DerekClouser Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 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! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaDoc Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Awesome, Thx for sharing no wonder no news from you for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschaf Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Nice writeup Derek. Glad you had fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durk Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Thanx for sharing all this. Makes me want to make sure I make it to the gap this year. Never been there, but it looks and sounds awesome. So much so that I plan to do it solo if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFlash Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Great reading. Thanks for the report, Derek. It makesme want to ride the dragon that much more. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTheAzn Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Sounds like a fun trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue-yamaR6s Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Derek, thanks for sharing. Glad you guys had a safe trip and you enjoyed it. A trip for the bucket list for sure. Good pics too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Awesome, Thx for sharing no wonder no news from you for some time. 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. Nice writeup Derek. Glad you had fun. It was a blast! Deals Gap will definitely be a yearly event for me. Hopefully for several days next year! Thanx for sharing all this. Makes me want to make sure I make it to the gap this year. Never been there, but it looks and sounds awesome. So much so that I plan to do it solo if necessary. I'm not sure of your riding level, but make sure you take it slow the first time through. Great reading. Thanks for the report, Derek. It makesme want to ride the dragon that much more. . 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! Sounds like a fun trip! I can't explain in words the enjoyment I had! Derek, thanks for sharing. Glad you guys had a safe trip and you enjoyed it. A trip for the bucket list for sure. Good pics too.Bucket list? Hell no, it needs to become something you do several times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 sounds like a great trip. Barber's is a great track,Did you get to check out the muesem at barbers?I was able to see a few AMA races at Barber's when it was Mladin and Spies racing.We viewed the races on the back straight, under the shade of the trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 sounds like a great trip. Barber's is a great track,Did you get to check out the muesem at barbers?I was able to see a few AMA races at Barber's when it was Mladin and Spies racing.We viewed the races on the back straight, under the shade of the trees. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricer1 Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Thanks for the ride report, looks like a great trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschaf Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Hope to see you on the "OR invades" trip next year. Hope to get a chance to ride with you before then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmutt Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Sweet trip. Want to hit a trackday at Barber someday. Small group of us SW ORs are heading to the Gap next week for 4 days. Will be mine and the wife's maiden voyage there. Hope the weather is as nice for us as it was for you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted June 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Sweet trip. Want to hit a trackday at Barber someday. Small group of us SW ORs are heading to the Gap next week for 4 days. Will be mine and the wife's maiden voyage there. Hope the weather is as nice for us as it was for you guys. 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Derek: Pm sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whaler Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 It's crazy, at just moderate to relaxed pace, your tires will look like you just finished a 20 minute session at the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmutt Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 It's crazy, at just moderate to relaxed pace, your tires will look like you just finished a 20 minute session at the track.I've seen tires from a buddy's Gap trip and the sides were gone. I'll be running my street tire set as there's plenty of side meat since my commuting and backroading are primarily upright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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