Nope, just reliving an old dented by the front tire truck bed and a bent side stand episode of my very very own where I did all these things.   Life tends to teach us by experience, now doesn't it?  

This was two supposedly knowledgeable people doing what they had always done, jacking down on a pair of handle bar straps, trapping the bike against the truck bed.   Yep, them ratchet straps can exert enough force to dent a flimsy modern truck bed, and enough force to bend a side stand.   What they can do to a spoked front wheel "true" isn't super friendly either.

I am also remembering my attempts to design a front wheel based bike towing rig, one which did go sideways when a strap tension pair rearranged things when the bike went over a bump and there was enough free motion in the front end from the "bump free play" to allow the entire bike some motion.   Ugh, that was a huge embarrassing failure to be sure.  Knocked my front wheel all out of kilter and required re-truing it did.

When you come you will see the rig that resulted from all my past bike damaging hauling mistakes -- a tire channel, a free floating bike supported by lots of relatively low tension straps with the front and rear shocks about 3/4 compressed to provide the "clamping force" which only goes straight down to the floor through the tires.

Also remember to cut your petcock off before hauling your bike --- I learned that one the hard way too.

   

http://www.blueridgemotorcyclecamp.com/

Wed June 10th - MMRanch staging visitors from the far West.    
Thur June 11th -  Oldfeller and Dave already there by cabin #4
Fri June 12th - MM's group packs up and headto Blue Ridge Campground  
Sat June 13th -
Sun June 14th -
Mon June 15th -
Tue June 16th -
Wed June 17th - Pack up and head home.


========================================


WE ARE STILL TOO FAR OUT FOR ANY FORM OF REAL WEATHER ACCURACY .... it is all guesstimates right now.   The forecast tightens up at 2 weeks out but it will always say some chance of showers (mainly because up in the mountains there is always that chance).   Look at the individual days for the amount of precipitation, those 0.2" days are a heavy morning mist which also always happens all the time up in the mountains.

We've been through this before so you will always get you a 10 day out cancellation warning in case of fairly well predicted heavy bad weather (in time to get your money back on a cabin reservation).   If you are tenting, you will get cold at night and a bit dew wet each morning -- count on it.   So bring a bag and a blanket or two.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/cruso-nc/28716/month/2096614?monyr=6/01/2015

..... and count on it, you will meet up with a rain cloud at least once during the trip.   Stop and eat lunch or dinner, the road will be drying by the time you are done.  

Or ride on and get soaked, we have done it both ways.   (you dry out in an hour or so anyway)

Man, if it is only 14 hours that is much, much better than I thought. I thought it was about 950 miles.

springman wrote on 05/25/15 at 17:59:54:

Mapquest shows 1003 miles, and gives a time of 14-16 hours
that figures an average speed of a bit ovr 70, nad doesn't count gas or food stops, but I can snark food down pretty quick when I'm motivated
or it's possible to eat while driving
I still didn't get a answer on the time off
My buddy might have a trailer he'll make me a deal on, though I have figured out how to do both bikes in the truck
Can't put em in at much of an angle, the wheelwells are in the way, but I can load them in and angle the front wheels into the bed corners, so they'll ride side my side
still think the trailer would be the better option though
MM when we can get there will depenmd on what we get for time off, but I'm off thursday, so even if Springman has to work, we could leave Spring by 6-7 ish if we get his bike loaded directly after work (assuming his job is 9-5)
best case there would be getting there aroung 9-10
If we can leave earlier, well, thursday night arrival (might even get to shoot some  )

Art --- Ya'll can leave your truck at my house weather I'm home or not.  

So don't hurt yourselves getting here .   That said, It would be great   to have a larger group for the ride to Telico Plains .   From Lynchburg we will go : North on Hwy 55 about an hour then , East on Hwy 30 about 3-4 hours to Telico Plains where we jump on the SkyWay for an hour, that puts us at the South end of the Dragon on US-129.
The Camp-Ground is about an hour South of the Dragon  

You will burn a lot less fuel w/out the trailer .     ,   I have a "Wall" you can back-up to for unloading -- or -- ramps also.

Versey and Lancer will have two Bikes in Versey's truck - not for the first time either !    .   they have always been unloaded before I got there so your guess is as good as mine to how it works .  

Hey Art, I got my time off confirmed starting Thursday, so we can leave really early a.m. Thursdayif you want. I have looked up the dimensions of the bike and it is gonig to be a really tight fit. But I'm game if you are.

Well MM, I prefer to follow someone when I ride an unknown area, it's hard to use the cell for GPS without a mount  
As far as gas mileage with / without a trailer, in my experience it makes no difference with a truck, with a trailer you're pulling extra weight, but with bikes in the bed you have more aerodynamic drag
And Versy's truck ain't no Ranger, it has a wider bed
I can likely get a trailer if I have to (worst case I could rent a Uhaul trailer lol)

Dave I will PM you my number today, although i still don't have a definite answer as of yet as to time off, if I get it it looks like me and Springman can get moving pretty early, we should be able to get in Thursday night I hope

Springman I'm gonna do a test load on my bike soon and see how much room there really is
I'm pretty sure both bikes will fit, just not parked slantways nose to tail, It'll likely be as I said, mostly forward aimed and wheels into opposing bed corners
I'm very confident they'll fit, even if I gotta do some heavy lifting, just that kitty corner would put the rear tire of one bike would be sitting on the wheel well of the truck
I'm looking into maybe better anchor points, too, if I don't go the trailer route (there are advantages to that that have nothing to do with gas mileage)