Ducati Monster Forum

Heading down to the tail on Thursday for the weekend. Never been down there so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm guessing that many of you have so any info would be great!

Favorite turns or roads other than 129?

Sights to see or overlooks?

Good food and beer?

Anybody else going to be there and want to meet up?

Weather isn't looking too promising as of now. Hopefully it holds out but if it doesn't, plan b is to go somewhere where the rain isn't. Hopefully we don't have to resort to that. Ok enough said on my part.... Have at it

Access to 129 may not be too good now due to rock slides.  From what I have head you can get to it from the NC side only and have to turn around at the look out point.  Hopefuly that has changed by now though, that being said there are many great roads in that area, my favorites are the smokey mountain parkway and highway 28.  There are not alot of food choises in the area, and many counties are dry, check to see if you have to bring beer with you.  I do have a burger place in Bryson city I like, I think it is called Jonny Macks.  Have a good time on your trip.

www.tailofthedragon.com (http://)

 do the  Cherohala Skyway which is right there at the gap....just enjoy the ride and remember this is not a track day, it is a road with oncoming traffic

Now that several people have voiced reason, its time for some stupidity.

Take the first few passes very easy. There are a few off camber, decreasing radius turns that will catch you off guard. The typical run usually starts at the Tail of the Dragon Resort, which is in the NC side, and ends at the dam overlook at the TN side. Take it especially easy on this direction, as it is the one closest to the mountainside and as such more prone to debris. Also, use this leg of the run to scout for police presence. Since the run is so short on the NC side, almost no police officers come from this direction, so if you don't see any on the way over, there is a very good chance that there wont be any on the way back. You can open it up a little more.

If there are any crashes, throttle it waaaay down, as police are sure to follow.

If you see any riders riding really slowly with their left hand up, they're probably escorting an 18 wheeler, so be prepared and pull over as far as you can.

There are much, much more experienced riders than you out there, don't get sucked into following anyone. Ever. Specially the Repsol. Never. Follow. The. Repsol.

You'll find that most slower riders will encourage passing. Don't be afraid to do it. They will usually go towards the outside of the lane and signal you.  

Ride the white line. Make a conscious effort to stay towards the outside of your lane as much as possible. There are a lot of people that run wide, consider this cheap insurance.

Don't get distracted by the photographers, don't do anything stupid, don't show off. There is nothing quite as embarrassing as crashing on camera.  

Have fun!

I wish I were there again. Soon.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LxZ4Mi3rR3Q/SrpXdE8zUaI/AAAAAAAAbcw/vrE6YlkgeT8/s1600/img_2855.jpg)

I hope you have a great trip, but it should be noted that due to the rockslide the road is, in fact, accessible only from the NC side and is open from 8am to 8pm daily with what sounds like a more regular police presence than usual.  By all means, give it a go.

The Tapoco Lodge sells beer, by the way, and is just a few minutes away from the Deal's Gap Resort.  Also not a bad place to stay if you want to overnight right around there. 

The Gap is a "get-your-obligatory-Gap-ticket-punched" ride these days with all the notoriety it has been given..blind turns into dead stopped vehicles, traffic jams and dangerous fools

far better riding roads down on the Ga. side of the border....but lousy/no cell service and some passages are pretty desolate if you go off-road on a nature tour

Route 60 south off Rte 515 (Southern Highlands Trail) in Morganton/Blue Ridge takes you through the Chattahoochee National Forest up to Suches and on down to Dahlonega...you won't ride a prettier more exciting ribbon of flat valley sweepers and straights and mountain climbing hairpin switchbacks

the only cautionary is that you will see more wildlife than you will humans and you don't want to fark-up alone out there

There's plenty of good riding that way, not just the gap. Skyway has been mentioned I'll toss in HellBender http://www.hellbender28.com/ (http://www.hellbender28.com/) and just some of the back roads going from town to town are great riding and have some epic views.

GA 60 from Morganton to Dahlonega has been a speedtrap of late.  Georgia has a new Superspeeder (super revenue) law that allows them to levy much steeper fines and LEOs in the area have been using this new tool extensively.  A friend (Chris Golden of Atlanta...another Ducati pilot if any of you know him) recently got the trifecta of speeding (super speeding if you believe the officer...though he miraculously had no radar or other concrete evidence to present to Chris), passing on a double yellow (to which Chris admits....he passed a car that was going 20 mph on GA 60 northbound), and reckless driving (probably trumped up, as Chris says he wasn't going terribly fast, wasn't doing anything reckless, and immediately pulled over when he sighted blue lights), resulting in a trip to jail, the posting of bond, and having to bail his bike out of impound.  One Sheriff (not a deputy, but the HMFIC) has gone on record as saying he wants sportbikes out of his county.  I think we should oblige him, and take our money with us....even though I don't live in the area any more.  8)

There are lots of places to go in east Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northwestern South Carolina without setting a tire in Georgia.  I won't post any of them here, as I don't want the "good" roads in the area to become the next Deal's Gap (a road that used to be good but was ruined by publicity, followed by excessive squiditis/cruiseritis), but if you ask a few locals they'll usually spill a gem or two upon administration of the oath of secrecy. 

BTW, ruined or not, you should absolutely "get your card punched" at Deal's Gap....then imagine what it was like 25 years ago when there wasn't any traffic there.   [bang]

Take a word of friendly advice.  Stay clear of North Georgia.

WOW!!  I left the zone 3 years ago....lived off 515 on the Union/Fannin County line and that was always a clear run up 60...sorry to hear the housing development over-build implosion has sent the area back into speed trap revenue generation

How is the run headed north out of Ducktown Tenn?  Still quiet?

Shot "the_Journeyman" a PM.  He lives outside of Asheville and knows almost every road in 200mi radius (NC, GA, and TN).

He may even join you for a ride.   [moto]

Thanks for all the good gouge on the roads in the area... I plan to hit it on the 28th while on my way to florida.

Thanks for all the info everybody! Seems like ya'all are saying to stay out of GA and I will heed that advice although I have always loved the state for reasons other than motorcycling. I've been following the weather and it looks a little iffy as of now. Chance of thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. Not sure how predictable the weather is down yonder. No sense in getting my balls twisted over it.

Dry county as in......dry?

Slightly off track but has anybody run the diablo supersport on the rear before. Getting one put on and wanna hear others opinions.

Thanks again for the good advice everyone and stupidly good advice El Matador  [thumbsup]

I will keep ya'all posted

As in no booze. The South is a strange place sometimes.

Is that legal?

You may drink all you want in private. Dry just means that they do not sell to the public in that county. Private clubs usualy can serve in a dry county.

you can drive somewhere to drink, but you can't pick it up and take it back to drink in the safety of your own home.  makes a lot of sense to me.    [clap]

Yea, I was about to post about that incident when I saw this Cloner post.  I was suppose to be there and if I had, I would have been there no make the beast with two backsin doubt I'd have been right in front or right behind Chris - he's somebody I can ride close on without worry.  Sorry I missed the weekend, but not the night in jail.  My bank account and insurance bill just can't stand the strain.  I've been considering giving this shit up after 40 years.  This sucks ass.

I've evaded several leo's in my area of "God's Country" lately and it's getting old - very old.  It's takin all the fun out of it.  No body love biking like I do.  It's not a sport - it's how I get around.

LA

Hate when I do that^^^

Hope you got some time in Thurs/friday. I live nearby and got almost 3" of rain at my house yesterday.

I am planning on doing a day trip there Wed 4-28 if anyone is interested.

Edit: I live in and ride on the NGAMTNS. I'd say LEO is no worse than say ten years ago. There are more riders, but with that there is less chance you are the one targeted. The flat on the south side of Blood mountain is notorious for road blocks and traps. I've heard, as was mentioned, that 60 N of Suches is getting attention. There's so much to ride up here!

Double Edit(so as not to detract more from OP Deals Gap trip) LEO was "thick as hair on a dogs back" yesterday4-25 on 129/Blood Mtn. GSP was partaking in the fun as well as SO. They got cranked up around noon just as the roads dried from the rain.

OP, be safe as I had a "moment" yesterday with a rogue rock. The heavy rains washed down a bunch of debris!

I live in Atlanta and go up to North Georgia frequently. Nobody's mentioned it (maybe no one wants to admit it), but it's actually reasonably fun to go the speed limit in the mountains. Safer too.

$.02

Yes 60 N of Suches got quite a good amountof attention 3 weeks ago.  The LEO's basically had the road shut down.  They started early and were ticketing ALL day.  First ride of the morn I passed a sheriff hidden behind a barn when I was not even paying attention, luckily at the speed limit.  However, shortly up the road a car pulled over and waved me by (on a double yellow of course), mind you I was still at the speed limit and within the LEO's view.  I did second guess the action but thought it was common practice/courtesy.  After passing I carried on at the speed limit.  A mile or so later I noticed a black SUV (like the sheriff's) closing at an alarming rate.  I slowed further and was promptly pulled over. I was told I did fine when I passed them but no so much later.  They saw the motorist wave me by and asked "If he told me to rob a bank, would I?"  The guy actually wrote that statement on the ticket!  He then claimed he "paced me" at 60+.  I'm not sure how one paces while closing at 20-30 mph faster but ok....  The additional speeding ticket claimed 60 in 45 while passing the car.  We won't mention he was still parked when I passed the car.  Politeness will not get you any slack with these guys.  After the ticket I headed back the way I came and ran into an oncoming LEO who literally stopped in the middle of road to get a good radar lock. I saw them issuing tickets all day at the gas station in Suches.  They nabbed 12-15 classic porches at one point while I was filling up in the afternoon.

