Here are some details:
I-85 West out of Charlotte: basic interstate riding, nothing special, but necessary to get to the good parts.
Pick up 74 West near the SC line: this is an old US highway: 4 lanes & 70 mph until you hit Shelby. This is where I had a little unintended excitement - a groundhog decided to waddle across the highway RIGHT in front of me. Grabbed the front brake and kept the wheel straight, which was enough to avert a collision and keep both our days from ending early.
Take 74W through the booming metropolis of Shelby, NC: Need to stay alert here - lots of traffic coming in and out of several shopping areas. 45 mph with several lights. Breathe a sigh of relief when you get through here. 10 - 15 miles of nice country riding before breaking off on 74-A towards Rutherfordton and Lake Lure.
Pick up 74-A at Forest City, and take 74-A/64 West through Rutherfordton. The road from Rfrtn to LL gets progressively more twisty as you go. There are typically lots of motorcyclists heading both directions here. Be sure to balance your "biker waves" with your need to have both hands on the bars for the switchbacks. Speed isn't usually an issue, due to the abundance of cars on this road. Lake Lure is a quaint little town, probably best know for its eponymous Inn, which served as the set for the Dirty Dancing movie back in the 80's. By the time you actually get to the Inn, you've gone just about all the way around the lake, it seems, and you're about to head towards Chimney Rock, another quaint town, but with a fairly touristy main drag that can get a bit congested. Watch for stopped traffic here.
Follow 74-A/9N out of Chimney Rock to Bat Cave. Yes. Bat Cave. Roads are still pretty twisty in here, and traffic is a bit lighter. This is some very nice riding. Stay alert, and push those handlebars hard.
Turn right onto 9N headed towards Black Mtn. There are some INCREDIBLY twisty and fun stretches here. And very little traffic. Beware the blind corners. I came around a right-hander not too much over the recommended speed to see an old guy on a 4-wheeler scooting across the road just ahead of me. While startled, I had enough room to slow down without any real danger of collision. It was his kid 2-3 seconds behind him that scared the bejesus out of me! He saw dad (or grampaw, whatever) cross the road, and decided to follow him WITHOUT LOOKING EITHER WAY! All I can say is, "Thank you, David Hough, for your book Proficient Motorcycling!". I was already covering the brake, and was able to execute a quick stop just short of lockup. Even so, I could not stop soon enough, and just barely missed him. Thank god he kept moving! I managed not to slide the tires, maintained control of the bike (and miraculously, my bowels), and was glad to be alive to feel as pissed off as I did. If I had been a car, I sincerely believe that would have been the end of that poor kid's life. I rode for a short bit and found a safe place to pull over and let the butterflies dissipate. Fortunately, the rest of the ride to I-40 at Black Mtn was uneventful. But I did stop and buy a lottery ticket, just in case my luck continued.
I-40 East from Black Mtn to Marion: 20 fairly easy miles of interstate riding. You cross back over the Eastern Continental Divide, having hit it previously on the twisties, before leveling out a bit before exiting for route 226 from Marion back to Shelby. Note: speed limit is 55 mph coming down the mountain, and the NC SHP patrol this stretch fairly well. Beware.
226 South from I-40 back to US-74: This is a very nice country 2-lane road, passing through rolling hills and farmland. More sweepers than twisties here, but nice riding and some beautiful countryside. A nice bit of variety thrown in to the slabs and switchbacks.
From there, it was a return trip from Shelby to Charlotte. Fortunately, the groundhog wasn't on the highway on the way back, and other than a bit of a sore keister, I made it back just fine. This was my longest single-day ride, and all in all, I'd consider it a success.