I use a tailbag.......but that's for my day trips.
New gloves came in, perfect opportunity to break them in!
Did a half-day, 311km round-trip to explore some new roads. Leftover sand on the NC side of things made me ride a bit cautiously (traction control anyone? A bit squirrely. ). Fun stop at the state line. (Fun fact, my bike's seen 4 US states)
Driving/riding in TN is an unwelcome reminder of my Virginia days. No income tax and low fuel taxes mean
revenue speed control out the wazoo. Roads are maintained by municipalities, not the state, so signage is sparse and speed maximums are LOW. Perfect example: at the state line pictured above, the NC side is the
de facto 90km/h; the TN side drops to 60km/h with no change in road design. At least the chevrons for the corners are a good indicator for when one can really open up the throttle......
Of course, because I self-regulate my own maximums, it's mostly irrelevant. Even when I was puttering my usual 50 in the city centre, the town sheriff had to tail me for a few kms.
Clip, no edit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O22O5Dwd1b4Apologise for the inopportune shifts; was my first and only time on the road. Recognise the universal "checkpoint ahead" gesture from the other rider at 6m45s?
Merci beaucoup ! Their police are still rolling around in Crown Vics.....hmm short on funding anyone?
After some gelato in the warm 25° heat of the valley, was happy to head back to NC. You can see the A26 as it climbs to Sams Gap. Of course, on the bike I took the local, curvy way up. 9% gradient. Didn't overheat the transmission.
On my way back, rolled past 15k ! Was on the autoroute, but took the next exit to snap the occasion. Celebrations and fireworks !
Lot of bikes out today, mostly cruisers. But in Johnson City, due to its university and younger population, saw a handful of sport bikes.
. All in all, lot of fun on two wheels today.
