Tampa, FL to Gatlinburg, TN

TampaFZ6

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HI,

This past Sunday I rode from Tampa, FL to Gatlinburg, TN - 661.1 miles. Overall a good ride. I needed to stop about every two hours even for only 10 minutes. Really nice scenery past Altanta through the Smokey Mountains. The vibrations were bothering me some but I would relax my hands and it would subside. I had the new comfort seat and it seemed to work well.

Today I rode the dragon for the first time, twice. A great experience since I have never done that much cornering and have never been to the track.
 

CCHOUSEKY

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Awesome! I was just at Deal's Gap two weeks ago and I was in Gatlinburg (actually, Pigeon Forge) this past weekend. That area really is beautiful, although Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg has become such a tourist trap (I was there for a good old fashioned redneck wedding...lol).

Congrats on getting to ride the Dragon, too! It really is an amazing road, isn't it? Our trip was great (my third time there), but ended badly with my friend that I trailered down there with going down on the last run of the weekend and having to be life-flighted to UT Medical Center. He's at home now and doing ok, but has some neurological issues that are gonna take time to heal (of course he was wearing a helmet...but low siding and sliding off the road into trees at 50 mph has it's consequences!) Not sure when or if he'll be riding again.

I'm hoping to make it back down there before the season is over, hopefully later this summer or early fall. Be safe and have a great trip back home! :thumbup:
 

AngelFZ

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HI,

This past Sunday I rode from Tampa, FL to Gatlinburg, TN - 661.1 miles. Overall a good ride. I needed to stop about every two hours even for only 10 minutes. Really nice scenery past Altanta through the Smokey Mountains. The vibrations were bothering me some but I would relax my hands and it would subside. I had the new comfort seat and it seemed to work well.

Today I rode the dragon for the first time, twice. A great experience since I have never done that much cornering and have never been to the track.

Nice!!!!!!!

Enjoy and be safe.

I must do the same trip but from the east coast!!!!!
 

TampaFZ6

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Sorry to hear about your friend going down. It takes a long time for a brain injury to heal or know the extent of the permanent damage. My sister has a brain stem injury going on three years and we've seen some improvement but she still can't walk or move out of her wheel chair unassisted. I am sure everyone is pulling for him and I’ll hope for a quick and total recovery.

The ride was long but I had my wife and kids in a chase car so that helped with gear, directions and keeping a good steady pace and focus.

I’ll be in Gatlinburg until Tuesday of next week so I think I am going to have to hit the dragon one more time before I leave. :D
 

TampaFZ6

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Completed the Trip from Gatlinburg, TN to Tampa, FL. I went back around the Smokey Mountains I-40/I-75 for a distance of 754 miles in about 12 hours compared to 661 miles through the mountains on the way to Gatlinburg. Overall I did 1,614 miles with one run to Deals Gap to ride the Dragon.

I noticed the bike runs smoother above 7k but the MPH starts to get into the upper limits of getting a speeding ticket. Georgia seems to have a lot of speed checks.

For long rides I would not wear jockey shorts again as the liner seems to wear into the skin. After 12 hours that can be an issue. I may also not ride for such a long period of time again as that could be an issue. :)

I had bought a SENA bluetooth but it did not work very well with my noisy helmet. I was going to get a Shoei Qwest but I could justify the expense at the time. The puig windshield I had on buffered the wind right into the helmet which did not help matters.

Overall the bike performed flawlessly with only keeping the chain lubed and the gas tank filled. Before I left I had replaced the anti-freeze fluid and brake fluid along with a Synthetic oil change.
 
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