Motorcycle Alabama

I did check with All Sport but, they were MSRP plus all the fees they add on so, I bought the bike from Smith's Sport Cycles for less. I did pay almost 1K more than the shop in North Carolina which I was willing to do for the convenience and to support a local dealer.  Smith's seems to be one of the few family owned motorcycle dealers left.

The seat is better than most but, for long rides, it could be improved.  I spoke to the R&D guy at Sargent and he said they keep track of inquiries for seats they don't already make.  If there is enough interest, they design a seat.

Well I'm 1 day away from having this one in the books.

Leg 1 - Alabama to Long Beach
I left Scottsboro on June 17 with Wing-man Extraordinaire in tow. Chuck on his trusty Goldwing and trailer, me on my new-to-me 2015 Harley Limited. Old man Adversity reared his ugly head several times on the trip...more on that later.

We rode to Memphis on Hwy 72 with only showers in Memphis as we crossed the river. Once on I40 the clouds seemed to part and cleared a way for us. In Texas it was hot, then Arizona and Mojave showed us what hot was. WE arrived in Long Beach on Saturday afternoon.

We made several stops on Leg 1.

Route 66 Midway Point


Sticker Placement


We stayed in Seligman at a decent motel.


Oatman next.....

12K sounds like a good deal but keep in mind that bikes are not selling right now and many dealers are willing to deal. 

As for comfort that is something only you can determine.  IMO most bikes these days come with shitty seats so it may not be comfortable on a long ride but there are seat pads and aftermarket seats out there.  It has tubular handlebars so those could be changed out for taller or lower ones.  Have you sat on one?  Most dealers don't allow test rides these days but I'd want to at least sit on one for a while. 

There is a forum for the FZ/MT 09: https://www.fz09.org/forums/

Update on Joe Hargrove.  I Went by Smith's today. Ricky told me Willey pissed off Joe and he quit, again.  Ricky wishes he didn't leave. I guess since Margie died and Willey is basically retired, Ricky has his ass in his hands.  I can get along with Ricky, he's pretty laid back.  I hope they stay around.  Too many independent moto shops have sold out to big corporations.

I'll check with them.  Not 100% sure yet but, thinking about a 2025 MT-09 SP.  I got a firm quote, in writing, for $12K out the door, not including Alabama registration and tax. I really couldn't believe the deal so, I had the sales manager email me the firm offer.  The only problem is, it's 500 miles from home.  I'd probably be willing to give an extra 1K to stay within 100 miles.

Any thoughts on the MT-09 SP?  I'm not really familiar with that bike.  I've never ridden one.  There is a slightly used one that I can test ride but, it's also a long way from home.  There's lots of things I like about it and a couple of things I'm not so sure about.  I wonder about seat comfort and riding position for long rides. Also, even though it's a 3 cylinder, the bottom end cases are pretty wide and stick out further than I like.

I would go to All Sport in Decatur. 

Where would go to buy a new Yamaha?

Most of my relatives back 5 generations are within 30 minutes of where I live. There were several people that I knew and then found out I was kin, but it was too late.

I've spent a few days riding around Huntsville to some of the homes we lived in at one time. Rode to the old building that was a Harley shop back in the 50's and a popular hangout for my Dad and his friends. I had an old photo of the building and made a recreation with my bike in the pic.

Good job of tracing your roots.

Sounds like a great day of exploring!!! Hope you tagged a few more counties off the list too....

Not boring, good read, Thanks for sharing!!

Chuck

While doing genealogical research, I was surprised to learn I had several generations of relatives who lived their lives in the community of Sprott, near Marion, AL in Perry County.  Although I could see the headstones online, I decided it was necessary to take a motorcycle ride to view them in person.



Here is the genealogical background to bore you with:
Barbara Hair's grandparents (both sides) emigrated from Germany to South Carolina. She and her parents lived in SC and she married Buck Nichols whose family was also there.  The couple moved to the Sprott community and with their 10 children began a long line of Nichols in the area.






You'll note that Buck's son Joseph married Rachel Dunkin.  Her father, Abel, moved his family from SC to Sprott also. Her mother, Elizabeth Byerly moved down along with Rachel's grandparents.  The Byerly family had also emigrated to SC from Germany.  So we have Nichols, Dunkin, and Byerly families moving from SC to Sprott, AL.



