tail of the dragon

who all has rode the tail of the dragon? if you dont know what it is its a 11 mile road with 318 curves www.tailofthedragon.com

Been there, done that, last Fall. Not impressed enough to go back since. I liked the Cherohala Skyway much better. Too many folks riding WAY above their skill level on the Dragon trying to prove something. That place is just an accident waiting to happen. Not a lot of places on that mountain to make a mistake, and live to tell about it. Saw one total wreck, thankfully the person survived, and three VERY near misses that would have ended in deaths as they involved vehicles, including one 18-wheeler ! Maybe I'm just too old, but I have survived 33+ years on two wheels, and I can recognize a dangerous stretch of road when I see one. :headshake

we go up there a good bit. were goin back Sept.22-24. the gap is fun but there are a ton of good roads around there. with alot less traffic:thumbup:

We try to get up there twice a year. The best time to ride the dragon is during the week. There are a ton of other roads to ride on the weekends, with almost no traffic in site.

Actually the locals up there say there are more fatalities on the skyway than the Dragon... I was up there a few weeks ago (it's nice to have a friend who has a house up there and hangin with his family is always cool) When we went up and down the Dragon I guess we were lucky... must have hit it when not alot of people were on it...

we plan on riding that way monday been to caves cove now this is going to be a first for me up there

I've been up there 5 times in my car. Try to get out there twice a year with my group of friends. Don't think i'll be going up there with my bike any time soon... With a car, it's an awesome road... but with a bike, I mean, it's just too dangerous in my mind.... Mike

Just got back from there Saturday, had a lot of fun. I would say its dangerous but a lot of fun still. I am trying to plan another trip to that area before end of season. Make sure you go in full leathers or ride like a bitch, cause its not hard to crash. Depending on how much you really like corners I would recomend it 100%.

Actually the locals up there say there are more fatalities on the skyway than the Dragon... I was up there a few weeks ago (it's nice to have a friend who has a house up there and hangin with his family is always cool) When we went up and down the Dragon I guess we were lucky... must have hit it when not alot of people were on it... I have also heard that the Skyway bites more folks than the Dragon. I suppose it is because most of the turns are wide sweepers, then a few tight turns sneak up on you. If you were riding it at full bore, I guess those tight turns could cause you grief. The Dragon is much more demanding, and probably would be a blast for me if it were closed to vehicle traffic, and especially 18 wheelers. When I went last Fall I still had the VFR, and it handled great I thought. I had a lot of fun the first few trips across, then traffic started getting worse, and I saw a LOT of near misses that could have been fatalities. It is a great road to ride, and I'm glad that I went. Just not so sure I want to roll the dice there again. Again, I'm 45, much more in touch with my own mortality, and don't mend nearly as fast as I did when I was in my twenties, so maybe that has a lot to do with it ! :)

if you think its fun during the day... i hear it alot more fun/scary at night. i also perfer the skyway. you can run faster and theres alot less traffic. just watch the speed traps.

this is me on our last dragon trip with 750devil on gixxer.com trailing right behind me.

i live exactly 5 min from the start of it.

man i am ready to take on this challenge just got the call 30 minutes ago one of the guys pussed out!

Try to not look at it that way. Maybe his "inner voice" just told him now was not the right time. The Dragon is not a place where you should be if you are not ready. On average about 20 bikes per week get totaled there, according to the guy that drives the rollback that picks them up. I have learned to listen to my inner voice over the years, and so far, it has kept me in one piece, and still riding. Sometimes I will be out on the bike, and pushing it a little much........my inner voice says "you might wanna ease up a bit"....... I back off the pace a little, and almost immediately see something that would have caused some major damage if I had kept pushing. Some folks develop this inner voice quickly, for some it takes years. The main thing is make sure you listen to it if you hear it. And NEVER EVER goad someone into riding harder than they feel comfortable doing before they are ready. And never let anyone make you feel like you need to ride harder. Riding sportbikes on the street is not a competition to prove how big your nutz are. It is serious business. I ride for MY pleasure, not to prove anything to anyone. Hell, I'm too damn old to prove anything anymore anyway ! :laughingr Main thing is just to have fun, and stay SAFE !!

i live exactly 5 min from the start of it. you lucky bastard. what i really want to do is take a ride in one of those red Evos that run the dragon about 20 times a day. those guys are haulin serious ass through there and are passin bikes every time they get a clear shot.

Try to not look at it that way. Maybe his "inner voice" just told him now was not the right time. The Dragon is not a place where you should be if you are not ready. On average about 20 bikes per week get totaled there, according to the guy that drives the rollback that picks them up. I have learned to listen to my inner voice over the years, and so far, it has kept me in one piece, and still riding. Sometimes I will be out on the bike, and pushing it a little much........my inner voice says "you might wanna ease up a bit"....... I back off the pace a little, and almost immediately see something that would have caused some major damage if I had kept pushing. Some folks develop this inner voice quickly, for some it takes years. The main thing is make sure you listen to it if you hear it. And NEVER EVER goad someone into riding harder than they feel comfortable doing before they are ready. And never let anyone make you feel like you need to ride harder. Riding sportbikes on the street is not a competition to prove how big your nutz are. It is serious business. I ride for MY pleasure, not to prove anything to anyone. Hell, I'm too damn old to prove anything anymore anyway ! :laughingr Main thing is just to have fun, and stay SAFE !! great advice. thanks for that

i just move up to tn from florida, i love the dragon. i killed a new rear tire in 30 passes (15 up 15 down). this is a must for any real sportbiker. i ran the skyway one time and it is fun but not as technical or tight, all of the skyway is just fast sweepers, i may go back next year, but the dragon will see me every saturday.

On average about 20 bikes per week get totaled there, according to the guy that drives the rollback that picks them up. He's full of shit too. It's less than half that...maybe more like 3-6, depending on the time of year, holidays and such. If you listen to the lore about the region, there's 30 riders a year killed there too... when in reality, I think the most ever in a year was 5, and aside from that were a few years that it hit 3.

While I have been accused of "being full of shit" many times in 45 years, this is not one of them. ;) My information came straight from the rollback driver, AND from the head nurse in the hospital where they took one of our friends after he totally destroyed his bike that day. We stood on the mountain for 3 hours till the ambulance, and the rollback got there. Next we spent about 6 hours in the hospital till they released him. The nurses told us that the number of folks crippled and killed there was staggering, and that nobody ever heard the real numbers because they did not want it to get out. She said it was an everyday thing for them. Then we put him in a motel, because he could not ride back home to Nashville with us in his condition. We went back to Maryville the next day, picked him up, rented a U-Haul to pick up his totalled bike. The guy that operates the rollback has a HUGE garage that he stores all the trashed bikes in. There were about 25 there at the time. He said all those were from just that month alone, and that three or four would never be picked up because the owners were dead. Now if the head nurse, and the guy running the wrecker service told us lies, I see no reason why they would. They would have nothing to gain by doing so. I did not post the information to try to convince you folks, I was just pointing out the facts as I know them. Believe what you want. It is a free world.

While I have been accused of "being full of shit" many times in 45 years, this is not one of them. ;) My information came straight from the rollback driver, AND from the head nurse in the hospital where they took one of our friends after he totally destroyed his bike that day. We stood on the mountain for 3 hours till the ambulance, and the rollback got there. Next we spent about 6 hours in the hospital till they released him. The nurses told us that the number of folks crippled and killed there was staggering, and that nobody ever heard the real numbers because they did not want it to get out. She said it was an everyday thing for them. Then we put him in a motel, because he could not ride back home to Nashville with us in his condition. We went back to Maryville the next day, picked him up, rented a U-Haul to pick up his totalled bike. The guy that operates the rollback has a HUGE garage that he stores all the trashed bikes in. There were about 25 there at the time. He said all those were from just that month alone, and that three or four would never be picked up because the owners were dead. Now if the head nurse, and the guy running the wrecker service told us lies, I see no reason why they would. They would have nothing to gain by doing so. I did not post the information to try to convince you folks, I was just pointing out the facts as I know them. Believe what you want. It is a free world. :clap: :clap: :clap: +1 I've had friends go and come back with pieces of bikes would love to see it from a WRX sti or 911 turbo but not into thrashn a bike or myself I know my limits. Far to many go there and get over their heads or get tied up or in someones way tryn to be Nicky Haden.

