Eighteenth South’n Spine Raid 2022

[docc]

Well, it’s “Ground Hog Day” here in The States and everyone knows what that means. 💨

Halfway through winter and time to think about riding ! 

[docc]

Let's get some housekeeping out of the way so we can have some fun . . .

Weekend after US Labor Day

(Sept. 9-11, 2022)

Tellico Plains ,TN, USA

>  Get There. Bring Tools.  <

While many SpineRiders stay at The Lodge at Tellico, there are other places to stay or camp. It is far better to perform TechSessions in the garage at The Lodge rather than a pull-off on the Cherohala or some remote motorcycle shop down in Georgia. Prep well. "Bring Tools" . . .

 

There is the whole "non-event", and "this ain't the rally you thought you were getting a T-shirt for" thing . . .

"It's just an idea" 

To wit:

This is not a rally, event, or function of V11LeMans.com. It is an idea about riding, or meeting interested people. It is an idea only.

 

There is no plan, no registration, no stickers, T-shirts, merchandise, door prizes, meals, poker runs, routes, organization, or support.

Just discussion and sharing.

 

There is no affiliation or responsibility, expressed or implied, with or by V11Lemans.com, its owner(s), Administrators, moderators, members, pets, pocket mice, or any other entity.

 

If being at The US Appalachian Divide in September feels like a good idea to you, look forward to sharing ideas.

 

The idea of ideas has been around for a while. I do love George Bernard Shaw's take:

 

 

"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples,

then you and I will still each have one apple.

 

But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas,

then each of us will have two ideas." 

[docc]

One last disclaimer . . .

Apologies to true    Rallye Raiders for borrowing this reference for our relatively safe, predictable, and well fed comodo ritrovo.

"SpineRaid" is just such a catchy phrase compared to calling this "Another Hopeful Gathering of Dedicated Moto Guzzi V11 Beta Testers in Action."

I mean, I can't even make an acronym out of that without sounding like a cat choking on a hairball . . . AHGoDMGV11BTiA

(In print, that actually looks like a pretty secure password . . .   )

[docc]

6 minutes ago, docc said:

 AHGoDMGV11BTiA

(In print, that actually looks like a pretty secure password . . .   )

Password strength test:

"It would take a computer 39 million years to crack your password"

 

I remain hopeful that our V11 Beta Testing will wrap up before that . . .

[Goofman]

I'm in.  And I have a new password!

[p6x]

No Idea what this is, however Texas is spawning in Tennessee...

Buc-ee's has turned out to be so popular in Texas that road trips always include a stop in one of their locations. Whoever invented the concept was genius!!!

Road Trip Wonderland Buc-ee’s Sevierville, Tennessee Location Will Be the World’s Largest Convenience Store

[sctt2525]

Bucee's is good stuff. Beaver nuggets will change your outlook on life. 

 

There is one near Barber's museum; so, one more reason to stop by B'ham.

[LowRyter]

I got gas at BucEe's and the MPG Tracker on my Corvette lost about 4 mpg and never caught up to the previous readings despite costing a dime+ more a gallon.  Then the stores are so big you have to walk two blocks from the gas pumps to the bathroom.  And TMI, usually when I stop, I need to go.  BTW- the crap sold there, whether consumable or not, ain't cheap, and it ain't special.  

Just another instance where Texans think they invented the first gas station, or BBQ, beer, kolaches, tacos, football or any other common place thing or idea.  Just making it bigger and expensive or putting a star on it doesn't make it better or even as good.

I could tell ya what I really think but I think I'll keep tactful about it.   

[p6x]

30 minutes ago, LowRyter said:

I got gas at BucEe's and the MPG Tracker on my Corvette lost about 4 mpg and never caught up to the previous readings despite costing a dime+ more a gallon.  Then the stores are so big you have to walk two blocks from the gas pumps to the bathroom.  And TMI, usually when I stop, I need to go.  BTW- the crap sold there, whether consumable or not, ain't cheap, and it ain't special.  

