Big Plans (Part 1)

Now that my motorcycle is back together I am in a big hurry to “catch up” on lots of riding I have missed since it was in the shop.  Firstly I will test my bike over the next couple of weeks to verify that everything is mechanically sound and also to get used to some upgrades I am having done.  When I am satisfied with how it performs on some small day rides I will head out for this one which is going to be (roughly) 800+ miles.

This is the rough draft of the trip which is currently slated for the 2nd weekend in November.  You will notice that the second half has more stops which are closer together.  I figure I might be a little saddle sore the second (third?) day so I am allocating extra stops to lessen my fatigue.

I put in some scenic places and avoided major highways and cities (like Chattanooga).  I plan on doing a “Tennessee – Kentucky – Virginia” ride to tour around and see some of the distilleries along with the mountains so I didn’t put a lot of those places in this trip.

I did find several wineries along the way (coincidentally before a waterfall or two) which I think will be nice to stop and rest at.  I think it will be nice to stop and enjoy the falls, sip some wine, and relax a bit.

There plenty of room is left for deviation if I see something along the way that looks interesting.  I figure that I will hit the Biltmore Estate on the second day so I am rested and can enjoy it.  They are supposed to have their Christmas decorations up at the time of my ride and I am looking forward to seeing them in person.

I am planning on something like three 6-8 hour riding days to cover the (roughly) 800+ miles.  This will mean two nights lodging which shouldn’t be expensive since I am getting in contact with some members of my “Hayabusa Owners” group and they are offering me either a place to stay or insight on places that are reasonable and safe.

I figure that gas for the trip is going to be pretty reasonable also.  I am going to be conservative the numbers and plan on the bike getting 35mpg (guessing on mountain and highway mpg).  With that in mind I will use about 30 gallons so my fuel cost will be about $120.00 (this is figuring on $4 / gal average).

Granted the current gas price is roughly $3.55 and I have got 45+mpg (closer to 50) on my bike on long stretches so if I am easy on the throttle and take my time it could cost as little as $65

If you would like to take a look at my (initial) map of the trip click here:
Biltmore Trip

This might change depending on scheduling conflicts and such, but currently this is what I have in mind.

~ by Preston on October 7, 2008.