| Author | Message | ||
     Maximum |
There I was, minding my own business, enjoying all of the roads I have traveled during my first 16,000 some miles (covering nearly half the US States) of Uly ownership, in the middle of a couple month visit (work related) to Alabama, when out of nowhere FT_BSTRD invites me on a Veterans' Day weekend ride of the greater Suches and Deals Gap areas. As a virgin to that part of the country, I say sure…I'll go. Ignorant to how this would change my life I spent the weekend riding the hills of Northern Georgia, Western North Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee with him and BARKER. Now my life is changed forever because all I can think about is how to make it out form Colorado next year for March Badness. Don’t be naïve and let this happen to you! All I have to say to the Fat one is...you suck...ahhh...how could you?...ummm...Why didn’t you get me out here sooner?...oh yeah...and...THANKS!!!! Below you will find my ride report of this traumatic experience. It all started for me at 6:00 am on Saturday as I rode from lower Alabama (Fort Rucker) to meet Ft_bstrd and Barker in Suches, as they traveled from Nashville during that same time. We all arrived at Two Wheels Only (TWO) shortly after noon and had lunch. I think the hamburgers we ate were about a half a cow each (small cow of course)! It was a very good lunch with some festive hot spiced cider to warm the spirit, but the roads were a callin', so it was time to hit it. We were heading to Helen Georgia out hwy 180 to check into our Swiss chalet (it’s a Helen thing) and drop off our bags before doing the loop. By the end of this 30 minute spirited "administrative" run, and me scaring myself a couple times, I realized that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore!   The first thing I said after we arrived was..."man I have got to work on my skills!" I was going into the corners too fast (for me), smoking my front brakes to the point that they were fading (even with Lyndalls), and not holding good lines at all. I must have looked like Napoleon Dynamite trying to dance, it wasn’t pretty! They explained that I should not try to keep up, but to just ride at my comfort level, and that they would stop and wait at every road change. We also talked about "The Pace", which is something that I had read (but never really had the occasion to practice it) and discussed some of the things to focus on. That took the pressure off and allowed me to work on improving my technical skills while safely riding the loop. I was feeling so much better now, going into corners without the need to brake, accelerating modestly out of the corners, and most important I was riding well within my abilities. I was not sure how far the guys were ahead of me, but several times they were waiting for me on the shoulder and their fans were no longer running, hummm...it must have been a while. At this point they were probably saying to each other..."we are going to do more waiting than riding this weekend". There was just enough daylight to do one more loop around Suches, but just as we were about to start, Barker noticed that Ft_bstrd had a white stripe around the center of his tire. Now I happen to be a fan of The White Stripes (if I have to explain that one, you are older than me), but this was not a good thing. Closing in on darkness, our weekend plans were in jeopardy (suspenseful music playing in the background). We discussed our options for a little while on the side of the road, when finally Barker came up with a brilliant idea to call Mountain Rider, a fellow Badwebber who lives in Suches and was known to have tire mounting equipment. We ended up heading back to Helen to get phone/internet connectivity and look up Mountain Riders' contact information in the "RAN" section of Badweb. Sure enough he was home, would be more than happy to help, and actually had a 17” sport tire with only 300 miles on it that his son was trying to sell after swapping it out for track tires on his bike! It was dark now, but off we went on a thirty minute ride (basically around the loop) to make our way to the late night motorcycle service garage of Mountain Rider! There were a couple good things about this ride. 1) We had to ride slower, so I was actually able to keep up, and 2) we had plenty of light between Ft_bstrd’s HID, my two PIAA 510’s, and Barkers' Firebolt lights...OK, Barker didn’t really contribute much in this area. People that saw us coming probably thought that it was a UFO coming to snatch them up!  Mountain Rider was awesome! We were in and out of there is less than an hour. FB thought that he only had about 2,000 miles on that Strata sport touring tire, so he could not believe that in was already worn down to the belt. One thing that I can say for sure is that Ft_bstrd really knows how to eat up tires.  The way back towards Helen was a little more spirited, but I think the guys were holding back some in order to keep the pack together. In fact Barker was actually just coasting in neutral on many of the downhill sections. I was wondering if he thought I was really that slow...but then I learned that he was running on fumes and of course the gas station in Suches was closed. So we kept heading down the mountain to the next town with a gas station. A mile or so prior to this town Barker actually ran out of gas, but was able to coast downhill all the way to the pump! Talk about lucky...although we are starting to think about three strikes and we’re out. In the next town we found a nice little Italian joint with a classic rock cover band playing at 130 decibels. We had a good meal and good conversation...two rooms over from the bands. Although against the idea, I was out voted and they determined that the next problem on this venture would be mine. It was a fairly chilly ride back to Helen that night, but with my electric jacket liner and heated grips on max, I was very toasty. The chalet was actually pretty nice. It was large enough to sleep 6, which was a good thing, because that meant we each had our own bed. The last thing anyone wanted was a "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" moment, with me trying to explain to FB that my hands were between two pillows! The place even had a private hot tub on the back deck. Even though we had all agreed that there would be no skinny dipping that there would be no personal contributions to the bubble action; with such a late night and an early morning planned to head to Deals Gap, we passed on this chalet amenity.  