Deals Gap, Cherohala and the Great Smokey Mountains

[Tom Herold]

My wife and I decided it was time to put her newly restored Thunderbird and my 05 Tiger through their paces in the mountains of the South Eastern US. We set up a long weekend and invited some friends and family to join us; we wound up with a nice group of 7 riders.  The Tiger, the Thunderbird, my brother in-law with his 2000 Sprint ST, 2 Wee Stroms, a Honda 919 and a Kawasaki ZRX1100.

We rented some cabins in a little town called Selma in North Carolina. Rustic, but motorcycle friendly and in the middle of all the areas we wanted to explore.

We left work on a Thrusday afternoon, the wife running the chase vehicle loaded with coolers of food, clothes and other essentials, with the T-Bird in tow. The rest of us rode the 5 hour run.

We arrived at the tail end of a cold front pushing clouds and rain out of the area and got soaked about 1/4 mile away from our destination, no complaints from any of us.

We unpacked and and set in for the night in front of the fire places and made sure the routes were in the GPS units, the proper gear was sorted and the bikes ready for the full weekend.

The morning broke with scattered rain with the promise of clearing by lunch, so off we went with huge smiles.  

We started on a road called the Hell Bender and stopped at Fontana Dam. It was built in 1942, with the feds telling the locals it was for generating power for the mills and residents. In reality it was generating power for the US's early nuclear weapons program underway at nearby Oak Ridge.

After a short stop at Fontana Dam, we headed off for the infamous Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, North Carolina. When we arrived at the resort the roads were just drying and the local EMS was clearing a wrecked Harley about 5 miles up from the beginning.

We did the tourist thing, shot photos and bought the stickers for after the run.

I attached a GoPro camera to the Tiger's tank and followed the wife on her Thunderbird up the twisty road, and let KillBoy take my photos. It was a lot of fun, and my wife did quite well, managing to scrape the pegs of the T-Bird more than just a couple of times. I'm proud of her!

After Deals Gap, we hit a local BBQ joint for some Southern food, then struck for the Cherohala Skyway. I have to admit, the Cherohala was a lot more fun than the Dragon for a lot of reasons, most of them centering around the much longer ride, a lot less traffic and better road surface, with just as many challenging corners.

After the Cherohala, it was back to the cabins for some bike maintenance, steaks on the grill, a few drinks while telling stories and enjoying the end of 200 miles of some great riding.

Saturday morning had us heading off to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and Gatlingburg, TN. The traffic was reasonable and we enjoyed another great day of riding in the mountain sun and fresh air. Gatlinurg was too much of a tourist trap for me, but the wife wanted to explore so we stashed the bikes in a parking garage and hit the streets on foot for a few hours. With my saddle bags and tour pack full of goddies, we headed back to the cabins for chicken on the grill and more fun telling stories about the ride.

On Sunday we loaded everything back up and headed home. A great weekend with a good friends and family.  

The Tiger continues to impress me with its versatility and capability. The voltage held at 14.4 all weekend, which made me very happy, but I'm still leary of the longevity of the fix. Time will tell, and the bike knows its on probation.......

The Continental Trail Attacks were exactly what I needed for the weekend, they stuck in every corner, kept me planted without any surprises and gave me more and more confidince as I leaned the big bike over tightly. Wet or dry, I was able to push the Tiger pretty hard and never once wondered what it was doing.  They're wearing well and fit my riding style nicely.

The Thunderbird had the wife grinning all weekend. No problems with it at all and I'm impressed with her willingness to push the bike a bit in the technical portions of the rides.

Enjoy the pics!

[Tom Herold]

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[Tom Herold]

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[Mustang]

t-bIRDS ARE COOL . Did you know that if you shave the head to bump the compression up to 11:1 like a steamer you will wake up almost 15 HP that are hidden by the lower compression of the t-bird motor

[matttys]

That's one of my favorite riding areas.  I end up going down there 1-3 times a year.  Looks like you had a great time.

[zadok_oz]

What a great ride on some great machinery. :D

[wasions]

Sweet!
This is from a Saddlesore I did with a couple of chaps last April.
Besides the Girly, we had a GS1150, an Interceptor, an FJR1300, and a 650 Burger.  Seven states, and the Dragon was at the halfway mark.