I've been thinking lately of doing the Iron Butt 1000 mile ride, but I've never spent that much time in the seat before. So I thought I would take a little trip up the the Tail of the Dragon and see what it was like to spend all day on the bike. The loop I chose was 560 miles; I wasn't so much going for speed as I was just wanting to see what it would be like to put that many hours in the seat. As it was, it took almost exactly 12 hours from the time I left my home in Stockbridge, GA and returned that night.

Here's the map - Interstate through Atlanta and then mostly two and four lane highways for the balance of the trip.


Killboy Photography was on the job, so here are some pics that they provided of me on the Dragon. The guy scared me to death hanging out at one of the curves with a camera - I thought it was a speed trap! I never realized I was so handsome though!


You could argue that a HD touring bike isn't nimble enough to truly enjoy curvy mountain roads, but I beg to differ. The Road King felt light in the curves and handled extremely well. I'm sure I would be no match for a crotch rocket, but I bet few of them have had the joy of tossing 800 lbs through these curves either!


The weather was great - about 50 degrees leaving Atlanta and a high of about 75 in the mountains. Robbinsville, NC is a good place for gas and groceries and the Tail of the Dragon is everything that I've heard. I went on a Thursday, so there weren't very many bikes on the road. I never saw anyone ahead of me nor behind me for the entire 11 miles. Plenty of folks at Deals Gap, but we were spaced far enough apart that I never felt rushed. So I took it easy since it was my first time on the Dragon. Scraped the floorboards several times, but never pushed it to where I got nervous at the curves.


Stopped at some picnic tables at the north end of the Dragon alongside the lake to enjoy a bag lunch that I picked up in Robbinsville. It was a good feeling to have completed the Dragon and practice the techniques learned during the MSF course (look way ahead, monitor peripheral vision, turn that head, shift that weight). From the Dragon, I took the Foothills Parkway to Townsend, TN and entered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the North. Although the Foothills Parkway is short (about 8 miles ?), it is very scenic with mostly gentle curves and good surface.


The Smokies were wonderful as usual, but with lots of traffic, even on a weekday. Most of the construction south of Newfound Gap has been completed, and the road surface is great. Got a little cold at the Gap, but the trip down to Cherokee was pretty exciting and filled with scents of blooming wildflowers.


So by the time I dragged into the house at eight that night, I was pretty worn out. 560 miles and 12 hours in the saddle. I'm gonna have to think about that Iron Butt for a little while before I commit....

Some observations about the bike etc:
- gotta have some pegs on the engine guard so that I can change leg position
- the Mustang seat with backrest was indispensable. I hated the idea and looks of the backrest, but changed my mind about two hours into the ride
- sure am glad I went to quieter mufflers (SE Street Performance Touring) - they had just enough sound to be noticed, but not enough to bring fatigue
- note to self: bring sunscreen next time - I'm a true redneck now!

(all photography by Killboy.com)

 

Pastor John, the next tine you make that trip look a going a little farther North in Kentucky. There is a road just north of Tn/Ky line on I-75. I think its US-49? Its the first exit, 11 mile marker. My wifes sister lives down that way. Head west on that road. I got sick and had to stop for a while while driving my sport truck. I felt funny looking out the side windows to go around a curve. Ride safe.

 

Pastor John...sounds like a great ride you did there to the Dragon and back. However, I did my very first Ironbutt back in 2005, and the route I did was 90% interstate. The 2-laners are nice and scenic, but they sure do add on a bunch of time...especially if they start to get twisty with much slower speed limits. My total mileage was 1,036 miles in 18 hours, 45 minutes...not too bad for a first-timer. Some key things that helped...an Airhawk seat cushion, along with a sheepskin cover on top...made for a nice, comfy saddle. Earplugs!!! I cannot stress how much earplugs made a difference on my Ironbutt. They cut down the fatigue factor tremendously! Jot down yourodometer reading on the back of the gas receipt at each gas stop...makes it easier putting them in the correctorder when yousubmit your paperwork. Here's a thought too...for your first time, you might want to consider doing an "organized" Ironbutt. That's what I did, and it was nicetonot have to worry about finding witnesses and making sure the route was acceptable. If you want more information onthis...click on the link below.Good luck on your Ironbutt!

http://www.mctourer.com/rides/2007/SS1K/index.html

 

Thanks, Linda! The MC Tourer site looks great, and an organized ride might be what I'm looking for!