Greenville IMS Show is past – Asheville Bikefest coming May 12-15

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Wayne Busch

Photo - Asheville Bikefest booth at Greenville IMs show

I don't look busy, do I. The crowds were distracted for a moment by the stage shows.

It’s the morning after the Greenville International Motorcycle Show and I’m beat. It was my first IMS show and it’s quite a step up from what I’ve seen previously – not that I had much time to see what was going on. I rarely left the Asheville Bikefest / America Rides Maps booth. It was my wife who snapped these photos when she popped in for a visit on Saturday and brought me something to eat.

Gary from the Switzerland Inn came down Sunday to help promote the Diamondback Motorcycle route. He’s a great guy and it’s always good to see him. The Diamondback Motorcycle lodge is already booked through the year on weekends, but he’s ready to work some mid week deals for your Blue Ridge Parkway travels. Me, I prefer staying in the Switzerland Inn itself. I ride long and hard and when I come in for the night I want all the luxury and pampering I can get. Park me at one of the bars, give me a great meal, watch the sunset over the mountains from the veranda and then recuperate in the spacious rooms. I deserve it. So do you.

Photo - Mark and Yvonne work their tails off

Mark and Yvonne Cresswell of World Wide Dynamics - promoters for the Asheville Bikefest ... and Sturgis... and Laconia.... and Leesburg... and...

Bill Kneigge from Blue Strada Tours also spent some time with us. He also works with Edlewiess Tours International and he’s one of those guys that everyone likes as soon as you meet him. We’re doing our best to get him to coordinate the guided tours for the Asheville Bikefest and Blue Ridge Run. I seem to run into him everywhere with his tour clients from around the world when I’m out on the road. It’s always a treat to see Bill.

I’ve got a lot of contacts to follow up on as I look to expand what America Rides Maps offers. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Deals Gap Classic Rides maps are selling like candy. I had a good meeting with Schampa.com motorcycle rider wear, and have some things cooking with Liberty Sports motorcycle eyewear. I’m really excited about BlueRidgeParkwayMotorcycle.com which is about ready to launch (the site’s still under development, but not for much longer).

There we go, look at my big happy smile! I really enjoy meeting everyone.

I could go on and on but I’m just too exhausted. There’s so much to do to get ready for the Asheville Bikefest and Blue Ridge Run May 12-15. I’ll probably pass on Daytona, but I’m putting some serious thought into Leesburg. That’s a nice rally and I love meeting and talking with those Florida riders.

Thank you everyone who stopped by to see us. You make it worth all the effort. I’m open to suggestions regarding the Asheville Bikefest and Blue Ridge Run and hope to exceed your expectations.

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com

Rare Valentines Day Parkway Motorcycle Ride

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Wayne Busch

I made my first motorcycle ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway today way earlier than expected. I found the gates open in Blowing Rock and I turned south to enjoy what winter had to show. A few deep snowdrifts still lingered along the road in shady spots, but most of the rest had melted. It was good to be back on the nations most popular motorcycle ride. I can’t wait for the southern section to open.

Stopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain. The Lynn Cove Viaduct is just above my bike. Beautiful day even with the high winds.

I enjoyed some great views of Grandfather Mountain and the Lynn Cove Viaduct. It was lined with snow and very pretty. The Blue Ridge Parkway is wonderfully free of the gravel and salt that covers nearly every other road in the Smoky Mountains right now, though there were a few spots with some sand on them. There was a high wind advisory in effect today and it was howling up on the ride, but I enjoyed it all the same. No trees had come down (yet), though there were some branches to dodge. Keep your eyes out for rocks in the road with the thaw, and crews are out working on projects.

The Lynn Cove Viaduct. It's the newest section of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the last piece completed in 1983. It was cutting edge for the time.

My fun was too short as I hit the first road closure south of Grandfather Mountain. I ducked around it with one of my fun little shortcuts, but had to leave Blue Ridge Parkway in Linville. I couldn’t resist making up run up the Diamondback on the way home. It was in pristine shape and I was on the edge of my tires until the last few switchbacks near the top of the mountain. Here I ran into the sand and salt again and wiggled my way to the top as quickly as it would allow. Unfortunately the parkway was closed here at both exits. I’m still thankful for what I got!

It's no wonder this area is so well known. There is a great view of the Viaduct from below on US 221 and it's an outstanding motorcycle ride from Grandfather Mountain to Blowing Rock as is the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Tomorrow, a short video of the ride up the Diamondback.

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Wife – “Did you see what happened to your motorcycle last night?”

