I spent a few days hugging some corners in western North Carolina recently when I found myself totally out ridden by a group of female motorcyclists from Seattle. It seems the gang was not as they appeared. They wore patches on the backs of their dirty leather jackets that said they were Vampires, and the quickness they showed on those twisty roads had me believing they were the real thing.
This all began after a night of camping at High Country Motorcycle Camp, located deep inside the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, I was up early to flip through some curves on what I hoped would be a deserted Blue Ridge Parkway. My 85 Eliminator is a poor curve carver; however it does stand up on the straight-aways.
After blitzing along one particular straightaway at 130 miles an hour, I began breaking for a sharp curve just in front of me on the right. Before the 500 hundred pound mass of metal between my legs dropped to 60 mpg, I was surrounded by six vintage red Kawasaki GPZ's. These are the super bikes from the 1980s that most riders have only heard rumors of. Their riders had long black greasy hair streaming backwards from under their helmets. I was just able to make out the vampire face on the back of their leather jackets before they slipped past me and out of sight.
Surprised by their quickness, I pulled back on the throttle of my big 900 cc eliminator, nearly crashing as I came out of the turn. I was able to catch up with the group in the next straightaway. Making eye contact with the group’s leader, a wink was enough to interest them in some conversation.
They told me their club travels to this remote area of the Smokey Mountains several times a year. The ride is used to initiate new members to the club and practice their riding skills. The leader invited me to join them in a future campout.
After the brief encounter, the girls quickly slipped back into their black helmets and leathers, mounted the vintage GPZ's and disappeared into the distance. Stupidly, I forget to get any contact information and a search of the Seattle area came up with nothing.
Even today I continue my search in this remote and gothic area of North Carolina, looking for their camp site, with the brief hope I will get just one more glimpse of those beautiful red GPZ Kawasaki’s. Let me know if you can help !
[http://www.kittyhawkfreepress.com/ob...cyclenews.html
This all began after a night of camping at High Country Motorcycle Camp, located deep inside the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, I was up early to flip through some curves on what I hoped would be a deserted Blue Ridge Parkway. My 85 Eliminator is a poor curve carver; however it does stand up on the straight-aways.
After blitzing along one particular straightaway at 130 miles an hour, I began breaking for a sharp curve just in front of me on the right. Before the 500 hundred pound mass of metal between my legs dropped to 60 mpg, I was surrounded by six vintage red Kawasaki GPZ's. These are the super bikes from the 1980s that most riders have only heard rumors of. Their riders had long black greasy hair streaming backwards from under their helmets. I was just able to make out the vampire face on the back of their leather jackets before they slipped past me and out of sight.
Surprised by their quickness, I pulled back on the throttle of my big 900 cc eliminator, nearly crashing as I came out of the turn. I was able to catch up with the group in the next straightaway. Making eye contact with the group’s leader, a wink was enough to interest them in some conversation.
They told me their club travels to this remote area of the Smokey Mountains several times a year. The ride is used to initiate new members to the club and practice their riding skills. The leader invited me to join them in a future campout.
After the brief encounter, the girls quickly slipped back into their black helmets and leathers, mounted the vintage GPZ's and disappeared into the distance. Stupidly, I forget to get any contact information and a search of the Seattle area came up with nothing.
Even today I continue my search in this remote and gothic area of North Carolina, looking for their camp site, with the brief hope I will get just one more glimpse of those beautiful red GPZ Kawasaki’s. Let me know if you can help !
[http://www.kittyhawkfreepress.com/ob...cyclenews.html
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