Had a great little ride today

[Lamonster]

Been a while since I went on a good ride so today I decided to burn up some pavement. I left the house about 9:30 and headed toward Hot Springs NC. On the way there I played with my iphone app to see what the HP and 1/4 mile times were. I wish it was what it showed but there's no way. I played with it again on the way home and it was way low. Bottom line is I need to mount it and not just have it in my shirt pocket.

So the Spyder is running great and I'm banging the gears and hitting the twisties as if the Devil was on my tail. I was really trying to make something break while I was still close to home. If I need to fix anything I want to do it here and not on my trip to LA. No luck there, the Spyder took everything I through at it. I was speed shifting around 7K to 8K and the Spyder loved it. It was as it was telling me "yea baby, I like that"

I got to put the swaybar to the test too. It did pretty good but the Nanny was still kicking it a lot sooner than I wish it would. It was better though I'm pretty sure. Once I got on 209 I really gave it a workout. I had some anger issues today and I took it out on the Spyder and the backroads. I'm much better now.

When I filled up in Greeneville I got 29.8 mpg. That bummed me out a bit. After riding through Hot Springs and Maggie Valley I wound up filling up at The Hellbender and I got 35 mpg, go figure.

From the Hellbender I headed to Deals Gap to get a burger. I didn't even get my helmet off before I got swamped with lookie lues. That's to be expected. After my burger I headed back to the Spyder to take a few pics and that's when I noticed two silver Spyders. One was GA-SPYDER from the board and the other gal had not heard of us. She has now. Her husband was on a B-King. That's another great bike.

The cops were doing their thing but I was a good boy while I was there. I sure don't need another ticket and I got shot with radar at least three times today.

Went to the lookout and talked with some Sportbike guys and a couple of Valkyrie guys and then headed to the Foothills Parkway. From there I went to Pigion Forge and then back home. All and all it was a great day and the Spyder ran great even though I was pretty hard on her today. I think she's just about ready for another long ride. I got to keep up with you high mileage guys and I think that may be pretty tuff this year.

26K


Foothills Parkway


Valkyrie guy and the lookout


The Dragon



GA-Spyder



Nice car

[gjco]

Looking good. Might be able to get a ride in here in Colorado tomorrow.

[Dudley]

Great paint job on that Spyder! Like the pics also. I just turned 7000 today. Not bad for a purchase on 11-18-08.

[ataDude]

Us, too... from a ride perspective. I got almost 40 MPG on the first tank (a record for me) and only 24 on the second. Guess why?

We (FJR1300, Kawa Nija, Suzuki SV1000, Suzuki DL1000 and me) got caught up in a high-dollar Porsche Carrera group for about 20 miles... including one Carrera GT (never heard of it before this)... take a look... very nice ride... should be for $450,000.


They didn't pamper their rides, nor did we.

I'll say this... bjt was right on the race air box. It (along with the Juice Box) improved the Spyder's performance rather dramatically... but it's also noisier than heck. Stock returns to duty Monday in preparation for an upcoming AR trip.

[jwhatman]

Sound like you had a great day! We went to Deal's Gap a few years ago. The Dragon is okay, but there are much better roads with the most amazing scenery. We want to make a weekend trip sometime soon to go riding in the mountains, especially now since hubby got a Goldwing. A much more comfortable ride for both of us for long distances.

[Lamonster]

Us, too... from a ride perspective. I got almost 40 MPG on the first tank (a record for me) and only 24 on the second. Guess why?

We (FJR1300, Kawa Nija, Suzuki SV1000, Suzuki DL1000 and me) got caught up in a high-dollar Porsche Carrera group for about 20 miles... including one Carrera GT (never heard of it before this)... take a look... very nice ride... should be for $450,000.


They didn't pamper their rides, nor did we.

I'll say this... bjt was right on the race air box. It (along with the Juice Box) improved the Spyder's performance rather dramatically... but it's also noisier than heck. Stock returns to duty Monday in preparation for an upcoming AR trip.

Very cool. Thay had a lot of high dollar cars at the Dragon today.

[5280 spyderman]

Sounds like a great ride - How do you like the new rear tire now????
I Need one and trying to decide what to put on.
Bill

[Lamonster]

Sounds like a great ride - How do you like the new rear tire now????
I Need one and trying to decide what to put on.
Bill

I like it fine except I haven't been in the rain with it yet so I really can't recommend it till I have some rain time.

