Britbike forum Forums Events - meetings / rallies / rides Three state mountain ride forum 2012 TSMR AAR

For those who couldn't be here with us this year I thought I would share pictures:





Your Innkeeper,
Sweet Melissa

We see our good friend Mr Ben & the guy alongside him with the bottle of Newcastle Brown can only be Windy. Another we recognise is Don Roe, others we remember the faces but cannot connect the names.
Thank you Melissa, the pictures are much appreciated.

Bryan & Marie in Old England

I drove almost the entire way home with a big smile on my face. It was a fantastic weekend, perfect weather again. I think I enjoyed the ride and ales n' tales even more than last year. There was a very friendly and interesting mix of people from all walks of life, young and old, from near and far. Joe's friend, Bill, from Manchester, England made it an international event. As usual, Gordon and his crew did an awesome job, and everything went super smooth. Last year, I wisely rode with the second group in order to get a feel for the roads and enjoy the scenery. This time I rode with the first group. The bike ran great, and the single carb 650 was able to keep the Nortons and modern appliances in sight. It was cool to watch Windy and Don pitch in and trace the source of weak spark (plug wires) on DPO's bike. Semper Bill helped solve carb trouble, and Mark was able to ride trouble free on Saturday. Thank you Gordon, Booth (and friend), ride leaders, Melissa and Ray for making it a safe, fun filled weekend for us all. Greg

Home again. What an

AWSOME weekend Gordon.

Fan-freakin'-tastick. Had great fun pitching the Thunderwing into corners and playing grabass with Norton's and the Goldstar Cafe. It was the Isle of Man up on the Snake.

Home again safe and sound. Beat the thunderstorms by 38 minutes here in Atlanta. Haven't heard from DPO yet.

Alex, Floyd - You were missed.
Many beers consumed on the front porch.
The was picking in the GAzeboo.
Richard on a Norton Interstate!
I did not hear a grumpy soul anywhere.
When the footpeg dropped off the Triumph and bounced 4 feet into the air, Gordon saw it laying in the road, recognized what it was, turned the chase van around and got it back!
Lannis Leads his first Group ride but Fay gets the HiViz shirt!
Slingshot pass of the Moto Guzzi driver!
Breakout group goes for broke! (Where did Don end up?)
30 minute trouble shoot of the Pazon.
30 second trouble shoot of the Norton Ignition switch (while riding the TSMR)
Vintage Iron Butt Rides!
Free sixpack beer coolers!
Pins! Stickers!
Breakfast at the Knight's on Main.
Three Amigoes on the Blueridge Parkway (Should have been Five).
I'm still giggling (when nobody is looking). Crikey that was fun.


I count my blessing in many ways but this is near the top.

I can hardly wait for next year...rain or SHINE!

Home by 6:30 Pm after nice easy trip. Great weather, renewed old friendships and made some new ones. Looking forward to next year!

Ben

DAMMMMNIT WHATLEY!! DON'T YOU EVER LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THAT BUNCH AGAIN!!!


dammit pt. two. was plannig on riding another two or three hours but major storms are poping up all around with major lightning so had to grab a motel early in eastern Illinois. only got 595 miles today.

full story on the 11:43 news.

Trust me, you were doing a lot of giggling when people WERE looking!

It's hard not to, actually.

Blowing Rock is as much a happening as it is a ride. Thank you guys that rode your old British bikes in from far distances. We need to keep a critical mass of that sort of thing going while the others of us get our minds right and try to get off the appliances ... (well, it really just applies to me and my guilty conscience, EVERYONE has a good time no matter what they ride!)

We took advantage of the capabilities of the Italian Stallion and made it home 240 miles in 240 minutes flat, including 30 miles on the Parkway and 20 miles on little two lane roads .... which means were seeing 80 MPH in our mirrors on the big roads! All in good fun, as I was planning on telling the bronze if they were to ask for any reason ... !

Lannis

Mike and I made 375 NON interstate miles, stayed in Front Royal, VA. Saddling up for the dash home now, in the rain. The BEST damn trip I can remember!

Another one in the books. That makes 4 now and they seem to just get better each year. Got to know some good folks a bit better, and nice to meet the new faces. I think the new route(s) are better than the old, photo op is in a great location.
Put about 700 miles on the new Hinkley. Probably ruined for life, but will ride the frankentriumph next year.

Gordon, super job as usual. Didn't get a chance to say thank you yesterday. Thank you.

Mike

I think we might have made a few more miles last night, but discovered my panniers were loaded up with empty Newcastle and Pepsi containers. Just cause it looks like a rolling dumpster does'nt mean it is

One more tank of gas to go, in the rain, but still having fun!

We had a great time. Thanks for all your hard work Gordon. I'm really proud of Joy for making the whole ride and loved how everyone made her feel wellcome. She really enjoyed herself.

We've logged 1,348 miles so far on this trip, including the side trip down to Murphy, NC for a nice visit with an old friend who has moved down there. We have about 500 miles to go to get home. Hmm. Drive 1,800 to ride 22 miles on a non-British bike. I really need to do better!

Today will be pretty relaxing. Yesterday we left Blowing Rock about 7:30 and didn't settle into our hotel in the Louisville, KY area until 10:45.

Time to go home, get the wrenches (and credit card) out and start preparing for next year.

Thanks again Gordon.

Already thinking about next year ... one more year to try to meet my ideal of riding from home two-up on an old Brit, ride together with Fay on Saturday, and ride home Sunday. I've done everything else now ...

Do you guys realize how amazing it is that in 12 years/ avg 25 people/66,500 miles of riding (not including riding to/from), that no one has been hurt or had a bad crash, despite rather "Spirited" riding on the part of those who enjoy it? I mean, there are sections of the road where Giacomo Agostini himself couldn't hold the 55 MPH posted speed limit through a turn, so I'm not talking illegal speeds here ...

The new route was great; that means in future, we've got alternate routes Gordon can use if road conditions (or just our fancy) call for them.

Speaking of road conditions, wasn't it silly for the State of Tennessee to put up a "Road Closed 10 Miles Ahead - Local Traffic Only!" sign on 321 by the lake? If I happened to be just traveling through there, I would have assumed that the road really was closed, and that only people who lived between here and the washout should proceed. Instead, it was just a minor detour that didn't amount to anything, and they could have just put up a simple "Detour" arrow at the spot rather than "Road Closed" warnings every 5 miles. Stupid DOT engineers, they're the same everywhere.

Also, one more thing we might do. Leading the "Second Group", I used the rate at which the "First Group" disappeared ahead of us as a gauge of how fast to go. They got away pretty fast, so I figured I wasn't going TOO fast. But might I have been going too slow? In that case, I figured anyone who though it was too slow could just ease into the first group at the next stop.

But maybe it was too fast for only a few people, who really wanted to travel at "bimble" speed but who still liked to feel like they were part of the group. Something that would fix ALL of that would be to have someone riding "drag" at the back of the Second Group. That way, if someone just wanted to kick back and enjoy the scenery without having to keep someone in their sights ahead of them, they'd still have someone riding with them as part of the group who knew the route and all!

I'll volunteer for the "drag" position next year, as I will either be solo on the M21 or two-up with Fay on an old Brit, neither one of which will be appropriate at the front of ANY group!

Lannis

Sorry for the slow reply. Our computer at home is in the shop and I had to wait until a lull at work to get online to check in.

I've started this new thread so we can share photo's and yarns about this year's ride. The other thread was getting a bet leggy.. ..I'll move those few after ride comments over to this thread later in the week. I figure Richard's group photo turned out better than mine but I'll post mine then replace it when Richard has time to post his.



FIRST off.............I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry for not introducing our visitor from the UK at the rider's meeting....Joe's friend Bill (?). (I'm really bad at remembering names)he's not the first we've had from the across the pond but having ANYBODY from another country is SPECIAL and I'm a slug for not mentioning him....I can be very lame at times. Joe....please tell him I'm sorry for that oversight. He was such a nice fellow to be around. He had a smile on his face all weekend ( or was he just laughing at us??? ) He did the UK proud as have all our guests from over there.

THANK YOU ALL who made the ride and/or the dinner for being there. It was wonderful seeing all the smiling faces and it makes it all worth while.

I didn't take many photo's at all and figured Richard would help us out there.

I'm going to hold off a bit until we're sure everybody made it back home safe and sound....then give you my high's and lows.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU to you all for making the 2012 event one of the best.

YHS...........Gordon Gray

This was a great event. Thanks to Gordon and all those who helped.

Me, my wife and my Japanese appliance made it safely back to Delaware.

We did 550 miles in less than 12 hours. (And that's going through Baltimore/DC area.)

I know it's not the Iron Butt but maybe an Iron Cheek?.

I hope to be there next year on my Norton.

Home again, and always a major let down. Something about pulling in the drive is depressing after a week withyou guys.

More later after a beer and cigar

Got home today (Monday) at about 4:30 this afternoon. I struggled all day getting the bike from Hiawassee to the Rock, but once there, everything turned around dramatically....Good to see old friends and meet new, and to check the bikes....never get tired of that! The bike ran perfect as Wendy's, Richards, and several others had me up in running in no time...thanks to everyone for pitching in and bailing me out, next year she'll be ready (right)...Coming home, I did get drastically lost somewhere near Brevard in search of something familiar, which was'nt there...An old local really got me confused, had to buy a map...Into Hiawassee kind of fast, as the storms were brewin, so I stopped for a break, and well, the rest was magical for me, as I met one of the most important persons in my life....Can't go into it here, but I am definitely a changed man from the impromptu, but fateful night, and next day I spent at Enota campground with that very special person. (I'll explain at the BIBR)....
That was the first time I had ever laid down a street bike by the way, and everything is good, and Im very fortunate...Thanks Gordon and company for all you do, did, and done as always....924 miles total according to my odo....See ya'll in a few....

