Tampa, FL to Pottstown, PA - why?

[jbuzbee]

I have a beautiful R1150R that is begging for a looooong trip, it's Thanksgiving, and I don't really want to spend 3 days in a car with my mother-in-law (really a wonderful woman - just the motorcycle will be much more fun!)



I'm leaving next Sunday. Temps should be low 50's to low 70's for the bulk of the trip, maybe getting colder the further north I go. I'll be taking the mountain roads once out of Atlanta.

My question for the board is: what are some of the things to keep in mind? I know cold tires in the morning: be careful. I'll be changing the oil before I go: 20 / 50 or 10 / 40? Anything else?

When I do eventually come back I'll post a ride report over at ADVrider. I'll be taking my new Fuji 60mm digital along

[DJ Downunder]

When I do eventually come back I'll post a ride report over at ADVrider.

Just make sure you post your pics and ride report here also...

Just watch out for..everything (deer, gravel, cars, other bikes and bugs)..and ride safe.

Have a good one.

DJ

[Lost Rider]

I'm leaving next Sunday. Temps should be low 50's to low 70's for the bulk of the trip, maybe getting colder the further north I go. I'll be taking the mountain roads once out of Atlanta.

My question for the board is: what are some of the things to keep in mind? I know cold tires in the morning: be careful. I'll be changing the oil before I go: 20 / 50 or 10 / 40? Anything else?

When I do eventually come back I'll post a ride report over at ADVrider. I'll be taking my new Fuji 60mm digital along

That is a beauty of a bike you have there, no side covers eh?
more pics please....

I just rode a similar route, so here's my 2¢
First thing is don't assume anything about the weather in the mountains. The Weather Channel, CNN, USA TODAY, etc rarely report accurate info about the mountains, most is general region/area conditions, and can be quite different at altitudes.
Not that you'll be 10,000 feet up or anything but I did notice on my last trip that it was 10-15 cooler in the mountains than reported on any nationally reported weather.
Here's a place to get good, detailed local weather forecasts:
http://weather.noaa.gov/

With that said about the weather, if you take into effect the wind-chill of riding in 50º weather at 50mph, a good mountain road speed, that makes it feel something like 39º. So 30º feels like.......etc.
I think you'll be extremely lucky if you can do that ride and it only goes down to 50º
I didn't see any windshield or mounts in your pic, so you'll be getting it right in the chest. If you ride all the way to PA in the mountains you going to ride in some cold.
I don't know what kind of riding gear you have, but be prepared to ride in cold weather.
I'm assuming you have a quality water/windproof jacket and pants.
An electric jacket liner and quality gloves is a wise investment IMO, along with a couple pairs of quality long underwear pants to double up if you do encounter cold riding.
I also found that having a couple packs of disposable foot warmers can be very nice.

The other thing to look out for ( just like DJ said ) is deer.
Try to avoid riding around sunset and sunrise, seriously. I had 3 near misses, with plenty of other not-so-close encounters.
They are everywhere now.
Can't stress it enough, go slower if you have to drive around those times. Pretend it's raining hard.
If you're going to be on the Blue Ridge Parkway be aware of your fuel levels. A couple times I was closer to empty than I like because there was no gas stations open for 40 miles or so. Seems like some places are seasonal. It's not quite like out West, but still be mindful, that's all.
I use 20/50, works good for me from 90º to 5º
Have fun, take pics, be safe.
Cheers!



you can get a gear list or see some pics from my trip from Florida going north here:

http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=8479


I'll just assume you meant to say, "I'll post a report here and at advrider"

[Lion_Lady]

Remember to take frequent breaks. More often than you would in the car.

I find that if I do that, I can make close to as many miles in a day as caging it.

P

[jbuzbee]

Thanks for the great tips evryone! I forgot about the different temps in the mountains! And yes - I'll post a ride report here as well, I wasn't sure if anyone would care!

[dubble8s]

First of all, good luck jbuzbee.

I took the opportunity to go through your pictures of your trip - they are outstanding, and I want to thank you for taking the time to post all of those photos and your comments. I am planning my first big trip already for next May - Newburgh NY to Las Vegas - and I will definitely want to pick your brain before I go. I have an '04 R, grey like yours - I am currently buying a touring windshield, and plan on getting a throttlemeister, tank bag, and a rear bag (I already have the Sargent's backrest for the passenger, was going to get the bag that attaches). Is that a Corbin front seat on your bike, or a Sargent?

Thanks in advance - Charlie

[RBrider]

Cold weather and altitude will affect tire presure.
Take a tire guage and check 'em in the AM.

I was in the mountains 150 miles north of Atlanta as of Tuesday AM, it was in the 30's at daybreak.

Plus two close encounters with deer Tues AM.

Be careful.

RB

[The Velvet Monkey]

Good luck on your trip--I'm envious. My R loves big road trips.

Just my 2 cents, but:

1) Fear the deer.

2) Unless you truly have buns of steel--get a Sargent seat (stupid expensive, but a few days on the shameful stock seat will make it seem like a bargain). Your butt will still hurt, only not so soon and not so much.

3) Make sure you drink lots of water as it's really easy to get dehyrated while riding.

