bars? Most here feel that they are the most uncomfortable part of the bike and change them before modifying the seat.

.

 

[Blue Falcon]

Stock bars on the bike, me having a bad back and the seat being worn was the issue, my arse would start hurting then my back. I was able to lean back on the pillow on my tail bag to help out the back, but still was sore. Military injury.