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Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway ride Oct. 2017


Trambo

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A few close friends of mine and I have been having an annual Virginia BRP ride every October since, well, forever. This year was no exception, but instead of the usual group of 3 or 4 riders, this year's group swelled to 9 motorcycles and 1 auto. (2017 Toyota 86 860 Special Edition, his bike was not legally rideable this year so we let him sweep as our "Safty Car" for kicks)
 
Three riders are friends I attend the annual Deals Gap trip with, and rode in from out of state; One from Raleigh, NC (250 miles away), one from Pittsburgh (400 miles away) and one from Ohio (500 miles away!). The Saturday ride from my house near Richmond runs up Rt. 6 to Afton, VA where Mile 0 of the Blue Ridge Parkway begins. It runs south to Otter Lake, back up the BRP to US-60 and back home. In all, the Saturday ride clocks in at just a shade under 350 miles. We start at 0730 and get back right at 7pm. It's a long day, a lot of riding, and a boatload of fun.
 
Enough of the blabbing. On to the pics!
 
1st stop, lunch in Waynesboro, VA where the entire group assembles for the start.
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My FJ in Sport-Touring mode, complete with hard cases & Alaska Leathers sheepskin buttpad
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2015 Stealth Grey FJ-09 Pilot
Base of Operations: Chesterfield, VA
Farkels? Lots, nothing flashy, but all functional...
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As you can see, we simply do not discriminate against anyone, including the 2 Harley riders. LOL!
Anyone who loves to ride is welcome, we have men, women, all ages and walks of life. It's a melting pot of people who love motorcycling, and we love it. The constant banter about bikes and riding is refreshing.
 
On to the BRP! We got going just as the thick fog lifted, and the sunshine appeared and temps quickly soared into the 70's, making for beautiful if surprisingly unseasonably warm weather. To the overlooks!!
 
 
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2015 Stealth Grey FJ-09 Pilot
Base of Operations: Chesterfield, VA
Farkels? Lots, nothing flashy, but all functional...
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Clearly - The marque of the ride was Triumph; We had FOUR Tiger Pilots, and one Street Triple pilot in the group. Two Harleys, one Honda Magna, one SV-650 and me leading on the FJ-09. Triple power by far outnumbered the V-twins! The noise was magnificent.
 
More pics!
 
 
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2015 Stealth Grey FJ-09 Pilot
Base of Operations: Chesterfield, VA
Farkels? Lots, nothing flashy, but all functional...
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Overall it was a glorious day, with NO rider issues at all, NO dropped bikes, NO accidents at all.
We had one close call, coming back down the mountain on US-60 through the very fast sweepers, I was leading the 'fast' riders on a strafing run through the most choice bits, when we powered off a long left onto a straightaway. As I was accelerating down the straight, out of nowhere a big, dumb, goofy ass dog runs out into the middle of the highway towards us. I locked down the binders HARD and we all were able to slow down avoiding contact with this stupid, happy dog who was looking to make friends with each of us.  wavey.png  Jeepers that was close, and it too another 5 minutes for my heart rate to drop below 200 bpm.
 
Outside of that one butt-clenching moment, it was a very smooth, problem free ride. I'm not the least bit sore today, the FJ continues to prove what an incredibly capable AND comfortable sport-tour it is. I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed taking 'em!
 
 
 
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2015 Stealth Grey FJ-09 Pilot
Base of Operations: Chesterfield, VA
Farkels? Lots, nothing flashy, but all functional...
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Good report! How's that sheep skin seat cover working for you? Is it over the stock seat?
Thank you! That sheepskin buttpad is amazing. Maybe the best farkle funds I've spent on the FJ so far.  It makes the stock seat much more comfortable on a long ride. It fits right over the seat and has elastic straps with plastic buckles to hold it firmly in place.
2015 Stealth Grey FJ-09 Pilot
Base of Operations: Chesterfield, VA
Farkels? Lots, nothing flashy, but all functional...
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