Vita Rara: A Life Uncommon - Tennessee

Part III: Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway

Mark — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:30:23 -0400

Sunday, August 17, 2003: Rendezvous and Ride

We planned to meet in Franklin, NC at 10:00 AM and head to Deals Gap. I arrived at the rendezvous point and Chris K and Mark Davis (madavis) were there waiting, and shortly Shawn (Lone_RT_Rider) appeared. Four RT's from three states, two from Georgia, one from Detroit, MI and mine from Troy, NY. Just a typical BMW group as someone pointed out.

We head north on NC-28. This was my second ride on it. Chris and Shawn went first, followed by myself and Mark. Chris and Shawn quickly disappear when we hit the twisties. Ride my ride. I'm maintaining what I think is a brisk pace, but nothing like what those guys are maintaining. I have a lot to learn. The whole day taught me that. The RT will lean farther then I'm comfortable with at this point. I intellectually know there is a long way to go, but I get to a certain point and I think I've reached the limits. I think some of this is left over from my days of riding my Yamaha V-Star cruiser. That bike would drag pegs at a very slight lean angle. Looks like it's time to work in the parking lot and find the bikes limits.

Return to Sanity Tour - 2003

Mark — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:23:59 -0400

In August and September of 2003 I took my first long motorcycle ride. In March of 2003 I purchased a 1999 BMW R1100RT. My only previous motorcycle was a Yamaha V-Star 650 custom cruiser.

In 2002 I started reading a BMW sport touring discussion board BMWST.com. This story was originally posted on that site in about 18 parts, as I edited them for posting. I wrote this story as I travelled, then edited it and posted it on the BMWST.com site.

Please enjoy this tale. It was a transformative ride for me. My life gained a new focus and has been interesting s

Delivery is Tough Work

Mark — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:36:15 -0400

I posted the following on the BMWST.com website in August of 2004. Enjoy!

Last week was pretty amazing. Actually the past month has been pretty amazing. I offered my friend Sylva a ride on the RT at the beginning of July, and it went very well. As a friend of mine said, "motorcycle magic."

Anyway, Sylva did so well on her first ride on July 3rd that I asked her if she'd like to ride to TN with me to deliver my friends GL1100 Goldwing to their new home. Happily Sylva accepted. She's a true trooper.

Here's our mighty steed sitting next to the RT in the garage: