If, If ,If,
If the weather had not been so damn hot on Thursday , and if it had not rained Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon , and if the Duc had not broke down!!!!
OH well these are things you have to learn to deal with with while on a ride.
I do wish that on Saturday we had not got split up but we did , not that big of a deal for me I still had a great time , and got big time lucky on the BRP , not getting a ticket trying to catch a ghost with a white helmet on running up around 100 mph , I have learned now that it is a $500.00
Fine !!!!!
I think Beaman got a little upset with me about the Gap on the way home , But I don't like the Gap much , because of the riders that cross over the line in to your lane , but if your going that way you have to do the gap .
There was two bikes that Beaman & I passed, that had no business on the gap, but I guess if Mark or Logan came up on me Friday they could have said the same about me. From what Beaman had to say at the end of the run the one guy got damn lucky not getting took out or taking out someone Else after crossing over into the other lane and staying there around a left hand turn , Oh well most of us have crossed lanes before I did it last year at the gap myself
I was passing went I should have not!!!!!
It was a good ride down NC28 and the BRP on Fri. and then the bottom dropped out on NC.215 and the Duc broke and my filter where getting wet, damn Mods suck sometimes!
We made it to our Friday night flop one rider short and wet ,but I think wet was better than heat stroke , if the temps had been as bad as Thursday , I don't know if could have made it !!!
Like Beaman said we took in some of the local's at a show in town and did some shopping for the wife's !!!!
Saturday we got an early start and rode down Nc 9 to Chimney Rock Park , 9 was a good ride and the park was awesome as well , even did 9 back up to Hwy. 70 !!
Beaman likes to race so he got me to do a 2nd gear roll on he got me alittle ,but I'm not sure that proves anything in his favor , with all the miles on mine , and the $$$
he's spend on his jet kit , and I don't have a jet kit at this time, just some shims and some tricks I've done and cheap ass filters Emgo's I think ( He! He! ) !!!
Took 70 over to NC. Hwy 80 the same one Beaman & I did on the East Tn. trip this is a great road but we got off of it at the BRP , on hindsight I wish we had stayed on it up to Hwy. 19e and took 19 w and some others and wound our way back to Oak Ridge , But that's maybe another trip , We got on the BRP and then ran into rain again,
and got spilt up and then regrouped around 2:00 PM for lunch and came up with route back to Oak Ridge, Tn. looked like a good plan to me but when we tired to leave
Ashville we where heading right into a bad storm front with very dark black clouds and tons of rain , so we made a sharp turn and headed away from this crap only to have it catch us at some point !!
We turned again onto Nc.Hwy. 276 which is another very good road but needs to be ridden early if on a weekend because of hikers and sightsee'ers!!!
After 276 we got on I - 40 for a 100 + MPH blast back to Oak Ridge, that sucked !! And to top that off my lunch made me sick!!!! But the Steaks for supper where pretty good !!!!
By the time supper was over it was bed time for the old and weary !!!
Sunday morning we had a very very good run on Tn. 116 from Hwy 62 to Hwy 330 back to 62 and back to Oak Ridge!!
116 was a little dirty but that just made it more fun for me , I tried to run video of the ride on 116 but it came out badly ,will try again soon!!
Yea this road takes you back through POT growers heaven but it is a great ride with lots of twistys and switchbacks and up and downs , HANG ON stay alert and have fun
!!!
Can't wait to next year no Duc's
I for one had a great time AND MY OLD BANDIT MADE ANOTHER ONE!!!!!!!!
THANK'S BEAMAN now we need an R1 virus Bandit report please !!!
Beaman wrote:
R-1 ver Bandit report.
Remember i dont care much for all the technical aspects of bikes, and dont really see the need to upgrade much. I just tend to take what i get and deal with it. After riding the R-1 (old 98-99) for quite a while now, and then trading it for a Bandit, I found some interesting differences that rick wants to hear. especially after riding some of the same roads within a short period of time on the different bikes.
The R1 is a great bike, with more power than anyone would ever need. It wheelies like no other, sometimes reaching triple digits on just one wheel. something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime of riding. The bike handled well, mainly due to its light weight. The brakes on the R1 are WAY too much, and in combination with the excessive speed you build in a straight, tend to make the bike want to wash the front out unless you pay very close attention. No mind wandering or sight seeing with this bike.... Mix in the fairly high footpegs and fairly low windshield.... and you have a typical sport bike.
The Bandit on the other hand.... is a very typical suzuki. I love this bike as it reminds me of the old TL in many ways. Power is very stable and linear and the brakes are just right. The seat and position is typical standard fare. The weight is a little high but like most, you only feel this when your trying to push the bike or lean it off the stand... during the ride its not even a factor. The bike very capable handling right out of the box (remember i dont require much) as it would never push the front either on or off the brakes, and the rear would always track stright out of a turn even on the power hard. Its so stable and easy that you can lean it to the tires edge and then WHAck the throttle for all shes got and spin the rear in a nice easy arc. Even with a sport touring tire on the back i never felt unsafe or needing more traction. It just makes riding that much more enjoyable for me now.
Dave S: wrote
I've had an R1 (2000 model) and now the Bandit. Big difference for me is the added versatility, long distance comfort factor and the fun factor. The R1 is everything Beaman describes as anyone who has ever ridden one knows. It requires a lot of attention while riding it compared to something like the Bandit. I can ride the Bandit fast or I can slow down and enjoy the scenery. I couldn't really do that on the R1.
We got caught behind some Honda Hooters on one of the roads leading to the interstate Sat after lunch. Must of been one of the scheduled group rides as there had to be 30 or more touring bikes, cruisers, and a few sport tourers all riding really slow. I passed a few and then realized that it was a large group and decided just to go with the flow, sit back and enjoy the view of the river running alongside the winding road. I woulda been miserable on the old R1, but on the Bandit, it was no big deal.
Banditmaster: wrote
Never owned an R1 and have only ridden one very little , But I am starting to like my Bandit 1200 a little!!!!!!!
Topic: Bandit threesome /Honda Hoot /East Tn. /N.C. (Read 3866 times)