Had a business trip to go on from Knoxville to Charleston. Right at 375 miles one way. After keeping an eye on the weather, I decided to take the '10 Iron. What a freaking blast!

I had recently updated the front and rear suspension to Progressive and with the Mustang seat, it rode just fine. Some potholes along the way, but nothing to bad. Just kept an eye on the road.

Only thing was it was COLD AS HELL! I had electric gloves and a First Gear over-suit, but my feet were freezing. I did have batter powered insoles but they did not last too long. I actually went through a 30 pack of AA batteries there and back. Would only get about 45 minutes out of a fresh set. I did wind up buying a First Gear electric liner in Charleston at the local Cycle Gear. Well worth the money.

The only real trip I did while there was to ride out to Kiawah Island. Too bad they don't let motorcycles on the island! Did not know it was a gated community with stuck up rules. The gate guy said I could park the bike off to the side and walk around, but I politely said no and rode off. They don't want my bike, they can't have my tourist money. To beat it all, I was actually checking it out for my Wife and I to return to and stay for a few nights. Too bad suckers.

Anyway, the ride was really nice and I put about 900 miles on the bike there and back. Got about 50 MPG too, so I am an environmental steward.

The Iron held up nicely and I rode about 70 mph +- the entire way. I did have my luggage fixed in a way to act as a back rest so the wind would not beat me to death. In all, it's not a touring bike, but I am not old enough to be uncomfortable on it either.

Take it easy everyone and ride safe.

 

Nice pro-mask solo bag there.

I'd done an Iron Butt to Charleston, passing through Knoxville on the way, last September. Did you take US-276 through the park? I stayed on I-40 all the way to I-26 South in NC, and that was pretty gorgeous for superslab. Then I took a spin up US-17 to Myrtle Beach the next weekend, and got to enjoy some low-country scenery that way too. All on a touring bike, but it looks like you set up your Iron pretty well for the job.

If I have to travel back that way myself, I'm definitely taking some extra time off to enjoy the Smokies. And if I have to do it in February, I'm buying extra heated gear before I leave.

 

Congrats! You'll always remember it.

 

Pic looks real familiar... sounds like a nice ride.

 

Im digging the hand guards. Did you buy or make them?

 

Another question for ya, what kind of saddle bags are those?
Did you have to relocate your license plate for them to work?

I'm hoping to make a trip like yours, but can't find any throwovers that will work with the stock license plate mount.

 

Thats f@#cking awesome man congrats I had a iron for awhile so I know what everymile felt like.....thanks for sharing

 

Are your handlebars the RSD short stacks or are they taller than them? Congrats on enjoying your ride. Some say sportys are for short runs only. But we know better.

 

Oh wow, did not know I was going to gin up this much interest in my additions.

The saddle bags are the ones that you can find at Wal-Mart for about $50. But, I actually found them at Northern Supply for $20 on the clearance table! They fit pretty good after I got some zip ties and Velcro after them. I absolutely will not pay $150 for a set of leather bags, as these fit my purpose just fine. They even held my one gallon gas can. The license plate was moved before I put these on, so I don't know if the original setup would work, but I think it would, as these sit just above the lights.

The bars are from Road Six Customs. They are 12 inchers. I only wanted them shoulder height, and they make riding so much better. I have a bit of scoliosis (curvature of the spine) so my back does not like being hunched over. The license plate is also from Road Six Customs, which if you have not checked them out, you should. I don't know of any place else that sells the type of addons they have for such a low price. That license plate was only like $25.

The grip shields were made by me. I saw the ones from NC, and they just looked gay. I wanted something a little more organic to the bike. So I drew out a template and shaped it to somewhat resemble the curve of the tank. I made the mount to fit onto the mirror stem bolt, and there you have it. These are not perfect, as I need to make them to fit lower down, but they do a fine job of deflecting wind and rain. They sort of have a post-apocalyptic look to them too, ha ha.

I saw the idea for the side bag on here, and just ran with it. I sewed and sewed the straps on them until it came out to what I was wanting. I then added the sissy bar onto some factory side plates. The sissy bar was off some old chopper, so it fit right in . And since I pretty much suck with paint, I wrapped the sissy bar with 550 parachute cord in a knotted fashion. It turned out so well, I did it to the grips too.

If you look closely, you will see some weird bump next to the speedometer. That's a tach that I added a few weeks ago. It's a Harley tach that was made to add to the risers, so I cut one of the lobes off and bent the other up to sort of go along side the speedometer. I then sanded the chrome and sprayed it with some wrinkle coat to match. Came out pretty good.

Actually, everything you see on the bike was done by me. I save money by doing it myself, so I can buy more junk to add to it. The way I see it, by the time I get done, I will have upgraded everything to a Street Glide in a few years!!

Here is a picture of the other side...

 

Epic ride, man. Especially this time of year. I have a 400 mile spring trip planned myself. This is the stuff that life is all about.