Tigers in Jasper

[AncientMariner]

Tom, my son-in-law, rode my Weestrom to Glacier with a group of us in 2008.  I was on my Vstrom and my son Marc was on my SV650.  Great trip.  Tom enjoyed it so much that he went on a search for a bike of his own and ended up with a cherry '06 Caspian Blue Tiger that he found at Sandberg Honda in Gering. 

He signed up to TigerTriple forum where a guy from Omaha instigated a mid-October rally in Jasper Arkansas.  Seemed like a good idea so Tom invited me to join him.  I accepted without hesitation.  The weekend that they selected was based on room availability at The Hub Motel in Marble Falls.  It's sort of a bike haven.

We left Thursday noon on the day that Grand Island was supposed to accumulate 2-3 inches of snow.  Cut south on 385 and turned left at I-70 in Burlington, CO.  There was snow but the road was clear between Julesburg and Burlington.  When we finally left the motel in Oakley, KS the next morning the bank was reporting 27 degrees.  The windscreen had frost on both sides.  I took the V instead of the Wee because it is equipped with Hotgrips and wired for the Zumo.  Besides, it's nice to have the grunt to roll with the 955 triples.  It also has the umbilical for the heated vest.  I'd have been bundled like a HiViz yellow Michelin man if I hadn't had that vest.  You damn near need a crane to lift you on and off the bike when you're packed in that many layers.  It was my first trip using the Hippo Hands.  Very nice, but the guy riding a Buell Ulysses was using a similar muff for ATVs that he got much cheaper than Hippo Hands.  Live, learn.

Tom was layered.  Tough guy.  The '06 Tigers come standard with heated grips.  As we got to the Ellis, KS exit, my tank level indicator was down to one blinking block, which means something less than a gallon left.  Tom was too far ahead to alert him for the sudden decision to bail and get gas.  I'd gassed up (5.2 gallons in a tank that holds 5.7 gallons) and was going in to pee when Tom, having figured out where and why I'd disappeared from his mirrors, pulled up.  I'd gone for my usual 87 octane.  Tom compared prices and noticed that they'd missed the decimal point when they programmed the rate for 91 octane.  He filled up at 29 cents a gallon.  After that He forgave me for abruptly vanishing.  If I'd tried to keep going to Hays, I'd have been on vapors for sure.

I'd never been to the Ozarks before.  The twisties were absolutely addictive.  Saturday, after the pie break back at The Hub I had the option to go north a mile for gas or south 7 miles on highway 7 to Jasper for gas.  I went south.  Tom, too.

Bunching up for Saturday breakfast at the Cliff House, 7 miles south of Jasper, AR:



The view from the deck of the Cliff House:


Sunset from The Hub, Marble Falls, AR:


Before returning to The Hub for pie, we first tried the Ozark Cafe in Jasper but it was full.  Bikes were lined up at the curb out front.  Tom heading back to his Tiger:



The guy who spearheaded this trip says he thinks they'll do it in the Black Hills next year.  Wish I was going to be in but I think I'll be working.

I usually prefer to keep my butt on the seat because it's less tiring and potentially smoother.  Running with those guys, though, I found myself running out of lean and had to start hanging off a tad.  Fun?  OMG!!!

[loingrader]

cool report.  we (my extended family and friends) spend a week on tablerock lake (southern missouri/northern arkansas) every july.  i love it when i can bring the bike down.  those roads are a blast even at legals speeds!

[Hank]

Very cool.  Thanks for sharing! 
I hope to get down that way next summer if I have time.

[plumber mike]

Thanks John!....for rubbing it in that you went south of here on a motorcycle to do some awesome riding.

With at least a foot of snow on the ground today, the Black Hills may not be the best location for a late october MC rally(maybe a hack convention could be cool )

[loingrader]

(maybe a hack convention could be cool )

glad i'm not the only one with the hack bug...