24th Annual East Tn Toy Run - Oct 25th

This is one of the longest running Charity rides in East Tenn. If there is one that has been going on longer I don't know about it. As you can see on the poster it is Sunday, October 25th, at the Smokies baseball stadium at the Sevierville Exit (#407) off of I-40.  Sign up starts at 9:00am and kickstands go up at 1:00pm. The ride will end at Smokey Mt Harley in Maryville. A $10 donation is requested.I have never ridden in this event, but I did happen to be coming down the interstate a few years ago as is left out of the ball park. It was an impressive number of bikes, and I'm sure it will be again this year.

Vintage Bike Exhibit and Ride In - Sept 22-28 - Knoxville Museum of Art

The Knoxville Museum of Art will be presenting an Exhibit of Vintage Motorcycles September 22nd through 28th. The exhibit will be open daily, and admission is free. This exhibit is presented by the Guild of the Knoxville Museum of Art, Smokey Mountain Harley Davidson, and the Time Warp Vintage Motorcycle club.

 On Sunday, September 27th there will be a Vintage Motorcycle Ride in from 1:30 to 3:30. Vintage bikes that ride in will be on display in front of the museum. On this day there will also be Fine Arts and Crafts booths inside the museum from 12:00 till 4:00, so there is something for everyone.

Rare Bikes at the Time Warp this week

 

As everyone knows by now my favorite hangout is the Time Warp Tea Room on N Central Street in Knoxville. This past Tuesday, which is the "bike night" at the Time Warp had absolutely perfect weather, plus was the monthly meeting of the Time Warp Vintage Club. I can't remember a night that had a larger diversity of bikes. Starting with the Cagiva Grand Canyon above. You could say its the great grandfather of the Ducati Mulitstrada

 

 These didn't handle that great in the twisty stuff, but where hell on the dragstrip.

 Most people think Benelli only makes shotguns!

 Note the 2 Nitrous bottles mounted to the downtubes. The owner rode it down from the Kentucky state line

 The man who built this was a jeweler by profession. It shows.

 I didn't get to talk to the owner. It looks pretty funky,, but lots of work went into it.

 Yes. It's a Harley!

Yamaha built an Adventure Touring bike before anyone knew they wanted one. A bike that was built before its time. It would sell like hotcakes today.

I had one of these, and I want it back!

 

You can see stuff like this every Tuesday night at the Time Warp Tea Room. Come down, grab some grub, and take in the free show.

 

5th Annual Tennessee Knockout (TKO) Extreme Enduro this Weekend

This weekend the worlds best Extreme Off-Road racers come back to the mountains and creek beds of Sequatchie Tennessee for the 5th annual Tennessee Knockout Enduro. Saturday amateur racers get to run two races on a different course, with the top 25 qualifying to race on Sunday against the best in the world. 

This year there is a whole group of riders from Knoxville going down to compete. Drew Kirby, Will Presson, Ty Starr, David Scraggs, Richard Hutchinson, Jeff Mynatt, Ros Kingerly, David Rowland, Danny Pressley, and Devin Ferguson are all going down to give it their best shot! 

Admission is only $10 per day, and primitive camping is $25. This is a great spectator event, as you can get right up next to the action. In fact, there are walking trails adjacent to some of the best (toughest) parts of the course. For all the details go to www.tennesseeknockoutenduro.com

Here is a link to footage from last years event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZQAsUa1rk

East Tenn Ride for Kids - Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

One of the best charity rides you can help support, the East Tennessee "Ride for Kids" supports the Pediatric Brain Tumor Association is this Sunday, July 26th, 2015, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, 1403 Oak Ridge Highway. Note this is a different location from previous years when it started out of the Pellissippi State campus.
This is the 32year for the Ride for Kids, and it has grown to 37 different rides across the country.The ride registration opens at 8:00am, and closes at 9:30am. A $40 donation is requested. Kickstands up at 10:00 for the guided, police escorted ride, Rain or Shine! All participants get a free lunch, and are eligible for the drawing for a Honda motorcycle. Come out to support a great cause!

Haulin for Holly - Post Ride Update

 The Haulin for Holly fundraiser ride wasn't hurt at all by the reschedule due to weather. 65 riders and a total of over 100 people showed up for the event. The set of Tires that was donated by Cycleblend and raffled off raised $385 (we added $ 15 to make it an even $400).
All total $3,200 was raised by the generosity of East Tennessee Dirt bike riders.. Here are few pictures from the event.

 The start of the tag team Hare Scrambles

 Riders going through the grass track section of the course.

The pit area, and guys waiting for their partner to come around.

Rider in the tight woods section

Teammates swapping the wrist band between laps, while others wait on their guy to come through.
 
 

Haulin' for Holly Hare Scrambles / Cancer Fundraiser MOVED TO JULY 11th

UPDATE: DUE TO WEATHER CONCERNS THE HAULIN' FOR HOLLY RIDE HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE RAIN DATE - SATURDAY JULY 11th

Saturday, June 27th JULY 11th is the Annual "Haulin' for Holly" 2 hour tag team hare scramble and fun ride at the Lewis family farm in Loudon TN. This event gets bigger every year and is the third leading fund raiser for the  Penny F Garrett Sarcoma Foundation. 100% of all money raised will be presented at the Annual Creeper Ride to End Cancer, which in turn donates it to the MD Anderson Cancer Research Center for Rare Cancers.

The format is this. All riders names go into a hat, so you don't know who your partner will be. There will also be classes for Parent / Child teams, and an Iron Butt class for anyone who wants to ride the 2 hour race on their own. After the tag team race lunch will be served, and anyone who wishes can ride the trails at a more leisurely pace. So if you don't want to race, just ride, that's cool too. 

The cost is a $25 donation, and there is a $5 donation for each person to cover lunch (Everyone eats!).Trails are open til 6:00pm for fun riding.

Location: 1839 Dogwood Valley Road, Loudon TN 37774. Signup starts a 7:00, Race Starts at 9:00. For more info email: Steve Lewis at  llewis3066@aol.com

Cycleblend.com will be donating a new set of Bridgestone  Off-Road Tires (M-59 front / M204 Rear)to be raffled off, with all of the proceeds donated to the ride. $5 per chance, and buy as many as you want!

This is really a fun event for everyone, and a fundraiser where you can be assured all the money raised is going to the cause. Hope to see you there!

Indian Motorcycle Test Rides this weekend @ Knoxville Indian

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday (19/30/31) there is one of the rarest of all occurances, free test rides on brand new Motorcycles! Knoxville Indian / Victory /Triumph (I think that is the official name) which is now located in the former Knoxville Honda / Yamaha building, has demo rides going all three days. The fleet includes every Indian model. Can't beat that!

I snuck out at lunch Friday and rode the new Scout. There is a very good chance I could end up with one of these someday. The 100 hp V-Twin is more Ducati like than Harley, and finally someone built a sport cruiser that doesn't weigh 600 lbs. Handling of the large front tire was something I wondered about, but it turns out to be very stable and balanced. It's just a nice riding bike.
Anyway, get by and check them out. Its a great opportunity. 

AMA Pro Hillclimb Saturday May 30th Rain or Shine!

I've always wanted to see the top level motorcycle racers of every form. I've been able to catch Moto GP, Mile Flat Track, AMA Superbike, and World Trials, but until now I've never had the opportunity to see an AMA Pro Hill Climb. They just don't have them in this area.  However, This Saturday there will be an AMA Pro Hillclimb at Buffalo Valley, just North of Cookeville TN.  Admission is $20, and kids under 12 are free. Its being held at Middle Tennessee Dragway (how ironic a Hillclimb is being held at a Dragway!) There are also dirt drag races for 10 different classes. 
Gates open at 8:00am CST. Dirt Drag Racing goes from 9:00am till 12:00, and the Hillclimb goes from 12:00 till 3:00
Location: Middle Tn Dragway - 680 Rock Springs Road, Buffalo Valley TN 38548
Directions: I-40 to exit 268, go north 1 mile, Turn Right on Rock Springs Road. Info-Gary at 931-260-9509

Coal Creek Dual Sport Ride at Windrock Park- June 13-14

This is the second year of this event which once again heads out of the Windrock Park Campground, just outside of Oliver Springs, TN. Saturday's route has over 100 miles of riding, and Sunday's route has 70 miles. There are optional "Advanced" routes on both days, but be warned, the advanced sections are really for smaller dirt bikes with full knobbies. Unlike many Dual Sport Rides, this one is mostly trail. A route sheet holder (AKA Roll Chart) is a necessity for this ride. GPS coordinates are not provided. The cost is $100 for both days, and $55 for one day. For more info email jbsaki@gmail.com or call John Strange at 865-322-0193. You can also look up Slate Creek Motorsports on Facebook

