06-12-2013, 05:45 AM
(06-12-2013, 05:12 AM)Greg_imp Wrote: [ -> ]redReno
By the time I finished the paperwork and attached a tail bag and tank bag it was close to 7:00 pm. I had arranged to stay overnight with a friend in Atlanta which is about 120 miles and I wanted to avoid rush hour traffic so that part was good but it also meant I'd be riding in Atlanta after dark, and I'd never been to my friend's new house. I had ask the dealer to top off the gas tank and install a battery tender connector. I had brought with me an SAE to USB power adapter, charging wire for my iPhone and a pair of Etymotic earbuds that also block a lot of sound. I stopped while it was still light, about an hour from Atlanta and put my friend's address into Maps and tapped "Route". The iPhone, with the charging wire and headphone cable, went into the clear top pocket of the tank bag and I ran the headphone wire up the inside of my jacket.
Siri talked me turn by turn through downtown Atlanta and the 5 miles of surface streets, right to my friend's driveway. I could have also looked down to see the display of my phone but I never did that. Siri gives advance notice of the upcoming turn and then again just before the turn. If you miss it, "she" recalculates and talks you through the new route.
So, it wasn't a single ride of 570 miles, but 120 miles the first day and 350 the next. I had plenty of opportunity to vary RPMs and lots of saddle time right off the bat. I had to stop every 150 miles or so for gas, or about every two hours, but I actually stopped about every hour to stretch and clean the bugs off my visor!
Altogether, 4 fill-ups, so about $50 in gas. The wind blast was the biggest factor in needing breaks. Interstate 75 the main route between the midwest and the southeast and traffic runs fast. Sticking to the posted speed limits is actually dangerous because almost everyone else, including a large number of big rigs, is overtaking you. I felt safest in the far left lane, going a little faster than the flow. I don't care for riding right next to another vehicle, and I'd rather overtake than be overtaken.
That's an awesome pic well worth a thousand words.
Interesting break in
