Fire Breathing Dragon

[SaltyDawg]

Looks like the Tail of The Dragon is on fire today. Blamed on a MC crash. That's just what the Tenn Highway Patrol need more reason to shut it down.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351600,00.html

[GunnyButch]

I've been through there quite a few times but there are a lot more roads just like it in western NC and Tenn that are a lot less crowded. Personally I don't think the LEOs handout enough citations along the dragon. Once people start treating the area like a public road instead of a personal racetrack you won't have some jack ass starting forest fires with his wrecked bike and the LEOs won't have anything to do except wave as you ride by. Just my .02 worth.

[Snarley Bill]

I've been through there quite a few times but there are a lot more roads just like it in western NC and Tenn that are a lot less crowded. Personally I don't think the LEOs handout enough citations along the dragon. Once people start treating the area like a public road instead of a personal racetrack you won't have some jack ass starting forest fires with his wrecked bike and the LEOs won't have anything to do except wave as you ride by. Just my .02 worth.

kind of disagree with you . the dragon is legendary world wide. frequented by bike clubs, car clubs, motor scooter clubs,and bicycle clubs. i think it should be a state park for people to enjoy, it is not a road i would like to travel daily. we have a state park in missouri that is about 40 feet wide and over 200 miles long. although motor vehicle are prohibited thousands of people enjoy using it weekly. the dragon should be a road set aside for the legend it is. bill

[mrod]

We saw the bike and it's rider yesterday on the way back from having Wheeler's put a pair of Avons on the Buick. The bike was toast, there were two LEOs there and the rider was on the opposite side of the road shaking his head and commiserating with a riding buddy.

Hey GunnyButch, get some fiber in your diet!

[1rooster]

The dragon is ok but I prefer most of the other roads in Western North Carolina .Come on up and we will ride roads like these.

 

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1186754823037297848YTkWxi

 

We have thousands of miles of roads like these where I live.Might just have to have a M&E so we can all enjoy these roads.We also have lotsa waterfalls here and one that you can drive your bike under,without getting wet.

[GunnyButch]

Don't know what you're trying to say mrod, I just don't have a problem with LEOs citing reckless driving whether it's a car or bike. Other than the publicity the dragon is not all that special considering the other roads in the region.

[mrod]

Once people start treating the area like a public road instead of a personal racetrack you won't have some jack ass starting forest fires with his wrecked bike and the LEOs won't have anything to do except wave as you ride by. Just my .02 worth.

 

 

Something less than sporting when you start calling people you don't know a jackass, that's all.

[Venturous Randy]

Something less than sporting when you start calling people you don't know a jackass, that's all.

 

From all I know, the biker may have been run off the road by a truck. They do seem to show up on 129 occasionally.

RandyA

[Ferrantelli]

Hey! I heard that the Deal's Gap Motorcycle resort is up for sale any takers.

[BuddyRich]

I have never ridden the dragon but have driven the road to Hana. I think that would be the ultimate bike ride

Taken from Wikipedia

Although Hāna is only about 52 miles/84km from Kahului, a typical trip to Hāna takes about three hours, as the road is very winding, very narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one-lane bridges, requiring oncoming traffic to yield and occasionally causing brief traffic jams if two vehicles meet head-on. There are approximately 620 curves along Highway 360 from just east of Kahului to Hana, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest

 

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/aa/Hana_Road.neil916.jpg/400px-Hana_Road.neil916.jpg

[juggler]

Don't know what you're trying to say mrod, I just don't have a problem with LEOs citing reckless driving whether it's a car or bike. Other than the publicity the dragon is not all that special considering the other roads in the region.

 

I have seen plenty of video of the LEO's engaging in reckless driving by crossing the center lines in corners. I also seen plenty of videos of car and trucks and semi's running bikers off the road on the Dragon.

 

Any of these situations could have happened.

 

Maybe you should get facts first then think about what you about to say before saying it.

[captnmidnight]

Now thats what you call a crash and burn!:scared:Just glad he didnt get hurt. Guess he earned himself some braggin rights anyway. I'm sure his buds will never let him live that one down. PUPE HAPPENS!!

[Snarley Bill]

i rode the dragon both ways and to me it was very special . sure there are alot tougher rides, but just being caught up in the whole thing made it a great time of my life. it was an experience i will always remember. plus i got all the dragon souvineers, when i wear my t-shirt there is always a biker that wants to ask me all about the ride. when i rode it i did'nt notice any problems with people breaking the law or driving crazy. it woukl be hard to do with all the traffic. bill

[loehring]

If the bikes toast I hope he can still get a piece for The Tree of Shame. It's tradition.

[GunnyButch]

mrod I'll give you that it could have been something beyond his control, so he gets the benefit of doubt but it may a stretch. The times I have ridden that road it was enjoyable but way too populated both during the week and weekends. I liked the Cheroholla better for the scenery and leisurely pace.

[Snarley Bill]

the dragon is basically all about the braggin rights. no big thing if you live near it and can do it anytime you want. but in my area it is legenday conversation. it's neat to be able to say, been there done that when someone starts telling you all about it. we were there with the vogel group last year and just being there with a great bunch of fellow riders made it all worthwhile. there are several roads in arkansas that make the dragon look whimpy, but they just ain't the dragon. bill

[royalstarjac]

This is from the resorts website, and yes, the resort is for sale. Anyone got an extra couple mil laying around?-Jack

 

Late in the day yesterday (Wednesday) there was a rider heading northbound and got into some problems at the 10mm(known as the whip or Bens Brights, pending on the map you are looking at). Said rider somehow fell over in the exit of the turn and somehow lost some gas which ignited a fire. As of 6 pm yesterday, it was only about 10 acres, but this am its well over 50 and still burning. Truthfully, I think its even bigger than that, but I cant say for sure unless I had a helicopter. Either way, this is absolutely ridiculous. I know sh-t happens but this makes no sense. The Yamaha R-6 has an issue where you can easily shave a corner off the tank on a longer pavement slide and then ignite the gas in the tank, but I honestly dont know how this could have happened the way it did. I did see the pictures of the fire as it was fresh and the bike was a Suzuki GSXR(750 or 1000, I dont know). The fire was so hot it melted the swing arm completely, along with a couple other key parts. Suffice to say, this bike will not see another day.

[Guest JDGeda]

I've ridden the Dragon a number of times, but always on a cruiser - 1982 Yamaha 750 Virago, 2003 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic, and 2006 Yamaha Midnight Venture. Even by "hanging off" and dragging a floorboard, a cruiser is no match for most crotch rockets, so I generally move over to the white line and wave the crotch rockets by when I see/hear them coming up behind me. I believe that I have seen more vehicles (motorcycles, cars, and - oh my God - semi's) crossing the centerline on that road than anywhere else I have ever been. That place is an accident waiting to happen and since I can already say "been there, done that," I generally avoid the Dragon when I'm in the area. Besides, as has been previously stated in this trhead, there are plenty of other roads in the area that are more scenic and still offer a challanging ride. The Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive, Cheracola Skyway, Foot Hills Parkway, and Magie Valley (just to name a few) are much more scenic, are safer, and still offer modest challanges. In addition, there are thousands of miles of great motorcycling roads in Eastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia that are not crowded or dangereous.

 

Just my two cents. Ride safe.

[Condor]

Good thing the bike didn't pin him... Talk about toast!! Last week I witnessed an accident where the bike tank ruptured, caught on fire, and all that was left was a black blob. A lot of bystanders emptied their extingushers on it and it still kept right on blazing away. If the rider had been pinned there wouldn't have been anything anyone could have done....