Pic Heavy 2016 Ride Report - 40 Days Following the Front Wheel

[DK Custom Products]

Mary and I have been looking forward to this trip since a few weeks after we returned from our trip up to Bella Coola, Canada last year! (see that Ride Report HERE)

We are staying in the States this year. We will be visiting family, and we'll be hitting quite a few National Parks. We have a few places that we are scheduled to be at certain times, and we have a loose route planned, but we are going to be following our Front Wheel for the next 40 days!

Unlike last year, I am going to try and keep the Ride Report as real-time as possible. Over the next week or two we will find out how that works out.

We are leaving out in the morning, and just finished packing up most of the bike.

It looks like we'll be riding in plenty of 90* weather, as well as in some snow!

Here's almost all of the stuff we are taking-




Yep, it all fit!




Kevin

[paws]

Can't wait !
We thoroughly enjoyed the Bella Coola trip.
That country was AWESOME!
We will never get to do a lot of rides that so many of you take and it's so neat to be able to enjoy it through your pictures and video.
Have fun, ride safe!!
We hope to meet you both in Kerrville in October.
Carla and Jim

[Ed Hobgood]

Can't wait for your 1st post. I'll be watching

[consitter]

Really looking forward to going on this journey with you! Be safe and have fun.

[ol' school]

Godspeed! Have fun and be safe! Looking forward to your pics!

[Zammy]

Ride safe Kevin & Mary, looking forward to your adventures.

[Gorilla]

Have a GREAT trip.

[rwhgme]

Looking forward to your reports! If you come through KC, holler! Lunch or dinner on us!!

[desertclassic]

Be safe, have fun and be wild. Looking forward to the reports. Jim

[DK Custom Products]

Thank you! We're expecting a great trip with some great riding, and times visiting friends & family! Good photo's too.

Kevin

[consitter]

Thank you! We're expecting a great trip with some great riding, and times visiting friends & family! Good photo's too.

Kevin

Have you actually hit the road yet? If not, when?

[DK Custom Products]

Short first day on the road...80 miles of interstate, and 200 miles of country roads landed us in the Ozarks.

Leaving out this morning-





Thru a bit of Mississippi, then a tiny corner of Tennessee, and here we are crossing the Mississippi River into Arkansas.





This morning was 82* and muggy when we left, got up to 90* this afternoon, then started cooling off a bit as we got into the hills. All day was swapping out between threatening to rain on us....




...and being sunny!



We had a bit of interstate we rode in Arkansas before turning off onto secondary roads...






...not much traffic, and I don't know what car this is, but I know it's older that me!






Old building used for signage!






Didn't really get into too many twistys today, but lots of sweepers as we got close to...





....The Hub Motorcycle Resort in Marble Falls.





Almost every year for the last 15 we have met up with the same crew to ride either in the Ozarks, Kentucky or The Smokys.

Sure is good to meet up with them again.

The next couple of days we'll be eating, telling stories and riding the twistys.

Kevin

[consitter]

Have you actually hit the road yet? If not, when?

Reckon your post answers my question!!

Looks like you're using a shorter windshield than last year's trip.

- - - Updated - - -

And HEY, if my eyes don't deceive me, it looks like you've added a Trike Mid Step. If so, what do you think about it?

[TGCarol]

More Kevin and Mary adventures! I've read your past ride reports (awesome) and I am so happy I
get to come along on this one from the beginning .

Have a great time and ride safe.

[DK Custom Products]

Reckon your post answers my question!!

Looks like you're using a shorter windshield than last year's trip.

- - - Updated - - -

And HEY, if my eyes don't deceive me, it looks like you've added a Trike Mid Step. If so, what do you think about it?

Yeppers, we are on the road...first few days riding in the Ozarks with a crew we've been riding with for a lot of years.

Yes, we are testing out a Trike Mid Step. First impressions are good. Makes getting on and off the Trike MUCH easier!

More Kevin and Mary adventures! I've read your past ride reports (awesome) and I am so happy I
get to come along on this one from the beginning .

Have a great time and ride safe.

Thank you!

- - - Updated - - -

Day 2-


Today was the first day of riding in the Ozarks...13 bikes, 3 of us are two-up.


One other Trike, a Can-Am, and more than a few metrics.


It rained last night, but was mostly dry when we left out.







John had a nice 200 mile loop he led us on, sweepers, twistys, nice country roads...









...and a ferry ride!









Mary really enjoys being on the water....as long as she can see a shoreline.






Waiting for our ride across the river into Missouri.









She took a "boatload" of pics while on the water.









On the other side....









...in the Missouri curves and twistys, headed toward Branson.









The roads in the Ozarks are some of the best riding to be had, straight flat roads are the exception.







More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Day 2 continued-


We stopped in Forsyth, MO for lunch. While eating it started raining. Everyone put on varying degrees of rain gear...while Larry rode the pig! lol









Riding...









...in a bit of rain.







Since it did not look like it was going to quit, instead of taking the twistys back all the way, we did some miles on the interstate.


Paul & BabyGirl at 80 MPH-









Larry at 80 MPH-









Gas stop right about when it stopped raining. Most everyone shed their rain gear...







...then about 10 miles before getting back to The Hub it started back up again.





That's it for today. Tomorrow will be more twistys!


Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Day 3 Teaser Post-

We rode for 10 hours today! Not much time to post...riding close to that much again tomorrow.

Here are a couple of pics from today, will be posting more in a day or two.


The weather was perfect, the roads were great...






...a nice mix of sweepers and twistys.




Taking a look behind us.




More on today's and tomorrows rides tomorrow night.

Kevin

[consitter]

I noticed you were saying pic of such and such "at 80 mph".

I've always experienced motorcycle speedos are off (slow) by about 5 mph, especially when they get to 55 and above. Are the trikes any better than that?

Thanks for the great pics btw!!

[DK Custom Products]

I noticed you were saying pic of such and such "at 80 mph".

I've always experienced motorcycle speedos are off (slow) by about 5 mph, especially when they get to 55 and above. Are the trikes any better than that?

Thanks for the great pics btw!!

With the Power Vision, and I think you have the TTS which can do the same, you can calibrate your speedo so that it is dead-on. I've got the Power Vision and have done that, I am within 1/2 mile of accurate. That said, we were fluctuating between 80-85 mph when taking those pics.

The ride leader in on a FJR (years ago when we started riding with him he had an Ultra, then for a few years he had a Gold Wing, now the FJR), he does pretty good about keeping the speed down, but he does like to go fast. That thing will hit 90 in second gear!

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Day 4 report coming late.


Had another great day of riding in the Ozarks. Just got in from dinner and sitting with friends all evening. Will start catching up with pics tomorrow night.

Kevin