MATURITY+RESPECT+SKILLS+EXCITEMENT=FJR1300

The title of this article pretty much sums up what I've known since the summer of 2014 when I purchased my first Yamaha FJR1300 a 2006.  As I've gotten older my riding skills have improved along with my riding maturity.  With this maturity comes respect for the machine you're on, those around you and the skills you've acquired.  Riding, like anything else should improve as you continue to practice.  Yamaha FJR video.

Since 2002 I've owned mostly Harley-Davidson's.  My motorcycling adventures started with the purchase of a Yamaha Virago 750 back in the early 90's.  I later sold this bike and purchased my brother-in-laws 1984 Honda Goldwing Interstate.  After a short time with the Wing and having two young children, like many, the bike was sold and I was done riding for many, many years.

Then came the 100th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson in 2003!  I told my wife, I WILL be attending the Biggest Party of Milwaukee's History next year!  She replied, "You can, you have the mini van to get you there!"  Really a mini van to go to the biggest motorcycle gathering known to man!!?? Not gonna happen!  Went searching for a Harley-Davidson almost immediately!  Our list of motorcycles through the years; 1993 Heritage Softail Classic, 2000 Electric Glide Standard, 2002 Ultra Classic, 2008 Ultra Classic, 2008 Harley-Davidson Road Glide, 2008 Honda Goldwing, 2011 Ultra Class Limited, 2012 Honda Goldwing, 2014 Ultra Classic Limited Peace Officer Special Edition and now a 2016 Yamaha FJR1300A.

For the past three years I've been hoping, praying Harley-Davidson would introduce a Sport Touring Motorcycle to help us older riders feel the nimbleness of a lighter motorcycle.  To my surprise the Motor Company just hasn't!  Believe me, if and when they do, I will be the first in line for a test ride!  Our Harley-Davidson "bagger" weighs in at around 900 pounds (2019 HD Limited 877 lbs), add a passenger and gear and wha-la you're up over 1,000 pounds! Sport Touring motorcycles like the BMW R1200 RT (609 lbs, 109hp & 89ft lbs torque), Honda ST1300 (730 lbs, 116hp & 85ft lbs torque), Kawasaki Concours (690 lbs, 158hp & 100ft lbs torque) and Yamaha FJR1300 (635 lbs, 141hp & 99ft lbs torque).  As you can see the Sport Touring bikes are almost 300 pounds lighter!  Less weight can add to better acceleration, better braking and easier maneuverability, providing the rider has these skills.

Last season I almost signed papers on a new 2018 BMW R1200 RT! Our Harley was paid off and this would have translated to about an $8,000 loan plus giving them our motorcycle.  I didn't do the deal.  Though not doing this deal still weighed in the back of my mind the entire riding season and into this year.  After riding The Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee last week on the Harley and having a blast, I started thinking again at how much fun I had on the FJR1300 on The Dragon a few years back.  Well I decided, I'm not getting any younger and I will be turning 60 this year, why wait!  So once we got home I started looking towards the FJR1300 again.  A few calls were made, trade values for our 2014 HD Limited I was told were about $10,000!  Really!!??  Keep in mind the Limited when new listed for around $28,000!  There was a time, many, many years ago when Harleys kept their value.  Those days are long gone, like everything depreciation has hit us like a ton of bricks!

I kept calling dealerships looking for a used FJR that I could possibly trade our 2014 Limited in and walk away owning nothing and paying next to nothing!  After several calls, I didn't think this was going to happen, until I contacted Fuel Powersports out of West Bend, Wisconsin.  Long story short, I traded in our 2014 HD Limited with 37,000 miles (owned it since spring of 2015 when it was purchased with 7,200 miles) for a "new" leftover 2016 Yamaha FJR1300A with the Yamaha Top Trunk, larger windscreen, Frame Sliders and Accessory Mount.  Initially they wanted our Limited plus $2800!  I left the dealership with the FJR, 1 year manufacturers warranty and $89 less in the checkbook.  The FJR listed out around $16,500 plus the accessories placed it in the neighborhood of around $18,500 plus dealer freight, etc, etc........and all I paid was $89 for title and registration.

The most pleasant changes from my 2006 FJR to the new one include; 1.) LED headlight, directional, running, brake lights 2.) Cruise Control 3.) 3 position Heated Grips 4.) Touring and Sport Riding Modes 5.) 6-speed Transmission 6.) 6.6 gallon tank 7.) ABS Brembo Brakes along with past likes that included; 1.) Side Easy Removable Locked Saddle Bags 2.) Electrically Controlled Windscreen 3.) 2 position High/Low Seat Adjustment 4.) Center Stand and of course the added Yamaha Top Trunk.

Photos #2-4 show the 3 different variations a rider can equip the FJR1300.  Each style is unique to the type of riding an individual will encounter. Photo #2 shows full tour, #3 Sport Bike with saddlebags and finally #4 totally Sport Bike, no bags!

Grapes along the Mississippi River

Saturday morning began with temperatures in the low 30's, not a great start to a weekend motorcycle ride in mid October.  Plans were to leave by late morning so that clouds may give way to sunny skies and temperatures would rise to the low 40's at least.  Well, as many plans are just that, we didn't see any sun until mid afternoon, just prior to crossing the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

One of our first stops was Rural Route 1 Popcorn.  Should you find yourself in Montfort, WI and you love popcorn, this is a must stop!  Rural Route 1 Popcorn started in 1983, however seed corn here was first established in 1906.  Seed corn through the years had decreased sales, and the government started to pay farmers to sustain planting their fields for a year.  Rather than stop planting a crop, the Biddiscks decided to plant 25 acres and use the same processing equipment that had been used for their seed corn.  Today several hundred of the 3,000 farmed areas are used to produce gourmet popcorn!  No matter what your flavor of choice is, Rural Route 1 Popcorn can fill it!

Mid afternoon temperatures finally broke into the 50's and we crossed over the Mississippi River into Marquette, Iowa.  As we road over the bridge that connects Prairie du Chien, WI and Marquette looking to the north we all saw our main reason for making this venture, Eagles Landing Winery along with our lodging for the night Cobblestone Inn & Suites.  We excited State Highway 18 onto North Street and found parking to be at a premium, however a spot was open directly in front of the winery (score!).  

Both Harley-Davidson FLHTK Limited's found plenty of room for a rest as we welcomed some needed time off the motorcycles.  Looking to the west and east down North Street we saw little shops and many enjoying the fall favorable warmth of a Saturday afternoon.  About 1 block away from the winery, was our lodging, the Mississippi River and Casey's Gas Station and a little further to the south along the River the Queen Casio.  For the next 24-hours everything we needed was within walking distance or even closer (if that was even possible!).  

We didn't want any photo opportunities to go wasted, so pictures were taken prior to making our way into the little winery.  Once inside it was elbow to elbow customers enjoying the samples of this Grape along the Mississippi River.  Campfire Hootch, their Double Gold Award winning wine at the Tasters Guild 2018 International Wine Competition was our favorite sample! Before checking into the hotel, Cathy & I (or should you talk to her, I purchased 6 bottles of wine without her approval) got our order in!  Marc and I checked into the hotel while Cathy & Chris enjoyed a bottle of Oktoberfest (Double Gold Winner).  

Since parking was limited, the Harley's were moved from in front of the winery, to the 1 block away and into a "special" place the hotel staff told us about, within 50 feet of the front door!! Another SCORE!  Marc and I made the long, exhausting walk back to the winery, were we found there was still some Oktoberfest left in the bottle for us to sample! Chris had opened the, what appeared 5 pound bag of mixed popcorn she had purchased at Rural Route 1 Popcorn and we all enjoyed the nice afternoon.  

This was our first batch of bottles we purchased! From left to right; Grandpas Reserve, Serenity (chocolate rasberry dessert wine), Campfire Hootch (a blend of 6+ grapes), Spiced Apple, Honey & Berries (a Mead classic) and Oktoberfest.  Day 2 we added; Starboard of Marquette (a Port style wine, a little tighter in ABV) and Outstanding White.  The one bottle that didn't make it back home was Oktoberfest since we had opened it up at the Winery and drank from plastic wine goblets under a  wooden pergola adjacent to the winery.

The employees at Eagles Landing Winery were very friendly and knowledgeable of the many, many different flavors of wine they produce.  We were allowed 5 samples for free, though we found ourselves enjoying more without any added coin.  Maybe it was because we bought 6 bottles? Many signs and seasonal wall hangings adorned the walls and were for sale.  This little winery along the Mississippi River was quaint and a must see!  Because this was the last winery on our Great River Wine Tour, we all had our wine passport stamped and then turned it in for etched wine glasses! Cathy found that not only was Eagles Landing Winery part of the Great River Wine Tour, but also one of 11 on the Iowa Wine Trail.  Upon completion of the Passport, wine goers will each receive 2 etched wine glasses!  The 4 of us vowed to make this tour a must next riding season!

Once back at the hotel, we decided to take in the Scenic Overlook, which is adjacent to the Cobblestone Inn & Suites.  What a wonderful view overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown Marquette!  Several more photo opportunities we had.

With The Milwaukee Brewers playing in their first National League Championship Series, I knew we (mainly ME!) had to be close to a working TV.  It was close to dinner time and the Brewers we leading 1-0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle innings, so thoughts of dinner grew closer.  Across the street from the hotel was Marquette Bar & Cafe.  This was a nice little cafe, with an extensive menu, though the only working televisions all had college football! Don't get me wrong, I love college football, however The Brewers were playing!!  The four of us decided to leave prior to ordering and walk over to The Queen Casio (Cathy & I had a hosted a Touring' Hawgs Ride many. many years ago that took the group to the Casio for lunch and gambling before heading back to Watertown, WI).  The buffet dinner we enjoyed ($21.99) had something for everyone to enjoy (Prime Rib, Ribeye Steaks, Fried Shrimp, Fried Frog Legs, Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Fish, Friend Chicken, Riblets, Pizza, Mac & Cheese, Crab Legs, Vegetables, Salads and many different Desserts).  

After dinner, the four of us made our way to the slot machines in an effort to pay for our weekend!  How did that go you ask?  We all lost whatever little money we played.  Cathy $15 and myself $20.  However playing the $.05 and $.25 machines, we had entertainment for abut 15 minutes )lol)!

Our haul of the Great River Road Wine Trail..........19 bottles, 2 glasses and an extra Passport Brochure.  I know, there are only 13 bottles shown - 6 have already been emptied.  Keep in mind we started this Wine Trail in August (lol)!!  

We never, ever consume and ride!  Please remember to practice your skills! Get Safer, by being more Skilled and be a Smarter Rider.  As we begin to store the motorcycles for the colder months, please reflect on the type of rider you were this season.  Ask yourself how you can improve on your skills and reflect on the many adventures from the 2018 riding season.  I myself can always improve my skills, especially as I get older.  I vow to ride more than the 4200 miles I did this season, my fewest in several years.  This past ride to Marquette, IA roundtrip just under 300 miles.

To view thumbnail photos in larger format, simply click on them.  All highlighted links when clicked on will take you to their websites.  Please visit them when able.

Great River Road Wine Trail

It's been 3 years since our last husband/wife overnighter on the Harley! What was originally planned as a Lake Superior Circle Tour was tweaked a bit and made shorter.  First we picked a location, Red Wing, Minnesota so that we could ride up the Great Mississippi River Road on one side and home on the other.  Next what to do along the way and other attractions once we landed.  Cathy found what is known as the Great River Road Wine Trail.  The GRRWT is a collection of 11 wineries all located near the upper Mississippi River in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.  Stopping at each one was a goal we set out to accomplish!  Tastings at each one along with getting our Trail Map stamped meant in the end we would each earn a GRRWT wine glass.  Keep in mind the glass itself is worth maybe a buck or two, but the adventure and memories collected along the way, priceless!

The order in which we visited the wineries were as follows (Wisconsin Side first); In Trempealeau, WI - Elmaro Winery.  Pictures of this Winery don't do justice to the scenic view we enjoyed. Next we rode north to Fountain City and Seven Hawks Winery. Seven Hawks tasting was done in a refurbished building just of the Great River Road.  Stop #3 was in Alma, Wisconsin at Danzinger Vineyards.  Their vineyard boasts 18 acres established in 2003 and wine tasting began in 2010.  The last winery for Day 1 was in Pepin, Wisconsin at Villa Bellezza Winery. Here we were treated to a classical Mediterranean style winery complex.  In talking with the caretaker, a former City Planner in Pepin, he informed me one of the large building on property that houses weddings cost $2.75 million!!  Believe it was money well spent.  He added that they host an average of 10 weddings per month!  What we have in South Central WI with Barn Weddings, we found out several of our stops along the Great River Road Wineries cater to Wedding Receptions!

A day that started at 8:00am finally found us in Red Wing at our hotel for the next 3 nights around 5:00pm.  We missed the last winery on the Wisconsin side, but vowed to stop there on Saturday after visiting Leinenkugel's.

