Yanni's BIG WNC Helmetcam Adventure/Nantahala/Pisgah/Cherokee Forests

yanni23 · 06-22-2008, 02:28 PM

We'll start with Week 1's guided tour. These boys RODE their XRL and DRZ from the coast of NC to come out and ride a 150-mile DS'er with me here in the mountains of WNC/EastTN, then rode 'em back...BALLZ. Keep in mind that I'm in the mountains of NC...about a 7 hour drive from where they live.

This ride consisted of seriously twisty pavement, un-maintained FS roads, singletrack, 2-track, and 4wd roads. The weather was perfect until the rain came somewhere in Tennessee, and then the ridin' was great! I'm gonna let the pics and vids do the talkin' for me on this go-round.

There's a ton of great pics in here and be sure to check out the helmetcam vid. www.dualsportarmory.com handled my footage for me. They know dual-sport better than any I know and their production work shows because I suck at editing, and they don't. Here's Week 1.

HERE IS THE HELMETCAM ACTION. GO TO www.dualsportarmory.com. CLICK ON ''VIDEOS'' AND MINE'S AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

OR YOU CAN JUST VIEW IT HERE...SORRY I FORGOT I COULD LINK IT.

file://

FIRST STOP, HILLCLIMB.

MR. DRZ'S FACE SAYS IT ALL...

WE CONTINUE THE TOUR ON SOME FS ROADS.

TIME FOR A BREAK.

4WD ROADS ALONG A CREEK.

I CAN'T STAND IT. TIME TO HIT THE GOODS.

BREAK-TIME AGAIN.

MORE OF THE GOODS.

IT JUST KEEPS ON GOIN'.

BEFORE A DRZ FELL IN...

AND AFTER.

TWISTY TIME.

UN-MAINTAINED FS ROADS UNDERNEATH THE DRZ.

RARIN' TO GO.

GOTTA GO LOG JUMPIN' NOW.

THESE GUYS ARE BROTHERS AND KNOW HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. THEY SAID THEY'LL BOTH BE BACK FOR A VISIT NEXT MONTH AND I CAN'T WAIT.

COMIN' OUT OF THE WOODS. THEN WE ROUNDED 'ER BACK TO WAYNESVILLE, NC. COME ON BACK GUYS! END OF WEEK 1.

Time for Week 2. These DixieDualSporters drove up from Tampa with their '02 KTM 520, and '05 KTM 525. We held a great pace on this 2-day affair with these seasoned riders. Day 1 was the same area, but a different route, as the one with the NC boys. Day 2 too, however, was the Nantahala National Forest.

We put in 170 miles on Day 1 and 120 miles on Day 2. Temps and weather were awesome and it only rained briefly on the second day. Miles upon miles of un-maintained FS roads/trails was the name of the game on Day 2, with hardly any pavement to speak of. Really there wasn't much gravel...just hardcore offroad stuff all day long. Here ya go!

DAY 1...WELCOME TO MY WORLD

MEET THE BIKES...YANNI'S 2005 HONDA CRF450X. 10,000 MILES AND STILL ROLLIN'

2002 KTM 520 THAT'S HARD TO START.

2005 KTM 525 THAT'S EASY TO START.

MY RIDERS FOR THE DAY

LET'S GO. 2 LANE RIDIN' THROUGH THE WNC COUNTRY IS ALWAYS AN EXPERIENCE.

ENOUGH PAVEMENT. THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS WE GO.

COMIN' UP.

WE THEN WENT FROM THIS...

...TO YANNI'S TOP-SECRET SINGLETRACK FACILITY.

TIGHT AND STEEP.

THEY'RE HAVIN' A BALL.

ALL BY OURSELVES. WITH JUST THE TREES TO OBSERVE OUR DUAL-SPORT BLISS.

WE VISITED ALL KINDS OF COOL PLACES.

AND RODE MANY A CREEK CROSSIN'.

