Road trip to NC and TN

[millertyme]

well, the winter is almost done...according to the calender at least.  we still have 6' snowbanks.
and because of this, myself and 2 buddies are leaving New Brunswick on March 30th, and heading south.  likely trailer as far as Richmond, VA, then ride the parkway. we are thinking of stopping at Wheels Through Time, and riding the dragon.  we only have 6 days on the bikes, so we are limited to what we can do and how far we can go, but i was hoping to get some great first-hand info for this area.  it is my first time in NC. if it goes as well as we hope, it will be for 2 weeks next year.
thanks
Brian

 

[drfbusa]

tailofthedragon.com

 

[Busasweety]

wave as you go by !!!! Tail of the dragon is your ultimate run, with the cherohola etc...

 

[Rayabusa0818]

Anywhere east of I-75 and West of I-85 you will find great roads everywhere.

 

[BusaWhipped]

Check out the Busa Bash forumfor rides that are planned for that area. It'll give you a good feel for some of the better routes.

 

[zukracer]

you are going to trailer to Richmond then go ride the parkway?

dunno if you have looked at a map but you are gonna miss some really nice roads if you come that far south and then hit the parkway. skyline drive/blue ridge parkway kinda split at afton mountain and I64, 1.5hrs west of richmond.

There's some great roads in the central va area, good ones down east as well, its all in what you want. How far east in NC are you going?

 

[JrGMan]

I second the Cherohala Skyway, it is my personal favorite in this area. Yesterday I rode TN 68 for the first time which runs for about 35 miles between Tellico Plains TN and Ducktown TN. It runs through or adjacent to the Cherokee National Forest. Highly recommend this road. Tellico Plains is where the Skyway begins so you could ride both roads plus the Dragon in 1 day. I try and avoid the Dragon on the weekends because of crowds and not sure if law enforcement will be patrolling it like they did last year. I would hope the riders from Northern Georgia chime in as there are supposedly some fantastic rides there and they are quite close to Tennessee. Have a great trip and PM me for personal info if you need help (breakdowns, etc) while here.

 

[millertyme]

you are going to trailer to Richmond then go ride the parkway?  

 dunno if you have looked at a map but you are gonna miss some really nice roads if you come that far south and then hit the parkway.  skyline drive/blue ridge parkway kinda split at afton mountain and I64, 1.5hrs west of richmond.

There's some great roads in the central va area, good ones down east as well, its all in what you want.  How far east in NC are you going?

well, i was looking at motorcycleroads.us and the parkway shows that it starts at Waynesboro, VA, so i thought we werent missing any of it.  this will be our first trip in this area.  Also, the reason we are looking at richmond, is to ensure that the weather will be nice enough to ride and get back to the truck. I think we are going to stay on the western side of the state this trip.  Unfortunately, the time constraints limit the tour this year.  Thanks for all the suggestions, and i am looking forward to anymore that come along.

 

[millertyme]

one thing that i forgot to inquire about...
and it is somewhat important.  
Does anyone have a suggestion for parking our truck and trailer in the VA area?
Free is Great, but FEE is ok too.

 

[IllusionalTA]

there are a few member's that are local to richmond.. i'm sure they'd have a better idea.. u could always come to va beach/norfolk, area and ride... i have a nice lot..

 

[millertyme]

there are a few member's that are local to richmond.. i'm sure they'd have a better idea.. u could always come to va beach/norfolk, area and ride... i have a nice lot..

not sure if the schedule can fit in the extra roads, but since you are only a few miles from richmond, i might take you up on the offer of the lot.

although, a ride along a beach might have some good site seeing as well.

 

[Rayabusa0818]

I second the Cherohala Skyway, it is my personal favorite in this area. Yesterday I rode TN 68 for the first time which runs for about 35 miles between Tellico Plains TN and Ducktown TN. It runs through or adjacent to the Cherokee National Forest. Highly recommend this road. Tellico Plains is where the Skyway begins so you could ride both roads plus the Dragon in 1 day. I try and avoid the Dragon on the weekends because of crowds and not sure if law enforcement will be patrolling it like they did last year. I would hope the riders from Northern Georgia chime in as there are supposedly some fantastic rides there and they are quite close to Tennessee. Have a great trip and PM me for personal info if you need help (breakdowns, etc) while here.

Check this out...from my ride in this area last Summer....

https://www.hayabusa.org/forums/?act=ST;f=12;t=77637;hl=

 

[Jaddie]

Dear Brian

Perhaps the best-known riding in Georgia is what's popularly known as the Famous Loop.

This includes Highways 180, 60, and 19 (129).

I've ridden this a few dozen times and have also ridden Deal's Gap. Honestly, one of these runs is just as good as the other.

If you ride the Loop, feel free to spin it two or three times. It's quite a fun circle to ride. As a matter of fact, I plan to run it tomorrow.

--Jaddie

 

[Churchkey]

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/index.html

 

[millertyme]

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/index.html

been there.  mentioned in my second post
thanks

 

[zukracer]

you are going to trailer to Richmond then go ride the parkway?  

 dunno if you have looked at a map but you are gonna miss some really nice roads if you come that far south and then hit the parkway.  skyline drive/blue ridge parkway kinda split at afton mountain and I64, 1.5hrs west of richmond.

There's some great roads in the central va area, good ones down east as well, its all in what you want.  How far east in NC are you going?

well, i was looking at motorcycleroads.us and the parkway shows that it starts at Waynesboro, VA, so i thought we werent missing any of it.  this will be our first trip in this area.  Also, the reason we are looking at richmond, is to ensure that the weather will be nice enough to ride and get back to the truck. I think we are going to stay on the western side of the state this trip.  Unfortunately, the time constraints limit the tour this year.  Thanks for all the suggestions, and i am looking forward to anymore that come along.

Waynesboro (Afton mountain) is the start of the BRP if you head south, however the skyline drive section runs north of that point and is worth every inch on a nice day

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/roads/va_sld.html

If you park at VA Beach, I'll send you our route map for the spring ride a few years back, makes for some excellent sight seeing on the way back into richmond and then you can either hammer down the interstate or ride the back highways out to the mountains

Just let me know, think parking in va beach would add 4-8hrs depending on sight seeing (plenty of it to do) along the way.

 

[tray]

tailofthedragon.com

+1 also Blue Rigde Parkway

 

[Rayabusa0818]

certainly check out tailofthedragon.com  

They are so cool that they have posted one of my photos (the abandoned Spur Station) near the bottom of their front page

That Station is on another awesome road, TN HWY 56 near Sewanee TN, however, that may be a little west of your path.

 

[millertyme]

well, we made it back safe and sound, with a couple of more miles on the bike. 1729KM (1074 miles) to be exact. the parkway was a great ride. only saw the coppers a few times. lots of fun on the twisties. the only thing was the weather. we will be back, but it will be later in the month next year. on Thursday, we rode in the rain, with ice pellets and a balmy -2C (28F). needless to say that was a short day of riding. But, the first day out, Tuesday, peaked at 24C (75F). that is a good day in July for me. the only disappointment was that we never made it out of VA. the day we got to the state line, it was only 3C, and it was misting. there was also more rain forecast for NC. so we stayed north in the nicer weather. The good thing is that the dragon will still be there next year.
thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Rayabusa0818]

Sorry about the weather, but it sounds like you guys made the most of it