Spotwalla for this ride is: HERE
This plan had been for a three-day ride. At the last minute, we decided to make it a day-ride today, we will see what the next few days hold before committing on rides for the rest of the week.
I decided to take off and visit the Sheriff’s Deputy that I met a couple of weeks ago. On that trip, I didn’t have any poker chips to hand out. Today I have a few to hand out.
I decided to make a quick trip north to the AL/TN state line in Cypress Inn. There is an area to park so I can get some good pictures of the signs with the bike. I take off up AL17/TN13, then turn onto TN227 once I cross into TN. I had first decided to take this little route about a month ago after signing up for the Hoka-Hey Motorcycle Challenge. It was an unknown road, but I expected it would be like some of the roads on the Hoka-Hey ride. I liked it then, and love that it is a little secluded. It is a nice little winding road, not a mountain twisty road. One day soon I will have to take the turn to the east off of TN13 to see where that leads.
I get to Cypress Inn and park at the Alabama sign. I get a good picture of the bike at the sign. I don’t need a close-up of the AULDR sticker since it is easy to spot. I walk over to the Tennessee sign and get a couple of pictures. One of the sign with the bike in the background (across the road), and another with a close-up to show the sticker.
I head over to the Natchez Trace and go south. I set the cruise and just relax. My goal for today is to avoid divided four-lane roads. I may hit four-lanes when I am in the town, but they will not be at highway speed. The route I have set is to stay on the Trace until I get to MS4 in Dennis, then go west on MS4. I will pass through Boonesville, eventually getting to Ashland where I met the deputy.
As I cross over the Tennessee River, I notice that my voltage meter is wavering. I is going from 10v to about 14v. It stabilizes for a bit, then does this again. Nothing else seems to be wrong, nothing is powering down or showing that anything is wrong. Not wanting to take a chance that something bad will happen when I am on a deserted road with no cell coverage, I decide to make a quick run to the shop. I make the turn onto US72, there goes my plan to avoid divided four-lane roads. The needle is still fluctuating on the voltage meter. As I get up to about 3000rpm and speeds closer to 65, the needle stabilizes.
I get to the shop and Lilly greets me. She is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet, always has a smile; but I can see in her eyes that she is a bit nervous as I walk in and explain my problem. We chat, she tells me that they have a lot of work today and that she is not sure if they will be able to get to my bike. BUT, she calls Casey to see if they can work something out.
I explain the problem to Casey, the bike is taken to the back. Derek is a great guy, and I trust him a lot with my bike. I think that he knows the wiring and accessories on the bike almost as well as I know them. I go to the front and talk with Wendall.
A few minutes later, Casey comes out to explain that the voltage regular that was install a few weeks ago is bad. I understand that mechanical and electrical devices can have a bad day, and things can go wrong. She has one in stock and will get it swapped for me.
The bike gets repaired. I call home to report that I will try to take a little more time. MaryJo asks if I can get home by 1pm since there is a guy coming over to give us an estimate on new glass being installed. I take a long way home and pull into the driveway at 1:01pm!
Short ride, but got to talk with some friends and the bike is ready for longer rides!