I'M HUNGRY AFTER 70 MILES. SO WE HEAD DOWN THE MOUNTAIN TO GET SOME GRUB.

THEY'RE LIKE...''ARE THOSE DIRTBIKES?''

REMINDS ME OF A BOB SEGER SONG.

THEY HAVE SOME DECENT WINGS, AND NOT SO DECENT SERVICE. WHO CARES? THEY HAVE BEER.

ENOUGH MESSIN' AROUND. LET'S GET OUTTA TOWN.

CAREFUL OVER THERE!

SPLASHIN' A LITTLE.

TIME FOR ROUND 2 OF YANNI'S TOP-SECRET SINGLETRACK TEST FACILITY.

YES, THERE IS ACTUALLY A TRAIL THERE. I MADE IT MYSELF!

CARNAGE! I LOVE IT! MY TERRAFLEXXED 450X MADE IT WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF 1ST GEAR. THESE TRACKMASTER SHOD KATOOMS, HOWEVER, HAD A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TIME.

WE AIN'T OUT OF THE WOODS YET. WELL, ACTUALLY WE ARE. LET'S GO POUND SOME TWISTIES.

NOW LET'S TAKE A BREAK AND GIVE A SHORT HISTORY LESSON.

BORED AGAIN. LET'S HIT THE CREEK FOR SOME CLOSE CALLS.

AND MAYBE A BRIDGE OR 2. END OF DAY 1 AND EVERYONE'S ALIVE.

DAY 2. LET'S GO RIDIN'.

OF COURSE WE AIN'T GONNA TAKE THE HIGHWAY. THE BEST BACKROADS OF WNC WILL SUFFICE.

AFTER 20 MILES OF BACKROADS, IT'S TIME TO GET DIRTY.

I FEEL LIKE FOLLOWING TODAY. I GIVE THE BOYZ THE DIRECTIONS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, AND TELL THEM TO WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS AT THE NEXT TRAIL INTERSECTION.

HOT ON THEIR HEELS.

ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN'...

IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER.

STOP FOR A POSE 'CAUSE I'M A POSER.

ENOUGH. LET'S HIT ROUND 3 OF YANNI'S TOP-SECRET SINGLETRACK TEST FACILITY.

IT STARTS OUT LIKE THIS...

AND LEADS US TO OUR NEXT BREAK.

NOW LET'S HIT SOME MORE SINGLETRACK.

IT GETS A LITTLE HAIRY AGAIN ONCE WE GET BACK ON SOME 4WD ROADS.

THEN IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER COOLDOWN.

NOT LONG AFTERWARDS, THE BOYZ WERE WIPED OUT. END OF DAY 2. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID...YANNI OUT!

GB · 06-22-2008, 02:32 PM

Wow!! That's some beautiful action pics and riding area. Thanks for sharing

Cannonshot · 06-22-2008, 02:43 PM

Good stuff Yanni!

Some familiar locations and great fun. What a great area to ride in!

Louge · 06-22-2008, 04:38 PM

I'm gonna have-ta mosey on back down to your 'hood Yanni.

Can still hear the pipes resonating off each other.
Think we can drag the pegs next time through ~~hear~~ here¿?

KHVol · 06-22-2008, 05:18 PM

Man..didn't realize places and rides like that still existed on the East Coast

yanni23 · 06-22-2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louge

I'm gonna have-ta mosey on back down to your 'hood Yanni.

Can still hear the pipes resonating off each other.
Think we can drag the pegs next time through ~~hear~~ here¿?

You come on back anytime my friend. We'll knock the sportbikes off their high-horse once again...

Check this. It's raining, I have a bald Kenda 777 Enduro up front, and a Trackmaster out back. I had to film this one-handed 'cause my helmetcam died. This is from my cheezy lil' Pentax camera set to ''video'' that I held in my left hand, so I'm sorry for the swaying and bad quality.

file://

husky123 · 06-22-2008, 06:05 PM

That looked like a fun ride! East Coast all the way! I really liked wading through your footage....almost like I rode it too.

