Triumphrat

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:05 PM

Being fairly new to riding, my buddy and I decided to take our first road trip on the bikes to see how we'd do. We started in Indianapolis and ended at a cabin in the Smokey's. We camped 2 nights on our way down staying at some destinations we'd picked out and then spent 2 nights at the cabin before burning home on the interstates.

Enjoy the Pics...

Bikes all packed and ready to go.

Backside

We made it about an hour before needing some breakfast. We were traveling down US 31 which is a pretty relaxed 55 mph drive.

We took another break just south of Louisville to make sure we were heading in the right direction

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:13 PM

Our first destination was the Jim Beam factory. Love their product

We spent the first night camping in Bardstown. Got to bed early for our morning Bourbon tasting at Maker's Mark

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:17 PM

We woke up early and got to Maker's Mark in time to catch the first tour and tasting. The distillery is down a long winding road.. a great way to wake up.

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:21 PM

After Maker's Mark we made our way down to Lake Cumberland for another night of camping. We spent most of the day riding around the lake and swimming because it was nice and HOT.

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:25 PM

Up until now we'd spent most days avoiding highways and enjoying the twisties that Kentucky and Tennessee have to offer. However, we weren't covering ground like we wanted to. Day 3 we decided to move to the highways. Good thing we did as we were chased by a storm the entire way. We got dumped on about an hour from the cabin. We were happy to have a dry place to sleep and relax for the next couple of days.

My Bike was happy to be dry as well

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:30 PM

I put the camera down on day 4 to sit back and relax. Day 5 we made the 500 mile trek home on interstates, so I didn't really get too many pictures taken.

All in all, a really good trip. The Bonneville handled beautifully. Finally joined the ton up club with her as well. The trip total was about 1100 miles. Not "Touring" but definitely a good road trip.

Items Used for Bike.

NC Plexifairing GT - This screen was great. I'm 6' and didn't get any buffeting clear up to 80 mph.

Cortech Tri-Bag System - Also worked very well. Definitely want to use rain covers when raining. I think I had them a little heavy for not using supports. Those are on my short list.

Other than that she is bone stock with the baffles punched out. I was definitely able to last longer than my buddy on his Road Star. His butt would require him to stretch every 70 miles or so. We also couldn't believe that I ended up getting better gas mileage (45) than he did even though my engine was revving so high on the highway. Guess Triumph knows what they are doing.

theblackhand · 06-16-2009, 02:32 PM

Nice trip and a great way to get real back road experience on the bike in all kinds of weather. Maker's and Triumphs go together real smooth.

Sofiaspin · 06-16-2009, 02:45 PM

Great stuff thanks for taking the time to post all those pics. A larger front sprocket would improve comfort and mpg at higher cruising speeds. Glad you enjoyed it.

wjrodman · 06-16-2009, 02:59 PM

Thanks for the comments. I've actually already got the 19T sprocket, but wanted to wait to put it on until after this trip. Now I'll have something to compare it to over long distance.

Catenaccio · 06-16-2009, 04:56 PM

Looks like a great trip! It never ceases to amaze me how versatile Bonnies are. Terrific bike!