Friday morning began with a hearty breakfast at Perkin's and the another stop at Elmaro Vineyard in Trempealeau because we enjoyed their sampling sooooooo much especially their Elmaro Rosa (this wine along with others we were told can be purchased at Woodmen's).  From here we traveled to Winona, MN and Garvin Heights Vineyards.  The owners both Doctor's began growing grapes 25 years ago and in 2007 started wine tasting and received a license to sell their wines.  In 2015 their expanded building was able to host groups up to 100 people.  Yep, more weddings!! From Winona we traveled to Cannon Falls, MN and Cannon River Winery.  This ride was over 90 miles and found us on I-90 most of the way, not that we wanted to be on an Interstate but we still had two there wineries to visit after Cannon Falls!  "Cannon River Winery’s Vineyard is home to more than 9,000 vines on 40 acres of land. Selected for its ideal soils, high elevation, and south-facing slopes, our Vineyard provides all of the qualities needed for excellent grapes, and in turn, delicious, award winning wines crafted by hand in our nearby Winery in downtown Cannon Falls" (from their website).  Once we arrived, we knew dressed in Harley-Davidson rain-gear while others were in sport coats, dresses and formal wear, we were definitely OVERDRESSED!!  There was a wedding reception going on (imagine that, another wedding), but we HAD to get our GRRWT Passbook stamped!  No tastings here, just a stamp!  Back on the Harley's we rode to Red Wing only 35 miles and stopped at Winery #4 for the day, Falconer Vineyards Winery & Bistro.  After traveling what felt like a miniature version of Tail of the Dragon up to the hills overlooking the Mississippi River and riding a long gravel road, we were greeted by yet another party!  Nope, not a wedding party but rather  Dairyland Power Coopertive gathering.  What this meant to all in attendance was free hot dogs (natural casings), chips, punch and cookies!  So we had our wine tastings and walking over to the large sheltered area overlooking the valley below and river and enjoyed our long awaited lunch!  Here they grow 6.5 acres of grapes.  Finally we reached our 5th winery of the day, again in Red Wing at Flower Valley Vineyards.  Flower Valley planted their vineyard in 2002 and 10 years later in 2012 opened their tasting room.

Saturday was a day we toured Leinenkuel's Brewery, a brewery established more than 150 years ago! I was amazed that in our group, one had never been to this Wisconsin tourist area!  It was a no brainer we had to make it a stop!  Leinie's Lodge opened at 10:00am and we arrived at 10:02am! Yep we made the first tour at 10:30am.  With your $10 fee, your were treated to 5 - 5 ounce samplers or 2 - 12 ounce glasses.  Since the tour lasted an hour and we knew shopping would last another hour, we sampled a few prior to the tour.   

After the tour we rode to the last Wisconsin Winery on the GRRWT route.  Stockholm, Wisconsin is the home of Maiden Rock Winery & Cider.  Opened for business in 2008, Maiden Rock serves all Gluten Free Wine and Ciders.  Since we were still in Stockholm a stop at Stockholm Pie & General Store was a must!!  Cathy had Coconut Cream, Marc had Sour Cream Raisin, Chris had Apple Pie and I had a slice of Dutch Apple with Ice Cream.  

Sunday morning we headed out early enough to stop at #10 of the 11 wineries listed on the Great River Road Wine Trail.  In la Crescent, MN we stoped at Riverview Vineyard & Winery.  Here we were served by one of the owners himself!  This is a family owned farm that changed to growing grapes and making spectacular wines.  My favorite was the Brianna, sweet wine.  But the again, the other 2 I tasted were my favorites too as we purchased all 3 and had them shipped.  Traveling on motorcycle only provides you with so much room and ours was already packed with 4 other bottles plus 2 - 12oz bottle of hard cider from Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery (Honeycrisp Hard).

In all, we traveled a few miles short of 1,000 over 4 days!  This after Cathy only had 130 miles on the Harley last season!  Bike ran great!  Wow only rode in a few sprinkles, never any down pours.  As far as our purchases went, well we ended up buying 9 bottles of wine (4 came home on the bike, the other 5 being shipped) and a 4-pack of Honeycrisp Hard Cider.  We still have to stop in Marquette, IA and Eagles Landing Winery to complete all 11 and earn our Great River Road Wine Trail wine glass! This glass will be treasured with the many fun times and memories that made this motorcycle adventure one of the very best!!

Remember to ride with skills, sober and smart.  Keep challenging yourself by becoming a better, safer rider with each ride.  Until next time - be SAFE!

Each photo can be clicked on for a larger picture.

TN/NC and not a straight road!!

Tennessee and North Carolina States draw millions of motorcycle enthusiasts annually to challenge their skills in a variety of twists, turns, switchbacks and hair-raising drop-offs like no other states in the nation!  AND that's the way we like it!  You are simply not riding if you aren't rising to the level of your skills.  So many attempt these roads to learn their skills are made for straight-aways and that's about it!

