I rode the dragon last year while out in Knoxville for work. I did it to say I did, but to be honest I would not go too far out of my way to do it again. It is cool but you really can't enjoy it as there are so many idiots and you can't take your eyes off the road to enjoy it. I much perfer a relaxing ride when I can enjoy the surroundings. That said, be careful, enjoy and be extra safe especially since you will have your bride with you. :s
Off to slay the dragon!
- Thread starter flstcdorr
- Start date
Exactly - I've got the decal on my bike now so I wouldn't go out of my way to do it again. The curves are no different then any other I've ridden - they just keep coming and coming! I was lucky and did it on a Wednesday at around 2:00 PM so I only encountered around 5 or 6 other riders. I feel like it's mostly an internet/media created "must do" thing but I was a sucker and rode up to do it after I'd had my bike for 3 months!
threesteps
Junior Member
I'm with you and Dr D. I'm glad I went to Deal's Gap since I was in the area, but I enjoyed the ride down Skyline and the Parkway more than the Dragon.
Mainah
Junior Member
Hope you have good weather, that area is one of my favorites. This time of year you might get a little rain so I will add a couple of my favorite places if you need a rain day activity.
Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum
Tenn Museum of Avation
Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum
Tenn Museum of Avation
flstcdorr
Member
Ozoneman - Depends on how well we like it as to whether go again that soon. We are planning to go out to Laconia in June. After that, schedules open.
Davidw2415 - Provided we don't get rained out, pix will be coming.
Mainah - Thanks for the tips. Weather is iffy at this point, but I've yet to see a weatherman get it right 5 days out.
Great suggestions.. I've ridden it on my road king, the MV and a few other sport bikes. We did it early in the morning using a rolling traffic advisor ahead of us so we could try and run it as fast as possible. We rode early enough on a Monday/Tueday that there was not much traffic. And we used as much of the road as we could to maximize our speed.
It's nothing special. You can't enjoy the scenery because the road requires you to actually pay attention. The locals will scream by you because you're running too slow. It's a road full of wanna be "Isle of Mann" racers that don't have the mentally to "take it to the track".
But, it's something you have to experience for yourself. I would advise not to do it on a weekend. The "Joey Dunlop's" are out in force on Saturday and Sunday.
Not to mention the odd SUV or car that's running it also.
Be safe and ride within your skill set. This is not the place to push the outside of the your riding skills envelope. It will be real easy to get into a corner hot. Hotter than you think you're traveling. Keep your head and don't give up on your equipment. Your Harley will lean a lot farther than you think.
flstcdorr
Member
Thanks SledDog, my days of trying to set speed records are long gone. My first ride was a Honda 50 in 1964 and I usually had it cranked wide open. Nowadays I just enjoy the ride. Got nothin' to prove. Been checking a lot of websites on the area, seems the speed limit is 30 on the Tenn. side and I'll probably not exceed it.
dorr :bigsmiley12:
dorr :bigsmiley12: