Tail of The Dragon

overrated stretch of highway....nothing spectacular.


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Florian said:

overrated stretch of highway....nothing spectacular.


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Not sure you could have shit anymore on the thread than that. :bigroll:

I was just on the Dragon two weekends ago in my S2000. If you've never been, the road is pretty spectacular--as a n00b it was pretty spectacular to me. It helps to hone some autox skills. It was definitely fun in a high-revving, open-air cockpit car like the S2000.

I think it would be fun in a different way in my V, though. The curves would be an awesome test of the suspension in Competition Mode, but there's no place to open up on the throttle to use all 556 hp to accelerate.

Please do report back your impressions, or even better...some video please.

It's on my bucket list!

Florian said:

overrated stretch of highway....nothing spectacular.


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... what did you drive on it?... a minivan - then yes. it would F...

I rode it on an HD Fatboy (rented) and thought it was a great stretch of road but congested (even though we hit it early). Time seemed to fly by. It felt like it took just a few minutes when in reality it was 11 miles of driving and amounted to about 20 minutes. Although it is a great road and something people talk about North Carolina and Tennessee both have some better roads that people just don't flock to. Watch out for police and do NOT cross the yellow for your safety and that of bike riders out there. In my opinion the V will not thrive out there like a smaller light weight car will.

I have to agree with Florian. The road is over rated. I have been over it about six times in both directions on a motorcycle. These passages were space over a period of years, so it not like I saw only one face of the road. It's nice, but certainly not spectacular. People who view it as a test of their driving skills are a hazard to everyone on that road. Drive it for the scenery, not to to see how fast you can go. Many people have been killed on this road simply because of its reputation. I personally know one person (it was not me; he was just behind me) who wrecked his motorcycle and ended up in the hospital (in Knoxville) because he went too fast.

Where is the Dragon?

The Tail of the Dragon is U.S. 129 in Blount County, TN and ends in NC. It is famous because it has 318 curves in 11 eventful miles with an altitude differential of 1050 ft or so. It's around 50 miles se of Knoxville.

silver02stang said:

... what did you drive on it?... a minivan - then yes. it would F...

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2007 K1200GT.

There are hundreds of better roads to travel.....TotD is overrated and congested. Say hello to the Tennessee State Police for me.

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Florian is right that The Dragon can be congested at peak driving times.....OTOH my last drive was at 7 AM on a gorgeous Sunday AM, though, on my way home, and it was empty except for the squirrels . The nearby Skyway is MUCH less congested and just as much a challenge to drive. It's also as scenic and the altitude changes are pretty significant.

My choice of roads to tighten up your sphincter is US550 between Montrose and Durango. Try it in the rain (most afternoons), on a motorcycle. No guard rails, many sharp, deep drop offs. Lots of fun. Especially if you are being tailgated by someone familiar with the road.

werd.

or the 555 in OH.....makes the Dragon look like the interstate.



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tedcmiller said:

My choice of roads to tighten up your sphincter is US550 between Montrose and Durango. Try it in the rain (most afternoons), on a motorcycle. No guard rails, many sharp, deep drop offs. Lots of fun. Especially if you are being tailgated by someone familiar with the road.

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Drove this in the 1994 One Lap. It was dark and they had just repaved the road - nothing but a sea of black with no markings. Came back thru there in 1997 in a Suburban. Get out at Red Mountain Pass and watch the waterfall. It's a hoot!

I'm just making one pass on the dragon and then off to the parkway and maybe a trip through Devils triangle if I have time.

Maybe I am getting old (I did just buy a Cadillac), and I enjoy a good, fun road like everybody else, but I have to say that if you want to drive fast on a twisty road, you should go to a road course. Really. If you haven't done it, try it and you will be amazed at the difference and what you will learn. If the road is a pleasant sprited drive then great, but I get the impression that this road is the destination for lots of car clubs and groups, with perhaps novice drivers trying to go too fast on a public road? I would be scared to drive it on a motorcycle for somebody else's mistake? I have heard of the Tail of the Dragon with every car group I have been associated with, never been there but have done lots of club drives on fun roads. But nothing on a public road compares to a road course, no comparison. Just like no road car compares to a race car.

what i like about the tod is that for a car driver the speeds aren't outrageous, and if you don't cross the yellow line and instead drive the car at a hard 7-8/10ths with no spinning tires and no tail out stuff, it is an incredibley fun drive.
There is an area where you can hit 80+mph at the NC border but most of the time i'm not going anywhere that fast.

Now the motorcylists are a different matter. they are just crazy.

the ls1gto group will be up there this friday morning as well as the bandit t/a group.