I like starting my southern excursions in Erwin, Tennessee. From here there are several roads to choose from. You can head toward any of the compass points and find yourself on secondary roads that will thrill you. I’m about to send you on a trip that will do just that. It’s a grouping of roads giving you mountains, cities, valleys and so much more! Climb on board: it’s God’s country around her. Even if you’re atheist; you’ll have to admit something big has happened here in the Appalachian Mountains.

top of the mountain SR 197

Here is the route I ended up taking. Please keep in mind; I don’t ride with maps or GPS on these types of exploratory outings. I wing my way around the countryside working off memory and wander-lust. It’s a most gratifying way to travel. It leaves you with doubts and worries, but not of the everyday cares of your work-a-day world.  This is the cool worry things like: are ya going to make it to the next fuel stop. Or how about realizing the pavement ends and becomes gravel, but how far do ya have to ride that? Will the road become soft? Will it dead end? Will the pavement return?  Or how about those washed out bridges and new detours? Yes, this is a wonderful way to ride and explore the region! I can’t get enough of it.

Leaving Erwin on US-23 South, I cross over to the west side of I-26 where I flow easily into Tennessee on SR-352. This road runs a south-westerly direction through little rural areas such as Rocky Fork Tennessee. Eventually we will cross over the North Carolina state line, where the road becomes known as North Carolina SR-212. The road becomes very hilly here, with big sweepers and curves as you roll down the hillsides of Tennessee’s mountains. The terrain becomes less rocky and a smidgen flatter.  Farms are starting to dot the view. You have to remember; these are not your flatlander farms. These farms are slivers of land, plowed and no wider than a football field, but generally about a ¼ mile long or shorter. You’ll also be riding through National Lands, The Pisgah National Forest lies here. When you get to Belva, North Carolina, SR212 ends. You’ll be picking up SR-208 South into Hurricane, North Carolina. and once more the road will morph into something else, you want to be on US 25/70 South now since we are heading into Marshall, North Carolina. Marshall serves the mountain community and provides needed stores such as hardware and grocery, county services, neighbors in need, holiday events, and the home offices for the county libraries.

Instead of going into the town of Marshall, turn right after the Citgo Station and get yourself on SR-251 South. The locals call it River Road. It runs next to the French Broad River for many miles. This river is full of rock shelves causing whitewater rapids. It’s great for the camera, so why didn’t I take any pictures of this? I guess I thought I had too many pictures of water? Who knows? There are several county parks along the road to stop at, one has restroom facilities. They have real nice facilities. You’ll know it when you see the park. It has picnic tables and a walking trail. You’ll find this a good place to pull over and relieve your cramping muscles. Stretch your legs or empty the bladder. It’s a good rest stop for this leg of the journey. All along this route, you will find abandoned homes, businesses and great photo opportunities for wild life and river life. This is a wonderful river route to follow!

At the end of River Road, you will find yourself in Woodfin. It’s a suburb of Asheville, North Carolina. You’ll have to take US-70 south to I-40 east exit.  It’s also US-70 exit.  Staying on US 70 until you see the Blue Ridge Highway exit. Get off 70 and get on the Blue Ridge. If you’ve never been on the Blue Ridge, you’ll enjoy the fact you’re on a great scenic road running along the ridge lines of the Appalachian Mountains. If you have been here before, it’s the same old thing, over and over again. I want to get off as soon as I come across a road that appears promising. It wasn’t long before I came across an exit marked for Ox Creek Road.  Promising name, the signage also promised a landmark area known as “Vance Birth Place”. I didn’t know who Vance was, but what the heck. Let’s learn some history.  Ox Creek Road is a nice little road snaking up hill for about five miles before you connect (T) with Rheems Creek Road. More hilly roads leading north.  It’s here you will find Vance Birth Place.  Turns out Vance was an early Governor of North Carolina.  I didn’t do anything more than make a circle in the parking lot and leave.  The grounds appeared beautiful, with a large covered picnic area.  Up the little rise a bit is a log cabin with a few out-buildings surrounding it.  It all appeared too contrived, been there, done that.  I wanted to continue to ride.  But it’s a really nice place for a respite. The information building has bathrooms and cold soda.  You can stop here for a soaking of NC history, a bathroom break, and a cold drink.

Rolling north, still on Rheems Creek Road, you’ll come finally to the town of Beech.  Its here I see SR-197. I know of this road.  I’ve been on it a couple of weeks ago a bit further north.  It’s a great curvy, scenic ride as you cross into North Carolina from Tennessee.  I figured it would be just as good south of US-19E.  It was too…with a bit of a twist. There was the usual signage warning truckers to find another route due to hairpin turns.  Wait! There’s more to the warning! This road has sections of steep gravel grades! HUH?  OK, I figure it won’t last long, I can do this as long as this as long as the road isn’t “soft”.  I ride this road for about five miles, no gravel. I’m thinking the sign was wrong. That’s what I get for thinking. I come on the warning sign for gravel road.  Sheesh, ok here we go! It’s not that bad, it starts out hard pan graded road. I can do this easy. Then here come the washboard, damn, I should have pee’d back in Beech. Now I’m on a road with washboard ripples, my kidneys are ready to burst. So what do ya do? Quit yer whining and keep on riding.

