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Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:21 am
by Marc K
Hi all. I found this group off the FJR Owners Forum. I currently own a 04 Yamaha FJR with many mods. I grew up in Greensboro and started riding dirt bikes when I was 11. I've owned all types and finally settled on a sport tour style. I live just north of West Jefferson NC in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. My wife just recently retired from Duke Power and I still have to commute to Rock Hill SC to my job - but not for long. I can reach the BRP at Laurel Springs in a few short minutes. I have many a mile in the mountains and along the BRP. There are great back roads here. I will keep checking the Day Ride posts and hope to join up with a ride. I ride year long as long as there is no ice in the corners !

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:51 am
by Bob
Hey Marc--welcome to the mayhem! <welc>

We also ride year round but have tended to avoid the higher roads when there's snow-melt chemicals on them. Or ice. Since you live right THERE you can provide condition reports. <grin>

Hope to see you on a ride soon! <tour>

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 10:01 am
by Brick
Hey Marc,
Welcome! I'm Brick and I live in Morganton, NC just down 181 20 miles off the BRP MM315.
Man you have one long commute to work.
Hope to have you join us. Like Bob said we've been avoiding elevation because of possible ice and crap on the roads. We do have some good stuff down here in the foothills.



Brick

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:12 am
by LeeDavis
Hi Marc and welcome. I also recently found this group and you couldn't find a better bunch to ride with. Hope to see you soon.

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:25 am
by Marc K
Thanks all ! I have spent a few miles on Hwy 181 along with 226 and 70. I was once screaming up 181 and waved at a bike as he passed - it was the NC Highway patrol. Guess he thought he would never catch me. I'll be glad to give weather reports. I should have road yesterday but had family visiting. A new great website to monitor weather along the BRP is http://brpweather.com/ I also use http://www.raysweather.com/ Hope to ride soon.

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:00 pm
by Bob
Marc K wrote:..... I have spent a few miles on Hwy 181 along with 226 and 70. I was once screaming up 181 and waved at a bike as he passed - it was the NC Highway patrol....


What was the HP riding? Did not know they patrolled on bikes other than major highways. Ticket?

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:10 pm
by Marc K
NC HP uses BMW RTs. I've seen them heavy on Hwy 181 on weekends during the summer. <squid>

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:19 pm
by Bob
Marc K wrote:NC HP uses BMW RTs. I've seen them heavy on Hwy 181 on weekends during the summer. <squid>


OK, that makes sense---I never ride up there on weekends. They have radar on the bikes?

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 2:36 pm
by Brick
Oh I like these two weather sights.... <thumb> <thumb> <thumb>

Marc K wrote:Thanks all ! I have spent a few miles on Hwy 181 along with 226 and 70. I was once screaming up 181 and waved at a bike as he passed - it was the NC Highway patrol. Guess he thought he would never catch me. I'll be glad to give weather reports. I should have road yesterday but had family visiting. A new great website to monitor weather along the BRP is http://brpweather.com/ I also use http://www.raysweather.com/ Hope to ride soon.

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 3:56 pm
by soichiro
I have only seen one shp bike on 181. I have been up that road at least several hundred times. He didn't even turn around, just gave the slow down motion. shp in cars don't even try.

I love weatherbug on my smartphone. Gotta ck. out brpweather. At least they don't salt, sand it. I have found sand twice covering the whole road, top of 80 and 221 and it didn't end well. There was no sand at all until I entered a corner near the top of 80. Same deal on 221, clean road and the splat im on the ground.

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:22 pm
by Brick
I live at the bottom of NC 181 and have ridden it since 1999 and while I have seen SHP... I've not seen one on a bike. What I mostly see is the Burke County Deputy Sheriff. I have two SHP as neighbors and a couple of years ago they told me that there boss told them he was pissed... it seems that the weekend he, his wife and kids were going up 181 in there suv and sport bikes passed him ON the RIGHT in a curve! They were to step up patrol for a while!
Dumb stuff!

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:28 am
by Broz
Welcome Mark,
Is that Backbone Rock in your profile pic? We've ridden thru that a time or two. A few of us from the Charlotte ride a long way to get to the good roads in your back yard. Hope to have a mild winter so we can get up there soon. Looking forward to riding with you.
Broz

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 8:51 pm
by Marc K
Yep that's Backbone Rock. One of the loops I ride is from my house Hwy 58 to Damascus - to Shady Valley (The Snake) and Hwy 421 back to Boone and home. Many great back roads around here.

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:27 am
by Ed
Brick wrote:he, his wife and kids were going up 181 in there suv and sport bikes passed him ON the RIGHT in a curve!


I suppose there's no point reminding him of the "slow traffic keep right" signs, since those only apply to us mortals <soap> <pop>

Welcome, Mark! <joecool>

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 11:00 pm
by Brick
He was in a two lane portion of 181 NOT a passing zone... They passed on the right on a two lane road in a curve.


Brick

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 11:21 pm
by Ed
Couldn't have been us, then... we only ever pass on the left on two-lane roads in a curve <grin>

Re: Hello from the mountains of NC

Unread postPosted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 11:52 pm
by Brick
Ed that is correct!


Brick