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Kickstand 12 or 13?

drdubb

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I really can't remember which one this is. I think the numbers were confused a few years ago. I know that the first one was in 2009, although there was another rally at the coast the previous year by the folks that started this one.

This gathering was started by a small group of Honda Nighthawk riders. A brotherhood was formed and still exists in various forms. I changed motorcycles in 2015, a Honda NC700Xdct, and I thought it would be fun to invite the NC riders and since then they have taken over the gathering. I've added a Royal Enfield Himalayan to my stable and so I'll probably invited those guys. They seem to be a nice bunch.

KSL 12 will occur the weekend before the Memorial weekend, May 15-17. On those dates, motorcycle riders will gather at the Kickstand Motorcycle Lodge for a weekend of fun and frolic. This is an unofficial rally, no fees, no trophys, no embarrasing games, just great riding and camaraderie.

This rally is just a gathering of like minded riders. There are no planned routes or events. The plan is no plan. The weekend is what you make of it. Some years its epic, some years its just a nice weekend of riding.


Basics...

We stay at the Kickstand Lodge Motorcycle Campground, on Highway 28 in Stecoah, NC. Its a simple place, she (Mo) has a handful of cabins and tent sites for rent. They are basic affairs. Call early to reserve a cabin. The cabins have linens.
Bring your own tent.
She supplies towels for the bathhouse and there is a washer and dryer available in case you dirty your undies on a screaming curve.
Dinner is cooked and served for a small donation ($10) Cold beverages are also available for rental ($2). Breakfast is also served for a small donation ($5) if one of us gets up and cooks it. Usually someone does. Don't cheat the house. Everything is on the honor system. Bring cash...I don't think they take cards.
Small groups usually form and set out on their own rides. Four is a nice size for a group. Lunch is found somewhere on the road.
The obligatory rides are of course, The Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Parkway. This makes a nice loop. Get your Dragon sticker at the beginning. Hwy. 28 over through Fontana to the beginning of the Dragon is really fun. If you want to ride the Dragon, I suggest arriving early and doing it Thursday or Friday morning before it fills up with squids and other fools. Tennessee LEOs patrol the road.
28/64 (hellbender) down to Highlands is nice. Stop at all of the waterfalls. There are also great loops off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The fried pie run down to Blue Ridge, Georgia is also popular.
There are a lot of good roads down in North Georgia.
There is more riding than you can do in a weekend.
Other roads, Joe Brown Highway, 68, Tilley road, Warwoman, 107, Wayah Road, Cullowhee Mountain Road, 197, 215, 281, 276.


The best deal is to come in on Thursday...run the dragon Friday morning before it fills up with the fools, get your picture, sticker and check that one off the list. Leave Sunday or Monday. Expect to get wet. It always rains some...

We generally sit around in the evening with beverages, a fire, and tell lies etc.

Usually someone crashes and usually it is a rookie. My first year...it was me.

Some guys trailer their bikes, some ride in. Trailers are nice to go get the crashed guy's bike.

I hope some of you join us. I'll post more information later. Feel free to ask any questions.

I'll eventually get around to a sign up page so I can let Mo know how many we've got coming.

Kickstand 4
 
Thanks for posting this thread about the event, drdubb. I plan to be there.

I don’t know yet which motorcycle or what camping mode I’ll use, but I’ll be there. I’d like to combine the Kickstand event with a ride up the entire Blue Ridge Parkway + Shenandoah Park. I haven’t done that for awhile.
 
Thanks for posting this thread about the event, drdubb. I plan to be there.

I don’t know yet which motorcycle or what camping mode I’ll use, but I’ll be there. I’d like to combine the Kickstand event with a ride up the entire Blue Ridge Parkway + Shenandoah Park. I haven’t done that for awhile.
Did that back in 2012...Had a Honda Rebel meetup in Franklin TN for a weekend and after; my riding buddies from Bloomington Indiana and myself rode the BRP, Skyline Drive and went to Gettysburg PA..(wife got pissed, seems I forgot to tell her I was taking a week to ride instead of a weekend).
 
I really can't remember which one this is. I think the numbers were confused a few years ago. I know that the first one was in 2009, although there was another rally at the coast the previous year by the folks that started this one.

This gathering was started by a small group of Honda Nighthawk riders. A brotherhood was formed and still exists in various forms. I changed motorcycles in 2015, a Honda NC700Xdct, and I thought it would be fun to invite the NC riders and since then they have taken over the gathering. I've added a Royal Enfield Himalayan to my stable and so I'll probably invited those guys. They seem to be a nice bunch.

KSL 12 will occur the weekend before the Memorial weekend, May 15-17. On those dates, motorcycle riders will gather at the Kickstand Motorcycle Lodge for a weekend of fun and frolic. This is an unofficial rally, no fees, no trophys, no embarrasing games, just great riding and camaraderie.