While I have been accused of "being full of shit" many times in 45 years, this is not one of them. ;) My information came straight from the rollback driver, AND from the head nurse in the hospital where they took one of our friends after he totally destroyed his bike that day. We stood on the mountain for 3 hours till the ambulance, and the rollback got there. Next we spent about 6 hours in the hospital till they released him. The nurses told us that the number of folks crippled and killed there was staggering, and that nobody ever heard the real numbers because they did not want it to get out. I said HE was full of shit, not you. It's easy to believe he said it, but it's just plain bullshit. I work about 20 miles from the gap. I go to the gap a LOT, and I know from what I see firsthand. I know the manager of the store at the gap, I hear about nearly every accident there, and definitely every death. The nurse and truck driver are greatly exaggerating things....to the point that it's really just a blatent lie. [QUOTE=Alfster1;233815]I did not post the information to try to convince you folks, I was just pointing out the facts as I know them. [QUOTE=Alfster1;233815] I base my statements on what I personally see and therefore know to be fact. Not only that, but the guys there at the store hear about nearly all the wrecks, even the ones that don't get police, towtrucks, or an ambulance. People talk and word travels. The sad thing is that there's a lot of people that talk bullshit, like that towtruck driver. Trust me on this...I live here. I pretty well know what goes on here. People talk shit, rumors go around, and people that aren't bikers like to exaggerate the dangers and frequency of motorcycle accidents. If 10 bikes are TOTALLED each week, that driver would likely have a shitload more than 25 there. You were at the gap one day, saw one accident, talked to 2 people, and therefore believe that 10 bikes get totalled there weekly? :headshake The moral here is that you shouldn't believe everything you hear.

My bad. I read the post wrong. Told you I was old ! That happens sometimes..... :laughingr Very possible that they were spreading it on a bit thick. I agree that a lot of folks that do not ride like to hype up the dangers of riding. Was there two days actually, and in the middle of the week so as to miss the huge crowds, and most of the traffic. Saw the one total wreck, one guy zipped past me on an R1, went screaming into a corner, and the nose of an 18 wheeler appeared around the corner taking up BOTH sides of the road. If there had not been a small 2 ft spot of dirt on the shoulder at that spot, he would have been a goner. Barely got the bike stopped before shooting off the outside of the turn over the side of the mountain. Saw some white haired man railing on this little Miata, sliding it all over the road, taking up both sides of the corners, and even saw some idiot in a Chevy Pickup hauling his bike trailer, slinging it around corners on the wrong side of the road. If all this happened in two days right in the middle of the week, in October no less, then I could ony imagine how much stuff transpires during a busy time. These things that I saw with my own eyes, along with the things I heard from the nurses, and the rollback driver, plus the fact that this happened in October in the middle of the week, is what I base my opinion on. I could be wrong, but I still have no desire to go back. Didn't mean to step on anyone's feelings. Just pointing out that the Dragon can be dangerous. And if I can keep some new rider from getting hurt, or even a seasoned rider from getting hurt, then maybe the observations were helpful. Stay safe, and have fun !

My bad. I read the post wrong. Told you I was old ! That happens sometimes..... :laughingr No problem. I realized that you were just telling what you were told...so that doesn't make you the one aking up tall tales. If all this happened in two days right in the middle of the week, in October no less, then I could ony imagine how much stuff transpires during a busy time. That is logical reasoning, but I can promise you that it's not always like that. It's just the luck of the draw at times. Sometimes there will be few people and several wipeouts. Other times there's a big crowd and not much for accidents, especially considering the volume of riders. It sounds like you may have just gotten a bad luck of draw...and been there on a day that all the asshats were out. I could be wrong, but I still have no desire to go back. Didn't mean to step on anyone's feelings. Just pointing out that the Dragon can be dangerous. And if I can keep some new rider from getting hurt, or even a seasoned rider from getting hurt, then maybe the observations were helpful. The biggest problem at the gap is typically the guys that are visiting, and feel they only have a limited amount of time to prove themselves. There are no checkered flags, no timers, and no losers....except for those that wreck. When you consider the huge volume of people that go to the gap these days, the accident rate's not all that bad. If you come back through this way, gimme a shout and maybe we can hit up some of the not so busy roads. There's tons of them around here.

hey the only victory i have is knowing that i am alive at the end of every day cause i love my mife more then i do my bike!

hey the only victory i have is knowing that i am alive at the end of every day cause i love my mife more then i do my bike! I agree. I love your wi...er, I mean I love mine too. :rofl: I love coming home, after a really fun day of riding. It's all about having fun, not proving anything to anybody. Every time I go there with any other guys that may be slower than I am, I make sure that they know to ride their own ride...as I do when I go with faster guys. It's about fun..and fun only. Wrecking takes ALL the fun out of it.

and wrecks take all your money to fix!

I have heard that some of the other roads around there are great as well. I suppose maybe we did just happen to be there the wrong two days. That would go along with most of the luck I have had for years.........Not always the greatest ! :rofl: Not really. I've had a great life, and I enjoy it to the fullest every chance I get. We may venture out that way again sometime before the snow flies. If we do then I will surely post on here before we head out. :thumbup:

I've been up there a couple of times and have seen wrecks each time. The Dragon is cool to do, just to say you did it. The Cherahala is much more fun and not as blind. bottom line is go up there, have fun, be safe and DON'T RIDE ABOVE YOUR LIMITS. if you REALLY want to test & hone your skills, take it to the track! :thumbup:

A lot of people preach about how "if you want to ride hard, take it to the track"...and I'm not disagreeing with it at all... However, explaining it is likely a much better deterrant to street stupidity. When on a track, you can go into a corner a lot hotter than you can on the street...cause you have about 40 feet of margin on the outer side of the turn, before you hit grass. On the street, you get a 13 foot lane and then death can be waiting on the other side of the yellow line. Therefore, you will find that you can push your PERCEIVED limits a lot farther on the track than on the street.

