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Hey there from northern, middle Tennessee!


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Been here in middle TN for quite a while, and having spent '14-'15 living in Colorado, I've returned. Always thinking about my next adventure out west and will return next Spring. 

Having recently traded the Concours 14 and 690 Enduro R for the Africa Twin, I hope to settle into some good middle ground for riding and adventuring. There's a link in my bio for those interested in the most recent adventures with the two prior bikes, and also the current AT. 

I've met a couple of XLADV'ers earlier this year, and look forward to meeting more.

 

On edit: Added a picture of the AT as we rode through the Big South Fork National River and Recreation area towards the southern part of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Oh, and the picture the dealer took at delivery time of the AT. This is where I left them the Concours 14 and 690 Enduro R.

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Edited by rider_marc
added pictures.
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Hey Eric! Yeah, so far I am enjoying the AT. Though mostly pavement miles, the AT just rolled over 1k miles. Did about a 25 mile section of gravel road with the aired-up street tires too! The lack of front gription kept me alert in curves.

So far, there is a Power Bronze short windscreen, Givi case guards, AltRider rack for the Givi trunk, and some Grab-On grip covers. I've applied 3M paint protection film on the tank and side covers. Since I had this unused LED brake/tail light from the 690, I installed it where the OEM license plate light is located. Here's a link to a short video: 

Heading to NC on Thursday and taking back roads through the mountains. I've signed up for the Honda Pass Bagger Challenge in Rever and plan to ride about a dozen or so. They are not as concentrated out here as they are throughout the Rockies, but they do get me to ride roads that could be overlooked.

I've done the first oil and filter change with Mobile-1 already. 

How are you doing with your AT? 

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Yeah, the would have been pretty cool. Seems we had out rallies mixed up. I wondered why you had reservations in Crested Butte for the ADVrally in Gunnison. ? Now I know. Where there any AT's at that rally? I'm guessing no, and pictures from the KTM Rally indicate so. 

I know I'll be out there next year! 

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I spent some time this summer in E Tennessee. Beautiful part of the country! Didn't bring my bike (family vacation), but I'd love to get back up you way for a long weekend ride. Where would you recommend for guys that like beautiful roads, but mostly to get to more beautiful dirt trails? Love single track, water crossings, hill climbs, etc??? Of course, don't want to have to push, pull, or drag our bikes to ride a trails (used to do that).

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@Bryan Bosch This map and file seem to go together. It's a start. I've not ridden any of this yet. When wet, these areas will be slick. Hasn't rained much over the past 3-4 weeks so, things could be good now.

Where are you located?

Also, Turkey Bay OHV in Land Between the Lakes is good for a weekend. No map needed there. Just ride. Eventually one makes his way back to parking/campground. I took the 690 there for the initial off-road ride prior to heading for DV earlier this year. Used to take the boys riding there often when they were growing.

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Got it, BB. My risk analysis for trails is conservative. Has to be that way for riding solo and now at 56. Like you it sounds, I'm over humpin' bikes out of situations. Even more so with the AT.

I just passed through the area last week on the AT. All roads though. Using the Rever app and the Honda Pass Challenge, last on the list for the ride was Deals Gap. So, it created another run through the Dragon. Take a look:

 

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I'm 48 and have put in over 35 years of off-road time, much of it in the pacific nw. We used to ride everything, even if it meant pushing, pulling, dragging, or crashing out. It was fun, but I'm over it. I still like trail challenges, but if it's a ton of work, no thanks. I go to the gym to get a workout, when I'm on the bike, I just want to have fun! I moved from an almost 500lb. Tiger 800XC to a 17 KTM 690 Enduro R in the spring and I really found that middle ground that I was looking for. It's more on the dirt bike side than big ADV bike, but that suites me best. I'll be a weenie and trailer up to TN b/c slabbin' on the 75 for 10 hours isn't my cup of tea. But, I'd like to camp when I'm up there, riding from area to area for a few days.

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Ha, yeah. Following a couple of extended camping trips with the Army on the other side of the world, I figured I would soften-up and do things different--like pull out the credit card at hotels instead of pitching a tent. Well, I've still done quite a bit of camping since those days. Oh, and I don't tolerate cold very well which is why I didn't last two years in the property in Colorado for '14 and '15 before returning back to mid-TN.

Temp wise, I can tolerate a colder morning out west better than in this area. Suspect that's humidity, but also whether or not the rising sun is on the campsite. I did the hotel thing a couple of nights in NC for last week's trip to south of Raleigh and early-morning mountain temps were in the 50's. For me that's a perfect temp for sleeping. Start moving around, coffee, and ride prep, then it's time to get going.

Hot-Hands work great in the sleeping bag. Get the larger version. Then if needed, take it on the ride. A small catalytic heater that uses the disposable propane bottles are perfect for tents.

 

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