Talimena Parkway Ride with Friends

I rode with a group of cruiser/Harley riders for a real, over-night weekend ride. We started from Allen, TX and traveled north up I75 to Atoka Oklahoma, then on to Stringtown where we turned and headed east on highway 43, on to Talihina, OK. This is the jumping off point of the Talimena parkway that runs 58 miles along the ridge of the mountains in south east Oklahoma and Arkansas. We stayed overnight at a hotel in Mena and rode home, going south, the following day. We did manage to ride back, about half way, over the scenic twisty bits on the way home so that was nice too.

The ride was quite a different that the flat country roads we have around here. Total mileage was around 550 miles. They set a pretty good leisurely pace running posted speeds if not a bit above in most places. I had a great time and the people were fun and easy to be around. I saw lots of Harley’s and cruiser bikes but very few sport or sport touring type bikes. I also didn’t see that many Gold Wings, just mostly big Harleys. It was strange because the weather was perfect for riding. It could have been the fact that it was Mother’s Day weekend and as you all know bikers love their moms.

I learned some things about my bike. The seat is only good for 100 miles and then my butts really wants to get off. A Corbin or Sergeants seat would be a good investment in comfort. The foot pegs are misplaced for touring and for people of a certain age. My knee and hip joints started to ache. Just a bit lower would help and it would put the shifter in a more convenient place. I did envy the cruiser riders highway pegs just for a place to shift positions. A five minuet stop made all the difference and I was good for another 50 miles after a bit of stretch. I did take the advice, posted here on the VFR forum, for older touring riders. Just take ibuprophen before leaving to help with the aches and pains. I did and it does.

I had one mishap. I was rolling out of a scenic turn out. The grade was up hill and there was some loose chat on the ground. I didn’t give it enough throttle, the bike coughed, died and then started to fall. We both went down in a slow tip over. It was stupid, a bit embarrassing and it left some scratches on the lower fairing. It also left me with a bent clutch lever and a slight bend in my shifter lever. I also did something to the front left turn signal lens but I’ll have to see to that at a more convenient time.

The soft luggage I borrowed for my daughter’s boyfriend was just the right size for a weekend trip. I have a bigger, Tourmaster soft luggage set that was just over kill . I used my tank bag a lot for my cell phone and camera stuff. I also added a Uclear helmet headset to my kit. It worked well on the second day when I had some time in my room to play with speaker placement. They have to be right on top of your ears to work well and even at this I lost most of the low end to wind noise. It is Bluetooth so I was able to listen to music on my phone the whole way back. This is my first experience with this, being old school like I am, and it made the trip much more enjoyable. I didn’t try answering the phone because no one called me.

I enjoyed myself immensely. I got to ride some really beautiful roads. I had Danny as a guide, who had ridden this route many times and whose guidance made the trip even better plus I got to hang with adults my own age. That was enjoyable as well.

 

Cool ride! I've atv'd in Mena but never been for a bike ride. Definitely some good scenery!!

 

It is an amazing road from Talihina to Mena. The pictures do not do it justice. If you do most of your riding in the flatlands, as I do, these roads are truly refreshing. You actually go up and down hills!

 

Jim
Glad you are able to do some long ride and having a blast, custom seat would be good, they do have lower foot peg for the VFR.
As for the scratch those can be fix
:thumbsup:

 

Been there a few times. A day spent riding back and forth between Mena and Talihina isn't wasted.

We're heading to northern AR the weekend of 6/8. Supposedly its even better.

 

You and I are similar in stature. When I have been in the saddle for a prolonged period of time, I will stand up on the pegs and ride a few miles occasionally like that to stretch out. I will also throw my feet over the rear passenger foot pegs for a change of pace as well. Change front sitting up close to sitting as far back as you can from time to time. These may seem like small changes, but do each of them occasionally and you should notice you will last longer in comfort. Also when re-fueling, quick shirt walk around the station and some stretching of the calf and hams.

Ibuprofen does the trick too. My last long ride required a fairly steady diet of that stuff. I rode 6791 miles over 35 days. There were times I got a little sore but for the most part, it was grand. I would do it again.