Advice wanted on The Dragon

[JKJ-FZ6]

Another of the hazards on the Dragon: truckers who don't heed the signs. This one had the road completely blocked.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Guard rails? What are guard rails? Most of the mountain roads we ride don't have guard rails because the snowplows push the snow over the edge in the winter (or spring for the roads that close over the winter). As far as drop-off's, one of my favorite roads hugs the north rim of the Black Canyon. If you ride it west to east putting you in the right lane, sometimes you can see the river if you crowd the white line along the right edge of the lane. Attached a pic, is this what you mean by drop-off?

Thanks everyone for the terrrific feedback and advice. Sounds like we will have a great time. Definitely will be avoiding the weekend since we will be on vacation and probably be there between M-F and doing the CO-TN-CO drive over the weekends. Just hope it stays relatively dry when we are there.

Oh, and just kidding on seeing the river. On the curves along the canyon I'm usually leaned too far over to see the river...I think that's part of why Lytehouse rides her own bike now. I used to get slapped on the side of the helmet a lot coming out of tight curves. LOL.

Wether your on the twisties out west or out east, any roads with steep drop offs, especially on corners (and no guard rails) are extremly dangerous / deadly if pushing the limit. Low speeds to very high speeds juat makes the issue that much more an issue

You can die on a 100' drop as easily as a 1000' drop...

I can say from experiance (of what I've personally seen on the Dragon), PAY ATTENTION, don't wave, etc, if riding your limits, S..T does indeed happen.

I don't particularly want to see any of your bike parts on the "Tree of shame", nor hear of another statistic...

Now, if your chugging along (normal Harley speeds) its not nearly an issue.

Of the three of us that went up, one went Harley speeds (he was on a Sportster BTW and chugged along), my other friend and I pushed the bikes hard and FULL ATTENTION is needed to finish W/O incident.

 

[J_Slyter]

Wether your on the twisties out west or out east, any roads with steep drop offs, especially on corners (and no guard rails) are extremly dangerous / deadly if pushing the limit. Low speeds to very high speeds juat makes the issue that much more an issue

You can die on a 100' drop as easily as a 1000' drop...

I agree 100%. Just trying to keep it a little light-hearted as I post and ride to have fun. I appreciate all the advice, and since you don't know me, I understand you are just looking out for your fellow rider. In my case, pushing the limit on public roads is something no one should ever do. There are too many variable's to any ride that you should always have a good amount of spare manuevering capacity in your hip pocket. My limit is different than Lytehouse's, hence the helmet slap (I don't see myself as some expert, but I have almost 40 years experience and my comfort zone is different than hers). CO is no different than a lot of other places, our roads are rough, they freeze and thaw repeatedly and that makes potholes, they sand liberally after snowstorms (it snows a lot in the mountains and you can encounter the residue well into summer in the high country), rocks & gravel of all sizes can come down the mountain and usually stop on the first flat surface they reach (i.e.the road, and curves are always cut into the side of the mountain), so guess where you can find basketball size boulders...right at your apex in a blind corner. I've come around blind curves to be greeted by deer, bear, big horn sheep etc, they burst from the trees, heck they practically fall from the sky onto the road when they are running down a mountain. Lytehouse can tell you, we saw a couple of mountain goats come up from a vertical drop-off and jump up and across the road from below right between a couple of dirt bikes in front of us on the Million Dollar Hwy. I can tell you I was not expecting a road hazard from that direction at that time. If you ride, hopefully you know the risks, and if it is within your comfort zone, like it is for all of us in this community, you continue to ride.

Every road I ride pretty much has a drop-off on one side and a mountain going up the other. It is the terrain I live in everyday, so I don't give any more consideration to drop-offs than any other hazard on the road. Going off the road and abrubtly stopping against a tree or boulder is every bit as dangerous.

