XYZZY
Premier Member
FJRiders Eastern Owners Meeting (EOM) 2025
Nate S., an FJR rider and riding buddy, told me about FJRiders.com, and then later asked me if I was going to the OEM... I, of course, didn’t know what he was talking about. We started a plan, then plans changed... Nate couldn’t go.
Thursday - NOLA to Flatwoods
As is my usual, I planned to get up early, but no surprise, my bladder woke me earlier. I stayed up and went through my morning routine and then loaded the bike. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in the inner city, and park on the street. I cannot load the bike ahead of time. I’ve developed a pretty good routine, and was ready to go right on time.
My local Shell station has always been laxed about putting paper in the pumps for receipts, and now there is a Cannabis Dispensary adjacent, so I’m really not comfortable going inside for a receipt and leaving the bike alone. My new approach is getting gas ahead of the ride, and getting my starting DBR at my drive-thru ATM.
Flatwoods is in the north-west corner of WVa, near Ky., Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I had plotted a route that would take me from Alabama to Tenn., to Kentucky, where I’d turn east to get to Flatwoods. This route would increase the distance just enough to be a SS1k, and I’d add Ky to my states visited map. It didn’t dawn on my until around Knoxville, that i wasn’t turning north. Somehow I was following a direct route to my hotel. The ride through Virginia and West Va. were a completely new experience... I’d never ridden in the mountains before... not like these. To top it off, it was a little rainy. I knew that i was being very cautious when I was passed and left behind by another rider. Temperatures were warm enough that i was never chilled by the rain. Along the way, I was being warned by my GPS that my route included Tolls, so at my next opportunity i pulled my Florida SunPass out of it’s aluminum bag and stuck it to my windshield. It worked like a charm!
I arrived at the vicinity of the hotel about 50 miles short of a SS... so i kept riding. I went about 35 miles further up the interstate, and turned around and ended with 1022 miles in almost exactly 17 hours.
The next morning, Friday. I got up early, and went down for breakfast, hoping to meet new friends and tag along on a ride. I sat with one couple and it turns out that they were riders, and learned about the meet-up and stopped in to check it out... but they were leaving after breakfast. We parted ways, so I went back to the buffet for another biscuit and to scout for new victims, i mean prospects! Two guys were wearing the right gear and speaking my language so I asked to join them. Ryan and Matt were regulars from Ohio, and lived for this event. Long story short, they invited me to join them on their ride. I told them I was a novice at riding the twisties, and they were very understanding. After about 200 miles of riding, i don’t think I embarrassed myself, and they were very complimentary, but I know I was holding them back. Still, it was an awesome day of riding. We had a big BBQ lunch, and that held me through dinner.
Saturday was going to rain all day, and i could not summon the courage to do the twisties on wet pavement. So, i jumped on the interstate and went and visited some Tour of Honor sites, and dipped my toes into Pennsylvania. Round trip was a little over 200 miles, but I was making terrible time. Regardless, I enjoyed it, and that’s all that really matters. I headed back to the hotel to shower before the big dinner. Dinner was good, and there was a lot of reminiscing by everyone. I was glad that I made the trip. I was in the running for farthest ridden, but I think i came in second or third.
The Return
As planned, I rolled out of bed at 3am, went through my morning routine, and was on the bike right at 4am. I had planned a big breakfast before I started the clock for my SaddleSore ride home, except I couldn't find a place near the hotel... so, I gassed up, and started the clock @4:02am Eastern Time.
it was foggy/cloudy all the way until Virginia. My aux lights are great on a clear night, but in the fog they blind me instead of oncoming drivers! I was kept at basically the speed limit. I decided to find breakfast while I was forced to go slow, hoping that I'd be that much closer to it burning off. Found a Omelette Hut or something like that... not a Waffle House, but it was close enough. As expected, around the Va line, the sun was coming up and the mist was clearing, so I could get back to full speed.
Traffic started getting heavy around 11 am, but I kept to my plan of doing the side trip to slay the Dragon. Traffic on the Dragon was exactly what I expected... I ended up in a group where a HD Trike was setting the pace, and I was immediately behind Honda Eclipse with Cherry Bomb exhaust. I enjoyed the ride regardless. If I had more time, maybe I would have ridden it a few times and improved my skills, but I still had Moonshiner & Cherohala, plus my last 500 miles to get home. I did stop and get patches, stickers and pins though!
I was re-thinking my riding in WVa., and how much more skilled my new friends were... and I remembered that I keep my bike in "Tour" mode, but remembered to change it to "Sport" prior to the Dragon. It made accelerating out of the turns more responsive, but I need to do more miles on technical roads to get better accustomed. I want to be better prepared for next year.
The other two byways were awesome, and then it was back onto the super-slab. Traffic in Chattanooga was awful, and next time I will route around that part, even if I have to detour through the mountains of north Ga.
Not much else to speak of for the remainder of the ride... just grinding out the miles. I made it home at 11:30 pm, so 1073 miles in about 20 1/2 hours. Not bad time considering the fog, he side-quest and a sit down breakfast!