I just returned from a 3-day trip to Tennessee and North Carolina.  Three days of riding almost 800 miles on the best roads I have ever found to challenge your riding skills.  I've been riding for over 40 years off and on, but mainly for the past 15 religiously.  I fancy myself as a very good rider, not great because I've got improvements that can be made, especially left tight curves.  This article will highlight our rides these past three days and some hints to help you decide if you have the skills needed to survive on some of these routes.  Yes, I did say survive since may have died thinking they had the skills to conquer the beasts known as; Tail of The Dragon, The Snake, The Rattler, Moonshine 28, Hellbender, Devil's Triangle, Cherohala Skyway, Joyce Kilmer Forest, The Great Smoky Mountains National Forest, Little River Road and The Foothills Parkway, Diamondback, The Gauntlet, Reapers Ride, Copperhead, The Sidewinder and Devil's Whip just to name a few. Though I have yet to ride all of these, I have had lots of skill development time on some of the more popular ones.  The areas within this article highlighted will lead you to links explaining more about that particular area.

Day 1 took us out of Gatlinburg west on TN 441 to Little River Road into Townsend and then The Foothills Parkway south to US 129 "The Dragon".  The Dragon is a 318 curved road that travels 11 miles that is best traveled during the work week, however today found us riding it mid morning on a Saturday!  We saw many, many sport bikes and car clubs testing their skills.  Car clubs we saw included Corvettes, Mustangs and Mini Coppers Clubs along with a few Polaris Slingshots.  As we got down to Deals Gap for a well deserved cup of coffee and breakfast, I found myself saying, "that was the most challenging ride I've ever had on The Tail!"  Not that the others haven't been, but a friend with the initials CG, yes Chad that's you, has always taken us on the road during less populated times!  After leaving The Dragon, we continued south on 28, known as Moonshine 28 for the Moonshiners that used this roadway, dirt and gravel back in the day to move their moonshine recipes from town to town.  Then 19 into Cherokee and Maggie Valley, NC.  In Maggie Valley we finally made it to Wheels Through Time (WTT) owned by Dale Walksler.  Being born and raised in Wisconsin, I hate to admit, this was a nicer museum than The Harley-Davidson one in Milwaukee.  Reason being, you could actually touch Dale's collection on the most part.  Most of his motorcycles were displayed just as he had found them.  One of the more unique motorcycles was an XA Harley built by Harley-Davidson to be used in the African War.  Harley-Davidson wanted a motorcycle that would not overheat in the extreme temperatures of Africa, their current model the WLA V-twin had a history of rear cylinders overheating.  Another problem was the location of the air box (air filter), thus getting plugged up with sand from dessert riding and finally excessive maintenance of the chain/belt drive of the WLA.  With the success of the BMW opposed twin, Harley-Davidson developed the XA or eXperimental Army engine.  The air filter was located between the opposed twin, thus hidden and no longer was the drive train one of chain or belt, but now shaft driven! By the time HD completed production of some 1,000 XA models, the war in Africa was coming to an end and the XA was never used during this conflict and units were later sold off as surplus!!  I would love to say I've got one to sell, but this just isn't the case!  WTT has 38,000 square feet of display space and uses every bit of it! Cost to get into WTT is $15 and they offer free bottled water, how awesome is that!  Leaving WTT we headed north on NC 209 commonly referred to as The Rattler.  I disagree that The Rattler is better, more challenging than The Dragon as their website indicates.  It WILL test your skills, but since it is less traveled than The Dragon, you will find yourself less stressed, and more time to ride it. None-the-less, a must ride!  Once is Hot Springs, NC we rode west on NC 25 into Newport than south on 321 back to Gatlinburg and our hotel Parkview Inn (aka Flea Bag).  Day 1 ended with 250 miles.


Day 2 was going to be a long day, so we started riding at 7:00am.  Today would consist of a ride to Devil's Triangle and to find out first hand how challenging The Devil would be.  A Facebook friend sent me a message the night before saying that the 10mph switchbacks on Devil's Triangle meant just that!  Advised me NOT to attempt any faster than that, thanks RS, yep that's you Renee!  Once on The Devil, we saw very little if any traffic, however there were lots of wet leaves, especially in the curves making speeds much slower than we would have liked to go.  For those of you who know what the Fog Line is (typically a white strip paints on the right side of your lane to help in fogging conditions showing were the side is), well some of The Devil's fog lines had be washed away with erosion, and had crumbled off the mountain! Thus, the width of the road was even narrower!  My FB friend was spot on with 10mph switchbacks translate to 10 MPH SWITCHBACKS!!  Devil's Triangle is initiated usually in Oliver Springs, TN on TN 62 west to TN 116 into Petros, TN.  Riders follow TN 116 for about 44 miles and find themselves back in Oliver Springs on TN 330.  At speeds of 10-15mph this ride took us a few hours to complete.  On a scale of 1-10, considering challenging, skills needed, weather/road conditions, I would rate it a 9 as far as difficulty!  I asked myself if I would ride it again, possibly.....NO railing to keep you on course!  This is similar to most of these highly skilled roads in TN and NC, nothing to keep you on the road but your SKILL!!

