I just ordered the parts to make the cable for ecm spy. If they come in soon enough, I will put it together and bring it to MB along with the laptop. If this works, we will have the ability to do TPS resets, and any tuning on site. disclaimer: I will not be doing the tuning, as I have no idea about AFV's and whatnot. }}
...if I ride down, I'll be taking the following route (more or less)...then the entire length of Skyline Drive, then the entire length of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, then onto Suches.
Mark, be advised that you'll make AWFUL time on Skyline Drive and the BRP. the posted limit on Skyline is 35, and the posted limit on the Parkway is 45.
it's some of the most beautiful riding you'll ever do, but it's no place to cover serious ground in any kind of hurry.
you MAY also have to contend with fog (very common up here), stuff so thick you have to crawl along at 10 mph hour after hour with your four-ways on.
both roads total you're looking at almost 600 miles of "parade" pace, even in the best of conditions.
just so's ya know.
FB
ps: if you do come down this way, be VERY cautious at deer-thirty...
(Message edited by jerry_haughton on March 12, 2008)
Hmm, 600mi. Kind of like when we landed in Newfoundland to meet Newfie and had a 600mi. ride across the country after 2hr. sleep on a noisy ferry. That was one long day. Got stopped by a mountie doing 130 and was let off with a verbal warning.
Since the son hasn't ridden in two years since his crash we'll have to discuss alternates Thu. night. I don't know if he can handle a long day like that.
Did get new rubber on his bike and am hoping the side panels show up too. He doesn't know that I ordered them and will be surprised when he gets home Wed. night. That old Blackbird should look pretty good.
Well, I did a little playing around in the trip software for the GPS and I have a 70% off-highway route that I can do in two days, where before I was looking at a solid three.
Yeah, I knew the BRP was 45 (and very cop-laden from what I've been told). Didn't know Skyline was 35 - that's a little too slow.
you'll seldom see a Ranger on the Parkway, especially this time of year. i think they'll give you about 5 over, but anymore than that you're prolly gonna get laundry.
the "up" side is that if you get popped for gently speeding in a National Park, it's a simple $50 fine and it never gets reported to your DMV or insurance company.
been there, done that...
i've done Skyline Drive once, and 35 was REALLY hard to maintain (except in the fog). it's only 105 miles long, but at this speed it seems to take forever.
it's also a toll road, if that matters.
Well, I did a little playing around in the trip software for the GPS and I have a 70% off-highway route that I can do in two days, where before I was looking at a solid three.
13 days.... headers are now wrapped!! DJ, Pops says he found your chair..... quite comfortable and you shouldn't expect it back!!! Just kidding... He was wondering where that chair came from and will return it to you when we get there!!
It is official, we will be up there Wed night!!! Does that mean 12 days???
Oh man so much to do so much to do. I still have to get a front tire and sort out the battery/charging problem. I went to the local HD dealership and they won't touch my bike, not even to mount a tire. I wanted to put my foot up that guys... but I digress. Anyway I've found the tire I want across the street at an import bike shop. Now the trouble is finding someone that can mount and balance it. The import shop mounted the tires on my S2 but they said they couldn't balance it so I'm pretty sure they won't balance the XB's. I should probably reset the TPS too.
even if you don't want to do the mount, you can easily (and relatively cheaply) do a very accurate static balance.
be advised that the heaviest point on a wheel isn't always at the valve stem. it's a good idea to place your wheel, sans tire but with valve stem, core and cap installed (and, of course, with all old balance weights ((and residue)) removed), on the balancer and determine the heaviest point on the wheel.
THIS is where you (or they) should put the balancing dot on the tire.
altho i generally do my own M&B, i don't have any personal experience with the No-Mar stuff, but i've heard great things about them.
Oldog, got your ears on? care to elaborate?
FB
(Message edited by jerry_haughton on March 13, 2008)
My Ulysses is nearly ready to go. The only thing needed is to replace my plugged rear tire. I'd also like to load the bike ahead of time to see how I want to pack everything, but that's no big deal. Other than that I have two things that require feedback from you guys:
1. I have a laptop with EcmSpy installed that I can possibly bring along. I don't have a cable, but if someone were to bring extra cables we'd have one more laptop for tuning. Naturally, if there won't be extra cables available then I don't need to bring my laptop. As a disclaimer- I make no pretension to be a tuner myself, I'm just offering the laptop as a tool.
2. I'd *love* to bring my Z50R to play with, but I don't have a way to get it there as I'll be riding my Ulysses. Is there anyone who will be coming from/passing through the greater Raleigh area with a car/truck that would be willing to haul it down to MBV?
Ferris: The "nomah" is the creem, it will take longer to get the wheels off and on than to spoon the tires off and on, Let me tell you its all about finesse, You will have to try to break a sweat. If you follow the instructional video It IS as easy as it looks. The tool works as advertised,
BTW thanks for suggesting it way much better than spoons and rim protectors or any el-cheapo method
Oh yeah Are you attending this year Ferris? Do we need to write you & D a note ??
Me thinks that this will be entertaining to say the least ..
> Yeah, I knew the BRP was 45 (and very cop-laden from what I've been told). Didn't know Skyline was 35 - that's a little too slow.
35 on the Skyline was tough. Save that for some time when you're in no hurry at all, and you want to stop off and do some hiking or something. The Shenandoah park is more about the destination and less about the journey.
I really enjoyed the BRP, however. It's a really pleasant, relaxing ride with plenty of scenic stop offs and breathtaking views. There's almost no traffic on weekdays. You can't speed much, but you won't want to. I ran the entire length of it at ~55 mph and had no problems.
I wrote a journal and took some pictures, if you're curious: