BRP and the dragon

[BladeRun]

Prelim

Finally getting around to writing about my week long trip from home (Mass.) down thru the Blue Ridge Parkway to Tenn. where I rode US 129 (AKA the dragon). I've never done a trip report before, mainly because this was my first mc trip that was more than just an overnighter. I was supposed to ride with my son, but he said that he didn't think he would be comfortable on his 600 sport bike for the high mileage we would be riding. Kudos to him for not trying it and being miserable. Also, a week before I left, he got a new job and wouldn't have been able to go anyways, so it all worked out.

My bike is a 2004 Harley Ultraclassic, which I've had new since, well, 2004. It had 37,000 miles on it before the trip, now has over 40k. Before I left I changed the oil, trans and primary oils and checked the bike over for anything loose. Yes, things do tend to come loose on the Harley ;). Within the last year I've had new tires put on, new brakes and also drained/replaced the brake fluid. I do most of my own work on the bike, except for the tires/brakes. I did the brakes before but it was just quicker/easier to have the shop do it. I have Dunlop Elite III's fore and aft, and while I don't know how well they will wear, compared to the stock 402's, they do seem to be a better handling tire.

For farkles, I have a Nuvi 1450 GPS and XM radio mounted via RAM mounts on the handlebars. I also used my iPhone for music via a cable to the AUX input. Since I wore a full face helmet for 90% of the trip, I used my newly purchased Etymotic mc3 earphones. I bought an adapter from Aerostich that allows me to plug the earphones into the Harley, and I can then use the bike controls (volume, mode switch, etc) and hear everything through the earphones, including the CB. I couldn't talk but it helped when I came upon heavy traffic and I would tune in to the CB and find out what was going on. All that said, I hardly ever used the XM and I think I'll be dropping the service soon. I'd rather listen to my playlists and for those occasions where I want 'live' music, I can use the SPOTIFY app on my iphone.

Since I would be staying at hotels, packing wasn't that much of an issue. The Ultra has plenty of storage for one person, especially since I have a luggage rack on the trunk. I actually packed too much, I could have gotten by with 4 tshirts total. For gear, I used my Nolan N90 modular helmet, Olympia AST jacket, Firstgear HT overpants and a pair of Harley boots. I also had a rainjacket but never used it, the AST worked perfectly. I brought 4 pr. of gloves (told you I overpacked) but 95% of the time I work my Harley mesh/summer gloves. I also work my Elkskin Ropers when the mesh ones got soaked (I got rained on every day).

Day 1 to follow....