[SparkNC]

Hey all,
New rider on a '22 G310GS, thought joining this forum would help me answer some of the questions I've had lately concerning gear and upgrades for my bike, and keep me occupied til warmer weather gets here so I can ride.

 

[Cyrille]

Nice 2022 bike, welcome to the forum!

 

[JerryG]

Welcome @SparkNC, I live near Hendersonville NC. PM me if you're near and you'd like to ride some time. I have the same year and model, mine's been heavily modified and used/abused off-road.

 

[ARBOLMANO]

What’s with the Carolina’s? Seems like a mess of smart operators buying 310’s are there.
Gotta love that. Jerry G says there’s a super dealer there Even.

 

[JerryG]

What’s with the Carolina’s? Seems like a mess of smart operators buying 310’s are there.
Gotta love that. Jerry G says there’s a super dealer there Even.

Well, rest assured, it isn't all of the Carolinas, the flatlands to the south and east are meh. It's really the Western North Carolina Mountains - quite simply, they are nirvana for motorcyclists. Because the 400 million year-old Appalachian Mountains were settled in the days of horse drawn wagons, we have a dense road network that twists, turns, and meanders up and down ridge after ridge after ridge with interludes along valleys and rivers in between. Some of it's paved and some of it's the way it was a hundred years ago. What's more, if you head southwest, it continues into northern Georgia and if you head northeast, it continues all the way to and through Pennsylvania. A rider could spend a lifetime in the Appalachian Mountains and still be finding new roads to ride and new places to see. Terrain view says it all...

 

[SparkNC]

Yep, thats home! I've lived right in the middle of the Smoky Mtn 500 and had no idea it was a thing til last year.

 

[ARBOLMANO]

When I lived in West Virginia there was this huge “it’s all settled” feeling for me, coming from California. I worked for a aquatic resource team studying acid rain. One time I went up a hollow and went to this house way back to get permission to sample the creek. I was blown away by how huge the family was an how they all could be twins. My co workers filled me in on why later. Yikes! At that time many of the better off the beaten path roads were not safe to go tramping due to marijauna growers being territorial much like Northern California was. I’d bet these daze it‘s tweakers. I did camp in Texarkana and so blown at how well set up it was along the river with screen cabins for bugs, cleaned out swimming holes and lots of signs warning about swimming with water moccasins. I recall panning for diamonds that trip!
We are lucky to have so much diversity in the USA, everyone should embrace diversity

 

[JerryG]

Yep, thats home! I've lived right in the middle of the Smoky Mtn 500 and had no idea it was a thing til last year.

I did the eastern half of the SM500 this last October. My riding buddy broke his leg on our first day. He missed seeing some gravel at a paved stop sign o had just gone through. We didn't know it was broken, so he told me to keep going while he rode back the Asheville.

We are lucky to have so much diversity in the USA, everyone should embrace diversity.

Totally agree...as long as it's not straight, flat and boring. I really hate that.

 

[SparkNC]

We didn't know it was broken, so he told me to keep going while he rode back the Asheville.

Dang your riding buddy is a trooper!

I look forward to riding the SM500, but I'm gonna work my way up to it and hit it in sections.