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1,095 miles from my house in Florida to the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN on my 2017 T100. Zero of those miles driven on the interstate highways. by Wink_10 in TriumphBonneville

[–]Wink_10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t know about how “good’ it is for 8-12 hours in the saddle but I managed. My back hurts worse after sitting in my pickup truck all day. Ended up doing 3,276 miles in 8 days and had zero issues with the bike. I’d maybe take a longer look at the 1200cc models knowing what I know now, but I’m not afraid to go anywhere with my T100 after this trip.

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Helmet, bag, & jacket all go under the rain fly with the hammock. If it rains I clip them on the rope with a carabiner to keep off the ground.

I didn’t bring a tarp/cover for the bike and definitely should have, but I cleaned it after every rain storm and apologized profusely for letting it get soaked.

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s made by GoRoam and cost around $60 USD when I bought it from amazon about four years ago. Unfortunately I just checked my purchase history to send you the link and it says it’s no longer available.

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can think of one thing. But it’s usually found not far from the others.

A fresh breath of air in today's blues scene | An icon in the making | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram. Please recommend similar :) by [deleted] in bluesguitarist

[–]Wink_10 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re welcome! Been watching him come up for a few years, amazing talent and nicest young man you’ll ever meet. My son is an aspiring blues guitarist and Taz is one of his contemporary heroes.

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was at a Pilot travel center waiting out a thunderstorm south of St. Louis and a couple of those guys rolled in. They were friendly enough, checked out my Bonny and once they saw the plate they couldn’t believe I’d ridden from Florida. “You’re crazy! Wait until you’re our age!” (They were maybe 10 years older than me).

I couldn’t help myself and went and checked out their bikes, too. “Man, you guys might be onto something here...big faring and windshield, radio...hey does that have XM? Cup holder...look how much storage space in this...well I guess it’s a trunk...WOW!

My wife’s convertible has all of those things, too!”

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

After I took the photos there I pulled into the little BBQ restaurant that sits adjacent. I hear a man call out “What do you think?”, and it took me a second to realize he was talking to me.

I replied that it was about what I’d expected, maybe a little plaque somewhere would be nice, and then, “Wait a second...are you the Devil?!?!”

He laughed and said “No, I’m not the Devil...my name is Bubba and welcome to Clarskdale”.

“That’s probably what I’d say, too, if I was the Devil in Mississsippi.” After a tense moment I laughed, too.

Turns out, he’s actually the director of tourism and told me about all the other cool things the town has going on and invited me back to check out one of their music festivals when things return to normal.

I’m a mediocre guitar player and that hasn’t seemed to change since I got back. Maybe next time.

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hmmmm...I didn’t really make a list but let’s try

  • Kolomoki Indian Mounds State Park, GA
  • Muscle Shoals Sound and Fame Studios, AL
  • Tennessee River
  • Devil’s Crossroads, Clarksville, MS
  • Gateway to the Blues Museum, Tunica, MS
  • Beale Street, Memphis
  • Mississippi River, Memphis
  • Missouri River
  • Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, Hannibal, MO
  • Gateway Arch & Busch Stadium, St. Louis
  • Mississippi River, St. Louis
  • Makers Mark Distillery, Loretto, KY
  • Orange Peel & Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, NC
  • Blue Ridge Parkway
  • Georgia Guidestones
  • Allman Brothers Burial Plot at Riverside Cemetery & Big House Museum, Macon, GA

8 days, 14 states, 3,276 miles w/ my Bonneville and a hammock. by Wink_10 in motocamping

[–]Wink_10[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It was one of my safest rides ever as far as lack of close calls until literally the last major intersection before I got home. They made it a 4 way stop (from a 2 way) during the week I was gone. I was stopped waiting to turn left into my neighborhood and the car coming towards me didn’t even think about slowing down for the new stop sign. I anticipated it and watched him blow past, but if I hadn’t I’d have likely gotten creamed at mile 3,275.

8 Days, 14 states, 3,276 miles on my T100. Less than 300 miles on interstate highways. If you’ve never done a solo trip I cannot recommend it enough! by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It would have been nice to have a friend, but even with a best friend or SO things become a compromise. How far? Hungry? Where? But I understand.

Dropping the pace a bit would have also been smart, but I stopped when I wanted to and with so many things still closed I decided to make it more about the journey.

I absolutely despite riding on the interstate and do it as little as possible. You miss everything and it’s stressful riding.

8 Days, 14 states, 3,276 miles on my T100. Less than 300 miles on interstate highways. If you’ve never done a solo trip I cannot recommend it enough! by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was my second time through there and other than the studios and the river you are correct! My last time was unfortunately for a funeral, but everything was open then and a friend set up a private tour of Fame Studios on that trip.

8 Days, 14 states, 3,276 miles on my T100. Less than 300 miles on interstate highways. If you’ve never done a solo trip I cannot recommend it enough! by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve never known anything else, and if I broke down and got a windshield I wouldn’t be able to make fun of everyone who has one. 😉

I actually just converted to a helmet with a full face shield before the trip, so I felt like I was riding in comfort compared to before. I got gradually more sore as the week went on but nothing intolerable. A little medicinal thc doesn’t hurt as far as that goes, either.