Next stop was Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville for some BBQ at The Shed!!  On Sundays, neither opens until noon and we arrived around 11:30 so we watched a Riding Academy Class that was in progress.  In talking to their RiderCoach they have been doing the new curriculum and skills evaluation since 2015 in TN.  Here I thought WI was on the cutting edge and we were the very 1st State to Model the New Curriculum for MSF.  After another wonderful BBQ lunch courtesy of The Shed we rode TN 411 to  Vonore, TN then TN 360.  TN 360 takes you on some winding roads that were very scenic and not nearly the challenge of others we've ridden.  TN 360 also is very picturesque as it winds its' way around Tellico Lake.  One of the gals in motorclothes at Smoky Mountain HD told us about TN 360 and also Bald River Falls.  Ride Cherohala Skyway east from Tellico Plains about 5 miles east of Cherohala Harley-Davidson to Forest Service Road 210.  Once on Forest Service Road you will ride about 7 miles on a narrow 2-lane road back to the falls.  It might be a 14 mile roundtrip, but highly worth every minute it took to get there!  The husband of the motorclothes gal at Cherohala HD told us about a shortcut after leaving the falls, it is a side road that few ever ride and it will take you back onto Cherohala Skyway quicker.  We took his advice and found ourselves as the only ones on this "shortcut" that saved us about 5 miles.

Once on The Cherohala Skyway, MS (yes that's you Marc) led the way through elevations reaching 5,400 feet and commonly referred to as the $100 billion Skyway!  As we were climbing temperatures dropped and it became very foggy, which is common.  Instead of heading east to Robbinsville we took a shortcut to get to US 129 by riding The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.  This 3,800 acre forest was set aside in 1936 as a memorial to Joyce Kilmer who wrote the poem "Trees" as was killed in action in France during World War I.  This stretch of roadway is bumpy and narrow but again worthy of the ride.  Several of the forest's trees are 400+ years old!  Once on US 129 we rode to Deals Gap had lunch and then rode The Dragon north to Foothills Parkway, Townsend and this time TN 321 into Pigeon Forge back to Gatlinburg.  Todays riding totaled approximately 340 miles.  Once back at the hotel, we celebrated with some well deserved liquid refreshments and some Monte Cristo Habanos from Cuba purchased from an earlier vacation in San Jose del Cabo.


Day 3 started off with temperatures in the low 40's and rain!  We had debated about coming home a day early if it was going to rain all day.  We decided to stay and didn't start riding until almost 11:00am, but sure glad we waited!  Later in the day the clouds disappeared, temperatures reached the low 60's and roads were as dry as could be!  Our route was a simple one, Little River Road, Foothills Parkway and The Dragon for lunch, then return the same direction.  All routes were fairly clear of traffic EXCEPT the Little River Road which saw speeds as slow as 20mph, which is no fun on a motorcycle that could take the path-of-travel so much faster (smiling face)!  The day still saw around 140 miles and our motorcycling adventure totaled just under 800 miles.  When we got back we loaded the bikes on the trailer and got our gear packed before heading downtown Gatlinburg for the 4th and final time.  This was the only time we didn't stop at Ole Smoky Distillery for yet another $5 sampling of the 14 or more moonshine recipes.

Overall experience this trip, keep those rpm's up to over 3500 and you will have immediate throttle roll-on when needed in the tight curves.  I found myself mostly in 2nd gear on The Dragon with rpm's reaching in excess of 4000!!  Instant power when you need it the most, I found the 2014 HD FLHTK Limited with the stock 103 High Output motor handled the challenge just fine, add that to the linked Brembo Brakes and you have part of what it takes to handle the many twisties of Tennessee and North Carolina!  Of course you will also need the Skills to do it safely and lots of luck some idiot doesn't decide to cross into your lane of traffic because he thought he HAD the skill to share this road with you!  Thankful this only happened once and the expression on his face was as if he does it all the time, which believe me, I'm sure he does.....idiot!!  Don't EVER assume that because someone is riding a motorcycle that they POSSESS the SKILLS to be safe!!  Ride your ride, keep improving on your SKILLS!  Strive to be a SAFER, SMARTER, SKILLED Rider all the time!!

The above photo was something MS found the towel I used to wash me face before heading home on Tuesday morning at 3:00am!!  This flea bag hotel I would not recommend to anyone, but on a positive note they had plenty of hot water!!

Let it Shine, Let it Shine with F11 by Topcoat

If you are like me, then a clean motorcycle not only rides better, longer and faster, but it also shows pride of ownership!  I have tried several cleaners, waxes and sealants through my 40+ years of riding.  I have even contemplated paying a Harley-Davidson Dealership close to $300 to detail my 2014 FLHTK!  Well, almost!

One day looking on Facebook there was and advertisement of a surface sealant claiming to be "the best high performance" surface coating in the world!  Hell of a claim, but was it simply hype?  I read the article and watched a few YouTube Videos on F11 by Top Coat.  Some of the videos had Harley-Davidson employees detailing motorcycles with F11 and what they thought about it.  After seeing this, I wondered so was the almost $300 detail job at the dealership one in which they used F11?

I logged onto Topcoats website and saw a "special" web price of $59.97 having a retail price of $249.60.  Well if F11 did half of what it claimed to do, I figured I had just saved myself $200 plus from what the dealership was charging.  In all fairness, the dealership offered a warranty with their treatment.

What I got for my $59.97 was one 16oz spray bottle of F11 Polish & Sealer along with a 2oz travel size and two microfiber towels.  In less than a week I received my order.  First things first, another detailed washing of the motorcycle, complete blow dry and detailed drying.  Afterwards I let the motorcycle sit for a few hours to make sure it was nice a dry, along with moving it from outside shade to in the garage shade, and it being a little cooler.

I followed the directions, imagine that! on the bottle.  Spray a small area, work into the surface, then polish, or buff with second, clean micro cloth.  Immediately I saw a much "deeper" looking paint job and this on a Vivid Black color, that seldom shows any depth!  After about two hours, I had completed the entire project, including windshield, chrome, leather seats and gauges.

The pictures, I hope do justice to the job F11 Topcoat does.  If not, try for yourself.  The little investment in money will help protect the large invest you have in front of you.

"F11 Improves coating characteristics & performance vs. TopCoat® HPS, especially on dark colors, hides micro-scratches & swirl marks more effective, longer lasting, more durable, extremely hydrophobic (easier to use on glass), insane depth of image & shine, wickedly slick with improved easy-release and non-stick coating technology, designed to significantly reduce weathering, dirt & debris build-up on any surface, ECO Safe!" - Topcoat

Poopy's Lunch Ride

With a full-time job just around the corner, this might be the last "free" Monday I have in a long time, so what else other than ride should I do?  I planned a ride to Poopy's in Savanna, Illinois for lunch.  This route I had planned would cover close to 400 miles roundtrip.

My route would have me ride a small stretch of The Beltline Highway 12/18 westbound to Highway 14 (Park Street) south towards Oregon.  South of Oregon Highway 14 changes from a divided highway to a 2-lane roadway.  On this 2-lane roadway I saw several flags showcasing American Heroes.  As I walked along this fence line, I thought back to the many friends in my life who have sacrificed a "normal" life so that others can feel more at peace.  Whether these Heroes were in the Military, Law Enforcement or a Fire Fighter, they have done their assignments unselfishly, knowing their life was on the line everyday.  

  

Continuing on Highway 14 south I decided last minute to turn west onto Highway 92 and take it into the Village of Brooklyn, then Highway 104 south to Highway 59 west.  I rode into the Village of Albany, crossing over  the Sugar River.  I stopped to take a photo of the Damn along with S&B Tubing Company (Floatin' through Life).  We might need to try this River out next summer since we now have kayaks!  Weird names of two cities close to each other in Wisconsin, better known for their New York locations.

Continuing westbound on Highway 59, I passed a church that began in 1856.  The Gap Church was a perfect spot for yet another photo.  If someone knows what Hymn Sing means please let me know.  I'm assuming it means the congregation gets together and sings hymns?

After a few photos I continued west on Highway 59 until I reached Highway 11, there I rode west towards Monroe.  Instead of riding through downtown Monroe I decided to take the Highway 11 and bypass business 11.    

