Long trip and my first wreck. (US-129 The dragon)

[5spoke]

Went on a trip with my Brother-in-law and father-in-law this past week. We drove about 1300 miles. I rode from Alexandria Va to Richmond Va to meet up with them. Then we headed over to the blue ridge parkway and rode it from start to finish, roughly 470 miles. Our end goal was to hit The Tail of the Dragon on the border of NC and TN. We made it there and rode the dragon a couple times.

I eventually wrecked the FZ6 into a ditch on a left hand curve. My shift side peg broke off and the front fairing is cracked and the support is bent. We rigged the peg back on with a screwdriver and some electrical tape to get me down the mountain. I rode the bike back 450 miles on mostly highways just to get home. My leg is rashed and bruised and my ankle is swollen. The bike is going to need a little work but I guess I am lucky that it wasn't any worse.

Anyone considering riding the dragon. Take it easy, its an insane road. Definitely the most twisty road I have ever seen. Its a ton of fun but don't push yourself past what you know you are capable of. I just misjudged the turn and then hyper focused my way off the road. :spank:

Below is a video I took shortly before I fell. This is from the start to about halfway up the dragon. It's a lot curvier than the video portrays, not sure if its the wide lens or what. The actual dragon starts about 2:14 when we pass through the chain link fence.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKBjRJvY4BA]Run up the Tail of the Dragon (US-129) - YouTube[/ame]


Also anyone who went naked and has some extra fairing parts. PM me. I really need the main fairing support and may be able to use some other stuff. Or if you have a shift side peg I could use one of those as well. Thanks! Ride safe!

 

[FIZZER6]

Definitely not a road for novice or riders who are not used to mountain twisties. Glad you came out with minor injuries!

The first time I had the FZ6 on the Dragon I did not feel at all confident (had only been riding 2 seasons) Last week when we were there it felt much better as I have improved very much in the last 3 years. :thumbup:

You owe it to yourself to ride Cherohala Skyway when you are near the Dragon...it is a much better ride, speeds are higher and the curves are smoother, no decreasing radius crap or dips in the road!

 

[5spoke]

Definitely not a road for novice or riders who are not used to mountain twisties. Glad you came out with minor injuries!

The first time I had the FZ6 on the Dragon I did not feel at all confident (had only been riding 2 seasons) Last week when we were there it felt much better as I have improved very much in the last 3 years. :thumbup:

You owe it to yourself to ride Cherohala Skyway when you are near the Dragon...it is a much better ride, speeds are higher and the curves are smoother, no decreasing radius crap or dips in the road!

Haha funny enough, we were planning on heading to the Skyway right after our last run on the dragon. We will go back next year and do it. I have been riding since last august, pretty much straight through the winter. So a little over a year, I have about 8-9k miles under my belt and just pushed a little bit too hard.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

It's just amazing how the Dragon claims so many riders. I agree, the Dragon is not the place to go seek twisties for new riders. If they do, they just need to take it easy and focus on improving and applying their cornering techniques. The question is, do they know what the correct technique is?

We have a place right on the outskirts of Vegas called Red Rock State Park. It's a one way road so it's very forgiving. It's about a 10 mile loop, mostly with very tight twisting turns. Yeah, you go off the road and you might end up down the ditch or hit some cactus, but not having to worry about crossing the double yellow line or hitting a guardrail is a plus! It claims riders every week, just the fact that the riders just don't have the experience negotiating corners. But it's a great place to introduce new riders to corners, they just need to take it easy and enjoy the ride.

 

[Marthy]

First, thanks for the video... amazing road. It's on my "To do list"... Well, sorry for your ride and glad you made it ok... bike can be fix...

 

[DefyInertia]

I'm guessing you rand wide off the road at the exit of the left hand turn?

Good luck with the bumps and bruises.

 

[FIZZER6]

this is why there are so many wrecks on the Dragon...it attacts squids in droves...who think they need to pass any bike going 2 mph under their average speed:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOHYiQakLg&NR=1]Wipeout on The Dragon - YouTube[/ame]

Note the rider's gear...

 

[5spoke]

I'm guessing you rand wide off the road at the exit of the left hand turn?

Good luck with the bumps and bruises.

yep thats basically what happened.

 

[5spoke]

this is why there are so many wrecks on the Dragon...it attacts squids in droves...who think they need to pass any bike going 2 mph under their average speed:

Wipeout on The Dragon - YouTube

Note the rider's gear...

Yeah I wasn't being that dumb. I was keeping it fairly low speed and basically sticking to 2nd gear. I was trying to take it sort of easy but just hyper-focused at the exit of the turn.

