50 years ago

[Rick Bennett]

Second day gas stop all good more later.

[Rick Bennett]

Day 1 left about 9:00am after breakfast and waiting for other riders in m group. Of course no one wants to lead so I am first bike out. I end up leading the whole day. I am riding with three Hondas, XL 250, XL 500, and CL 450 and one other. No real problems on the trail except the 450 is not running quite right. about 3/4 through the roll chart we come to four water crossings two feet deep and twenty yards across. We make it through three, but the 450 stalls and has to be pushed out. Trying to get it going we realize it has a blown head gasket. It is now 5:00 and we have to call the support truck and tow it to the nearest paved road. Once it is picked up we can get back on the trail. By 8:00 we are loosing daylight, especially in the woods. By 8:30, I can't read my odometer and roll chart. The last two woods sections and the last road section are done with my flashlight in my mouth to navigate with. We find camp at 9:00 after riding 12 hours. Dinner, pitch a tent and sleep is all I want. My Penton is running great. I see a black bear, 3 foot rattle snake and wild pig in the trail while riding. I have to swerve to miss the rattler. The trail is mountain road and gravel roads.

[Rick Bennett]

As I sit here in my tent, the 450 motor is out and waiting for parts tomorrow and someone is putting the head back on a BSA. One other Honda cooked itself today running out of oil. It's still running, barely.

Day 2 and you can pick your group to ride with. No one wants to ride with the two new guys on DT Yamahas since they were having problems on day 1. I ride with them and Thomas (BMW R90),and a young rider on a XT500. The young guy is last to be ready while we wait. Then a Yamaha floods its carb before we get out the camp road. It takes until 10:30 before we are riding. This is a 200 mile day and a late start. I think we set a record today for making the most stops. The DT 360 is running well now but the DT250 keeps having to stop. Fouled plugs and closed up points are the problem. Lack of grease on the cam is wearing out the rubbing block. Mountain roads, gravel and mud roads make up the trail with one water crossing. My Penton is running well. We pick up the speed and make camp in Maggie Valley just before dark, around 8:00. I get stung in the face near the end pf the days ride.

[Rick Bennett]

Day 3 up at 6:00. No rain yet but I think it is coming.

[Rick Bennett]

No rain since it passed us by yesterday. I leave camp with team Yamaha and Thomas on the BMW R60 with R90 motor. W don't even get out the camp road and the DT 360 quits. We take off the carb to find the float seat has unscrewed. Back together and off we go. We are already late because our younger XT500 rider is not a morning person and can't get ready on time. Next the DT 250 quits. He has been fighting a points problem. About every 50 miles he has to pull the cover and fiddle. After this goes on a few times, I mention he may want to grease the cam.

[Rick Bennett]

Ok, back to the story.
I have decided to do the ride differently this time. There are some younger riders that I have no desire to ride with. Sorry, but I must be getting old. Too much beer, BS, and no desire to help out the group. Anyway, the trail today starts out with a small amount of road miles and then gets VERY rough. Steep climb, deep ruts and lots of rocks. I do one step off trying to stay in the center, but loose the back wheel to a rut when I get to a slippery rock. Coast back down and ride the rut to the top. My group passes several others stuck and pushing. More dirt and gravel mixed with some pavement until we reach camp before dark. I pitch my tent, eat and pull the head off the 450. A guy from Common Motor (Honda parts business) who has a 450 helps out. The cam chain has to be cut to remove the head. A mew one was pulled through using the old one. By 1:00 am it was almost done and I went to bed.

[Rick Bennett]

Team Yamaha is a father and son from South Africa. Dad used to race MX and has ridden in four counties back home. He is now introducing his son to the bikes he rode back then. Good people with the right attitude.

[Rick Bennett]

Day 4 and I am tired so I would like more sleep. With everyone else stirring it is not to be. I hurry to pack up but stop to help the 450 rider for a minute. When I walk back towards my Penton, someone tells me that the rider parked next to me had knocked my bike over. The mirror is bent and he is gone, without remorse. One of the ones I don't care to ride with. Again I ride with the same riders and again we have to wait for the young guy to pack up. Today ends up being the reverse of day 3. The easy trail comes first and we get to Charlies Creek near the end. We have water crossings each day but this one is longer. You enter, turn tight and motor down stream. I like to take the water holes first and then sit and watch the action with GoPro running. The trail after the creek is VERY rough.  We manage to come through clean, and get to camp before dark. Three bikes are out with mechanical failures including the 450. One rider has a fractured wrist.

[Rick Bennett]

Day 5 and last of the V1000. My Penton gets its morning chain lube and starts easily after we wait for you know who. Once you get this guy on the trail he is great. Just not a morning person. Road miles first then ROUGH trail. We catch another group before starting the climb. One of the other groups older riders heads up the hill, falls, the bike is laying on him, and he can't get out. Once rescued, his ankle is sprained and he quits. Not the place for a Honda CL360 and a rider that has no dirt experience. My group makes it up clean and leap frog two others. Lots of smooth dirt and gravel follows. Near the end of the day we get to Gold Springs Road. The one that took two hours to go 1.7 miles in the rain last year. As soon as we turn the corner it starts to rain. I look at Thomas and we laugh. Time to get out of here. We had picked up A BSA rider in our group and he stalls half way up the first hill. I am not waiting and pass him by. Team Yamaha and I make it to the end and wait. Five minutes later the BMWAnd BSA show up ok.  Thomas and I laugh again. There must be a black cloud over that road, one of the roughest  on the trip. The last of the miles to Chattanooga are paved and we get done around 5:00. Another good run for one of my Pentons. Nicks Harley lost its tranny early in the day. 16 percent of the bikes didn't finish.

[Rick Bennett]

The ride home...
Nick is getting picked up by my daughter, so Randy and I head north. A three day ride from home. Other than a detour, the first day goes well. Start of day two from Burnside, KY things start to go south.  My brake light switch is not working and neither is Randys. I miss some shifts, we get lost and the at 62 mph I have a soft seizure that locks the back wheel.  I grab the clutch and roll off the highway. Just before stopping, I release the clutch and it restarts.  It hasn't happened since. Then coming out of Paris, KY, I smell gas and look down. My tank has a big crack above the petcock. After whipping into a parking lot and tipping the bike on its side, steel stick to the rescue. Randy brings back a pizza while we wait for the epoxy to cure. We stop at a car wash and I get a bath along with my Penton. We finally reach Cowan State Park, fix our broken lights, listen to the Indians game and your up to date. You couldn't make this stuff up if you wanted to. Another 250 miles tomorrow, I hope and home. Will let you know...

[Rick Bennett]

Packed up and headed home. I am wearing my rain pants to guard against getting soaked with gas. What an adventure.

[Rick Bennett]

Not good as my motor is loosing compression. Waiting for a rescue. I had left my van full of gas just in case. Didn't quite work out this time. Ride, repair, repeat.

[Richard]

I am sorry to hear of your misfortune, Still, what an adventure. Well done!

[Timothy Walls]

Please let us know what Pre-mix oil you were useing so we can avoid that brand !

Timothy Walls