So be careful in that area.  Even if you are playing it at/closer to speed limit.  We are targeted - fair or not.
I made it up later for the false/exagerated claims in the morning.  Might as well earn my fine.

Unfortunately it appears the counties up by the Tenn/NC border are in bad economic shape since the housing market collapsed.

Fannin only had 2 things going for it...tourists going to Blue Ridge for the train ride and new housing sub-division starts....and they all ramped up their county projects and budgets thinking the boom would last forever.

So I guess they are going back to traditional sources of income...speed traps and moonshine. Don't expect any slack in the courts in Fannin.... the political machine up there is still in the pure "Old South" tradition.

Next door in Union County where I used to live had even less going for it as it was a true dry county....curious if it is the county sherriff's from Union (Suches proper is Union Cty) or Fannin that are doing all the citations and/or if the state is in on the action

Union Co. Sheriff's were the majority of the police presence in the area that I saw.  There was 1 State Trooper thrown in for good measure on Blood Mountain to supplement the 2 Union Sheriff's posted on that road.

This is why you need to keep the truly decent roads that aren't yet popular "secret".  The more we tell folks that this is the best riding area in the country, the more LEOs will use us as a source of income.

I remember when you could ride all day in N. GA., W. N.C., and E. TN. and almost never see a car with blue lights.  When you did he'd just wave and move along, assuming that you might be spending money in his area and that you weren't endangering others. 

Throw that mentality away.  Now we're just sources of revenue.  Chalk this one up to population growth.  Back in the day you could ride like that because few people lived in those rural areas, so nobody complained.  Now suburban soccer Moms with cell phones call the Po-Po every time somebody looks at them funny.  We've been demonized in the local press and have become a "menace" in the eyes of some (even if we're acting responsibly and bringing revenues to local businesses).

It has always been better and safer to ride fast on a race track.  Maybe we've reached the point where we should ride fast ONLY on a race track?

In the words of N.W.A.,  make the beast with two backs the Police (especially when they behave like they have lately in North Georgia).

And that is the kick in the a$$.  My fastest riding is still done on the track.  But the great scenery and meeting people, both locals and from all over on widely varied mounts is hard to beat on the street.

If anybody wants to help me out with some "secret roads" in the south please shoot me a PM.  My lips are sealed. ;)

I live in a rural area.


My experience with the bikers (and I knew this has always been a popular bike area before I bought) has been less than stellar. I don't mind the high speeds. I don't mind the noise.

I do mind the passing on the right. I do mind the leaning over the double yellow so I have to choose between swerving into a ditch or killing someone.
I do mind being tailgated-yes I'm going slower-there's nowhere to pull over-I will when I can. I do mind the regular accidents-somehow, people can't keep the rubber side down.

The only revenue they're bringing is to the local tow truck.

Menace? As far as I'm concerned yes. A good half of 'em are crossed up, undergeared, and riding too fast for conditions on unfamiliar roads, veering all over the place.
They bring it on themselves.

I am sure that you all are just dying to know how everything went...

It was ok. Nothing special.









 [evil]


I lied but I can't stand typing it all on my iPhone so hang tight until I can figure out why my computer screen is being a turd.

Also, if anyone wants to give me a job down there, I wouldn't mind relocating

[laugh] [laugh] [laugh]
Same thing I said when I was there last year.

Report!

I wish I had seen this!  I live just a couple hours from Deal's Gap.  I'd have headed that way and helped with routes & such from the slide. 

JM

Pics or it didn't happen right?

 ;D

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I will try to keep this short...

We arrived friday afternoon in Pigeon Forge where we had rented a small cabin off the main strip. Not exactly the place that I was expecting to stay in but it worked nonetheless and we were where we wanted to be. In true fashion we dumped our stuff on the floor and unloaded our motley crue of bikes off we went. I was a little uneasy as my radiator fans haven't worked since I bought the bike and we were sitting in traffic in warm Tennesse weather. Once we found our way out of the sea of cars, we headed straight towards the tail. Immediately, I could tell that the roads were so much better than here in PA. Nicely paved and not one single straight away. I was ok with that because I had a nice sticky supercorsa to push me through even though it definitely could handle way more than I was willing to give it.

Up and into the hills and over the foothills parkway we went. A rather generous road with no turns to catch you off guard. It rises and it falls and there were barely any other vehicles to boot. Really nice overlooks but mainly just a damn good road to be on and get warmed up. Once we got to the end I see signs for 129 and get all kinds of giddy. Make a left and BAM..... road closed. Curses ensue.