Funny thing is, and maybe why your comment resonated with me. My son was visiting last Sept from Fort Myers, FL with his girlfriend (practically a Fort Myers native). We took them to Aspen, CO over Independence Pass, and she asked why there were no guardrails (she was quite nervous) since Indy Pass has some big drops and little to no shoulder. No guardrails is not something I ever notice, that's pretty much the norm to me, but I've heard the comment twice in the last 5 months.

Now back to our program. The road recommendations are great, I've pulled out the maps and trying to figure out how to work them all in. Thanks everyone.

 

[FIZZER6]

My brother lives in CO Springs and I've gotten to drive a lot of the roads in that part of the state and up to the mountains.

Yes there are still plenty of obstacles in CO, especially large rocks which are rare to find in the road on the east coast mountains but the difference in CO is that most roads are not lined with large hardwood trees, 15' off the pavement. I'd much rather run off the road in CO and hit a couple basketball sized rocks as I slide off into gravel and dirt than to slam into a 30" diameter oak tree. When you hit a live tree you lose, every time.

Be safe out there everyone!

 

[J_Slyter]

I know running off the road is always a possibility but I'd much rather not do it at all on public roads (or anywhere else), but if I'm going to ride fast enough where the risk of it happening goes up significantly...well that is what the track is for.

I asked Lytehouse to post this up to get some ideas on roads to ride in the area. I've read before where people had said there were better roads to ride in the area and less crowds and was wondering what those were. Can't go there without being able to say " The Dragon, been there done that" but was looking for more input. Sorry my initial post seems to have sidetracked this, so I'll shutup now.

Oh, I would like to attach one of my fave safety videos first....now I'll shutup. :rockon:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXCy6vw0dkI]Motorcycle Awareness: Obstacles - YouTube[/ame]

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Yep, down here, there's not many guard rails for drop off's and few curves... Of those that I know of, the chicken strips are gone..:thumbup:

I've never ridden the Dragon on the FZ, but have no doubt in my mind, between the mid size, excellent handling and wide RPM range, it would definitly be the fastest I ever ran it (and that's staying within my limits)...

And yes, be safe... :thumbup:

 

[MG-242]

Guard rails, snakes, cars coming at you, sand, gravel, trucks, crowds? I think I would prefer the much faster and much safer route and suggest turns with air bags, medical assistance at every turn, everyone going in the same direction, regulated traffic, clean surface, etc. and do a track day while also taking in the museum at Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, the best or one of the best tracks in the country, the weekend of 4\5 or 5\17. Plus a little farther south the weather should be warmer.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Guard rails, snakes, cars coming at you, sand, gravel, trucks, crowds? I think I would prefer the much faster and much safer route and suggest turns with air bags, medical assistance at every turn, everyone going in the same direction, regulated traffic, clean surface, etc. and do a track day while also taking in the museum at Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, the best or one of the best tracks in the country, the weekend of 4\5 or 5\17. Plus a little farther south the weather should be warmer.

Thier going on a numerous day, vacation, not a track day event. I think the thread is getting a little side tracked

IMHO, I'd take the Cherohola Highway over any track, anyday, but thats just me...

 

[SweaterDude]

Don't go during tourist season. too many idiots trying to go fast and causing wrecks. You could go toward NC and pick up HWY 9 in Black mountain and ride to Chimney Rock, where the Last of the Mohicans was filmed.

 

[Erci]

Guard rails, snakes, cars coming at you, sand, gravel, trucks, crowds? I think I would prefer the much faster and much safer route and suggest turns with air bags, medical assistance at every turn, everyone going in the same direction, regulated traffic, clean surface, etc. and do a track day while also taking in the museum at Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, the best or one of the best tracks in the country, the weekend of 4\5 or 5\17. Plus a little farther south the weather should be warmer.

A BIG plus 1.. I didn't want to say it though. If Bren goes, I hope she and John have a fantastic and safe time!

 

[Erci]

IMHO, I'd take the Cherohola Highway over any track, anyday, but thats just me...

Cherohola Highway must be pretty special! When it comes to great views and casual riding with friends, good roads can't be beat.

Track riding is obviously not about scenery, but if you want maximum curves and silly speeds, it's a far better place to do it than any road.

