2021 Vintage Yamaha Rally Ride and Rally Report

[aviationfred]

I am home from the 2021 Vintage Yamaha Rally.  This was the 20th Anniversary for this Rally. I found out that up until 2018 there had never been any FJ's in attendance.  2018 is the 1st time that I attended. We had 5 FJ's. I did not attend in 2019, but I think there were 5 again. For 2020 there were 9 FJ's present. This year, including Chris Montgomery's FJ600 we had 8. Cap'n Ron and Dan McCoy (giantkiller) were 1st time attendees. We had great weather with no rain for my entire trip. Some fog and a bit chilly in the mornings.


Fred

[aviationfred]

 I planned on a 2 day trip for the 900 mile route that was selected. I left straight from work for the Rally. I made it to Van Buren, Missouri and called it a day. I set up my tent at the Big Spring - Ozark National Scenic Riverways campground. Day 2 was a full 12 hours of riding. One of my gas stops was in Nashville TN. The Tennessee Titans Football stadium was nearby. An added bonus was the Tail of the Dragon and Moonshiner 28 were part of my route to the Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge.



Fred

[aviationfred]

The next 3 days was a blast. The Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner 28 and The Foothills Parkway were all ridden by many of the Rally goers.

As an added Bonus we had an Official Yamaha Corporation Rep on hand. I think his title is the Yamaha National Service Manager. He even rode with us on a MT07.

Saturday night after dinner, there is the Rag Awards... These are Rags that are hand drawn on with a Sharpie. The Rag Awards are always fun... some are for accomplishments and others are in jest. I got 2 rags this year.... Most Miles Traveled  and Most Customized Motorcycle. There was also a People's Choice Awards contest. 3 categories, Best Stock, Best Restoration and Best Custom. I entered Casper in the Custom category. The voters were kind and I got 2nd place.

[aviationfred]

Saturday afternoon, a ride down to Bridal Veil Falls and back on Moonshiner 28 with Cap'n Ron and Dan McCoy was awesome



Fred

[aviationfred]

More photos from the Rally



Fred

[aviationfred]

As for every Rally... they must come to an end. Packed up and pulled out on Monday. My route for the day took me back through The Tail of the Dragon. Since I was packed and loaded, maybe an extra 75lbs on the back of the bike, I intended to ride at a 'Fun' pace. I had my camera going for this run. About halfway through, I caught up with a few cars that had the potential to go faster than many who ride the Dragon. I got around them as they all hit a turnout. Not knowing what they were doing, I went on by them. Shortly, I caught the slow cars that had hung them up. They caught me and I hit a turnout to let them by. At this time, I had figured out what they were doing. They hit another turnout and I decided to follow the fun and hit the next turnout and waited for them to come by. They came by and I pulled in behind them and really had to pick up the pace to keep them in sight. The video is 23 minutes long..... the last 6 minutes was a blast. The cars in the group were a Porsche Boxster, Ferrari 458 Spider, BMW 5 series (I think), Camaro Z28, and an Audi R8. There are a few times in the video, that you can hear the exhaust howl of the V10 Audi over the sound of the FJ. I stopped at the end of the Dragon and they continued. I got back going and at the Hwy72 and US129 intersection, they were all parked by the Big Tail of the Dragon sign. I had never seen a Ferrari 458 or Audi R8 up close and I decided to stop. The cars were amazing.

Video of the Run with the Supercars. The fun starts at the 17:30 mark.

https://youtu.be/VJRe1G1o8jk

[aviationfred]

After the awesome ride up the Dragon. It was time to head up to I-40 and Super Slab it to Jackson, TN. A quick rest stop in Greenback, TN. Stopped in Jackson for a bite to eat and started towards Rolla, Missouri. On 412 out of Jackson I rode through the Tennessee Safari Park. Zebras and a 2 hump Camel were out enjoying the sunshine.
The rest of the ride into Poplar Bluff, Missouri was uninspiring. I headed West on US60 for a bit. Turned off and headed North to Rolla. This route was a nice change.... Not technical, but enough curves to make the ride enjoyable. I got into Rolla, Missouri and had to ride I-44 for a short way to my overnight destination. Uranus, Missouri is a Tongue-N-Cheek tourist trap that I decided that I had to see. They even had a Zoltar machine.



Fred

[aviationfred]

The next morning, I got a few more photos in the daylight. Got on the road and used back roads into Camdenton, Missouri and The Lake of the Ozarks. Stopped in at the Ozarkland store.... places like these fascinate me..... you always find something odd and unique. Case in point. I found.... Bacon.... Pickle.... and..... Birthday Cake flavored Soda Pop.

I picked up Hwy 54 and rode it all the way into Wichita.

On a side note.... I ALMOST got a Performance Award. I was coming into the town of Gas, Kansas. The speed limit had just dropped from 65 to 55 and I saw a State Trooper in the median. Chopped the throttle and slowed down. Nope..... that didn't work quick enough..... He lit me up and pulled me over for 67 in a 55. About this time it started sprinkling. He asked me how often did I ride in the rain. I answered and told him, "With the proper gear, it is not that bad". He gave me a 'Warning' ticket and left me to get back on the road. I firmly believe the 'Warning' versus a ticket had much to do with the patch on the back of my jacket.


Fred

[aviationfred]

A few videos from the Rally.

A ride with Cap'n Ron and Dan McCoy.

https://youtu.be/LhT_47FlJzw

A pair of short riding videos disguised as a Music videos.

https://youtu.be/fLpFAtla8zU

https://youtu.be/ddzQMDyTKT8


Fred

[Old Rider]

Great reading and cool pictures the fj600 reminds me of the good old days .In Norway they are named xj600 i had a red and black my friend had one
with the same colors as on the pictures we used to take some long trips on them.