:smoke

Fixing to head out before dawn tomorrow. Going from south Lousiana to North Carolina to ride the Smokies. It should be a trip of over 2,500 miles. Both hubby and I are on Sporties. Riding with 4 other friends all riding their own (albeit road sofas!)
I'll let you know how my butt fares when I get back (if I'm able to sit down at my 'puter!)

Thought I'd post a pic of my heavily laden 883 Low, all packed up for a week of riding.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/evalea/IMGP1398.jpg

what? not bringing laptop with you?

Good on ya. Have a great trip and take a lot of pictures. Looking forward to a full report. :tour

Go for it, it will be great.

I did a 6400 mile trip last year and another planned for this May.

You do have a Mustang seat, don't you???

Have a safe trip. Rode my okd 883 Hugger to North Carolina and back a couple years ago. You'll do just fine.:clap

hey i dont see the custom loaded down like the low!!!!!!!!!

Have a great and safe trip, and let us know how it went when you get back. I'm gearing up for at least the Angel Fire, NM portion of the 'Run for the Wall' at the end of May. It's about a 2200 mile round trip for me, which would be the longest I've ever done on my Sporty.

I'll let you know how my butt fares when I get back (if I'm able to sit down at my 'puter!)
what? not bringing laptop with you?
Stop at any public library along the way and you should be able to log in and give us a day by day trip report. Just make sure that you log out if you come on through a public PC.

Gazza

Nope no laptop, and I seriously doubt a library will be along the way - I need a break from the internet. Although there is always my phone...at least I can email!
My husbands sporty is just as laden as mine, you just can't see it too well with the flash from my camera. But he has the HD touring set from SAC, a big , nay, its huge bag with a roll bag, he's also got the ice chest with the water in it. I have a Kuryakyn full dresser and a Kuryakyn luggage rack bag on mine.
My seat is a HD pillow look touring seat, which is really comfy for long haul - snagged off ebay for a killer deal, husband is toughing it out with my old airhawk and his stock seat.

Oh and yeah, its midnight, I have to get up in 4 hours but just like a little kid I'm too ruddy excited to sleep.

I'll post a trip report when I get back, with piccys. To once and for all prove that an unmodified 883 can indeed hang with the road kings and fat boys and dare I say it - the honda vtx's (we don't hold that against her!) of this world.

Wish us dry thoughts as we are heading to Birmingham, AL and there is an 80% chance of rain and severe storms forecast for tomorrow evening, and it takes forever to put on rain gear, you know with all the laughing as we look flaming ridiculous in it all.
Ahh, it all makes good road stories.

Right, I'm going to hog tie myself into my bed and count baby sportsters if I have to, but I have to get some shut eye.
Nighty night

Haha, I understand your excitement! Believe me, its exciting just to read about...

I hope your trip goes well, stay safe and enjoy! Looking foward to some great pictures :tour

Enjoy the trip! I can't wait to see pictures and hear the full report. Ride safe and have fun. :tour

Have fun and be safe. Sounds like a hell of a trip!

just a word..you should ride the bike around the block a couple of times or in a parking lot a few times before the trip.
This will give you an oppurtunity to feel how the bike handles with all the extra gear.
Have fun

outstanding!! ride safe and send photos if you can.

heck yea they can tour ! look in the gallery at the wifes under ~sno~ her bike has a tour pac and floor boards and a big windshield she has done 500 miles in one day and with her solo seat she was happy !! looks like you are pretty loaded up there how long ya gonna be on the road ?? good luck and enjoy !!!

you go Girl. Have a safe trip and enjoy. Take lots of pictures and give us the skinny when you get back. I am envious. I am just over here the other side of the mountains in upstate South Carolina if you need a trailer/tow or a little shop to work in if something happens. Gimme a holler. Just so ya not worried.

Hmm wonder how they're making out.

Hopefully they're having a ball.

Kev

Hmm wonder how they're making out.

Hopefully they're having a ball.

Kev


Would be hard not too I would suppose... Except for the thunderstorms we been having this way the last day or so. But... hopefully they found shelter and were able to dodge around em. Never was on this in time to find out there exact route. But I would assume they were going up to near the Dragon? Wonder if they planned to run it?

Would be hard not too I would suppose... Except for the thunderstorms we been having this way the last day or so. But... hopefully they found shelter and were able to dodge around em. Never was on this in time to find out there exact route. But I would assume they were going up to near the Dragon? Wonder if they planned to run it?


I hadn't stumbled onto this thread till today.

Jenn and I are heading that same way in about 6-7 weeks. We'll be heading down the Blue Ridge Parkway for a couple of days, then heading off to the Dragon for a day or two, and finally probably super-slabbing it back home to PA.

:banana

I hadn't stumbled onto this thread till today.

Jenn and I are heading that same way in about 6-7 weeks. We'll be heading down the Blue Ridge Parkway for a couple of days, then heading off to the Dragon for a day or two, and finally probably super-slabbing it back home to PA.

:banana


I am probably an hour or so north of there. In the edge of the South Carolina moutains where they meet up with NC. Ga and almost TN. If you need anything holler at me. I got truck, trailer and a little shop here. I will send you my cel phone off list. In case ya ever need it.

We can have a beer and argue about oil changes!

Better late than never --- you should be getting back soon. The picture of your bike (s) is fantastic....ready to ride.....you'll have a great time...you're probably having a great time as I type this.......exciting...can't wait for the pictures and memories. Ride Safe ( again, this is a little late )

I am probably an hour or so north of there. In the edge of the South Carolina moutains where they meet up with NC. Ga and almost TN. If you need anything holler at me. I got truck, trailer and a little shop here. I will send you my cel phone off list. In case ya ever need it.

We can have a beer and argue about oil changes!


LOL,

Got the PM and returned the same.

Thanks.

I'd be happy to buy you a beer.

I'll post something more as the time approaches and if you can make it up to the Gap area we can toss back and few and have a few laughs!

Kev

Will do. Keep us informed.

Good on you Evalea, I did 2,500 last June in France with a friend, him on a softtail and he was the one complaining at the end of each day's run! The photo is taken at the St. Tropez campsite after our run from N. Ireland. The front wheel shown is my friend's bike.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/1961littledave/StTropezRally0015.jpg

Hey, this is my first post! Sportsters CAN tour! My wife and I doubled up on my '95 883/1200 conversion for our honeymoon cross country from Stamford, CT to the California coast and back. We averaged nearly 500 miles a day and we were similarily set up with saddle bags, sissy bar T-bag and touring screen. I also picked up a Corbin seat specially for this trip. It was an amazing experience! People we met on the other end of the US would say, "you rode from CT on a Sportster???" And gave my wife props for putting up all that way.

Hey, this is my first post! Sportsters CAN tour! My wife and I doubled up on my '95 883/1200 conversion for our honeymoon cross country from Stamford, CT to the California coast and back. We averaged nearly 500 miles a day and we were similarily set up with saddle bags, sissy bar T-bag and touring screen. I also picked up a Corbin seat specially for this trip. It was an amazing experience! People we met on the other end of the US would say, "you rode from CT on a Sportster???" And gave my wife props for putting up all that way.
Read above.:tour :tour :tour

:smoke

Fixing to head out before dawn tomorrow. Going from south Lousiana to North Carolina to ride the Smokies. It should be a trip of over 2,500 miles. Both hubby and I are on Sporties. Riding with 4 other friends all riding their own (albeit road sofas!)
I'll let you know how my butt fares when I get back (if I'm able to sit down at my 'puter!)

Thought I'd post a pic of my heavily laden 883 Low, all packed up for a week of riding.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/evalea/IMGP1398.jpg


what seats are you 2 using? I am doing 3000 miles next week from Chocago to Key West and back on a 1200 with a Mustang Solo.Well,1500 there and then maybe 1500 back on an ultra if the Sporty don't treat me nice.

nevermind I read the whole string,but hey I don't se an update,how are your azzes?