I'm sure Bren does not intend to ride the dragon at her maximum pace, but lots of people do just that, don't they? For them, I'd absolutely suggest track day over any public road.
I've never ridden Deals Gap (so please correct me if the following is not true), but from loads of write-ups + videos + pictures, it does seem like being there at the wrong time can be very dangerous. Things like trucks completely taking up oncoming lanes and suicidal riders and drivers crashing and taking others with them.
If I was planning to ride there, I'd want to know best time of year to be there and I would definitely plan to ride it on a weekday.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Cherohola Highway must be pretty special! When it comes to great views and casual riding with friends, good roads can't be beat.

Track riding is obviously not about scenery, but if you want maximum curves and silly speeds, it's a far better place to do it than any road.

I'm sure Bren does not intend to ride the dragon at her maximum pace, but lots of people do just that, don't they? For them, I'd absolutely suggest track day over any public road.
I've never ridden Deals Gap (so please correct me if the following is not true), but from loads of write-ups + videos + pictures, it does seem like being there at the wrong time can be very dangerous. Things like trucks completely taking up oncoming lanes and suicidal riders and drivers crashing and taking others with them.
If I was planning to ride there, I'd want to know best time of year to be there and I would definitely plan to ride it on a weekday.

You are correct, Cherohola is a gorgeous ride and long!

I have rode it (and the Dragon) numerous times on my FJR, Goldwing, Suzuki Savage 650, KLR 250 but not the FZ600, YET! That's chasing my friend (as he's a better rider than I and I'll keep up with him)

Yes, like any road it can be dangerous (especially the Dragon) and there ar many blind corners out of 318 curves in 11 miles. The one big plus is NO sidestreets. It was, a couple of years ago, re-paved.

I don't ride it fast until a make a slower run FIRST, back and forth on it, looking for anything obviously dangerous (sand, debris, etc). Vehicles going over the line, trucks, etc, obviously change with time...

Yes, weekends are nuts.. Weekdays, earlier is better. Should I get stuck behind a slow moving HD who WON'T wave me around (it does happen on occassion), I'll pull over on a shoulder, give them several minutes, then re-start my run until I catch up with them (at least get a couple miles/twisties under my belt at some speed).

Blind corners I definitly go slower, very visable corners ahead, that you can see are clear, wind her up!

There is a spot, if running at any speed (and no its not a blind corner), you hit negative, up/down "G"s (weightless).. IMO, very, very cool....

Just as a side note, there are lots of riders that ride that road FAST on a daily basis and time it(they live in the area). The semi-motos's are just about the quickest due to all the turns. The "go fasts" catch up in the straights and as stated, can easily get to 100 MPH.

There are so many video's out there folks have recorded hauling a..., it'd give you an idea, how challenging the road can be.. Someone comes up on my butt, I wave them past and let them enjoy...

And lastly, get a T-shirt (and some stickers) at the store at the south, N.C. side of the Dragon. They used to sell them ONLY at the store, now you can buy them on-line without ever seeing the road. There were two or three bike repair shops again on the NC side...

 

[acniss]

Don't go during tourist season. too many idiots trying to go fast and causing wrecks. You could go toward NC and pick up HWY 9 in Black mountain and ride to Chimney Rock, where the Last of the Mohicans was filmed.

yeah that is my sunday ride home from church its great

 

[SweaterDude]

yeah that is my sunday ride home from church its great

The ride up to Mt. Mitchell is pretty nice if i remember correctly as well...
We have good friends in Black Mtn. and take the bikes there most times we visit

 

[2wheelieadv]

We took the trip to Dragon and BRP last June. The weather on BRP were changing from sun to rain by the minutes... If you want to do the BRP - just do the last 120-150 miles of it. It runs for 470 miles north to south, but don't waste the time doing it all, rather save it for the nicer roads down there. The last 150 miles are nice and curvy, the rest up north are so-so.