[cisaacs]

I ended up running to Knoxville today to look at a repair job and started to run over to Deals Gap when I left but backed out. I should of hollard at you and met up and tried to keep up for the last part of your ride. I ended up by myself all day. 418 miles round trip on a bueatiful spring day. Life is good.

[Smylinacha]

You are so lucky that you walk out your back door and you've got those nice roads! We gotta get on the highway for a little bit just to get out of the congestion (and the highway can get congested too).

Your bike is looking awesome - I really like the paint scheme.

I raced someone today! In my Charger and I won

Tomorrow is the ride to VT - can't wait - should be nicer weather - so sick of this Cold spring we're having!

[dltang]

I like it fine except I haven't been in the rain with it yet so I really can't recommend it till I have some rain time.

Hey Lamont, great ride. I envy you being so close to so much great riding.

Regarding your rear tire, I get mine put on Monday, should be picking up on Tuesday. I may not get any rain riding in right away but this weather report has me thinking the ride home may be in the snow & possible rain mixed..... I'll let you know how it does. It won't be a long ride but could be cold and harry.

[Lamonster]

[rc51ny]

You guys don't know how lucky you are---we had rain/snow, 30 degrees here! I had a couple of my friends riding their Hayabusa's at the Gap yesterday--sure wish I was back there again!

[Lamonster]

You guys don't know how lucky you are---we had rain/snow, 30 degrees here! I had a couple of my friends riding their Hayabusa's at the Gap yesterday--sure wish I was back there again!

It's funny you should say that. I do know how lucky I am but I made my own luck. I lived in sunny San Diego before moving here in 2002. In San Diego there were no seasons other than fire season and you could ride year around no problem. My problem was I pretty much wore out every road and was bored to death with the riding in SoCal. It would be like eating your favorite meal everyday. Pretty soon you would hate that meal even if it was a big ol steak.

Here we get the seasons and they are just about right time wise. They last long enough that you really appreciate the good riding weather. I'm sure you do too when the time comes.

[Lamonster]

[Greg H.]

Us, too... from a ride perspective. I got almost 40 MPG on the first tank (a record for me) and only 24 on the second. Guess why?

We (FJR1300, Kawa Nija, Suzuki SV1000, Suzuki DL1000 and me) got caught up in a high-dollar Porsche Carrera group for about 20 miles... including one Carrera GT (never heard of it before this)... take a look... very nice ride... should be for $450,000.


They didn't pamper their rides, nor did we.

I'll say this... bjt was right on the race air box. It (along with the Juice Box) improved the Spyder's performance rather dramatically... but it's also noisier than heck. Stock returns to duty Monday in preparation for an upcoming AR trip.

Nice! A Carrera GT! V10 w/over 600HP - good for about 205mph. Jerry Seinfeld was one of the first to take delivery of one when they became available a few years back.

[Greg H.]

Nice car

Sounds like a really nice time, Lamont! And, I see a very sharp Ferrari F430 coupe in that picture!

The Wife and I went out for a nice ride to Oxford, MS yesterday - about 143 miles there and back. We stopped in Holly Springs to grab lunch at Phillips Grocery - one of the best cheeseburgers!

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=203



"The burgers here at Phillips Grocery are a thing of beauty!"
buffetbuster

[Lamonster]

[GA-SPYDER]

Hey Lamont,
It was sure good to meet you! We were setting in the resturant eating and one of the guys that I was riding with came in and said" There is a out in the parking lot, kind of like yours, but it's painted a different color, and it's got a trailer hitch on it." I'm thinking to myself, what are the chances? Walked outside and, folks, it was "The MAN!", the Lamonster!
Great paint job! Pictures don't do it justice! We talked for a little bit, but, not enough. The group that I was with were itching to get back to the Dragon. If you look at the second vid, you'll see us parked on the left just as he pulled into the store. The other Full Moon that was there was bone stock. They came over and sat on mine just to compare the NMN risers and the highway pegs. Told them that they should meet "The MAN" while they were there and I saw that they were talking to you.
So, to recap, first time riding The Dragon, meeting "The MAN", riding with my wife and a great bunch of friends, weather from Friday to Sunday that was almost perfect, and a ride that was 670 miles.

IT CAN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT.