Stoopid In The Smokies on a KLR

[twr1776]

Brian, Greg & I went on a five day mini vacation to the Smokies on KLR's. I have fortunately been there three previous times on GS's but this was the first trip with a KLR. Although still a bit underpowered IMHO the KLR is an absolute blast to ride and handles great on the twisty mountain roads in the area and we also went on some fireroads since we had the right tool for the job. We went on the usual roads, The Dragon, 28, Cherahola, Blue Ridge Parkway, and also went on some new to me roads. We went thru Cades Cove in the park to Parsons Branch, checked out the Devils Triangle, Tennessee 32 (Little Dragon/very technical) and continued on after it turns to gravel and went through the park all the way to I-40. We also checked out fire road 81 by the Cherahola Skyway on a tip from someone at our hotel. The KLR opens up so many more possible "roads" to explore in the area. Here are a couple pics from the trip. Stoopid is as Stupid does.

We stopped Motorcycle Superstore's outlet in Lousville on the way. It was 25% off outlet pricing and we all three ended up with new helmets. Brian found a really good one for less than $ 30. Yea, yea, were trailer queening.

The Overlook on the north end of the Dragon, 318 corners in 11 miles really blows in a truck and trailer. I do know 26 straps will hold three bikes on a trailer for 600 miles though. I only had 8 on, someone was cheating.

The bikes at the Overlook first day out, Gregs 08, The Clown bike, The Turd. I am guessing it was in the low 40's at the time. It didn't rain for the three days we were there but every morning started in the mid to high thirties.

We went on Cades Cove road in the park on a Thursday and it was stop & go traffic for the few miles we were on it, I pity the Sat/Sun crowd. You would think no one ever has seen a deer before but it was beautiful.

The payoff, Parsons Branch primitive road, it dumps you out in the middle of the Dragon and has 18 stream crossings in the last three miles.

Fire road 81 by the Cherahola at the freeze line

 

[twr1776]

We took a smaller road off 81 trying to get to the top. At approx 4500 feet, in foggy conditions, snow covered thick leaf coating, and dicier footing we decided the "view" would not be worth it so we turned back.

Fire road 81 ends on the Cherahola and we found this, pretty surreal

The road through the park after the "Little Dragon", lots of switchbacks

Me mauling the centerline in a staged photo at the Devils Triangle

Brian mauling the centerline in a staged photo at the Devils Triangle, Greg was smart enough to "pass"

And unfortunately one of these

The Blue Ridge Parkway, pictures do not do it justice

 

[7981GS]

Looks like some GREAT FUN!!!
Thanks for sharing those pictures.

Daniel

 

[Steve]

Thanks, Tim, great pictures. :clap: :clap:

My older son's first long-distance ride was just a couple of weeks after getting his motorcycle "temps". He rode his 450T with the GoldWing group from our place in southwest oHIo to Pigeon Forge for the rally. One of our rides took us on TN 32, which is where he earned his nickname, "Sparky". Yeah, not very long on a bike, he was already comfortable at its limits, throwing sparks off the side stand.

.

 

[bonanzadave]

Awesome photos !! Thanks for sharing

 

[Jethro]

Does that sign say the primative road was one way only? That is awesome. There are some snowmobile trails around here that are one way and they rule. Looks like a great trip. Where did you stay?

 

[Larry D]

Looks like a great (frosty) time was had by all. :dancing:

Uhmmm.....it was a little tight in the cab of the truck, wasn't it ??

 

[bwringer]

Does that sign say the primative road was one way only? That is awesome. There are some snowmobile trails around here that are one way and they rule. Looks like a great trip. Where did you stay?

Yes, Parson's Branch is a one-way road. Very twisty and bumpy, and fairly wet that day, although it wasn't raining. We weren't interested in really nasty tight technical trails, so it was perfect -- lots of fun. We only saw one other vehicle, a pickup that let us play through. Then they caught up while we were farting around taking stream crossing pics... At only 8 miles, it didn't go on nearly long enough.

We stayed at the Phillips Motel in Robbinsville. Very nice little place.

Uhmmm.....it was a little tight in the cab of the truck, wasn't it ??

Yes. Yes it was. Our motto for the trip was "rubbin's ridin.'"

I think Tim may be pregnant now...



But seriously, eight hours stuffed into a pickup each way was a small price to pay. This trip was probably the most fun I've had riding in a long time.

 

[twr1776]

Today 08:37 AM Larry D Uhmmm.....it was a little tight in the cab of the truck, wasn't it ??

All I can say about the truck ride there and back was that we were very good friends before this trip but now we are "really" good friends.

Today 04:21 PM bwringer This trip was probably the most fun I've had riding in a long time.

I agree, October is an excellent time to be in the Smokies, even better than June IMHO. The colors are outstanding and the roads are pretty much deserted since the "parades" are over from the summer. Even the local folks seemed friendlier since the percentage of a@@hats and stuntas was almost non-existant.

 

[Joe Nardy]

This trip was probably the most fun I've had riding in a long time.

Yep, there is a ton of fun to be had on dual-sport bikes in the Smokies. The past four trips I've taken to the area involved a day of rental dual-sport thrashing. I think I may have mentioned how much fun it was a time or two......

Glad you guys finally got to experience it.

Joe

 

[Truth]

That looks like an awesome trip! Love the pics.