As for the Dragon itself, it worth to do it and later to say been there - did that.... I don't know what's the fuss about it here in the East, but I guess it is the only "attraction" for bikes on the East Coast. Stay within your limits and you'll be fine.
Run it several times back-to-back and you'll see how better you becoming with each run. Key is not to get ****y with a shot of overconfidence.
Be careful in a left-hand blind turns as some pushy biker can go wide into your lane. The photographers in the sharp turns are a main distraction. Inexperienced riders want to "pose" and therefore they go wide. This what happened when I was there.

Other roads like rt28 which starts at the Dragon by the Dragon resort (where we staid) is nice, curvy and fun. You can ride it faster as the curves are not as sharp as on Dragon.
And yes, weekdays are much less crowded and more space for you to ride.

To give you some idea, here is a vid from our ride on dragon and rt28.
This day I ran into that accident when a biker on a toures went over and hit a HD head on somewhere down 3/4 of the Dragon in TN. I didn't want to continue after this and just turned back to the motel.

So I rode my FZ6R before I bought the FZ.
It may look slow in the vid, maybe cas of the wider angle, but I pushed the bike at about 80-90%.
If you'll notice in like min 5:05 I went over the left side, but don't be afraid... did it for fun...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HaJ2x_Kzgs]Dragon - YouTube[/ame]

Rt28
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1yOQZh0V6Q]Ride from "BaseCamp" toward Pit Stop - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Kazza]

All I'm going to say Bren is:


DO IT

I want to see you ride the dragon!

It's on my riding bucket list

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

We took the trip to Dragon and BRP last June. The weather on BRP were changing from sun to rain by the minutes... If you want to do the BRP - just do the last 120-150 miles of it. It runs for 470 miles north to south, but don't waste the time doing it all, rather save it for the nicer roads down there. The last 150 miles are nice and curvy, the rest up north are so-so.

As for the Dragon itself, it worth to do it and later to say been there - did that.... I don't know what's the fuss about it here in the East, but I guess it is the only "attraction" for bikes on the East Coast. Stay within your limits and you'll be fine.
Run it several times back-to-back and you'll see how better you becoming with each run. Key is not to get ****y with a shot of overconfidence.
Be careful in a left-hand blind turns as some pushy biker can go wide into your lane. The photographers in the sharp turns are a main distraction. Inexperienced riders want to "pose" and therefore they go wide. This what happened when I was there.

Other roads like rt28 which starts at the Dragon by the Dragon resort (where we staid) is nice, curvy and fun. You can ride it faster as the curves are not as sharp as on Dragon.
And yes, weekdays are much less crowded and more space for you to ride.

To give you some idea, here is a vid from our ride on dragon and rt28.
This day I ran into that accident when a biker on a toures went over and hit a HD head on somewhere down 3/4 of the Dragon in TN. I didn't want to continue after this and just turned back to the motel.

So I rode my FZ6R before I bought the FZ.
It may look slow in the vid, maybe cas of the wider angle, but I pushed the bike at about 80-90%.
If you'll notice in like min 5:05 I went over the left side, but don't be afraid... did it for fun...
Dragon - YouTube

Rt28
Ride from "BaseCamp" toward Pit Stop - YouTube

Excellent video of the Dragon!!!!!!!

My adrenaline's running right now, sitting here watching it on the lap top, tilting my head!!! That's about the speed I ran it on my FJR.. :thumbup:

As your video shows, someone wasn't paying 100% attention and crashed...

As noted, you more you run it, the more comfortable you are with your bike, you hone your skills (especially coming from the flat lands of Florida) as well..

THANK YOU!! :thumbup:

 

[chuckfz6ryder]

We trailered our bikes from MA last July, ran 300 miles of twisties every day. The dragon was part of our ride every day and it was a great. All the roads are incredible around there. We were on Moonshiners 28 and followed a detour sign due to road construction (didn't really need to) and I think that was the best part of the day. We're riding there this July and I can't wait. As others suggested, ride the Dragon on the weekend if possible and don't exceed your abilities, watch for others crossing the yellow line, and you'll be fine. Not sure if I'd go in April, but I would imagine May is better.