I just completed a 2300 mile ride (Cincinnati to Birghmingham AL, to Montgomery AL, to Tallahassee, FL to Jacksonville FL, to Welaka FL, to Savahna GA through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Bloomington IN, back home).

First of all, thanks to all those who post on this forum. I've learned much and have relied on the posts to make decisions about upgrades ect. The information on this forum is great....a real benefit to all.

Now, as far as equiptment goes: Zumo 550 GPS is a wonderful gadget and saved me time and hassle. I was able to go anywhere (even to some very remote areas in FL) without worry and without getting lost. While in Savahna I was able to just plot a point out towards South Carolina and bam, the Zumo got me out of the city with no problems. Moreover, the information stored in the Zumo is very helpful. Used it several times to locate HD dealerships, hotels, and other places on interest. Zumo is the way to go.

Alan from Mean City Cycles did a great job with my seat. I had the memory foam put in and the seat lowered about an inch. My butt was very happy. If you are on the fence about your seat, go ahead and do your backside a favor.

Harley Davidson Backrest: Just shoot the person who designed it. It is too large and pushes me too far foward in the seat. I took it off half way through the ride.

Before I departed I put on a DFO and a high flow air filter (Screaming Eagle). WOW. The engine really opened up and gave me a noticable increase in power. Gas milage dropped a bit but hey, when you are averaging 85 mph on the interstate, what can you expect? Nonetheless, both were good investments.

Switchback Technology jacket from HD. Prior to my ride I purchased the Brawler jacket with switchback technology. All I can say is that the jacket peformed as advertised. When I departed Cinci it was 32 degrees and I was bundled up solid......same as if I had my leather jacket. When I hit FL it was 80 degrees and off came the core of the jacket. On the way back home it rained a bit and the temp dropped from 54 to 34 between the KY and TN border. Sheeit. Cold. The jacket, however, was great.

HD Boots. I cannot think of their official name right now but they lace up and zipper up (on the side). The boots are pefect. Very comfortable to walk in,to ride in, and just to kick back in.

OSBE jet helmet with duel visors. I just started wearing a helmet and wantedone that looked good and provided a degree of functionality. I bought theItalian made OSBE helmet over the internet from designerhelmets.com....The helmet was very comfortable and the visors (one clear and a black one that can also be placed over the clear one) worked very well. I actually enjoyedwearing the lid.

Finally, a special thanks to the FLHighway Patrol for looking the other way on a couple of occassions.....they evenwaved as I sped past them

 

Sounds like a great ride, John! It would be great if more folks would post descriptions and photos of their travels. I've always enjoyed the logs from the Adventure Rider forum (http://www.advrider.com/) and thought it would be great to have similar posts on our forum.

 

Yes, it was awesome.....but I forgot my camera! That won't happen again.

 

Sounds like you had a great trip! Got any pictures to share?

 

Man it sounds like you had a great trip!!! Glad to see you completed it safe and sound.You're right about the Zumo 550, it's the way to go. Went to the Smokies last fall an it worked just as you stated in your report. It's a great and helpful tool to have when on those long runs... "D"

 

I agree, I had to put a 10* bend in the one on my EGCto make it comfortable.

 

i never heard of OSBE. http://video.aol.com/video-detail/he...est/1476995548

they may not know a shotgun from a rifle but they build a tough helmet . my beanie can't handle that i bet.

 

Now that I know about this forum, I may post my bike excursion this year. Not sure how many pictures I will take, but it sounds like a good way to remember it and to share it with others.