After about a mile, I pull off the road.  There is a car behind me, and I can tell she wants to get around me.  She stops, rolls down her window and tells me I only have about two miles left off the gravel. I smile and thank her. I’m sitting at 66 miles on the odometer, and I’m starting to fret about gas stations. Although, with slow speed, I know I will get about 100 miles on the tank; without  a gauge, YOU NEVER KNOW! I smile and thank her for the information. I allow her to get a bit ahead of me. She’s leaving a dust trail behind her and I’m not willing to choke for no one on this ride. I travel about a 1/8 mile when I come across this waterfall. Yeah, this is what it’s all about for me!

After almost three miles of gravel road (with sections of huge rock the size of a child’s fist,) I finally arrive at a tarmac. It’s at the top of the mountain, and I’m heading down mountain! I soon realize this part of the road is like looking at how a bootlace winds it’s way up the eyelets. This road is a serpentine road. You can look down over the edge of the road and see it wind it’s way down the mountain side: right angle turn, left angle turn a hundred feet later, “Twist and Shout“, Chubby Checker was singing about this road!  What a fun ride so far! Great scenery, wonderful skills testing from the road! Great people met along the way! Now this! About six miles of serpentine roads. At the bottom of the mountain is a little general store and a derelict building.

Still heading north on SR 197 I found an old barn/antique store/derelict abandoned building. I am so pleased for the photo shots at this barn! For the photography end of this trip, well this made up for all the rest I had either missed or passed up due to no shoulder to pull off on. There was so much more to the ride, but I’m leaving ya here. Be sure to follow SR 197 to SR 226, where it will later turn into Tennessee 107 into Erwin and Johnson City TN.

By Marilyn Elmore Bragg

old bunkhouse Narrow Spit Farms

closed for business

gravel road

tumbling water

waterfall SR 197

closed store

country store Pensacola, NC

Chessie's ride

I left the Blue Ridge around the town of Webster and started making my way back west toward I-81 and Route 11. I found myself heading toward the city of Roanoke on Route 221, I then switched to Route 460 West in the city of Roanoke. It’s not long before I find my way back to Route 11 and the small town of Salem. It was in Salem I had to assume something wicked had come my way. It was apparent to me that vehicles were staying too far back from my rear fender. Knowing before that I was about to lose my tail light assembly I figured that I finally had. I kept going, looking for an Auto Zone or something. Seeing one, I stopped, looked at my fender where my stop light assembly was and seeing that it was still there was a bit of a relief. What wasn’t there was my lens and light bulb. OK, this was much better than losing everything. Walking inside I find that the guy behind the desk is a biker too. He helps fix me up and now I have a nice red lens and a new 1157 bulb in the socket. I’ll make it home the rest of the way with no problems. My tent site was only a mile away.

Pulling into my tent site and since it was still daylight out I gathered an armful of wood for a fire that night. I drank about a gallon of water, ate a hotdog with a small bag of chips (which I bought at the campground store) and relaxed. I slept well through the night awakening only twice, once because of a thunder storm passing overhead and the second time was a nature call. I visited the natural outhouse rather than making that dreaded trek to the shower house since it was quite a walk away and my body was stiff as hell. I didn’t want to get chilled and besides I’m lazy cuss who doesn’t mind peeing in the woods.

I wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to ride! I pack up my stuff, bungee everything back on the bike and head south on Route 11. I continue on 11 until I get to Fort Chiswell in Virginia. At Fort Chiswell, I shoot on Route 94 South until I come across Route 619 at Porter’s Crossroads. Here I take 619 west to Route 69 west and keep on that till I hit US 21 South at Speedwell. Wow, all I can say is if y’all haven’t taken this route, you should. I took US-21 South to Route 58 west. It’s all great riding once you get on Route 58 west which is designated as a scenic byway and good Lord is it ever!

The road has as many bent crooks in it as a knurled and twisted grandfather oak. It coils around this stream and up that mountain. These two roads afford views of checkered farm lands and grazing animals
and of acres of primal forests. Route 58 west is not to be ignored. One really needs to take this ride!

Route 58 hooks up with Route 91 south, which will take me home. I cross the state line into Tennessee and realize the ride is almost over. In three days of riding I had put 1,023 miles on the odometer of my bike. It seems all too soon. Time to make plans for another ride!

Main Street, Radson, VA

Drapper's Valley

An unknown dam in VA

Tennessee line on Hwy 91

I was up and out of the campground by 7AM the next morning.  I wanted to get in the swap meet early, get my pictures and interview the vendors and attendees early so I could be out on the road discovering Virginia and her little towns.  I was done with the swap meet by noon, so it was time to get lost.

