Chattanooga Area Ride This Saturday Oct 20

Where to meet guys? I don't know the area.

And as if I actually care but will I get hammered on my gsa?

Can we all do 5:30 at the trailhead? I think that will give us enough time to have some fun. If anyone wants/can go early they could just loop back and meet the rest at 530. Thinking out loud here.

As far as taking the gs, I don't really know as I haven't been there in years. I think it's pretty muddy and rutted with some steep rocky stuff that can be avoided with a map and some patience. Maybe Doulos will chime in here. He's been there recently.

Calling Doulos....

See you there Jman.

Ok, word is that a gsa should be able to run this assuming a decent rider. I say come on.

It's GS-able, but a few sections are a bit rough.

This is a redundant question. GS's can do everything. No need to ask.

There are two gravel access roads in the 'park'. The rest are double-track ATV trails. Most of them are pretty well groomed. One or two have a couple of rocky sections, there are a couple of steep bits, but you should be fine. It is pay-to-ride, so bring your $4.00

I'll be there for sure. I may show about 430ish, ride for a bit, and circle back to the parking lot to meet whomever shows.

I've already got the bike loaded with my riding gear. I'll change from my work clothes to my riding gear at work and go straight there, which should put me there somewhere around 4:30 - 4:45. I'll be riding the DRZ because the KTM has a candle for a headlight and it may be dark on the ride home.

While it is true me asking "will I get hammered on my gs" is a redundant question, did you have to say it was?!? lol. Hope to see you guys there if I can find it in time!

$5 bucks. Not sure when it increased, but its $5. Enjoy the riding.

How come you're not coming Tn3Sport?

That was fun!: clap

Thanks guys for the invite. I think that may be the first time I left work early to meet anyone for something fun in six years. I normally travel so much during the week I don't get the opportunity. I really enjoyed it! Great job leading us Twisty! Thanks for watching out for me everyone else!

Great ride today, and a bigger turn out than I expected. The only pics I got was at the water crossing. I'll post them up tomorrow. It was a cold ride home and after a hot shower, I'm ready to go night-night.

Great job keeping that GS upright DriftDragon.

Hey now, just wanted to offer up a wave of the hand & say hey, ya'll were nearly in my back door (Mt. Eagle area), looked like it was a great day for a ride, keep on post'n & give me some motivation to get my bike back in run'n shape.

Good stuff ya'll.

Okay, as promised, here are the pics I took of the water crossing. Unfortunately, this was the only time I got the camera out.

Driftdragon rode his million pound beast (GS1200) like it was a 250 on the steep and tight trails of Houston Valley last night! Very impressive!

I look forward to seeing him some more in the future - especially when he is catching some air!

Sorry about the sheered off bolt Abhuligan - I was looking forward to riding behind you and watching you ride that KLR!

Are all the trails there as nice and wide as the approach to that water crossing? If so, I might have to venture over there on my GS.

Hey guys, just thought I'd pipe in and introduce myself. Currently live in the East Brainerd area. Just sold my Bonneville, so I'm looking to get back into the offroad community! Hopefully if I can find the right bike at the right price soon, I can actually take advantage of this beautiful fall riding season!

Steven

Woot!
MB ~ most of them are the width of 4-wheelers, but some are steep and rocky in some spots. Keeping momentum, I would imagine is key. BTW ~ great to see you yesterday!

Glad to see peeps out! Tim ~ golly gee, you did awesome, glad to know you found your way home

Twisty ~ Great leadership skills! Also what route did you take home? I know you were spitting out some roads and had a plan in mind, but I might have been spacing out when you were telling at the end

So much fun!!! Hope Andre and Jman made it home as well.

ABhulgan made it home and when I rolled in I called him up and he was still in his riding pants! :huh Great to meet some more people

I assure you guys no one is more impressed with my perfromance than I am so I am not sure if it is skill or luck or survival from pure terror or stupidity... maybe a little of all. The more I think about it the more excited I get about it.

Had I been smart enough to walk in a bit and look the trails over I doubt I would have tried it on my 1200gsa so I am kinda glad I didn't. It was awesome. After the first foray into the woods on the first time when Twisty stopped to see if everyone was in one piece I was like, what the heck have I gotten myself into! But I was grinning. The sudden shock of that first stretch still takes my breath a bit. The transition from highway riding to that was abrupt to say the least.

A few things are for sure... the pictures are VERY misleading as to the nature of some of the trails we hit. If I go back my panniers will certainly come off first! My new Heidineau tires ROCK! literally actually. That is without a doubt some of the steepest stuff I ever took a bike that big on, The climbs and sudden steep drops and sharp turns where awesome. If it had been muddy I would not have faired so well that is for darn sure. Luckily the trails were pretty dry other than the creeks and occasional puddles. Momentum was definitely the key to my success. Carefully controlling your speed on the steep drop sections was also critical though. If in doubt don't go over a crest with too much speed because you might be looking at a thirty foot steep drop and tight turn to avoid trees at the bottom. In my case I had no idea what was over those crests but almost all had huge drops and another steep climb at the bottom.

At one point when Ab broke his bolt off I shut off my bike while we checked on him. I restarted and neglected to turn off asc and abs... I had two steep hills back out to the main trail and did not realize what I had done. I was like holy crap, I am NOT going to make it all of a sudden! It was like kryptonite was all of a sudden sitting on my gas tank. Those two hills where a nightmare. I thought to myself... did I just stop long enough to freak myself out so much I can't perform anymore or was it the lack of momentum or what? I then realized what I had done and I was back in business. So... make sure you turn off ASC and ABS... lol.

On the big water crossing after I came out the other side I almost ran into a huge water filled rut running against the side of the trail that looked to be a good two feet deep. Applying power is the only thing that kept me out of it and even then I had to put a foot down to stay upright for the turn. When I got it stopped my windshield was totally steamed up and opaque.

I only got out of first gear a few times as you always need ready power. I was airborne constantly (often by choice, grin). I enjoyed the chance to practice staying on the pegs and moving my weight over the jumps. A tight grip on the seat with the knees was key to that. If you need to turn around on a big bike here you need to be looking for a good spot well in advance. Only once did I find my mind relaxing and taking in the scenery and I quickly reminded myself to pay attention to the riding!

It really is kinda a miracle I did not whack a pannier off on a tree... lol.

The GSA can do ANYTHING.

I wanna do it again!