Triumphrat

truax

Well our two thousand plus mile trip following the Mississippi River from New Orleans to it head waters at Itasca State Park in Northern Minnesota is over. I had a great time and learned a lot.

I found: the Triumph Bonneville to be a rather comfortable bike, despite my 6"5' frame. I averaged 43-50 mpg. I wish the gas tank carried just a little more fuel. My Cortec/Tourmaster bags were amazingly tough, functional and tolerant of over-loading. My Nelson-Rigg tank bag was perfect. The Rentec saddlebag racks and rear rack to be a little on the weak side (I reinforced mine before the trip and they were fine). I highly recommend the Thruxton Gel Seat as a replacement for the stock seat-- I would have never finished the trip on the stock. The Modre peg lower kit is a God-sent. There is no substitute for a good rain gear. I hate medal deck bridges in the rain. There are some amazing back roads back there. If you never ridden the road either side of the Mississippi in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin you need to go there now. The generosity of total strangers is staggering.

If you want the daily details of the trip as written by my good friend Jim Standerfer, and the photos I added daily you can check them out here.

http://www.herald-review.com/2ridetheriver/

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Truax
2007 Bonneville: bar end mirrors, Renntec Engine Guard, MCR Luggage Brackets & Seat Rack, Cortech Saddlebags, GenMar Handlebar Risers, National Cycle Windshield, Hutchinson Custom Brackets, Ikon shocks, Hagon progressive fork springs.

Catenaccio

Cool! Always wanted to ride the The Great River Road. I've done sections in cars but never the length of the Mississippi. Good on ya!

iceman

..I was going to ask - now what? - but having reread your report you are riding home again

Some great photos and a few characters along the way - you will have great memories as you go back to work.

Grant

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http://www.triumphrat.net/photogalle...790/album1051/

Gob-ny-geay

Excellent Quest, excellent story and excellent pics. Most of us can only wish we had the time and gumption for these extended trips.

I'm in North Central Illinois as well, and I think Illinois gets a bad rap as far as roads are concerned. Most think of Illinois as FLAT, but we do have hills, twisties, river roads, etc. You just need to know where to find 'em! Will I tell you? No, 'cause we're selfish and don't need the crowds. Just kidding!

The Great River Road is 1.5 hours from me, and I try to do it once a month (I even did it in March (Brrrr-rrr, nasty cold)!. Northwest - Galena area is fantastic as well. The trick is to search the map for the rivers, and follow the roads that follow the rivers. Indians and early settlers did this for a reason, and we should too.

Great Story and Trip guys... do it again!

propforward

Well done Truax, good adventure, and good reports. I have enjoyed reading your daily blog - nicely done.

Ride reports like that push me just a little closer to getting out there and doing something more adventurous than just a day trip. Think I'll have to get something going pretty soon.

Cheers!

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If you ever drop your keys in molten lava, forget about them, because man, they're gone.