Heading southwest on Tinkling Springs Road, I’m off to explore the world. Tinkling Springs Road. will eventfully dump you off into Route 340, which I crossed and hop onto SR 608 through a town known as Stuart’s Draft. Over the railroad tracks and down the road just a tad, route 1530 becomes known to the traveler through road signs, it appears to be a great route, not mention it appears to into a southwesterly direction. That’s just the way I was hankerin’ to head off to.

Locally the road is known as Cold Springs Road: it has a few nice little curves in it, as well as a nice hilly countryside to look at when you’re not navigating the curves. After a few miles you’re deposited into US-11 south, which meant I’m still heading in a tent-wardly direction. For those of you who don’t know, US-11 is a bit like the East’s version of Route 66. Before I-81 came along, US-11 was the main drag through VA., because you’ll find some pretty cool and interesting sights along the way.

I passed one location known as Natural Bridge. I was getting pretty excited about seeing a natural bridge…in fact I was willing to stop and pay to get in and see it up close as well as soak in some history about the area. I didn’t do it though. The road will take you right past the natural bridge, but they have walled it off with a very tall wood structure, thus preventing the passer-by from getting any kind of a gander at it all. Sorry little town of Natural Bridge. You lost me with that trick. I see nothing clever about blocking off a natural landmark from casual view. It struck me as being so unethical, I lost all desire to leave the road and see this piece of natural workmanship. I’m not sure, but I may have shot myself in the foot with that feeling. All the same, it felt as if the nature was being ransomed and it rubbed me the wrong way. They didn’t see any of my money as I continued moving south but I did come across this weird sight. It’s called “Foamhenge”  along Hwy 11 south near Natural Bridge, Virginia. There are actually tours of Foamhenge, but you should call ahead if you’re planning for a guided tour of the grounds!

Finally around Buchanan, I’ve had enough of all this and decided to roll to the Blue Ridge Highway. Talk about a scary 4 miles from Route 11 to the on ramp at the Blue Ridge? Good Lord! I was thinking heavily about turning back. They used chipped shale to keep the road graveled during winter and it was as slippery as gorilla snot. My shoulders, hands and teeth hurt by the time I got onto the Parkway. I slipped onto the “Ridge” and headed south, breathing a huge stress relieving sigh. Soon I was enjoying the spine of the Blue Ridge Motorway and it was beautiful, so beautiful.

"Foamhenge" near Natural Bridge, VA

Blue Ridge Parkway and Little Gal

The adventure began on Saturday, March 8^th, 2009. The old girl and I set out for Fishersville, Virginia from Johnson City, Tennessee. First on my agenda was to arrive at my intended campsite, get the bike unloaded, set my tent up and then get back on the road to explore Fishersville and Charlottesville. In order to accomplish this feat, I decided to ride the quick way up on I-81 from Bristol. That’s what I did for the most part; except for a small stretch where I just got so damn bored I thought to try US-11north. That decision was problematic, as it was slow going through all the small towns it ran through. I ended up back on I-81 until I came to exit 132.

Exit 132 was my planned stop over, Dixie Caverns and Campgrounds. I decided on this stop for the price only, eight dollars for primitive camping which included the heated shower and toilet facilities. Comparable sites closer to where I was going, that’s if they would be open to campers yet, were $22.00 a night. Hell, I like riding well enough that the hundred miles I was shy of my true destination for the next day (Fishersville and a swap meet held there by Departure Bike Works of Richmond Virginia) should be a breeze.

I had unloaded my gear, put up my tent, inflated up my air mattress, and stowed my gear in the tent.  I’m ready to go exploring. Once more I turn my wheels onto I-81 north, my sights set on Fishersville and vicinity. It’s a 100 mile ride on a road I hadn’t been on before. The time passed quickly.  Before I knew it, I was in Fishersville exploring the area.  I was there in search of the Augusta Expo Building.  That’s where the motorcycle parts swap meet, sponsored by Departure Bike Works was to be held.

The ride up to Fishersville was uneventful.  Once there, could see the Augusta Building from the highway.  I knew where I had to be the next day, and now that I was there I had some time for more adventure riding. I made my way to Charlottesville and then found some back roads leading the way to Batesville. Once in Batesville I stopped at what was touted as a general store to get a bottle of water and some directions. Whoa again sister, when I entered that “general store” what I found would have made me feel I was in some large city. The floors may have been old wood floors, the walls were tongue and groove, but the booths and tables all had plugs in the walls or floor for the patron to plug in his/her laptop.  The glass shelving was loaded with pastries of all kinds, and gourmet coffee wafted to the nostrils of this poor tired girl.  I knew I was out of my element here, the gourmet coffee and poofy pastries were too rich for my blood.

Back at my tent, I lit a small campfire then drank a half gallon of water and finally took a really long hot shower to help ease the cramping of muscles that remained dormant through winter.  My shower finished, it’s time to crawl into my tent and slip between the folds of the sleeping bag. The weather for the evening was to be in the low 40’s, clear and perfect for sleeping within the confines of a tent.  I slept like a baby.

