[dan0]

I've got some time on my hands, read unemployed, and dreaming of having some fun while I have this time available. Recently I had gone to a presentation at a local BMW dealership by this guy named Rene Cormier who sold off everything and went slowly around the world. I've already been dreaming about leaving stuff behind and just riding, and this is just a helpful excuse.

So to start on a somewhat smaller scale I think I'm going take my Grom from Connecticut south to Key West. I'm thinking on the way south basically just following the coast roads down, then on the way back coming up more inland and hitting some states I haven't visited yet (Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio) back home.

All I really have planned so far is day one stop at my sister's house near Princeton, NJ and then an overnight in Homestead, FL thanks to Advrider.com's tent space thread...

I figure it will also be the first long distance trip anyone has done on a Grom.

Taking donations for a new seat because my ass would thank me if I had something a little more comfortable for a 3000+ mile trip.

 

[Miamigrom]

i can feel the pain the ass already.

 

[dan0]

Yeah, me too. I gotta pick up some padded bike shorts that will hopefully help. Maybe get a new seat if funds permit.

 

[mad8vskillz]

it will be sloooow going on the grom. but awesome!

try to hit tail of the dragon and blue ridge parkway if those are an option.

I know you said you have a place to crash in Princeton, but if you need for whatever reason, I have a spare bedroom in philly as well

 

[dan0]

Thanks Sergei. The "plan" so far is to try to follow the coast down most of the route and then on the way back up be more inland, so probably hitting the dragon and blue ridge parkway.

 

[mad8vskillz]

btw, if you need "rescue" pretty much anywhere from NYC down to DC pm me for my number. I'm more than happy to help with truck.
That is of course if you don't have roadside assistance, really you should get AMA or AAA RV+ (regular AAA doesn't cover bikes)

also plan to maintain your bike along the way. chain adjustment definitely and oil change as well somewhere in there.

 

[dan0]

I do have roadside assist with GEICO but I'll keep your offer in mind if anything happens in the area, would be a lot easier than dealing with where to take the bike in an unknown area.

Got my rack from HardRacing today, going to install it and work on making this soft case I had on my KLX250SF more rigid to store some of the heavy stuff. Also see about trying to hang like a small soft pannier system off it as well.

I gotta look in the manual what interval it says for oil, can't remember. It would be nice if I could change it before I left, make it down to FL and just change it there, and be good for the ride back? Be about 1500 miles between changes??? I plan on contacting someone on ADVrider.com's tent space thread in Homestead, FL. I could maybe even see about shipping some stuff down to him for it to be ready when I get there.

 

[HardRacing]

.

Just make sure to post a lot of picture's.

.

 

[dan0]

Hmm... my timetable is cut short due to some things I need to be around for. I had been thinking about leaving at the beginning of May, but i have to be in CT on May 10th for something. About the longest time frame I have is 12 days. Which is probably do able but I had really hoped on having about three weeks if needed so I could go at whatever pace I felt like.

Now thinking about doing something sooner and just a week long trip, to get a feel for how much mileage I can comfortably do in a day.

 

[chye]

yea you better get some serious comfortable seat. and get a nice big windscreen and maybe some sort of storage for extra gas.

 

[dan0]

No windscreen, don't like how they look added to bikes. Don't have money for a seat right now, so padded shorts and maybe something light strapped on top. I do plan on picking up a 1 gallon Rotopax container.

 

[floppyzebra]

Dude.... Pending if you make it to florida let me know! If I can talk my lady into letting a stranger stay, you're more then welcome to crash at my place which is right between i95 and US1. Pending on the time of arrival I could gather all the other guys up and maybe get a little group ride with you around town if you're interested in riding more lol.


Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[dan0]

Sweet! Although I'm not sure if I'm making it to Florida in the next month like I was initially planning, too many weekend commitments are popping up.

I did get out today riding, did my longest day on the Grom so far at 180 miles. I figured for my trip to do somewhere between 200-300 miles and this makes me thinking it's easily possible. My ass certainly started to feel, but I made a few breaks during the day, and I didn't leave the house until close to 11am and I was back at 5:45pm. So switching up stops and a better seat I definitely could do some even longer days.

 

[dan0]

Stopped at a restaurant on my ride today, where'd it go?

 

[dan0]

Hit another long riding day today. 247 miles. I picked up some vinyl stickers I got a chuckle out of from someone in RI. Google maps said 103 miles each way but when don't have mount for your phone to follow GPS you just kind of wing it, get lost, have to ride around closed roads, etc. The thing that killed was the wind that picked up in the afternoon. At first it was just a novelty, dodging the many trash cans and recycling bins that had blow into the road, turned to anger for the next four hours of riding home pegged trying to make it up hills and not get blown off the road.

The day I did 180 miles was pretty straightforward, no wind and I could have gone longer. Today with the wind made me dread the miles. I think for a long trip 250 miles is a decent day under good conditions and not a complete killer in less than ideal situations.

 

[floppyzebra]

Hell yeah man

 

[humilde_grom]

Where you headed next?

 

[dan0]

Where you headed next?

Not FL yet unfortunately, money and large blocks of free time seem to keep disappearing...

but I think my next small trip will be up to VT, then across NH, to end up in Oguinquit, Maine. We used to vacation in the area every summer growing up. Thinking it would be neat to spend some time seeing the old sights. Then back to CT somehow, maybe via Cape Cod?