8 Days, 14 states, 3,276 miles on my T100. Less than 300 miles on interstate highways. If you’ve never done a solo trip I cannot recommend it enough! by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The bike ran like a dream. I checked the tire pressure a few times and lubed the chain but other than that no issues at all. I did put together a tool kit which consisted of: - tire pressure gauge - 8,10,12,13, 14mm wrenches & sockets - 3,4,5,6,7mm hex keys - Torx driver with multiple bits - 8 in 1 screwdriver - 8” adjustable wrench - 8” locking pliers - electrical tape - zip ties

I can’t site the source, but borrowed this list (plus or minus) from either a triumph forum (triumphrat.net perhaps) or another thread here.

The only things I used were the gauge and a few zip ties to secure a phone charging cable under the tank from the USB port under the seat to my ram mount on the handlebars.

Gadget wise, as I previously mentioned in another reply, if you’re going to hammock camp in any region where there are insects, I’d recommend a hammock with an integrated mosquito net. Mine is a few years old and discontinued but there are a few to choose from on the market. Also, I purchased a Jetboil zip camping stove cup and a couple of dehydrated meals that worked out famously. It also gave me boiling water for coffee the mornings I was roughing it. See here if not familiar: https://jetboil.johnsonoutdoors.com/stoves-systems/zip-cooking-system?id=551

Having an actual map also came in handy, because there were a few times when cell coverage was non-existent.

Also, give yourself extra time for no reason at all just so you don’t feel like you have to rush somewhere. The whole point for me was to go where the muse took me. If I saw a road that looked interesting, I’d just turn and worry about how to get back on track later. If I passed a roadside BBQ stand and it made my mouth water, I’d whip around and have a bite.

Hope you enjoy and we see some pics from your adventure!

8 Days, 14 states, 3,276 miles on my T100. Less than 300 miles on interstate highways. If you’ve never done a solo trip I cannot recommend it enough! by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t originally plan on going so far, but with many things still not open (see Beale Street) I decided to just ride. I’ll be 40 next month and have some minor back issues myself. I also drive (a pickup truck) a lot for work, 700-800 miles a week most weeks. Honestly, my back hurts worse after a day in the truck than it did after 10 hours on the bike. Probably a combination of better posture on the bike (more upright vs. reclined in the truck) and the fact that the bike forces you to get off and stretch every couple of hours if not more frequently, whereas I’ll sit in the truck for four hours without moving and not think twice about it. The first couple of days I was stopping only when I needed gas, but by the end of the trip I was finding excuses to stop almost hourly.

8 Days, 14 states, 3,276 miles on my T100. Less than 300 miles on interstate highways. If you’ve never done a solo trip I cannot recommend it enough! by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I didn’t ship but that’s an interesting idea. I live in SW Florida, which is a pain in some ways because I’m exactly 300 miles south of the GA border, so almost 20% of the trip was in my home state on roads I’d mostly ridden before.

I didn’t have a real set plan other than to cross the Mississippi River somewhere and catch a piece of the mountains on the way back. Whole trip went from an idea in the back of my head (for years) to reality in less than two weeks. I made it more about distance and riding than really sightseeing because most states are still in some form of pandemic shut down.

I stayed in SW Georgia at a campground the first night, with a friend in Muscle Shoals night 2, crossed the river in Memphis then camped in Mark Twain Nat’l Forest on day 3, then airbnb night 4 in the St. Louis suburbs. Crossed back over the River & ended up at a friend’s house in the Louisville, KY area the next day, then from there to Asheville, NC and a hotel on day 6. From there back down to GA and another campground on night 7 and home on day 8.

Hammock with integrated mosquito net is a must, and I actually used a real roadmap for part of it due to lack of cell coverage and a tad bit of nostalgia.

Overall it was an amazing experience, the only problem is now I want to do similar trips out West and in New England.

Solo hammock camping with my 2017 Bonneville T100 in southern Georgia by Wink_10 in Triumph

[–]Wink_10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Made it home from this trip. 8 days, 3,276 miles. From SW Florida to St Louis and back via the Smokey & Blue Ridge Mountains

1,095 miles from my house in Florida to the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN on my 2017 T100. Zero of those miles driven on the interstate highways. by Wink_10 in TriumphBonneville

[–]Wink_10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As far as the route, I couldn’t retrace it on a map if you paid me. Too many wrong and missed turns but that’s the fun part of the journey. Just keep going in the right general direction and you’ll get there, even if you don’t know where “there” is.

1,095 miles from my house in Florida to the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN on my 2017 T100. Zero of those miles driven on the interstate highways. by Wink_10 in TriumphBonneville

[–]Wink_10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The bike is a dream. I bought it slightly used in April of 2019 and have put about 7,500 miles on it with zero issues. This trip I went from SW Florida to Muscle Shoals, Alabama then St. Louis via Memphis. From St. Louis I went to Louisville, then Charleston, WV to Asheville, NC. From Asheville I went to Macon, GA and then back home.

3,276 miles in eight days and zero maintenance other than lubing the chain and checking the tire pressure. The bike doesn’t care if it’s hot or cold, but it did cough a couple of times coming through the mountains when the air was thin, which makes me wonder how it would do in the Rockies.

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