Deals Gap.

[wrightme43]

Unless something drasticly changes today, I should be meeting up with some friends from the ninja250 site tonight, and riding to deals gap this weekend. I could hardly sleep last night dreaming about it.
Went out at 10 last night and did some more parking lot practice, got the tires further over onto the edges of the rear, but the front still looks like it will not be used fully. I am going to run down to cycle gear today and get some saddle bags I think, if they dont have any I like I will just use my back pack.
Anyway if you all dont see me this weekend, its cause I went, and if you do, its cause I stayed. LOL
Ride safe, and have FUN!!!

 

[wrightme43]

Posting from deals gap. Rode the dragons tail today. No problems.
DROPPED my freaking bike in the driveway. LOL
Scratched the fairing, frame slider, and bent the peg scraper. Oh well. I was due any way. Right at 10k miles without dropping anything. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
We are going on a big tour tomorrow.

 

[Bren]

DROPPED my freaking bike in the driveway.

Oh man, that sucks. Are you going to change the fairing and slider tops or are the scratches bearable?

Oh well. I was due any way.

Lacks only a virtual shrug of shoulders. I don't think I could be so calm about it.

Today I went on a 175 mile ride, which included
- One missed meeting with some local bikers. I left home late, got lost (a couple of times) in the way to the meeting point and when I got there, they were already gone for the ride. Better luck next time.
- Freezing wind blowing simultaneously from every direction.
- Snow, sleet and hails. To this my first reaction was WTF... In the end of April?!?
- A road full of cow dung. Reaction: see previous point. For crying out loud, the manure is supposed to be spread on the field and not on the road!

Oh, I just love this lifestyle!

 

[wrightme43]

Wooooo!!!!!!!!!!
We all rode the dragon, chenowith skyway, and several other roads today.
It was stinking awesome.

The fairing just needs a little sanding, and a trip to the touch up airbrush man.
Slider is just scratched, peg feeler is ruint but I was gonna take them off anyway.
Mirror is scratched but no biggy.
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
Here is where we are riding. Its totally worth it. LOL
I have about 5mm chicken strips left. This place is awesome.

Sorry you missed out on your ride Mikka. That sucks. The poop in the road was just like icing on the cake, huh? LOL

 

[wrightme43]

Here are some photos. When killboy gets the pictures uploaded, I am going to buy mine. I will post those as well.

 

[wrightme43]

Here are a few more.

 

[wrightme43]

Then of course the obligitory pic of me with my eyes closed, looking like I have been up for week. I think I am getting old. LOL

 

[Bren]

Wow! That must have been a nice trip. That Tree of Shame looked.... eh... interesting. What is all that stuff doing in the tree?!?

BTW I went for another ride on Sunday. Encountered less manure, but did get hails again. Whee...

 

[wrightme43]

Hail sucks monkey bottom. LOL

Ok the Tree of Shame.
It is a very easy road to wreck on. Push in just a little to fast, sharp dip, decreasing radius turns, 180-200 degree turns, cars and bikes crossing the centerline being idiots.
Its hella fun, but can be dangerous if you go to fast, or act a fool.

The tree is for people that have wrecked on the dragon to put body panels, gear, parts and such. It had a destroyed tank with the date of a mans wreck and death on it. One lady had Cheyrl IIIIIIIII Dragon I on her broken windscreen. Boots ground thru, broken wheels. All kinds of pieces.

Here is a good video of the road. Its hella fun. You would love it.
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqtdJKM5Mfk&mode=related&search=[/nomedia]

Thats just the part from the overlook picture with all the bikes, to the part with the store with all the bikes. It goes on not near as twisty but still very fun for quite a while, then you can turn off on 143 it is very twisty, and the turns in to the Chenowa skyway, $100,000,000 road that goes over a mile high mountain, (pic of the bike by itself at the top, down to the waterfall pics) I am going back as soon as I can.

 

[buchjoe]

there's a red weestrom in one of your pics. buddy of yours? i'm just off a wee and considering the fz6. i liked the wee but am looking for something more road oriented as i seldom drifted off the path. how'd you run the dragon compared to the wee? and how do the long trips compare?
JOE

 

[wrightme43]

The V-strom is its own deal, but you already know that. Yep thats my friend Adam. He started on a 250 ninja too. It is really not the bike for the dragon, but it sure looks fun.
If you are looking at the FZ6 I can assure you that it is a great a bike, that is more able than I am. The weak link in almost any bike now is the rider.

 

[wrightme43]

Here are links to two photos.
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=04RK009Y050832&po=1722&c=

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=04RK009Y050833&po=1723&c=

 

[fz6xlr8r]

Hey Steve,
How far from Deals Gap do you live? I looked tonight and relized it's only about 175 miles from my house. That's only about 3.5 to 3.75 hours away. By the way, the new MOTORCYCLIST issue has a cool article on Killboy.com and Deals Gap called "Crashers Anonymous". It has pics of riders making fresh orniments to hang from the "Tree of Shame".

 

[wrightme43]

300 miles about 5-6 hours riding time.
I think someone in the post office snagged my issue of motorcyclist, LOL it still aint here.

Its not that bad of a ride. Its really fun, but the chenowah skyway or however its spelled is better. If you see SLO painted in the road, slow down. LOL

 

[Lee510]

The Skyway is Cherohala. Combination of Cherokee and Nantahala because it goes through both National Forests.

I haven't been through that area yet. Looking to this summer. The Dragon is approx. 3 hours from where I live.