Gotta get your way soon.

06-22-2008, 02:28 PM	#1
yanni23 ^OP Studly Adventurer Joined: May 2007 Oddometer: 655	Yanni's BIG WNC Helmetcam Adventure/Nantahala/Pisgah/Cherokee Forests We'll start with Week 1's guided tour. These boys RODE their XRL and DRZ from the coast of NC to come out and ride a 150-mile DS'er with me here in the mountains of WNC/EastTN, then rode 'em back...BALLZ. Keep in mind that I'm in the mountains of NC...about a 7 hour drive from where they live. This ride consisted of seriously twisty pavement, un-maintained FS roads, singletrack, 2-track, and 4wd roads. The weather was perfect until the rain came somewhere in Tennessee, and then the ridin' was great! I'm gonna let the pics and vids do the talkin' for me on this go-round. There's a ton of great pics in here and be sure to check out the helmetcam vid. www.dualsportarmory.com handled my footage for me. They know dual-sport better than any I know and their production work shows because I suck at editing, and they don't. Here's Week 1. HERE IS THE HELMETCAM ACTION. GO TO www.dualsportarmory.com. CLICK ON ''VIDEOS'' AND MINE'S AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. OR YOU CAN JUST VIEW IT HERE...SORRY I FORGOT I COULD LINK IT. file:// FIRST STOP, HILLCLIMB. MR. DRZ'S FACE SAYS IT ALL... WE CONTINUE THE TOUR ON SOME FS ROADS. TIME FOR A BREAK. 4WD ROADS ALONG A CREEK. I CAN'T STAND IT. TIME TO HIT THE GOODS. BREAK-TIME AGAIN. MORE OF THE GOODS. IT JUST KEEPS ON GOIN'. BEFORE A DRZ FELL IN... AND AFTER. TWISTY TIME. UN-MAINTAINED FS ROADS UNDERNEATH THE DRZ. RARIN' TO GO. GOTTA GO LOG JUMPIN' NOW. THESE GUYS ARE BROTHERS AND KNOW HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. THEY SAID THEY'LL BOTH BE BACK FOR A VISIT NEXT MONTH AND I CAN'T WAIT. COMIN' OUT OF THE WOODS. THEN WE ROUNDED 'ER BACK TO WAYNESVILLE, NC. COME ON BACK GUYS! END OF WEEK 1. Time for Week 2. These DixieDualSporters drove up from Tampa with their '02 KTM 520, and '05 KTM 525. We held a great pace on this 2-day affair with these seasoned riders. Day 1 was the same area, but a different route, as the one with the NC boys. Day 2 too, however, was the Nantahala National Forest. We put in 170 miles on Day 1 and 120 miles on Day 2. Temps and weather were awesome and it only rained briefly on the second day. Miles upon miles of un-maintained FS roads/trails was the name of the game on Day 2, with hardly any pavement to speak of. Really there wasn't much gravel...just hardcore offroad stuff all day long. Here ya go! DAY 1...WELCOME TO MY WORLD MEET THE BIKES...YANNI'S 2005 HONDA CRF450X. 10,000 MILES AND STILL ROLLIN' 2002 KTM 520 THAT'S HARD TO START. 2005 KTM 525 THAT'S EASY TO START. MY RIDERS FOR THE DAY LET'S GO. 2 LANE RIDIN' THROUGH THE WNC COUNTRY IS ALWAYS AN EXPERIENCE. ENOUGH PAVEMENT. THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS WE GO. COMIN' UP. WE THEN WENT FROM THIS... ...TO YANNI'S TOP-SECRET SINGLETRACK FACILITY. TIGHT AND STEEP. THEY'RE HAVIN' A BALL. ALL BY OURSELVES. WITH JUST THE TREES TO OBSERVE OUR DUAL-SPORT BLISS. WE VISITED ALL KINDS OF COOL PLACES. AND RODE MANY A CREEK CROSSIN'. I'M HUNGRY AFTER 70 MILES. SO WE HEAD DOWN THE MOUNTAIN TO GET SOME GRUB. THEY'RE LIKE...''ARE THOSE DIRTBIKES?'' REMINDS ME OF A BOB SEGER SONG. THEY HAVE SOME DECENT WINGS, AND NOT SO DECENT SERVICE. WHO CARES? THEY HAVE BEER. ENOUGH MESSIN' AROUND. LET'S GET OUTTA TOWN. CAREFUL OVER THERE! SPLASHIN' A LITTLE. TIME FOR ROUND 2 OF YANNI'S TOP-SECRET SINGLETRACK TEST FACILITY. YES, THERE IS ACTUALLY A TRAIL THERE. I MADE IT MYSELF! CARNAGE! I LOVE IT! MY TERRAFLEXXED 450X MADE IT WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF 1ST GEAR. THESE TRACKMASTER SHOD KATOOMS, HOWEVER, HAD A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TIME. WE AIN'T OUT OF THE WOODS YET. WELL, ACTUALLY WE ARE. LET'S GO POUND SOME TWISTIES. NOW LET'S TAKE A BREAK AND GIVE A SHORT HISTORY LESSON. BORED AGAIN. LET'S HIT THE CREEK FOR SOME CLOSE CALLS. AND MAYBE A BRIDGE OR 2. END OF DAY 1 AND EVERYONE'S ALIVE. DAY 2. LET'S GO RIDIN'. OF COURSE WE AIN'T GONNA TAKE THE HIGHWAY. THE BEST BACKROADS OF WNC WILL SUFFICE. AFTER 20 MILES OF BACKROADS, IT'S TIME TO GET DIRTY. I FEEL LIKE FOLLOWING TODAY. I GIVE THE BOYZ THE DIRECTIONS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, AND TELL THEM TO WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS AT THE NEXT TRAIL INTERSECTION. HOT ON THEIR HEELS. ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN'... IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER. STOP FOR A POSE 'CAUSE I'M A POSER. ENOUGH. LET'S HIT ROUND 3 OF YANNI'S TOP-SECRET SINGLETRACK TEST FACILITY. IT STARTS OUT LIKE THIS... AND LEADS US TO OUR NEXT BREAK. NOW LET'S HIT SOME MORE SINGLETRACK. IT GETS A LITTLE HAIRY AGAIN ONCE WE GET BACK ON SOME 4WD ROADS. THEN IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER COOLDOWN. NOT LONG AFTERWARDS, THE BOYZ WERE WIPED OUT. END OF DAY 2. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID...YANNI OUT!

