Saturday, May 17, 2008

080515-Mach 199 to Chongam


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Date: 080515-Thursday
Starting Point: Iksan, South Korea
Riders: Greg - Hyosung 650 GTR, Older Greg - Honda 750 Magna
Terrain: Highway and secondary
Curves: Nice mix of constant sharp and soft curves
Grade: Mostly flat
Difficulty: 7/10

GPS Trip Data:
Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 3:41:48 1:30 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:59:31 0:48 pace
Distance (km) 146.67
Moving Speed (kph) 73.6 avg. 199.2 max.
Elevation Gain (m) +535 / -553
Temperature (°C) 16°C avg. 16°C high

Distance Data Total (km) % of Total
Distance 146.67 100
Ascent 6.73 4.6
Descent 6.05 4.1
Flat 133.88 91.3

RockOverRoad.jpg

Description:
This time around I followed Greg due South over some of the most brilliant terrain I've seen to date in Korea. You have to pay your dues on bland, open stretch of highway for the first 40km or so, but the payback is ten fold once you're finally able to veer-off into a mountainous valley. The country road snakes its way through farmers' fields, along side a meandering river, and every now and then steep mountains expose their sheer granite faces from behind the lush green foliage.

BlackStrips.jpg

There is hardly a meter of road which follows a straight line. The curves vary from gentile to tight while elevation remains fairly consistent. Unfortunately, slightly raised black stripes of asphalt stretch across every corner however, even at 120km an hour, they are barely noticeable. If anyone knows what purpose these stripes serve I'd be eager to know.

Eventually the road opens up and passes through a small town but this is no where near the end of the journey. Only 5km away lies another stretch of twisty highway, this time overlooking the West Sea and a chain of Korean islands just off the coast. In addition to curves, there are now decent rises and dips along the way. We chose to turn around at the port in Chonggam, backtracked a ways, and hit up a new beach for a beer and some Ramion noodles. Greg and I both agreed that the return route along the costal section somehow felt far better in the corners.

IslandChain.jpg

After a short rest on the beach Greg and I choose a new path to return to Iksan on. The fist section of highway contrasted nicely with the previous sections, now we could open our bikes up to around 140 and enjoy some big, wide bends. Alas, all good things must come to an en, we joined up with the bland, open highway we began on and weaved our way through the traffic back into Iksan.

Motorbike, Rides, South Korea, Routes, Paths, Review, Google Earth, KML, KMZ, Greg, Hyosung, 650cc, GTR, Honda, 750cc, Magna

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Friday, May 02, 2008

080502 - Ride to the Ridge


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Date: 080502-Friday
Starting Point: Iksan, South Korea
Riders: Greg - Hyosung 650 GTR, Older Greg - Honda 750 Magna
Terrain: Highway, secondary, soft pack, gravel
Curves: Good once in the mountains
Difficulty: 6/10

080502 - Ride to the Ridge

GPS Trip Data:
Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:44:23 2:12 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:55:43 1:10 pace
Distance (km) 47.41
Moving Speed (kph) 51.1 avg. 168.3 max.
Elevation Gain (m) +479 / -489

Description:
Having scouted the area previously, both on wheels and by satellite, I noticed a road that cut across the mountain ridge to the north east. Eager to see it first hand, Greg and I set off on the adventure. It's a slightly challenging one and a half hour round trip that begins in Iksan and takes you through a beautiful mountain pass to a lake. After the lake, the going gets rough and slow on the mountain ridge only because our bikes weren't designed to be ridden off road.

After taking in some great views at 200m above see level the ridge descends quickly back to sea level and reconnects with the main road. Highway 27 can be taken as a quick route back into Iksan city. I wouldn't ride that ridge section more than once on a sports bike (unless I was showing it to someone else), however, it would be ideal route for an enduro or a nature walk.

Motorbike, Rides, South Korea, Routes, Paths, Review, Google Earth, KML, KMZ

--------------- www.comatosed.ca ---------------

080417 - Round Trip Reccy

Date: 080417-Friday
Starting Point: Iksan, South Korea
Riders: Greg - Hyosung 650 GTR
Terrain: Highway, secondary, soft pack, gravel
Curves: Good once in the mountains
Distance: 70km
Difficulty: 4/10


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Description:
A simple one hour round trip that begins in Iksan and takes you through a beautiful mountain pass to a lake. The path cutting across the mountain to the north is about 8km long and mostly made up of large gravel. I wouldn't ride that section on a sports bike again however it would be ideal for an enduro or a nature walk.

After visiting the lake the path cuts back through the mountains and into Iksan. There are some nice tight turns in the mountain. Not to much change in elevation and the corners don't last for long. Nonetheless, a good distance and duration for the rider who just wants a quick get away in the middle of the day.