Day Three: Franklin, North Carolina - Burnsville, NC

-From Jake's Journal-

01) What was your favorite part of the day?

My favorite part of the day was finishing my last 30 miles at 10 PM. Seriously, riding a trail alone, at night, by yourself, on a bike you just fixed was incredible.

02) What was the most challenging part of the day?

My most challenging part of my day was fixing my sprocket on a log in the woods! I sheared all of my rivets and one of the guys had 4 m5 bolts that fit perfectly into the 4 larger holes in the sprocket and drum. This happened about noon. Around 6:30 PM that same day the 4 metric bolts sheared again. We were 15 miles from camp…. The entire set-up takes 24 ish rivets so it makes sense why 4 didn’t hold up.

03) Did you have any bike problems today?

No one except me had issued today. Hopefully today was my bad day! I had my rear wheel and drum apart twice to fix the sprocket. I also broke my headlight so I had to get a replacement for that incase I had to end up riding at night, which I did today.

04) What’s something you’re glad you packed today?

I was glad I packed my Iron and Resin Blanket. Matt had the idea of putting it on my seat for extra support right after i forgot to pack it that day…. 

05) Is there something you wish you packed today, but didn’t?

I wish I would have packed spare hardware! It would have made my breakdowns so much easier to fix. 

06) What made today different because you’re on a Harley-Davidson?

Today was different being on an HD because I knew how to work on it and knew exactly what had happened and what needed to be done, as soon as it all went down. After I got towed 15 miles back to camp, everyone made comments about an HD being pulled by a Honda. Wo while everyone was partying and eating dinner I was fixing my bike so I could ride the remaining miles I missed. Sure enough, I did and everyone was stoked when I got back to camp at 11:30 PM back in good working order!

07) Where did you travel today?

We rode from Franklin, NC to Mt Mitchell, Approximately 175 miles.

08) What were the general vibes from today’s ride?

We all had an absolutely incredible time. Not one person had bad vibes considering my bike breaking and us being so work out from the previous days. 

09) How are the other rider’s doing?

We’ve now lost a BMW and were really to losing an XT500. The ural is done. I think thats it!

10) Write 5-10 sentences about today’s ride.

I thought that I would mentally struggle from being in my head but to be honest, it hasn’t been bad. I’ve been so focus on riding. I’m starting to notice every vibration and every little sound of my motorcycle. Today I’m really starting to miss my family. I would love to give them all a big hug and kiss!