This rally is just a gathering of like minded riders. There are no planned routes or events. The plan is no plan. The weekend is what you make of it. Some years its epic, some years its just a nice weekend of riding.


Basics...

We stay at the Kickstand Lodge Motorcycle Campground, on Highway 28 in Stecoah, NC. Its a simple place, she (Mo) has a handful of cabins and tent sites for rent. They are basic affairs. Call early to reserve a cabin. The cabins have linens.
Bring your own tent.
She supplies towels for the bathhouse and there is a washer and dryer available in case you dirty your undies on a screaming curve.
Dinner is cooked and served for a small donation ($10) Cold beverages are also available for rental ($2). Breakfast is also served for a small donation ($5) if one of us gets up and cooks it. Usually someone does. Don't cheat the house. Everything is on the honor system. Bring cash...I don't think they take cards.
Small groups usually form and set out on their own rides. Four is a nice size for a group. Lunch is found somewhere on the road.
The obligatory rides are of course, The Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Parkway. This makes a nice loop. Get your Dragon sticker at the beginning. Hwy. 28 over through Fontana to the beginning of the Dragon is really fun. If you want to ride the Dragon, I suggest arriving early and doing it Thursday or Friday morning before it fills up with squids and other fools. Tennessee LEOs patrol the road.
28/64 (hellbender) down to Highlands is nice. Stop at all of the waterfalls. There are also great loops off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The fried pie run down to Blue Ridge, Georgia is also popular.
There are a lot of good roads down in North Georgia.
There is more riding than you can do in a weekend.
Other roads, Joe Brown Highway, 68, Tilley road, Warwoman, 107, Wayah Road, Cullowhee Mountain Road, 197, 215, 281, 276.


The best deal is to come in on Thursday...run the dragon Friday morning before it fills up with the fools, get your picture, sticker and check that one off the list. Leave Sunday or Monday. Expect to get wet. It always rains some...

We generally sit around in the evening with beverages, a fire, and tell lies etc.

Usually someone crashes and usually it is a rookie. My first year...it was me.

Some guys trailer their bikes, some ride in. Trailers are nice to go get the crashed guy's bike.

I hope some of you join us. I'll post more information later. Feel free to ask any questions.

I'll eventually get around to a sign up page so I can let Mo know how many we've got coming.

Kickstand 4
So how difficult is the riding here that there is a giant tree built of crashed motorcycle parts?
As I've seen more about this ride, it has certainly piqued my interest. I feel fairly confident in my riding skills, but I also had a long lapse where I wasn't riding at all which just ended last year.
I don't find too much technical riding in northeastern Ohio, so I'd want to be realistic, because I'm also not too good at turning down a challenge that I've had the opportunity to look at.
Thanks.
 
It is quite technical, and does require your full focus. Not only is it curvy, the speed limit is 35 and there are cops waiting around the bend to get you. Someone coming too wide or narrow (depending on lane) is more dangerous than really anything else. There are plenty of videos of the Tail of the Dragon wrecks on youtube.

This is why I enjoy Cherohala Skyway better. more relaxed speed limits (45-60) and wider, more sweeping turns though it has its share of tight turns as well. And, because of that, you can look around more than 100 feet in front of you (like on the Dragon.)

Definitely check out some videos of it. (for bragging, here is mine from 4 years ago.)


I wont be staying at KS, but will be in the same area at the same time for a different event. I am hoping to meet up with everyone at some point.
 
So how difficult is the riding here that there is a giant tree built of crashed motorcycle parts?
As I've seen more about this ride, it has certainly piqued my interest. I feel fairly confident in my riding skills, but I also had a long lapse where I wasn't riding at all which just ended last year.
I don't find too much technical riding in northeastern Ohio, so I'd want to be realistic, because I'm also not too good at turning down a challenge that I've had the opportunity to look at.
Thanks.
The Tail of the Dragon gets a lot of publicity, but it repesents about 1% of the good roads in the area. The other great 99% of the roads have less traffic and fewer crazy riders and drivers. The worst thing about the Dragon is the other crazy, sometimes inconsiderate, sometimes exceeding their ability type idiots on it, whether they be on 2,3, or 4 wheels. The road itself, if you go at your self determined pace, is technical and requires focus, but the pavement is clean and the curves and cambers are well engineered. It is a designated US highway. There are restrictions for truck/bus/camper maximum length in that section.

As mentioned in the previous post, the Cherohala Skyway has a wider right of way, greater radius curves, better visibility, and fewer crazy riders/drivers than the Dragon.
 
