The spring riding season opens with several popular motorcycling events, offering everything from off-road adventures, vintage bike shows and good ol’ biker rallies. Whether you ride a cruiser, adventure bike, dual sport or antique café bike, check out these upcoming events in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Tail Chaser 250, April 19-21
The annual Tail Chaser 250 presented by Eurosport Asheville offers adventure and dual sport riders an epic weekend of exploring some of the Blue Ridge Mountains’ best paved and gravel roads at you own pace.
Deerwoode Reserve near Brevard, North Carolina, serves as the event headquarters. Wide fields offer spacious camping sites. Cabins are also available for rent. A new pavilion gives riders a nice spot to gather and enjoy meals.
Proceeds will benefit Muddy Sneakers, an outdoor classroom experience where students learn to connect with the land and improve their science skill, and the Veterans Healing Farm, an agriculture-based therapy program that fosters healing and camaraderie for military veterans.
Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
The Meltdown, April 27
The annual Meltdown vintage motorcycle show returns to the Hendersonville airport where a plethora of antique and collectable motorcycles of all makes will line the runway. Bikes 35 years and older are eligible for trophies in 10 classes.
There’s an expanded swap-meet area, food trucks, beer and live entertainment. The festival atmosphere always makes for a great start to the motorcycling season. Seeing what the spectators ride to the show can be just as exciting as the displays.
The Meltdown, organized by the nonprofit Ton Up Highlands, begins at noon and concludes at 4 p.m. when a new 2024 Triumph 400 Scrambler will be raffled off for charity.
Admission is $5 at the gate with an additional $5 to enter a bike in one of the many classes for vintage and custom motorcycles.
For more information, contact tonuphighlands@gmail.com.
Georgia Mountain Rally, May 3-5
Set along the shores of scenic Lake Chatuge at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, the Georgia Mountain Rally serves as the perfect spot for exploring the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The rally, hosted by the BMW Motorcycle Club of Georgia, is open to riders of all makes. There will be meals, guided rides and presentations from motorcycling authors and others.
Enjoy camping by the lake or find lodging in one of the nearby motels. This area of north Georgia offers some of the best twisties and scenic views in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Visit bmwmcoga.clubexpress.com for more details.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, May 19
Each year, riders from across the world dress up in dapper attire and join organized charity rides in more than 900 cities across the globe. In the past 12 years, the DGR has raised more than $45 million to benefit men’s health issues. Funds help with prostate cancer research and mental health care.
The most enjoyable part of joining the DGR is getting dressed up and becoming part of a global same-day motorcycling event. Participants are encouraged to wear formal attire, jackets/ties, dresses and other stylish apparel. It’s open to both male and female riders. The louder and more outrageous the clothes, the better.
Vintage and retro-styled motorcycles are preferred, but most rides accept any and all styles of bikes. More than 100,000 riders in more than 100 countries will participate. Several cities in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia plan to host local rides. Visit gentlemansride.com to find a ride near you.
Smoky Mountain H-D Cannonball, April 20
This cannonball run features teams of motorcycle riders using their navigation skills to find a series of checkpoints across the region.
Checkpoints are located within a 100 miles of Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville, Tennessee.
Participants can ride at their own pace, alone or in groups, and have the chance to win prizes and enter raffles.
Registration is $25 for a single rider and $35 for two-up, which includes admission to the evening’s concert. All proceeds go the Sean Summerfield Memorial Scholarship, which honors the memory of the untimely death of a 23-year-old motorcyclist, by offering scholarship funds to worthy Blount County high school students with an interest in motorcycling.
Visit smh-d.com for more details.
Thunder in the Smokies, May 3-5
The oldest and largest motorcycle rally in the Great Smoky Mountains returns this May to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.
Hundreds of riders convene in this scenic valley for a weekend of music bike shows, games and vendors. The festival’s venue is only a few miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherokee and some stunning riding locations.
It may not be Sturgis, the family friendly crowd and abundant bucket-list roads within riding distance makes it a worthwhile stop.
Visit thunderinthesmokies.com for more details.
The RDV (Rendezvous) adventure bike rally, May 1-5
The RDV hosts adventure bike riders at Cherohala Mountain Trails campground in Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
This no-frills gathering offers daily meals for tent campers. Some cabins are available for rent. There are no guided or organized rides, just adventure and off-road riders gathering to explore the off-pavement roads of eastern Tennessee.
Tickets available at eventbrite.com.
Eastern V-Strom Rally, May 16-19
Fans of Suzuki’s venerable adventure-touring bike will descend on the small community of Stecoah, North Carolina, for a weekend of exploring Moonshiner 29, the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway among other famous routes.
The Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge serves as the rally headquarters. The resort features tent camping, cabins, covered wagons and a spacious lodge. Participants travel from all across the eastern United States — and sometimes Canada — to join their fellow Stromtroopers at the annual event.
Don’t expect a party atmosphere or lots of loud music. V-Strom riders tend to be early-to-bed, early-to-ride types. Loose groups form up for group rides and lone wolves are free to explore their own routes.
Visit easternvstromrally.com for more information.