Me, my old gal, tent and Dixie Caverns

“Nothing makes me feel so good, as taking a long ride to nowhere and back home again.  Of course, there is no such thing as “nowhere”.  Anytime you leave one spot for another your somewhere!  I left my home in Johnson City TN with the idea of following a map I had routed a week or two before. The map idea lasted until I got to Bristol.  Nothing worked after that: I guess I can’t remember directions past the 2nd turn. Once in the city of Bristol, I made my way west on 11E toward Kingsport TN. About 4 miles out of town I found what I was looking for.  I had read about an old building on the internet, but had never seen it.  I slowed down and gradually eased into the huge gravel parking lot.  Drinking in the sight of this huge box guitar posing as a building.  It’s a cool sight and well worth the stop to photograph your bike in front of.  It gives ya bragging rights if you’re a music fan.

This building is known as the Grand Guitar.  Its last usage was as a Museum housing guitars and other types of rare or unusual instruments.  You could wander through the museum spotting guitars, ukuleles, lap steels, resonator guitars, banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, auto harps and violins. The building is 70 feet long, three stories tall and the guitar neck inlay as well as the sound hole is windows.  It’s a bit sad to see it in its present crumbling condition, but that’s “progress.”

I stopped my bike in front of the building and started snapping away. It was cool just me and my bike out for a great Sunday ride, kinda doing a theme thing.  I thought I would stop at all the neat things I had found on the internet; you know the weird but true historic and not so historic places of interest to visit?  I got the photos I wanted and then it was time to mount up and head on out.

Climbing on the little girl and pulling in her clutch lever: I cranked the bike up and made sure she was in first gear, sliding the lever out slowly, I pull out onto the road.  Once both wheels were on the road and out of gravel, I twisted the wick and in short order I was ready to kick her into second and I did.  Oh, oh, something’s wrong.  Damn you Mr. Murphy!  Damn you all to hell!  My shift lever came off the shaft and it was dangling on the toe of my boot. I thought to myself; don’t move your foot Chessie, slowly shut the bike down, find a safe place to pull over and hope there are no bumps to knock the shift lever from your boot. There are cars behind you so please don’t let that pot ash material get run over by a car or truck, oh no, no, no.

Whistles and fanfare, I did it! I might have pissed off the driver behind me but who cares?  He didn’t run me over and I still have the shift lever dangling from my boot!  I’m off the road and off my bike.  I open my tool bag and pull out the hex head wrench needed to tighten the leaver back on.  OK, put the lever on the spline and correctly tighten her down.

Are you kidding me? None of the wrenches fit! Found one that would kinda sorta work. I couldn’t see the hole on the set screw, so I just assumed it was stripped and that was the reason I couldn’t get the thing to tighten down well. While I was lying on my back peering under my bike and trying to tighten the bolt I noticed a middle aged woman pull over.  She had passed me on the other side of the road and then decided to come back around and offer tools or assistance if needed.  Cool, I was impressed, this woman was like me and carried all the tools she needed to work on her vehicle.  I liked her and thanked her profusely for stopping.  We discussed what was going on with the lever and I asked her if there was an Auto Zone or something up the road.

Yes sirreee Bob, about four miles up the road just before coming into Kingsport I found a NAPA store that was open!  I worked for a NAPA store that catered mostly to jobbers. We wouldn’t have opened on Sunday for anybody, but these guys were, amazing, and the guy was most helpful.

Turns out the screw that was being used to tighten the lever onto the splined shaft was a star setscrew, no wonder I couldn’t get it to tighten up very well. By the time I was done with it, it most certainly was buggered! The guy behind the counter went to his bolt bin and found me a hex headed bolt to fit.  Well, it may not be pretty, but it bolted on and stays tight!”

Welcome to Bristol

Grand Guitar

Part of Chessie's Tool Kit

The intersection of US-58 and US-421 is a large one.  Both US Roads are four lanes at this point, and their intersections are rather busy.  But if you can, I suggest you take time to pull over and look around.  On the corner of US 58 Eastbound and US 421 Southbound is a rather strange sight.  It’s a small locomotive, I swear, its missing half of its body! It is a fun photograph to have in your collection of strange or weird machines!

It’s at this corner we will be making a southern turn towards the Natural Tunnel and eventually back across the state line to Tennessee.  US-421/23, is a four lane road moving through the mountain passes of Virginia, eventually taking us to Duff-Patt RD (or SR 871) and SR 612 and Natural Tunnel State Park.  The entire ride from our starting point is 22 short miles.

The Natural Tunnel is believed to have begun forming more than a million years ago.  During the glacial period,  ground water and carbonic acid  began to infiltrate fissures in the rock, slowly dissolving the limestone and dolomite bedrock.  There is a beautiful creek that now runs through the tunnel, but scientists believe what is now known as Stock Creek had probably diverted underground, and continued to carve the tunnel.  After centuries of water erosion the result is this wonderful Natural Tunnel. This is an ancient place and the walls of the tunnel show evidence of prehistoric life as well as fossils (they are embedded in the walls and in the rubble of the creek bed).

It’s been said, Daniel Boone was the first white settler to see the tunnel.  We know for sure he explored this area extensively- the problem being, he never wrote about it.  The first mention of the tunnel is from a Lt. Col. Long, who explored the area, subsequently publishing an article on it in a geology journal in 1832.

In 1890 the South Atlantic and Ohio Railroad laid claim to the tunnel and surrounding area, laying track for saltpeter mining operations being conducted near in the area.  Later, in 1906 Southern Railway bought the tracks, shifting their use from supporting mining operations to passenger rail duty. It wasn’t long after this that coal was discovered in the area and Southern Railway quit running passengers to haul the lucrative coal.  To this day, coal is still hauled by freight train through the tunnels on these rails.

In 1967 the Commonwealth of Virginia obtained the tunnel as well as 100 acres from the Natural Tunnel Chasm and Caverns Corporation, establishing Natural Tunnel Park.  By 1971 somewhere around 750 more acres were garnered and the park opened in 1971.  Today, if you choose to, you can camp, picnic, hike, swim or join in interpretive programs at the State Park.

On this day though, I chose to pay my three dollars to the pimply-faced kid manning the chairlift down into the valley where the creek and rail tracks make their way through the huge tunnel! It’s a short, but impressive ride down the mountainside.  If you’re in better shape than a couch potato, you may want to walk the zig zag path

down the mountain to the tunnel.  Either way, you’ll enjoy nature at its best!

It’s time to move on, let’s ride the chair lift back up the mountain, mount our bikes and head for all parts south.  There’s still more to see!

Back on US 421/23 south, travel about five miles, then lean your bike for the turn to SR 871 South.  Better known as the Daniel Boone Trail into Gate City  Before you get there, be sure to pull over at a tiny rest stop on the left.  Here you can get an eye full of the Copper Creek Railroad Trestles.  These are tracks that run high in the air…if you’re a railroad buff, you have to stop to see these tracks and the bridge that carry them over the valley…from mountain to mountain.

Ah man, its time to head the wheels home, let’s get on the Boone Trail Highway to Gate City. We’ll be passing through Gate City to I-26 East and on home to Johnson City.

The entire ride for today is only 68 miles, but when you add it in conjunction with the Rogersville Ride from last week…hell you have one heck of a ride in front of you!

Tennessee’s State Road 347, Rogersville, and State Road 70.

by Marilyn Elmore-Bragg

Fueled up and ready to go, I roll out of town, eventually happening upon State Road 70.  Again it’s a lovely road, a riders’ road, with gentle rolling hills, small friendly twists in the road thrown in with the rural farmlands.  You’ll run into anomalies such as little stores with more junk and graffiti than a railcar in Chi-town. These kinds of stores defy the written or spoken word.  You have to see it to understand.  Early in the ride north on SR 70, on your right you will come across a wonderful old log cabin sitting in a field all by its lonesome.  I photographed my bike in front of it.  You have to stop and see this cabin. It fills my mind with so many questions. I wonder… will your brain be similarly stimulated?

SR 70 is another winding road that will take you from farm land to hills and finally into the mountains of Virginia.  Along your way you will come across horse camps, small communities that boast bronco rings, perhaps a few houses and some small business that are just fun to stop and visit.  One such business is a restaurant I stopped at.  I don’t know exactly where I was on 70 when I came across this place.  If not for a mobile sign up the road advertising this place, I wouldn’t have known to look for food here.  I would have assumed this building to be a junk store, feed store, anything but a restaurant! The parking lot was unpaved; the white stucco of the exterior was mildewed to the point you actually had to search for the white of the stucco surface.

Once inside, you will find a small steam table. Depending upon the time of day, you’ll find anything from scrambled eggs to steak and potatoes at this joint.  I was there for breakfast, I had scrambled eggs, biscuit, ham, sausage gravy, bacon…well, let’s just say I ate a fine breakfast and went away full.  The place was decorated with rolling pins hanging from the ceiling.  The restaurant was clean (on the inside) and the food was hot and tasty!

At the state line of Virginia and Tennessee, be sure to stop at the little grave yard just before the bridge. You’ll be standing with one foot in Lee County VA., and one foot in Tennessee.  The Surgener family is buried there.  This family provided a few historic figures for the area.   Am I just weird, or do many of you like to investigate the small cemeteries of these communities?

From here you begin your assent into the mountains of Virginia. The sights are of blue hued mountains, forests of majestic greens, sparkling mountain streams, jutting rock faces and twisting well maintained asphalt making its way up the slight grade of the mountains ahead.   Take your time as you ride up the grade into the mountains of Virginia.  You won’t regret the decision to ride Route 70.

As it is with every fairy tale road, it will end.  At the conclusion of SR 70, you will find your wheels on US 58.  You can head east or west.  I chose east.  This section of US 58 is rather dull. A four lane densely traveled road at this section and I recommend paying attention to the traffic.

We will head east until we intersect with US 421 South where we will stop to visit the Natural Tunnel in Southern Virginia. There are so many wonderful places to see in Virginia and I hope you will come back for my next installment, a southbound ride to US 421South into Tennessee.

Tennessee’s State Road 347, Rogersville, and State Road 70.
by Marilyn Elmore-Bragg

My little Sportster is packed and ready to putt her way toward I-26 North West into Kingsport, TN.

We are looking for State Route 347, a westerly route to Rogersville. After arriving on I-26, the Sportster and I are tooling along, taking in the scenery as well as watching for our planned riding route: SR-347 west.

Once on State Road 347, I find the road to be full of promise.  Immediately off the exit, the road begins to rise. A slight incline indicating we will soon be approaching the foot hills.  With foothills come twisted, meandering roads, and at this lower level, we are fairly assured of coming across abandoned farm buildings.  From tobacco barns and equipment sheds to falling down barns and boarded up farm houses. I see photo ops coming.

RT. 347 meanders west for about 40 miles. That’s a guess; my speedo and trip meter aren’t working and haven’t worked for years. Ah yes, forty miles of the Sportster and me rumbling past old homesteads, businesses and fallow fields.  I want to stop and photograph the shacks. We are starting to get into higher elevations. The woods are beginning to close on the road; only breaking for the boarded up businesses with their sagging porches, heavy with vines climbing to their roof lines. I can see the homes of the mountain dwellers; clap board walls supported by weary, heavy oak beams and wilting roofs.

The front porches of these dwellings sustaining couches, chairs, children and dogs…I wanted to pull my Sportster over for some shots.  I must admit, I was afraid of buckshot and felt it prudent to continue on.  I had the strings of “Deliverance” occasionally twanging through the thoughts of my brain.  I know, this is so silly…but I was sure it was rude to photograph these people and their homes without permission…I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

On State Road 347 just east of Rogersville, I stopped to examine an old dam (Rogersville Dam). It is used to help the citizens of the area collect, treat and distribute drinking water.  There was an old rest stop left over from the days when this was a major road connecting Rogersville and Kingsport.  At this site I found a derelict cement picnic table sitting next to a small brook that joined the larger stream just below the dam.

At this location an old grist mill once sat; supplying the local community with crushed grains for livestock and local families.  Its hard believe 5 years ago I would have hurried past this beautiful place, never noticing the history, the beauty or the necessity of its functions for this small community.   Its rushing waters and lush greenery make it an ideal site to pull over, stretching your legs as you admire the natural surroundings, chug some liquid refreshment, munch on a treat, or just sit and reflect on the ride so far!

A few miles down the road, I came into the city limits of Rogersville. Rogersville is a good sized town. If you’re hungry, thirsty, broke down, or looking for entertainment, I know it can be found here.  Do be sure to fuel up for the next leg of our journey. If you have a temperamental machine that runs poorly on bio/grain fuels…you’re smart to get your gas now rather than later.

Stay tuned for the next installment of this ride, where Marilyn take us along on beautiful SR70, straddling the TN/VA border.

photo credits: http://classic-motorbikes.net/

The Rickman Cycle Company had gone through many changes since its inception in the early ‘60’s. From a motocross rolling chassis kit, to viable street bike manufacturers, Rickman had seen some major changes.  Changing their frames to accept the four stroke Japanese engines was a popular move at the time for Rickman.

Through the years, Rickman Metisse suffered greatly from the Japanese Motor Company’s ability to successfully copy the Rickman frame design, incorporating it into their bikes.  This left Rickman shifting operations from motorcycle manufacture to producing accessories such as carriers, safety bars and fairings.  In an effort to keep the company alive, Rickman diversified.  Their factories started building garden furniture, hospital beds and kit cars using Ford engines.  The Rickman brothers sold their company in the mid 1980’s.

In 1984, Pat French bought the stock of MKIII and MKIV chassis building jigs from a former Rickman employee.  Pat French was a stickler for perfection.  His reputation grew, and he moved his operations to a larger plant in Bristol.  At the same time he also purchased the last of Metisse fiberglass body molds and the remainder of Metisse CR and CRE spares from Rickman. Pat French continued to produce a number of different MRD models until his death on July 30^th, 2007.

The Metisse has been issued by at least three companies since Rickman closed their doors.

The Company manufacturing the Metisse today is Metisse Motorcycles Limited. You can find the Metisse Motorcycles Limited online: http://www.metisse-motorcycles.com/#, using Steve McQueen’s name to help them sell these motorcycles, as well as the movie clip of his stunt double, Bud Ekins jumping the infamous fence.

Here is some wonderful information regarding that famous motorcycle jump here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/videos/article5718912.ece

It’s a great read, and I would think it would be something for y’all to check up on when time permits.

One last note on the Rickman brothers, in 2007 The AMA inducted the brothers into the Hall of Fame, at their acceptance speech this is the story they told… WOW.

“After our first frame design was finished and proven, we decided to offer it to the British Industry free of charge,” said Derek Rickman during his acceptance speech. “We did this because we had no manufacturing facilities. One by one, BSA, Triumph and Matchless all turned us down. This made us mad, so we came home and we decided to start production ourselves.”(note: the Rickmans did just that, producing frame kits and, later, complete motorcycles from the mid 1960s through the late 1970s. At its peak, the Rickman factory produced nearly 4,000 motorcycles, largely to feed the growing sport of motocross in the United States).  ”Can you imagine the size of the market for a Triumph Metisse produced by the Triumph factory?” continued Rickman. “Ironically, a year later we were the only motorcycle factory left in Great Britain. If just one of those factories had said yes, we might not have been here tonight.“

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/news/2007/HOFinduction.asp

We hope you’ve enjoyed this 3-part series on Rickman, if you have please let us know.

We’d like to thank Marilyn for her good work and look forward to working with her in the future, Thanks Marilyn!!

photo credits:  http://classic-motorbikes.net/

The Rickman Motorcycle Company started producing rolling chassis kits with their innovative frame design derived for the motocross community in 1960. Through the years, Rickman married their frames with Triumph, BSA, Bultaco, and Matchless along with many others.  In the late sixties into the early seventies, Rickman Motorcycle kits were being married to other types of engines such as the Royal Enfield.

It’s remarkable how the Rickman frame and the Enfield engine became matched.  Royal Enfield had closed their doors, but there were 200 engines sitting on a shipping dock.  These Interceptor engines were slated to be shipped to Floyd Clymer of the Clymer Auto Manuals fame.  Clymer passed away before the engines could be shipped and his export agents were asked by the estate to get rid of them.  The Engines were offered to the Rickman brothers (who were having much difficulty getting any engine company to commit fully to them)…and the restricted rise of the Interceptor engine matched with Rickman frames came into being.

The Royal Enfield Cycle Company was known as an engineering company producing motorcycles, bicycles, stationary engines and lawnmowers.  One of the proudest moments of their history was when they were providing rifle parts for Royal Small Arms Factory.  The Royal Cycle Company chose for their logo a cannon, and for their motto this statement: “Made like a gun, goes like a bullet.” The British Royal Enfield Cycle Company was in business from 1890 to 1971, when their business endeavors was dissolved.

The Royal Enfield engine passed into history and BSA in America approached the Rickman Company. The Rickmans were commissioned to build BSA two classes of motocross bikes; A 125cc engine and a 250cc engine.  After casting about at motor companies, Rickman settled on the Montesa for the 250cc and the Zundapp from Germany for the 125cc class.  BSA loved the prototypes, and started to import them to America.  It’s been noted almost 4 thousand of Rickman motorcycles each year were being imported to America.

The success of the Rickman motorcycle company was due to its foresight to concentrate their focus on the American market. At one point they employed 130 workers at its shop in New Milton, Great Britan.  The Queen issued Rickman the “Queen’s Award for Industry” mainly because of Rickmans grasp of the American Market sales.

Until the late 1960’s, the Rickmans were building only off road machines.  But there came a time when they realized there was a good market for them in the street bike as well.

The Rickmans hadn’t seriously considered building frames for street racing machines, not until a sponsor for the street racing industry pointed out their successes in motocross could only be an asset in a transition to street production. The Rickman brothers soon found themselves tearing into the frames of the street machines, discovered the weaknesses, then set about building a frame for the road racing set.  The Rickmans took a Matchless engine and wrapped their newly designed frame for street racing around it.  It was an instant hit.

In the mid ‘70’s, the Rickman’s were installing both BSA and Triumph power plants in their well-made frames. Unfortunately both of these companies folded, leaving the Rickman brothers in a bind, prompting them to closely examine the fine works of both Honda and Kawasaki.  After close inspection, the Rickmans realized the frames of both Honda and the Kawasaki could use a good deal of enhancing and strengthening. So the entrepreneurial Rickmans’ developed their own frames, designing them to accept the new Japanese four-cylinder engines. These “kit” sales were a hit and to further add to the buzz and excitement, a new café racer was designed by the Rickman Motorcycle Company for Honda.

The Rickman Honda as well as the Rickman Kawasaki, became very popular bikes. Let’s face it, the new (and stop on a dime) disc brakes, the cool and light weight fiberglass fairings, as well as the only lightweight frame with shiny nickel plating available, made these machines stand-outs in any crowd. All of the fine touches incorporated into these machines earned the Rickman brothers respect, and at the time you could read in almost any motorcycle magazine out there, about the superb handling qualities of the Rickman based bikes.

As years passed, the Japanese began paying attention to what was happening in terms of the market and the popularity of these “enhanced” machines.  They wanted to keep the chassis business in Japan.  To accomplish this meant learning from and copying the work of the Rickman brothers, as they were the leaders in frame design in their day.   It’s the way of business, copying is the sincerest form of flattery.  You wish to survive; you have to build a better mouse trap, even if that mouse trap has been improved upon by an outside resource.

The Japanese OEM’s didn’t want their customers wondering why they had to go “out of house” to get the performance they were paying for, and so took the lessons the Rickman brothers had shared to heart and began taking frame and suspension design to the next level.

