Topic: Pennsylvania Motorcycle Road Trip

[Jaeger]

Thanks for the write-up and pictures.  It sounds like you had an amazing time.

Pennsylvania was also one of my favourite places to go touring when I was still riding 20 years ago. I used St. Marys as a base.  I wish I could remember the name of this one road, but it was curve after curve for several miles. Hwy 555 was also a great road.

Cheers!

I feel sure I'll return to Pennsylvania.  I also have an open invitation with a friend who rides down to the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee at least once each season, but that is 3 times as far and I don't think that stretch of road has anything on Penn.  Might make it a longer stay next time.

I had the chance to ride down to the Tail of the Dragon as one of my last trips.  It was incredible. Just getting there on the Blue Ridge Parkway was worth the admittedly long ride. The TotD was a nice stretch of road, but my favourite was the Cherohala Skyway.  Same twisties as the Tail, but with gorgeous scenery mixed in.  And there were also a ton of other amazing roads to ride.  I did ride a bike with a decent-sized fairing (Honda VFR800), so the highway riding wasn't too bad.  YMMV, but I would definitely recommend the trip down there at least once.

Thanks much!  I have heard that the Cherahola is the better, if less famous option.  A guy in our regular riding group has a VFR 800 - awesome bike!  I SO wish that Honda would do something like that again.

[quadzilla]

A couple of weeks ago after I left Quebec City I continued east to drive Baie-Saint-Paul up Hwy 381 to Saguenay, across the river, down Hwy 172 to Tadoussac, then back to BSP on Hwy 138. Would be an amazing loop on your bike with many twists and turns with steep ascents and descents. And I can even recommend a great place for a treat.

[tortoise]

The 381 must have been so beautiful.

Twice last ski season I did the 175 to Saguenay then the 170 to L'Anse-Saint-Jean and then took the 170 to the river and continued home on the 138.

It's such a wonderful part of the country. I plan to go back in the summer and spend some time poking around.

[kings10]

Thanks much!  I have heard that the Cherahola is the better, if less famous option.  A guy in our regular riding group has a VFR 800 - awesome bike!  I SO wish that Honda would do something like that again.

I loved that bike and I wish the same.  A do-everything-well bike with character.  But I think it was/would be such a hard sell for Honda..."Well, it's heavier, more expensive, and slower than our inline four bikes, but it sounds really good!"

[Gurgie]

Thanks much!  I have heard that the Cherahola is the better, if less famous option.  A guy in our regular riding group has a VFR 800 - awesome bike!  I SO wish that Honda would do something like that again.

I loved that bike and I wish the same.  A do-everything-well bike with character.  But I think it was/would be such a hard sell for Honda..."Well, it's heavier, more expensive, and slower than our inline four bikes, but it sounds really good!"

I rode a couple of VFR-800's on demo days, absolutely loved them! Used to keep an eye out for them on Kijiji, just to see what was out there.

Sent from my SM-S901W using Tapatalk

[Fobroader]

What a fantastic trip and great pictures. One thing, please tell me more about this darkening visor thing...that sounds fantastic!!

[Jaeger]

Thanks much!  I have heard that the Cherahola is the better, if less famous option.  A guy in our regular riding group has a VFR 800 - awesome bike!  I SO wish that Honda would do something like that again.

I loved that bike and I wish the same.  A do-everything-well bike with character.  But I think it was/would be such a hard sell for Honda..."Well, it's heavier, more expensive, and slower than our inline four bikes, but it sounds really good!"

I rode a couple of VFR-800's on demo days, absolutely loved them! Used to keep an eye out for them on Kijiji, just to see what was out there.

Sent from my SM-S901W using Tapatalk

Really good used buy, from what my buddy reported when shopping.

[Jaeger]

What a fantastic trip and great pictures. One thing, please tell me more about this darkening visor thing...that sounds fantastic!!

It absolutely is. Photochromic lens, so it will transition from perfectly clear to dark smoke depending on ambient light. And it changes fairly quickly, so you are never caught out with it being too dark or not dark enough. Ride home started out bright and sunny and quickly went pitch black when the thunderstorms hit. Swapping a visor in the downpour would have been a damned nuisance.

The only downside are the cost - eaily twice or more what a standard visor would be - and the fact that only SHOEI and Bell seem to have licensed the technology. Of course, China doesn't care about patents and such like, so there are knockoffs available from Ali Express, etc.

https://youtu.be/2RCJCNo6Ass?si=ZW48RYmCAFmPlDI0

[Jaeger]

Thanks much!  I have heard that the Cherahola is the better, if less famous option.  A guy in our regular riding group has a VFR 800 - awesome bike!  I SO wish that Honda would do something like that again.

I loved that bike and I wish the same.  A do-everything-well bike with character.  But I think it was/would be such a hard sell for Honda..."Well, it's heavier, more expensive, and slower than our inline four bikes, but it sounds really good!"

Even if they stuck with an in-line 4, but offered an old school sport touring solution like the VFR in terms of design, they'd have my money. Adventure bikes just don't float my boat in the same way, though the market clearly suggests that my preferences are an outlier. And yes, that V4 sounds amazing!

[Jaeger]

A couple of weeks ago after I left Quebec City I continued east to drive Baie-Saint-Paul up Hwy 381 to Saguenay, across the river, down Hwy 172 to Tadoussac, then back to BSP on Hwy 138. Would be an amazing loop on your bike with many twists and turns with steep ascents and descents. And I can even recommend a great place for a treat.

That looks absolutely beautiful - it would be a blast to ride, I have no doubt.