I love the dragon! I was there this past June and really want to get there one more time this year:thumbup: Any one from chicago wanna go there for the weekend?

been up there the past two weekends in a row...only a 2 1/2 hour ride for me and that makes for a good days ride. There's a lot of other roads to ride up there besides the dragon...but the dragon is a "must do" if you like 'em tight :D Don't miss out on the foothills parkway, the cherohala skyway or the hellbender while you're up there :thumbup: I'll agree there's a lot of "wanna be's" up there riding above their skill level, but don't let them scare you away. The majority of riders up there play by the rules..... 1. don't ride above your skill 2. stay away from the double yellow 3. move over and wave a faster rider by you Best time to go if you can is a weekday...hardly any traffic there then ;)

Been there, done that, last Fall. Not impressed enough to go back since. I liked the Cherohala Skyway much better. Too many folks riding WAY above their skill level on the Dragon trying to prove something. That place is just an accident waiting to happen. Not a lot of places on that mountain to make a mistake, and live to tell about it. Saw one total wreck, thankfully the person survived, and three VERY near misses that would have ended in deaths as they involved vehicles, including one 18-wheeler ! Maybe I'm just too old, but I have survived 33+ years on two wheels, and I can recognize a dangerous stretch of road when I see one. :headshake where is this famous skyway everyone is talkin bout?

where is this famous skyway everyone is talkin bout? The Cherohala Skyway...named because half of goes through Cherokee Forest and the other in Nantahala forest, hence "chero - hala" :thumbup: Nearly 50 miles of sweeping curves, no residences, no businesses, no gas, no food, nothing but beautiful pavement to ride :bounce The Tennessee side starts in Tellico Plains, North Carolina side is Robbinsville just 10 miles from Deals Gap. On the NC side it's hwy 143 :thumbup:

Great description of the Skyway !! Plus on the TN side of the Skyway, there is a small waterfall off on one of the side roads, that everyone stops and takes pics of their bikes in front of. :thumbup:

Great description of the Skyway !! Plus on the TN side of the Skyway, there is a small waterfall off on one of the side roads, that everyone stops and takes pics of their bikes in front of. :thumbup: shhhhh!!!!! I was keeping that a secret :infrandom It's a great place to stop & strip off your leathers for a dip on a hot day :cool:

Ooooh Diddly Damnit ! Now I KNOW I gotta get my arse back to the Skyway ! ;)

It is very unique. But for , not worth the miles to get there. I may trailer up the next time I go.

Been to the Dragon and lost a 98 CBR to it.......I used to live about 30 min. and rode it quite frequently. It's a great place to ride when you can miss all the traffic. I got greedy and went during a busy Saturday and some jacka$$ who had no business on the road decided I wasn't going fast enough and passed when he shouldn't have and on top of that cut back in too close and took my front tire......you guessed it, "cement surfing". Only had that bike 3 mos. too. Just bought an 06 GSXR 600 and I dare say it will never see the Dragon. It's not the Dragon you need to look out for......its the people who think they're good enough to ride it. :chucks:

we made the trip this weekend it wasnt to bad! and loved it

:headshake rode up today to try and miss the rain called for on tues and wed :headshake sux! it was dry everywhere but the dragon not much fun when its wet! the higher elevations where wet as well sky way 28 over to brison ect...

It's not the Dragon you need to look out for......its the people who think they're good enough to ride it. :chucks: Just remember that millions of people each year do it without wrecking. :thumbup:

we'll be up there next weekend if anybody else is goin shoot me a pm and we'll try to get together:thumbup:

I just got back from the dragon on Monday. Was there from 9/8 to 9/10, but riding a Roadstar Warrior. The day after I got back I bought a GSX-R 750 because I realized my riding style doesn't work that well on a cruiser. I'm planning on going back in April of next year with my GSX-R. Or maybe sooner if I hear about a big trip you guys are planning for up there. :D

The Dragon is fun to ride alone with the skyway, but the truth is there are too many riders that ride above their level and too many close calls happen out of stupidity. Some friends and I had been going everything year for a week in July for the last 4 years. We didn't go this past July only cuz I had torn my ACL and meniscus in December 2005 and one of the guys also tore his in March. We will be back next year though. Love the trip, but we all find the skyway the best since not so much traffic. I would love to see the dragon closed to 4-wheel vehicles and 18-wheelers. Just not enough room in any curve for someone to cross yellow line and compete for space. A lot of curves where the mistake u make will be ur last. Just have to be careful and be ready for anything when riding.

