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Sunday morning, 9am: I have nothing to do but paint the house, so I geared up and told my wife I'd be back by 2...my buddy was racing the Steele Creek round of the AMA GNCC, and I had told him I would come out and route for him, so I head off. After five miles or so on the Interstate, I said fuk that, and hit the backroads, figuring at 75 or so it wouldn't take much longer, anyway.
The sun was out, record highs predicted. There wasn't a soul on the roads I took for the next 40 miles - twisty, up & down, not many trick corners, BEAUTIFUL. Stop for gas, call John & tell him I'd be a little later than I thought, and head up NC80, which climbs steadily from 1500 feet, topping out around 4000. A few cars now, but none that slow me down. A few decreasing-radius 2nd gear switchbacks near the top, and I'm on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's closed for a section to the south, so up here there's very little traffic, as well.
Resolving to keep it under 75 so I can check up if I see a Ranger, I head off to the north. The twisties beckon, and too soon I find myself accelerating out of corners in the upper 80's...so out the window goes my resolve to ride responsibly, and I crank it on up. Soon enough, I'm beyond the ton mark on the longer straights. The bike is handling as if on rails, I got the boy-racer weight shifts going on, and the rhododendron lining the Parkway has become a steady green blur, strobed out by the midmorning sun. There aren't any sub-60mph corners on this entire stretch of the BRP - most I hit much slower than needed, as I'm not familiar with this section. Just past Linville, I bang a right to 183, which quickly tees into NC181.
Just east of Linville Gorge Wilderness, NC181 is a ridiculous road for motorcycles. Two-lane, with the occasional third lane for passing, but it has lane-wide shoulders, for snow removal I guess, all along it. It's pretty much a hundred-mile-an-hour road. Or should be. I scared some old ladies heading to church right near the top, but then I had clear road through all the curves. I'm somewhat familiar with this road, and there is only a single series of maybe five sub-80mph curves (and someone more skilled than me could probably do them faster...), so the speedo didn't drop below 85 for the next ten miles. It was here that I noticed how despite my effort and perceived high rate of speed and the howling exhaust note, the Speedy wasn't even breathing hard - I had my head low and forward, just above the grip, through several of the faster corners, and the engine powertrain - cylinder, tappet, cam noise - was so smooth and quiet it seemed she was just off idle, even though the tach said 7k+ - incredible!
I realized just how much farther this bike can take me than I'm necessarily willing to go...track day in six weeks!
(ooh - is that the time? I have to do some work. part 2 later.)
The sun was out, record highs predicted. There wasn't a soul on the roads I took for the next 40 miles - twisty, up & down, not many trick corners, BEAUTIFUL. Stop for gas, call John & tell him I'd be a little later than I thought, and head up NC80, which climbs steadily from 1500 feet, topping out around 4000. A few cars now, but none that slow me down. A few decreasing-radius 2nd gear switchbacks near the top, and I'm on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's closed for a section to the south, so up here there's very little traffic, as well.
Resolving to keep it under 75 so I can check up if I see a Ranger, I head off to the north. The twisties beckon, and too soon I find myself accelerating out of corners in the upper 80's...so out the window goes my resolve to ride responsibly, and I crank it on up. Soon enough, I'm beyond the ton mark on the longer straights. The bike is handling as if on rails, I got the boy-racer weight shifts going on, and the rhododendron lining the Parkway has become a steady green blur, strobed out by the midmorning sun. There aren't any sub-60mph corners on this entire stretch of the BRP - most I hit much slower than needed, as I'm not familiar with this section. Just past Linville, I bang a right to 183, which quickly tees into NC181.
Just east of Linville Gorge Wilderness, NC181 is a ridiculous road for motorcycles. Two-lane, with the occasional third lane for passing, but it has lane-wide shoulders, for snow removal I guess, all along it. It's pretty much a hundred-mile-an-hour road. Or should be. I scared some old ladies heading to church right near the top, but then I had clear road through all the curves. I'm somewhat familiar with this road, and there is only a single series of maybe five sub-80mph curves (and someone more skilled than me could probably do them faster...), so the speedo didn't drop below 85 for the next ten miles. It was here that I noticed how despite my effort and perceived high rate of speed and the howling exhaust note, the Speedy wasn't even breathing hard - I had my head low and forward, just above the grip, through several of the faster corners, and the engine powertrain - cylinder, tappet, cam noise - was so smooth and quiet it seemed she was just off idle, even though the tach said 7k+ - incredible!
I realized just how much farther this bike can take me than I'm necessarily willing to go...track day in six weeks!
(ooh - is that the time? I have to do some work. part 2 later.)