Their son, George Monroe Nichols, married Caroline Hughey.  Her parents were in the same cemetery.

William J Hughey



Jeff's Hughey's grandparents came to nearby Greensboro from NC, and Jeff lived his life in Sprott. Emily's maiden name is Orr and there are plenty of both in the area.  According to a newspaper article in my files, at the ages of 82 and 79 they had a family of 10 children, 64 grandchildren, and 59 great-grandchildren, most of whom all lived in the same neighborhood. That's a lot of Hughey cousins I know nothing about.

I had to leave Sprott and go through Marion to find one of the children of that Nichols/Hughey combination



And their daughter was my great-grandmother who moved from Sprott to south Alabama, married my great-grandfather, and they lived in Mobile.

So, that's the background and here is the journey:

I went past Maxwell AFB, through Prattville and on Hwy 82 towards Tuscaloosa. Traffic was light and I found necessary places to pass on the two lane road as I went past BBQ joints and Chilton County produce stands.  I stopped at the rest area in Maplesville and picked up a paper road map in case it was necessary. 

The digital odometer finally burned out on my 20 year old VTX so my usual method of taping notecards with directions and mileage to my fuel tank will no longer work.  I was armed with printed directions and just had to look for roads with no idea how far away I was.  Fortunately, I could use maps on my cell phone but have to stop to retrieve from my vest since I do not use a phone or gps mount.

After leaving the rest area I quickly turned on Hwy 183.  The area was wooded and rural and I soon turned onto Perry County Road 2. A sign on 183 confirmed this was the way to Mount Pleasant Free Will Baptist Church. 

The road was narrow and canopied, though I still wasn't sure why Google Maps wouldn't show me a street view.  Once I found the cemetery across the street and just past the church I noticed the road turned to dirt which explained it.  There were many names from my family tree information showing me many likely cousins were buried here.








I returned to 183 and only went a few yards before turning onto County Road 9 and Ephesus Baptist where I found a few more relatives.



That done, I tried to get a feel for Sprott as I continued on 183 towards Marion, but it was like so many other places I pay no heed to as I travel...very rural with an occasional trailer or house, but no businesses or anything to show the community.  As I came to the intersection of Hwy 14, I saw the Sprott store.  If you look up Sprott on the Internet you will likely see this photo.



According to the website "Rural SW Alabama" This small store contained the post office that served the Sprott, AL community for over 100 years – from 1881 until it was closed in 1993. The post office shared the building with L. B. Sprott General Merchandise. In 1941, Walker Evans and James Agee published the powerful documentary on Alabama sharecroppers, "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men", which included a photograph of the post office that was taken by Walker Evans in 1935-1936. The book became famous as a symbol of the Depression Age South. Today, the photograph is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.


Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the building







I was making good time, so I decided to continue down 14 to find Perry Lakes Park.  After I realized I was going the wrong direction, I turned around, continued toward Marion and THEN I turned off to the park.  I had seen the website and looked forward to a walk along a swamp and perhaps exploring some structural art and a birding tower.  What I found was a gravel path and a quick walk to a sad looking picnic area down an elevated boardwalk where mosquitos attempted to feast on me. 



I returned to my bike and made my way back to the aquatic station, then to 183 and into Marion.  I went through the town and arrived at Pineview Assembly of God and my final cemetery where I only had one set of relatives to find




I backtracked to Marion and filled up at a gas station, taking Co Rd 49 south.  I passed Marion Military Institute, but because of some problems starting my motorcycle I chose not to go by Judson where my wife attended a year of school before transferring to Mobile College where we met.  49 was an enjoyable road in very good condition and going past large yards, pastures and farms before coming to Hwy 80.  Now I was back on a familiar 4 lane highway to make my way back home.  I had already pretended to be an adventure bike, so as I approached Selma, I pretended to be a truck and took by bypass route around the city, crossing the Alabama River on a more modern bridge than the historic Edmund Pettus in the business part of town.

I drove through Lowndes County past interpretive centers, bingo halls, and the Montgomery airport before picking up Interstate 65 and exiting downtown Montgomery to return home.

Thanks for riding along. I hope the wind didn't mess up your hair too much