Now, let me see...I know that there is an Idiot’s guide to riding Suches somewhere on here...  The next morning it was 27 degrees (F) in Helen, and do you remember the consensus that the next problem would be mine? And do you remember how the night before I was running my electric jacket and heated grips on full blast? And do you recall how I was also running my PIAA 510's (along with both hi and low headlights) down those dark roads? You know where this is going...don’t you? That's right, my battery is dead! No engine turn, just clicky clicky. So the riddle is; how do you get two men to get all hot and sweaty together on a 27 degree morning? The answer: have them try to push start a Uly on flat terrain! After two attempts, it was clear that was not going to happen. Our luck has been good so far, will it be again? As FB and Barker recovered from near cardiac arrest, we looked up and noticed a city Fire Department/Public works building. Sure enough, they had one of those cool portable starter pack gadgets. A quick jump and we are ready to head towards the Dragon.     We made it to Deals Gap around 10:00 am. We all got some fuel, and I made a quick call to my wife just to make sure that my Last Will and Testament is up to date, and then we were on our way! If you have never made it to the Dragon (318 curves in 11 miles), then all I can say is "WOW!", because you won’t understand anyway. If you have been there, then you know what I am talking about. I kept to "The Pace"; no hanging off the bike, no major braking into the corners (only a little trail braking just prior), accelerating through the corners, and staying within the lane and my abilities. With each pass through the Dragon, I began to feel the groove and gain more confidence. I never once scared myself there, and for the first time I truly began to experience SOME of the potential of the Uly, what a great machine! Here are some lo-res screen shots from Xtreme Sports Photography’s web site. Barker (although he should be called Sparky) doin' his thing...    Here is Ft_bstrd being nimble like a cat...    And finally here is me, more pictures of me because I am writing the report (sorry guys)...       FB even did a little video of us riding the Dragon, which can be seen at the following links... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2628484530437644347 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1880615071565967158 A little later we were joined at Deals Gap by Brad (86129Squids) on his City Cross and a couple of other Uly owners. Crowds were pretty small on Sunday, but Buell was nicely represented!  On the way out from Deals Gap, we headed towards Tellico Plains Tennessee via the famous Cherohalla Skyway. This was a beautiful run with many nice sweeping curves and some technical corners where I was able to practice my newly acquired skills (probably just enough to be dangerous). We stopped at the top to take it all in and snap a few pictures...man this place is gorgeous!      On the way down the mountain, my "Pace" was beginning to hold a lot closer to the boys up ahead. At Tellico Plains we stopped for fuel and this is where we were supposed to split up and go our separate ways. But even after 750 miles in two days, I was not ready for it to end, so I tagged along with FB and Barker along the mountain roads of Tennessee hwy 30 all the way towards Nashville. Route 30 is another great riding back road full of mountain passes with beautiful and abundant corners. By this point (even though it was now dark) I was right there with the guys, safely holding my own! At Nashville (with everyone around the 950 mile mark) I headed south on the interstate for the final 300+ miles of my journey (completed on Monday). I am still on a high from the adventures this past weekend. This is truly a very special part of the US (and probably the world) for motorcycles! Buell is a truly amazing machine to experience all this area has to offer!! And Buell owners, the Badwebbers, are truly an extraordinary group of individuals!!! I want to say one final thanks to Ft_bstrd and Barker for setting up this weekend and making every other road I travel MUNDANE!! | ||
| Windrider |
Maximum, Great ride report. Thanks for sharing, but are you sure that there are no comparable twisties in CO? | ||
| Florida_lime |
Max, Nice report and pictures (as usual). Makes me want to be there now. I do have a place outside of Robbinsville, located off 143 just before it becomes the Cherohala. Ten minutes to the Cherohala, 30 to the Gap. We were there for the last weekend of October, just not on the Uly. I keep my Aprilia Tuono and my wife's 620 Monster there, and ride the Uly up from Florida if my wife is already there. My daughter was a little disappointed to have to ride on the Aprilia, instead of the Uly that weekend !  Fatty, you busy on Thanksgiving weekend ?  | ||
| Barker |
"and Barkers' Firebolt lights...OK, Barker didn’t really contribute much in this area." And thats after I have "fixed" the lights and added the PIAA big-bad-mamma-jamma lights in it. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Great write up, brought back great memories of the area... thanks! | ||
| Etennuly |
