My wife and I rode it on my 91 ST1100 Oct. 20 & 21, 2009. The leaves were really colorful and still attached to the trees, so no slick turns yet. We keep planning to go back but LIFE keeps getting in the way...
When did you first ride the Dragon?
- Thread starter jahoobob
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STinner
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2013 for me. the day before we rode some back roads north of Asheville. the Dragon was a walk in the park.
Never have. No plans to. LOTs of other roads around there, as above.
I think it was in '01 for me. Made a couple trips up and down the hill. Bought the Tee shirt and decal and moved on to other roads in the area.
If that's on your list, run it a couple times (it's only 11-12 miles), check it off and move on. There are plenty of equal or more fun roads in the area. With a little map work, and a GPS, you can string together an all day route without any I'state or 4 lane roads. Plenty of small town diners to eat at.
If that's on your list, run it a couple times (it's only 11-12 miles), check it off and move on. There are plenty of equal or more fun roads in the area. With a little map work, and a GPS, you can string together an all day route without any I'state or 4 lane roads. Plenty of small town diners to eat at.
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Andrew Shadow
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Probably 1997 on a Honda VT1100C Shadow as part of a trip from Montréal down the Blue Ridge. Oh to be young and ignorant.
It was my first really long multi-week motorcycle trip and boy was I ignorant. I had no rain gear that was worth a damn. I thought I did. I thought that I had it all planned out and was well equipped when I left, but that turned out not to be the case.
Out of a 14 day trip, it rained for 11 days straight. I was completely soaked down to my underwear and freezing cold every single day. I shivered in bed every night until two in the morning before I finally got the chill out of me. Everything that I owned was so completely soaked that every morning I was putting on wet clothes because, despite being hung out all over the place all night, they still hadn't dried.
After I got home, it wasn't long before I was out shopping for real motorcycle rain gear.
Despite that, I still enjoyed myself on that trip somehow I guess, because I have never stopped doing long motorcycle trips since that first one.
It was my first really long multi-week motorcycle trip and boy was I ignorant. I had no rain gear that was worth a damn. I thought I did. I thought that I had it all planned out and was well equipped when I left, but that turned out not to be the case.
Out of a 14 day trip, it rained for 11 days straight. I was completely soaked down to my underwear and freezing cold every single day. I shivered in bed every night until two in the morning before I finally got the chill out of me. Everything that I owned was so completely soaked that every morning I was putting on wet clothes because, despite being hung out all over the place all night, they still hadn't dried.
After I got home, it wasn't long before I was out shopping for real motorcycle rain gear.
Despite that, I still enjoyed myself on that trip somehow I guess, because I have never stopped doing long motorcycle trips since that first one.
July of 2015. Overall, a really great trip including the obligatory Tail of the Dragon. Riding it once was enough.
1973 on my CL350. In the pic I'm heading out for the University of TN from Lewisburg TN. At that time "The Dragon" was a sparsely used mountain road and loads of fun. To get there, a beautiful ride along the Little Tennessee River: now drowned in a lake.
What exactly is 'the dragon'? To me in Great Britain it is a motorbike rally in North Wales. It is held in the depths of winter where motorcyclists ride there bikes to to rally site, put up their tents, survive, drink too much whilst talking to other bikers about bikes: then, get on their bikes and go home again... Swede.
Erdoc48
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The Tail of the Dragon is a highway between North Carolina and Tennessee in the US. It’s something like 311 curves in 11 miles of the highway. I’ve been there and have a few nice pics on my STs. I’m not a huge fan of the road as a lot of people try to use it as their personal raceway, and quite a few wrecks occur on a regular basis. I’ve been on it 3x so far, and that’s good enough for me. Some of the turns are rated for 10-15 mph and many go way faster than that.
Spunds
At least that sounds like more fun than riding 250 miles freezing your bits off!. I'm afraid, as I have still not grown up, I'd probably want to do it too fast. I'm 78 and should know better. Thanks for replying, nothing in the correspondence gave me a clue what it was, now I know what it's about... Swede.
It is a road (Rte 129) in eastern Tennessee/western edge of N. Carolina. The generally recognized part of the road is about 11 miles long with 318 curves of various radii and banking. At one point in time, there were no intersections or drive ways. No worries about vehicles pulling onto the road. Don't know if that's still true. Most of the road has a mountainside (rock wall) on one side and a sharp drop off into trees and large bolders on the other side. There are a few pull offs. There was a run down motel/service station that has morphed into a gift shop/restaurant small camping area. The last few years, the racer wanta be boys started timing each other from end to end. Some of the bikes were trailered in and some not even street legal. All that and some fatalities has led to a stronger law presence. Several pro photographers set up along the route and take pictures (available for purchase) of what ever comes by.
Look for the junction of 28 and 129. that is the end point in N. Carolina. The Dragon goes west and north from there. Lots of other good motorcycle roads in the area. Take 28 southward, another good road, to Robbinsville and look at 143 also known as the Cherohala (Cherrycola) Skyway. It runs into Tenn., turns into 165, and goes to Tellico Plains. Many, many, many good roads in the area.
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Andrew Shadow
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Others have answered your question already but, if you want to get an idea of what type of road is being discussed, have a look at the below videos.
Hell Roads - Tail of the Dragon
FASTEST RIDER at Tail of the Dragon US129
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Attitude turns what could be an ordeal into an adventure.
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It is a road (Rte 129) in eastern Tennessee/western edge of N. Carolina. The generally recognized part of the road is about 11 miles long with 318 curves of various radii and banking. At one point in time, there were no intersections or drive ways. No worries about vehicles pulling onto the road. Don't know if that's still true. Most of the road has a mountainside (rock wall) on one side and a sharp drop off into trees and large bolders on the other side. There are a few pull offs. There was a run down motel/service station that has morphed into a gift shop/restaurant small camping area. The last few years, the racer wanta be boys started timing each other from end to end. Some of the bikes were trailered in and some not even street legal. All that and some fatalities has led to a stronger law presence. Several pro photographers set up along the route and take pictures (available for purchase) of what ever comes by.
Look for the junction of 28 and 129. that is the end point in N. Carolina. The Dragon goes west and north from there. Lots of other good motorcycle roads in the area. Take 28 southward, another good road, to Robbinsville and look at 143 also known as the Cherohala (Cherrycola) Skyway. It runs into Tenn., turns into 165, and goes to Tellico Plains. Many, many, many good roads in the area.
[/QUOTE
In England we have the Cat and Fiddle road. Your tail of the Dragon sounds similar but with bells on!It is a road (Rte 129) in eastern Tennessee/western edge of N. Carolina. The generally recognized part of the road is about 11 miles long with 318 curves of various radii and banking. At one point in time, there were no intersections or drive ways. No worries about vehicles pulling onto the road. Don't know if that's still true. Most of the road has a mountainside (rock wall) on one side and a sharp drop off into trees and large bolders on the other side. There are a few pull offs. There was a run down motel/service station that has morphed into a gift shop/restaurant small camping area. The last few years, the racer wanta be boys started timing each other from end to end. Some of the bikes were trailered in and some not even street legal. All that and some fatalities has led to a stronger law presence. Several pro photographers set up along the route and take pictures (available for purchase) of what ever comes by.
Look for the junction of 28 and 129. that is the end point in N. Carolina. The Dragon goes west and north from there. Lots of other good motorcycle roads in the area. Take 28 southward, another good road, to Robbinsville and look at 143 also known as the Cherohala (Cherrycola) Skyway. It runs into Tenn., turns into 165, and goes to Tellico Plains. Many, many, many good roads in the area.
jfheilman
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