NEXT> Chapter 3: The Dynasty Ends: The Legend Lives On

Chapter 1 of 3: Rickman Frames the Scrambler by Marilyn Elmore-Bragg (Chessie)

photo credits:  http://classic-motorbikes.net/

I’ve come across a motorcycle whose brand history is intriguing. I am referring to the vintage Rickman Metisse Motorcycle. The “Rickman” was an aftermarket motorcycle frame and body kit manufacturer founded by Derek and Don Rickman in 1960. At that time, the intrepid entrepreneurs were concerned only with the design and development of off road machines, better known as “scramblers”. The Rickman brother’s background in off road racing gave them the unique perspective of what was needed in the scrambling world of off road motorcycles.

The Rickman brothers had attained a great deal of success in the scramblers endeavor, a special subset of motorcycle racing. Both Derek and Don had represented Britain during the sixties in the Motocross des Nations. Scrambling is what we know today as Motocross or off-road.  I’ve been able to discover the first scramble was held in Camberley, Surry UK in 1924. Scrambling is a take-off or a splintered form of Motorcycle Trail.  In the trials, the winner is not the faster competitor, but rather the competitor who completes the trial with the least amount of fault points.  The trial is run over a rough terrain course with observers charged with noting “faults”.

At the end of the course, the faults are tallied and the rider with the least faults wins.  Scrambling, like the trials was an event that ran over a course of rough, off road obstacles.  The rider is not penalized for touching the ground with a foot or other body part (as he would be in the trials), but is timed for his ability to navigate the course.  The fastest time wins the Scrambler.

The Swedes were winning races throughout Europe and the riders winning; were most often winning while riding on custom frames.  The Rickmans recognized in order to stay competitive; they would have to utilize lighter yet stronger frames on their bikes.

The engine displacement was set in regulation rules, but the design and upgrade of the chassis was wide open to the designer whose understanding of metal under stress could make the scrambling sport faster, safer, and less stress on the body.

The Rickmans father owned a garage and due to the  unexpected and early death of their father, the boys were plunged into the mechanical business while just teens.  It was their intimate, personal knowledge of machining, welding and mechanics that helped them to realize the frame they wanted/needed in order to not only compete, but win races!

The  brothers and their company became legendary for their ridged dual-cradle frames which were constructed from Reynolds 531 manganese molybdenum carbon steel tubing that was brazed instead of welded…then it was nickel plated.

The Rickman’s named their rolling chassis “The Matisse”. The meaning of the word means “crossbreed” or “mongrel” in Gallic. Imagine if you will, a BSA, Triumph, Norton, Bultaco, Matchless, Montesa, or a Zundapp engine sitting in a frame designed for motocross rather than its street chassis. Gone is the heavy rigid appearance of the frame.  The new Rickman frame is shorter, gone also is the oil tank cluttering up the area between the engine and the rear fender.  The allowances for rear suspension travel were transformed with this new design. The Rickman design allowed for more air flow to the carburetors, thus also improving the engine performance.

The Rickmans learned to use large diameter frame tubing. The idea behind this was to carry the oil with-in the frame, thus killing 2 birds with one stone.

Reduce weight (eliminate oil reservoir,)

2. Cool engine oil, also reducing weight by eliminating the need for an additional cooler.

In the early days, the brothers dabbled with the BSA. Modifying and tweaking until 1960, when they unveiled their first motorcycle frame and married engine.  They called it the Mark III.  The Mark III sported either the Triumph or the Matchless engine.  

Some of you may remember a bike built by Bultaco post 1966 called the “Bultaco Metisse”. If you do, then you should know, this was a knock off created by Bultaco after the engine company had a falling out with the Rickman brothers!

In 1963, Don Rickman was the only British rider to enter into the Grand Prix.  He placed 3rd riding a Rickman frame powered by a 196cc Bultaco engine.  By 1965 this bike had morphed into the 250cc Petite Metisse.  The Rickmans were selling this combination not as a kit bike as they had been doing all along with the BSA and the Triumph, but rather as a complete motorcycle.  In order to gain the Bultaco companies co-operation the Rickmans were forced to allow Bultaco to copy their frame.  The Spanish Bultaco was coming out with a machine called Bultaco Pursang Metisse MK1.  It was a poor copy of Rickmans Petite Metisse.

The Rickmans had also promised Bultaco they would not export the Rickman/Bultaco outside of Great Briton. The high demand for this unit started a black market, shipping the bike and engine to the USA unassembled.  Between the fake Metisse and the black market sales, the co-operation and partnership dissolved.  

The brothers had found an engine for their bikes…the Interceptor from Royal Enfield.

It’s remarkable how the Rickman frame and the Enfield engine became matched.  Royal Enfield had closed their doors, but there were 200 engines sitting on a shipping dock.  These Interceptor engines were slated to be shipped to Floyd Clymer of the Clymer Auto Manuals fame.  Clymer passed away before the engines could be shipped and his export agents were asked by the estate to get rid of them.  The engines were offered to the Rickman brothers (who were having much difficulty getting any engine company to commit fully to them)…and the restricted rise of the Interceptor engine matched with Rickman frames came to be.

Stay tuned for:

Chapter 2: From Britain to Japan, Rickman Frames the Road