The man standing there waiting for us hopeless idiots kindly said that it was in fact closed from the TN side. He told us that it was open from 8 to 8 and that there were two cops patrolling at all times. He said that they showed no mercy and that we wouldn't be able to make it to the other side in time as it would take 2 and a half hours to get to the NC side. We turned around and headed back for the night.

Saturday was nice in the morning although we knew that it was supposed to storm real big time at some point. We didn't care. We struck out and found a few other nice roads around the area and started off towards the dragon...only to run into rain. We pulled over and found some shelter hoping that it was going to pass over. We waited for a smooth hour and with no luck said make the beast with two backs it and road on. Not sure what mountains we crossed over but I do know that we rode through solid rain, fog, and yucky all the way to Cherokee where we stopped to chat it up with the locals. They informed us that the weather was only going to get worse. Curses ensued.

Gassed up and went back once more through rain and fog. We were soaked through and through by the time we got back to the cabin which at that point looked like heaven. You better believe that we cranked up the fire, dried out and then ate ridiculous burittos along with well needed cold ones.

Get up sunday for attempt #3. I didn't care anymore. I was getting there no matter what it took. We headed back the way we went sat. and this time couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. It really is absolutely beautiful riding through those mountains. We smoked through Cherokee waving to the good lady that gave us free coffee the day before and kept on truckin. I could tell that we were getting near and one we saw the sign that said "US 129 OPEN" we all dropped a gear and really gave it hell only to end up stopping because I really had to go.

Bummer on the holdups on getting to the gap.  You got some great roads in though.  The mountains with all the rain & fog that dropped you into Cherokee is 441.  You also got to hit NC28 on your way to the Gap.  That is getting to be known as "The Hellbender" it seems.  It's mostly sweepers unto you pass the Fontana dam and then it tightens up and is a riot all the way to US129 ~

JM

The roads were considerably well paved with much less tourists around this area. I believe that we took 28 in and for a moment I thought we were on the tail. We arrived and took a slower run through to scope things out. I was in disbelief at how amazing this road was. I hadn't been on anything like this with my bike and found that it took a considerable amount of concentration and energy to pass through. I must admit that I scared myself a few times although it helped me learn more and more how willing that bike is to delight me. It is a very confidence inspiring motorcycle and once I had been through a few times, I showed no mercy. We ate, ran through a few more times, and then said farewell. I couldn't have been happier with 129. It really was all that and more than what I expected it to be.

I'm getting tired of typing now and you are probably tired of reading so I will cut this short. But not without suggesting the Cherhala skyway back to Pigeon Forge. What a road! It passes up and over the mountains and opens up in front of you as you see it weave it's way down only to make it's way back up again. Long sweeping turns and beautiful scenery make this road a must. I saw another Monster, not sure if it was anybody on here. Definitely a pearl white S4RS with red frame and what looked like a ridinghouse CF belly pan. Sounded quite nice! Cheers to you whoever you were.

On the way back to Amish country, we decided to make this an annual thing. There are quite a few other good roads that we were on that I chose not to include or can't remember the names of but I found that if you ride in pretty much any direction you are bound to have fun.  [thumbsup]

There are TONS of roads all around Deal's Gap area in both TN and NC.  Take a look at some of my ride pics on here.  There are hundreds of miles of incredible roads around ~

JM

I will be hunting you down next time  ;D

Do, even if I'm working & unable to ride, I can point you to some local roads that are worth visiting  [thumbsup]

JM

9 days.... ;D

Excellent!

JM

Good deal! Let us know how it went

7 the way I see it. I'm counting just even riding the bike to work and then to your place after as the beginning.  ;D

hahaha
i'm all giddy.

i can't wait to hit the road.
i jsut feel bad for the polish posse. they aren't used to distance.

Is there a thread up on who's going? DNA there? Alternate routes?

too bad all of middle tn is under water right now. grab some buckets and take some of it with you as you ride nearby - they could use the help and you're only a few hours away if you are at the gap

where you coming from rocketman?

Helen, Ga is the closest town to me, so it's easy ride up. Anyone riding up early sat from ATL for a day trip, lmk

Edit:
found them:
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=35940.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=35940.0)
&
http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=76692&page=59   (http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=76692&page=59)

we'll be in maggie valley on fri night and then we will head over to the gap a little latter on sat morn to set up shop for the week.

Look for the dirtiest bikes.

I will be looking for pics.

Can't we start something like an official deals gap photo thread?

(http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy130/rappevan/DSC02347.jpg)

Enough said

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A lookout many of you are familiar with

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Just a few more images that I hope I haven't already posted.

how about this one?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Transfagarasan_twisty_road.jpg/800px-Transfagarasan_twisty_road.jpg)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Transfagarasan_twisty_road.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Transfagarasan_twisty_road.jpg)