Hi, Bill Roberts here.

I'd like to send this message to all of my new 'Brit Bike' friends!

I'd like to thank you all for making me feel so welcome on my first trip to the US, and my first '3 states ride'. It was a fantastic day's riding, on great roads, alongside really top people!

I'd especially like to commend Gordon on putting together, the best, and most well organized ride, I've ever taken part in.
The attention to detail was just unbelievable. We in the UK, just don't compare as far as I'm concerned.

I came along, as Joe's guest, with a completely open mind, and with no expectations.
All I can say is that the whole experience was fantastic, & something I'll never forget!

So, I'd like to say thanks to all of you for making me feel so welcome; thanks again to Gordon, (the ace organizer!!), and a special thankyou to Joe, for trusting me to ride one of his great bikes!
(Bearing in mind, I hadn't ridden a 'Bonnie' for 33 years, and I'd only practiced riding on 'the wrong side of the road' in the US, for a few miles.......TWICE!)

Thanks again to all.
Bill

Bill, when we left the lunch stop, which group were you in?

Happy you made it safe and sound. That's some Bull Goose riding you're doing there on that Norton, year in and year out "popping over" to Blowing Rock and riding with us. A testimony to pain tolerance, acceptance of weather and road conditions with a stiff upper lip, the basic Norton design, and your getting the bike into shape ....

Enjoyed it and looking forward to next year, even if it's a non-Norton "surprise"!

Lannis

This was a great "Break In" ride for you, sounds like! You had a little bit of everything happen .... some running good, some running bad, some bits falling off, the bike falling over, getting things fixed, bodging a repair on the road and then riding home ... true BritBike action!

You're IN now!

Lannis

THE FURTHER MISADVENTURES OF Commando KITTY AND HIS BOY RICH(RD)

It's hard to think of anything new to say after these years so just a few random thoughts from a wandering mind.

for you newer riders that enjoyed the "snake" (421 at lunch stop) do you know you only rode half of it? there's another mountain across the intersection just as good.

this was the first year I did not get rained on the entire trip. but it was close sunday nite with the lightning surrounding me as I looked for shelter.

The tv said it was nice monday am so I started off dressed for a quick warm up. I soon knew how Ben felt last year after the OSMR. I stopped three times to put on more clothes but the wind was cojd, out of the north and kept getting worse. I had about two hours that were just plain hell from pain. It wasn't the usual midwest gusty wind that moves the bike over three three or four feet then stops, but a constant sustained cross wind up to about 30 mph. kept trying to blow the tank bag and my helmet off. My neck and back hurt so bad I forgot I had a broken arm.

turned off in Galesburg Ill and ran the small road across Iowa rather than I80.(no place to be with a cross wind because of endless truck traffic.) about 1150 miles out and 1120 home and 2675 total for the week between two bikes. ( I got in tuesday afternoon)

finally met Sember Gumpy, he.s a new target!

if you haven't heard, I'm trailering next year.

Again, the whole reason this ride is so great is the people involved. you are the reason I come out.

I learned about kilts and wire fences.

Throughout the trip I kept noticing the "biker chicks" usually loud, always tattooed, with short blond hair and all much bigger than me. not to mention the way they dress. yipes!

Then I thought about the beautiful classy ladies in our group. There's no comparison,

The bike ran great the whole way, the only hitch was a warped brake rotor causing a shimming when stopping.

Don't leave a key in your bike in the parking lot. someone might take it for ride. especially if it's eyetalian.

So thanks to everyone.

Hi Rich, I was in 'slow' group all day, riding a '79 model Bonnie; black & grey tank. What were you riding on?
Regards, Bill

You'd BETTER trailer next year if you think you got home Tuesday afternoon this year .... Tuesday afternoon hasn't gotten here yet!

You're right about the relative merits of the ladies in OUR group and the normal run of scruffy-looking, leather-and-piercing mannikins that make up the normal "biker girl" persona that you see all the time. WE'VE got all the good ones. I think it's the BritBikes that attracts 'em .... !

Lannis

NO LANNIS, I got to windy's on Tusday. spent the week running the twistys with windy and the New Hamp boys.

Seems like with all the britbikes in my garage I could get me one of them ladies. must be the nebraskan water.

Bill, I was boppin around on the old ducati with the camera on my hat.