 

[DPage]

Next time you're there, look for another fire road inside the park, just before you get to the Cades Cove settlement. It's a right turn, one way road after a church or two that goes all the way out of the park. It ends up near Townsend. It was one of the original wagon roads that went into Cades Cove, very remote. I drove down that road in a car and it was a little stressful (almost hit a black bear), but riding a KLR would have been a blast. On the Townsend end (all the way downhill), it turns into Old Cades Cove Road.

EDIT - That road is 100% gravel, not motorcycle friendly, at least not my motorcycle. Maybe Jeep friendly. Are washed-out gravel roads KLR friendly?

 

[bwringer]

EDIT - That road is 100% gravel, not motorcycle friendly, at least not my motorcycle. Maybe Jeep friendly. Are washed-out gravel roads KLR friendly?

Washed-out gravel roads are extremely KLR friendly. The crappier the better! No, it's not a modern dirtbike, but you still have 10 inches of suspension travel and it's about 150-200 pounds lighter than a GS... Our bikes were all wearing Shinko 705 dual-sport tires, which performed extremely well both on pavement and off-road. Even in the snow and wet leaves pictured above, they performed far better than I would have imagined. Hey, nobody fell off!

I believe you're talking about Rich Mountain Road/Old Cades Cove Road. It's also one-way starting from Cades Cove, so we would have had to loop back and endure the Cades Cove stop-n-go parade again. Maybe next time, but there are literally thousands of miles of gravel and dirt roads in the area to explore that don't involve crowds.



Also, we didn't get any photos, but we did stop by GSM MotoRent in Townsend to slobber on his fleet of farkled KLRs and buy maps. (He's also got a pimped out Yamaha Super Tenere you can rent for $200 a day.)

Very nice guy. It must be a tough job -- he was in the process of renting out four hapless KLRs to a group of obvious wankers with little to no experience.

None of them had gloves, I think two of them were wearing sneakers, they all had to rent helmets and borrow jackets, and as we left, he was explaining difficult concepts like how to start the bikes, use the turn signals, etc... I have no idea if they made it out of the driveway.

 

[Joe Nardy]

Washed-out gravel roads are extremely KLR friendly. The crappier the better! No, it's not a modern dirtbike, but you still have 10 inches of suspension travel and it's about 150-200 pounds lighter than a GS... Our bikes were all wearing Shinko 705 dual-sport tires, which performed extremely well both on pavement and off-road. Even in the snow and wet leaves pictured above, they performed far better than I would have imagined. Hey, nobody fell off!

I believe you're talking about Rich Mountain Road/Old Cades Cove Road. It's also one-way starting from Cades Cove, so we would have had to loop back and endure the Cades Cove stop-n-go parade again. Maybe next time, but there are literally thousands of miles of gravel and dirt roads in the area to explore that don't involve crowds.



Also, we didn't get any photos, but we did stop by GSM MotoRent in Townsend to slobber on his fleet of farkled KLRs and buy maps. (He's also got a pimped out Yamaha Super Tenere you can rent for $200 a day.)

Very nice guy. It must be a tough job -- he was in the process of renting out four hapless KLRs to a group of obvious wankers with little to no experience.

None of them had gloves, I think two of them were wearing sneakers, they all had to rent helmets and borrow jackets, and as we left, he was explaining difficult concepts like how to start the bikes, use the turn signals, etc... I have no idea if they made it out of the driveway.

Brian,

I have one of the nice maps and was looking at routes with Tim Thursday night before Fennimore. I told Tim he could take the map but he left it at the house. Dan and Debbie (GSM Motorent) are awesome people. We have stayed in their cabin and rented bikes from them the past two years. He has a 180 mile loop that includes around 40 miles of off road riding along with a stretch along the nicest part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Heintooga Road drops off of a BRP side road and follows a service 'road' through the park. It is entirely doable on a KLR and a lot of fun on a 250 dual-sport.

Dan and Debbie spend a couple months in Terlingua TX near Big Bend National Park in the winter and take some of their bikes to rent. I'm hoping to go out there in February and ride for a few days. Dan raves about the area as a 'must-ride at least once' place.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Dogma]

Hmmm. The rental is a lot less than I had been assuming. I think I'm going to have to add this to my to-do list for the hopefully not-to-distant future.

 

[willie]

To anyone contemplating this trip: Include a ride on The Snake from Shady Valley to Mountain City, TN if possible. PM me in advance and I'll join you if my schedule permits. I've been here since '92 and still haven't gotten tired of these roads.
Willie

 

[salty_monk]

Dan and Debbie spend a couple months in Terlingua TX near Big Bend National Park in the winter and take some of their bikes to rent. I'm hoping to go out there in February and ride for a few days. Dan raves about the area as a 'must-ride at least once' place.

Thanks,
Joe

I'd be up for that... It's only 1200 miles away

February is a no-go for me. I'll be on lock-down due to imminent arrival of little feet.. I imagine my riding year next year is not going to offer too much in the way of long trips!

Maybe 2013....

 

[marvinsc]

A dual sport has been on my wish list for a while now and stories like this aren't helping a bit! Have a lead right now on a DR650 but the money gods aren't cooperating.

 

[crag antler]

Looks like a heck of a region to dual-sport.
But you trailered ??
The KLR's should have been able to do the ride and back.

 

[marvinsc]

Looks like a heck of a region to dual-sport.
But you trailered ??
The KLR's should have been able to do the ride and back.

No doubt they would have done the ride to and back but 200 mile slab runs aren't a dual sport's forte. Just like I love riding my SV in West Virginia but have no plans to ride it up there.