Glad you made it to our neck of the woods. It is certainly a beautiful time of year, albeit chilly. Under slightly different circumstances I would have been on those same mountain passes this past weekend. Work sucks right now and I must be here a lot right now. Orangeulius, Gotj, a good friend on an Ultra, my brother on a G-Wing, and I got a late start for a ride Sunday. We did about a hundred mile loop of cool beautiful East Tennessee back road riding. I'm glad I didn't know you guys were out there or I would have smoked my weekend work plans! Maximum, I'm glad see you had a great trip in our neighborhood. You had a couple of great tour guides for that area, that is for sure. The best part is they come cheap! A little scary to be around, but cheap! It is great to see fellow BadWebbers pay it forward, good job Mountain Rider!  Jeremy, the poly heaters are going in this week, ahthanku! They will complement the B.A.W. very well. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I was missing the hand guards this trip for sure! I was also missing the Polly's as well. Vern, you are gonna love 'em! Steve, I'm so glad you got to come! It was a blast hanging out. Barker, pleasure as always! | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I am SOOO jealous. The Smokey Mountain area is my favorite part of this country. It's so beautiful, and SO MUCH FUN! Look forward to meeting you (and seeing that bike in person) at MB5! Did you guys see the Helen rides in the latest Road Runner magazine? They have 4 different loops leaving from Helen. I could scan it if you like. I can't wait to get down there again next spring. | ||
| Hoon |
Enjoyed that report,every time I read about Deals Gap it makes me want to visit the States and ride it. Maybe in the future someday. | ||
| Dentguy |
Very jealous.... Great report. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
great report Maximum! enjoyed reading and seeing the pictures! | ||
| Rubberdown |
Great ride report! Thanks. | ||
| Treadmarks |
You fawkers. All I have to play on is one on ramp.  | ||
| Florida_lime |
Treadmarks- What ? No off ramp at that exit ? | ||
| Snub13 |
WOW! Great report Max! Why no sparks from you and the fat guy?  LOL Tim | ||
| Diablobrian |
Looks like a lot of fun. I'll have to figure a way to make a trip down there next summer. I particularly liked the pic if F_B chewing up the tire!  FWIW the title of the thread make it sound like you had a bad experience bending over to pick up the soap and F_B "ruined you" (Message edited by diablobrian on November 13, 2007) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I guess we will be seeing you in March  | ||
| Etennuly |
FWIW the title of the thread make it sound like you had a bad experience bending over to pick up the soap and F_B "ruined you" That is what usually happens when he is around!  Eh....but you get used to it. | ||
| Ulywife |
I guess we will be seeing you in March I can't wait until March! Great write-up Maximum. You've got to come back for March Badness, then it will be Buelltoberfest, then March Badness again. It's a sickness that we all suffer through together! | ||
| Sanchez |
Great write up, Maximum. I'm glad you guys had fun, and I'm sorry I missed you. Fatty, sorry I missed your call on Saturday. New12r, Glitch, Smokescreen, and I were all standing around New12r's barn when a phone starting ringing. After a few seconds, Smokescreen looked over at me and said, "Um, you're ringing." I'd just gotten a new phone the day before, and I had no idea what the damn ringer sounded like! I missed the call, and I didn't check my voicemail until the next day when it was too late. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
That's ok, Sanchez. I'm used to people ignoring me when I'm in need.  | ||
| Odie |
Maximum- great writing as usual. I called you back after you had called me for Mountain Riders number. I tried 3 different computers on two different connections and could not get on the BadWeb to save my life. Sounds like it all came together though. You seem to forget I told you earlier in the year when you were down that the roads up there were the greatest around. Now you know. MBV is a must.....Call me this week for some dinner plans. | ||
| Sanchez |
> That's ok, Sanchez. I'm used to people ignoring me when I'm in need. What's that dangling from your exhaust in this picture? I'm guessing it must be your tampon string. | ||
| Court |
Another reminder of why I enjoy Buells and Buell people so much . . . lots of great memories in those pictures. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing: "May I speak to someone in charge?" "What are you calling about?" "I saw one of your motorcycles being operated in an unsafe manner." "Many of them look very similar . . you may have made a mistake" "well . . . it had a manufacturers plate and had www.buell.com on the side in large letters" BUSTED!  | ||
| Supertoon |
Great pics and write-up, brings back memories! Aside from riding up and down the Dragon as much as you can, sitting on that stone wall at the top and bench-racing is cool as well! Had a nice chat with a couple of local guys on Warriors, with almost no foot-pegs left! Tried to follow them down, now that was funny! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I'm guessing it must be your tampon string. That's where the dongle to my heated vest went. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
BTW, the replacement tire has absolutely ZERO flat spot. NONE! I may have a new tire brand. We'll wait until the long term test is complete. | ||
| Sanchez |
> I may have a new tire brand. What'd you end up with? I need a new rear tire, and I'm considering getting another Avon Storm-MT. I don't like the Storm front tire, but the back one's been good to me. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Tomahawk strangely enough. |