I would love to see the dragon closed to 4-wheel vehicles and 18-wheelers. With it being a state hwy, I doubt they'll ever close it to cars. If we weren't seen as "lowlifes" on bikes, the cops would do something about the 18 wheelers though. Personally, I think they should ticket EVERY one of them that goes through the gap. It's not like you'd have to chase them down. They'd just have to sit at the store in NC, or on the TN side by the lake, and write them tickets. It's impossible for them to go through without crossing the yellow line, so I figure they should just write the tickets when they get through to the end, whether it was witnessed or not. If the truckers would start getting tickets, they'd stop going through there.

I agree whole heartedly. There is absolutely no way for an 18-wheeler to ger thru there and someone is going to get killed and really splatter against the side of one cause they have to basically have the whole road. I know they would never close the road but wishful thinking.

any body goin next weekend??

I agree whole heartedly. There is absolutely no way for an 18-wheeler to ger thru there and someone is going to get killed and really splatter against the side of one cause they have to basically have the whole road. I know they would never close the road but wishful thinking. There's videos out there showing how they have to cross both lanes AND the shoulders, just to get around some corners.

any body goin next weekend?? I'm putting a small group together to head up there on Oct. 1st :thumbup: I haven't been in a couple of weeks :cool:

I'm putting a small group together to head up there on Oct. 1st :thumbup: I haven't been in a couple of weeks :cool: You gonna be stopping to take a dip at the waterfall again ? :banana:

I'm putting a small group together to head up there on Oct. 1st :thumbup: I haven't been in a couple of weeks :cool: sounds good were leving Friday morning

I just got back from the dragon on Monday. Was there from 9/8 to 9/10, but riding a Roadstar Warrior. The day after I got back I bought a GSX-R 750 because I realized my riding style doesn't work that well on a cruiser. I'm planning on going back in April of next year with my GSX-R. Or maybe sooner if I hear about a big trip you guys are planning for up there. :D let's try to plan a trip next spring:clap:

A lot of people preach about how "if you want to ride hard, take it to the track"...and I'm not disagreeing with it at all... However, explaining it is likely a much better deterrant to street stupidity. When on a track, you can go into a corner a lot hotter than you can on the street...cause you have about 40 feet of margin on the outer side of the turn, before you hit grass. On the street, you get a 13 foot lane and then death can be waiting on the other side of the yellow line. Therefore, you will find that you can push your PERCEIVED limits a lot farther on the track than on the street. the real lesson is that death can be waiting on your side of the yellow...

the real lesson is that death can be waiting on your side of the yellow... Why is it that nobody preaches about dong wheelies on the street? You're just as likely to wreck doing a wheelie as you are leaning over the bike. Personally, I get tired of hearing all the "take it to the track" BS. Maybe if there was a track closer to me than 4hrs, I'd do that more often. I ride the curves fast. I lean all the way over. I drag knees on the street... I do not do wheelies. Who is really safer, me or the guy that stunts and does 100mph wheelies all the time?

I'm not sure of your riding level, but I wouldn't suggest a beginner rider going up there. I had been riding my 2002 GSXR 750 for a year before I rode it up there from Florida. Albeit I was used to the flat, wide, straight roads of FL. I went with my roommate who knew the area very well. We only went up and down the Dragon twice before we moved on. The road is amazing, but is crowded and unforgiving. Mistakes will be punished severely. I found that I preferred other roads in the area that weren't as highly trafficked. I saw no bike wrecks when I was at the Dragon, but I did almost get hit by a chopper on a turn. Enjoy the road and don't push yourself ... too far.

Been there 2 years in a row, loved every minute of it. If you think you know how to ride...the Gap could quickly change many cocky rookie's minds. Between the Gap, the Cherohala Skyway, and The Post..Those of you that have ridden the post know..They're all great rides. WELL worth the trip, I trailer my bike up from Ft. Lauderdale.

Just wnted to say that i rode the Gap 3 years ago when i moved to Ga. I was riding a 95 yamaha 600r then. Now I own a 2006 GSXR 1000 I will try to make it there next year, it is way too cold now. I loved the Gap it was great I had been riding for about 2 years when i went there and had no problems. I encourage everyone to go there atleast once.