It was 7 AM and 62 degrees with patchy fog when I left home on the July,7th, 2008.
I left my Garmin 330 GPS at home, taking instead the smaller (but older) Garmin III+. It's small screen shows enough of a map and town names to make it practical for getting "unlost". It also shows which direction I am traveling and where I am in relation to where I want to be. Not very practical by "modern" standards and not very user friendly. But effective.
I took route 119 from Pikeville to Charleston, WV. See Map: There, I got on I-79 North to Erie, Pa. then I-90 East to Victor, NY near Rochester. I ended my first day of riding with 623 miles.I spent the night there and the next morning I rode on in to Little Falls. The ride was a bit long but was relaxing and while I was a bit road weary, I could have completed the trip in one day with a little more effort..
I spent two nights at Pete's and Ann's house and at 8 AM on the 10th I pulled out for home. Some clouds 
threatened rain, but I was to ride all the way home without any. I thought about the 623 mile day I did on my way up and wondered if I could ride the complete 839 miles home in one day. I have read about the Iron Butt Association, They're a very exclusive group of long distance motor cycle riders. (I think more than their butts are iron!) I don't know for sure, but I'm told you can hear them clank when they walk.
I wanted to see what my absolute limit for a day's ride was. I can tell you it is somewhere around 838. Those Iron Butt folks are way out of my league.
My route home from Little Falls, to Utica, South on Route 12 to Binghampton. Picked up I-81 there and rode the 296 miles to Winchester, Va. At Winchester I took Route 50 West through Romney, Gormania, WV, on over to Grafton and Bridgeport where I once again picked up I-79.
Route 50 was as good a place as I saw along my entire trip to have a wreck over a hill or in a creek and not be found until the morning, or even later. The road was a country road and some of it was canopied under trees. Much of the route was isolated and the road followed a crooked creek. Traffic was very light. There was half a moon in the sky, but it didn't shine on me very much. It was a very dark night, in spite of the excellent headlights on the Majesty.
Route 50 would be a great daytime ride. but at night it was a nightmare. The sun was just setting just as I left Winchester.
- My next trip will be limited to 400 miles a day max. (At 67, I really don't have that many people I want to impress anyway).
- I wore ear plugs but they were too small. I chucked them for cotton balls.
- Total trip mileage was 1670.
- Most of my riding is with a full faced helmet. With it, the Wind noise isn't an issue. I do like the open faced helmet with wrap around sunglasses. I can enjoy the smells of the road. Downside of the open faced helmet is 60 MPH bugs and rain drops and stuff.
- One bareheaded rider I encountered informed me that about all the full faced helmet was good for was that it would allow you to have an open casket funeral. (I love meeting interesting people like this...)
- In Pennsylvania, a young boy about 6 or 7 years old showed a lot of interest in my Scooter. He brazenly walked up to me at a rest stop and asked what the size of my engine was. He proudly told me he rode a bicycle.
- The Majesty is a surprisingly comfortable bike. By locking my knees, I can vary my riding position, taking the weight off my rear. Changing positions often greatly increases the distance I can ride. Also, keeping my spine perfectly straight is a big help.
- I take aspirin a day beginning two or three days before my ride and one every day during. This helps prevent much stiffness and soreness that plagues me on long rides..
| Ivydale, WV 3.3 Gallons - | Washington, PA 2.8 Gallons - | Erie, PA 2.6 Gallons - | West Hen, NY 2.7 Gallons - | Westmoreland, NY 2.8 Gallons - | Sherburne, NY 1.8 Gallons | Turkey Hill, PA 2.9 Gallons | Martinsburg, WV 2.8 Gallons | Mccumber, WV 2.8 Gallons | Charleston, WV 3.0 |
| Approximately 27 gallons of gasoline total. | Cost approximately $110.00 |
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