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Centerline, an acquaintance from Texas, was visiting North Carolina to meet with some like-minded motorcyclists.

All he got was me.

A meeting was scheduled, and I set out on the search.

He wasn’t at the Huddle House in Andrews.



He wasn’t at Fontana Lake. Although, he might be in that helicopter. He’s a pilot for a major airline.




He wasn’t at Deal's Gap.




He wasn’t at the Tapoco Lodge.



He wasn't at Lake Santeelah.



He wasn’t on the Skyway.




He wasn’t in Tellico Plains.




Ooooh. I’m getting warm. I found his truck, but no Centerline.




And look what he left behind, unguarded. He won’t mind if I take a test ride, would he?






I finally discovered why I couldn’t find him. It turns out he was at some of those places. I was just on the wrong bike.


Here’s Centerline.




At Coker Creek.




...and on the mountaintop




...and at Bald River Falls.


... and everywhere else I went for rest of the day, riding the fire roads of the Cherokee National Forest.

Another fine day in the great outdoors.


jb

Great pictures jb...Jeeez..those rear tires are huge...Thanks for the post and pics...

DJ

Love the 'Where's Waldo' concept, and you guys in living in the States have certainly got your fair share of beautiful countryside, not to mention MC friendly resorts; don't know of any such places in Australia, but I guess by saying that, someone will enlighten me.

Great post, thanks.

gunga

Good times!! Thanks for sharing...yeah, I was looking for Waldo too!

Nice story. You sure get around. Was that all in one day?!

At first I thought "Searching for Centerline" was just a euphemism for being out riding around. I wasn't sure there was a real person attached to the name. Nice report though. I enjoyed seeing all those places. Maybe one day I can get out and ride up that way again.

Nice camping set-up Centerline has there.
Thanks JB.

I thought Centerline was that black fluffy ball with legs on the ground...

DJ

JB,

Those ARE huge rear tires. What kind are they? And the purpose is............ more traction off road? Do they ride rough on paved roads?

And I liked Centerline's camping set up too (and the Ducati!!!) I almost bought a Ducati Monster instead of the BMW RR.

Nice photos again and nice places you have to ride and visit. You got to do some riding these past few days, for sure!! Thanks for sharing.

famousperson wrote:... Was that all in one day?!

Two days. One day doing the searching, and another riding trails after we met up.

GypsyRR wrote:...Those ARE huge rear tires. What kind are they? And the purpose is............ more traction off road? Do they ride rough on paved roads?...

The tires are 180/80 Bridgestone Trail Wings (same width as Rockster tires). They are "go anywhere" tires, and surprisingly enough ride fairly good on the pavement. I have a set of regular dual sport tires to mount, but at 3,000 miles it looks like the knobbies will never wear out.

Don't get me started on the merits of the TW200. It has a large cult following in Europe and Japan. In the US, it is dismissed as a camp bike, something to put on the back of your RV.

Some US TW fans have discovered that the TW is the ideal ride for exploring offroad. It doesn't keep up with the big cc dual sports, but that's not the point.

To be fair, my TW has several hundred $ of add-ons to make it more suitable for both road and offroad use.

Unfortunately, there are rumors that Yamaha will discontinue it in '09.

GypsyRR wrote:...And I liked Centerline's camping set up too (and the Ducati!!!)...

Centerline is a go-fast guy. He's an ex F-15 pilot and a current pilot for a major airline.
To his credit, he still enjoys trail riding on his TW at a reasonable pace.

jb

Centerline takes his Ducati camping...I love how it has it's own tent!

Thanks for the ride report JB.

JB

Nicely done....great pics....it reminds me of some good times I've had in that neck of the woods......my favorite hang out for a few years......with a 94 Monster 900, a 98 Suzuki Bandit 1200s and the 02 Atlanta Blue R1150R affectionaly named "in a state of flux" all residing with new owners......what's next I wonder?