 

[tejkowskit]

Oooh. At least you were able to ride home! Gotta love the dragon though. I had my FZ6 for 3 months before going there (been riding on the street for almost 2 years though) and absolutely loved it. For whoever is going there, know your limit and ability, and don't exceed it. It is a lot of fun if you don't push it.

Did you have anything to add to the tree of shame?

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

OP, sorry to hear about this, but you made it out pretty well. Of course, my perspective is skewed since my buddy lowsided off the hill in May and spent a month at UT trying to get his memory back!

I'm making my 4th trip down in about 3 weeks. Can't wait!!! It's only about 4-4.5 hours from me, so I try and get down there twice a year.

Glad to hear you're ok, though! :thumbup:

 

[5spoke]

Oooh. At least you were able to ride home! Gotta love the dragon though. I had my FZ6 for 3 months before going there (been riding on the street for almost 2 years though) and absolutely loved it. For whoever is going there, know your limit and ability, and don't exceed it. It is a lot of fun if you don't push it.

Did you have anything to add to the tree of shame?

Nope, nothing actually fell off the bike so I didn't have anything to add.

 

[Marthy]

Nope, nothing actually fell off the bike so I didn't have anything to add.

Mate, your avatar is freaking me out!!! I move my head to the left every time!:BLAA:

 

[ice]

this is why there are so many wrecks on the Dragon...it attacts squids in droves...who think they need to pass any bike going 2 mph under their average speed:

Wipeout on The Dragon - YouTube

Note the rider's gear...

I don`t take pleasure in other peoples misfortune but, this is almost funny.
Guy showing his butt and then bust his butt.

A guy passed me on a very, very tight mountain curve not long ago.
I thought afterward, if he had clipped and wrecked me, if I was able, I would come up swinging.
And i`m not the violent type.

 

[ice]

5spoke

Glad you are ok and got your bike home.
Most take a slide/spill if they ride long enough.

What do you think was the main reason you lost it?
Fatigue, lost concentration, or entering a curve too fast?.

 

[5spoke]

Re: 5spoke

Glad you are ok and got your bike home.
Most take a slide/spill if they ride long enough.

What do you think was the main reason you lost it?
Fatigue, lost concentration, or entering a curve too fast?.

Honestly I wasn't going that fast. I think my mind wandered and then I panic'ed in the middle when I realized I was swinging really wide. My low speed is part of the reason I came out without too much injury. We had done about 700 miles over the two days prior and I think I was a bit tired.

 

[rjo3491]

Sorry about your wreck. Most importantly, you're OK (the bike can be repaired or replaced - you have many years of good times ahead, so don't sweat it)!

On a positive note, your video is very good. What camera and setup are you using? There are many stretches of road I'd like to capture (one in particular) that I traveled as a kid with my parents. Some rural areas haven't changed that much since the 60's (when I was young). I'd like to be able to run these routes on my bike and watch them later.

 

[5spoke]

Sorry about your wreck. Most importantly, you're OK (the bike can be repaired or replaced - you have many years of good times ahead, so don't sweat it)!

On a positive note, your video is very good. What camera and setup are you using? There are many stretches of road I'd like to capture (one in particular) that I traveled as a kid with my parents. Some rural areas haven't changed that much since the 60's (when I was young). I'd like to be able to run these routes on my bike and watch them later.

My camera is a GoPro HD Hero set on the highest record setting. I was running it with the waterproof cover which cuts some of the sound quality but there was a chance of rain and I didn't want to ruin it. If you watch Overstock.com they have pretty good deals on it. I got mine for $230 a month or so ago. The camera is stuck right above the right side headlight. I forgot one of the brackets for adjusting it so its a little tilted. Its a sweet little camera. If you go to my youtube channel I have recorded some autocross videos with it as well. It's a nice camera for the price.

example:

VMSC Autocross 7/21/11 6th run - YouTube


GoPro HD Motorsports HERO 5 MP Digital Camcorder | Overstock.com

 

[abraxas]

Nice !! Thanks for sharing

 

[windsor]

sorry to hear about ur crash, glad it was a minor one. I was down there 2 weeks ago and nearly got bit by the dragon myself. it was at about mile 2 eastbound with a hard decreasing radius turn. I committed the sin of crossing the double line. thankfully it was early in the morning and i was the only rider on the road at the time. I'll be in the market for some new foot pegs as well, the dragon ate my feeler pegs. The only herpes I brought home with me from the trip was a speeding ticket from a TN smokie hiding at the entrance to the dragon. He was tucked into the weeds behind a bridge in an unmarked car. For those heading to the dragon, beware, cops Love Love Love to ticket bikes coming from and going to the dragon.