[JWenhart]

Well, the day finally came!!! My buddy and I just got back from our 4 day fall trip to include one day at Deals Gap. I rode the Tail of the Dragon and I must say it was everything everyone said it would be and MORE!!!!epper:

318 turns in 11 miles! We rode it out and back (so I guess that makes it 636 turns in 22 miles) Plus a quick stop at the dragons overlook. WOW! What a sight of the dam and the lake!

For any that have not had the pleasure, it is a MUST before you die to ride Deals Gap / Tail of the Dragon :smiley_th

You can check out some of the pictures at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort website. www.dealsgap.com

If I can figure out how to post my photo albums, I will put my photos on. Let me just say, the Vulcan performed fantastically! Certainly, she is no crotch-rocket, but it was still amazing nonetheless. I can't wait 'till next year so I can do it again! :motorcycl

 

[ctoons]

:smiley_th
I rode the Dragon during the summer, can't wait to hit it again. The best leg of our trip was Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Tail of the Dragon. Incredible!

 

[EQPlayer]

Post pics! Isn't the VN awesome when the road gets tight? Let me make a standing offer, if anyone wants to see some great California roads, get here and I'll show you around. Don't know if it can compare to Deal's Gap, but it might!

 

[wib714]

for those that dont know about it go to you tube and search it there are some awesome videos on there of it. I would so love to go. my sister and her old man went and had an awesome time!

 

[davewex]

I was riding with a guy a couple weeks ago and he was showing me a photo of his wrecked Harley on the Tail of the Dragon...he had collided with a bike going in the other direction around a turn....he kept saying it was a Yami, but when I looked closely, it was a yellow vn700 or 750. Don't know if it is anyone here, but hope everything turned out ok!

I hope to get to the tail someday, anyway...hopefully a low traffic day, so it can really be enjoyed!
Glad it went well for you!:smiley_th

 

[liljd]

When ever any of you decide to ride it again just give me a shout. I live at the mouth of it in Tn. and can give you the grande tour of this area!!! I love to go to Deals gap and back all the time, it is a great ride thats for sure! And the vulcan just loves it too!

 

[GuyP]

I was riding with a guy a couple weeks ago and he was showing me a photo of his wrecked Harley on the Tail of the Dragon...he had collided with a bike going in the other direction around a turn....he kept saying it was a Yami, but when I looked closely, it was a yellow vn700 or 750. Don't know if it is anyone here, but hope everything turned out ok!

Dave, Was that Harley brand new with a 2 day old paper temp tag? If so from what I was told he hasn't rode in 10 years and bought it against his wifes wishes. He's the one that went left of center hitting the other bike and wound up in the trees. Turns out he had to wait for his friends to bring him a trailer to take it back to the dealer. I didn't see the collision but I saw the end result, pretty f'ed up. He was a local, you know the ones that rag on all of the tourist.

Was there back in mid September. I ran the Dragon 9 time in two days, It gets pretty addictive. My run was from Jacksonville, Fl to Orlando to Tampa back to JAX. I then cut across Georgia diagonally to the Dragon,spent two days there doing the Dragon/Skyway loop. Leaving there I ran the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I then decided to head home on US 250. Then I found my way back to NE Ohio. All while taking back roads the entire trip. It was a fantastic ride. However the acorn nuts on the underside of my footpegs will never be the same.

 

[750Doug]

I've heard there's some road(s) in North/Central Ohio (I believe is the area) that rival the dragon to an extent as far as fun and needing to be a rider go. But some say it's better because there's no tourists, and pretty much no police.

 

[99vulcan750]

I graduate from college in May and I want to take a 2000 mile 10 day trip from Grand Rapids to deals gap, then the Blue Ridge Parkway up to Front Royal then cut across Ohio back to GR. But finances are gettign slim and I haven't been able to start saving up...