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Wayne Busch

Not the first words you want to hear in the morning. A wind storm tore through the Smoky Mountains last night and wreaked havoc at our house. Stuff blown everywhere. Unfortunately, some of that stuff hit my motorcycle – hard.

It looks like my Tiger chipped a tooth. A heavy wooden pallet blew over onto it. This is gonna be expensive.

It blew all my maintenance supplies off the shelf, broke a jar full of cleaning brushes, wrecked my air pump, and I bet I find more bad news as I clean it all up.

Photo-wind-storm-causes-motorcycle-damage

What a mess. That pallet in the background will soon be kindling wood for the fireplace.

Things are settling down now and the sun is coming up. I suppose it’s not quite as bad as the time a stack of firewood blew over onto my wife’s new car. It’s what I get for forgetting that episode.

Occasionally harsh weather is nothing out of the ordinary in the Smoky Mountains, the price you pay for living in the best motorcycle riding area in the country. Sometimes that price is painful, but it’s well worth the cost. The Triumph dealer will collect the dues this time.

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Smoky Mountain Motorcycles Everywhere with Spring Like Weather

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Wayne Busch

Motorcycles were everywhere in the Smoky Mountains this weekend with the arrival of spring-like weather. Temperatures in the 60’s were a welcome relief from this unusually harsh and snowy winter that hasn’t given us motorcycle riders much of a break since November.

Photo-Jackie-enjoys-smoky-mountains-view-on-motorcycle

On a back road near the border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Looking north towards Tennessee.

Though snow still lingered in many places, few could resist the urge to fire up the bike and get out to enjoy the fabulous mountain motorcycle riding near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed for the season but that’s of little consequence to motorcycle riders here who enjoy a wealth of two lane back roads that stretch to every horizon.

Photo-Jackie-rides-her-motorcycle-near-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park

Jackie rides by with Purchase Knob in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the background. She loves her BMW F800 ST.

It’s about time we had a break in the weather (hope you did too). In a normal winter (is there such a thing anymore?) the cold spells are broken up by these warm ones and year round riding is pursued by many happy motorcycle enthusiasts throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Clear blue skies and warm winter sunshine had motorcyclists out on all the back roads.

We shot more video for the NC 215 Winter Project but mostly we just made the best of this nice break. We played around on roads through Canton, Bethel, Maggie Valley, made some loops out into the Pisgah National Forest, and went into Waynesville for lunch. It was packed with people in T-shirts enjoying the great food and shopping Waynesville’s historic and quaint downtown is known for.

NC 215 – A Great North Carolina Motorcycle Ride (teaser)

Sure there will be more cold weather to come before spring. I’m hoping things will get back to normal and we’ll have more great days of riding like these. This was great!

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Electric Bike Kicks Some Gas Ass

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Wayne Busch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIMQ0c7JKIU

I don’t see an electric bike in my future – right now. Still, it’s with some pride that I’ve watched the development of this new technology and I am impressed that the cutting edge performance is appearing first in motorcycles – not cars. It was just a couple years ago electric motorcycles were little more than mopeds with a battery. Now, they are matching the performance of gas powered bikes and for the first time appearing on the podium at an honest race.

I picked this up from US Rider News and you can read more and see a couple more photos at http://usridernews.com/2011/01/24/electric-superbike-reaches-podium-finish/ .

Making Gatlinburg Tolerable for Motorcycles (1 photo)

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Wayne Busch

Gatlinburg. I cringe just thinking about the traffic, congestion, and development. It’s one of the last places I consider when thinking of good motorcycle riding. Today, my outlook may be changing.

Photo-US-321-north-of-great-smoky-mountains-national-park

US 321 north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 90% of the east-west traffic between I-40 and Gatlinburg will be on this road.

I’m closing in on the Gatlinburg – Pigeon Forge – Sevierville area, mapping west from I-40 in search of the best motorcycle rides. I’ve already found my best route to reach the city limits avoiding the traffic on US 321 along the north edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A few back roads linked together turn the chore of crossing the foothills downright enjoyable but now I’m getting into the towns.

Even so, I found a couple nice shortcuts today to skirt around the tourists, and there are number of promising roads waiting. The short winter days and roads strewn with road salt, grit, and lingering icy patches limit the miles I can cover efficiently before I turn tail and head home.

I shouldn’t complain about the traffic as it’s the dead of winter. Dollywood is closed. Much of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed. The memories of what happens once things warm up give me chills. I won’t quit until I find the best ways to go.

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Motorcycle + Ice + Fun = Minor Damage

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Wayne Busch

A minute after this photo was taken my bike lay on its side and I couldn’t pick it up.

Photo-Whitesides-mountain-nc-motorcycle-by-frozen-lake

A minute after this photo was taken my bike lay on its side and I couldn't pick it up. Whiteside Mountain in the background has the highest cliffs in the east.

It was the last of the roads I planned to explore on a winter motorcycle riding dayin the Blue Ridge Mountains. I stopped at this frozen lake to take the picture beneath the 1000 foot cliffs of Whiteside Mountain. As I tried to turn the bike around and leave, my foot slipped on the icy gravel and down it went. Each time I tried to pick it up the wheels just skated on the frozen ground and I couldn’t get the leverage to lift it. Within minutes I was exhausted, out of breath, and starting to seriously wonder just how I was going to get out of this predicament.

I didn't realize how icy US 276 was until I stopped. My feet skidded on the thin coat of black ice that covered parts of the road. It had been a long slow climb to get this far.

Had I any sense I would have turned back this morning and put this off, but I’ve set a deadline for this motorcycle ride map revision. After several days of a hard cold followed by rain, I figured the roads should be in better shape now with the relatively warmer weather. When the frostless morning came with 33 degrees on the thermometer and the promise of sunshine, I was elated to get back out on the road. It wasn’t as warm as I thought.

Photo-view-of-mountains-in-clouds-from-Blue-Ridge-Parkway

As I looked south when I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway my destination lay beneath that bank of clouds near those mountaintop islands on the left horizon.

Heading out things appeared to be fine. The rains melted all but the last clumps of snow the plows had skidded to the roadside. The ride out through the Bethel Valley was as usual. Once I entered the Pisgah Forest and started the winding climb to crest the Blue Ridge Parkway it got interesting.

I thought conditions would get better once I started down the south side of the mountains but if got worse until I reached US 64 in Brevard.

This is where I’m supposed to entertain you
with how hard it was, how bad the roads were,
that it was all harrowing moments
of slips and slides and near spills –
That’s not how I recall it.

I play with conditions like these,
flirting with the balance
at the the edge of control.
Find the sweet spot of the given moment,
do my best to guide the slides,
find the rhythm of the road,
and push as far as I dare let it go.
That’s what I remember –

It took 2 hours instead of one
to reach the South Carolina border,
but once I came down off Caesar’s Head
the ice was gone.

Table Rock in Table Rock State Park, South Carolina, viewed from US 276 coming down through the hairpin turns that descend from Caesar's Head State Park.

I picked up a few new roads in South Carolina for you to enjoy on your motorcycle vacation tour this year including one that was so promising I’m going to research the potential for mapping in that area. While I had to be vigilant for salt and sand, I had lots of fun on motorcycle rides old and new to me. As soon as I crossed back into North Carolina the snow and ice was back.

A view of Lake Jocassee, SC from the Wiginton Scenic Byway as I climb back into snowy North Carolina. Whitewater Falls, highest in the east, feeds the lake.

I knew it was probably a waste of time to ride out into Whitesides Cove, but I know this great spot to get a picture. There’s always the chance the unpaved portion to Highlands has been improved. Unless I check periodically I don’t know when one of these two lane twisties has had an upgrade and is worth adding to my Blue Ridge motorcycle ride maps.

By spring these rocks on US 215 near the Beech Gap exit of the Blue Ridge Parkway will be coated with ice several feet thick.

You already know I got out of the jam. It sure wasn’t pretty. For a second I thought – “take a picture of this”, then a wiff of gasoline told me the longer it the bike lay there the less likely it would start. Little chance of someone passing by to help on this isolated road. The sun was getting low, things were already frozen, it would be a long cold night. It was time to be working my way home.

New lens already on order

I flushed with adrenaline when those thoughts hit, carefully considered the mechanics, dug my feet in, and with my back to the bike I half lifted-half wresteled the beast up with a quivering slo-mo almost failed heave. A broken turn lamp lens lay on the ground, the mirrors had twisted out of position, but otherwise the mud would wash away when I got home.

Hooray – I think that completes the roadwork I needed to finish up this new motorcycle ride map. I plan to have it ready by Christmas. It not only combines 2 existing maps into one, but adds more than a dozen new motorcycle roads I’ve never published before. It also gets nearly all the roadside waterfalls on a single map. This will be one of my most popular ride maps yet!

Visit America Rides Maps.com – the most inexpensive & comprehensive motorcycle ride maps available

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Photos from Todays Tennessee Smoky Mountains Motorcycle Ride 12-10-10

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Wayne Busch

I spent the day riding in Tennessee mostly around Newport. It’s not a particularly scenic area hence so few photos. Most of the motorcycle rides I explored were not up to the quality I was looking for, but I more or less expected that. Even so, I did add a few good connectors and found a couple of outstanding rides.

This is Rocky Flats Road on the north side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's freshly paved and a very nice ride through some tight and hilly country.

There are a lot of little single lane roads, barely paved, in this region. It reminded me of some of the roads in western Virginia. If you’re into adventure riding you won’t run short of options. I strayed down a lot of bumpy little backroads, but few have enough scenery to make me want to revisit them. Unfortunately, when good scenery did present, the winter sun was so low in the sky I couldn’t get a decent photo.

It's common for the back roads to follow creeks and streams. It was difficult to find sunny spots to shoot photos as the winter sun is so low and the valleys so steep.

I think I covered what was needed for the motorcycle ride map I’m working on. If not, I’ll be back through this way once I get into the next map. I’ve still got to head south again and make a sweep along the border with South Carolina and Georgia. There are a handful of possibilities I want to check on there.

The Foothills Parkway was closed when I rode over this morning, but open on my return. I hit once patch of snow on it but it was no problem. I snapped this photo from an overlook.

The weather is supposed to turn for the worse with rain / snow moving in tomorrow. I’d chance another half day out but I’ve run out of tread on the rear tire. It will be Monday before I can get it replaced, though the coming snow may delay rides for several more days. Glad I got this done now.

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Photos from Todays Motorcycle Ride in the NC Mountains 12-9-10

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Wayne Busch

It was noon before the temperature finally crested freezing, though I’m not sure it ever reached the predicted high of 35. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the roads were dry. I couldn’t stand it any longer and had to get out on the bike.

Shady spots on the north side of the mountains still held snow, but mostly it was gone. Roads were in pretty good shape. This is at Hookers Gap. Saw a Post-lady but no hookers. Probably too cold.

I ended up covering about 200 miles today, most of it riding back and forth on the roads which run between Liecester and Marshall, North Carolina. The majority of the key roads have already been discovered for this motorcycle ride map I’m working on. What I’m seeking now are the best ways to link them together and show you how to make connected rides that keep you cruising along without hitting traffic or four lanes or the interstate.

Photo - Potato Branch Rd near Liecester, NC

I think this is a section of Potato Branch Rd. It's one of my new favorites. You can link-ride it all the way back to the Blue Ridge Parkway or out to Hot Springs and beyond.

This area is only minutes from downtown Asheville. It doesn’t take long to “get lost” in the mountains surrounding the city. Outside of paving, these old roads have changed little in more than 200 years. They twist and wind through older neighborhoods, farmlands, homesteads and old barns, following the path of least resistance over mountain passes and along rushing streams and rivers.

Photo - A winter scene near Liecester, NC

Winter riding may not be as frequent as during the warmer months, but it has it's rewards. I enjoy it as much as the rest of the year. This might be Early Mountain Road.

I also took a ride over by Cherokee to investigate a road which I thought I’d overlooked. As is too often the case, there was a good reason to ignore it – it was another one of those half-paved roads that lead up into mountain coves. They start out nice enough but once the grade gets steep the pavement ends. Rarely does one go through and you can waste a lot of time riding up dead end roads. I’m out discovering those roads which DO go through and are worth the ride. It was a very successful day.

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Another Cold Winter Day – Photo – Snow on motorcycles

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Wayne Busch

Still too cold to ride. It will be better near the end of the week.

Blue Ridge Mountain skies are blue, but it’s barely in the 20’s. I’m going to wait for the weather to get above freezing before I go back out so it has a chance to melt any ice. The roads are salted, but up in the high parts there can be spots where it’s too wet and shady to work well.

I’m making good progress on this new map revision, it’s almost done. I’ll still need a few more days to finish re-riding all the roads and catalog the new ones. In the mean time I’m getting it as close to done as possible.

Stay warm!

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Rider

The Best Motorcycle Rides in the Mountains

Tag Archives: motorcycle

Greenville IMS Show is past – Asheville Bikefest coming May 12-15

Rare Valentines Day Parkway Motorcycle Ride

Wife – “Did you see what happened to your motorcycle last night?”

Smoky Mountain Motorcycles Everywhere with Spring Like Weather

Electric Bike Kicks Some Gas Ass

Making Gatlinburg Tolerable for Motorcycles (1 photo)

Motorcycle + Ice + Fun = Minor Damage

Visit America Rides Maps.com – the most inexpensive & comprehensive motorcycle ride maps available

Photos from Todays Tennessee Smoky Mountains Motorcycle Ride 12-10-10

Photos from Todays Motorcycle Ride in the NC Mountains 12-9-10

Another Cold Winter Day – Photo – Snow on motorcycles