06-22-2008, 02:32 PM	#2
GB Mod Squad Joined: Aug 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Oddometer: 53,461	Wow!! That's some beautiful action pics and riding area. Thanks for sharing __________________ ADV decals, patches & flag? Here

06-22-2008, 04:38 PM	#4
Louge silence of the limbs Joined: Nov 2005 Location: yellow house 25 miles NW of the white house Oddometer: 1,554	I'm gonna have-ta mosey on back down to your 'hood Yanni. Can still hear the pipes resonating off each other. Think we can drag the pegs next time through ~~hear~~ here¿? __________________ Just how deep do you believe? Will you bite the hand that feeds? Nine Inch Nails

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06-22-2008, 02:43 PM	#3
Cannonshot Having a Nice Time Joined: Jul 2005 Location: SE Wisconsin Oddometer: 13,926	Good stuff Yanni! Some familiar locations and great fun. What a great area to ride in!

06-22-2008, 05:18 PM	#5
KHVol Beastly Adventurer Joined: May 2004 Location: Virginia Oddometer: 2,078	Man..didn't realize places and rides like that still existed on the East Coast

06-22-2008, 06:05 PM	#7
husky123 Beastly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Leesburg, VA Oddometer: 1,428	That looked like a fun ride! East Coast all the way! I really liked wading through your footage....almost like I rode it too. Gotta get your way soon.