DerekClouser

That's awesome! You are going to have a blast. The only thing I can recommend from what I saw was to be very aware. The dragon was very technical, but smokey mountain national park and the cherohala skyway were very nice. Had a bit more sweeper type turns. Either way, every road out there is amazing for bikes. Take lots of pics and vids and post em up so I can see em!

Here are two videos that I took while near Deals Gap. Excuse the shakiness of the cam at times. I used a suction mount on the front of my bike and it wasn't all that smooth but the overall impression is there. Tail of the Dragon: Catch up time! Smokey Mountain National Park Run:

Unfortunately we did not go into the museum. We wanted to but the races got delayed due to quite a few accidents that left fluid on the track and we wanted to get to the Gap as soon as possible after the races on Sunday. We viewed most of the races from the back straight as well, but we didn't bring any chairs so we kind of stayed near the grassy area as it was more comfortable to sit on, so we got a bit of shade, but once the sun moved, there was no escaping it.

Yea, partly because of the trip, partly because wolfman1's first rides since his accident, so I tried to keep it very low key so I haven't posted or attended many other rides. That and missing the Epic Ride kind of bummed me a bit. Hopefully I can get to attend some events. It was a blast! Deals Gap will definitely be a yearly event for me. Hopefully for several days next year! I'm not sure of your riding level, but make sure you take it slow the first time through. The dragon was amazing, but all the other roads in the area are amazing and clean as well! Plan a few days if you go! I can't explain in words the enjoyment I had! Bucket list? Hell no, it needs to become something you do several times!

After finishing the Gap, I had to stop to take a breather. My legs were shaking from the constant shift in body position. We stopped just across the bridge. Just finished the Gap: Chilhowee Lake (lake next to Gap bridge): I will say that the trip was amazing in all! In total I was at about 1800 miles when I returned home safely. We did come across a harley rider who went down in the Smokey Mountain National Park just before dusked. He went over the edge and was down a long embankment. A rider asked us to stop and help with the bike. We stopped, but after another 30 people stopped, we decided there were too many people trying to help and it was causing chaos. We waited on emergency services and then left. I will definitely be back to the Gap and make it a point to stay more than the full day we were able to on this trip. I could definitely see a good week there next year. Thank you all for reading and hopefully you got a bit of enjoyment out of this. Until the next ride!

After a quick jaunt towards DG, we have arrived: Myself, Mike, and Whale at Deals Gap: I'm taming the dragon! The Tree of Shame: After taking a bit of time at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, it was time to test out the tail of the dragon! I took it slow initially to get a feel for the severe technicality of the turns, but once I got comfortable, I was able to pick up my pace. Here are some of the professional photos ( I purchased two from Killboy.com) These are the two I bought from killboy.com:

Getting food at Tilted Kilt - they had an ACDC tribute band playing as well: The highlight of the trip occurred after the races though. We departed from the raceway and headed for Deals Gap! I know people say that Southern Ohio has some roads that compare to Deals Gap. While I'll agree that southern Ohio has some good roads, they don't compare to the roads/scenery around the Gap. The races ended around 5pm on Sunday. We had no plan of where to stop for the night, we were going to play it by ear as to how far we wanted to ride. We stopped for dinner in a hillbilly town and decided we would head for Fontana. What a crazy ride! I don't remember the exact route, but riding those roads past midnight was a bit sketchy to say the least. Whaler got a bit wigged out because of how dark it was and was having a hard time seeing. We got checked in to the Fontana resort at about 3:30 am. The pool at Fontana taken about 4am from our room balcony: Not getting much sleep, we woke up early had some breakfast and I was reeling at the opportunity to ride the gap, cherohala skyway, and the other misc roads in the area (in the daytime). The first destination was going to be Deals Gap. I have never rode the Gap before so I was so excited in anticipation. Leaving Fontana:

Recently 3 of us departed on a trip down to Birmingham Alabama for a trip to Barber Motorsports Raceway to watch the AMA races. We had no set agenda for the trip, no set routes, but we did have a general plan. We were going to watch the races on Saturday and Sunday, then head for Deals Gap on the way back and split the return trip to two days. I had never done a trip on a motorcycle like this, so I was a bit nervous. Heading down was a bit of a bear because we decided we wanted to get down there as soon as possible so we did a lot of slabbing, 750 miles roughly. Fortunately we had communication between all three of us and music made the ride down a bit more fun, but as we all know, you can only do soooo many miles on the highway before you want to run into a brick wall. Regardless, we departed about 6am on Friday and arrived in Birmingham about 10pm. Leaving at 6:00am: Waiting for our third member to arrive at the first meet spot: A random gas stop heading down to Bama: Looks like we might hit some rain so we decided to put the rain stuff on: I have never been to a race before as I've tried to go to watch at Mid-Ohio several times, but something always came up and was unable to make it, so I was incredibly excited to watch the races and boy they didn't disappoint. Really puts in perspective how capable these bikes we ride are. It was 95°F + on each day at the track which made for some incredible riding from the pros, but made it a bit uncomfortable for those in the stands. Next time, I'll be finding a way to place a chair with my luggage to take with me for comfort! I was a little disappointed with the turnout from the crowd as I was hoping it would be a bit more crowded, but I understand that with the old ownership DMG, things kind of went downhill. I'm hoping with the changes that MotoAmerica is making, the crowds and vendors will increase. Barber Motorsports: Just some random bikes parked along the road at Barber: The pits:

Congratulations!

Welcome to OR. I'm in Copley. If you're interested in longer rides let me know. Love to head to SE Ohio and ride the good stuff. 400 plus miles on Saturdays Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry to hear about the crash. I hope the rider has a full recover and rides again! I was keeping an eye out for your group, but when I saw this post at a stop, I realized what had happened. Sorry you didn't get to hit any of the twisties. Doc, This isn't your fault. We're all adults and we all make our own decisions. The guilt you feel is there because of the caring that you have for others. As far as not posting any more rides in the near future, at least send me a text so I know when you'll be in the area so we can meetup Also, glad you found your tailbag. Hope to see you soon Nivin! We need to ride!

What you should do is come down Friday night... You can stay at my place. Put the bike in the garage and we leave at 7am on Saturday morning -- that'll get plenty of footage for a nice ThrottleLock video.

Glad everyone is okay though. That's the most important part.

Do you happen to know his tag on here?? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And for curiosity, what caused the wrecks of the two gentlemen who went down?? Was it wet roads? Rider input?? Riding beyond limits?? Just trying to make he ride as safe as possible for everyone and this information would be helpful. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It appeared that everyone had a good time and got wet. It sickens me that I couldn't make it. Hopefully our luck with the next one doesn't rain a lot of us out. Special thanks to everyone who helped with the organization. Hellmutt/Snot for leading the Dayton group. Jschaf- Jim thanks for leading as always. Dizzledan for the media side of things. Nivin for the logo. Hopefully everyone liked the shirts/hoodies that they bought. I will call the church and thank them. If we are wanting to still give a donation, people can send me a PM or donation via PayPal to derekclouser@gmail.com and I'll get it to them. I plan to donate $50 myself. Jacobhawkins I still owe you 15$ for your shirt. I'll PayPal it to you when I get home this afternoon. Hopefully everyone had a blast and I look forward to seeing you guys at all the future OR rides. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you actually go in?? I've been in there. It truly is the greatest convenient store. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unfortunately I am out fellas. I never have to work weekends, but some how last minute, my work needs me. Everyone ride safe. Get to safety if the storms Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk