It's only anecdotal evidence, but Blount County seems to be benefiting from biker tourism.

We were over at the new Ruby Tuesday on Alcoa Highway this past Friday evening. We were sitting at the bar with three couples who had flown in from California (Monterey area) to go ride in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the "Dragon" on US129.

They seemed like really nice folks. We chatted a bit with one guy, and he said they flew in, were staying at a local motel (they walked to Ruby Tuesday), and were renting motorcycles locally.

I mentioned that I hoped they were renting bikes with stock pipes and mufflers. He said he hoped so too (he rides a BMW, which is probably quieter than my car). He noted that Harleys were the only kind of motorcycles they could rent locally, and he was a little surprised by that.

Maybe there's a business opportunity there for Honda and/or other dealers?

I told them about the stepped up enforcement, and suggested they should be careful because there are lots of crazies up there.

Anyway, they seemed like responsible folks who should be welcomed, along with their tourist dollars. It would be good if we could attract more bikers like these. Maybe the local bike shops could help promote more of that and less of this.