Just east of Browntown on Highway 11, I saw a sign that read "Hawks Mill Winery".  I decided being so close to a Winery and not buying a few bottles for my absent passenger would be a big, very big mistake.  I rode south on Allen Road and found Hawks Mill Winery.  The parking lot was gravel so I took extra caution as to not make a bad impression of my years of riding experience.  As I got off the motorcycle I read a sign saying, "Wine Tasting 11:00AM" and it was only 10:00AM!!     

In the wine processing building a man, later found out to be the owner came out to greet me.  I asked if there was anyway I could purchase a bottle of wine even though the store was closed.  He graciously opened up and spend some time explaining the many different fruit wines.  Hawks Mill Winery has only been in business for about a year.  The Winery covers 18 acres and uses their home grown grapes as well as others to ferment fruit into wine.  The store is located high above the valley where they grow their grapes and from out on the deck overlooking the grapes below, you can see for miles.  Wisconsin has many wineries, each with a unique story to tell.  The store itself was once a house, later sold to the winery and in 2015 after being remodeled was opened to the public as a store and tasting room!  

Inside the store, or "tasting room" you will find several types of fruit wines.  Some are sweet, other semi-sweet and a few dry.  The store was spotless!  During regular hours they serve food.  What an awesome stop that I could have easily passed had I taken a different route or had been in a pack of other riders and on a time schedule.  This lone-wolf-ride might turn out to be the perfect ride!  The owner took a case box and custom made it to hold 3 bottles securely so I could ride without the worry of broken bottles.

Back on my route westbound on Highway 11 I came into Shullsburg.  Shullsburg is known for their cheese processing.  In fact, October 1st is their Cheesefest Celebration!  A Danish immigrant in an Irish town started making cheese in 1938 and by 1940 the Government heard about Tony's cheese that it became a household word from Shullsburg to Berlin!  Shullsburg known for the lead mining that once was a way of life has seen its' own disasters when 8 men died in the mine.  This Lead Mine Cave disaster occurred February 1943.

I finally reached Dubuque and the Mississippi River!  After a short ride west on Highway 61 I turned left to ride south on Highway 52.  I met up with four other riders, all on Harley's, they also had plans for lunch at Poopy's in Savanna, Illinois.  As my low fuel light started to glow, I knew I had at least 35 miles until empty.  Not knowing the area very well along with male pride, I refused to use my onboard GPS!  As soon as I saw a Casey's Station I stopped.  Good choice because there were other photo opps nearby!  Checking-in on Facebook, I found out I was at Lock and Damn No. 12 in Bellevue, Iowa (A True Riverfront Experience).  

I haven't ridden these roads in what seemed like forever and yet as I traveled on, I recall the sites as if it were yesterday.  This to me was amazing since I rarely remember what I did yesterday!  I knew I was in for another awesome grated metal bridge on Highway 52 followed by a stop sign approximately fifteen feet from leaving the bridge.  Since the stop sign is so close to the end of the grated bridge, one must start braking prior to leaving the bridge.  Be prepared, know ahead of time what is coming up!  To my surprise, as I reached the bridge I saw they were constructing a new one.  The new bridge looks to be bigger (of course) and no doubt better and hopefully NO metal grating!! 

The bridge from Iowa into Illinois is short in length when comparing it to the bridge from Wisconsin west into Dubuque, Iowa. 

Being on the road since about 7:30 this morning, I was getting hungry and hoped Poopy's was near!  Continuing south on 52/84 along the Mississippi River you immediately land in Savanna, home of Poopy's!!  Since this roads were somewhat familiar, I felt I had to turn right onto Highway 84 in order to reach Poopy's.  I had reached my destination after adding about 200 miles to our 2014 Harley-Davidson Peace Officer Special Edition Limited.  Without wasting anytime in the parking lot, I damn near ran inside to get a look at the menu.  A special bar stool was waiting just for me, now how did they know!?  My goal was to be back on the road by 1:30 and it was almost 1:00!!  With another 200 miles to ride before reaching home, I thought a Poopy's Burger, would have me stopping a few times at gas stations even though I had plenty of gas to make it home (go with your first thought here!).  So I played it safe and ordered a grilled chicken breast sandwich and diet soda.  Service was very fast and I was back on the bike in no time and easily before 1:30pm!  Pope's is a place you could easily spend an afternoon.  They have a large store with many t-hirts, patches, ranger and other biker apparel.  For those who have more time, you can even have one of the tattoo artists add some special artwork!

Just shy of 400 miles, I arrived back home just after 4:30.  This gave me plenty of time to take a load to the yard waste center.  Hopefully I can talk a few couples into a Couple Fall Color Ride covering this same route.  I will need to start working on lodging and see what is available.  October can be a very busy time for everyone!