Shaman
Well-known member
I stay at http://www.thetreetops.com/ with Ron & Nancy. The group I go down with is the group that convinced them to make a business out of renting out houses, so we get some special treatment. Will take it when I can. 
|
|
|
Tips for first time 'tail of the dragon' rider
- Thread starter danielzak1990
- Start date
Just returned from an 8 day ride and we enjoyed the roads in VA, NC, TN and WV and did not bother with the Dragon as we had been there last year. With 8 days you can take 2 -3 days down and still give you 3 days there. So many route options there. Not worth slabbing it there.
800km a day riding up here vs 800km a day riding twisty roads down there are two very different things. While I wouldn't normally suggest slabbing there, if all you had was 5 days, you could have a great trip if you could manage 10-11 hr days on the bike for 5 straight days, where your first and last days were slab and the 3 days in between were packed with awesomeness. It would be a trip more a bout riding and less stopping to smell the roses.
Routes would be something like:
Day 1: Slab to Wytheville, VA
Day 2: Twisties to Cherokee, NC - this includes VA#16 "The Back of the Dragon", US#421 "The Snake", NC226A "The Diamondback", NC80 "The Devlis Whip", Roan Mountain and a bunch along the the southern most part of the BRP.
Day 3: Ride around Smokey's - this includes US129, Cherohala Skyway, Foothills Parkway, Little River Gorge Road, NC281, NC215 and NC28.
Day 4: Twisties back to Wytheville, VA - reverse of Day 2 route
Day 5: Slab Home
I've also stayed at IronHorse Lodge, Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground, Two Sisters Chalet and Riverside Campground and they were all great in their different ways.
Matthew.Tremayne
Well-known member
I'm going down June 28th to July 4th, with the lady. I-75 all the way down to Knoxville day 1... 14 hour drive, obviously a bit more with stops.. Increases the time spent down there!
This. Don't push your limits on the Dragon. Errors are unforgiving. There is no run off to one side of the road, and the other side is a forest covered side of the mountain.
The local law leave the area at about 7pm. That's when the roads get quiet except for a handful of locals who tear it up. It's a good time to ride, just after the police leave.
Take your time. The corners are tight, with some tighter than our onramps onto the expressways.
Make sure you are actually leaning off your bike around the corners and not crossing back over the center-line of your bike as you will run out of clearance if not careful.
The soft shoulders of the road are actually quite soft, so be careful pulling off on them. There are paved shoulders in areas where you can pull off.
Take it easy and enjoy the ride. Plan a progressive riding pattern and remind yourself that it's not a track and there are no marshals around or an ambulance waiting nearby. If you're going to ride the predawn and dusk hours, remove your tinted visor as the shadows from the tree canopy can make it pretty dark.
Staying in Robbinsville:
SanRan right in town. Dated but clean and reasonable. Lots of parking for trailers.
TwoWheelsInn is on the edge of town. Great place. Bike wash and your own garage for bikes.
Robbinsville has nothing for night life. It's in a dry county (do not sell alcohol anywhere). The HUB is an old converted gas station, good lunch/coffee place. Not open late. Bring your own beverages to hotel. If you're lucky, you'll see JimTom from Moonshiners putt by on his moped. Robbinsville is a nice central location to head out for rides from.
Gatlinburg is a cool town to check out. Touristy and tacky, but worth the visit. Lots of places to eat and walk around doing tourist stuff. There's a Ripleys aquarium there too. Great ride getting there. You can make a loop out of it from Robbinsville. Going through the TOTD and coming back Cherokee way (or vise versa). https://goo.gl/maps/7NPgc
Go south on #28 down to at least Highlands. Awesome run. You can keep going south into South Carolina and loop back up.
Do Cherohala. Great road. You can do a loop back through the TOTD. Pop by Bald River Falls. Cool waterfall to check out. https://goo.gl/maps/UABUx
Do some of Blue Ridge Parkway. Spectacular views. This is my favorite section. Good pavement and best views that end of the BRP. You can get off and explore the NC backroads. Canada road and other jems are highlighted. https://goo.gl/maps/S9N7P
Some notes:
15MPH and over in NC can get your license taken away.... and you guys think our speeding laws are strict? Respect the speed on the 4-lane main hwy's. You'll see state troopers on those waiting for speeders.
Graham County (Robbinsville area) has a sheriff that drives an unmarked beige jeep cherokee with TN plates (Graham is in NC). Dirty. Don't ask how I know….
The TOTD in TN has heavy police patrol on weekends. Lite on weekdays.
Other than that you'll ride for hours and not see any sheriffs or troopers.
There's lots of blind corners. Don't ride at your limits, because you'll come around a blind corner that will tighten up. Dial it back and ride a respectable pace. The riding is spectacular down there. Enjoy the sights and the ride.
SanRan right in town. Dated but clean and reasonable. Lots of parking for trailers.
TwoWheelsInn is on the edge of town. Great place. Bike wash and your own garage for bikes.
Robbinsville has nothing for night life. It's in a dry county (do not sell alcohol anywhere). The HUB is an old converted gas station, good lunch/coffee place. Not open late. Bring your own beverages to hotel. If you're lucky, you'll see JimTom from Moonshiners putt by on his moped. Robbinsville is a nice central location to head out for rides from.
Gatlinburg is a cool town to check out. Touristy and tacky, but worth the visit. Lots of places to eat and walk around doing tourist stuff. There's a Ripleys aquarium there too. Great ride getting there. You can make a loop out of it from Robbinsville. Going through the TOTD and coming back Cherokee way (or vise versa). https://goo.gl/maps/7NPgc
Go south on #28 down to at least Highlands. Awesome run. You can keep going south into South Carolina and loop back up.
Do Cherohala. Great road. You can do a loop back through the TOTD. Pop by Bald River Falls. Cool waterfall to check out. https://goo.gl/maps/UABUx
Do some of Blue Ridge Parkway. Spectacular views. This is my favorite section. Good pavement and best views that end of the BRP. You can get off and explore the NC backroads. Canada road and other jems are highlighted. https://goo.gl/maps/S9N7P
Some notes:
15MPH and over in NC can get your license taken away.... and you guys think our speeding laws are strict? Respect the speed on the 4-lane main hwy's. You'll see state troopers on those waiting for speeders.
Graham County (Robbinsville area) has a sheriff that drives an unmarked beige jeep cherokee with TN plates (Graham is in NC). Dirty. Don't ask how I know….
The TOTD in TN has heavy police patrol on weekends. Lite on weekdays.
Other than that you'll ride for hours and not see any sheriffs or troopers.
There's lots of blind corners. Don't ride at your limits, because you'll come around a blind corner that will tighten up. Dial it back and ride a respectable pace. The riding is spectacular down there. Enjoy the sights and the ride.
Last edited:
Check out wheels through time if old bikes are your thing. https://goo.gl/maps/OHOKC
These are the guys from the 'what's in the barn' show. Closed Tues-Wed.
These are the guys from the 'what's in the barn' show. Closed Tues-Wed.
+1 for Robbinsville, central to all roads . We stayed at Griffin Cabins. I highly recommend them. Stayed at the IU gap house, the place is huge and clean and quiet, owner is a great lady...the booking after us had cancelled ..she asked if we wanted to stay an extra week...NO CHARGE. The road to town (aprox 8 miles ) is a mini dragon road, great warm-up for the days riding. Everyone eats at Lyns place in town or hit the grocery store in town and well shop....the cottage will sleep 6 easy .I'm not kidding it's a great place to stay ,rest at night. We paid $450 US for 6 days last yr. http://griffincabins.com/iugap.html and the sheriff .....LOL saw him at the jail house... he had a problem getting out of the car LOL
wonderings
Well-known member
+1
A good family friend is down there with a bunch of guys, he had a big accident yesterday at the Dragon. Punctured artery, it was touch and go for a bit I was told in the hospital. Has numerous broken bones and another appointment for surgery very soon. He is expected to be there at least a week before he can travel home.
Not sure exactly what happened, but I am thinking went to fast towards a turn and tried to break and locked up.
Make sure you have good health coverage on your trip.
It can be really hot during the daytime so bring appropriate gear. I was there mid-late June last year and it was low 30's most days.
It can be really hot during the daytime so bring appropriate gear. I was there mid-late June last year and it was low 30's most days.
Shaman
Well-known member
Yeah, Lynn's place or El Pacifico are good eats... Tapoco Lodge was pretty good really, we weren't hot on their one pizza, the other was great. But the view makes it worthwhile there. If/when you go to El Pacifico, be sure to be hungry and order the Guacamole. It's like soft butter... uNf
I've been going to Lynn's for years and years. She's ex-pat Canadian.
I've been going to Lynn's for years and years. She's ex-pat Canadian.
BeastieGirl
Well-known member
This thread is such a good idea and lots of great tips here. I'm a little late to the dance, but I'm sure there will be other riders heading down for the first time.
A lot has been covered - I would just reiterate if you don't know or don't remember how to read the roads for signs that indicate off-camber or decreasing radius turns, research and refresh - not just for the Dragon but any kind of mountain riding. Some switchbacks are completely blind turns - you can't read what you can't see - so remember your back to basics slow in - quick out. This one cost me a trip in an ambulance with a broken shoulder blade and a written off Kawi.
Find a place to practice before hitting the mountains - and I don't mean Forks of the Credit. Mountain roads are different. In my area, Hamilton, there a couple of roads going up and down the escarpment off of Ridge Road - go down McNeilly road - the first turn down is as steep and nasty a turn (with crappy pavement) as I've encountered anywhere - its great practice for those downhill, 1st gear hairpins with no shoulders and narrow lanes. Then come back up Fifty Road and prepare for a lovely off camber uphill hairpin at the top - and again the pavement is crap just to make it more interesting. And do it over and over until you are taking those turns like you are on a bicycle and you are set!! Another road that comes to mind is Rattlesnake Point.
Its good to see so many riders sharing so many great points in this thread, for mountain riding in general, not just the Dragon.
A lot has been covered - I would just reiterate if you don't know or don't remember how to read the roads for signs that indicate off-camber or decreasing radius turns, research and refresh - not just for the Dragon but any kind of mountain riding. Some switchbacks are completely blind turns - you can't read what you can't see - so remember your back to basics slow in - quick out. This one cost me a trip in an ambulance with a broken shoulder blade and a written off Kawi.
Find a place to practice before hitting the mountains - and I don't mean Forks of the Credit. Mountain roads are different. In my area, Hamilton, there a couple of roads going up and down the escarpment off of Ridge Road - go down McNeilly road - the first turn down is as steep and nasty a turn (with crappy pavement) as I've encountered anywhere - its great practice for those downhill, 1st gear hairpins with no shoulders and narrow lanes. Then come back up Fifty Road and prepare for a lovely off camber uphill hairpin at the top - and again the pavement is crap just to make it more interesting. And do it over and over until you are taking those turns like you are on a bicycle and you are set!! Another road that comes to mind is Rattlesnake Point.
Its good to see so many riders sharing so many great points in this thread, for mountain riding in general, not just the Dragon.
Last edited:
Did the tail last year. My mistake was that I did it near the end of a long day in the saddle. Big loaded up concours14 driven by already tired rider did not make for the best tail of the dragon experience great. Next time I will plan to do the run earlier in the day when I'm more fully charged. Great comments by everyone. Trail breaking practice prior to any mountain road riding is very useful. Without it the dragon can bite your a..
mr.walczak
Well-known member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icYe2Qjdyg4&feature=youtu.be if someone tells you to stop or pull over .. It's usually for a reason
^ Yes ... Pay attention to what's going on around you.
The group that I've gone to Deals Gap with for years stays in or near Franklin NC. Lately it has been at the Carolina Motel just south of town. We like staying in that area because it's central to good riding roads in pretty much every direction, and the town has what we need (Walmart, restaurants, grocery stores, etc). The folks at the City Restaurant remember us ...
Take NC 28 south out of Deals Gap and keep on going. Easy on the 4-lane parts ... cops hang out there. NC 28 into Franklin is one of the best roads in the area. Keep going south. The section into Highlands is twisty but usually has a lot of traffic ... fear not, keep going on NC 28 south out of Highlands. And that is one of the best roads in the area. NC 28 becomes GA 28 which becomes SC 28. Eventually there is a junction with SC 107. *Just* south of that junction - within sight - is a little restaurant on the right. If you are astoundingly lucky, it might even be open. (Odd hours.) Eat there if it's open.
Take SC 107 back north. You will reach a stop sign at an oddly-configured intersection. Turn right, up the hill. That road, which I've forgotten the number of, is short but phenomenal. When you get to the stop sign at the other end, you will want to turn back and do it again. Or stop partway and take pictures. Be my guest. Eventually, at that stop sign, turn left (north). This very shortly turns into NC 281 (the number is something else in SC) which others have spoken of already. It reaches a stop sign at US 64 in Sapphire; the filling station at that junction will likely be most welcome because you will not have seen one since Highlands. NC 281 follows US 64 for a short bit (64 has quite a bit of traffic and is not much fun), and then you have a big decision; continue north on 281, or keep going on 64 and go north on 215. And if you go north on 281, you can use the aforementioned Canada Road to cross over to 215 ... or keep going on 281 which eventually leads back to 107 towards Sylva.
215 crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway ... you can either jump on the Parkway, or keep going on 215. So many choices.
I have had tires go from nearly-new, to wrecked, in three days down there.
The group that I've gone to Deals Gap with for years stays in or near Franklin NC. Lately it has been at the Carolina Motel just south of town. We like staying in that area because it's central to good riding roads in pretty much every direction, and the town has what we need (Walmart, restaurants, grocery stores, etc). The folks at the City Restaurant remember us ...
Take NC 28 south out of Deals Gap and keep on going. Easy on the 4-lane parts ... cops hang out there. NC 28 into Franklin is one of the best roads in the area. Keep going south. The section into Highlands is twisty but usually has a lot of traffic ... fear not, keep going on NC 28 south out of Highlands. And that is one of the best roads in the area. NC 28 becomes GA 28 which becomes SC 28. Eventually there is a junction with SC 107. *Just* south of that junction - within sight - is a little restaurant on the right. If you are astoundingly lucky, it might even be open. (Odd hours.) Eat there if it's open.
Take SC 107 back north. You will reach a stop sign at an oddly-configured intersection. Turn right, up the hill. That road, which I've forgotten the number of, is short but phenomenal. When you get to the stop sign at the other end, you will want to turn back and do it again. Or stop partway and take pictures. Be my guest. Eventually, at that stop sign, turn left (north). This very shortly turns into NC 281 (the number is something else in SC) which others have spoken of already. It reaches a stop sign at US 64 in Sapphire; the filling station at that junction will likely be most welcome because you will not have seen one since Highlands. NC 281 follows US 64 for a short bit (64 has quite a bit of traffic and is not much fun), and then you have a big decision; continue north on 281, or keep going on 64 and go north on 215. And if you go north on 281, you can use the aforementioned Canada Road to cross over to 215 ... or keep going on 281 which eventually leads back to 107 towards Sylva.
215 crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway ... you can either jump on the Parkway, or keep going on 215. So many choices.
I have had tires go from nearly-new, to wrecked, in three days down there.
I just returned from a 6 day 3,000km trip to through NY, PA, OH and WV. Side of dual compound front tire melted away to nothing in under 2 days (plenty of center tread left) and I wasted 1/2 a day finding a replacement and having it changed. These very curvy roads are much harder on tires and brakes, km to km, than riding in ON.
Also, stick to right tire track, as away as possible from the oncoming lane.
BigEvilDoer
Well-known member
I've seen tons of animals riding down there...
Big black bear one day, 2 bear cubs on a different day, turkeys, turkey vultures, deer and wild pigs...
|
|
|
|
|