-30-
Nate S., an FJR rider and riding buddy, told me about FJRiders.com, and then later asked me if I was going to the OEM... I, of course, didn’t know what he was talking about. We started a plan, then plans changed... Nate couldn’t go.
Thursday - NOLA to Flatwoods
As is my usual, I planned to get up early, but no surprise, my bladder woke me earlier. I stayed up and went through my morning routine and then loaded the bike. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in the inner city, and park on the street. I cannot load the bike ahead of time. I’ve developed a pretty good routine, and was ready to go right on time.
My local Shell station has always been laxed about putting paper in the pumps for receipts, and now there is a Cannabis Dispensary adjacent, so I’m really not comfortable going inside for a receipt and leaving the bike alone. My new approach is getting gas ahead of the ride, and getting my starting DBR at my drive-thru ATM.
Flatwoods is in the north-west corner of WVa, near Ky., Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I had plotted a route that would take me from Alabama to Tenn., to Kentucky, where I’d turn east to get to Flatwoods. This route would increase the distance just enough to be a SS1k, and I’d add Ky to my states visited map. It didn’t dawn on my until around Knoxville, that i wasn’t turning north. Somehow I was following a direct route to my hotel. The ride through Virginia and West Va. were a completely new experience... I’d never ridden in the mountains before... not like these. To top it off, it was a little rainy. I knew that i was being very cautious when I was passed and left behind by another rider. Temperatures were warm enough that i was never chilled by the rain. Along the way, I was being warned by my GPS that my route included Tolls, so at my next opportunity i pulled my Florida SunPass out of it’s aluminum bag and stuck it to my windshield. It worked like a charm!
I arrived at the vicinity of the hotel about 50 miles short of a SS... so i kept riding. I went about 35 miles further up the interstate, and turned around and ended with 1022 miles in almost exactly 17 hours.
The next morning, Friday. I got up early, and went down for breakfast, hoping to meet new friends and tag along on a ride. I sat with one couple and it turns out that they were riders, and learned about the meet-up and stopped in to check it out... but they were leaving after breakfast. We parted ways, so I went back to the buffet for another biscuit and to scout for new victims, i mean prospects! Two guys were wearing the right gear and speaking my language so I asked to join them. Ryan and Matt were regulars from Ohio, and lived for this event. Long story short, they invited me to join them on their ride. I told them I was a novice at riding the twisties, and they were very understanding. After about 200 miles of riding, i don’t think I embarrassed myself, and they were very complimentary, but I know I was holding them back. Still, it was an awesome day of riding. We had a big BBQ lunch, and that held me through dinner.
Saturday was going to rain all day, and i could not summon the courage to do the twisties on wet pavement. So, i jumped on the interstate and went and visited some Tour of Honor sites, and dipped my toes into Pennsylvania. Round trip was a little over 200 miles, but I was making terrible time. Regardless, I enjoyed it, and that’s all that really matters. I headed back to the hotel to shower before the big dinner. Dinner was good, and there was a lot of reminiscing by everyone. I was glad that I made the trip. I was in the running for farthest ridden, but I think i came in second or third.
The Return
As planned, I rolled out of bed at 3am, went through my morning routine, and was on the bike right at 4am. I had planned a big breakfast before I started the clock for my SaddleSore ride home, except I couldn't find a place near the hotel... so, I gassed up, and started the clock @4:02am Eastern Time.
it was foggy/cloudy all the way until Virginia. My aux lights are great on a clear night, but in the fog they blind me instead of oncoming drivers! I was kept at basically the speed limit. I decided to find breakfast while I was forced to go slow, hoping that I'd be that much closer to it burning off. Found a Omelette Hut or something like that... not a Waffle House, but it was close enough. As expected, around the Va line, the sun was coming up and the mist was clearing, so I could get back to full speed.
Traffic started getting heavy around 11 am, but I kept to my plan of doing the side trip to slay the Dragon. Traffic on the Dragon was exactly what I expected... I ended up in a group where a HD Trike was setting the pace, and I was immediately behind Honda Eclipse with Cherry Bomb exhaust. I enjoyed the ride regardless. If I had more time, maybe I would have ridden it a few times and improved my skills, but I still had Moonshiner & Cherohala, plus my last 500 miles to get home. I did stop and get patches, stickers and pins though!
I was re-thinking my riding in WVa., and how much more skilled my new friends were... and I remembered that I keep my bike in "Tour" mode, but remembered to change it to "Sport" prior to the Dragon. It made accelerating out of the turns more responsive, but I need to do more miles on technical roads to get better accustomed. I want to be better prepared for next year.
The other two byways were awesome, and then it was back onto the super-slab. Traffic in Chattanooga was awful, and next time I will route around that part, even if I have to detour through the mountains of north Ga.
Not much else to speak of for the remainder of the ride... just grinding out the miles. I made it home at 11:30 pm, so 1073 miles in about 20 1/2 hours. Not bad time considering the fog, he side-quest and a sit down breakfast!
-30-
