Went for a ride on Saturday....

[NTexas_V-Star]

Saturday I loaded up and headed to the TaliMena drive, 53 miles of somewhat twisty mountains that cross the Oklahoma/Arkansas border. I wanted to test out the luggage for my Indy trip.

Stopped in Atoka for breakfast and fuel, and saw a group of bikes. Caught up to them and rode to Talihina with them. CMA guys, Christian Motorcycle Association. Nice guys, good riders.

We had lunch in Talihina, then rode across the mountains, and stopped to watch some street luging on the mountain. Crazy shit, they almost hit 80 miles an hour.

After we made it to Arkansas, I split off and came back across the mountains. About 17 miles in, I came around a corner and ALMOST HIT A BLACK BEAR! Had to skid the bike a bit.

Apparently yogi doesn't like Kawasakis. He growled, I froze. He turned, and I started backing the bike up. After I backed up enough, we just stared at each other. Eventually he/she wandered off the road. Couldn't go far because we're on a mountain.

The bear got about 15ish feet off the road and I hauled ass! Pretty wild! And frightening.

After that I stopped and smoked a cigar on the mountain, then headed home. Saw a deer on highway 43. Took about 4 hours to get home.

I need to start wearing a camera. I see too much interesting stuff.

I was on the zx10r for the better part of 13 hours Saturday.

[O.C.]

Sounds like an interesting ride. What luggage did you decide to go with and what year ZX-10 did you pick up? If you posted I must have missed it. I switched with a buddy of mine and rode his 05 ZX-10 for an afternoon and that was a fun bike.

[BradM]

There's a ton of deer on 43. My in-laws own some cabins up there at the intersection of 2 and 43 at Sardis Lake.

[ram57ta]

I've done Talimena 3 times...first time we rode from Hot Springs on a hot June day (that sucked balls), second time we stayed in Talihena and rode to Mena during late March...kinda cool in the morning with fog..the third in a car a long time ago. It was fun as hell on a bike. Lots of wildlife up there...snakes, bears, deer...saw all of them. I would love to go back.

[dsrtuckteezy]

Luggage on a 10r? Blasphemy! Get any good pics?

[NTexas_V-Star]

Sounds like an interesting ride. What luggage did you decide to go with and what year ZX-10 did you pick up? If you posted I must have missed it. I switched with a buddy of mine and rode his 05 ZX-10 for an afternoon and that was a fun bike.

cortech saddlebags and cortech gigantic tank bag on a 2014 zx10r!

[NTexas_V-Star]

There's a ton of deer on 43. My in-laws own some cabins up there at the intersection of 2 and 43 at Sardis Lake.

I saw one deer on 43 on the way back, big ass doe.

[NTexas_V-Star]

I've done Talimena 3 times...first time we rode from Hot Springs on a hot June day (that sucked balls), second time we stayed in Talihena and rode to Mena during late March...kinda cool in the morning with fog..the third in a car a long time ago. It was fun as hell on a bike. Lots of wildlife up there...snakes, bears, deer...saw all of them. I would love to go back.

I've been up there on my old V-Star, the Harley (StreetBob), the gsxr750, and now the zx10r. I think, total, I've been 7 times now. Love it up there.

[NTexas_V-Star]

Luggage on a 10r? Blasphemy! Get any good pics?

Not really, I got a couple from the vistas, but nothing really to write home about. This was more of a road test and endurance test for my ride to Indiana than anything.

[lowthreeohz]

13 hours?? you could have made it to my place and been an hour into a cigar in that time..

just sayin.

[bcoop]

13 hours?? you could have made it to my place and been an hour into a cigar in that time..

just sayin.

Yeah, Matt. You pussy.

[NTexas_V-Star]

13 hours?? you could have made it to my place and been an hour into a cigar in that time..

just sayin.

Not quite, good sir. That's about 18 hours, give or take some.

[NTexas_V-Star]

Yeah, Matt. You pussy.

Let's ride! I'm going to Indiana in August.

[O.C.]

cortech saddlebags and cortech gigantic tank bag on a 2014 zx10r!

Those are nice I had the same on my Hayabusa. Have you looked into a throttle meister for the trip?

[lowthreeohz]

Not quite, good sir. That's about 18 hours, give or take some.

Not on a 10r