 

[davewex]

Dave, Was that Harley brand new with a 2 day old paper temp tag? If so from what I was told he hasn't rode in 10 years and bought it against his wifes wishes. He's the one that went left of center hitting the other bike and wound up in the trees. Turns out he had to wait for his friends to bring him a trailer to take it back to the dealer. I didn't see the collision but I saw the end result, pretty f'ed up. He was a local, you know the ones that rag on all of the tourist.

Don't think so, I think he's local to the chicago area (forgot his name) and indicated that he had a lot of accessories on it that accumulated over time...he needed receipts for the insurance to not total it out completely. He had metal pins put into his wrist due to the injuries. I was curious about the Vulcan that he collided with...

 

[GuyP]

I've heard there's some road(s) in North/Central Ohio (I believe is the area) that rival the dragon to an extent as far as fun and needing to be a rider go. But some say it's better because there's no tourists, and pretty much no police.

Some say Rt 555 in SE Ohio is Dragon Jr. I hunt off 555 and drove it from Zanesville to Rt 78 many of times over the past 15 years. Albeit it's pretty twisty, hilly, a blast to run and when I pull into camp the brakes on my vehicles were smoking and stinking but it's no Tail of the Dragon. It has a lot of loose gravel, patches and cracks/tar snakes.

 

[750Doug]

I don't know if that's the road or not. I have a buddy that just crashed on that road and almost lost his foot in the process. I don't remember the road name, or city or county it's in, but I'll find out....just for grins.

 

[mgough983]

The Dragon is some great riding. I rode it for the first time this past summer on an '08 Heritage Softail; that was fun. The wife and I also rode the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to it's southern end, and then the Cherohala Skyway and the Hellbender. If you get a chance to ride the Hellbender through Fontana Village, NC go ahead and take it. It is great. The road has been paved recently and it is smooth and wide and has long sweeping curves. Lots of fun. We went back a few weeks after that trip and rode them all again on the Vulcan. The 750 was much more fun to drive through the curves. Just my 2 cents opinion. :smiley_th

 

[dragonrider]

i rode the dragon in 07,08, and will be riding it again in 09. i am from michigan and its all flat and stright roads here. it was the best ride i have had and will be hard pressed to top. i hope that all those who enjoy the wind and the open road get a chance to ride the dragon. my vulcan took to the dragon like it was made for it . i havent done anything to it , basicly stock , (i rejetted the carb ) .
if anyone gets the chance , take the trip
ride long and ride safe , dragonrider

 

[slimvulcanrider]

I didn't know it was called tail of the dragon, but I rode that back in 86 on the back of my dad's Suzuki DR370...I know its not the same as a cruiser..but it still was loads of fun for a 6 year old

 

[denny6006]

I used to drive that road pulling a boat to go to Fontana ,smallmouth fishing. I have never been on it on a bike, it looks a lot like Eastern KY Backroads to me.I was on it several years before they started calling it the dragons tail.My nephew an his girlfriend's family went to the Smokeys and they hauled their bikes down and he came home and was showing me some pictures of this awesome ride and I said is that Deals Gap on the Tenn/NC border he said yes,Flipped me out! The ride from Maryville and through Chilowee wouldn't be no slouch even getting to the dragons tail.Now when I trailer a boat I go highway 40 to Maggie Valley and I can't remember the road number to Bryson city and back around the Lake to Fontana Village,It is all beautiful down that way you all have got me thinking!!:smiley_th

 

[davewex]

I just got back on Saturday from a trip to the Great Smokey's and of course a detour through the Tail of the Dragon on April Fool's Day. :rockon: I could not find a bad ride from Gatlinburg through Deal's Gap and back. The roads in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the Foothills Parkway are great, too but the rangers were running radar....so not too fast
I will have to do it again for sure:beerchug: I didn't even get on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Just missed tons of bad weather to and from the area, but it stayed dry the 4 days there.:smiley_th

Here's a video I made from the Dragon:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1084590140681599874