DFW to Atlanta to trade bikes

	227.1
	I've been lusting after the 2004 Screamin Eagle Electra Glide since they first came out, couldn't afford one then but recently a friend ran across one at his dealership. Trouble was, I'm in the Fort Worth area and he is in the Atlanta area. No big deal, long distance riding is what I do. Most folks would think I'm crazy, but I traded a 2007 Electra Glide Classic with 40K on the clock for this 2004 SEEG with 21K. Made the deal over the phone and rode over there last Sunday. 2007 Electra Glide Classic that was traded in .. I spent Saturday going over the bike, making sure it was ready for the trip and removing a few things that wouldn't add to my trade in value, like the panacea tail light system, drivers backrest, etc. Checked the air in the tires, checked the oil, and packed carefully, knowing that I wouldn't have a tourpak on the new bike. Went to bed early Saturday night and was up and on the road at 2:30 am Sunday. The trip across DFW was probably the lightest traffic I've ever seen, one reason I left at 2:30 in the morning! My club requires a 1000 mile in under 24 hours ride annually, and I planned to knock one out on this trip. My route took me to Shreveport, then south to Lafayette, LA, east to Mobile, AL then northeast to the Atlanta area. I made it to Alexandria, LA by daylight and on down to Lafayette where I met a couple of friends for breakfast at Prejean's. You gotta love south Louisiana, where else can you get crawfish for breakfast? The breakfast was great too! East through Baton Rouge to Mobile, uneventful except that Louisiana and Mississippi have some of the roughest roads I've ever ridden, and my back is still paying for it. I made it up to LaGrange, GA by dark and was almost there. It got really chilly after dark and I had removed the wiring harness for my heated gear to use it on the new bike. I was sure wishing I could crank up that heated jacket liner! Made it to my buddy's house in Ball Ground and was so cold that I couldn't talk right. If I hadn't been so close I would have made a warm up stop someplace, I probably should have anyway. Monday morning I was at the dealership when they opened at 10am. It took a while to get the bike ready and get all the paperwork done but I was on my way by lunchtime. I stopped to mount my GPS, wasn't sure I could get back to my buddy's house without it. As soon as I took off I had a major problem, no brake lights, no speedo or tach, and no turn signals! I headed back to the dealer and felt like an idiot when they told me that my GPS power adapter had come apart and shorted out, blowing a fuse and causing all the other problems. 5 minutes and they had me on my way. I was really dreading traveling back home without the GPS, as I planned to take a few days and ride backroads all the way. I use a GPS almost daily and am addicted to them. I stopped and bought one of those laminated maps of Georgia but was dreading having to use it. I found almost all the pieces of the GPS power adapter, it had just come apart from the vibration of the bike and with a little quick fabrication work I had it working again, hallelujah! Oh yeah, here are a few pics of the new bike ... It's a 2004 Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide And that big beautiful 103 ci Screamin' Eagle motor Have I mentioned that I absolutely love this bike? I knew I would be giving up the 6 speed transmission and the MP3 capable stereo, but for anything but the interstate I prefer the older 5 speed, the ratios just don't seem right for me with the 6 speed and I find myself rowing through the gears constantly. The 103 motor in the orange bike pulls hard from just about 1500 rpm all the way to redline, it's a blast to ride. I can't explain why, but it feels more solid and stable than the '07 FLHTC. My buddy had Tuesday off, so we headed for some backroads in north Georgia and ended up in the western tip of North Carolina. I had been in this area last summer and knew there is some great riding up there. But Jeff knew of some fantastic roads and we had a great ride, and a great lunch at the Hole in the Wall cafe on the square in Blairsville, GA. http://www.holeinthewallga.com I highly recommend their mushroom swiss burger. We eventually made our way up to US64 in NC and took that west into Tennessee. There is a stretch of Hwy 64 along the Ocoee river that is as scenic as anything anywhere in my opinion. Unfortunately we had to part company and jeff turned south for home while I headed on west. I rode US64 to Lawrenceburg, TN where I got a room at the http://www.abvilawrenceburg.com The room was fine, but don't eat at the Krystal next door, I was sick as a dog that night and part of the next morning. I knew better, but was exhausted and just wanted to grab something quick that I could take back to the room. Wednesday I hit the Natchez Trace, headed south toward US82. The trace is a great ride, good scenery, very light traffic, and no big trucks. The 50 mph speed limit makes for a relaxing ride and there are no stop signs or stop lights at all. The leaves were starting to turn on the Trace, turn brown that is. This bike uses less gas than the 2007 Classic or the 2005 Ultra I had before that. Note that I had 137 miles was just under 3/4 on the gauge. Granted the gas gauge on these bikes isn't very accurate, but I got 40+ mpg every tank and 45+ on the Trace. I rode the Trace south to US82 and then headed west toward Greenville, MS. I think the Trace is the only smooth road in Mississippi, US82 was extremely rough and my back was killing me by the time I made it to Greenville. There aren't many places to cross the Mississippi river, so you need to plan any ride that crosses it around one of these few bridges. They have a brand new one at Greenville. I thought this was an interesting pic of the new bridge. US82 in Arkansas is a great ride, nice wide, smooth road that goes throught the Felsenthal wildlife refuge where I used to hunt as a kid. I made it as far as Magnolia by dark and grabbed a room for the night, I won't mention the name of it as I wouldn't stay there again. On the road again Thursday morning, I have ridden (and driven for work) the roads between here and home so often that I decided to jump on the super slab and blast home. Took 82 to Texarkana and I-30 back to the DFW area. I was home by 2pm. At home I gave the bike a quick wash to get the bugs off the paint before they became permanent, have I mentioned that I love this bike?