West Virginia Waggle

OK, that's not really a thing. (The Texas Two-Step is.)

I've set out for Texas by way of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, which will get me to some places I love and some I've yet to see before heading full-speed on a route home that is pretty much predefined.  After the familiar blast down I-81 to Hagerstown, MD, I headed west on I-70 through Cumberland, which holds happy memories for us.  Further west, I picked up I-68, which I love but have only ridden once to my recollection.  I've been through the area on other roads many times, though, and the terrain makes even this stretch of Interstate rewarding.  And this is where I made my first discovery of the trip.

For an 800+ pound tuna boat, the Road Glides actually handle better than I'd expect them to, especially at speed where they are remarkably sure-footed and stable.  And, on this loveable stretch of interstate, one can find oneself heeled over prettttty far at 70-80 mph speeds.  Now, for this trip, I've put the rear Tour-Pak trunk back on for convenience.  This thing has to weigh 45 lbs itself, before I put all my clothes and atlas and whatever in it, and it's waaay back and up high, right where you want all that weight on a bike [eyeroll.]

Leaned over, I quickly found myself dealing with a bounce / gyration set up by a normally harmless pavement bump.  Motorcycles often tend to do their own thing now and then, such as on grooved pavement, tar snakes, heaves, etc. and you learn to just sort of let it happen.  But, instead of going away, it worsened to the point of pucker factor and had me in a minor crisis situation.  Rolling gently but quickly out of the throttle did the trick, and blood pressure was restored.  However, this quickly became a theme, even without a triggering bump, and my confidence disappeared completely.  Having the bars do a figure-8 with the tail while the bike walks outward in a high-speed turn isn't something you learn to love.  Not a deal breaker, but kinda bullshit for the expensive upgraded shocks the previous owner put on.  Whatever. On we go.

Also:  West Virginia seems to have a lot of "tech corridors" these days.  That sounds great and would go a long way to turn around their reputation, except for one thing.  DON'T STOP!  The people you encounter in person do not remind you in any way of yuppie tech wizards, or in fact anything other than what you'd expect to find in West Virginia.  But that said, I still love the place.