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When you got your new license did you get the motorcycle endorsement or had to pass a written?
The last time I had to renew here in Paradise we had to pass a written. Cars were easy, but I couldn't pass the motorcycle test because it is full of trick questions, like what is the best way to cross a bridge with ice on the roads.
Mind you I drove (but no longer) motorcycles since age 21, and I crossed the country from Florida to California and back on a Honda CB 450, plus other trips, last big one 4,000 miles on a Suzuki 1000 G. I started with a Vespa and worked my way up to a Kawasaki GPZ 1100 without a scratch. I do miss it, but Dear Wife won't let me get another one.
What makes your posts about Knoxville so very special is that you are NOT a local, and YOU see everything with fresh eyes.
Tennessee included my motorcycle endorsement unconditionally. No test required. My license shows “Class: DM”. I assume D is car and M is motorcycle.
Those are tough bikes for touring. Not comfortable. I am a sissy. I like comfort way too much for touring on sport bikes or standards. I could never ride more than 2 hours on my Honda VFR. Awesome sport tourer, though.
I haven’t ridden since 2005 but I would never give up my cherished motorcycle endorsement, just in case I ever want to get back in the game.
Now living in the east, close to so many great riding roads, attractions, and venues, I am really tempted to get a trike. Can you ride a trike on Deal’s Gap”?
The only question is, Harley or Goldwing? I loved my HD to death. So well built and such an absolute joy to ride, albeit dog slow. You just can’t beat a Honda Goldwing for practicality though. I think it is cheaper to maintain as well.
I am really tempted to get a trike for eastern travel/road trips. There is just nothing like being in the wind and cruising while watching the world’s biggest IMAX screen. I love that feeling, rain or shine.
I don’t know how much I would use it locally around Knoxville however. Maybe, with all the beautiful riding roads. I have just had so many close calls, and I don’t want to crash again or break another bone.
Lord, every day I miss riding. Literally better than sex.
Anyway, Tennessee has no requirements to transfer your motorcycle endorsement over from another state. That was nice.
IF I ever pass the written test and IF DW lets me get one I'd get a Kawasaki Z900RS, which is a retro or naked bike, or a Can AM Spyder, a 3-wheeler. The Kawi costs less, more fun, more reliable. The Can Am has more luggage space and better/safer for a 74-old dude like me.
Then there is the Hayabusa, the Ferrari killer. I couldn't handle that one, for sure, but dreaming is good for the mind.
Tennessee included my motorcycle endorsement unconditionally. No test required. My license shows “Class: DM”. I assume D is car and M is motorcycle.
Those are tough bikes for touring. Not comfortable. I am a sissy. I like comfort way too much for touring on sport bikes or standards. I could never ride more than 2 hours on my Honda VFR. Awesome sport tourer, though.
I haven’t ridden since 2005 but I would never give up my cherished motorcycle endorsement, just in case I ever want to get back in the game.
Now living in the east, close to so many great riding roads, attractions, and venues, I am really tempted to get a trike. Can you ride a trike on Deal’s Gap”?
The only question is, Harley or Goldwing? I loved my HD to death. So well built and such an absolute joy to ride, albeit dog slow. You just can’t beat a Honda Goldwing for practicality though. I think it is cheaper to maintain as well.
I am really tempted to get a trike for eastern travel/road trips. There is just nothing like being in the wind and cruising while watching the world’s biggest IMAX screen. I love that feeling, rain or shine.
I don’t know how much I would use it locally around Knoxville however. Maybe, with all the beautiful riding roads. I have just had so many close calls, and I don’t want to crash again or break another bone.
Lord, every day I miss riding. Literally better than sex.
Anyway, Tennessee has no requirements to transfer your motorcycle endorsement over from another state. That was nice.
Sure you can. Actually it's called "The Tail of the Dragon". Deal's Gap is a specific place on it. Locals call it "the dragon" for short. You can ride any bike or drive any car you want on it. It's fun in a sports car or on a bike if you're an experienced rider, not so much in an SUV or truck...LOL. Someone gets killed almost every year on it, due to riding too fast on a curve and going over the edge, or crossing the center line and meeting oncoming vehicles, so caution is required.
p.s. I'm another former Sacramentan calling TN my forever home.
IF I ever pass the written test and IF DW lets me get one I'd get a Kawasaki Z900RS, which is a retro or naked bike, or a Can AM Spyder, a 3-wheeler. The Kawi costs less, more fun, more reliable. The Can Am has more luggage space and better/safer for a 74-old dude like me.
Then there is the Hayabusa, the Ferrari killer. I couldn't handle that one, for sure, but dreaming is good for the mind.
The Can Am is practical but I just can’t stand the forward view. Looking at 2 forward wheels just ruins the experience for me. Any trike I buy will have to be old style, 2 rear wheels, keeping a conventional forward view.
I did not know you were from Sacramento. Thank you for your previous help on Tennessee threads and Knoxville threads. You are one of the people who helped me decide to move to Knoxville.
I did not know you were from Sacramento. Thank you for your previous help on Tennessee threads and Knoxville threads. You are one of the people who helped me decide to move to Knoxville.
Thank you.
You're welcome. I lived in Sacto since I was 8 years old. Our last 10 years before we moved to TN we lived in Placerville.
Can Am will handle much better than trike with 2 rear wheels. Even as a little kid, I was terrified of riding a tricycle due to its inherent instability. Skipped trike and went directly to two wheeled bicycle.
I’ve rode motorcycles all my life too. Unfortunately, my luck ran out 6 years ago while on my way home from a friend and fellow motorcyclists funeral (cancer at 66) where on a perfectly clear, sunny, low traffic day, some idiot driving a Dodge Charger decided to make a left into a Target store the exact moment I was crossing through the same intersection on the green light riding a red 750 Aprilia.
I have a faint memory of seeing a black Charger’s bumper touching my left leg and I remember coming to consciousness on the ground. Once I got to trauma center, surgeon said they had to clean the asphalt off on my femur bone which upon impact, fractured and punched through my jeans.
God decided it wasn't time for me to meet my recently deceased friend and thanks to an incredibly gifted surgeon, I’m still here with both legs, a barely discernible limp and the chance to live another day. Funny thing was that the day I was hit, I had already decided to sell the Aprilia and had a buyer who wanted to come get it the same day. But my friends all decided we would honor my deceased friend by riding our motorcycles together to the funeral. All I had to do was make it the 20 miles home and I was going to give up riding for a variety of reasons including my riding skills were deteriorating as I got older and the crazy drivers were increasing making the odds of getting killed that much more likely. All I can tell you from my own experience is that there is no defense from getting hit by a car and yes, it hurts. The femur is the largest and strongest bone in the body and mine snapped like a cheap toothpick. The force my body sustained should from the impact and then traveling 20-30 feet in the air before contacting the ground should have killed me. Yet here I am.
I’m not trying to deter anyone from riding and I’ll never regret being a motorcyclist but I cannot go through that experience again therefore, I instead ride my Specialized Crossroads Sport bicycle as often as I can along canals, rivers, trails, etc… without the risk of idiots in cars making left hand turns into me.
I have been living in the Northshore area of West Knoxville for 3 weeks. I loved the location immediately upon seeing it. It has grown on me since. It feels like home and I don’t know why. I am trying to understand why I like it so much. Compared to my original criteria for a location, it seems to match up well.
My search criteria:
- Scenic beauty & not flat like Sacramento.
- Close to water. An Atlantic Ocean beach preferred.
- Live on the quiet edge of a city but not in a city. Nothing urban.
- No more than 2 miles to basic amenities.
- No more than 15 minutes to major retail/shopping.
- Within 30 minutes of a city with population at least 100,000.
- Within 4 hours of a metropolitan area with a full complement of amenities like art, parks, museums, concerts, shows, upscale shopping, and possibly sports.
- No snow.
- No brutal summer heat or 6-month long summers.
- Gets thunderstorms.
- Polite, cordial people.
- Livable traffic – no severe congestion.
- Live near an upscale area or wealthy people.
- High-speed Internet.
Scenic Beauty
My area is beautiful.
One thing that makes Seattle so very beautiful is the confluence of trees, mountains, and water. Everywhere in Seattle you can see green mountains or water and often both at once. You can be on a Seattle hilltop and see the Sound, or you can be at the waterfront in Edmonds and still see the forested mountains.
Northshore West Knoxville has all three of those elements, lush green, hills you can see or see from, and water close enough to glimpse, if not gaze upon. It is really warm and pretty here. Everywhere you go is a gentle green glimmering background of trees, and the water is just icing on the cake but you have to have icing, or its not cake. I am surrounded by beautiful upscale neighborhoods, the handsome and well-maintained homes faced mostly in glorious brick or stone. The architecture for most homes around here is a close match for my style and taste in homes.
Close to water
Check. A short walk to the Tennessee River known here as Fort Loudon Lake, if I could walk through someone’s back yard. I have found 5 or 6 riverfront parks or marinas where I can walk, relax, read, or eat while gazing at the water and the homes on the opposite bank. Some are coves or inlets rather than the main river, but still enjoyable.
Proximity to amenities, shopping, and cities
Northshore is quiet, peaceful, and feels secluded. Being at the river means being at the edge of town and it is peaceful here.
Less than a mile from my door begins a corridor of basic retail including grocers, gas stations, pharmacies, banks, restaurants, sandwich shops, coffee providers, and various sundry retail. If I were confined to this area for a year, it would still provide all of my basic daily needs. I can and have walked to both a Publix grocery store and a Target department store.
If I want more, Farragut is a scant 15 minutes away.
Major box stores, retailers, and delicious restaurants are also just 20 minutes up the Pellessiippi, in the Turkey Creek shopping area. Alternately, I can go 20 minutes up Ebenezer/Peters to shopping at Town & Country. The entire length of Kingston Pike from Farragut to the University of Tennessee is packed with retail and restaurants.
I can be in downtown Knoxville, pop. 190,000 in 20-25 minutes.
I can be in Nashville, pop. 700,000 In 2 ½ hours.
Bonus round: I can be in Atlanta, pop. half-million in 3 hours (without traffic).
I have big city access without the big city headaches, unless I want them.
Unexpected bonus: I am less than 2 hours to the most visited US National Park. It is not Yosemite, but then nothing is.
The People
I was hoping for cordial people. I got them. But it’s worse than that. They are down-right friendly.
I have noticed 2 things about people around Knoxville compared to Sacramento. (Generalizing).
People are cordial.
Some will greet me or at least look at me to greet, rather than going around avoiding eye contact or looking at their feet. It seems I am usually the one to say hello or good morning, but a very high percentage of local people around Knoxville return the greeting and acknowledge my existence. It just feels so much better than being constantly annoyed.
People are unselfish
I am amazed at how freely locals give of their time to strangers.
Everybody is busy. People I bothered for help stopped and unselfishly took the time out of their day to help me. Sometimes even staying to chat. In Sacramento, at times you can tell people are just itching to get away and thinking more about how to politely excuse themselves, then in helping you. With the locals I have run into, they have just paused their busy lives and really listened to me, and then responded genuinely, talking as long as necessary to help me or engage. Not superficial in the least. I am still elated at this. What a pleasant surprise. People treating other people with dignity and respect, rather than as an annoying afterthought. What a concept.
And please don’t believe the myth that people around Knoxville hate Californians and give us a rough time or are unfriendly. I haven’t found anyone here yet who has snubbed me, let alone responded in a cold or aloof manner, when I have told them I moved here from Sacramento. And I have told everybody.
A lady came up to me having seen my California plates. She moved from California to Knoxville in 2004. She said here treatment then was really bad. Being from California she was snubbed and ostracized, and sometimes back-stabbed. She said things have changed 180-degrees since then and I should have no trouble at all with people from Knoxville. And I can confirm that last part.
I am also finding drivers to be generally very polite, with good road manners. They drive fast, but seem polite. I can’t speak to rush hour or downtown traffic. But out here in Northshore, and up Campbell Station and up Ebenezer/Peters. Some drivers on Kingston Pike the closer you go to downtown, are on the aggressive/rude side, but most drivers still seem polite and conciliatory.
Other stuff
You can check the boxes on the rest of my criteria. No snow. Fast internet due to fiber optic delivery. Thunderstorms? Yep. Summers will be difficult to endure but they are not 6-months long like Miami or Houston. Traffic is mostly very reasonable. I have only seen one local traffic jam and it cleared in a half-hour.
I live near upscale neighborhoods with wealthy people which means good police protection, they support nice amenities, and neighborhoods are impeccably kept up. No cyclone fences or disabled cars supported on blocks in the driveways here. No homes painted in neon pink or Minnesota Vikings purple. I may stumble across one that is Volunteers orange someday though.
I love living near wealthy neighbors. The benefits are many and wonderful.
I am really enchanted with the Northshore area of West Knox and now I think I know why. There is a lot here I have been looking for in a home. I am still looking, but this place is going to be hard to beat. Basically, it is going to take everything I have here but near the Atlantic ocean and I’m not aware there are too many forested hills along the coastlines of South Carolina, Alabama, or Florida.
I have yet to decide where my forever home will be, but Northshore, West Knox, TN is very high on my list and will probably take an ocean to beat.
Thank you so much for sharing. This post is excellent and I also love the fact it is from a new (outsider) resident perspective as I have just started my research on the Knoxville region. Your search criteria is very similar to what we are looking for as well.
Thank you so much for sharing. This post is excellent and I also love the fact it is from a new (outsider) resident perspective as I have just started my research on the Knoxville region. Your search criteria is very similar to what we are looking for as well.
You are welcome. I am hoping to help others considering moving to Knoxville. I have been here 2 months and haven't been able to add much to this thread in that time. Mostly, I have been taking forever to set up my new apartment, so have very limited time to experience my new city.
It takes time -- months to years -- to accumulate enough widespread experience to help paint a picture of living in a city. I expect this thread to be a years-long project. Not something I can do in a summer.
I appreciate the patience.
I have spent some time in Farragut, and love it but homes are expensive. Most people recommending it don't tell you that upfront. There is a reason Farragut is prasied and in demand. They also don't tell you that Farragut and the area along northshore have low home turnover.
I have quickly buzzed through Maryville, Alcoa, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, Cookeville, and downtown Knoxville. My peek was so shallow and brief, there is nothing I can report of value yet.
Like I said, I hope people's patience with me will pay off.
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