4) If you decide to run up through Ocala and Starke on 301, watch out for the speed traps in Waldo and Bradford. The cops there are a bunch of money-making a$$hats.

5) Finally, try to see as much of the country you can away from our nation's sterile interstate highway system. Do the back roads and I guarantee you'll have more fun because you'll meet more interesting people and see more interesting sites (better food, too). You'll never see the World's Largest Ball of Twine on the interstate. My brother and I rode from Sarasota to Wisconsin and back and spent very little time on the freeway (really, just to get out of Florida). The everyday people across this country are great. If you can, take your time and enjoy your adventure--nothing kills my road enjoyment like a deadline.

[jbuzbee]

1,226 miles one way, but including the riding around I did in PA it was about 3,400 miles total.

The bike is a 2004 R1150R (non-ABS), tall seat, soft bags, GS handgaurds, heated hand grips and no windshield. The bike was flawless. I encountered all kinds of weather, as you'll soon see, and the R never missed a beat. I had zero problems with the seat - even after 14 hours of slab on the final day. I guess my butt is deformed?

The gear was typical Florida stuff with the exception of "life-saver" my Widder heated vest - not only did this make the trip possible, it was down-right enjoyable. Ok, enough with the talk onto the pics:

11.21.2006 Tue - early



End of the first day - no more pics - all slab



11.22.2006 - Wed

Ah, breakfast at the Dillard House - hey if you don't know then you need to find out!!




After breakfast (no I didn't take any pictures of the food! ) I was heading for the Great Smokey Mountains: this is what was in store . . .





Hmm . . .





On the way to the top, Newfound Gap, the views to the south where just stunning:





. . . but there was this peculiar white stuff along the edge of the road?





To the north, this is what was brewing:





Snow!





Lots of snow. And Ice. I almost got stuck posing the bike for this shot - stupid Floridian:





Newfound Gap





This species of conifer only grow above 5,000 feet





The north side had more snow - thankfully the roads had been sanded / salted.





(actual picture - not a post card)





almost to Gatlinburg - leaving the snow behind





lots of snow





I only made it to Roanoke VA. Some of you may remember the Nor'easter that blew in the day before Thanksgiving? Yeah, I was in it. What a mess. I was ok until it got dark and then visibility went to less than zero. The upside is that all the salt from the mountains got washed off!

Having found a nice warm hotel - and getting the lobby all wet - this is what I woke up to:

11.23.2006 - Thanksgiving





The weather wasn't as bad as it looked but I was mentally beaten from the night before. I really had to tap into one of my more agressive personalities to overcome it. (yes I suffer from a case of un-diagnosed multiple personality disorder)

The rest of the day was spent on the slab: didn't want to miss the turkey! But the weather cleared later that morning (the further north I went) and was really great while in PA.

With the sunny weather I was able to explore the countryside . . .

[chris]

Thanks for those! Hell of a trip there, looked cold and slippery with that snow.
Disadvantage of our small island is that it's not possible to do that kind of mileage unless we go up and down a few times!

[DJ Downunder]

Thanks James..great ride report and pictures... ...too cold for me...nice silver bike.

DJ

[jbuzbee]

After the post Thanksgiving day nap I decided to explore the countryside . . .

Pottsville - chapel in a very large, very old cemetary





These guys were EVERYWHERE!





Remnants of the regions past when coal fueled the countries industrial engines:





. . . winding roads, corn feilds, and mountains.





Skukillhaven - yes that's the towns real name

[toner87]

Nice report. Glad you're safely home. I appreciate the PA shots. My father's family all came from the Pottsville area. My great, great grandfather was a monument carver in Pottsville and you might have even some of his work in that cemetery.
T.

[BigC]

Great pics!! Sounds like quite a trip with all the adverse weather...your braver than I by far. I've eaten at the Dillard house for dinner...years ago. Seem to recall needing a wheelbarrow to haul me out of there too Bloody awesome that place You know the film Deliverance was shot in that area don't you? lol.

[rdsmith3]

minor correction -- it is Schuylkillhaven, named for the Schuylkill River (pronounced SKOO-kill). It is a Dutch name.

If that is the town I am thinking of, I rode through there in July just after it flooded from the river. They were scraping mud off the streets.

[jbuzbee]

toner87: the cemetary was huge! I was suprised at how urban Pottrsville is - it's a pretty big city.

BigC: Deliverance - yep - that's why I didn't camp!!!

rdsmith3: thanks for the correction. That flood was a pretty bad thing - people where stranded and had to be rescued! Pretty bad.

DJ: silver IS the fastest!

It was a great ride - would do it again in a heartbeat! In fact my best friend wants to do a ride to the Dillard house and then to the Mountains to see snow: in January or February!!! stay tuned . . ..

[rdsmith3]

I don't mean to sound like a geography teacher, but ...

You rode to Pottsville, PA, but the title of the thread says Pottstown, PA. They are two different places. Pottsville is famous for Yuengling beer, America's oldest continuously operated brewery. As you noted, it was a big coal mining town.

Pottstown is famous for, well, not much.

It sounds like a great trip.

[jbuzbee]

Yes - I know I screwed up the title of the original post - my wife caught it actually - but I didn't know how to edit it?

Yuengling beer - mmmmmmmmmmmm.