Just another instance where Texans think they invented the first gas station, or BBQ, beer, kolaches, tacos, football or any other common place thing or idea.  Just making it bigger and expensive or putting a star on it doesn't make it better or even as good.

I could tell ya what I really think but I think I'll keep tactful about it.   

Buc-ee's has the cleanest bathrooms of any of the gas stations I have been to. They usually have personnel living inside there, and cleaning as the flow goes. For a large majority of people, this is the number one reason why they stop at Buc-ee's.

Gas quality is flawed because of the mixing with Ethanol. There is no certainty on what percent you get by volume. However, at Buc-ee's you can actually pump Ethanol free gas if you wanted to. Not many gas station have that.

Indeed Buc-ee's stations are larger than your standard brand X. At times of migrations, finding a parking spot close to the entrances may be challenging. Not for me. I always park the furthest away since I like to walk after a ride; it is good to move your muscles.

I don't much care for anything Buc-ee's sells in terms of goods; I usually stop there because the coffee is always fresh. This is the most important factor to me. I don't eat when I ride. But I would say they have a large variety of food, cold and hot, junk and not. I would qualify this as a plus. As for the branded items, everyone their own. If people like to go out with a beaver T-shirt, it does not really disturb me.

What i dislike about buc-ee's:

There aren't any place to sit; they don't want you to sediment there. They want you to purchase and clear off for someone else. It is fine for those traveling with four wheels. However, sitting on your motorbike to sip your coffee is not convenient.

Buc-ee's are usually large and with many gas pumps; but they attract a lot of people too, and inner traffic becomes hazardous due to people being desperate to park as close as possible to the entrances. Users forget that even in parkings, they need to respect some of the rules.

The third problem I noticed is related to what I just reported above. Because gas pumps are usually closer to the entrances than the parking, people use the gas pumps to park their cars. Which means another hunt to refill your tank. Fortunately, for us bikers, we can squeeze in and pump gas even if a car is parked at the pump. But I have seen some people getting upset to see many cars at the pumps without their owners around.

While initially cheaper than the rest, I noticed that prices have been on the rise. Now this is across the board. They have signs advertising hourly wage outside the store, inclusive of 401K, Benefits and paid vacation. It all makes sense. There is a lot of competition in the service businesses. Buc-ee's have a lot of employees at each store. The gas station model with the single employee do it all is not theirs. They clean and empty the trash cans at regular basis.

[sctt2525]

Sorry, Docc.

Didn't mean to hijack the thred.

Should we start a new one about Bucee's?

[docc]

On 2/5/2022 at 3:19 PM, sctt2525 said:

Sorry, Docc.

Didn't mean to hijack the thred.

Should we start a new one about Bucee's?

Haha, well, sounds like "conversation" to me . . .

Pretty sure some South'n SpineRaider will come along with some reminiscence or hopeful plan and re-steer the thread. (Haha, pretty sure @sctt2525 just did! )

After all, the whole essence of SpineRaiding is to encourage interest, stimulate discussion, and promote sharing about the V11 (and riding/ traveling by motorcycle).  If one of you can't make the South'n Spine Raid, have yourself the flavor of SpineRaid that suits you and those that would gather . . .    

[footgoose]

Hi Scott! beaver nuggets would certainly change my outlook on life.

[docc]

On 2/5/2022 at 4:45 PM, footgoose said:

Hi Scott! beaver nuggets would certainly change my outlook on life.

A guy I knew in college* that dated a girl whose nickname was Beaver Nuggets.  Seems to be a common phrase for a menu item. 

[LowRyter]

1 hour ago, sctt2525 said:

Sorry, Docc.

Didn't mean to hijack the thred.

Should we start a new one about Bucee's?

How many Groundhog Days until the weekend after Labor Day?

[docc]

37 minutes ago, LowRyter said:

How many Groundhog Days until the weekend after Labor Day?

All of them . . .

If I launch one more sketchy winter thread, I expect a contingent of SpineRaiders to show up and give me and the Sport a push down the driveway like it has training wheels . . .