So how difficult is the riding here that there is a giant tree built of crashed motorcycle parts?
As I've seen more about this ride, it has certainly piqued my interest. I feel fairly confident in my riding skills, but I also had a long lapse where I wasn't riding at all which just ended last year.
I don't find too much technical riding in northeastern Ohio, so I'd want to be realistic, because I'm also not too good at turning down a challenge that I've had the opportunity to look at.
Thanks.
The Dragon is just something one time to say you rode it and stop at Deal's Gap and buy the sticker (former military gets a Dragon sticker for free). Cherohala, Hwy 28 (from Deals Gap down into Georgia), hwy 68 from Tellico Plains to US64, wayah road, are much better roads to ride.
 
The first year I went with the Nighthawks, an experienced rider, a female, led us rookies through the Dragon and paced us. It was very comforting. I thought the ride over on 28 was just as exciting. To me, there is one very difficult curve, its a hairpin near the start...very tight and downhill going in and uphill coming out. I have a hard time getting my head around to look through the curve. The rest of the ride is about concentration, correct speed and lane discipline. Stay away from the center line, people will cross it.
 
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I’m interested in this event also. From SE Michigan it’s 550 - 600 miles. I typically commute on the NC and travel on my ST1300. My longest day so far on the NC is only about 200 miles.
The ST has much better weather protection than the NC and is a better mile muncher on the freeway. If I came, I’d be biased toward taking the ST.

JT
 
I’m interested in this event also. From SE Michigan it’s 550 - 600 miles. I typically commute on the NC and travel on my ST1300. My longest day so far on the NC is only about 200 miles.
The ST has much better weather protection than the NC and is a better mile muncher on the freeway. If I came, I’d be biased toward taking the ST.

JT
Feel free to come by an transportation mode you wish. I’ve ridden my NC there, trailered my CRF250 there, and will probably bring the Goldwing someday. While there is a good showing of NC’s there, this event began as a Honda Nighthawk group gathering. That remnants of group have branched out to multiple alternate motorcycle models. drdubb invited the NC forum to the gathering one year way back, and now there are generally a half dozen NCs showing up.

Last year I recall seeing an Africa twin, a GL1800, and an ST1100, and I brought a CRF250L Rally. and the year before there was a Kawasaki Versys X among the assortment, while before that someone had a KLR.
 
The very first gathering included a KLR and an FJR. There are no rules, except to be polite and have a good time. This is just a friendly gathering.
 
I’m interested in this event also. From SE Michigan it’s 550 - 600 miles. I typically commute on the NC and travel on my ST1300. My longest day so far on the NC is only about 200 miles.
The ST has much better weather protection than the NC and is a better mile muncher on the freeway. If I came, I’d be biased toward taking the ST.

JT
Come on down...2 years ago I tried to keep up with 2 guys on ST (one on a 1100, other on a 1300). We have had goldwings, african twins, Suzuki sv650... We usually group up by the type of riding/speed we ride at...some look for gravel/dirt, some like country asphalt...and some ride alone... I plan on riding down on the Wednesday along with Deckyon (out of Louisville Ky-Deckyon goes to an adventure meet in Murphy).
 
The Tail of the Dragon gets a lot of publicity, but it repesents about 1% of the good roads in the area. The other great 99% of the roads have less traffic and fewer crazy riders and drivers. The worst thing about the Dragon is the other crazy, sometimes inconsiderate, sometimes exceeding their ability type idiots on it, whether they be on 2,3, or 4 wheels. The road itself, if you go at your self determined pace, is technical and requires focus, but the pavement is clean and the curves and cambers are well engineered. It is a designated US highway. There are restrictions for truck/bus/camper maximum length in that section.

As mentioned in the previous post, the Cherohala Skyway has a wider right of way, greater radius curves, better visibility, and fewer crazy riders/drivers than the Dragon.
You must have been there when I wasn't :)
Can someone double check the dates? My calendar says week before Memorial day is THU 5/22~
I seem to have already missed KSL 11; don't want to miss this one.
 
Memo
You must have been there when I wasn't :)
Can someone double check the dates? My calendar says week before Memorial day is THU 5/22~
I seem to have already missed KSL 11; don't want to miss this one.
Memorial Day in the USA in 2020, is May 25. The KSL event is held the weekend before the Memorial Day weekend, not on the long holiday weekend that includes Memorial Day. So, yes, the dates in post #1 are correct as May 15-17.

You were there last year. We got totally lost in the woods around Snowbird mountain. Your bike got hauled back to KSL on a tow truck! Now that there was an adventure!
 
Thanks for the confirmation, 670cc.
Not doing Snowbird this year.
I'll stick to the main strip, on my new...
you guessed it- Africa Twin DCT :)
See you @KSL
 
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