WackyDan
New member
SE Laid off trip recap - With Pics.
So...
( I started writing this when I got back and then put it on back burner )
I got home this afternoon after almost two weeks on the road. 2400 miles and 49 hours in the saddle according to the Spyder.
The good:
I got to see some of the great people I met last year at Spyders in the Smokies and here on the forum.
I stayed with Tom ( Musicarcade) for an evening, and went riding down to Tybee Island. I got to see his extensive music collection... You have to see it for yourself to believe it.
I then stayed with DocRiverside in Georgia. Doc has a workshop I would kill for. He has metal working/milling machines. I told him he should start making his own Spyder parts... Hint, Hint!!!. His wife even baked me cookies the morning I left. SHE BAKED ME COOKIES! I continue to be amazed at the kindness and friendliness of people specific to our Spyders. That alone makes my investment worth every penny.
I then hit Forest's house in Kissimmee. I had a sick Spyder and we worked on it there but still had to hit a dealer. Forest is one of the most nicest people I've had the pleasure to meet at both the rally and here on the forum. Forest, we never got around to installing your Blinder system, so I'm inviting you to stop in Charlotte on your way home from Missouri and we'll get it done in my driveway. I hope you stashed the blinder setup in your trailer.
I then had Docdoru take me down to the beaches of Tampa/Clearwater and we enjoyed some Shrimp and beer. Totally enjoyed our conversation and as always I tend to learn something new about our Spyders every time I talk with Doc. I also set a new top speed on my Spyder following Doc. That was to be expected. Doc has radar jammers front and rear, so you just tuck in behind him the best you can and ryde.
I had to skip meeting YPILOT in TN as my butt hurt and felt I needed to get home. I'll get back up to him in a few weeks.
I also got to see many of my former and soon to be former co-workers and one of my best friends. They all thought the Spyder was cool.
The Interesting:
The Beach - I got to take the Spyder out on Daytona Beach. Little advice... Listen to the man in the booth... don't do it. He warned me but I told him I drove down to just take a few pictures so he let me on. The Spyder likes to sink in the sand, especially with my fat butt on it. The only way I got her back out was to stand beside the bike with it in reverse and she crawled right out back onto the hard pack.
The Storm - I thought the worse rain I would ever be in was the storm on the way to Gatlinburg last year. I was wrong. Sunday the 28th I needed to head down to Port Saint Lucie to see some friends. A big storm was heading through Orlando, so I donned the Frog Toggs and headed out. Turned out to be a pretty stupid idea. On a scale of 1 to 10, this storm was a 10 and Gatlinburg only a puny 5. I just kept riding hoping to break through at some point. I spent a total of 60 miles in that crap. The cross winds were terrible and the rain was coming down in buckets. Back tires is showing it's tread wear compared to Gatlinburg as I was floating a bit more this time. I could not have made that trip on two wheels... Thank-you Spyder! * Next time I will use my better judgement and stay in.
The Spyder:
Blew the O2 Sensor south of Jacksonville. Top clamp for the clutch master cylinder cracked and then practically broke right off south of Atlanta. The links below are the fantastic experiences I had with two different dealers getting my Spyder fixed in short order and on the road again.
The O2 sensor: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18196&highlight=powersports
The clamp: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18341&highlight=extreme
Aside from the repairs, Spyder ran fine and got me full circle from start to finish.
Deals Gap:
Well, the Dragon was closed, but I headed up that way anyway. From Robinsville, TN I headed up RT 129 to Deals Gap. I saw one car and one bike the whole 115 miles or so up. Wonderful ride late in the day.
Just before the resort, coming up from the Dam, I took a turn too sharp, and put her up on two wheels. I wasn't expecting it. Not sure what happened. Turned out my front tires were both sitting at 20.5 pounds... I usually have them at 18. My hard cases were loaded at about what I had them at at the rally when we ran the dragon.... The one difference is I have the Helibar risers now... That has my weight shifted a bit and my seat position different... Not sure that is part of it or not. Either way, I was more cautious after that. One other thing... The bike coming down hard after that caused my right side monokey frame for the Givi case to rub the rear fender support. Next time I have those off, I'm going to shave a bit of steel off those racks to prevent that again. No real damage done except for scuffed paint.
From the resort I turned right onto Rt 28... Which again, I had all to myself... Sun was fading, but still had plenty of light. Was a great ride. Stopped and stayed in Cherokee, TN as I did 9 hours of riding that day and had butt rash due to the heat wave. TMI?
Here are some pics...
Here is a friend Tom and I made outside of Beaufort, SC;
Tybee Island, GA Spyder;
Tybee Island Musicarcade (Tom) sighting;
Daytona Beach Spyder and Beach Patrol;
WackyDan and his almost stuck beach Spyder;
Two Spyder celebrities at dealer in Tampa Bay area; Docdoru, and Forest;
My Spyder somewhere near Fontana, TN;
So...
( I started writing this when I got back and then put it on back burner )
I got home this afternoon after almost two weeks on the road. 2400 miles and 49 hours in the saddle according to the Spyder.
The good:
I got to see some of the great people I met last year at Spyders in the Smokies and here on the forum.
I stayed with Tom ( Musicarcade) for an evening, and went riding down to Tybee Island. I got to see his extensive music collection... You have to see it for yourself to believe it.
I then stayed with DocRiverside in Georgia. Doc has a workshop I would kill for. He has metal working/milling machines. I told him he should start making his own Spyder parts... Hint, Hint!!!. His wife even baked me cookies the morning I left. SHE BAKED ME COOKIES! I continue to be amazed at the kindness and friendliness of people specific to our Spyders. That alone makes my investment worth every penny.
I then hit Forest's house in Kissimmee. I had a sick Spyder and we worked on it there but still had to hit a dealer. Forest is one of the most nicest people I've had the pleasure to meet at both the rally and here on the forum. Forest, we never got around to installing your Blinder system, so I'm inviting you to stop in Charlotte on your way home from Missouri and we'll get it done in my driveway. I hope you stashed the blinder setup in your trailer.
I then had Docdoru take me down to the beaches of Tampa/Clearwater and we enjoyed some Shrimp and beer. Totally enjoyed our conversation and as always I tend to learn something new about our Spyders every time I talk with Doc. I also set a new top speed on my Spyder following Doc. That was to be expected. Doc has radar jammers front and rear, so you just tuck in behind him the best you can and ryde.
I had to skip meeting YPILOT in TN as my butt hurt and felt I needed to get home. I'll get back up to him in a few weeks.
I also got to see many of my former and soon to be former co-workers and one of my best friends. They all thought the Spyder was cool.
The Interesting:
The Beach - I got to take the Spyder out on Daytona Beach. Little advice... Listen to the man in the booth... don't do it. He warned me but I told him I drove down to just take a few pictures so he let me on. The Spyder likes to sink in the sand, especially with my fat butt on it. The only way I got her back out was to stand beside the bike with it in reverse and she crawled right out back onto the hard pack.
The Storm - I thought the worse rain I would ever be in was the storm on the way to Gatlinburg last year. I was wrong. Sunday the 28th I needed to head down to Port Saint Lucie to see some friends. A big storm was heading through Orlando, so I donned the Frog Toggs and headed out. Turned out to be a pretty stupid idea. On a scale of 1 to 10, this storm was a 10 and Gatlinburg only a puny 5. I just kept riding hoping to break through at some point. I spent a total of 60 miles in that crap. The cross winds were terrible and the rain was coming down in buckets. Back tires is showing it's tread wear compared to Gatlinburg as I was floating a bit more this time. I could not have made that trip on two wheels... Thank-you Spyder! * Next time I will use my better judgement and stay in.
The Spyder:
Blew the O2 Sensor south of Jacksonville. Top clamp for the clutch master cylinder cracked and then practically broke right off south of Atlanta. The links below are the fantastic experiences I had with two different dealers getting my Spyder fixed in short order and on the road again.
The O2 sensor: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18196&highlight=powersports
The clamp: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18341&highlight=extreme
Aside from the repairs, Spyder ran fine and got me full circle from start to finish.
Deals Gap:
Well, the Dragon was closed, but I headed up that way anyway. From Robinsville, TN I headed up RT 129 to Deals Gap. I saw one car and one bike the whole 115 miles or so up. Wonderful ride late in the day.
Just before the resort, coming up from the Dam, I took a turn too sharp, and put her up on two wheels. I wasn't expecting it. Not sure what happened. Turned out my front tires were both sitting at 20.5 pounds... I usually have them at 18. My hard cases were loaded at about what I had them at at the rally when we ran the dragon.... The one difference is I have the Helibar risers now... That has my weight shifted a bit and my seat position different... Not sure that is part of it or not. Either way, I was more cautious after that. One other thing... The bike coming down hard after that caused my right side monokey frame for the Givi case to rub the rear fender support. Next time I have those off, I'm going to shave a bit of steel off those racks to prevent that again. No real damage done except for scuffed paint.
From the resort I turned right onto Rt 28... Which again, I had all to myself... Sun was fading, but still had plenty of light. Was a great ride. Stopped and stayed in Cherokee, TN as I did 9 hours of riding that day and had butt rash due to the heat wave. TMI?
Here are some pics...
Here is a friend Tom and I made outside of Beaufort, SC;
Tybee Island, GA Spyder;
Tybee Island Musicarcade (Tom) sighting;
Daytona Beach Spyder and Beach Patrol;
WackyDan and his almost stuck beach Spyder;
Two Spyder celebrities at dealer in Tampa Bay area; Docdoru, and Forest;
My Spyder somewhere near Fontana, TN;
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