Wish us dry thoughts as we are heading to Birmingham, AL


B'ham is my home town, be careful when you go through downtown's "malfunction junction", (I-65, 59, and 20 mixmaster) lots of nuts runnin around there at high rates of speed talkin' on cell phones.

Good luck and enjoy the getaway.

nevermind I read the whole string,but hey I don't se an update,how are your azzes?

Oops, someone caught me napping on the job. I was waiting to post photos with my post, and I don't have my Killboy.com photos in yet from our ride on the Dragon, but I'll go ahead and post now and add them when they come in.

Firstly the meat of the post. Yep a sporty can tour. We probably rode about 8 hours a day. I had a HD pillow look touring seat, stock shocks. I had no problems. We would ride about 100 miles in a shot, and to be honest, I could have gone the full 140 miles (if not more) to reserve with no problems. In fact I was so comfortable on the first day (which was all interstate) I almost fell asleep riding the last 100 miles. I had to throw water on myself to stay alert! I figure you have to be pretty comfy to be able to snooze on a bike.
From day 2 it was all twisties, through the Georgia mountains, and into North Carolina.

The sporty was in her element. Oh God, it was so much fun just throwing her into all those corners. I cannot even begin to tell you how big the smile on my face was. I was on the perfect machine for those roads.

To add to that, I have a bone stock 883 (well it was, its fixing to have its stage one this weekend). Anyway, I felt I had plenty of power even in the mountains. In fact even on the dragon, I just kept in a low gear and enjoyed all that torquey goodness to be had at the upper end of the RPM scale. I wasn't racing through it - I was following my friend on her Fat Boy, and it didn't have the lean angles to go too fast around the dragon's curves, but I felt I had plenty of power.
My husband also toured on his 883. He did it on stock seat with an airhawk. He said he had no trouble, except for one leg, on the last day, where we did about 130 miles in one shot - on back roads through alabama/mississippi, all straight, 55mph, not many stops or reasons to shift riding position. He said he was starting to hurt (I was fine on my touring seat).

Gas mileage on an 883. Oh my word, on the interstate I was getting a hair over 60mpg. In the twisties, at one point I got 79 mpg on a tank. My husband was getting the same to within tenths of a gallon. We did just over 2000 miles, and it cost around $100 for gas for each bike on the trip. Which is really not bad.

My favorite extra I brought for the trip - a drink holder that fixed to my handlebars. I cannot say enough good things about the ability to carry a drink on those long interstate sections. Especially in the 80 degree heat we had going and coming back.

Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long to write this up - I've been back almost a month, but I've been busy putting another 3K on my sporty since I got back (doesn't leave much time for forums, but thats the way she likes to be ridden!)
Here are some photos for your veiwing pleasure;
It gets cold up on the Cherohala Skyway!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/evalea/IMGP1462.jpg

A shot of me on the bike, looking out from the top of the Cherohala Skyway (yes I know my saddlebag is open! its where the camera lived :D )
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/evalea/IMGP1474.jpg

Sitting at the top of the Dragon (and if it looks like I'm holding on for dear life, you'd be right, I'm terrified of heights!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/evalea/IMGP1519.jpg

Woohoo, I made it too the bottom, I slayed the Dragon, I taught the twisties, I....oh you get the idea!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/evalea/IMGP1521.jpg

Thanks for the pictures, Eva! Those clear skies must've made the ride that much prettier! It sounds like you've found a good combo for your bike to allow you to do some good miles, so keep up the good work! Your camera takes very clear pictures, so we hope to see more pictures from you as summer approaches! :clap

Sounds like a great trip. I'd love to be able to do some longer trips but just don't have the time.

Cheers,

Brett

Great pics Eva! Looks like you two had a great time!! Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on the trip, I had hopped to do the Blue Ridge Parkway this summer but I have surgery pending for my back and may not be able to ride it.

Awesome....Awesome....Awesome!!!!!!

Going to Asheville to the Hog rally in June and hope to have a similar "out of tourpak" experience :banana :banana :banana