Smoky Mountain Crawl - Townsend Tenn. June 19-21

For 3 days in June, the 19th, 20th, and 21st there will be a large gathering of scooter and small bike enthusiast at the Tremont Lodge in Townsend Tenn., The Smoky Mountain Crawl! I've never met any of these folks, but looking at the videos they have posted on their website this looks like an incredibly fun group to be associated with.
The Smoky Mountain Crawl is marketed as a "Rukus, Grom, and Slow Bike Extravaganza" Does that sound like fun or what? (If you don't know what a Rukus or Grom is, shame on you, plug the names into your google machine) There is going to be a large group of specialty suppliers and vendors for small bikes on hand, and lots of giveaways. It should be a big time (pun intended) . The home website is www.MNNTHBX.com
Check out their promo video at :  https://vimeo.com/125959403

STRA Observed Trials Event in Lenoir City April 25th 26th

April 25th and 26th will be rounds 5 and 6 of the STRA (Southeast Trials Riders Association) Trials Championship held at Hickory Hills Farm in Lenoir City Tenn. Promoted by the newly formed East Tennessee Trials Club, Dual Sport Touring, and Rising Sun Cycles, this is a family fun event and open for everyone. You do have to join STRA and be an AMA member if you want to compete. Modern classes and vintage classes will be available. Its a great time to come get introduced to the sport of observed trials, or to come ride. Spectating is great as you can easily walk right up to the sections. Primitive camping is available. For more details call "Papa Joe" at 865-988-4379 or email JBTerry1@charter.net

Tennessee Gold Wing Club "Spring Fling" in Chattanooga April 23/24/25

The annual Gold Wing Road Riders Association for the State of Tennessee will be April 23 -25th at Camp Jordan, in East Ridge (just outside Chattanooga). The theme this year is "Southern Family Reunion".  Vendors, guided rides, bike shows and contest. For more details check out www.tngwrra.org

Slate Creek 500 Adventure Ride - April 11th and 12th

This is an Adventure ride designed for big adventure bikes. Part of the AMA / Yamaha Adventure series, the route consist of fire roads, jeep roads, logging roads, and back country blacktop and gravel. There are over 750 mile of possible routes to travel. The highest elevations are over 4,300'!  A roll chart holder is needed for this ride, as no GPS tracks are provided. Pre-Entrants get T-shirts and dinner as part of their entry. The start is at 261 E. Talley Hollow Road in Bybee Tn. Primitive camping is available. 2 day is $100, 1 day $55. For more details email jbsaki@gmail.com or call John Strange at 865-322-0193

March Moto Madness - Dual Sport and Adventure Ride

This weekend is the annual March Moto Madness Dual Sport / Adventure bike camp and ride in Tellico Plains. Started in 2006, this event has grown every year, and is actually the original event that has started an international group of related rides. Adventure Bike group rides, camping, and food. $55 pre-registration, $65 at the gate. Includes 3 nights camping, Breakfast and Dinner on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast Sunday. Campground is located at 801 Steer Creek Road, Tellico Plains,TN www.marchmotomadness.com 
 

"MX-DURO" New Off Road Racing Series

A brand new, off road racing series is about to kick off it's inaugural race on March 15th. MXDURO is a combination of all things off road. Running at Motocross tracks that also have access to woods and open land, MXDURO is a combination of Motocross, Hare-Scrambles, Grass Track, and Enduro racing. The racing will be run in a two moto format, and will have a pro cash purse, plus trophies in each class. The first race of the 8 race series is being held at Glory Hills MX track in Pleasant Hill Tn, just North of Carthage. For all the details check out the website www.mx-duro.com

New Riding Season just around corner!

 Well, the snow has quit falling, is actually starting to melt, and daylight saving time starts on March 8th. It's about time for the riding season to get going. I have to admit that I've done a less than stellar job keeping the website updated lately (what can I say, life happens), but I plan on stepping it up this year and helping people find out what street and dirt events are coming up. As usual, I will try to focus on the rides and events that usually don't get that much press. Heck, I've already missed the first event of the year, a STRA Trials round in Maryville.

 

Check out the updated calendar page. There are some repeat events that have become annual events, and some brand new ones, like the National Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Rally in Pigeon Forge. I'll be adding new events as we find out about them.

Tennessee Knock Out Extreme Enduro Aug 16/17

 This coming weekend is the TKO Extreme Enduro at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie Tennessee (just West of Chattanooga). The Trials Training center is one of the coolest venues to watch an event for several reasons. #1, you watch from any location you care to hike to, and #2 it could literally be a state park, it's that beautiful. Of course you are going for the racing, which is unlike anything else you will see off road. These guys go through, over, and down stuff you would have a hard time hiking over. Its the Tennessee Version of the Erzburg Enduro.

The Knockout format is unique as it constantly whittles down the field until only the fastest and toughest compete in the final money round. Amateurs race twice on Saturday, The first race is 2 laps over a 13 mile course with a 2 hour time limit. The fastest 75 advance. The second race is one lap over the 13 mile course with the fastest 40 advancing to the pro rounds on Sunday.. We actually have several riders from the Knoxville area giving it a shot. For all the specific details check out their website www.TennesseeKnockoutEnduro.com. If you can make it, I highly recommend it.

Kali Dirt Bike Helmet - Product Review

It's been a while since I've done a product review. Probably because its been so long since I've bought anything new, and anything that was worth talking about. I tend to wear my dirt bike helmets well past the point when they should be retired, and I finally got around to getting a new one. (By the way, I have a 15 year old MSR for sale. Only used on weekends)
What I found, and am tickled to death with, is the Kali Prana FRP. If you haven't heard of Kali, don't worry. I hadn't either until I saw them at Sportcycle KTM in Maryville, TN.
My requirements for a new lid were: Safety, Great Fit, Comfortable while wearing glasses, light weight, removable liner, Non-stupid graphics, and a reasonable price. The Kali nails all of these.

Kali uses a new technology / design for their helmets called Composite Fusion Plus. In a nutshell, what they do is make a helmet with two densities of foam that reduce the impact to your noggin. You can go to their website to get all the details ( www.kaliprotectives.com ). Their brain buckets are ECE and DOT rated, but not Snell. The lack of a Snell rating is no doubt because of their design which absorbs more impact. Not a bad thing. Also not a bad thing is the weight, only 1250 grams, or about 44 ounces.

I took these pictures after my first ride with the helmet, so if you see any scratches they are ones I put on myself. On this last ride we rode through some underbrush that could have stood a good chainsaw, but hey, that's what we do sometimes. The Fit and finish of the new helmet was super nice.

 

 

 

Also super nice is what all the Helmet comes with. It has a soft cover bag (not shown), and a vary nice carry bag (shown). In addition, the helmet comes with an extra set of thicker cheek pads to tighten up the fit if you prefer, and a set of Camera mounting hardware. The very middle piece of the visor is removable, and you can insert the optional piece to which different camera mounting brackets attach. Pretty sweet if you're a Go-Pro guy.

This helmet is available at Sportcycle KTM in Maryville (865-681-7895) for less than $200. Of course other colors are available. Kali makes Street bike helmets also.

AMA Outdoor National Moto Cross this weekend at Muddy Creek

This Saturday is the return of the AMA Outdoor National Motocross at Muddy Creek Moto Cross in Blountville TN, just outside of Bristol. Last years was the first AMA Outdoor National in the south in years, and the turnout was incredible. If you go back through previous post on Cycleblend you'll see some pics form last year. I was able to attend last year, so let me give you a few pointers. #1 Go Early. The roads getting in to the track are all 2 lane, and they back up. Get there as early as you can. #2 Bring a camera. The outdoor races give you lots of opportunity to get close to the action. It's GREAT! #3 Have drinks and food waiting for you at the car, and unless you leave early, just chill by the car and let traffic thin out when the racing is over.

 Admission for Saturday only (that's when the big boys race) is $40. If you want to stay and watch the amateurs race on Sunday too that would be a $55 ticket. If you are coming form Knoxville on I-81 you will look for exit 63. Coming from Bristol you want exit 69. For more info check out www.mxsportsproracing.com