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General Category >> The Cafe >> Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
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Message started by stewmills on 04/27/16 at 20:32:28

Title: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 04/27/16 at 20:32:28

I will be there that weekend with a veterans group I belong to. If any of you are there as well, we're staying at Two Wheel Inn.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by old_rider on 04/27/16 at 20:35:02

Man, I wish..... I need to do something.... sitting at home trying to rid ourselves of some debt, so we can go on a 30 year anniv. trip in September..... sigh....

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 04/29/16 at 12:39:08

Hey...I'll be in your backyard this weekend down in Santa Rosa Beach. Unfortunately we're just vacating and I won't have the bike with me, otherwise we'd definitely have to connect and go for a spin.

Maybe next time..

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by Dave on 05/03/16 at 14:16:31

Man....you had me tempted to jump in the car and spend a day with you guys - but my wife and I are taking a bold step and we are riding down to Cumberland Falls with another couple.

It will be our first overnight ride on the bike, and our longest trip ever on a bike (3.5 - 4 hours each way), and the first long ride on the NT700. We are going with a couple that is taking their first long ride on his BMW Paris/Dakar bike - they will be riding it to Canada later this summer, then shipping it to the UK for a month long ride - including a trip to the Isle of Mann!

So.....ask me again next time you go.....or come with us to the Blueridge Parkway ride at the end of July.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 05/03/16 at 14:41:11

073C3126373B20263D353827540 wrote:

So.....ask me again next time you go.....or come with us to the Blueridge Parkway ride at the end of July.

I'll definitely post here any time I am headed that way. If things with work and home continue to go well, I really hope to make the Blueridge trip. Definitely need to make it a point to connect with you all this year.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by Dave on 05/03/16 at 15:06:29

08333E2938342F29323A37285B0 wrote:

Man....you had me tempted to jump in the car and spend a day with you guys -

I meant to type......"Jump in the car with the bike in tow in the trailer". The Savage Cafe' doesn't have any storage space, and I would have to pack everything in a backpack, and get a room to sleep in. Maybe some day I will just ride it to and from the event, to prove it can be done....it is about a 5 -6 hour trip for me. If I take the trailer I have a place to sleep!

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 05/04/16 at 09:47:58

Hey...I truck my bike up there. It's about a 4 hour ride at interstate speeds in my truck, certainly longer on the savage if I rode the whole way there.

However, I tend to avoid interstate riding (maybe a little bit if I am in a group and just connecting from here to there briefly) so that's really my only option to get there and play. My buddies on big bikes that ride from states away rag on me, but it's all good fun.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by Dave on 05/04/16 at 10:23:32

Oldrider has made fun of me - as I don't have any place on the Cafe' bike to store raingear or a water bottle, and MM has plenty of space in his 3 saddlebags and fork bag.

Oldrider has informed me that........ "Putting my Junk in MM's trunk" - is just a bit too weird! :o

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by old_rider on 05/04/16 at 17:00:26

ROFL~~

Well, MMR has a lot of "junk in his trunk".... I guess you could say he is the pachyderm of packin' !! ;D ;D ;)

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by old.indian on 05/04/16 at 18:15:47

516A6770616D76706B636E71020 wrote:

Not to worry Dave... One of the inspections in the Marines was placing all our uniforms (in a specific order and alignment) on our bunks. This was known as a "junk on the bunk" inspection. "Junk" was the term used for our uniform (clothing). Ignore Old Rider... He's just exposing his callow youth and lack of worldly experience.... :-[

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by Dave on 05/05/16 at 03:54:51

old.indian

Naaaaaw.....old_rider is keeping us guys on the Dragon Runs from being impolite when we are in public.

I still put stuff in MM's saddlebags when I need to - I just do it a bit more discreetly!

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by Dave on 05/17/16 at 09:28:50

OK....we need an update from Stewmills, including photos.

Trip details, weather report, lodging review, ride report, saddlebag evaluation, photos.....the usual stuff.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 05/17/16 at 11:44:57

Ok...Ok... You act like you have an interest in motorcycles or something :D

It was GREAT. The end. ;D

Seriously though. I arrived at TWI Friday morning about 3am. Slept about 2.5 hours, and was up and ready to ride Friday. Friday weather started out sprinkly and foggy and was about 65 or so there at the TWI. Met up with my motorcycle association (not a club!) and on Friday we did the Cherohala and some other roads in that vicinity. Weather up at elevation got chilly but was nice once the fog and mist burned off. Total mileage for Friday was around 125.

Saturday the weather in the morning started out around 50 but was sunny. We rode out Wayah road towards Franklin and over to Highlands and back. Total mileage somewhere around 200.

Sunday the weather in the am was 38. Chilly! Sun was out and the weather was beautiful, but I layered up and used my full face until after mid-afternoon. We rode out to Wheels Through Time in Maggie Valley. I met Dale, and since I was the youngest of the Old Dogs (our association) he gave me a free tshirt for putting up with a bunch of old timers. Cool guy. Went back through Warwoman again and Highlands and back through Wayah again. Total mileage somewhere around 225.

I got too busy and never ran the Dragon, but it was a big convention weekend for Mini Cooper's and it was not a good time to be up there anyway as some of the guys said they were honking and being real a-holes on the Dragon.

Overall we rode about 550 miles, me of course being the smallest of the bikes. Mostly HDs. But, they are all great people and marvel at my little bike and I just smile and nip at their heels no matter where we go. A couple of the guys are talking about trailering up their sports bikes so they can zip around like I do. ;)

Saddlebags and supports get an A+. Rode well, no rubbing I can see evidence of. I am happy with them. They aren't HUGE, but I didn't want huge. They were just right for what I need.

Lodging at TWI was as expected. No hiccups and we all had a great stay. I don't expect to stay anywhere else if I can help it.

What did I miss?

Here's a photo of us getting ready to roll out on Friday.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 05/17/16 at 11:45:29

Me somewhere at one of the many overlooks on Sunday.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 05/17/16 at 11:46:43

Our 'association' at the Cherohala HD on Friday. More were up in the area, not all were there with us at that time.

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by Dave on 05/17/16 at 12:04:18

Kinda funny....the farthest I think I have even ridden in one day on a Dragon trip is 240 miles, and it took all day. It is hard to rack up a lot of miles when some of the roads are a challenge at 30 mph. Occasionally we will hit a section of road that allows higher speeds (Cherohala) - but we most often try to avoid the superslab unless there is no other choice.

It sounds like it is just a bit too early for warm weather riding on a regular basis, and you better be able to handle some cold/wet weather if you are going riding this early in the year.

Glad you had a good time...hope you can go with us on a ride this summer.

Dave

Title: Re: Any savages at the Dragon May 13 weekend?
Post by stewmills on 05/17/16 at 14:41:14

Yeah, well I was running with the big dogs and we did hit the superslab for quite a bit of our runs (don't tell my wife) so that helped run up the trip counter on those longer days.

I have a few family obligations I have to squeeze in with my vacation days, but I definitely plan on coming to ride for a weekend or two(or three, or four...) with the Savages even if I have to arrive midnight-ish on Friday and leave after dark on Sunday.