Video Ride Report: the Skyway and the Dragon

theWolfTamer

theWolfTamer

Wizard
thewolftamer71.blogspot.com
I rode the Dragon for the first time on Saturday. Here's a video with pics from the day and video of part of my ride back down to Deals Gap Resort. I'd have video of the Cherahola Skyway too, but I forgot to make sure deleted files were really deleted from the storage card!! It's a shame, we passed a lot of bikes and I scraped my boots twice.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPjRRbzkb8]TopWop and theWolfTamer Take the Skyway to Hunt the Dragon[/ame]
 
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Hey Tamer thanks for the vid. I've been wondering how intense the dragon was and have been considering making a trip up there myself. How difficult is the ride, about how fast were you entering the turns do you remember? I really want to get into some twisties but I'm in Blytheville, AR which is all straights and a turn every once and a while. I'm a little apprehensive because I had a wreck about a year ago and I've been trying to get the feeling back. To you guys out there who have taken the trip what do you think?
 
I find the best thing to get the feeling back is riding a lot. The more I ride, the more confident I get.

It was my first ride on the dragon. At one point, I looked down and saw I was going about 40 mph--okay I didn't see it until late last night when I was editing the video, not sure I put it in because I cut it so it would fit the song.

It was mostly a 1st and sometimes 2nd gear road for me yesterday and definitely not the hardest I've ridden. I did the Cherohala Skyway earlier in the day. That road is one you can take with much more pace, too bad I messed up with the cards or there would have been video of us passing cruisers (and a couple of sport bikes).

The hardest part is the traffic. Others borrow part of your lane at times which can be distracting. But the road surface is very good for the most part and I don't think there are many curves that are so extreme as soon as you get out of that curve you thank God you made it. (I did that more than once on Wolf Pen Gap Rd--heck, now that I think about it, Wolf Pen Gap is more like Latigo Canyon RD than the Dragon is.) As a matter of fact, I think the most extreme curves on in the part of the video I posted.

Check out some of the runs posted on You Tube to find video of the whole road. I think if you go during the week, the traffic will not be as heavy making the road a little more enjoyable. Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the good comments.
--tWT
 
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Thanks for all the info, I was worried that if I went a little slower I might cause a problem. Sounds like I'm going to the Gap.
 
FZ1fun said:
Thanks for all the info, I was worried that if I went a little slower I might cause a problem. Sounds like I'm going to the Gap.
Click to expand...

As long as there are cruisers on the road, you can't be going the slowest. Also, if you are, keep an eye on your rear view mirror so you can move over for anyone who wants to pass. Most riders don't do this, but I know I appreciate it when they do.

When I was in California, they did it all the time. Not so much here in the south east that I've seen.
 
The Gap can be a lot of fun, the key is GO YOUR OWN PACE! Relax and enjoy the ride. If a faster rider comes up behind you, just move to the right side of the lane and wave them by or use one of the (now paved) pulloffs. Oh, and there are plenty of turns leading up to the Gap that will reaclimate you before you get to number 1 of 318. While you're there be sure to go and hit the Skyway and the Hellbender (which I can't remember the road number for right now, but it's the left split at the store. The right goes into Robbinsville and to the Skyway.) Shoot me a PM if you make it over and we can try to meet up!
 
I'm not the slowest on the Dragon, but I'm also far from the fastest. I'm not there to get end to end the quickest. I enjoy the view on the straights and yearn for the tight switchbacks to hone technical skills. I keep a keen eye on the mirrors and when I see a fast mover, I immediately slow and hug the line to let them through.

Also, if you want to be a hero, should you see something in the road, stop at a safe spot and warn other riders as you move in to safely get it cleared from the road.

Last, ALWAYS hug the white line and stay away from the center line in a lean... make sure when you lean that your entire bike AND your body AND head are in YOUR lane. I've seen a lot of cars, trucks and other bikes who come around either on the double yellow or over it. Last year, my wife was run off her side of the road because some dumbarse HD rider came around the corner on HER side because he went too wide and hot into the corner. Thankfully, it was a runoff right there and where one of the photographers was parked.

It can be as fun as you make it... The key to the dragon is ride YOUR pace. Do not try to keep up with anyone else. Take a trip or two through at slow speeds to get to know the switchbacks and elevations, then work on the corners a bit harder.

Last, don't focus on the Dragon only. There are SOOO many great roads in that one area that really need to be driven/explored. 28, the Skyway, the Snake, Wayah Rd, the trip to Bridal Veil Falls, Indian Foothills Parkway, etc....
 
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