riding from MI to west virginia in a couple weeks...any advice?

So, i am going to due my anual fall upper gauley white water raft run with friends from grand rapids, and decided rather then go down on thursday packed in a van with everbody, raft friday and come back saturday, i am going to take my bike and break the trip up. leaving the 9th, taking wendsday and thursday to get down there, raft and then come back over the weekend.

so, this being my longest attempt at a trip so far(last one being up to the bridge, about 5 hours, this is like 11) any advice from you seasoned sport touring guys?
i ride every day about 90 miles round trip to work, all kinds of weather, and am in pretty good shape. bike has a tank pad and bag on it so i dont have to wear a backpack. have boots, riding jeans, gloves rain suit, etc,etc. the guys taking the van can take my gear for rafting so i can pack light.

just wondering if there were any things to consider, if some of you have done trips like this and ran into problems that i might not be thinking of. if anybody wants to ride in west virgina on the 10th 0f september, i should have most of the afternoon to look for the kind of roads we dont have hear in MI :biggrin:. thanks!

 

Well, my daughter graduated from VMI (Virginia Military Institute) this last May and we live in GR, so we went to Lexington VA a couple times a year for the last 4 years. So, we did the 'thru Ohio/WVA/into VA' route.

I never made the trip on a bike, but I can tell you about the trip from a drivers perspective: Ohio is the worse state in the union to drive thru. It is boring and the drivers SUCK, so be very careful thru there. And that's not even a 'MI vs. OH' thing, they REALLY SUCK.

However, once you hit the southeast corner, and get into WVA, dude, some of the nicest, twistiest, curviest, bike roads and even highways in the nation. In fact, going from Charleston south on 77, then getting on 64 east, is a series of twisties I have thought about getting down to do on my bike, cause they are just so fantastic.

Anywho, envy your trip, hope you have fun and it goes well.

 

There's something I've seen in OH, W.VA, NC, and TN that disturbs me a bit. I've seen lots of signs for "Corn Hole" Tournaments, "Corn Hole" games, and the like. I avoid these areas. I don't know what exactly goes on, but I have a vivid imagination and it's disturbing. Curious. Are the people that lonely? Anyway, you may want to be careful and keep your back to the wall at all times.

 

I am a MI native and current resident, but I lived in Columbus for a year. Columbus was OK overall, but I concur with Echo3Niner. Ohio is as boring as southern Illinois to drive through, then add drivers that REALLY SUCK. Go around it. Go through Canada. Canada is like sex with my wife. It's right there, but we never go.

 

Hey SkyBucket, you also on WMR, go by F16Driver by chance? I'd find it hard to believe we have two F16/sportbike motorcyclist pilots from the area, who also got to fly over the MotoGP on two different boards I belong to... Though could happen I suppose, there were 4 planes...

If that is you, if you haven't already, or even if you have, find me at the next WMR ride (tomorrow if you're gonna be there) and say hey, I find it hard to keep up with who's who, from boards to real life.

 

many thanks for the input, i have obeserved ohio to be extremly boring as well. echo3, you ride with wmr? how come i havent bumped into you yet?

 

I've been at every Monday Bike Night (and will be tonight) at the Pizzeria Grande, except the very first one; even the one that rained on us. It's like 2 miles from my house... I always take my 15 year old daughter. I gave the safety brief a couple weeks ago, and will prob do it again tonight.

I have not made any other WMR events yet, but we are planning on making Toxic Vomit's Year End party; assuming I'm still in-state.

Just like with the fly-boy, if you're there, come by and kick me or something, I'm terrible with names and faces, so need you to actually say 'hey' for me to remember you.

 

Thank Senator Byrd, the King of Pork in Congress. You and I paid for those WVa roads.

I'm still waiting to hear what all that corn-holing is about. Sorta like the testicle festival in Montana, maybe?

 

Those of you who say there are no decent roads between MI and OH have obviously been taking the WRONG roads.

I've made the trip between MI and Marietta a number of times, as recently as last week.

Yes, from MI to Toledo is boring, and getting out of Toledo isn't much better, but last week's route between there and Marietta was pretty good.

PM me your email address and I'll send you some GPX files for your GPS. I'll even include an entire "all Ohio" route that you can incorporate as you wish.

If you don't have one, I can send you some highlights of the roads to hit.

 

Be very careful around the New River Gorge Bridge.
US 19 in Fayetteville aways has a speed trap in operation.

 

The commercialized version of 'Cornhole' is called 'Baggo'. Check it out at Baggo®.com Bean Bag Games – the Most Exciting Backyard Game Ever!

Essentially, it's like horseshoes, except you throw bags filled with unpopped corn and instead of throwing them into a pit towards a pole, you have a board with a hole in it that serves as the target.

 

Whew! That's a big relief! Not what I was thinking at all, thank gawd.

 

Well, that applies in Ohio. No telling WHAT they're referring to in WV when they say 'cornhole' ...

 

I don't think any game should be allowed to have the name "corn hole" in it, IMO. Where I come from, "dems is fightin woids".

Enjoy your trip Gearhead. Be safe, and pay attention for dueling banjos.

 

yea, paddle faster.............

today i just picked up new rear tire and a throttle brace to try to keep my hand from going numb this time, the last long trip i took the micron pipe somehow vibrated just wrong at about 70.... hands go numb fast.

thanks for the input guys, got to run at the moment but will be back later, am interested in any sugested routes i guess thats kindve what i started this thread for..notice of speed traps, bikes being stolen, good roads etc.

and yes, i have played outdoor beanbags...i refuse to call it "cornholing". "hey, so anybody want to play cornhole....." just doesnt sound right at all.

 

I used to live in the eastern panhandle of WV and have made that trip way to much from WI to WV flat and boring until WV.
I also have done the Gauley 2 times but perfer the Yough in PA much more tech. but not as much power and only 4 person rafts on the Yough.
We stayed at Rivers campground bar on site.
Sure wish I could get away!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Not me. But thanks for turning me on to WMR.

 

WMRiders.com great group of folks. Come join us on a Monday night if you can, or one of the other events.

That other fella I mentioned is a WMRider and also flew, so maybe you had a fellow WMI sportbike rider with ya and didn't even know it. Strange coincidence...

 

From a bike maintenance perspective, it sounds like at least one chain lube will be in order, so a can of chain lube, some disposable gloves and a few paper towels would be handy to have along.

From a self maintenance perspective, some talcum powder (Anti-Monkey Butt powder, or similar) can make a huge difference in comfort on longer rides. Perhaps some Advil or Aleve for painful areas you haven't discovered yet.

 

Ohio has some great riding area if you know where to look. Down around Athens, Zainsville and Cambridge area. Basically east and south of Columbus. There's even The Ohio Dragon here: OHIO'S DRAGON TAIL - Motorcycle Riders Club of America: Online Community Scroll down the page for more good roads.

These roads will take you in to WV and PA. Watch yourself in WV if you get on the real back hill roads. They repair the roads with tar. This stuff is the real "Black Ice". When it's cool it get hard and very smooth. Then moisture gets on it and it's like snot on a gym floor. Be careful the leaves too.

Yes watch out for the a-hole drivers around big cities and suburbs. The country folk do a lot better.

Have an enjoyable trip. Oh yea a pair warm clothes.