Riding 421 / Shady Valley TN

[katcurvincorners]

Ok... i went and hit 421.... overall a good ride... a semi dumped about 400 gallons of oil on the road on the way to Shady Valley.... so... that wasn't cool, but I met up with some guys in Shady Valley and rode with them for a while... good group of guys.... however, one of them did have a little mishap....we went back south to 321, and we were riding 321 back into TN... this guy was in front of me on the R6 and just got scared in the corner and hit the brakes. When he did, he hit the "fringe" of the road, and laid it down right under the guardrail. Twisted the front forks, bent the front wheel and flattened the front tire, and both sides of plastic are pretty much shot. He escaped with a few scrathes on his shin, and a few more on both feet... he was riding in Jeans and Tennis Shoes. As far as I can tell, hitting the brakes was flaw #1... also, leaning into the corners, he would lean off the bike like many of us do, except he was leaning off of the high side of the bike. He says that it makes it feel more solid in the corners. He realized that he got extremely lucky though and thanked the man upstairs for the help. On the other side of the guardrail is about a 150ft drop to a river down below. He's very lucky that his front wheel hit the post of the guardrail... otherwise the bike may have just kept on going. ... Also, as the rest of us were doing accident control and directing traffic, TN Highway patrol came rolling up with lights on.... The officer stopped... asked if everyone was alright, and if we had someone coming to get the bike. .... .... .... .... ... .... and then he left. This particular rider had no motorcycle licence, no insurance, and the bike was so new, that he didn't even have it in his name yet. Once again, he got extremely lucky.

[arsenic]

wow no insurance, what he gonna do with the bike?

[katcurvincorners]

i think he's going to try and find new forks... and put it back together himself.... that's what he was saying... i dunno... sounds expensive as heck to me.

[bubba]

wow that sucks, a brand new R6. I think I would have shot myself

Nah, but glad he's ok.

[katcurvincorners]

ok... for those that are curious.... here are a few vids I took today of 421..... enjoy... let me know what you think....

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=16696985

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=16698761

[HS2020]

Why is the camera sitting funny Good video. I hear that is a road that they patrol quite a bit as well.

[katcurvincorners]

I just didn't check the camera too well when I took off.... i adjusted it to straight with the bike on the kickstand.... ehhh... it happens.

[Black Sheep]

i think he's going to try and find new forks... and put it back together himself.... that's what he was saying... i dunno... sounds expensive as heck to me.

Well, it's either that or keep making payments on a bike that doesn't run!

I hear that is a road that they patrol quite a bit as well.

Some guys I ride with said it's getting as bad as Deals Gap and will only get worse.

[md86]

I heard a guy at the local shop saying I should check that area out , so I asked around . Then another guy said that the locals are VERY resentful of bikes to the point they boobytrap some roads and try to run bikes off the road

[katcurvincorners]

ehhh that's crap. at least in my experience. The locals are actually trying to keep cops away from the area because of all of the revenue the bikers bring in. The town of Shady Valley would not exist if it wasn't for all of the bikers coming through...I saw 2 cops up there yesterday, and that's the first cops I've seen in the 3 weeks straight i've been up there.

[TheKlic]

Good video, nice to see someone riding fast but responsibly. The angle drove me nuts though lol.

I rode 421 last time I was in that area, I wasn't all that impressed honestly. There some really good sections, but they're a couple miles apart. Better than flatlands for sure, but I was expecting something much more wicked.

[katcurvincorners]

here's another video.... not shady this time... this is a fun little road back home, riding with some buddies..

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18886028