After two years in shutdown I was ready for a long MC trip- I spent the time getting the R6 into suitable form. In past years I was making long trips on my Bandit- but wrecked it in 2018, so this is my 1st trip on the R6. I'll include pics of the bike soon, but wanted to try posting pics exracted from the on-bike footage. I figure I'll do a post on each day with selected pics, with additional detail if folks are interested. I'm not interested in attractions or stops so I will write from a riding perspective- mental and physical conditions and so on.
Day 1, heading from Baltimore to Williamsport PA;
Heading north towards Gettysburg- a great day to ride- a bit warm but lots of air.
Heading north thru Carlisle PA. Rides up from MD into this area, through Smith Mountain are great day trips, but this is my 1st time north thru town.
Enroute to Newport PA. The open farmland provides opportunities to be a bit naughty, but mind visibility through the curves.
It looks like the old towpath along the west side of the Juniata river is ridable for a substantial part of its length, houses and picnic spots scattered along it now. My gps showed these routes along the river so I dived into them for a portion, looks a great way go most of the length of the river from Duncannon to Newport.
Still heading north along Mountain Rd. This was a simple and very pretty northern route from Newport up towards Mifflinburg, the locals know how to drive these roads- takes some work to stay ahead of them :)
And the home-stretch, taking the state park roads north of Mifflinburg and thru Washington PA. Very glad my GPS had these forest tracks, so navigation was straightforward. Although gravel it seems to be frequently maintained, no potholes to dodge. Some of the roads have gates, so those shown on maps might not all be available- one of my roads was closed off, but working around it wasn't a problem. It'd be easy to get lost without a gps and map, going in circles or coming out a different exit than expected. There is some basic signage for road names but no directions in or out.
I passed a few overlooks as below. Rt 554 from Washington into Williamsport is a real treat; google street view doesn't show the gorgeous parts.
End of day 1, at the RIdgemont motel. I love the old-fashioned roadside motels rather than the corporates, this one didn't disappoint. Rooms on the back side of the building are quieter and overlook part of the valley. The R6 neck pinch was just starting at this point, but the bike performed very well- the suspension is worth a lot of the work necessary to tour on the bike.
View from the rear of the motel;
Pending a full-dress pic, this is the state of the bike;
I substituted a 40L drybag for the tailbag shown here. It tends to obscure the mirrors a bit but offers plenty of space for the usual junk a 10 day trip needs...
Day 1, heading from Baltimore to Williamsport PA;
Heading north towards Gettysburg- a great day to ride- a bit warm but lots of air.
Heading north thru Carlisle PA. Rides up from MD into this area, through Smith Mountain are great day trips, but this is my 1st time north thru town.
Enroute to Newport PA. The open farmland provides opportunities to be a bit naughty, but mind visibility through the curves.
It looks like the old towpath along the west side of the Juniata river is ridable for a substantial part of its length, houses and picnic spots scattered along it now. My gps showed these routes along the river so I dived into them for a portion, looks a great way go most of the length of the river from Duncannon to Newport.
Still heading north along Mountain Rd. This was a simple and very pretty northern route from Newport up towards Mifflinburg, the locals know how to drive these roads- takes some work to stay ahead of them :)
And the home-stretch, taking the state park roads north of Mifflinburg and thru Washington PA. Very glad my GPS had these forest tracks, so navigation was straightforward. Although gravel it seems to be frequently maintained, no potholes to dodge. Some of the roads have gates, so those shown on maps might not all be available- one of my roads was closed off, but working around it wasn't a problem. It'd be easy to get lost without a gps and map, going in circles or coming out a different exit than expected. There is some basic signage for road names but no directions in or out.
I passed a few overlooks as below. Rt 554 from Washington into Williamsport is a real treat; google street view doesn't show the gorgeous parts.
End of day 1, at the RIdgemont motel. I love the old-fashioned roadside motels rather than the corporates, this one didn't disappoint. Rooms on the back side of the building are quieter and overlook part of the valley. The R6 neck pinch was just starting at this point, but the bike performed very well- the suspension is worth a lot of the work necessary to tour on the bike.
View from the rear of the motel;
Pending a full-dress pic, this is the state of the bike;
I substituted a 40L drybag for the tailbag shown here. It tends to obscure the mirrors a bit but offers plenty of space for the usual junk a 10 day trip needs...
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