Coming Soon - The Smoky 5!

It will be few days before I post the pics and recap, but I'm leaving out this morning ( 6-17-10) on a ride I've thought about some quite some time, riding the 5 highest points in 5 state in the Smokys. "the Smoky 5" The goal is to ride the highest roads in Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Wish me luck.
Details to come!

Recommended - Helmet Sunblocker

Here is an inexpensive product that is well worth the money. I had this tint strip on my previous helmet, but when I got my new brain bucket I forgot to order one. Well, it took one ride on a sunny day to remember how much I liked it.

The Helmet Sunblocker is a pre-cut strip of tinted material that fits inside your face shield and it does a great job of keeping those extra bright summer (and winter) rays out of your eyes. It comes in especially handy early in the morning and late in the afternoon when the sun is low on the horizon. It sits high enough that you aren't looking through it all the time, but when you need it, all you have to do is tilt your head down a little and you can keep that fiery ball in the sky from cooking your corneas.

It comes in two models, the standard model, and one that is cut to fit Arai Helmets that have vents in the shield. (This is the one I have). I actually preferred the strip to be slightly higher on the shield, and trimmed it with an exacto knife to get it just the way I wanted it. 

Beware of other tint strips that require you to do all the cutting yourself. I tried one of these and it was so much trouble that I ended up just trashing it. The original Helmet Sunblocker is inexpensive, easy to put on, and works great.

US 129 Still Rock Blocked

I rode up today to see for myself, and yes, 129 (aka The Dragon) is still blocked by the massive, and seeming getting worse, rock slide. Honestly, I was hoping to be able to get a closeup view of the scene, but TDOT has the road blocked right at the base of the Foothills Parkway.

They have done one very nice gesture, and that is put a person there to redirect the heartbroken out of towners who didn't know the Dragon was out of commission for the time being. The lady that was there today in the oppressive heat (she ask that I didn't use her name) was extremely nice, and had a map with her so she could show people the best way to get to the other side of the Dragon.   

You can still ride the twisty parts, but you have to come in from the North Carolina side, which means going through Tellico, and across the Cherohala to Robbinsville (a great ride itself). 

According to the press the contractor has a $195,000 incentive to have it open by July 1st (19 days). they also say that there is a very large "unstable mass" of rock that they have measured to have slid 4 feet, and that this has to be dealt with first. Estimated completion is July 31st.

To see some video of the slide go to  http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/5320


I hope the contractor hasn't spent that $200 Grand yet!  

Cool Bike - 1960 Harley Servi-Car

"Bess", is a 1960 Harley Servi-Car which was purchased by the current owner about 3 years ago. Claudia said that she first saw the bike in an older copy of Walneck's Classic motorcycle magazine and decided she wanted it. She was able to contact the owner, who lived in Connecticut, but as luck would have it, he had changed his mind about selling the bike. Luckily Claudia was able to talk him in to parting with it, and now "Bess" has a new home.  

The history of this particular bike was that it's chopped remains were found in a field where it had been left to rust away. It was restored, and had a springer front end off of an older model Harley added. Now that Claudia has it, and can now be seen regularly ridden around Knoxville.

These are pretty neat bikes. Built as workhorses, Harley Servi-Cars were made from 1932-73, and were originally designed for the automotive service industry. (Get it ? Serve-A-Car ) The box on the back was designed to be large enough for a mechanic to carry his tools and parts. Also the first Servi-cars came with a tow bar so that they could be towed behind a car. The idea being that a mechanic could deliver a car to a customer, and ride the Servi-car back to his shop. For this reason the rear axle of the Servi-car has a 42" wide track so that the Servi-cars wheels would follow in the tracks of the car that was towing it.

Of course with the versatility they had, Servi-cars became popular with everyone from Police Departments to Food Vendors, and were in use for years. (You just have to wonder how big of a cooler would fit in the back!)

BMW ROK Rally in Del Rio this Weekend

This weekend (Thur/Fri/Sat) the BMW Riders of Knoxville (BMWROK) are hosting their 11th Annual Rally  at the TWO Creeks Campground in Del Rio Tennessee (between of Newport Tn and Hot Springs NC). This is a beautiful area, and there is great riding in any direction out of the campground, either on pavement or dual sporting.

I've been to a BMWROK Rally before, and they put on a very good event. The last rally of theirs that I attended had 85 riders, from all over the United States. This is a camping crowd, but a few hit the local hotels. Camping isn't a requirement, but the campground is where the action is. As of tonight (6-2-10), there are still some campsites available.

The price of the rally is $45, and that includes three nights camping, dinner, breakfast, Rally Pack, door prizes, a grand prize drawing, and custom ride maps. For more info and registration check out http://BMWROK.org , and http://twocreeks.shutterfly.com

First Ladies Bike Show and Ride In

This past Sunday (5-30-10) Biker Rags hosted the first Ladies Only Bike Show and Ride in. It hasn't yet been announced if there will be another one, but I'm betting that there will be. For a first time event this one had a really good turnout.

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Jeff and Pam, the owners of Biker Rags, said that they had been wanting to do this for a long time, but weren't quite sure how to best pull it off.  It looks like all they needed was to hook up with "The Lady Bikers",  a ladies only motorcycle group based here in Knoxville. 

Pam said that they had 31 ladies enter their bikes in the show, but I counted well over 50 bikes in attendance. Don't think that these ladies are fair weather riders either. The forecast on this day was for scattered thunderstorms, and you could see them in the distance.These ladies rode down anyway.

WIMZ was there doing a live remote which kept things lively, and helped spread the word about the event during the day. The Lady Bikers organizer Vicky Cromwell was interviewed on air to talk about the event, and several cars blew their horns in support as they drove by.

I know this sounds like it's straight out of the 70's, but this event had a "Cool Vibe" going. There wasn't the typical "I'm a bad ass biker" attitude, people were dressed in more than just black T-shirts, and there were lots more smiles than scowls. Everyone there seemed to be having a really good time.

As far as choice of bikes, most were cruisers, but there were also several Sportbikes in the mix.  It was a good indication of the diversity of the group. Also, just about every bike manufacturer was represented.



The Lady Bikers isn't a formal club so to speak, but more of a social gathering group. It was started in January of 2009, and according to Vicky already boast 219 members. If you know any ladies that are looking for others to ride with, Vicky said that all ladies with all brands of bikes are welcome to join. 

They plan their rides and events through the social website Meetup.com.  Their address is www.meetup.com/the-lady-bikers/ 

As soon as I hear of another event planned I'll post it on the CycleBlend Events Calendar

All the "support" guys taking pictures.

Best Ice Cream Shop in Tellico Plains

When you go to Tellico Motorcycle Outfitters, you have to go across the street to the Downtown Creamery! ( or you may want to go to the Ice Cream shop, and then visit the bike shop)

The Downtown Creamery was started about two years ago by Cheri Dozier (shown in the picture) and her Ice Cream shop is a hidden jewel!  Cheri makes her own waffle cones from scratch, and trust me, they alone are worthwhile excuse to ride to Tellico Plains. 

If you're hungry for more than Ice Cream they also have hot dogs, salads, and fine chocolates. The Downtown Creamery is right across the street (Scott Street) from Cherie's husband's shop, Tellico Motorcycle Outfitters.