Trip thinking...
#1
Trip thinking...
Even when I was a little kid and my mom and dad would take us down the Blue Ridge Parkway I always though of someday how I would love to walk or ride a motorcycle across it and back. Skyline Drive and the Parkway equal about 400+ miles in length if I remember right with top speed being 45 mph.
I'm sure someone here has done it probably several times in the past few years.
My question is would a Sportster be a good choice for this adventure ?
I'm sure someone here has done it probably several times in the past few years.
My question is would a Sportster be a good choice for this adventure ?
#3
I don't know about that particular route but I just got back from doing a 400 mile ride through Yosemite with a group of guys I made friends with on You Tube. I had to make some changes on my bike that I usually only use for commuting to work ie; throw over saddle bags, 2 up HD Sun Downer seat, ( for comfort ) and a wind shield. I'm running a 4.5 gal tank from a custom on my 72, ( instead of the 2.1 gal tank ) with a 2" lift. I ranged around 120 miles before the gas light came on. It took four gas stops getting around 2.75 gals each time the last stop was when I got home. If you're interested check out my ride videos on my You Tube channel ( search Robert Robb )
I say go for it just make sure you've got your gas stops planned out
I say go for it just make sure you've got your gas stops planned out
#4
Hey I just did a trip yesterday through West Virginia and went about 400 miles. Most of this was at 55mph but there was a good bit also around 30mph. I spent most of the day riding. I have a 2015 Iron and I have a mustang wide solo seat with backrest (I highly recommend this seat btw) and forward controls and I had no problem at all. I did not carry anything extra and I do not have bags or luggage of any kind at the moment. Usually I take a 5-10 minute break at every gas stop to stretch and rehydrate which is usually around every 80-100 miles.
I was actually thinking of doing a Skyline/Blue Ridge Parkway trip next weekend but I'm not really sure how far I'll go as I need to get back before the end of the day. I just bought a windshield off of a forum member so I hope it will help with some fatigue.
In my opinion the Sportster is perfectly fine for this kind of trip especially if you have an aftermarket seat. I used to do 300-400 mile trips on my 2009 ZX6R before I wrecked it. In the end its about how you'll hold up. Maybe ease your way into it by starting with a 200 mile trip and go further every time; its all up to you. I'm going to try a much longer trip myself after I figure out a good way to hold supplies/items.
By the way if you want to go riding some time let me know. I live in Northern Virginia but I go way out into West Virginia frequently.
I was actually thinking of doing a Skyline/Blue Ridge Parkway trip next weekend but I'm not really sure how far I'll go as I need to get back before the end of the day. I just bought a windshield off of a forum member so I hope it will help with some fatigue.
In my opinion the Sportster is perfectly fine for this kind of trip especially if you have an aftermarket seat. I used to do 300-400 mile trips on my 2009 ZX6R before I wrecked it. In the end its about how you'll hold up. Maybe ease your way into it by starting with a 200 mile trip and go further every time; its all up to you. I'm going to try a much longer trip myself after I figure out a good way to hold supplies/items.
By the way if you want to go riding some time let me know. I live in Northern Virginia but I go way out into West Virginia frequently.
#5
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Red Banks, Mississippi
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Even when I was a little kid and my mom and dad would take us down the Blue Ridge Parkway I always though of someday how I would love to walk or ride a motorcycle across it and back. Skyline Drive and the Parkway equal about 400+ miles in length if I remember right with top speed being 45 mph.
I'm sure someone here has done it probably several times in the past few years.
My question is would a Sportster be a good choice for this adventure ?
I'm sure someone here has done it probably several times in the past few years.
My question is would a Sportster be a good choice for this adventure ?
Sounds like a fun ride on the Sporty!
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#6
#7
Did 8000 miles around the country on my sportster last summer. I did the blue ridge parkway then, and I've done skyline drive a dozen times as well. The sportster will be just fine. If anything it'll be better than any big bike when you get into the twisty areas like skyline drive.
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#8
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sport...al-thread.html
Give that a read through, I'm pretty sure I said what we brought at the beginning and I rated everything we brought on one of the last pages of the thread.
Give that a read through, I'm pretty sure I said what we brought at the beginning and I rated everything we brought on one of the last pages of the thread.
#9
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sport...al-thread.html
Give that a read through, I'm pretty sure I said what we brought at the beginning and I rated everything we brought on one of the last pages of the thread.
Give that a read through, I'm pretty sure I said what we brought at the beginning and I rated everything we brought on one of the last pages of the thread.