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has anyone on here rode the 'tail of the Dragon'?

2K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  Busafied00 
#1 ·
the guy i bought my GSXR1100 off of. called me up to tell me he and some friends are going to be riding down to the tail of the Dragon this summer. he said if i was game for it to call him up a month before the trip. so that they can plan for me. i told him i'm just a beginner. if i feel confident in my riding skills by the time they are going. i just might go :shock: :) :wink: .

so has anyone on here done the tail of the Dragon? how was it? any advice? etc...?
 
#2 ·
Yes, I have 'done the dragon' many times, as it is only about a three hour trip from here. It is a very challenging road, but it is only 11 miles after all, so don't come all the way from Maine just for the dragon. But there is some great riding along the 36-mile Cherohala Skyway also, or you can loop through the Smokey Mountain National Park for a nice all-day trip. Maybe after one day in the park and another on the skyway/ dragon, plan on spending a couple days on the 470-miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The views are great, the roads are fabulous. But there is a lot of tourist traffic, and some stretches of the parkway are closed due to storm damage and mud slides from the trees beoing blown down this summer in a couple hurricanes.
As for the dragon, avoid it on weekends, as it is wall to wall bikes and sportcars. We usually go on a Thursday. Go at your own pace, and you will be fine. If someone comews up behind you, just let them by. The Cherohala Skyway can get you in more trouble, as people expect the dragon to be tight, but the sweeping turns of the skyway temp you to run faster than you should, then a super-tight curve will sneak up and get you killed.
You might want to stay in Asheville, NC (I can give you hotel info if you want). Take the Blue Ridge Parkway down from Virginia, stay in Asheville, do a day trip to the Dragon and the skyway, the go up Devil's Drop and run the Blue Ridge Parkway over to Cherokee as a day trip, and then spend a day in the smokey mountains national park.
 
#3 ·
KAOS said:
the guy i bought my GSXR1100 off of. called me up to tell me he and some friends are going to be riding down to the tail of the Dragon this summer. he said if i was game for it to call him up a month before the trip. so that they can plan for me. i told him i'm just a beginner. if i feel confident in my riding skills by the time they are going. i just might go :shock: :) :wink: .

so has anyone on here done the tail of the Dragon? how was it? any advice? etc...?
Looks like a blast but could get a little hairy for the novice rider who may not be going at the pace of the more seasoned riders behind them.

==> http://www.dealsgap.com/index2.php

You might find the ride more enjoyable if you go during off peak season so traffic would be the locals only. Kinda like me going to Universal or Disney in November, January or April when the tourists are at a minimum. But that's just my opinion.

:)
 
#6 ·
the guy has the trip all planned out. he said they are going to be riding other routes as well when there down there. i'll see how i do with my new bike in the spring/summer before going.

thanks

p.s. expect this topic to get 'reborn' in the spring/summer:D!
 
#10 ·
I drove down it a few years back, before I had a bike. It was packed with bikes and cops.

The Dragon is about 7 hours away, but it seems like a cop magnet, and I've seen photos of big trucks taking up both lanes in corners and stuff. I'm not sure I'm going to go there to ride.

I'll definitely head out that way again someday, but I may not go specifically to The Dragon. If I do, I'll probably make a couple of embarrassingly slow runs and then head to some other, less-occupied, hilly piece of road.
 
#11 ·
Yes, 813 turns in 11 miles! You're getting good advice; this is a road that requires full concentration. When we first arrived to ride the dragon, there was an ambulance sitting in the parking lot; some guy on a thumper had tried to play boy road racer and busted his ars! But I will tell you that there are a lot better roads to ride in the same area. The dragon doesn't have much to see but hard turns and trees, which you need to pay particular attention to! So in my opinion it's one of those things you want to do so you can say you did it, but then you can explore the area and see the sights. It's worth doing, and preferrably on a week day. Ride safe!
 
#16 ·
Oh my dear lord God... I had the time of my life there... I was ready to drop out of the DEP program in the army and just work there at the lodge at TWO... Man it was awesome. I was actualy there at the KP rally a few years back... Right smack in the middle of the miata rally and the scooby rally... Those little four bangers can rail (not as good as a KAT but still, not to bad for 4 wheels and a ton or so :D )
 
#17 ·
Oh yeah, the trucks! There are not as many as before, but they are still there. During the Intruder Owners Club Rally in Asheville this summer we had an oncoming moving van run 5 or 6 of our guys off the road into the ditch.
But hey, this is a public road, and open to everyone, so you are going to have cars, trucks, semi trucks, bicycles, and motorcycles sharing the same pavement, just like on every other stretch of US highway. That's what gets a lot of people in trouble: they seem to think that the Dragon is somehow special, and that normal traffic rules don't apply, and that they can tear through it like a race track and somehow no one will ever be coming the other way.
 
#18 ·
DrBob said:
That's what gets a lot of people in trouble: they seem to think that the Dragon is somehow special, and that normal traffic rules don't apply, and that they can tear through it like a race track and somehow no one will ever be coming the other way.
If normal traffic rules were followed, the trucks (cars and bikes too!) wouldn't be on a road that they can't negotiate without crossing the centerline.
 
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